- Have kids or grandkids? Learn all about TickTalk 5, the latest smartwatch for kids. We’re joined by Vivian Gong, President & Co-Founder of the company
- Tech lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong stops by with some gadget and game gift ideas ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Speaking of gaming, I share my impressions of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, plus other gaming laptops and AI-powered Windows 11 PCs
- Discover how “Sign-Speak” provides automated American Sign Language recognition and transcription to help Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals – when I interview the AWS-back startup CEO Yami Payano
- Thank you to Visa, Norton, and Sandisk for your support!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the ever changing world
of technology? Check it Out can help make some sense
of it all. Breaking down geeks peak into street speak.
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman covers consumer
technology each week for every listener, Mark tackles the latest news, reviews,
and how toos to help you understand what's hot, what's
(00:21):
not and why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey everyone, welcome to tech it Out. This is episode
four nineteen. I'm in New York with my lovely wife Kelly.
We celebrated our twenty fifth wedding anniversary on Wednesday the fifth,
and we went to a taping of the Kelly and
Mark show. Yes, Live with Kelly Rippa and her husband Mark,
so that was fun. And yes, if you caught it,
we are Kelly and Mark and that show is called
(00:47):
Kelly and Mark. So my wife's always wanted to go,
you know, a bucket list thing though. I'm Mark with
a C and she's k E L L I E.
And the hosts of the show are Kelly with a
Y and Mark with a K. Had a great time
in the city as well, some nice meals, including the
view which is on top of the Marriott Marquee Hotel
New York Times Square, where it revolves around the city
(01:08):
so you get a different view every couple of seconds.
In fact, it takes an hour and forty five minutes
for a full rotation on the restaurant level that we
were at. But a really fun time in New York
and great weather too. We were able to walk around
even in a T shirt. Crazy for early November. I
also did some TV work on Thursday, chatting about some
new laptops and other kinds of PCs, which I'll get
(01:29):
you more in a moment, and before I tell you
what's on Top for today. Apologies for the ambient noise
I mentioned. I'm in New York. Well, I'm recording this
at the LaGuardia Airport. Flight is delayed back to Toronto
and I want to produce this show, so there's just
some noise around me of people, you know, running the
gates and trying not to miss flights or eating food
and restaurants. I've tried to find the quietest pocket I
could possibly find, but you will not hear any of
(01:52):
this during the interviews. It's just right now before I
tell you what's on Top for today, check it out.
Welcomes Norton as a new partner on this program along
with Visa, both committed to protecting you from fraud in
slightly different ways, but we're going to get to that momentarily.
Let me tell you what's on top for today's show.
We're going to kick things off today with a look
at a new smart watch for kids called TikTok five
(02:15):
and no, not the same TikTok as the social media platform,
and it is spelled differently. But we're going to get
to these new watches and what they can do for
kids and their parents who want peace of mind. They
can track their kids' location through the watch, and they
have fun features too, like music streaming and even video
chatting through the watch itself. After that, tech lifestyle expert
Mario Armstrong joins us with some gadget gift guides leading
(02:38):
up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday a little bit
later this month, from video games to a fancy coffee
machine for the home. Speaking of games, I will also
talk about some handheld gaming systems out now from rog
whose parent company is a SEUs, and I'm referring to
the rog Xbox Ally and the ally X, which has
a little bit more power and longer battery life. I
(03:00):
showed these devices on TV from New York last Thursday.
As I mentioned earlier, had a blast doing more than
twenty five interviews across the country. I also showed some
Ai powered Asus laptops as well, which I'll also chat
about in a few minutes from now. And finally, I
was at Amazon's AWS event in Las Vegas. It's called
Reinvent and that's Amazon Web Services, and I'm going to
(03:21):
play an interview recorded there tied to accessibility. It's called
sign Speak. It's a platform for those who are deaf
or hard of hearing. It seems like a wonderful tool
and I can't wait to share the deets with you
on that. All of this and more on a new
tech it out. So let's officially kick things off with
our first interview. When you hear the words TikTok, you
(03:41):
likely think of the wildly popular social media platform. But
there's another TikTok spelled tick yep like ticking of a
clock and talk thlk as in communication As this TikTok
is a family of smart watches for kids and of
course their parents spikes all to give peace of mind.
(04:02):
Joining us to hear all about TikTok five, the latest
smart watch for kids, is Vivian Gong, president and co
founder of the company TikTok NICs, to chat with you. Vivian,
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Hi, very glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So we're going to dive into the specific features of
the new watch in a moment, but at a high level.
What's TikTok five all about.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yes, we actually launched the five generations of TikTok watch
since twenty sixteen, each one just getting smarter, safer, and
better for families. TikTok five is our latest model and
today is one of the leading kids My Watch brands
in the US. It's really become the best cell phone
alternative for kids ages three to twelve and let them call,
(04:47):
video chat and text you. But you stay in control
with the Prano Control app, so there's no Internet, no
social media, no games, and no random contest getting through.
Some of the big features parents and kids loves are
a two way voice and video calling, messaging feature, plus
talk to text emojis, voice messaging and photo sharing, real
(05:11):
time GPS tracker so you always know where your child is.
Over twenty plus Priano controls things like approving contexts, setting reminders,
school mode, blocking unknown numbers from the watch d your
child can do sos and nine one one calls for emergencies,
free kids friendly streaming, music activity tracker. It also building
(05:34):
one from cameras so kids can take photos, selfie and videos.
So it's pretty much like giving your child a phone,
but designed with your rules and safety in.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Mind, all right, So thanks for all that. So it's
a lot to unpack. So it's a smart watch for
kids that lets parents and kids easily communicate without needing
a phone, as well as allowing parents to monitor their
kids whereabouts, so again offering that peace of mind that
I hinted at off the top, and that's essentially what
it is. And then aside from that, even though there's
(06:06):
no games or social media or internet access, there is
some fun to it too, in the sense that the
kids can take photos of their friends and they can
stream music. So it's both for entertainment and communication and
monitoring as well or tracking. All right. I like that
it doesn't give you access to the internet or social
media letting you play games on it, because I think
(06:26):
most parents would agree that kids have enough screen time
already in their lives. Maybe their kids are not ready
to have an iPhone or an Android phone yet, so
let's discuss some of those features that are more practical. First,
so you mentioned GPS tracking, So this is when we're
not talking about the ability to call your kids. This
(06:46):
is a dashboard I'm assuming where parents can see at
a glance where their kids are.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Yes, that is correct. So our location tracking is actually
empowered by Google Maps. It's extremely accurate, not only for
outdoors but also indoors, which give parents reliable real time updates.
And also this year we add an AI powered feature
called Smartpain which actually learns and improves location accuracy over time.
