Techstination

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.      Some last minute suggestions for Father’s Day.         Health and fitness gifts  can be a great way to show you care.   The Withings ScanWatch at 300 dollars is the first clinically validated hybrid smartwatch that can detect AFib and sleep disturbances while monitoring heart rate and blood oxygen levels.    There’s also the Horizon model…in a stainless steel diving watch design.     When it comes to smart scales, the Withings Body Comp uses a range of sensors to give you a complete health picture.    It sells for about 210 dollars.    Cleer, meanwhile, is out with the Arc II Open Ear Sport Earbuds.  They are water and sweat resistant…and deliver impressive sound without blocking out your surroundings.  That makes them much safer to use while biking, walking or running.  

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        Disruptive…that’s the word being used to describe the Vision Pro VR Headset unveiled by Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference.   Expensive is another word being used…35 hundred dollars when it arrives next year.   But keep in mind, this isn’t just a headset, it is a powerful computer and display equipped with technology that will create experiences not possible before.   Apple CEO Tim Cook..

“Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world.  You can see, hear and interact with digital content just like it’s in your physical space.”

The demos have impressed.  And what developers will be able to do with the technology is the key to how successful Vision Pro will be.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.      We’ve been taking a look at the latest mid range phone from Google…the Pixel 7a…and it offers some impressive technology for a five hundred dollar price tag.  It has a solid feel with an aluminum frame...and features an ip67 rating…so great when it comes to hanging out by the water in the summer.    The Pixel 7a includes Google’s Tensor G2 chip and 128 gigabytes of storage.   The main camera is 64 megapixels…and the image quality is great for this price point.   The selfie camera delivers a very respectable 13 megapixels too.   On the downside…it may be a challenge to get through a full day on a charge.    Wireless charging is included by the way.   But of course, battery life is always dependent on how you use the phone.   

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

Where to go and what's along the way? AdventureGenie aims to add some magic and RVing and camping. Former Microsoft exec Scott Lengel, founder and CEO, chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin about the start up and the road ahead.

Techstination Interview- Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses. Author David Scheel, professor at Alaska Pacific University, has been studying octopuses for more than 25 years. In this book, illustrated by his daughter Laurel, there is fun, surprising facts and continuing mysteries. David chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        Whether for a campsite or the backyard, BioLite has cooked up another winner with the EcoZoom Versa.   It is a wood and charcoal rocket stove that is a sturdy 14 and a half pounds with a cast iron top.   The magic is in the insulated body and combustion chamber that gets the heat going in a hurry.    It takes a bit of practice to control it using the damper door.   The acquisition of EcoZoom by BioLite is paying off.   VP of Marketing Erica Rosen…

“So you can either use sticks, pieces of firewood, found bio-mass or you utilize charcoal as well.  So that’s where the origin of Versa comes from.”

It is designed to last.  The EcoZoom Versa is priced at about 160 dollars.   Find more at BioLiteEnergy.com.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        There’s a fascination that kids and many of us adults have with sharks.   And for kids who want to explore safely…Nat Geo Kids is out with Weird But True Sharks!    Editor Kathryn Williams..

“I think I would have to guess, it’s something about the danger element of sharks is very exciting.  Kids really like these animals with teeth, dinosaurs and things like that.  I think that’s part of the appeal.  But there’s a lot more to sharks than just their teeth and the danger element.”

Some of those Weird But True facts?   Sharks don’t blink…and whale sharks have tiny teeth covering their eyeballs.   The Nat Geo Kids titles are written expertly to captivate and are great for summer reading.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.   OWI Robotics has some worthwhile toys that can teach,  pack plenty of fun….and have no screens necessary.       The company’s Cyber Hand has been winning awards.   It is an oversized robotic hand for kids 8 and up to build and it is priced at under thirty dollars.   In the same price range is the Agent992 Robot kit..which is electronic…with LED lights and navigation.   Marketing Manager Daniel Ramirez..says there’s a line of solar kits as well…

“It gets kids to go outside.   In addition to learning about renewable energy sources, we have one called the Solar Battery Top Fuel Dragster.   That one actually has a battery and a solar panel, so it’s kind of a hybrid.”

There’s more in the line up….at www.owirobot.com.     

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