Signs of the Times

Amplio: Retro radio inspired bamboo smartphone amplifier

November 11, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Amplio Amplio is a cool sounding name for the latest smartphone sound amplifier dock trying to make its way to market through an upcoming Kickstarter campaign. The name implies amplification, but that tells you only part of the story. Amplio is totally wireless, eco-friendly and requires absolutely no power because it’s made from bamboo.

creator Vlad Butucariu, is a designer from Rotterdam, Netherlands who has been working on the project for the past six months. His goal was to create an amplifier for smartphones that had a unique modern desirable design yet still maintain the flavour inspired by the minimalist classic designs of radios from yesteryear. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: accessories, Kickstarter, New product

Remembrance Day: The Homefront in Alberta (archive)

November 11, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

The Second World War was hard on the men fighting on the front lines as well as those they left behind.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

EDMONTON, AB, Nov. 4, 2008/ Troy Media/ – While the Second World War was hard on the men and women fighting on the front lines, it was also hard on those they left behind.

This is important to remember this Remembrance Day.

It’s two sides of the same coin, said Dr. Adriana Davies, Executive Director and of the Heritage Community Foundation. “The front (line) was only one side of the coin. The home front was the other side,” she said.

World War II: The Homefront in Alberta, one of the newest sites within the Alberta Online Encyclopedia – albertasource.ca, contains powerful and compelling stories of the realities faced by the people who were thousands of kilometers away from the actual war front. The project is a result of a partnership with the Canadian Militaria Preservation Society and the Royal Alberta Museum. READ FULL POST at Troy Media.

Filed Under: GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times, Troy Media · Tagged With: Military, Remebrance Day

Less to carry around with Celluon Epic laser projection keyboard

September 25, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Don’t mind a virtual keyboard but prefer not to have to tap on your screen? Sounds a little strange but it’s now totally possible to create a keyboard on virtually any flat opaque surface with the Celluon Epic Laser Keyboard.

You enable the virtual keyboard by placing a palm-sized (20 mm x 35 mm x 70 mm) gadget on a flat surface, like a table or a countertop. Then, you pair it wirelessly to almost any Bluetooth 3.0 compatible device and using a red laser diode it projects a full-sized English QWERTY keyboard pattern (sans numeric pad) onto the surface. (It can also project a German QWERTZ keyboard pattern as well)

And it’s fast. According to the specs, it’s capable of recognizing 350 characters per minute. That’s a lot faster than I can type – seriously! Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: Gadgets, keyboard, projection

Impecca wireless eco-friendly bamboo keyboard

September 19, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

If you have wood paneling in your house perhaps it’s time for a makeover. But if you still have a fondness for the eco-friendly material and looking for a new peripheral, you might want to check out the Impecca Bluetooth Bamboo Keyboard.

Naturally, pardon the pun; it’s not totally made of 100% wood. There are of course some built-in electronics under the surface, including a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is designed to last up to about a month on a single charge. Results, of course, will depend on how much you use it. Speaking of power, to save some, it’s designed to automatically enter sleep mode when it senses it’s not being used.

Bamboo construction makes the shell both durable and lightweight. At 11” x 6.6” x 0.6” it’s not mini, but it is reasonably compact allowing its 78 keys including a number of function and hot keys to be of a decent size. Read Full Post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: accessories, New product

Merchandising during tour just ducky with country star Paul Brandt

September 2, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

The most popular sale item on Paul Brandt’s music tours is a rubber duck

EDMONTON, AB Sep 1, 2015/ Troy Media/ – Merchandise is as much a part of the concert tour experience as the music for many fans. It’s also a much needed revenue generator for many performers.

When I asked platinum-selling country star Paul Brandt what the most popular sale item was on his tours, he hesitated for a moment, then let out a big “Ha,” and laughed. “I don’t know if I should be embarrassed to admit this or not, but I guess the fans have spoken. Bar none, over the last 20 years, it’s been a little rubber duck.”

While my mind turned immediately to my youth and Ernie’s Rubber Duckie from Sesame Street, it turns out Brandt was referring to C.W. McCall’s novelty trucking classic Convoy,from way back in the mid 70’s. I should have guessed immediately, having owned that classic 45-RPM record that encouraged me to get my first CB Radio. Read full article at Troy Media.

