Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.   The head of X-Force at IBM…Charles Henderson…spends his time battling the bad guys in the online world…malicious hackers…and criminals who have escalated the stakes with ransomware attacks.  And Henderson says password protection has become a social responsibility for us all… and there are lessons to be learned from the pandemic..

“Civic duty on that basis.  And you know what..criminals watched the shortages that were caused outside of cybersecurity and they mirrored their attacks because they saw those weaknesses and they’re able to exploit them for profit.”

The key…don’t be lazy with passwords.  You can find a variety of tools online that can help.  There’s more info at www.ibm.com/security.

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

Amazon is dramatically increasing the company's commitment to hiring veterans and their spouses.   Global Military Affairs Director John Quintas joins Techstination's Fred Fishkin for a chat about how the program works.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  If you’re looking for better sound when recording videos, voice or music….a company called Mikme from Vienna …has solutions that can help.  We’ve been looking at the new Mikme Pocket and the versatility and sound quality make it worthy of your consideration.  Founder Philipp Sonnleitner..started the company seven years ago..with a team that had a background at AKG.  While an Android app is in beta…Mikme has put iOS first.  The square shaped microphone actually doubles as a recorder ….connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth…and can also use external mics…like a clip on Lavalier..

“Basically the only thing you need is Mikme Pocket to record great audio and the Mikme app which basically gets the audio wirelessly in professional quality into the app.”

The performance is impressive…and you can learn more at www.mikme.com.

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

The VEX Robotics World Championships drew competitors from around the world to its virtual event this year.   The surprising benefits to going virtual in this Techstination interview with Dan Mantz, CEO of the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation.

Tech for the kitchen...done to perfection.   The Thermapen ONE from ThermoWorks is rugged enough for commercial kitchens and easy enough to use for everyone.  Did we mention it is fast?   VP Tim Robinson chats about the features with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  A table lamp that features color changing LEDs….and doubles as an emergency backup light.  inPOWERED is a woman owned business…that is putting some thoughtful touches into its lamps.  The fifty dollar Lamp Angel, for instance…lets you control colors from your smartphone…or using the included remote and has  a USB port to keep your phone or tablet charged…even during a power outage.  There is also an elegant Blue Coral lamp.  Owner and Chief Financial Officer Cherie Cunningham..

“The company started about two years ago,.  We’re excited about two products that are on the market now.”

And there are more bright ideas on the way the Vertical Lamp and the Blackout Lamp…which has a built in emergency flashlight.  Find more info at www.inpoweredlights.com.

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

Techstination Week is a compilation of this week's Techstination reports with tech journalist and host Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  There are millions of Apple Watch fans out there…and if they’ve ever wished for a built in camera…a company called Wristcam has a solution…

“We are an Apple certified wrist camera built into a smart band for the Apple Watch.”

Co-founder and CEO Ari Roisman.  Wristcam has two built in cameras…forward and self facing…that let you take photos or videos even without having to pull out your phone.  We’ve found it to be surprisingly light…fun and useful…and a new update adds live video communication capability.  You can control Wristcam with Siri.  It has its own magnetic charger … but the charging block has two ports …so you can plug the watch charger in at the same time.  The price…about three hundred dollars at www.wristcam.com and Amazon.

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

Can a 34 inch curved widescreen monitor increase productivity?  The built in docking capability is a plus,  too,  on the latest from ViewSonic.  And there's more on the gaming and entertainment side.  Product Manager Ray Hedrick chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Inseego is a company best known for creating the MiFi hotspot category….and today the M2000 5G hotspot is designed to keep you connected wherever and whenever.  We’ve tested it on T-Mobile’s 5G network with some pretty impressive results when it comes to streaming video or Zoom calls.  SVP of Product Management Adam Gould..

“Usage of wireless devices has kind of changed a lot.  We’ve seen a lot of people using hotspots as really their primary Internet connection.  They’re streaming those calls hours at a time.”

And with the rapid roll out of high speed service…the Inseego 5G MiFi can let you stay connected wherever service is available.  Pricing is going to depend on the plan you have, of course….but carriers are starting to push wireless Internet as an alternative to cable.