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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2008-02c
News for all the little people who helped us make it this far
SMALLEST WIRELESS MIKE TRANMITTERS EVER COMING FROM SAMSON
This summer (with a preview at NAB), Samson debuts a remarkable
new line-up of wireless mikes boasting the smallest transmitters
in the category & superlative performance at a fraction of the
price of the closest competitive gear (they start at $400 per
transmitter/receiver pair). These are frequency-agile, able to
work across 300 channels. A single rack space can fit up to 4
receivers. Their small size makes them easier to hide or
camouflage in almost any on-camera application from news to live
or taped or filmed performance to public address or presentation
to surveillance. Camera-mount receivers & other product line
completers will come later in the year. Info is available now; so
are appointments at NAB; ask Mark. Contact: Mark Wilder, SAMSON
TECHNOLOGIES (Hauppauge, NY) 631-784-2200x142
mailto:mwilder@samsontech.com http://SamsonTech.com
NEW MG330 EVERIOS SHIP - GREAT COLOR EVEN WHEN OFF
This season's SD camcorders you'll most want to review are
shipping now in the colorful new JVC Everio GZ-MG330 ($450)
models. The big news starts with small: they're about the size of
half a triple-decker club sandwich & even with battery, weighs no
more than a can of Coke. At first glance, you'll be seeing rich
colors, with bodies in ruby red, diamond silver & sapphire blue.
The beauty is more than skin deep with a 35X Konica-Minolta lens,
a 30GB hard drive, a MicroSD slot, a stereo mike, a sliding lens
cover & a fold-out wide-screen 2.7" LCD all built in. The power
turns on & off automatically when you open & close the LCD & a
new laser sensor captures the motion of your finger along a
lighted slider; that scroll control works in concert with a
completely redesigned user control interface to make this the
easiest Everio ever to use. You'll find your own wonders to write
about; have Chelsea get you one to review. Contact: Chelsea
Vander Groef, JVC COMPANY OF AMERICA (Wayne, NJ)
973-317-5000x5312 mailto:cvandergroef@jvc.com http://jvc.com
FIRST EUBIQ UL APPROVALS ARRIVE
The breakthrough insert-anywhere, twist-to-connect Eubiq power
strip. Their SFC2 modular track (the piece with the power
connections that inserts into any of several housings) was tested
& complies with UL1286 for Office Furnishing. Eubiq can now offer
this as an OEM item for companies that build modular office
systems; check their Web site to see what it looks like as a
desktop "back rail". The company expects UL testing for their
consumer offerings to complete in April. Their compact twist-on
socket adapter was tested & complies with UL 498; their premium
twist-on adapter with "SBL technology" (a sexy blue LED) gets
tested in March. Contact: NG Kee Haur, EUBIQ PTE LTD (Singapore)
+65-6372-9393x380 mailto:keeng@eubiq.com http://eubiq.com
FEVER PERCEIVER, HOT SPOTTER, TROUBLE SHOOTER
Here's a very inexpensive approach to a trick that airport
security forces use: They use thermal imaging cameras to spot
passengers with high fevers; teachers, for example, can use the
MaxMax 30-30 Heat Vision Non-Contact Thermometer ($30) from the
back of the classroom to spot check the temperatures of every
student there in less than a minute. We already talked about
using this thing to spot heat leaks along walls; it's also useful
for checking the room-by-room effectiveness of your ventilation
ducts. In office spaces, it can show where greenhouse heating
through windows is creating an uncomfortable work environment, or
which PCs are running too hot (a forerunner to failures). A laser
spotter shows where its 30-degree target cone is pointing for
targets up to 100' away & its backlit LCD digitally shows
temperature readings from 0-400F (-20-200C) in about half a
second. How useful can it be beyond these examples? Think of it
as a single-function precursor to the Tricorder. Ask Dan to send
you one to review. Contact: Dan Llewellyn, LDP LLC (Carlstadt NJ)
201-882-0344 mailto:dan@maxmax.com Http://MaxMax.com
NEW MID-SIZE KOMFORT PETS CARRIERS MORE TRAVEL-FRIENDLY
The new medium-size Komfort Pets carrier ($249) ships soon with
improvements that make it a safer way to carry pets even when you
don't turn on its heating, cooling & air flow features. The sides
& back of the carrier now offer seat belt restraint holders for
rides in the car. The new design complies with FAA regulations
for air travel. And just in case there's a spill or other cause
for clean-up, it also features a new removable bottom drainage
drawer. Bob can get you pix & info now & review products soon.
