Good oral hygiene is important for everyone but getting children to brush their teeth can be a bedtime battle. Playbrush (http://www.playbrush.com/) should help win the war, bringing fun into the bathroom. I get the toothpaste out with John to find out more about Playbrush and continue coverage of the British Inventors’ Project.

The Playbrush is small bulbous gadget that slips over the handle of a manual toothbrush and turns the toothbrush into a game controller. Communicating via Bluetooth, the toothbrusher plays a game “Utoothia” on their tablet or smartphone, encouraging correct brushing technique and duration. The Playbrush can be shared among a family with game apps supporting up to six people. It’s rechargeable and will last around four-to-six weeks on single charge, depending on use. The games are in both the Apple and Google app stores.

Originally a Kickstarter Project, the Playbrush launched back in November and is available now from the Playbrush store (http://order.playbrush.com/) for GB£31 (says the store). There’s a bathroom kit for an extra £8 which is a vinyl pocket to hold the smartphone during brushing and keep it toothpaste free. It sticks to tiles or a mirror using suction cups.

I think this is neatly executed idea that’s very affordable, especially as it can be shared with more than one child, though I think Playbrush need a neutral colour that’s not blue or pink!

Today’s apartments and smaller houses aren’t always conducive to bicycle ownership. Bikes don’t stay upright, handlebars mark walls and transporting them can be awkward. They’re all wheels and finger-nips. Mark and Julie’s BikeDeck (http://bikedeck.org/) looks to solve these problems and I chat with him as part of the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live.

The BikeDeck is a free-standing bicycle storage and transport platform. It holds the bike in a upright, free-standing position or the BikeDeck can be hung on a wall (from a suitably strong hook). BikeDeck keeps the bike ready for transport as it can be wheeled it along like a trolley suitcase or lifted easily into a car.

It works with any bike which has quick release wheels, and with practice, an owner can get the bike onto the BikeDeck in around a minute. Almost any frame size can be accommodated as the BikeDeck’s sliding system adjusts to length.

Currently in the prototype stage, BikeDeck is looking for partners to bring the product to the market.

April 16, 1977: Apple II Debuts

1977 – Apple Computer shows off the Apple II home computer at the West Coast Computer Faire. The $1,298 Home machine featured a 6502 processor, 4kb RAM 16kb ROM and for the first time – A home computer with color graphics.  Apple II was the most recognizable home and school computers in the 80s and 90s. I personally would play Ultima III and Ultima IV on an Apple II after school. The final Apple II rolled off the line on October 15, 1993.

Commodore also unveiled the PET 2001, which is a full-featured computer. It also had the 6502 processor, 4kb RAM, 14kb ROM and a cassette drive for $595. The Pet was replaced by the PET 2001-N in 1979.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for April 16

Day in Tech History Brought to you by:Ready to get your own Drone? Get FREE SHIPPING on the DJI Phantom II or other drone!

* Nintendo sues for copyright infringement

* Adobe Photoshop 7.0 releases

* Ashton Kutcher Joins Twitter.

(http://www.geekazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Blackberry-Priv-200x113.jpg)

Blackberry PRIV

Blackberry phones were popular because they were meant for business. Their security features were better than any other phone at the time. Some CEO’s would lose their minds if they didn’t have it. Even President Obama had to have a Blackberry over an iPhone 10 years ago.

Fast forward to today. Blackberry broke down and created the Android version called PRIV, hoping it would bring those CEOs back. I got this phone from my friends at Verizon Wireless to find out if they accomplished the job.

Let’s look at the specs. This is an Android phone running the Qualcomm 8992 Snapdragon 808 Heza-Core processor at 64-bit. An Adreno 418 GPU at 600 mHz and 32 GB Flash memory, upgradable to 2 TB.

The phone runs a display of 2560×1440 – or 1440p. The screen size is 5.4″ and has a 24-bit color depth. Camera is 18 MP with Optical Image Stabilization and Phase detect auto focus. You can record 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps.

Slide the phone to reveal the Blackberry keyboard. A simple QWERTY keyboard minus numbers. Battery is a 3410 mAh non-removable which can be charged via the USB cable or Wireless charging through the Quick Charge 2.0 technology. This will get you through an average day without issue.

Pros and Cons of the Blackberry PRIV

Let’s get into it with the keyboard. I enjoy a good sliding phone keyboard, but the Blackberry PRIV’s does not cut it. The keys are too small and really makes the phone top-heavy when you open it to text. The keyboard adds weight to the overall phone as well. The way the keys are raised might even confuse someone who has a visual disability. The only way to get numbers is to use the shift key. I found this was not helpful at all.