Filed Under: Business, GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times, Troy Media · Tagged With: Business, Merchandising

Grammy nominee Ken Lewis launches MusicSchoolOnline

August 20, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

There’s a new music school launching in town, but it’s online and appropriately called MusicSchoolOnline.com (MSO). Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist and producer Ken Lewis who has over two decades of experience making music for major record labels is launching it today.

The new school is designed to provide easily accessible and affordable music lessons and resources for musicians, singers and aspiring individuals of all ages with an easy-to-follow streaming service, with prices starting as low as US $9.99 for a monthly subscription.

The video tutorials are created and delivered by Lewis and other award-winning instructors who are also top-level professional musicians. Lessons cover voice, individual instruments like piano, guitar, drums and bass along with rhythm section, extensive music theory and exclusive MSO Kids animated episodes. The school will launch with 400 music video lessons with more added every day. In fact over 200 more lessons have already been created. Read full post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Audio, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, In the news, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: education, music, School, video, virtual school

Speedo, Misfit partner in new swim tracker Speedo Shine

August 18, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Misfit, the makers of Shine, the slim-lined activity and sleep tracker, has partnered up with swim apparel and accessories giant Speedo and have introduced the new Speedo Shine. The Speedo Shine takes a page or all of the pages really from the original Shine, incorporating all the same functionality plus new features designed with swimmers in mind.

Specifically, it adds proprietary lap counting algorithms, driven by its 3-axis accelerometer, embedded right into the device’s firmware. It’s designed to work for all stroke types and more accurate than general-purpose devices having been validated by Speedo in-pool testing. Olympic Gold Medalist and Speedo athlete and fitness ambassador, Missy Franklin, has also endorsed it. Read Full Post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: accessories, Apple, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, In the news, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: app, Apple, fitness, health, New product, tracker

Epson EcoTank: Inkjet printers not dead yet

August 8, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

EcoTank printers can print for up to two years

Epson has unveiled a new line of printers under the EcoTank brand with such large reservoirs that right out of the box they can yield a comparable number of pages to their cousin the laser printer. And based on average monthly print volumes of selected models, the company claims that users should have enough ink to last for up to two years.

The new models include five new all-in-one printers under what Epson calls the “Supertank category” and when compared to a traditional inkjet printer, the ink in the new reservoirs would print roughly the same number of pages as 20 sets of ink cartridges. The actual yield, of course, would depend on the printer model, settings, environmental conditions like temperature and humidity and of course what you are printing. Read more…at CANOE TECH BLOG

Filed Under: Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, In the news, New Product, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: green, New product, Printers

Paul Brandt country superstar takes Square on tour

July 31, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

For the average consumer the headline may sound a wee bit strange, but for entrepreneurs, small business owners and some of us geeks, we recognize Square not as an “old-fashion” way to refer to a “conservative” person, but as one of the easiest and low-cost ways to accept credit card as payment for goods and services. And now, Canadian Country Music sensation Paul Brandt has jumped on that bandwagon and is partnering with Square once again for his upcoming Road Trip Tour he’s co-headlining with Dean Brody.

The Square system consists of a small square reader, a dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of your smartphone or tablet that when used with the Square Register app will allow almost anyone to accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or the Discover Card. It’s also available as Square Stand that allows you to incorporate your iPad and features an integrated reader and additional features and point-of-sale functionality. Read Full Post with a little surprise at Canoe Tech Blog.

Filed Under: Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Signs of the Times, Taking care of business · Tagged With: Canada, music, Square

10 FAQs about Microsoft Windows 10

July 17, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

In less than two weeks, on July 29th, to be exact, Microsoft will release the much-anticipated Windows 10. And for many users in 190 countries, including Canada, this upgrade will be available for free and in 111 languages. And while there are certainly many questions that need to be answered, here’s a selection of 10 of them.

1. So what is Windows 10?

Windows 10 is Microsoft’s newest forthcoming operating system, available as a free upgrade. The company calls their new operating system (OS), “the first step toward a whole new generation of Windows; moving from a stand-alone operating system, to the last operating system you’ll ever need. Windows 10 will continuously update to keep your software current and provide you with the best and safest experience possible.” Read full post at Canoe Tech Blog.