Contact: Bob Inello, KOMFORT PETS (Revere, MA) 781-485-0077
mailto:rinello@komfortpets.com http://KomfortPets.com
POISON VERSUS POISE, MONEY VERSUS NOISE
The backlights in notebooks & flat panel displays have dangerous,
potentially poisonous heavy metals inside, as do many batteries
in handheld devices; other electronic components also have evils
lurking just under the skin. So if all you do when you're done
using this kind of gear is to put them at the curb with the rest
of the trash, you're adding these poisons to the landfill while
subtracting the cash you could have had by selling it to
MyBoneYard.com. Gently used items can retain substantial value if
they can be refurbished for sale to third-world customers. Even
if your item is beyond that, they have the procedures &
facilities in place to properly recycle, dispose or scrap (as
appropriate) the pieces & parts of all that gear. So while others
may give lip service to green initiatives, it takes only a little
of your initiative to put some green in your pocket by sending
your gear in instead of just sending it to the landfill. Ask Tom.
Contact: Thomas Muhs, MYBONEYARD (Chanhassen, MN) 952-294-6154
mailto:thomas.muhs@young-america.com http://MyBoneYard.com
DAISY CHAIN BOOSTED CELL SHELLS
You get the idea behind the Wi-Ex zBoost cell bar boosters (PCS
or CEL $300, dual-band $400): cable pipes signal from any window
or wall with a couple of bars to grab to a mini cell tower that
creates a coverage bubble to fill a normal home or small office.
If your home is more sprawling than usual or your office a little
bigger, you can also daisy chain these to grab the signal from
one & pipe it to another part of your floor plan. Is it worth it?
Have the ladies get one to you to review. Contact: Sharon
Cuppett, WI-EX INC. (Norcross, GA) 770-239-5475x6380
mailto:scuppett@wi-ex.com http://wi-ex.com AGENCY CONTACT: Deanna
Anderson 404-759-1890 mailto:danderson705@comcast.net
HOME RESTORATION MEETS ACCIDENT & CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
Have you ever watched accident investigators at work? Their job
is to document the scene of an accident, determine the length of
skid marks, the spread of broken glass or other wreckage remnants
& know every distance related to the collision. A lot of crime
scene investigation & fire scene investigation also depends on
documentation & measurements. Sound familiar? It's a lot like the
task that landscapers, contractors & home owners face more
efficiently these days with iPhotoMeasure software. If you'd like
to review it through the eyes of your local police or fire
forces, call Paul. Contact: Paul Minor, DIGICONTRACTOR INC.
(Tarzana, CA) 818-888-3687 mailto:paul@iphotomeasure.com
http://iPhotoMeasure.com
MOGO IN MOTION: NEW VIDEOS IN THE WORKS FOR THE WEB
You've seen a MoGo Mouse, right? You get that it folds flat to
charge in the notebook slot then unfolds to work as a (Bluetooth)
cordless mouse; when did you first get that? Was it when you saw
a demo or got your hands on one? The apple finally fell for the
Newton crew when they suddenly realized that a video demo could
make getting it a whole lot faster & easier for a whole bunch of
people. Those videos are now in production & will be available,
should any of you want them, in increasing numbers over the weeks
& months ahead. Some of you may also consider the story behind
the videos to be worth covering. Either way, just jingle Jack.
