Techstination

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

Google shakes up smart phone industry with lower cost Pixel 3a

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Google is shaking up the smart phone industry with the introduction of the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL….with a price tag starting at 399 dollars.  The move combined with some more reasonably priced phones from Apple…is welcome news for consumers.  It proves you don’t need to spend a thousand dollars or more for a great device with full features.  Including, says Google’s Justin Burr…a top notch camera…

“Still got the great camera that has night sight which is great to take photos in low light when you don’t necessarily or can’t necessarily use the flash or don’t want to use the flash.  Makes the colors still pop even in that low light scenario.  Also still has the portrait mode on the front and back cameras.  Also got 30 hours of battery life, which is helpful and yes, it does have a headphone jack.”

It’s on sale now.  And look for big improvements coming to Google Assistant and a new version of Android as well.

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

1MORE True Wireless in ear headphones arrive: Sr. Brand Manager Tyler Runyon in Techstination interview.

SylvanSport blends design and tech into growing camper line.

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Smart designs for the great outdoors.  The folks at SylvanSport have been busy creating gadgets big and small.  The Waylight is a walking stick with a built in LED knob on top….that you can poke into the ground to illuminate a campsite.  The end is even designed to hold bamboo skewers for marshmallow roasting.  Sylvan Sport is best known for its Go pop up camper that is light and designed to be towed by just about any vehicle.  And new to the line…on pre-order now…is the Vast camper…  Co-founder and CEO Tom Dempsey…

“The Vast is a much more substantial vehicle with all composite construction, two full size queen beds and a full bathroom with shower in a really, really lightweight package.

For more on the versatility head to SylvanSport.com.

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

 Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  The pop up attachments that make holding a mobile phone more convenient and secure have won lots of fans.  And the folks at Otterbox have now partnered with Pop Sockets to build those pop ups right into a line of protective cases.  The company’s Kristen Tatti…

“What’s great about Otter Plus Pop is it’s actually built upon a couple of our different series platforms.  Our Symmetry series..which is a very slim, sleek device case…and our Defender series which is the one we’re most well known for, our really rugged case.”

The nice thing is the pop up becomes part of the case…out of the way…when not being used. Pricing is typically about sixty to seventy dollars.  For a bit more you can even design your own at Otterbox.com.

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

Tempurpedic's designs improved cooling mattress tech: Marketing Dir. Jill Johnson in Techstination interview.

 Invitae offers more affordable medical genetic testing: Counselor Kate Lynch in Techstination interview.

Cooluli brings versatility to portable cooling & warming.  

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  A company called Cooluli can make spring and summer road trips a lot more convenient with tech that can keep food and beverages cold…or warm. The Concord 20LDX…is nicely designed with a digital temperature display and features a 20 litre capacity.  It comes with cords for both home and vehicle use and sells for about 140 dollars.   There are a variety of smaller sizes as well…and all use what is called Peltier thermoelectric technology for cooling and warming…all done through a chip that produces heat on one side and cold on the other.  CEO Avi Kraminer…

“When it’s  in cooling mode, there is a heat sync removing the heat form the chip and then dispersing it with a fan.  While in heating mode, we do not disperse that heat.”

For more, head to http://www.Cooluli.com.

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