(07:13):
For example, in some rural areas where GPS signal are
not strong enough, it might show the location is across
the street. Parents can manually adjust the location in the
app and report it to our smart pain, and the
AI learns from the feedback and remembers it, so the
accuracy keeps improving every time the watch checks in.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Because GPS's line of sight, the watch should be in
direct line of sight with satellites hovering above the Earth,
it doesn't work well indoors. So does this watch also
have cellular connectivity?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Yes, so the works just like and stand alone cell phone.
It comes with a pre installed simcar that connect to
either ATT or t Mobiles network, so when there's no
Wi Fi, the watch uses cellular and data to make
phone calls, send the messagers, and stay connected.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Okay, thank you for that, Vivian. I love the idea
of not just two way calls between parents and their
kids through the watch, but also video calls too.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Oh yeah, sure, that's one of the features family love
the most.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
You can't do that on Apple Watch.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Oh yeah, that is true. Yeah, that's why we design it.
We think like it give us a lot of fun
for kids, and then that helps for the family communication.
So let parents and kids see each other anytime anywhere,
so you know, sometimes like a quick hi mom, I'm
away from the bus, or a bedtime checking where parents traveling.
(08:41):
Those little moments really matter. And the face talk is
not just between the watch and the parents' phones. The
kids can video call other TikTok watches too, so they
can chat face to face with cousins, classmates, and their
best friends, which makes it fun and social. Still complete,
parents approved and safe.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I'm sure that parents have the option to control all
of that should they want to, which leads me to
my next question. You mentioned there were about twenty different
parental controls that are customizable.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Definitely, so beyond the communication and safety features, so TikTok
five also include a lot of tools that both kids
and parents really love. For example, we have a reminder
feature where parents can set daily, weekly, or even monthly
reminders everything from wake up, brush teas, get on the
school bus, homework, or little trolls like walk the dog
(09:36):
or take out the chash. Each reminder pops up with
like cute icons, so it feels fun for kids. Parents
can also create customer reminders, adding their own text or messagers.
It's a great way to help his stay on schedule
and develop independence.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
No, that's great, I like that. All right. We're going
to continue chatting about TikTok five the smart watch in
a couple of moments from now, But I did want
to just put a pin in it and thank Norton
for officially joining tech it out as a partner. In
today's connected world, a simple antivirus just isn't enough. Your identity,
your finances, and your privacy are all on the line.
(10:14):
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tech it out has proudly partnered with Norton. As they
do protect your PC, your Mac and mobile devices from viruses, ransomware,
and malware which is short for malicious software, of course,
and LifeLock takes it a step further, constantly monitoring for
(10:36):
the fraudulent use of your personal information from your social
Security number to your bank accounts. If a threat is detected,
you receive an alert. If the worst happens and your
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(10:57):
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dot com today again, that's Norton dot Com, n O
R T O N dot com. All right, we're going
to continue learning about the TikTok five smart watch for
kids and by extensions, their parents. When we return on
(11:21):
check it Out, stay with us. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Listen to check it Out whenever you want to find
the check it Out podcast, did I Too, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Welcome back to check it Out. We are chatting with Viviangong,
president and co founder of the company TikTok. That's t
i c k t a l K not t i
k t ok, the social media app. This is a
smart watch for kids in particular. We're talking about the
TikTok five, the latest smart watch from the company. It
(12:01):
is meant for both communication as well as entertainment. So kids,
you said, could stream music if they like. Could they
also change the watch face?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, there's like over twenty different watch faces the kids
can pick.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
What if the parents are not tech savvy?
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You know?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
This is the irony here today, Vivian, is that as parents,
our job is to protect kids, even in the digital age.
Yet the kids understand this world better than we do
than moms and dads do. So what can they set
this up in Is there like an app for parents
to see where their kids are or is it a website?
Can you talk to us a bit about that on
(12:37):
the back end.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Sure, sure, yes, that's something we really focus on. We
know not every parents is super tech savy, so we
make sure TikTok five is very easy to set up
and manage. So when you first open the box, everything
is ready to go. The same card is pre installed.
You just need to go to your website to activate it,
then download our TikTok app, scan a QA code to
(12:59):
peer the wall, and then just follow the step by step.
Most family a fully set up in less than ten minutes.
We also incruse shot how to video in the app
so you can watch them on the website. Is simple
and stress free. And then also like it's just in case,
like you need any help, our in house customs support
team is always ready. We also have tons of EPICQ
(13:22):
articles and instructional videos online.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Okay, good to know. And even though this is something
that a lot of parents don't want to think about,
in the event of an emergency, right the child is
in distress somehow, let's hope this never happens. Obviously, the
watches you said, there's an SOS mode. Kids can call
nine one one, they can call mom or dad. Have
you heard of any stories where it has helped the
family out during a stressful or even potentially dangerous situation.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Yes, we have heard so many meaningful stories from families
who use TikTok, and those are honestly we'll keep us
going right. So, I remember one mom used to cause
and tell us about a time when her two sons
didn't take the school bus home at class. Instead, they
went exploring behind the school up into a little here area.
(14:14):
So the teachers and parents were all worried because they
nobody knew where they were. But luckily they have TikTok.
So the mom opened the TikTok app and checked the
real time location. She could see exactly where they were,
and she drove there and found that they are safe.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
And she told us that.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Moments was when she truly realized the value of having TikTok. So.
Also we heard like a lot of families with special
needs children who use our reminders to help their kids
with daily transitions like moving from class to therapy or
re remembering routines. It helps them feel more confident and independent.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I like that. Just going back to emergency situations before
we wrap up, and I ask you about costs and
how it get going and all that. If Heaven forbid,
a child is taken and they see that they're wearing
a watch that may not look like a regular watch,
so someone takes it off again. This is just playing
Devil's Advocate here, Vivian. Or is there a way to
have that watch kind of like sewn into a backpack
(15:18):
or something where it's not visible It would still work,
right if it's got cellular connectivity. Yes, that is correct,
So that's good to know that you could hide it
Heaven forbidden.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Get in a backpack, or even in the school lock,
you know, just in case school don't let you bring
the small watch in. But would you have the school
mode which will just lock the whole watch screen and
the kids cannot use it. You can only check the
time and also do the SS emergency call, all right?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And then finally, how much does TikTok five cost? How
do we get one? What's the best place to learn
more as well?
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Yeah, so TikTok five retual price is nine and our
TikTok wireless plan starts at just a nine dollars nine
ie stands a month with no contracts, no activation fee,
and full nationwide coverage. Each watch comes with free US shipping,
a one year warranty, and a lifetime software update so
family can feel confidence. Few to last and you can
(16:14):
find a TikTok ii online at our website, my TikTok
dot com as well as on Amazon, Walmart and the
best buy sites. And it has four colors under ash,
gray and blue, purple and green.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
That's great, So again, my TikTok dot com. That's m
y t I c K t a l k like
tiktoking of a clock, not the other one my TikTok
dot com or the retail support that you mentioned. Vivian.
