Techstination

With the 60th birthday of the Mustang coming April 17th, Ford is rolling out the 2024 version of the Mach-E. What's new? Senior Marketing Manager Garett Carr chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Thyim is the name of an app that stands for They Help You In Minutes. It is a start up designed to bring together people who need services…of all kinds…like washing a dog…or the dishes and such…with people in their neighborhoods who can do those kinds of jobs. Co-founder Stephen Buffamante…

“Our company is kind of designed to provide services ala carte. Where like cleaning companies exist, but you can’t be hiring someone just to wash your dishes. Helpers see requests within a certain range of them and are able to get to you within or around 15 minutes.”

The helpers have to go through background checks when they sign up. Thyim is initially available on the Apple app store…for customers in Michigan and parts of Georgia and Texas. There are plans to expand from there.

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

The latest conferencing solutions from the Poly brand at HP are designed to meet a variety of needs. Such as? Dir. of Hybrid Work Solutions Messaging Brian Phillips chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The innovations continue with Anker’s Eufy brand of security cameras. We’ve mentioned the latest WiFi and 4G capable model. But the real magic happens when multiple cameras are installed inside and out when AI is used for tracking movement around or through a home with cameras automatically handing off to each other. Senior Public Relations Manager Brett White..

“As you walk up my driveway, there’s camera one, my Solo Cam has detected you. It will then do a seamless handoff to my video doorbell. You’ll then walk into my house and out of the frame of the video doorbell into the frame of the indoor camera.”

And the tracking can continue with a floodlight camera in the yard, etcetera. And the system can send you a single video clip showing the movement all the way through. The AI is enabled through a connection to Eufy’s Home Base 3 which adds expandable storage.

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

If you think tungsten was just for old light bulbs and is out of date...think again. It's being relied on for AI, EVs and more. How? Almonty Industries CEO Lewis Black chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.       On the financial side of things…it looks like Tesla had a pretty rough first quarter.   But on the technology side…the picture is looking pretty bright for the company.    The real accomplishment that we’re talking about is now referred to FSD Supervised.      It is no longer being called a beta release…and adding supervised to the name is really the responsible way to go.  Drivers need to be paying full attention….they are monitored by a camera. That said, the new FSD can take a vehicle from here to there remarkably well…often with little or no intervention.   In bad weather…Tesla’s camera only reliance…can run into difficulty.   But the progress is impressive…and now Tesla is giving all buyers and owners the opportunity to be trained and test it out for free for thirty days.  A smart move…that will likely improve profitability and sales.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. MindMics is a company that is pioneering the approach of determining your heart health and more….by listening through your ear canal. Founder and CEO Anna Barnacka is an astrophysicist by training who has worked for NASA and she tells her complete story in a Techstination interview…which we encourage you to watch. As for MindMics, Dr. Banacka says the ear approach has advantages over wrist worn wearables..

“The watches, they can only see the signals very far away from the heart. So as the blood is travelling from our heart, just below the skin, it’s losing a lot of information. So you’re getting a bump, but it’s losing all of those tiny changes from heartbeat to heartbeat."

You can learn more about technology and how it works in our interview…and find more info at www.MindMics.com.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.        Guy Kawasaki is what you might call a tech luminary…having been Apple’s Chief Evangelist and more recently doing the same for Canva.   He is also the host of the Remarkable People podcast….and his latest book, Think Remarkable…is an offshoot from that.  It’s a terrific read, chock full of anecdotes, stories and advice.  And there’s an insrpiring foreword written by Jane Goodall..

“Who would you rather have write a foreword for a non-fiction book about making a difference than Jane Goodall?   I cannot think of a person.  I literally cannot think of a better person.”

Kawasaki himself is pretty remarkable.   He chatted on the What’s Next Living Longer Better Smarter podcast, which I co-host with Mary Furlong.   Hope you’ll give it a watch or listen.   The book again is Think Remarkable, by Guy Kawasaki.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Octopuses have a lot of heart. Three of them to be more precise. And they are among the most intelligent animals on the planet. Best selling author Sy Montgomery…has followed up her book Soul of an Octopus…with a new title…Secrets of the Octopus. It is a companion book to the National Geographic series arriving on Earth Day on Disney. For Sy, it was a labor of love and the book reveals her amazing relationships with these mysterious creatures..

