The Geek Church

Ever since I saw ZAGG many years ago, I have been trying to keep up with them. The Invisible Shield, a film that covers both the front and back of a mobile device, offers the ultimate in protection.

The company has been doing a lot more since then, as ZAGG puts out headphones with their smartbuds, not to mention the aquabuds.

ZAGG also provides power for devices with a dual USB car charger, and the Sparq, which can charge up USB devices.

By the way, ZAGG also owns a company called iFrogz, which does some pretty incredible headphones. They also have HZO, which is working on water-proofing electronic devices.

I mentioned in the headline that ZAGG means something: I don’t know if it is official, but apparently ZAGG is an acronym for Zealous About Great Gadgets.

Yes, that is Jillian Michaels there, and what you should notice is the armband.

The armband is provided by BodyMedia FIT, a body monitoring platform designed to energize your weight loss efforts. You can use two software methods for this: The first is the BodyMedia FIT coach, a software upgrade providing the market’s first personalized feedback system capable of recommending activity and dietary adjustments based on each users’s actual calorie expenditure and food intake for the day. Then there is the partnership with Jillian Michaels 360 degree Weight Loss Navigator program for exclusive use with BodyMedia FIT.

Each of them offer tracking of calories, steps taken, level of physical activity and sleep patterns that affect health and weight. You can use the FIT CORE Armband for $179, plus the FIT LINK Armband, with Bluetooth tech to communicate with a smartphone for real-time fitness data.

All right, if you are interested, find out more at the Body Media website.

Those of you who are Kindle Fire owners (which should be in the millions by now) should be interested in the many Kindle Fire accessories that M-Edge should have for it.

For example, they have a few “Jackets”. The Incline Jacket has a foldable design with three different landscape stand position ($39.99). There is also the classic and tailored Capital Jacket, with a microseude interior ($29.99). Then there is the Hampton Jacket with a square spine that is “Slim, sleek, and attractively minimalist” ($39.99).

Up next is the M-Edge Sport Series. The Latitude Jacket is made of durable nylon, with a zip-around design and four-point mounting system to secure your device ($29.99). The Leisure Jacket is to brave the elements for protection against sand, dirt, and moisture with a clear vinyl cover and protective double zipper closure ($19.99). The Trip Jacket is for users who want a bright hue to their accessory, and this allows for two landscape stand positions ($24.99). The Pop Sleeve has an urban two-tone design with an easy-to-clean neoprene exterior while an expandable shape ensures a snug and secure fit ($29.99).

Lastly, there is the wonderful FlexStand that hopefully got your attention in the picture! It has corner protection for the Kindle Fire, with “Flex feet” for easy insertion and removal of the device. Apparently, the FlexStand can be curled up into a compact ball for easy travel, and it costs $24.99.

I’m not certain when these will available, but I would imagine it would be sometime at the beginning of this year. You should see what they have for the iPad and more.

I think that we are living in a constant digital age of photography that is changing like water every day. I think that camera companies are slowly figuring out that traditional cameras, with their ability to take a 2D photo, just doesn’t work in an age of YouTube, Facebook, and social networking.

I think what we really want is a camera that captures the three-dimensional world around us, and Tamaggo is just this tool. The Tamaggo is a 360-imager that has built-in, panamorph technology to capture 360-degree resolution, navigable pictures with just one click.

I got a chance to see it at CES, but I really should have reported on it before. As you can see, the Tamaggo looks like an egg, and it is possible to scroll around a 360-degree landscape with your finger and take a picture of whatever you like.

Interested? Well, you just have to wait for not to long. The Tamaggo should be available sometime in Q2 2012 for a price under $200.

For those who are looking for a different kind of headphone might want to look to the AfterShokz brand. AfterShokz uses bone conduction technology in order to bypass the eardrum and transmit sound through the listener’s cheekbones.

I’ve seen bone conduction technology work on such devices like the Finis MP3 player, designed for users to listen to music underwater, and it really is some cool stuff. The AfterShokz models are lightweight, sweat, and water resistant, feature in-line controls, and have lifetime warranty.

The AfterShokz Sport headphones should enable those into jogging, bike riding, skiing, skateboarding, and hiking to wear their headphones comfortably while hearing ambient noise.

The AfterShokz Mobile headphones has an in-line microphone so incoming calls can be taken.

Then there are the AfterShokz Game which provides gamers on Skype or other VoIP platforms to be in video game experiences.