Thank you so much for your time. This sounds like
a fantastic product. I really appreciate you chatting with us
about it and all the best. Happy early holiday season
(16:52):
to you.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Thank you so much for reminding me.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Welcome back to check it out. We cover cybersecurity a
lot on this program and how you can best protect
yourself in the digital age, even if you're not super
tech savvy. One part of the solution is securely shopping online,
and so I'm thrilled about my partnership with Visa on
Tech it Out, as they've made some significant investments in
fraud prevention over the past five years as much as
(17:17):
ten billion dollars, Yes, that's billion with a B, to
support Visa's brand promise to protect the financial information of
individuals and businesses. Zero liability means peace of mind when
you shop online using your Visa card. There can be
no half measures when it comes to cybersecurity, which is
why the company takes an aggressive and multi layered approach
(17:37):
to combating the rising threat of malicious software and other
threats by well funded and global criminal enterprises. Read more
about Visa and how securing the world's payments is priority
one at Visa dot com slash Security. That's Visa dot
Com slash Security. When we return on tech it Out,
we're going to catch up with tech lifestyle expert Mario
(17:58):
Armstrong speaking of New York. He's got a great accent.
Love this guy. He was in a sister studio to
the one that I was working at and he was
chatting about some other gadget gift ideas ahead of Black Friday,
So we're going to hear his picks when we return
on teck it Out. Stay with us.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Want to follow Mark Google of Mark with a C
and Saltzman with a z breaking down geeks peak into streetspeak.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
This is check it Out to Check it Out with.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Welcome back to check it out everyone. If you are
just joining us now for the first time, apologies for
some ambient noise around me. I'm at LaGuardia Airport ahead
of a flight back home to Toronto. There are some
strong wins here and maybe also tied to the government
shutdown and air traffic control and some other issues that
are unrelated to the weather. But yeah, flight's delayed. But
(19:02):
I need to produce a weekly tech it Out program
for you. As they say on with the show, just
a little bit of noise around me off the top
of these segments, but the interviews sound pretty good and
without further ado. Yes, I caught up with a fellow
tech expert, so let's go ahead and jump right in.
The holidays are fast approaching, and if you're looking for
unforgettable gifts from the hottest tech to personalized treasures, we've
(19:26):
got the help you need. Digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong
is here with us with his ultimate cheat sheet for
a fun and stress free season. Welcome Mario.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Good to be on with you, Mark, thanks so much
for having me.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
And you're right, my friend, I've partnered up with some
great brands to help you nail your holiday gift list
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Great, all right, Mario, So why don't we start with
ways to add that personal touch this holiday season.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Well, one of the ways you can do that is
with Staples.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
They really have really stepped up personalization in an awesome way.
They have you covered, They make every moment count and
they even have same day printing and forty percent off
custom cards, mugs, wrapping paper, return address labels. I mean,
you name it now through November fifteenth, you'll be able
to take advantage of that. I have a mug on
set with me with my dog's photo on it, family
(20:15):
holiday cards. We even have some personalized gift wrap that
has images of my family on it as well. It's
really cool, just makes every gift feel unforgettable.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Plus you can explore other designs for other.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
Occasions like birthday's, weddings, and even small businesses for all
year long. And Staples even offers more savings throughout the
holiday season for ways to spread that joy and cheer.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I agree, I love one of a kind personalized gifts.
So are you trying to say, then, Mario, that I
could expect something with your smiling face on it for
the holidays this year? Was that where you're going with this?
Speaker 5 (20:46):
Ah, you are gonna get a gift rap with not
just my face, my wife, my dog, my son, You're
getting the whole family.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Awesome. Well, I wait with baited breath, all right, Mario,
how about some ideas for our tech lovers and on
the go pros out there in radio land and podcast land.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Oh well, I've been loving these JBL over the ear headphones,
but also some earbuds from them as well. So let
me first talk about the JBL Tour one M three. Now,
these are over ear headphones. The sound on these are incredible.
It's also super comfortable to wear. It's like one of
those things where I wear over the ear headphones.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
After a while they start to irritate me. These don't.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
They have up to seventy hours of battery life and
a touchscreen transmitter that connects to inflight entertainment which is
really cool, and that controls also music or calls.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
And then you have the tour Pro three earbuds.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Now, these include a smart charging case that access a
wireless transmitter and you can use the charging case to
do a lot of controls and things that you want
to adjust with the headphones.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So you're not looking for your phone, is my point.
Speaker 5 (21:51):
You can just grab the transmitter still do what you
want to do with your phone. Both of these have
adaptive noise canceling and ambient aware modes.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
You can tune in or out whenever you need.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
And in addition to that, another great holiday gift is
Microsoft Copilot Plus PCs. Now, I know you know a
lot about these mark but these are as we both know,
the fastest, most intelligent and secure Windows PCs yet. And
the surface laptop features built in AI which is going
to help you work smarter, edit photos faster.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
You'll just get a lot more done.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
It has a thirteen inch touchscreen, it's super lightweight design,
it has up to twenty three hours of battery life
that's incredible, and with Copilot on Windows, it's the computer
that you can actually talk to. So it's available in
three different colors. It's perfect for students, creatives, or anyone
on the moves. You can get them at Microsoft dot com,
best Buy, or Amazon.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Great Ideas Mario. In fact, I just had JBL on
my Tech It Out podcast and they were amazing. All right,
so JBL and Microsoft and then let's shift gears. We
are chatting, by the way, with Mario Armstrong, tech lifestyle
expert who is a regular on this program. We're chatting
about some early holiday gadget gift ideas. How about two
more fun ideas that really stand out in your opinion?
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Okay, I got one for the gamers and then one
that you're going to want to have for the holiday
season and beyond is in your kitchen, so stick around
for that.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
The first one is Sega.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Sega's got two great picks Sonic Racing Cross Worlds. Now,
this game is going to let you race through land, sea, air,
even space, and it's gonna do it in the true
Sonic way. You're going to have those travel rings, those
epic power ups, and there's even characters from Minecraft and SpongeBob.
And then the other game is called two Point Museum. Now,
(23:29):
this is a fun creative game where you design your
own museums.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
You go on.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
Expeditions, you show off your rarest artifacture. You're essentially curating
for the museum. But It's all done with a dose
of silliness and a lot of fun too. So both
titles are available on current gen consoles and PC, with
Sonic Racing Crossworlds coming soon to Nintendo.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Switch to Now teases earlier.
Speaker 5 (23:50):
If you or someone you know loves coffee and who
doesn't like right, and then also what if you love
beautiful kitchen tech, Well, I have the best statement for
you in your chen.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
It's a Jura S eight. Now, this is a next
level gift.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I mean the sculptural design on this and the high
quality craftsmanship.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
It's going to make an immediate statement in your kitchen.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
From a vibrant color touchscreen, you just swipe and they
got twenty seven different cafe style drinks, and you just
use it like a smartphone. You just swipe across that
vibrant touchscreen and it walks you through every step.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
It's all freshly ground, never capsuled.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
And one of my coolest features is that it has
a sweet phone function which lets you flavor the milk
phone too.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
All great ideas, Mario, from the Sega games to the
Jura Coffee Machine on steroids. Love it and I do
love my cup of Joe. A couple of them a day. Awesome.