“Why do these octopuses who clearly relish my company, who clearly get excited when they see me and rise to the surface of the water and stick their arms and suckers out of the water to meet mine… why do they want to have anything to do with me at all."

The book, Secrets of the Octopus, is a wonderful read for all ages.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. With robots, self driving vehicles, new AI being used for virtual nurses and much more, the crowds at NVIDIA’s GTC conference were wowed….to say the least. Speaking on the Smart Driving Cars podcast, NVIDIA VP for Automotive Danny Shapiro said the company’s latest computing platform is opening a lot of doors…

“Our new generation of technology that we’re bringing out called Blackwell, that’s the new platform, we’re going to bring that into the cars as well in our next generation of SOC for autonomous. But the kind of sea change is all about generative AI and we’ve been talking about this for over a year with Chat GPT. But it’s not just text, it’s every type of data being transformed and being generated for ways to re-think how people do their jobs and be able to do it better.”

And Shapiro says NVIDIA is just getting started.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.    The innovators at Wyze are at it again.   They are out with the Wyze Cam v4…delivering super sharp 2.5K QHD resolution, a built in spotlight and AI tracking ..all for less than 36 dollars.    It is an indoor, outdoor camera…that does need to be plugged in .  A weather proof cable is included.   There is a micro SD card slot for local storage…but my suggestion is to spring for an online storage package from Wyze.  Cam Protect is 3.99 a month and gives you facial recognition and monitored alarm capability.  Wyze has had to cope with a couple of security issues, but those seem to have been resolved and may not be much of a worry especially for outdoor security usage.  The emphasis at Wyze on affordability is a big plus.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The total solar eclipse is just days away. How to view? Celestron is among the reputable makers of gear for safe viewing. Everything from EclipSmart Binoculars to kits with the necessary glasses and a guide. Astronomy product manager Lance Lucero..has travelled the world as an eclipse chaser

“When you observe any eclipse, especially even total eclipses, all the phases leading up to totality, where any part of the sun is still visible, you must have safe eye protection in order to view it properly.”

Celestron makes it affordable…with glasses costing as little as three dollars. You can get an EclipSmart solar filter for telescopes as well. Find more at www.celestron.com and click on EclipSmart. Many retailers carry the line as well.

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

Anna Barnacka was an astrophysicist working with NASA before turning her attention to using technology to improve health. She created MindMics, using earphones to listen to and monitor heart health through the ear canal. How? Dr. Barnacka chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The top search trends for the month of March…of course the college basketball tournaments….March Madness…were hot trends. And at the Academy Awards, Ryan Gosling drew lots of online attention. There was an increase in searches for personality tests.. and in the odd news category, Google Trends Expert Mia Nicholson East says there was a spike in searches for how to make new friends as an adult…

“We saw a huge spike in search for how to make new friends, it rose over 110 percent this month. And then people were also searching Bumble BFF, which is just like the dating app but for friends, and it spiked over 150 percent. So, people are just looking to make more connections. I think they could probably use some of those personality tests they’re learning about themselves to find some new friendships as well.”

Sounds encouraging for early spring.

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

All That Happiness Is is the title of an upcoming book from author and New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik. The focus is on accomplishment versus achievement. What are the differences? Gopnik chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Saving your history. Vivid-Pix is out with a scanner and software solution called Memory Station Stories. CEO Rick Voight says the top down scanner can capture photos, documents…even objects like a special dish…and allow you to attach audio narratives…and then helps to put it all together..

“The image plus the voice, so you can tell a story. And that story can be as simple as a single image where an individual is describing a time in their life. It could be a graduation or birth of a child or it can be as simple as vacation 1972."

Old photos and documents can be easily restored with the Vivid-Pix software by the way. The home edition bundle…which you can share with the whole family is priced at about 800 dollars. Find more at www.vivid-pix.com.

