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Cloud-based solutions for accessing the data on your computer off site are great, but they have their limitations. First, they are slow because everything has to upload to the cloud before you can access it off-site. Second, most cloud solutions have a limit on how much you can store on their sites. Third, they can get expensive if you have to store a lot. Finally, you have to depend on them to be up.

What if you made your computer the cloud? That is the solution that Polkast came up with. You install the Polkast server on the computer you want to access the files from and then the Polkast app on your mobile devices, including your smartphone, tablets or laptop. You can then access the files on that computer from anywhere in the world as long as the server is running. To access files using Polkast, you have to sign in with a username and password. Everything is encrypted while going from PC to PC or mobile device. Unlike a cloud-based solution, there is no storage limitation and it is as fast as your local ISP. You can also share specific files with other people by email or through their Polkast account. The service is free for one computer and for multiple devices it is $49.95 per year. If you are looking for a way to access your home files on the road, but are wary of a cloud solution, this might be a solution for you.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Don Baine, The Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.

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Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central unboxes the Sony Bloggie Live with WiFi connectivity at the Sony Event on January 9th. The Bloggie Live is available today starting at $249.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Zagg's protective films are popular "first purchases" for new smartphone owners and at CES 2012, Zagg shows off their latest protection mechanism. Todd chats to Bill from Zagg to find out what it protects against.

The adage is that water and electricity don't mix, and by extension, water and mobile devices don't mix well either. Zagg hopes to change that with a new nanotech-based coating, HZO, that repels water so effectively that a dunk in the drink will have no effect on the device.

The HZO coating is applied during the manufacturing process so that every component is properly treated and waterproofed. There's no physical skin or cover as the water-repellency is at the molecular level. Almost any device can be waterproofed - smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, headphones, but it has to be done during manufacture, not by the end-user.

Zagg is currently in negotiation with major OEMs so expect water-repellent devices to hit the market in 12-18 months and if you want to see an iPhone working underwater, then watch the video.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Todd talked to Jeff from Basis at the digital experience event at CES 2012 about their new product for health monitoring.

Basis is coming this spring with a wrist wearable health monitoring system to help you keep track of your overall activity level. Different from the heart monitors you would wear for working out, this new system will track your heart rate, temperature, perspiration, sleep and activity level as you go about your daily life. It will take that information and upload it to Basis' cloud service and give you all the data along with some recommendations of things you need to do to get into better overall health.

The device and service will be available in early 2012 for $199. This includes a lifetime membership to the cloud service.

For more information, go to www.mybasis.com

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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When we are not doing interviews we are taking pictures. Here is a compilation of pictures from CES 2012.

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Todd talked to Scott at the Toshiba booth about the new "SuperSpeed" USB 3.0 Thumb drives that will be available this spring. The drives are up to 10 times faster then USB 2.0 at 220mb/sec reading and 94mb/sec writing.

They will be available in 32GB and 64GB sizes and will be $100 and $200 respectively.

Scott also showed off Toshiba's new SD Cards with WiFi. The product will be called "FlashAir" and will be a 2 way WiFi enabled SD Card. Other WiFi cards have only been one way where you can pull photos from the card wirelessly. This new card will allow you to put files on the card from other devices as well as download from the card wirelessly.

For more information check out toshiba.com

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas computer maker HP unveiled the Envy 14 Spectre, a new 14 inch laptop with some fairly impressive specs behind it. It comes with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, an option for a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD, 4 or 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, Mini DisplayPort, HD webcam, Gorilla Glass inside and out, and USB 3.0. Users also get a choice of Windows 7 Home Premium, Ultimate or Professional, but you will have to go with the 64-bit version, as this new notebook doesn't come in a 32-bit version. HP claims a nine hour battery life, but perhaps the nicest touch is the keyboard, which has individual LED's behind each key to make them easily visible in low, or even no, light conditions.

Although I haven't seen the HP Envy 14 Spectre referred to as an "Ultrabook" that's the first word that comes to mind when I see it. The sleek, thin design and the lack of an optical drive all point to that category, which was the hot meme at CES 2012. There is more to this notebook than just the specs I listed above, but you will need to watch the video below to get all of the details. The Envy 14 Spectre will start at an MSRP of $1399. You can also visit HP for more info.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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By now, we've seen a lot of lenses that you can attach to your iPhone to make them take better pictures. But this lens from GoPano does something different: It makes some great 360° pictures and video without hassle.

Simply attach the iPhone case, then attach the GoPano mount. Start your camera (or video) and you are recording in panoramic view. When you are done, upload it to the GoPano website and you can pan the video to see what's happening around you. Attach a microphone to your iPhone and people can get a new experience from your videos.

GoPano starts at $79.95 and is for the iPhone 4 and 4s. They also have a lens attachment for other cameras if you want to get higher quality photos or video. You can then use the Video Warp software to process and publish video.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine for the TechPodcast Network.

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While at CES Showstoppers, we stopped by Cadillac for the customer user experience (CUE). This is Cadillac's in-car NAV and computer system. The Cadillac CUE is a full infotainment and interface. It will start in the XTS and ATS, along with the SRX in 2013.

This is Cadillac's "centerpiece" of future interiors. Along with the side dash, they remodeled the drivers dash. Capacity multi-touch display, haptic feedback (tactile feel to pushing a button) and other great advancements through the touch system.

Another interesting change is where the glovebox is - under the button panel. All in a stylish interface.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine for the TechPodcast Network.

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One of the biggest problem with laptops is that they get too hot to use on a lap. Many answers to this problem aren't very stylish and look rather dorky. Belly Bean is a stylish solution for this problem. It looks like a cross between a skate board and a surf board. Belly Bean is made of hard-rock maple and on the back is EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) foam, which prevents heat transfer. EVA foam is also used in diving and dry suits.

Belly Bean is a functional workspace large enough for a 17 inch laptop with room left over. It is $49.00 and is available through the Belly Bean Web site. So now you can look great and be cool while you continue to work with a lap top on your lap.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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