All right. Finally, Mario, where can we go for more
info on everything here?
Speaker 5 (24:46):
I'll just go to indnews dot tv. We got all
the details there plus images. You got to go on
there and see stuff and video of this stuff. Go
to endthews dot tv.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Thank you so much, Mario. Always great to chat with you,
and of course handing off on coffee. I do want
to say, talk to you soonbuddy.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
All the best choo, talk to you soon, hey, don't forget.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Also on the program, I'm going to share a few
gadget gift ideas. In particular, they are tied to gaming PCs,
both handheld models as well as laptops. That'll be at
the end of the program. And before that, in a
couple of minutes from now, we're going to learn about
an app called sign Speak, which is powered by AWS
Amazon Web Services for those who are deaf or hard
(25:27):
of hearing. I was at the Amazon Reinvent show in
Las Vegas where this technology was demoed for me and
I was blown away. So I'm going to interview the
head of that startup for you after this short break.
If you are on social media and you want to
reach out and say hi. It's Mark Saltzman, MARC SA
L T Z M A N and you can find
(25:48):
me on x formerly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, threads, blue Sky, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok,
and a few others. Once again, it's Mark Saltzman, and
I look forward to chatting with you on social media.
Let me know what you think of the program. If
you have any tech questions for me, any ideas for
upcoming guests or topics, I'm all ears. Once again, it's
Mark Saltzman, Mark with the C Saltsman with the z
(26:11):
hang tight more tech it out coming right up after
this short break, when we learn about sign Speak powered
by AWS, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Breaking down geek speak into street speak. Check it out,
hosted by Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Welcome back to check it out. As listeners of this
show know, I get excited about technology that can enhance
or enrich people's lives, and with that comes accessibility tools
to even the playing fields for everybody. Yesterday I spoke
with a company here at AWS in Las Vegas called
dot Lumen that has created a wearable headset to help
(26:56):
those who are blind or vision impaired better navigate around
city streets with tactical like vibration cues, almost like a
guide dog that could nudge you a certain way. Now
we're going to learn about a tool for those who
are deaf or hard at hearing. We're joined by Yami Paiano.
She's CEO and co founder of sign Speak. Very nice
to meet you, Very nice to meet you. Thank you
(27:18):
for having me here today. Why don't we dive right in?
What is sign Speak? So?
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Signspeak is essentially an interpreting agency that is led by AI.
So we've created a proprietary software that would essentially do
the two mechanisms that an interpreter does, which is interpret
sign language into voice and then voice back into sign language.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And then we also have a human force behind it because.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
At the end of the day, our goal is to
provide accessibility, and we understand that AI is not for everywhere,
but the goal here is how do we scale up interpretation.
Because there's forty eight million deaf and hard of hearing
in the US, there's a huge interpreter shortage.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
There's only ten thousand five interpreters.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
That's like one interpreter for a lot of deaf people.
So our goal is really making sure that that deaf
people get access everywhere. And in addition to that, our
technology extends beyond interpretation to be able to now anything
that has voice recognition now can be activated through sign language.
So think about all the amazing AI agents that are
(28:22):
being created that a voice activated or soon summary.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Right. We all now use summarization.
Speaker 6 (28:28):
At the end of our calls in Zoom and other
video conferencing calls. So imagine being able to now have
signers and deaf people in the workforce that can have
that same tool as well.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
All right, So would this tool sign speak be available
to those who do online video chatting like you're zooming
with your colleagues or even on a consumer level with
family and friends, and there's like a AI avatar in
the corner that is signing what you are saying verbally,
and then the person who is signing on the other end,
who is deaf or hard of hearing, they can sign
(29:01):
back and then it's a simulated voice. Is that fair?
And is it mostly for online video communication? Yes?
Speaker 6 (29:07):
So right, that's exactly right. There's a fake person that
is in the center, and then the deaf person can
signed and we can speak into it and there would
be a simulated voice. It is for online and we
do have a in person app that the deaf consumers
don't need to pay for. It is more for them
to get used to the technology. This is brund New AI,
(29:30):
so really making sure that the deaf consumer gets used
to it from the comfort of their home. So we
do offer it for them to use it at home,
but we understand that the deaf community should not pay
for their own accessibility, so we offer it at the
consumer level and we're also offering it to enterprises.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
All right, So do you mean then, like, just like
you and I are talking in the same room right now,
that if you had it on your phone, that this
could kind of be a mediator between us two if
you were deaf and I did not speak asl Yes, exactly, Okay,
thanks for that. Earlier this year I was at an
Intelligent and they had something similar that they were demonstrating
on stage. How does AWS help you deliver this service?
Speaker 6 (30:09):
Yeah, I think that our infrastructure takes into account latency
because the real time communication needs to happen instantaneously and
in real time. So right now our system is equal
to the latency of an interpreter. So usually because we're
talking about ASL and English, two different completely different languages
(30:31):
with two different grammadical structure. There is about a three
to two second lag time that any interpreter will have
and the deaf community is very used to it. What
my team is super excited about AWS is sort of
AWS Trainium, AWS inferratio, which really allows us to train
(30:51):
these models and operate them at a lower cost, so
that then when we're talking about things like using smaller
models on the phone or on devide, well now that
is a reality, and we've seen what has happened with
voice recognition where now voice recognition is essentially everywhere. That
is because we have smaller models that can do that,
(31:11):
and AWS has allowed us to get there through some
of their technology.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
We are chatting with Yami Paiano. She's CEO and co
founder of sign speak. That's the name of the company
and the solution the service.
Speaker 6 (31:23):
Yes correct, So please go to www dot sign speak
dot all right signdsh speak dot com to learn more.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Yamy, it's been a pleasure chatting with you. Thank you
so much and have a great rest of your AWS
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(33:02):
we've got one more block left of teck it out
where I will share the latest in gaming laptops and
handheld PCs. Stick with us, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Follow Mark Saltzman on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, listen
to check it out whenever you want.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
As I mentioned earlier in the show, I had a
blast on TV on Thursday from New York City where
I'm recording this right now, talking with over twenty five
stations across the country for some recommended PC related gifts,
whether they're laptops or handheld PCs designed for gamers. That's
my jam right there. So I thought I would share
with you the computers that I showed on TV, and
(33:48):
if you do want to see them, by the way,
you can simply go to Indnews dot tv if you
want to see these products in action. Before I share
these with you, I wanted to first offer a tech tip.
You know, the claw has run out on Windows ten
support and so it's imperative to upgrade to Windows eleven
to eliminate major security risks and basically give you peace
of mind. But it's not just about protection, but a smoother,
(34:12):
faster system. So with Windows eleven, which you can upgrade
your existing Windows ten Machine two for free if it
supports it, or better yet, there's new laptops and desktops
out there you can take advantage of those modern benefits
to help you with productivity and multitasking, as well as
features that gamers will love. More on that in a moment.