These three headphones are set to make it big. The Sport is currently available at www.aftershokz.com for $59.95, while the Mobile and Game will be available later for $69.95.

If you are not familiar with Blue Microphones, you should really get to know them, as they are putting out three specific new things during this year.

One of them is the development of the Mikey 3. The Mikey is a terrific microphone that was originally designed to fit in the 30-pin connector for vocal recordings. This third version will have two custom-tuned condenser capsules for capturing studio-quality audio. This Mikey also features a USB pass-thru connection for charging your device while in -use for continuous recording without draining the battery life. It also has a 230-degree rotating head for optimal positioning, and works with all kinds of Apple products like the iPad and iPad 2. It should go for about $99.

Another product is the Tiki (pictured), the “world’s first USB microphone that mimics the intelligence of human hearing by focusing on desired sounds. It plugs right into the USB port and should cost about $59.

The third development from the company is the Spark Digital, a studio-grade condenser microphone that offers both USB and iPad connectivity. This is a professional recording option for the iPad, which offers USB connectivity for studio-quality audio to any computer, laptop, or tablet with USB input. This should be on sale soon for $199.

If you haven’t heard of the House of Marley before, then you really should. House of Marley creates some quality tech products like headphones, all with environmental-quality materials. I recently had a chance to try out their Positive Vibration over-the-ear headphones, and they are quite cool.

Of course, they had to be on deck a few weeks ago at CES with a whole batch of new product, and one of them was the Nomad. The Nomad is an all-in-one, portable audio system that connects via Bluetooth to whatever device you have.

Though you can’t see it in the picture, the Nomad has two 2.5 inch high-output woofers and passive radiators. This gives 10 watts of total power for a real blaster of sound.

I’m not certain when this is planning to come out, but I have the price of $199.99.

We have reported on the SuperTooth HD before, a fantastic Bluetooth speaker. The company introduced a lot of products recently at CES, and one of them is the Crystal.

The Crystal is a Bluetooth speaker that is designed exclusively for the car. It attaches to the car’s sun visor with a durable magnetic clip for hands-free calling capability.

Crystal provides up to 20 hours of hands-free talk time with 40 days of stand by, and it features automatic pairing and multi-point technology to connect over two phones at the same time. The Crystal has a 3 hour charge of its lithium ion battery.

The Crystal will also stream music directly from all Bluetooth A2DP enabled phones as well as turn-by-burn navigation from a Bluetooth A2DP-enabled GPS. Crystal supports voice recognition dialing for phone that has this feature.

The Crystal should be available in Q1 of this year for a price of about $69.

The Digitz EZMouse is one of those wireless mice that has figured out how to solve problems of most mice.

The EZMouse has a rechargeable battery with a USB connector that can be taken out and charged via USB port on the computer or some other USB recharging method. There is an LED indicator that lets you know when the mouse is running out of power.

If you run out of power, there is a smaller back-up battery inside the computer mouse. So you can work a few days longer while recharging the regular USB battery.

Not only is this the Digitz EZMouse one of the most efficient mice as far as power is concerned, but it can also be personalized. All that is required is to submit a photo and you can get a myEZcover .

You should be able to get an EZmouse with a myEZcover for about $59.90 here, with free shipping in the USA and Canada.

While I was at CES, I got a chance to talk to IOGEAR, who makes a lot of interesting devices. The company is really prepared to shake the world with a 4-Port Super Switcher with Advanced 2D/3D Video Processor (GHDSSW4).

The GHDSSW4 allows for the connection of four HDMI source devices to the HDMI input of a 3D HDTV or 3D-ready HD video projector. It features sophisticated upscaling and video processing to clean up video block noise and MPEG compression artifacts, which means that you will have terrific footage from anything, and more.

The more would be the perfect 3D conversion of flat DVDs, HD videos, and even photos, with “user controls that allow you to adjust the pop-out and depth effects for the optimal three-dimensional experience”.

You should be able to get the IOGEAR 4-Port Super Switcher with Advanced 2D/3D Video Processor in April 2012 for about $229.95. You might be able to find more information here.

I think that we all know how much Siri has changed the way we look at voice controlled technology. If it hasn’t, then I can understand that too.

If you are interested in some kind of voice controlled technology for your alarm clock, then you might look into the Digit, ivee’s first implementation of a digital alarm clock with 35 voice-activated commands.