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

Search trends for March? Ryan Gosling, Caitlin Clark, spring break, key lime cookies and finding more friends. Google trends expert Mia Nicholson East chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The battle against online scams is never ending…but there are tools you can use to make becoming a victim less likely. At Google…Technology Expert Grace Hoyt says take advantage of two factor authentication whenever possible. And turning to a password manager can offer lots of protection too…

“We know that these bad actors, these attackers, are looking to get access to folks’ passwords and then use that to sign in to your online accounts. So that’s why we recommend that folks store and save secure passwords through a password manager. That is built into your Chrome browser automaticallyThat is a great place to store that information."

Google’s Gmail by the way…is pretty great at blocking the vast majority of scams and phishing attempts. Find more at www.safety.google.com.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. What to consider when buying an electric vehicle? Kia, which has the award winning EV6 and EV9 vehicles on the market, has some tips for consumers. Kia America Director of Corporate Communications James Bell…

“If you are the kind of person that saddles up every Friday night and drives five hundred miles out to the local camping spot or hooks up your boat or your trailer and drives out to grandma’s house, then guess what… an electric vehicle’s probably not for you. But if you’re like the vast majority of us, and I mean 90 plus percent, who drive on average 25 to 35 miles per day, than an electric car is probably, I’ll just go ahead and say it, is the best choice.”

And with the charging station picture improving all of the time…Kia is among those moving to the Tesla standard…the choice gets even easier.

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

Are you ready for viewing the total solar eclipse? Even if you aren't within the totality path, it will be worth viewing. How to do it safely? Celestron's Lance Lucero chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Start-up Thyim connects helpers to those needing help. How and where? Co-founder Stephen Buffamante chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Severe food allergies can be frightening…and they are becoming more common. But there places parents and families can turn to for help. Dr. Ruchi Gupta is a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and the author of The Food Allergy Experience and Food Without Fear…

“Very, very important to talk to your doctor, get to the allergist, make sure you know how to recognize signs and symptoms, how to use that epinephrine auto injector like Auvi-Q. And very, very important to educate everyone taking care of your children.”

Dr. Gupta is also a mom to a child with severe food allergies.. and recently partnered with Brittany Mahomes…who with her Super Bowl champion husband…has two young children with the condition as well.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. With the filing deadline drawing near, H & R Block has a variety of options designed to make the season less taxing. Chief Tax Officer Kathy Pickering says in addition to the H&R Block offices around the country, you can simply go online to get started. You can get help from a professional….or get assistance from AI..

“Based on our almost 70 years of experience, we have this huge database of information about taxes and common questions and those kinds of things and so we’ve used that in conjunction with an AI tool which, for us, we just call the AI Tax Assist and that’s a generative AI tool that allows tax clients to ask questions.”

And get info to help streamline getting your taxes done. Find more at www.HRBlock.com.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Some new tech toys on the way from Vtech and Leap Frog…which is bringing an addition to its Magic Adventures line…binoculars for kids with a camera and other features built in..

“It does have a flip up screen which is really, really nice because it will have three hundred videos and images from BBC. We partner with a credible source on all of our Magic Adventures products so that we can get some really cool footage that really is intriguing for kiddos.”

Vtech’s Tiffany Lavery. The binoculars arrive this summer. Out now…in time for Easter fun…are Gabbers…little electronic characters that talk and react and can sit on a child’s shoulder…

“It will repeat whatever you say in a silly bird voice, it kind of does a little tweety bird voice.”

There’s music and motion sensing too…and the Gabbers sell for about fifteen dollars.

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

When an octopus chooses to befriend you, it can lead to some pretty remarkable discoveries. Author Sy Montgomery's latest book, Secrets of the Octopus, is a companion to an upcoming National Geographic series coming to Disney for Earth Day 2024. Sy chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin about the octopuses she has come to know, on their terms, and why she feels a "sameness" with these mysterious, alien-like creatures.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It is crunch time for taxes again…and TurboTax can help to ease the panic and stress. For years, Intuit has offered live help online….and this year…something new. An in-person tax help option. CPA and Tax Expert at TurboTax, Lisa Greene-Lewis…

“With TurboTax we want to be able to serve all tax filers, no matter what their situation is, no matter how they want to get their taxes done. And so, some people prefer to meet someone in person and build relationships with them.”