And there's also AI powered experiences like Microsoft Copilot that
(34:36):
can help you with everything from holiday planning to finding
the perfect gift for everyone. So let's start off with
handheld gaming and the highly anticipated just released rog Xbox
ally and the Rog Xbox ally X, both of which
are portable powerhouses that blend a full PC with a
console like experience. I love the vibrant seven inch display.
(35:00):
It's a full HD screen, comfortable Xbox like controls on
each side, a long lasting battery, and the option to
dock these devices to play on a big screen when
you're back at home. We're in a hotel room. And
speaking of gaming, you'll also want to check out, or,
as I like to say, you'll also want to tech
out the Rog Zephyrs G sixteen, a powerful laptop that's
(35:21):
also a looker, so there's no trade offs with a sleek,
premium aluminum body and customizable lighting to flex your style.
By the way, that's RGB lighting in the keyboard itself,
as well as lighting on the back of the laptop
behind the display. It runs on Windows eleven for work, school,
and play, and it's thin and light so you can
take it everywhere. And I want to mention all of
these PCs I've mentioned so far include a three month
(35:43):
subscription to PC game Pass so you can start gaming
right out of the box. Love that. Two more laptops
to share with you. There's the AI powered Asus ZenBook
S sixteen, a premium laptop with high performance, stunning esthetics,
and extreme portability. I mean it's just a half inch
thin and built from Sarah aluminum, which is an exclusive
(36:05):
Asus material that's lightweight yet durable productivity. Is also supercharged
by Microsoft Copilot, instantly accessible with a dedicated keyboard key
to summon your AI assistant. Another pick is the versatile
and flexible Asus Vivo Book fourteen. Flip. As the name suggests,
it has an incredible three hundred and sixty degree hinge
(36:26):
that lets you flip it into multiple modes like a
tablet with Windows Hello. You simply glance at the infrared
camera to securely unlock your device so you don't have
to remember passwords. It uses biometrics identification. The most impressive
feature of this fourteen inch oh Lad laptop incredible battery
life of up to twenty eight hours on a single charge.
(36:47):
For everything I've chatted about here today, the Vivo Book fourteen, Flip,
the zen Book S sixteen, the rog Zephyrus G sixteen,
and the rog xbox ally and Alix, you can head
on over to Asus dot com. That's Asus dot com,
and thank you for your patients. When the segments are
a little bit louder than others with some ambient noise,
(37:07):
like I am here at LaGuardia Airport, so just finishing
up production on this week's Check it Out, and thank
you for tuning in whether you listen on your favorite
local talk radio station or if you subscribe to the
podcast version. Thrilled to have you along. I wanted to
give one more shout out to Norton and Visa again,
two amazing partners on this program. After all, Norton does
(37:29):
protect your PC, your Mac and your mobile devices from viruses, ransomware,
and other kinds of malicious software or malware for short while,
LifeLock takes it a step further, constantly monitoring for the
fraudulent use of your personal information from your social insurance
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like using different cybersecurity protection from different companies, you can
(37:50):
get it all under one roof from Norton. Again, it's
called Norton three sixty. With LifeLock. There are other features
as well, like Norton Password Manager like its VP, so
you can browse the web anonymously and out of the
prying eyes of advertisers and Internet service providers and the
government and all that. So you get your privacy that
you want and deserve through Norton VPN. There's so many
(38:11):
tools that you could read about at Norton dot com.
That's Norton dot com. And then for Visa, did you
know that shoppers are three times more likely to enter
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customers are five times more likely to think a merchant
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(38:32):
think twice about shopping at retail or online with your
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(38:53):
slash Security. Thank you so much for tuning into the program. Everyone,
have a fantastic rest of your day and I look
forward to chatting with you next weekend for another brand
new episode of Check it Out. Bye bye for now.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the ever changing world
of technology? Check it Out can help make some sense
of it all. Breaking down geeks peak into street speak.
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman covers consumer
technology each week for every listener, Mark tackles the latest news, reviews,
and how toos to help you understand what's hot, what's
(00:21):
not and why.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey everyone, welcome to tech it Out. This is episode
four nineteen. I'm in New York with my lovely wife Kelly.
We celebrated our twenty fifth wedding anniversary on Wednesday the fifth,
and we went to a taping of the Kelly and
Mark show. Yes, Live with Kelly Rippa and her husband Mark,
so that was fun. And yes, if you caught it,
we are Kelly and Mark and that show is called
(00:47):
Kelly and Mark. So my wife's always wanted to go,
you know, a bucket list thing though. I'm Mark with
a C and she's k E L L I E.
And the hosts of the show are Kelly with a
Y and Mark with a K. Had a great time
in the city as well, some nice meals, including the
view which is on top of the Marriott Marquee Hotel
New York Times Square, where it revolves around the city
(01:08):
so you get a different view every couple of seconds.
In fact, it takes an hour and forty five minutes
for a full rotation on the restaurant level that we
were at. But a really fun time in New York
and great weather too. We were able to walk around
even in a T shirt. Crazy for early November. I
also did some TV work on Thursday, chatting about some
new laptops and other kinds of PCs, which I'll get
(01:29):
you more in a moment, and before I tell you
what's on Top for today. Apologies for the ambient noise
I mentioned. I'm in New York. Well, I'm recording this
at the LaGuardia Airport. Flight is delayed back to Toronto
and I want to produce this show, so there's just
some noise around me of people, you know, running the
gates and trying not to miss flights or eating food
and restaurants. I've tried to find the quietest pocket I
could possibly find, but you will not hear any of
(01:52):
this during the interviews. It's just right now before I
tell you what's on Top for today, check it out.
Welcomes Norton as a new partner on this program along
with Visa, both committed to protecting you from fraud in
slightly different ways, but we're going to get to that momentarily.
Let me tell you what's on top for today's show.
We're going to kick things off today with a look
at a new smart watch for kids called TikTok five
(02:15):
and no, not the same TikTok as the social media platform,
and it is spelled differently. But we're going to get
to these new watches and what they can do for
kids and their parents who want peace of mind. They
can track their kids' location through the watch, and they
have fun features too, like music streaming and even video
chatting through the watch itself. After that, tech lifestyle expert
Mario Armstrong joins us with some gadget gift guides leading
(02:38):
up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday a little bit
later this month, from video games to a fancy coffee
machine for the home. Speaking of games, I will also
talk about some handheld gaming systems out now from rog
whose parent company is a SEUs, and I'm referring to
the rog Xbox Ally and the ally X, which has
a little bit more power and longer battery life. I
(03:00):
showed these devices on TV from New York last Thursday.
