The Giz Wiz Dick DeBartolo Is Back with 5 More of His Favorite Gadgets
A few weeks ago, dealnews sat down with the legendary Dick DeBartolo, the man behind the website GizWiz.Biz and the weekly Giz Wiz netcast. (He's also Mad Magazine's marathon man, holding the writing record for the greatest number of consecutive issues, dating back to 1966.) To be sure there's not a gadget in the known universe that can replace him, DeBartolo has been taking stock of gizmos and such for decades now, from the immensely practical to the practical joke. And here we finish our conversation with DeBartolo, giving you five more gadgets that make his heart flutter, whirl, and soar through cyberspace.
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E430 Core i3 Dual 2.3GHz 14" LED Laptop
($466.65 via coupon code "THINK48HR" with free shipping, a low by $20)
DeBartolo thinks that this series of slim notebooks, weighing less than 5 lbs., have plenty of style. "The Edge line of computers are rugged, have 14"+ screens, and are very reasonably priced," he says. Moreover, the 720p HD webcam "is designed to work even in low-lit conditions, and it works pretty well." A current deal from the Edge line is the pictured E430, which features an Intel Core i3-2350M dual-core processor, 14" 1366x768 LCD, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, and more.
Plantronics BackBeat GO Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds
($63.99 with free shipping, a low by $6)
If you've ever carried earphones in your pocket, you know how aggravating it is to dig out a spaghetti-bowl full of wire to hook up to your MP3 player or smartphone. These Plantronics BackBeat GO wireless earbuds are Bluetooth-enabled and do away with multiple cords that make us fumble: "they have just one short, single wire that connects the right and left earbuds ... and the cable that connects them is rectangular, so 90% of the time it doesn't knot up at all." He also notes that the "little box" that lets you go back through music files or take calls is a nice touch.
PivotHead Point-of-View Video Recording Glasses
($349 with about $5 s&h, a low by $5)
Glasses that shoot video? Such stuff would've been pure sci-fi a generation ago, unless you glued a huge honking videocam to your head. No wonder DeBartolo's crazy about these specs, which manage to look sharp and record sharp, 1080p HD video at the same time. "The video and audio quality is amazing," he says. "They're a little expensive, but at trade shows, I can cover gadget reviews myself by wearing these and recording my own video. And you can hook up another cable to the glasses and it becomes a drive on your computer." Pivothead glasses come in four styles: Aurora, Durango, Moab, and Recon, and have 8GB built-in storage.
Cobra Digital Party Animal Dancing Pet Speakers
($34.46 with free shipping, a low by $1)
"These are very funny," he says. By plugging them in to an MP3 player, laptop, or CD player, and flipping their on/off switch, they dance to your music. They start when your music starts up, and they stop when it stops. Just having debuted, these dancing cats and dogs are expected to be a big hit around Halloween.
Nokero Ed Solar Book Light
($6 with about $4 s&h, a low by $4)
Here's a light that's one bright idea. This book light is powered by solar energy from the sun (or artificial light). And a single rechargeable AAA battery will keep it shining for more than 15 continuous hours at full strength. "It clips easily onto books or homework folders, or it can sit on a flat surface to light any workspace," De Bartolo says. "And the price is right, too." While Nokero hopes to sell scores of these lights to corporate clients, their profits will fund sending free units to kids in third-world countries that have no electricity.
Curious to know what other gadgets our favorite techies can't live without? Check out the must-have lists from both Engadget's Darren Murph and Gazelle's Anthony Scarsella.
- The Giz Wiz Dick DeBartolo Gives Us His 5 Favorite Gadgets and Toys
- A Pro's Favorite Recording Studio Gadgets
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