Techstination

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  CBD products are gaining in popularity….and are showing up in both retail stores around the country and online.  And companies like CBD Essence are making use of social media to boost online sales.  And while sites like WebMD are far from sold on the benefits and safety …citing the lack of regulation…CBD Essence CEO and founder Don Ballou says he is creating health food store quality products…oils and candies… that can be helpful to many people…

“A lot of companies are making good CBD products, they’re entrepreneurs, they’re opportunists..but again they’re not health food afficianados.”

CBD oils and products depending on how they are made…are legal in most, if not all states.  Find more info at www.cbdessence.net. 

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

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  ADT’s LifeShield do it yourself home security system keeps getting better.  The company has now brought a video doorbell to market to give users even more security options.  Like competing products on the market…it is designed to use existing doorbell wiring.  It features an HD wide angle camera…with automatic night vision….and lets you communicate with visitors at your door from anywhere.  Chief Product Officer Doug Bellinger…

“It has people detection.  So instead of just getting a notification whenever the wind blows you can actually track whenever a person comes to your door.  The doorbell is actually integrated with Alexa.  So when somebody pushes the button, not only do you get a push notification with an image that shows you who it is, but you also get Alexa to announce somebody’s at your front door which has been a really cool feature."

Lifeshield integrates with and lets you control other smart home equipment too.  For more…head to Lifeshield.com. 

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

NRDC warns TV energy use can double with smart speaker link.  NRDC Director  of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards Noah Horowitz chats with Techstination.

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Singing Machine has partnered with CBS…to create Carpool Karaoke… a microphone designed to add some fun to those road trips.  But unlike what you see the Late Late Show’s James Corden doing on TV….this isn’t designed for driver participation.  It broadcasts to an open FM spot on your radio..  then pair it via Bluetooth with your phone.  And says the company’s Radelys Comas..

“You know James Corden, everytime he is about to start singing with one of his celebrity guests in his car, he asks them…do you mind if I listen to some music?  And so that is the exact thing that you will hear.  It works with pretty much any music or karaoke app that you may be using.”

Fun…of course.  Some apps will give you the words along with the music.  Singing Machine’s Carpool Karaoke sells for about sixty dollars.

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

 U.S. household cord cutting to reach 30 percent this year: Amazon's Delaney Simmons in Techstination interview.

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.   Well…here it is near the middle of August…almost time for the holiday items to appear in your local warehouse store.  But for now…Amazon has created a curated collection aimed at back to school shoppers….called Happy School Year.  Amazon’s Angie Newman…

“All they have to do is go to www.amazon.com/happyschoolyear and they’re going to find all of the trends people are talking about this year.  Stuff like Statement backpacks…backpacks that are covered in dinosaurs or covered in flamingos or even avocados.  Everyone needs something to keep their pencils and pens in so these Keepers…really colorful in pinks and greens…holographic everything.”

Whether the kids are ready for it or not…the site again is amazon.com/happyschoolyear.

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

 Saving photos from disasters and more: Epson FastFoto FF680W scanner.  Product Manager Dave Hawkes chats with Techstination.

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Have what might be called an impactful photo?  The folks who make Drobo storage arrays for computers and networks are partnering with PhotoFocus for a World Photography Day contest.  The day…is August 19th but the deadline to enter is the 15th.  And what they are looking for are images with impact.  Smaina Subedar is Marketing VP at Drobo’s parent company StorCentric…

“It’s a really great way for our users and the users of PhotoFocus to really showcase their work.  And so we’re asking people to submit and impactful photo, a very powerful photo that they’ve taken.”

More details including info on the great prizes are at www.drobo.com/impactphotocontest .That’s d r o b o.

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