The phone itself is a curved display similar to the S7 Edge. The side can give you information such as the charge of the phone. I am personally not a big fan of curved displays.

PRIV actually stands for “Private”. They worked hard at bringing the apps to Android for the same security as your old device. FIPS 140-2 compliant disk encryption, verified boot and secure bootchain, and BES12 which is the leading Enterprise Mobility management platform used by government and top Fortune 500 companies.

Add to that Blackberry’s secure Infrastructure, a secure distributed global network that transmits petabytes of encrypted data across the world. You can even Sandbox your phone with Android for Work to provide secure separation.

Still, some have been asking “Where’s the fingerprint reader”, and that’s a great question.

At 649.00 off-contract or $30 a month on a Verizon contract, you are buying security for an Android device. A decent battery and camera are good reasons to get this phone. But if you’re looking for the Blackberry experience, it’s just not there.

Subscribe to Geekazine:

RSS Feed (http://www.geekazine.com/feed/podcast) - Via YouTube (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fj.mp%2FYoutubegeek&sref=rss)

Twitter (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fgeekazine&sref=rss) - Facebook (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2FFacebook.com%2Fgeekazine&sref=rss)

- Tip Me via Paypal.me/jeffpowers (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaypal.me%2Fjeffpowers&sref=rss)

- Member of Maker Max (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fr.mker.tv%2FOzcHTY&sref=rss)

- RSS Bandwidth by Cachefly (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cachefly.com%2F&sref=rss) Get a 14 Day Trial

(http://www.geekazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MG001-200x113.jpg)

Morning Geeks Show

I’m implementing a new live show called “Morning Geeks” – the weekly show of geek culture. It will be live every Friday Morning around 8:30 AM EST – 5:30 AM PST. The show will be news based, but will have extra segments as the weeks progress.

Morning Geeks Episode 1

– AMC Theaters allowing cell phone usage

– Passengers Sci-Fi thriller

– Has the Loch Ness monster been found?

– Rogue One Trailer hits

– Why C3P0 has a red arm

– First images of Baron Zemo for Captain America: Civil War

– More on the Government’s hack to the San Bernadino iPhone

– Tesla gets a new Easter Egg

– The Vape FaceSwap

Subscribe to Geekazine:

RSS Feed (http://www.geekazine.com/feed/podcast) - Via YouTube (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fj.mp%2FYoutubegeek&sref=rss)

Twitter (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fgeekazine&sref=rss) - Facebook (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2FFacebook.com%2Fgeekazine&sref=rss)

- Tip Me via Paypal.me/jeffpowers (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaypal.me%2Fjeffpowers&sref=rss)

- Member of Maker Max (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fr.mker.tv%2FOzcHTY&sref=rss)

- RSS Bandwidth by Cachefly (http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=20383X779049&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cachefly.com%2F&sref=rss) Get a 14 Day Trial

April 15, 2005: Damn Small Linux was Released

2005 – It was the release of the Damn Small Linux program, a Linux distribution that was designed to take up as little drive space as possible. John Andrews – DSL’s developer – Never allowed the ISO to go past 50 MB in size. You would be able to put DSL onto a CD or USB drive if needed. You can get the DSL ISO to install here (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/)

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for April 15

Day in Tech History Brought to you by:Ready to get your own Drone? Get FREE SHIPPING on the DJI Phantom II or other drone!

* Pentium II processors introduced

* The paper disc format is announced

* The first McDonalds Hamburger is sold

* Search Engine “Cuil” launches in alpha.

No video version this episode

Mike Dell here.  Guest hosting for Todd this week.  I am the host of Podcast Help Desk (http://podcasthelpdesk.com) and Geek of the North (http://modernlifepodcastnetwork.com/gotn/), both on the Tech Podcasts Network.  I have a smaller stack of stuff than Todd normally has, but I hope it will tide you over for your Geek News fix for the weekend.