Digit is a 3-inch LCD digital alarm clock that allow the user to voice activate three sleeps sounds, three alarm sounds, a nine-minute snooze, and a timer that comes with a USB AC adapter.

I got a chance to try it out at CES, and it really is as simple as walking up to the unit and saying “hello ivee”. You can then just set the alarm via vocal controls, which really makes things easier. After all, who hasn’t had some doubt when it comes to setting their alarm clock.

You can also get the Digit and the Flex with a 5 inch LED display and more sleep sounds for $59.99. The Digit has a 3-inch display for about $49.99 at this site.

Some of you might remember when we were at CES, and we noted Samsung and their new Smart Cam. It would appear that these type of cameras are really becoming popular, as the Dropcam is planning to be released soon.

The Dropcam is “the world’s smallest Wi-Fi video monitoring camera”. It is designed for the home, and is easy to set up and viewable from the phone.

It is capable of 720p video, and it is designed to work without installing any software on the computer. It has and app for the iPhone and Android, and it has a Dropcam DVR for recording video, where it is encrypted and private.

Other features include two-way audio, as well as digital pan and zoom. You can even share video with a quick mouse click.

You should be able to purchase the Dropcam for a pre-order price of about $149.00 right here.

While I was at CES 2012, looking at the newest gadgets, I managed to find something really great for the iPad known as the Grablet.

The Grablet is a simple item that attaches to the back of the iPad or iPad 2 with clip-out straps. It allows the user to take the iPad in one hand while manipulating it with the other.

Not only will you make it difficult to drop your favorite Apple tablet, but you can also accessorize it and make it so you can hang your tablet on a wall or even on the back of a car seat.

If you are interested in getting a Grablet for yourself, head to the Grablet site and pick up one in many colors for a price of $39.99.

During CES 2011, I was approached by two men that wanted to introduce me to their invention. I believe that they had a demonstration for it on an iPad, but the Swivl was a mount for an iPhone camera that would follow the user.

I thought it was a pretty ingenious idea, and at CES 2012, the Swivl had a lot of space devoted to it. For 2012, the Swivl had become a sensor enabled and motorized base for your mobile video device with a paired marker. It will follow you as you go, which is good for vlogging, or any other type of recording for education or sports.

You can reserve the Swivl for a small price of $159.00 now right here, and it will start shipping in Q1 of this year.

Have you ever wanted to just check out a geolocated video, and watch as someone films as you follow along on a map? Well, now there is a whole community where you can do that called Kinomap.com.

I found Kinomap at CES, and it took me a while to figure out what they were doing. If you go to the Kinomap site, you can get a software suite that has the Kinomap maker, a free application on smartphones that records geolocated videos.

You can also sync Kinomap videos with exercise bikes, so it is like you are riding the mapped path as the video is playing.

If you want to get in on the Kinomap vision, head to the Kinomap website here and see if you can get in on this free API, or use a camera with GPS.

Those of you who are into being physically fit will enjoy this Gaiam Zone Trainer watch (version 3.0) from Oregon Scientific.

The Gaiam Zone Trainer watch has a built-in heart-rate monitor and it also has a touchscreen to boot. Instead of dealing with those tiny buttons, all that is required is touching certain areas on the front of the watch.

I would have to say that the Trainer watch is somewhat complicated to use, but only for those that don’t know the language of the physically fit, like myself. However, with a little bit of work, you can quickly learn how to track calories burned and heart rate data.

You should be able to purchase the Gaiam Touch Strapless Heart Rate Monitor for about $99 on the Oregon Scientific Store.

I’m not certain if you have ever heard of Wrapsol before, but you might have heard of similar products.

Products like Wrapsol put a mobile device in a protective film wrap, to protect it from drops and scratches. It does this while preserving the touchscreen integrity.

It covers both the front and back of the device itself, as you can see from the iPhone in the picture.

You should be able to purchase wrapsol at its official site. The one for the iPhone costs about $29.95, and the others that cover other mobile devices are similar in cost.

What you are seeing here is the Olloclip, a special lens designed for the iPhone 4/4S.

It is small enough to fit in one’s pocket, and then it fits on the corner of the proper iDevice that you see here. You can adjust it in three ways:

Fisheye: for capturing a 180 degree field of view.

Wide-Angle: An extra field of view, double than that of a normal iPhone.