There are several levels available…TurboTax Free, Deluxe and Premium….and online live assistance is available for all…including the free version…through the end of March. The site for more is www.TurboTax.com.

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

The never ending battle against online scams. What are some of the latest tools to protect yourself and your family? Google Technology Expert Grace Hoyt chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

The filing deadline is getting closer. How to make the season less taxing? H&R Block chief Tax Officer Kathy Pickering chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Thinking about an EV? What are the pros and cons? Kia America Director of Corporate Communications James Bell chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin about the issues and Kia's EV9 SUV.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Scientists at NASA…like many of the rest of us, are pretty enthused about the April 8th total solar eclipse across North America. NASA Mission Scientist Nicholeen Viall says solar activity may make the eclipse an even greater show…than the one seven years ago.

“The corona is going to be more complex and we might even get a chance to see a magnetic explosion, because the sun is more active right now, magnetically, than it was in 2017.”

And if you are in the path for totality, it will last longer too. About four minutes. And for those not in the path…the eclipse will still be visible….it just won’t be total. Don’t forget you can watch our full interview online. For more …head to go.nasa.gov/Eclipse2024.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The Sony Honda Mobility partnership is showing off the AFEELA electric vehicle …getting input from consumers initially at shopping venues in California. You can check out a video of our remote tour on the Techstination Web site. The outside design features customized lighting …but otherwise has a pretty standard look. Inside is another story…

“We have the panoramic screen that we have here spanning from the left to the right, helps to reduce driver eye distraction by making it easy to see all important information by just looking left and right. The rear seat entertainment, you can watch a variety of TV, movies, you can play games, listen to music.”

Product Specialist Raisu Williams. There are some high end driver assist capabilities planned as well. Sony Honda Mobility plans to open pre-orders next year and begin deliveries in 2026.

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

NeurosyncVR's C-Finity was created to ease nausea and bring comfort to VR gaming. How? Co-founder Dr. Slobodan Paesseler chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Memory Station Stories from Vivid-Pix is designed to help families capture, preserve and share their stories and histories. How does the combination of hardware and software make it easy? CEO Rick Voight chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. This one is for photo enthusiasts. Panasonic’s latest micro four thirds flagship camera…the Lumix G9II delivers amazing results…with still images or video…and the capabilities are made all the better when paired with the Lumix Leica 100 to 400 millimeter lens. The camera itself has been designed for comfort and balance…and is packed with pro features like dual SD card slots, full size HDMI along with mic in and headphone jacks. With the latest 100 to 400 millimeter…F4 to 6.3 you are getting the equivalent to a 200 to 800 millimeter. Amazing reach that with image stabilization turned on…you can even shoot handheld with. The combination of the camera and lens is terrific and shows the micro four thirds format is very much alive and well.

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

Hope on the horizon for severe food allergies? Why are numbers rising? How to cope? Author and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Professor Dr. Ruchi Gupta chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

TurboTax is giving customers another new option this year...in person tax help. And the online help is still there, too. CPA and tax expert for TurboTax Lisa Greene-Lewis chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Spring break can be a great time to get kids reading…and taking a break from screens. For middle schoolers and up… one of the latest books from Scholastic can spark lots of thought and discussion. Award winning author Ann Burg has used verse to take readers into the life of Rachel Carson with the title Force of Nature. It is a style she has used before..

“When you write in verse, you are actually channeling them. You’re experiencing their experiences through their words and their thoughts. I find writing in verse a really direct communication to whatever that person is trying to tell us. And I hope my readers have that same experience when they’re reading it. ”

The title again from Scholastic.. is Force of Nature -a Novel of Rachel Carson.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Not all memory cards are made alike. Kingston Digital is out with a new line…the Canvas React Plus V60 SD cards…and if you need capacity and speed….these are what you want. For the many creatives out there…shooting lots of 4K video for instance…the Canvas React Plus V60 cards offer speeds up to 280 megabytes per second on the read side and 150 megabytes per second when writing to the card. That’s impressive. The capacities range from 128 gigabytes all the way up to a terabyte of storage. That is a lot. Kingston Digital is known for reliability and backs up the cards with a lifetime warranty. The cards are widely available. Find more info…at www.kingston.com.