Download the Audio File

Support my Show Sponsor:

30% off on New GoDaddy Orders cjcgnc30 (http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3590583-12200159-1454459286000)

$.99 for a New or Transfered .com cjcgnc99 (http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3590583-12200160-1430254390000) @ GoDaddy.com

$1.00 / mo Economy Hosting with a free domain. Promo Code: cjcgnc1hs (http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3590583-12200154-1430254188000)

$1.00 / mo Business Website Builder with free domain. Promo Code: cjcgncgot (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3590583-12200158-1430254298000)

$1.00 / mo Managed WordPress Hosting with free Domain. Promo Code: cjcgncwp1 (http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3590583-12242416-1439241078000)

Show Links:

Man deletes his whole web hosting company (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/man-accidentally-deletes-his-entire-company-with-one-line-of-bad-code-a6984256.html)

Uber Uber and Lyft drivers need to obtain business licenses in order to drive in SF (http://techcrunch.com/2016/04/15/uber-and-lyft-drivers-need-to-obtain-business-licenses-in-order-to-drive-in-sf/)

3rd party Cable Boxes?  (http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/15/11437654/white-house-set-top-box-legislation)

Apple Changing the Name of OSX? (http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/14/11435812/apple-macos-os-x-name-change-rebranding)

30,000 Verizon Workers on Strike (http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/13/technology/verizon-strike/index.html) (Warning – Auto-play video)

Microsoft Sues Government over Emai (http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/microsoft-sues-feds-say-when-government-asks-your-emails-n556006)l

Apple Switching to OLED screens for iPhone? (http://www.stuff.tv/news/apple-orders-100-million-oled-iphone-screens-2017-claims-report)

Hand-Powered Upright Wheelchair (http://gizmodo.com/hand-powered-wheelchair-that-can-scoot-around-upright-i-1770945841)

Add a Hard Drive to Kangaroo PC (http://gizmodo.com/you-can-now-add-a-hard-drive-to-the-impossibly-tiny-kan-1770992587)

$700 Magic Juicer (http://recode.net/2016/04/14/juicero-malachy-moynihan-built-amazon-echo/)

I review the Amazon Echo smart speaker

April 14, 1996: Jennicam began livestreaming

1996–  Nineteen year old Jennifer Kaye Ringley takes several webcams and places them within her house. For the next seven years, she would livestream her life to all on the Internet. Since Ringley was raised a nudist, she would appear on the video without clothes on. The site was not pornographic – although any sexual escapades would be caught live. Jennifer leads a Social media free life nowadays.

Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for April 14

Day in Tech History Brought to you by:Ready to get your own Drone? Get FREE SHIPPING on the DJI Phantom II or other drone!

* US District Court Rules in favor of Microsoft and HP

* Quicktime for Mac OS and Mac OS X

* Lindows becomes Linspire

Here in the UK, contactless smart cards are increasingly popular with every credit and debit card in my wallet now enabled for PIN-free low value transactions. They’re very popular as travel cards too, with London’s Oyster card being a good (but not unique) example. Convenient as this contactless technology is, there can be problems. With a wallet full of cards, sometimes the wrong card can charged or the right card not recognised, but there have also been scare stories (http://www.scmagazineuk.com/sc-staff-hit-by-contactless-card-theft/article/447971/) about criminals using portable card readers to take small amounts.

Merlo (https://merlolondon.com/) has a solution to this problem with a lovely range of British-designed leather wallets with built-in blocking technology, plus two outer unshielded pockets. What this means is that you put most of your cards inside the wallet where they can’t be read but put the card(s) you do want to use in the outer pockets; say, one travel card and one payment card. Pass your wallet across the reader and the right card is used.

Part of the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live, I chatted with Mark from Merlo to understand more about their new wallets. Prices ranges from GB£38 to £75 with four different wallet types available for purchase from Merlo’s website (https://merlolondon.com/).

Like me, many parents will remember the frequent struggles with travel cots: there was always that one rail that wouldn’t lock in place or the release handle that wouldn’t turn to disengage the mechanism. At times travel cots can be more frustrating than the tot!

Fortunately, the BabyHub (http://www.babyhubshop.com/) team have worked hard to produce the SleepSpace (http://www.babyhubshop.com/shop/sleepspace/), a travel cot  that can be put up and taken down easily with one hand. It’s lightweight (6 kg) and the clever folding mechanism is so simple it can even be setup while holding the baby. Here’s Catherine from BabyHub to explain more about the SleepSpace.

Uniquely, the SleepSpace travel cot is pyramid shaped rather than the more usual box and this gives additional stability plus the convenience of being able to drape mosquito nets or sun shades over the cot without worrying about the cloth falling into the cot. On travel, the cot can be re-purposed as a play space or tent during the day. It’s available in four different colours.

The BabyHub SleepSpace is expected to go on sale with national retailers in the autumn for around GB£139. Looks like another success for the British Inventors’ Project.