Macro: A 10 x multiplier to allow you to focus the iPhone within 12-15 mm of the subject.

The Ollo Clip comes with a carrying bag made of microfiber material. You should be able to purchase at this site for a price of $69.99 in colors of black or red.

The Enercell 1350mAh Universal Portable Power doesn’t really do anything new per se, but it still is something that we all need.

The purpose of these battery packs is to hold some electric power until it is needed the most, and then it can be used to charge up a smartphone or other mobile device.

The Enercell is just a bit smaller than the one from Mophie Powerstation that we reviewed a while ago. This one is designed for four hours of emergency power. It takes a while for it to charge via USB, but worth it to have around.

You should be able to purchase the Enercell Universal Portable Power pack for a price of $29-39 at Radio Shack.

The Bluetooth Wireless speaker from Zimri Speakers is a design that I have seen before. It is basically comes in the form of a can, and you sync your mobile device to it via Bluetooth.

The speaker is rechargeable via USB, and it is good for 6-8 hours. It takes about 2 to 3 hours to charge it.

I got a chance to try it out, and I found that it really produces some terrific sound for something so small in size. By the way, you can hook it to something with a wire as it has a 3.5 mm input plug.

If you are interested in this, feel free to head on over to the Zimri Speakers site and pay $39.99. That is a three dollar markdown, but I don’t know how long that will last.

I first heard of Yurbuds last year at CES, and I was pleased to see that they were on deck at CES.

If you go to their website, you can see the Yurbuds Ironman Inspire, a decent pair of headphones that are designed to stay in the ear with a twist. They are made from medical grade silicon, which gives it an ultra-soft and comfortable fit.

But that model is so last year. The Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro has the addition of three button controls and an in-line microphone. This will allow the user to have easy navigation of music and hands-free calls. It is also sweat proof and water resistant.

You should be able to purchase these headphones at the links above. The Yurbuds Ironman Inspire costs $49.99 and the Inspire Pro costs about $59.99.

While I was at CES, I got a chance to try out some products from Cygnett, which includes the Apollo Hybrid Case.

The Hybrid Case is made for the iPhone 4 and 4S models, and it “fuses together an anti-scratch and fingerprint-proof surface with a grooved, shock-absorbent interior”. The iPhone snaps right in, and the raised side edges insure 360-degree protection.

In addition to these features, Apollo hybrid also comes with a screen protector that you can apply with ease. So what you are looking for is a way to protect that precious iPhone investment, I would recommend the Hybird case.

You should be able to purchase it on the Cygnett site for a price of $29.99. Right now, they are out of stock, but I’m sure they will get more in soon.

You get to see a lot of cool stuff at CES, and I often avoid the ones with the buxom-looking models in front. I could not resist what Skunk Juice has to offer.

You know how when you are listening to a great song, and you want your friend to hear it too? You could do that think where you split the earbuds, but that doesn’t always work.

With Skunk Juice headphones you can link up to four pairs of headphones together magnetically. They snap right on, and you can hear what the other person is hearing, without any awkward earbud-sharing.

If this is something you are interested in, go ahead and go to the Skunk Juice site and get more information. Their store is down right now, but hopefully it will come back up.

The Portable Power Bank 3,000 is not an original device, but it can do quite a bit. The Power Bank 3,000 is a rechargeable 3000mAh battery back that charges via the included micro-USB to USB.

The Power Bank 3,000 comes with a built-in Micro USB, a Mini USB, as well as the famous Apple 30 pin connector. With this, you can get 12 more hours of talk time on a 3G smartphone, 17 more hours of WiFi, and up to 18 more hours of video or up to 101 more hours of music. By the way, it also has an LED battery power indicator so you can see how much juice it has.

You should be able to purchase the myCharge Portable Power Bank 3,000 for approximately $79.99 on this website. While you are there, you might want to look at what other things that myCharge has to offer, as you can accessorize with all kinds of power packs!

I got a chance to try out these M0520 speakers from Lenovo, and I was pretty impressed.

The specs are an output power of 1W + 1W, with a frequency response of 90Hz-20kHz. These are two-inch speakers and they are louder than they look.

I would have to say that it is definitely good to have them, as they plug into the USB for power and then in the headphone jack of your laptop or MP3 player. In no time at all, you have superior sound!

You should be able to pick up the Lenovo Speaker M0520 for about $29.99 on the official site for $29.99.