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

Want a peak at Sony Honda Mobility's AFEELA EV? Pre-orders are scheduled for next year with deliveries in 2026. Product Specialist Raisu Williams does a demo for Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers is out with its 2024 Trust Survey. And it shows trust declining among consumers and employees. And many executives aren't aware. Vice Chair of PwC's US Trust Solutions Wes Bricker chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The fun folks who developed the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder that takes photos and videos of visitors and uses AI to identify them…are back with a Smart Hummingbird Feeder. It is shipping this spring and utilizes the same high quality, rugged camera. Beyond that, CEO Franci Zidar says..

“It is also extremely functional and thought through in terms of maintaining it. Because, fun fact, hummingbirds remember how often you refill your hummingbird feeder so they know what to expect. Sof if you have a hummingbird that flies around your neighborhood, if you have the most replenished hummingbird feeder, they’ll come to you more often and expect more from you. We’ve really put a lot of effort into making this really easy to maintain.”

More info? Head to www.mybirdbuddy.com.

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

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It has been ten years since Ford began selling the Transit van in the U.S….after many years of success with it in Europe. In fact, next year will mark the Transit’s 60th year in Great Britain. To mark the 10th U.S. anniversary, the automaker has unveiled an upgraded E-Transit…the all electric version that is also winning lots of fans. Ted Ryan is Ford’s Archives and Heritage Brand Manager…

“The E-Transit’s the best selling electric van in America and we’re making some new changes and modifications and announcements that will allow dual charging, which will allow you to charge even faste. My favorite feature, cause I have a Lightning, is it has the Pro Power on board.”

Useful for running just about any type of power equipment For more on the history head to www.fordheritagevault.com.

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

A total solar eclipse for much of North America is a month away. NASA research astrophysicist Nicholeen Viall says it should be a spectacular show. Details? How to view safely? Viall chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The talk had been swirling for years… Apple was going to build an electric car to take on Tesla and the biggest names in the automobile industry. It was all very secretive…with lots of anticipation. Would Apple create the iPhone of cars? Now comes an answer….and it is no. Apple has told its employees in an internal meeting …that it is abandoning plans to conquer the car industry. The people who were working on the project are being moved into different roles It seems Apple will be devoting more of its resources and focus to AI, artificial intelligence. For Apple fans and followers, many will be disappointed. For investors, perhaps it comes as a relief.

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

From Gabbers to new camera-binoculars, VTech and Leap Frog are bringing out some techie fun for kids. The latest? VTech's Tiffany Lavery chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Using AI to create an online presence. GoDaddy has introduced Airo…a generative AI tool to help create Websites and more for customers. How does it work? GoDaddy VP Geoff Clawson…

“From generating a domain name from a description of the business that you may want to start, to creating a logo for you, all the way to creating a marketing calendar, social posts and email, to helping you answer questions that you may get from customers. Even to creating product descriptions using images of the products that you have.”

GoDaddy Airo is available now and comes with domain registrations and can save you lots of time. Learn more at www.godaddy.com/airo.

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

Bird Buddy's new Smart Hummingbird Feeder is arriving. Like the company's Smart Bird Feeder it takes photos and video and uses AI for identification. More info? CEO Franci Zidar chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Protecting privacy….while monitoring an older loved one. That’s what a company called Threshold Care is using technology to do. Co-founder and CEO Jacob Loader says what the company has developed are a set of wall plugs that make use of WiFi to sense when there is movement…and learn over time…

“Beginning to understand what those patterns are so that we have a better sense of…hey, this is normal, there is motion at an expected time. Or more importantly, hey, there is motion when should be no motion. Or if there is no motion registered and there typically is. Say it’s 9am and there’s been no motion registered at all when usually there is by 8:30.”

The devices are priced for pre-order at fifty dollars for three…with no subscription needed. Learn more at www.threshold.care.

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

Author Ann E. Burg has created a compelling and inspirational book for middle schoolers and up about the life of Rachel Carson. It is written in verse. The story behind Force of Nature- a Novel of Rachel Carson? Ann Burg chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.