Techstination

They are connected, in color and captivating a new generation of virtual pet fans. What you should know about Bandai's Tamagotchi Uni virtual pets in this Techstination interview with Senior Director of Brand Strategy Tara Badie.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The non profit disaster relief organization Direct Relief is using technology and data, including some from social media users, to get help where it is needed more quickly. The organization’s VP of Research and Analysis, Andrew Schroeder..

“We take data from the Facebook platform that’s provided through a research and non profit data agreement through Meta Data for Good, and look at the change in the Facebook user base at intervals of time in eight hour increments before, during and after the crisis so that we can tell where areas may be evacuating, around say, when evacuation orders may have been issued.”

To better understand who has evacuated and who has not…and where help is needed.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. AARP and Ageless Innovation are bringing people and generations together for game play through a campaign called Reach Out and Play. The initiative features re-designed versions of some very familiar board games licensed by Ageless Innovation’s Joy For All brand. CEO Ted Fischer…

“Our first three games, the game of Life Generations, Trivial Pursuit Generations and Scrabble Bingo. And all of them have been really reimagined in a way that makes them fun for everyone to play.”

Fischer, on the What’s Next Living Longer Better Smarter podcast, added there will be more games to come. AARP VP of Fun and Fulfillment Heather Nawrocki..

“You know this fits right in to our strategy. The idea of bringing people together to play games was perfect.”

Find more about upcoming events at local.aarp.org/play.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Hubble Connected is continuing to innovate with baby monitors that can grow in their capabilities along with your children. The Nursery Pal Dual Vision is equipped with a wide angle camera and normal view as well….and lets you view through a rechargeable handheld monitor or a smartphone app. VP Marty Urick says beyond that..

“As your family grows, it has this feature called Connect Chat. So Connect Chat is a little button you can actually press on the base of the unit and it will actually ring the parent or the caregiver on their cell phone and you can get a message from them. So you can actually see a one way video call.”

There are also new devices in the works that will use AI to alert parents to a variety of concerns. Look for those later this year. Find more info at www.hubbleconnected.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

GoPro's newest, the Hero12 Black arrives next week promising better battery life and much more. Like what? Global Communications VP Rick Loughery chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.          There’s a new podcast in town.   With the writers’ strike continuing to keep their regular late night shows off of the air… Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver are partnering with Spotify on a new podcast series…Strike Force Five…

“One more time Jimmy.  Hi, I’m Jimmy Fallon.  I’m Stephen Colbert.  I’m Jimmy Kimmel, I thought when you said Jimmy you meant me, Jimmy, but you meant Jimmy… I always mean you, I always.. But when you say Seth Meyers, who do you mean?   I mean John Oliver.”

   It launched last week and will run for at least a dozen episodes with all five participating and taking turns moderating.    All of the proceeds for the hosts will be used to support their out of work staff members.   Sounds like fun…and you don’t have to choose which one to watch.  The name of the podcast again is Strike Force Five.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

Ekster's new GRID backpack features versatility, charging on the go, sustainability and more. Like what? Co-founder Olivier Momma joins Techstination's Fred Fishkin for a chat.

It started with a gift to her grandmother during the pandemic. Ashley Kenny and her brother created Heirloom video books and are finding lots of demand. How do they work? Kenny chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        September is a great month for doing more outdoors…whether in the yard or maybe at a camp site.    If you haven’t checked out the EcoZoom Versa from BioLite….it is a no frills way to cook using either wood or charcoal…is easy to use….and very clean and efficient.  VP Erica Rosen..

“It looks like one of those big buckets you get from Lowes or Home Depot and then if you look top down you have this chimney and this burn chamber.  Then when you look to the side of the product, that’s where you have the fuel entry system.  So that’s where you are going to be feeding in your pieces of wood or your charcoal.”

The stove creates a forced draft design for clean and thorough burning with a door allowing you some control over the temperature.    Find more at www.bioliteenergy.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.      The battle for smart phone supremacy will be renewed in the coming weeks.    Apple this month is expected to unveil the new iPhone 15.   It has an event slated for September 12th.     Meanwhile Google has an October 4th event scheduled…with the buzz being that we’ll be seeing the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.    How much better will the new devices be than the current generation. The focus, if you will, in recent years, has been on the camera capabilities.   How much will they cost?   It seems fair to say probably a lot.   Samsung got the jump on the competition over the summer with an Unpacked event in July unveiling new phones, tablets and the Watch6 Series.     It should be an interesting autumn.  Stay tuned…and maybe start saving up.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.