Contact: Jack Corrao, NEWTON PERIPHERALS (Natick, MA)
858-792-0944 mailto:jack.corrao@newtonperipherals.com
http://NewtonPeripherals.com
APRICORN CORPORATE PLUS PROGRAM GIVES IT FOLKS A BREAK
When corporate workers have storage issues, they don't buy "For
Dummies" books & dig into the guts of the PC, they just turn the
whole headache over to the IT department. Since all those
headaches need a stronger cure than aspirin, Apricorn developed a
Corporate Plus program for IT pros that includes free product
evaluations, customized products, special offers, volume pricing
& more. Ask Michelle to tell you the details. Contact: Michelle
Fischer, APRICORN INC. (Poway, CA) 858-513-4480
mailto:mfischer@apricorn.com http://apricorn.com AGENCY CONTACT:
Jennifer Olson 415-402-0230 mailto:jennifer@atomicpr.com
TORNADO ASIDE, PC ARMOR KEEPS PC STORMS AT BAY
This spring, Data Drive Thru will launch subscription-based
software with a 3-way defense against malware & Web attacks; it
significantly adds to the protection of existing antivirus &
firewall software. New PC Armor ($20/year) monitors the activity
& behavior of software routines at the kernel level to keep bad
stuff from attacking a user's hard drive. It also includes
RGguard browser plug-in software for the Robot Genius RGcrawler
index of malware on Web pages. The subscription is on the house
for press people, of course; let Clint know if you're interested.
Contact: Clint Hughes, DATA DRIVE THRU (Dallas, TX) 972-897-7057
mailto:chughes@datadrivethru.com http://TheTornado.com
IF YOU CAN'T SCREW IT, LET DFX DO IT
DSLR buyers get it; optical filters are one of the top 3 add-on
purchases (along with camera memory cards & spare batteries).
Many camcorder guys get it, with at least a UV protect filter
(often a circular polarizer, too) to help get the better of
lighting conditions (not to forget lens hazards). Pros absolutely
get it with cherished libraries of different filters & filter
effects in their camera kits. Many consumers, though, can't get
it because only a very few of today's digital point & shoot
cameras have a place to screw on an optical filter. Tiffen would
rather they did, but even without, they stand ready to help make
each shot better. The option is to use Dfx software emulate an
enormous library of filter (plus gel & gobo) effects after the
fact, with either a standalone version or versions that plug into
popular applications (like Photoshop). Here are two cool options
for checking that out: you can either send Hilary a couple of
your favorite snapshots & tell him what kind of effects you have
in mind (he'll e-mail the results back to you) or ask him for a
copy to review. Contact: Hilary Araujo, TIFFEN COMPANY
(Hauppauge, NY) 631-273-2500x1216 mailto:haraujo@tiffen.com
http:/.tiffen.com
THUMB GOT YOUR TONGUE? $20 VIRGIN UNLIMITED
For people who don't do a lot of phoning but do send a lot of
text, e-mail, IM or picture messages from cell phones, Virgin
Mobile has a way to escape the big, bad surprises of getting tons
of message-at-a-time surcharges from competing carriers. VM
customers can get unlimited messages for just $20/month even if
they only want to buy a month at a time. Other alternatives
include penny messaging with 1000 a month for $10, or 200 for $5
or 30 for $2; without one of these plans, picture messages each
cost two bits & text or e-mail or IM messages each cost a dime.
Nobody has to buy a package & nobody has to sign a long-term
contract; it's all about getting what you need without committing
a ton of future income to it. Contact: Corinne Nosal, VIRGIN
MOBILE USA (Warren, NJ) 908-607-4235
mailto:corinne.nosal@virginmobileusa.com
http://virginmobileusa.com
SPECIAL REPORT: POLITICS VERSUS OTHER REALITY SHOWS
The more mysterious and complicated the game & the more players'
personalities affect the outcome, the more successful prime time
reality shows have been. We don't suspect any collusion between
their producers & the political party leaders, but we do not
striking numbers of similarities. For one party, it's more like
"American Idol", with the national audience cheering for a small
group of people that everybody likes. For the other party, it's
more like "American Gladiator" or "Survivor" with cunning
contestants each trying to torpedo their competitors. In a period
with no new prime time dramas, it certainly doesn't escape the
politicos that all of this makes an acceptable alternative for
mass entertainment. Having noted similarities, we may now note
some significant differences. Reality shows are limited to their
own time slots, but for a few short promotional messages, and to
one network at a time. Politics crosses all the networks, crosses
time slots, crosses categories (news, analysis, special reports,
etc.) & huge amounts are spent on alternate bullhorns for the
same messages, including bought air time on those very same media
outlets. We're not suggesting that political advertising spending
will ever influence the objectivity of their reporting; we are
noting that between the shortfall of alternative prime time