As I mentioned earlier, had a blast doing more than
twenty five interviews across the country. I also showed some
Ai powered Asus laptops as well, which I'll also chat
about in a few minutes from now. And finally, I
was at Amazon's AWS event in Las Vegas. It's called
Reinvent and that's Amazon Web Services, and I'm going to
(03:21):
play an interview recorded there tied to accessibility. It's called
sign Speak. It's a platform for those who are deaf
or hard of hearing. It seems like a wonderful tool
and I can't wait to share the deets with you
on that. All of this and more on a new
tech it out. So let's officially kick things off with
our first interview. When you hear the words TikTok, you
(03:41):
likely think of the wildly popular social media platform. But
there's another TikTok spelled tick yep like ticking of a
clock and talk thlk as in communication As this TikTok
is a family of smart watches for kids and of
course their parents spikes all to give peace of mind.
(04:02):
Joining us to hear all about TikTok five, the latest
smart watch for kids, is Vivian Gong, president and co
founder of the company TikTok NICs, to chat with you. Vivian,
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Hi, very glad to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So we're going to dive into the specific features of
the new watch in a moment, but at a high level.
What's TikTok five all about.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yes, we actually launched the five generations of TikTok watch
since twenty sixteen, each one just getting smarter, safer, and
better for families. TikTok five is our latest model and
today is one of the leading kids My Watch brands
in the US. It's really become the best cell phone
alternative for kids ages three to twelve and let them call,
(04:47):
video chat and text you. But you stay in control
with the Prano Control app, so there's no Internet, no
social media, no games, and no random contest getting through.
Some of the big features parents and kids loves are
a two way voice and video calling, messaging feature, plus
talk to text emojis, voice messaging and photo sharing, real
(05:11):
time GPS tracker so you always know where your child is.
Over twenty plus Priano controls things like approving contexts, setting reminders,
school mode, blocking unknown numbers from the watch d your
child can do sos and nine one one calls for emergencies,
free kids friendly streaming, music activity tracker. It also building
(05:34):
one from cameras so kids can take photos, selfie and videos.
So it's pretty much like giving your child a phone,
but designed with your rules and safety in.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Mind, all right, So thanks for all that. So it's
a lot to unpack. So it's a smart watch for
kids that lets parents and kids easily communicate without needing
a phone, as well as allowing parents to monitor their
kids whereabouts, so again offering that peace of mind that
I hinted at off the top, and that's essentially what
it is. And then aside from that, even though there's
(06:06):
no games or social media or internet access, there is
some fun to it too, in the sense that the
kids can take photos of their friends and they can
stream music. So it's both for entertainment and communication and
monitoring as well or tracking. All right. I like that
it doesn't give you access to the internet or social
media letting you play games on it, because I think
(06:26):
most parents would agree that kids have enough screen time
already in their lives. Maybe their kids are not ready
to have an iPhone or an Android phone yet, so
let's discuss some of those features that are more practical. First,
so you mentioned GPS tracking, So this is when we're
not talking about the ability to call your kids. This
(06:46):
is a dashboard I'm assuming where parents can see at
a glance where their kids are.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Yes, that is correct. So our location tracking is actually
empowered by Google Maps. It's extremely accurate, not only for
outdoors but also indoors, which give parents reliable real time updates.
And also this year we add an AI powered feature
called Smartpain which actually learns and improves location accuracy over time.
(07:13):
For example, in some rural areas where GPS signal are
not strong enough, it might show the location is across
the street. Parents can manually adjust the location in the
app and report it to our smart pain, and the
AI learns from the feedback and remembers it, so the
accuracy keeps improving every time the watch checks in.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Because GPS's line of sight, the watch should be in
direct line of sight with satellites hovering above the Earth,
it doesn't work well indoors. So does this watch also
have cellular connectivity?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Yes, so the works just like and stand alone cell phone.
It comes with a pre installed simcar that connect to
either ATT or t Mobiles network, so when there's no
Wi Fi, the watch uses cellular and data to make
phone calls, send the messagers, and stay connected.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Okay, thank you for that, Vivian. I love the idea
of not just two way calls between parents and their
kids through the watch, but also video calls too.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Oh yeah, sure, that's one of the features family love
the most.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
You can't do that on Apple Watch.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Oh yeah, that is true. Yeah, that's why we design it.
We think like it give us a lot of fun
for kids, and then that helps for the family communication.
So let parents and kids see each other anytime anywhere,
so you know, sometimes like a quick hi mom, I'm
away from the bus, or a bedtime checking where parents traveling.
(08:41):
Those little moments really matter. And the face talk is
not just between the watch and the parents' phones. The
kids can video call other TikTok watches too, so they
can chat face to face with cousins, classmates, and their
best friends, which makes it fun and social. Still complete,
parents approved and safe.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I'm sure that parents have the option to control all
of that should they want to, which leads me to
my next question. You mentioned there were about twenty different
parental controls that are customizable.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Definitely, so beyond the communication and safety features, so TikTok
five also include a lot of tools that both kids
and parents really love. For example, we have a reminder
feature where parents can set daily, weekly, or even monthly
reminders everything from wake up, brush teas, get on the
school bus, homework, or little trolls like walk the dog
(09:36):
or take out the chash. Each reminder pops up with
like cute icons, so it feels fun for kids. Parents
can also create customer reminders, adding their own text or messagers.
It's a great way to help his stay on schedule
and develop independence.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
No, that's great, I like that. All right. We're going
to continue chatting about TikTok five the smart watch in
a couple of moments from now, But I did want
to just put a pin in it and thank Norton
for officially joining tech it out as a partner. In
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(10:14):
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(10:36):
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R T O N dot com. All right, we're going
to continue learning about the TikTok five smart watch for
kids and by extensions, their parents. When we return on
(11:21):
check it Out, stay with us. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Listen to check it Out whenever you want to find
the check it Out podcast, did I Too, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Welcome back to check it Out. We are chatting with Viviangong,
president and co founder of the company TikTok. That's t
i c k t a l K not t i
k t ok, the social media app. This is a
smart watch for kids in particular. We're talking about the
TikTok five, the latest smart watch from the company. It
(12:01):
is meant for both communication as well as entertainment. So kids,
you said, could stream music if they like. Could they
also change the watch face?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, there's like over twenty different watch faces the kids
can pick.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
What if the parents are not tech savvy?
Speaker 3 (12:16):
You know?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
This is the irony here today, Vivian, is that as parents,
our job is to protect kids, even in the digital age.
Yet the kids understand this world better than we do
than moms and dads do. So what can they set
this up in Is there like an app for parents
to see where their kids are or is it a website?
Can you talk to us a bit about that on
(12:37):
the back end.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Sure, sure, yes, that's something we really focus on. We
know not every parents is super tech savy, so we
make sure TikTok five is very easy to set up
and manage. So when you first open the box, everything
is ready to go. The same card is pre installed.
You just need to go to your website to activate it,
then download our TikTok app, scan a QA code to
(12:59):
peer the wall, and then just follow the step by step.
Most family a fully set up in less than ten minutes.
