Techstination

XThings ULTRALOQ is bringing the Aliro standard to smart locks for smarter access control. How does it work? Senior Director of Product Raj Sundar chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is being transported to the Kennedy Space Center this month from where it was built at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Launch could take place as early as September aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket. At Princeton University, Professor Emeritus Bob Vanderbei, is looking forward to learning more about the universe…

“So the fact that the Roman Telescope is going to have a much wider field of view camera is going to get beautiful pictures, I think. And that’s the part that I’m excited about. Also taking pictures of planets around stars using a chronograph, which is something I worked on research wise.”

Vanderbei is also an author and astrophotographer. The site… vanderbei.princeton.edu/images.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. NASA’s next generation infrared space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to begin its move to the Kennedy Space Center this month from where it was built at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Deputy Project Manager Jackie Townsend…

“So Roman is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman. She was one of the first three scientists at NASA back in 1959 and she became the first chief of astronomy and astrophysics.”

It is designed to image larger swaths of the universe than ever before..

“So with it, we will do things like create a 3D map of our own Milky Way galaxy and create humanity’s largest catalog of objects in the night sky to the depth that Roman will be able to pursue.”

And that is generating some excitement. More in my next report.

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

Can you use a Tesla to power your home or campsite? Roam Energy has developed solutions to make it easy. While there are some limitations when it comes to home back-up power , the innovations are continuing. What you should know? Founder and CEO Lydia Li offers answer in this chat with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.     The 2026 Google I/O conference was all about how new and improved AI tools can help you get things done more easily at home and at work.   And while it isn’t Google’s first attempt in the category…it is diving back into Intelligent Eyewear…with some partners.   Google’s Nick Burns..

“We unveiled Intelligent Eye designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, which are our two partners here.   So it’s just like normal glasses.  It has a little camera kind of in the frame.   It’s sort of like having Gemini in your ear.  And there’s no screens or anything so you just say, hey Gemini, what am I looking at?”

  Also new.. a Universal Shopping Cart….designed to let you shop as you browse the Web and make just a single checkout payment.   

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.       Once again the focus at this year’s Google I/O event was on AI, including the announcement of a 24/7 personal agent called Gemini Spark.   It is designed to perform tasks automatically to make your life easier and smarter.   Google’s Nick Burns…

“It can really do real work on your behalf, under your direction.   For example, you can set it to automatically parse your monthly credit card statements to flag new or hidden subscription fees, which can really help you save some money.  You can even have it check your inbox, maybe, for updates from your kid’s school to identify important deadlines or important events coming up.  And it can send a report to you and your partner so you don’t miss a thing.”

There’s more, too, including Intelligent Eyewear on the way.   More on that in my next report.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.    We like to talk about innovations that help to solve everyday kinds of problems.    For instance…that awkward knock on the bathroom door…or asking anyone in there?    Kwikset is tackling the problem with the new   Halifax Occupancy Indicator Lever…stylishly designed with a mechanical red or green notification to let you know if someone is in there without having to ask or knock.   Product Marketing Manager Andrew Lindley…

“We are trying to solve the modern problem of busy families that are always on the go.”

Not sure if the double meaning was intentional…but..the solution is innovative….

“By providing a small occupancy indicator.”

Making it mechanical instead of electronic is smart too.   No batteries to change or charge…and the Halifax Occupancy Indicator Lever is affordable too.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. A bit of a follow up to the stories we did this month on the record breaking roller coaster under construction at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. It is code named Project Purple….and now we know why. The coaster project is the beginning of a partnership with the national nonprofit…Project Purple…dedicated to raising awareness and funding support for pancreatic cancer research and patient programs. The organization’s CEO and Founder Dino Verrelli…at the announcement..

“We love doing anything endurance. We do a lot with marathon running and riding theme rides is like an endurance, right. It’s an adrenaline rush as you guys all know, so this was right up our alley and to be here is really special to us, to be with such a strong brand.”

Six Flags Great Adventure will be raising awareness…with fundraising and events for Project Purple as the new coaster construction continues over the next year.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Google is offering some AI help in planning summer travel. Lots of us are starting to get serious about summer travel plans as Memorial Day weekend nears….and whether there’s a road trip in store or international travel, Google AI tools like Ask Maps can help. And if your destination is out of the country…now you can utilize Google Translate…with any type of earbuds. Google’s Jennifer Jones..says it works with more than 70 languages..

“(translation) It also keeps the cadence so you are not missing a thing and it is literally translating while someone is talking to you.”

You’ll find more tools that can save you money on travel and hotels as well at Google.com/travel.

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

After years of work, NASA 's team at the Goddard Space Flight Center is readying the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for the journey to Florida and a planned September launch. What might we learn about the universe? Deputy Project Manager Jackie Townsend joins Techstination's Fred Fishkin and Princeton Professor Emeritus, author and astrophotographer Bob Vanderbei to explore.