content & the coincident shortfall in traditional ad spending,
the networks are well motivated to earmark more than the usual
amount of air time for politics. These elections are a major
remedy for normal advertising revenue shortfalls for broadcasters
& news coverage of them is much less expensive than the cost of
prime time dramatic series episodes. We will note that from our
perspective, those episodes have deeper plot lines than you'll
find in the bumper-sticker sound-bite on-air statements of the
political camps; in fact, it's hard to watch any new statement
from any of the candidates that doesn't feel more than a little
like a rerun. At least we know this political reality show is
temporary & will be airing its final episodes in November.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW: LITE PANELS MICRO
In cartoons, when somebody gets a good idea, a little light bulb
turns on; in the Litepanels Micro, 48 little LEDs (in a 6x8
array, like US flags back when Arizona was the newest state) turn
on to provide photo & video lighting minus the usual
inconveniences. Attach it to your camera or camcorder's shoe
mount & you start providing a healthy amount of light
(970Lux/90FC at 2'; 230Lux/21FC at 4' & 92Lux/8.5FC at 6') for
just about any scene; just because it's that simple doesn't mean
it's without elegance. A knob at the top is both the power switch
& a full-range intensity control. A flip-down frame up front lets
you slip in a 3200K conversion filter to modify its usual 5600K
cool white lighting; it also comes with warming & diffusing
filters you can slip or stack in there. The back opens up
(without tools) to take the 4 AA cells that power it; a set of
Energizer E2 Lithium cells is good for a little more than 7
hours, alkaline AA cells for about 1.5 hours & NiMH cells
(depending on mAH rating) for 40 minutes to an hour; there's also
a 5-12VDC coax connector for an external power source. It
measures 3.3x3.3x1.5 inches & even with batteries weighs in at
well under half a pound (you've held heavier fast food burgers).
Online pricing right now is under $300; we don't know a TV
newsroom operations guy anywhere who won't immediately think of
this being in the price range of a single replacement "brick"
battery used now for run & gun lighting with tungsten bulbs.
(We'll have more on the category of LED-based TV lighting in a
month in our upcoming Special Report, "Green Lighting TV
Lighting"). Another major plus: they don't get hot, so you won't
be able to recognize a cameraman by the burn blisters on his
fingertips. Bottom line: this is pro-grade gear for camera-mount
lighting at a price newsrooms will cheer & consumers can handle;
we not only like it a lot, we're adding it to our travel kit.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 2: COMBO FORMAT DVD
We asked for this before HD-DVD died, but it's still noteworthy:
"Elizabeth the Golden Age" in an HD-DVD/DVD Combo Format release.
There's a single disc in the package with HD-DVD on one side,
standard red-laser DVD on the other. Interestingly, the special
features (not the main feature) are in standard definition either
way. When you stick it in a red-laser drive with the wrong side
up, it just says the disc isn't readable. As we commented
elsewhere, we think it's a very smart marketing decision to offer
consumers a product that they can't get wrong, so the investment
in a red-laser DVD movie today is not wasted if you move to a
high-def blue-laser DVD tomorrow. We can forgive Universal for
making the historically wrong choice on what that blue-laser
high-def choice would be since they were far from alone in that;
indeed, had they offered a standard-def red-laser DVD with a
Blu-Ray flip side, they might well have been regarded as
brilliant. So, bottom line, the idea of a combo format DVD with
red & blue laser versions on its alternate sides is one we
applaud as good for consumers' long-term interests. We should
add, it's a very entertaining movie.
CES PR CONTACTS MESS
The CES PR operation happily sent us the final exhibitor PR
contact list for the January 2008 event. It had all of 494
listings for contacts, including multiple contacts for many
companies. We all know there were a few more exhibitors than
that, which begs the question: are they just inept at cooperating
with the press or is this a deliberate statement of their
unwillingness to do so? We have a decades-long habit (since way
before Cherry Picks) of doing 4-6 months of homework on the
biggest shows & the baldness of this resource puts a serious
crimp in that. We know the CES Show producers will claim they
have no way to compel their exhibitors to list a press contact;
we think that with a little encouragement from you, they may find
one. Contact: Martin Winston, NEWSTIPS (Novelty, OH)
440-338-8400; mailto:marty@newstips.com http://Newstips.com
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Newstips Bulletin [Novelty, OH] +1.440.338.8400 http://Newstips.com
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