We also incruse shot how to video in the app
so you can watch them on the website. Is simple
and stress free. And then also like it's just in case,
like you need any help, our in house customs support
team is always ready. We also have tons of EPICQ
(13:22):
articles and instructional videos online.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Okay, good to know. And even though this is something
that a lot of parents don't want to think about,
in the event of an emergency, right the child is
in distress somehow, let's hope this never happens. Obviously, the
watches you said, there's an SOS mode. Kids can call
nine one one, they can call mom or dad. Have
you heard of any stories where it has helped the
family out during a stressful or even potentially dangerous situation.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Yes, we have heard so many meaningful stories from families
who use TikTok, and those are honestly we'll keep us
going right. So, I remember one mom used to cause
and tell us about a time when her two sons
didn't take the school bus home at class. Instead, they
went exploring behind the school up into a little here area.
(14:14):
So the teachers and parents were all worried because they
nobody knew where they were. But luckily they have TikTok.
So the mom opened the TikTok app and checked the
real time location. She could see exactly where they were,
and she drove there and found that they are safe.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
And she told us that.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
Moments was when she truly realized the value of having TikTok. So.
Also we heard like a lot of families with special
needs children who use our reminders to help their kids
with daily transitions like moving from class to therapy or
re remembering routines. It helps them feel more confident and independent.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I like that. Just going back to emergency situations before
we wrap up, and I ask you about costs and
how it get going and all that. If Heaven forbid,
a child is taken and they see that they're wearing
a watch that may not look like a regular watch,
so someone takes it off again. This is just playing
Devil's Advocate here, Vivian. Or is there a way to
have that watch kind of like sewn into a backpack
(15:18):
or something where it's not visible It would still work,
right if it's got cellular connectivity. Yes, that is correct,
So that's good to know that you could hide it
Heaven forbidden.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Get in a backpack, or even in the school lock,
you know, just in case school don't let you bring
the small watch in. But would you have the school
mode which will just lock the whole watch screen and
the kids cannot use it. You can only check the
time and also do the SS emergency call, all right?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And then finally, how much does TikTok five cost? How
do we get one? What's the best place to learn
more as well?
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Yeah, so TikTok five retual price is nine and our
TikTok wireless plan starts at just a nine dollars nine
ie stands a month with no contracts, no activation fee,
and full nationwide coverage. Each watch comes with free US shipping,
a one year warranty, and a lifetime software update so
family can feel confidence. Few to last and you can
(16:14):
find a TikTok ii online at our website, my TikTok
dot com as well as on Amazon, Walmart and the
best buy sites. And it has four colors under ash,
gray and blue, purple and green.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
That's great, So again, my TikTok dot com. That's m
y t I c K t a l k like
tiktoking of a clock, not the other one my TikTok
dot com or the retail support that you mentioned. Vivian.
Thank you so much for your time. This sounds like
a fantastic product. I really appreciate you chatting with us
about it and all the best. Happy early holiday season
(16:52):
to you.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Thank you so much for reminding me.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Welcome back to check it out. We cover cybersecurity a
lot on this program and how you can best protect
yourself in the digital age, even if you're not super
tech savvy. One part of the solution is securely shopping online,
and so I'm thrilled about my partnership with Visa on
Tech it Out, as they've made some significant investments in
fraud prevention over the past five years as much as
(17:17):
ten billion dollars, Yes, that's billion with a B, to
support Visa's brand promise to protect the financial information of
individuals and businesses. Zero liability means peace of mind when
you shop online using your Visa card. There can be
no half measures when it comes to cybersecurity, which is
why the company takes an aggressive and multi layered approach
(17:37):
to combating the rising threat of malicious software and other
threats by well funded and global criminal enterprises. Read more
about Visa and how securing the world's payments is priority
one at Visa dot com slash Security. That's Visa dot
Com slash Security. When we return on tech it Out,
we're going to catch up with tech lifestyle expert Mario
(17:58):
Armstrong speaking of New York. He's got a great accent.
Love this guy. He was in a sister studio to
the one that I was working at and he was
chatting about some other gadget gift ideas ahead of Black Friday,
So we're going to hear his picks when we return
on teck it Out. Stay with us.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Want to follow Mark Google of Mark with a C
and Saltzman with a z breaking down geeks peak into streetspeak.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
This is check it Out to Check it Out with.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Technology columnist, author, and TV personality Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Welcome back to check it out everyone. If you are
just joining us now for the first time, apologies for
some ambient noise around me. I'm at LaGuardia Airport ahead
of a flight back home to Toronto. There are some
strong wins here and maybe also tied to the government
shutdown and air traffic control and some other issues that
are unrelated to the weather. But yeah, flight's delayed. But
(19:02):
I need to produce a weekly tech it Out program
for you. As they say on with the show, just
a little bit of noise around me off the top
of these segments, but the interviews sound pretty good and
without further ado. Yes, I caught up with a fellow
tech expert, so let's go ahead and jump right in.
The holidays are fast approaching, and if you're looking for
unforgettable gifts from the hottest tech to personalized treasures, we've
(19:26):
got the help you need. Digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong
is here with us with his ultimate cheat sheet for
a fun and stress free season. Welcome Mario.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Good to be on with you, Mark, thanks so much
for having me.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
And you're right, my friend, I've partnered up with some
great brands to help you nail your holiday gift list
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Great, all right, Mario, So why don't we start with
ways to add that personal touch this holiday season.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Well, one of the ways you can do that is
with Staples.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
They really have really stepped up personalization in an awesome way.
They have you covered, They make every moment count and
they even have same day printing and forty percent off
custom cards, mugs, wrapping paper, return address labels. I mean,
you name it now through November fifteenth, you'll be able
to take advantage of that. I have a mug on
set with me with my dog's photo on it, family
(20:15):
holiday cards. We even have some personalized gift wrap that
has images of my family on it as well. It's
really cool, just makes every gift feel unforgettable.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Plus you can explore other designs for other.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
Occasions like birthday's, weddings, and even small businesses for all
year long. And Staples even offers more savings throughout the
holiday season for ways to spread that joy and cheer.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I agree, I love one of a kind personalized gifts.
So are you trying to say, then, Mario, that I
could expect something with your smiling face on it for
the holidays this year? Was that where you're going with this?
Speaker 5 (20:46):
Ah, you are gonna get a gift rap with not
just my face, my wife, my dog, my son, You're
getting the whole family.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Awesome. Well, I wait with baited breath, all right, Mario,
how about some ideas for our tech lovers and on
the go pros out there in radio land and podcast land.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Oh well, I've been loving these JBL over the ear headphones,
but also some earbuds from them as well. So let
me first talk about the JBL Tour one M three. Now,
these are over ear headphones. The sound on these are incredible.
It's also super comfortable to wear. It's like one of
those things where I wear over the ear headphones.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
After a while they start to irritate me. These don't.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
They have up to seventy hours of battery life and
a touchscreen transmitter that connects to inflight entertainment which is
really cool, and that controls also music or calls.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
And then you have the tour Pro three earbuds.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Now, these include a smart charging case that access a
wireless transmitter and you can use the charging case to
do a lot of controls and things that you want
to adjust with the headphones.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So you're not looking for your phone, is my point.
Speaker 5 (21:51):
You can just grab the transmitter still do what you
want to do with your phone. Both of these have
adaptive noise canceling and ambient aware modes.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
You can tune in or out whenever you need.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
And in addition to that, another great holiday gift is
Microsoft Copilot Plus PCs. Now, I know you know a
lot about these mark but these are as we both know,
the fastest, most intelligent and secure Windows PCs yet. And
the surface laptop features built in AI which is going
to help you work smarter, edit photos faster.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
You'll just get a lot more done.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
It has a thirteen inch touchscreen, it's super lightweight design,
it has up to twenty three hours of battery life
that's incredible, and with Copilot on Windows, it's the computer
that you can actually talk to. So it's available in
three different colors. It's perfect for students, creatives, or anyone
on the moves. You can get them at Microsoft dot com,
best Buy, or Amazon.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Great Ideas Mario. In fact, I just had JBL on
my Tech It Out podcast and they were amazing. All right,
so JBL and Microsoft and then let's shift gears. We
are chatting, by the way, with Mario Armstrong, tech lifestyle
expert who is a regular on this program. We're chatting
about some early holiday gadget gift ideas. How about two
more fun ideas that really stand out in your opinion?
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Okay, I got one for the gamers and then one
that you're going to want to have for the holiday
season and beyond is in your kitchen, so stick around
for that.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
The first one is Sega.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Sega's got two great picks Sonic Racing Cross Worlds. Now,
this game is going to let you race through land, sea, air,
even space, and it's gonna do it in the true
Sonic way. You're going to have those travel rings, those
epic power ups, and there's even characters from Minecraft and SpongeBob.
And then the other game is called two Point Museum. Now,
(23:29):
this is a fun creative game where you design your
own museums.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
You go on.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
Expeditions, you show off your rarest artifacture. You're essentially curating
for the museum. But It's all done with a dose
of silliness and a lot of fun too. So both
titles are available on current gen consoles and PC, with
Sonic Racing Crossworlds coming soon to Nintendo.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Switch to Now teases earlier.
Speaker 5 (23:50):
If you or someone you know loves coffee and who
doesn't like right, and then also what if you love
beautiful kitchen tech, Well, I have the best statement for
you in your chen.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
It's a Jura S eight. Now, this is a next
level gift.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I mean the sculptural design on this and the high
quality craftsmanship.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
It's going to make an immediate statement in your kitchen.
Speaker 5 (24:10):
From a vibrant color touchscreen, you just swipe and they
got twenty seven different cafe style drinks, and you just
use it like a smartphone. You just swipe across that
vibrant touchscreen and it walks you through every step.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
It's all freshly ground, never capsuled.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
And one of my coolest features is that it has
a sweet phone function which lets you flavor the milk
phone too.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
All great ideas, Mario, from the Sega games to the
Jura Coffee Machine on steroids. Love it and I do
love my cup of Joe. A couple of them a day. Awesome.
All right. Finally, Mario, where can we go for more
info on everything here?
Speaker 5 (24:46):
I'll just go to indnews dot tv. We got all
the details there plus images. You got to go on
there and see stuff and video of this stuff. Go
to endthews dot tv.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Thank you so much, Mario. Always great to chat with you,
and of course handing off on coffee. I do want
to say, talk to you soonbuddy.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
All the best choo, talk to you soon, hey, don't forget.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Also on the program, I'm going to share a few
gadget gift ideas. In particular, they are tied to gaming PCs,
both handheld models as well as laptops. That'll be at
the end of the program. And before that, in a
couple of minutes from now, we're going to learn about
an app called sign Speak, which is powered by AWS
Amazon Web Services for those who are deaf or hard
(25:27):
of hearing. I was at the Amazon Reinvent show in
Las Vegas where this technology was demoed for me and
I was blown away. So I'm going to interview the
head of that startup for you after this short break.
If you are on social media and you want to
reach out and say hi. It's Mark Saltzman, MARC SA
L T Z M A N and you can find
(25:48):
me on x formerly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, threads, blue Sky, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok,
and a few others. Once again, it's Mark Saltzman, and
I look forward to chatting with you on social media.
Let me know what you think of the program. If
you have any tech questions for me, any ideas for
upcoming guests or topics, I'm all ears. Once again, it's
Mark Saltzman, Mark with the C Saltsman with the z
(26:11):
hang tight more tech it out coming right up after
this short break, when we learn about sign Speak powered
by AWS, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Breaking down geek speak into street speak. Check it out,
hosted by Mark Saltzman.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Welcome back to check it out. As listeners of this
show know, I get excited about technology that can enhance
or enrich people's lives, and with that comes accessibility tools
to even the playing fields for everybody. Yesterday I spoke
with a company here at AWS in Las Vegas called
dot Lumen that has created a wearable headset to help
(26:56):
those who are blind or vision impaired better navigate around
city streets with tactical like vibration cues, almost like a
guide dog that could nudge you a certain way. Now
we're going to learn about a tool for those who
are deaf or hard at hearing. We're joined by Yami Paiano.
She's CEO and co founder of sign Speak. Very nice
to meet you, Very nice to meet you. Thank you
(27:18):
for having me here today. Why don't we dive right in?
What is sign Speak? So?
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Signspeak is essentially an interpreting agency that is led by AI.
So we've created a proprietary software that would essentially do
the two mechanisms that an interpreter does, which is interpret
sign language into voice and then voice back into sign language.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And then we also have a human force behind it because.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
At the end of the day, our goal is to
provide accessibility, and we understand that AI is not for everywhere,
but the goal here is how do we scale up interpretation.
Because there's forty eight million deaf and hard of hearing
in the US, there's a huge interpreter shortage.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
There's only ten thousand five interpreters.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
That's like one interpreter for a lot of deaf people.
So our goal is really making sure that that deaf
people get access everywhere. And in addition to that, our
technology extends beyond interpretation to be able to now anything
that has voice recognition now can be activated through sign language.
So think about all the amazing AI agents that are
(28:22):
being created that a voice activated or soon summary.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Right. We all now use summarization.
Speaker 6 (28:28):
At the end of our calls in Zoom and other
video conferencing calls. So imagine being able to now have
signers and deaf people in the workforce that can have
that same tool as well.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
All right, So would this tool sign speak be available
to those who do online video chatting like you're zooming
with your colleagues or even on a consumer level with
family and friends, and there's like a AI avatar in
the corner that is signing what you are saying verbally,
and then the person who is signing on the other end,
who is deaf or hard of hearing, they can sign
(29:01):
back and then it's a simulated voice. Is that fair?
And is it mostly for online video communication? Yes?
Speaker 6 (29:07):
So right, that's exactly right. There's a fake person that
is in the center, and then the deaf person can
signed and we can speak into it and there would
be a simulated voice. It is for online and we
do have a in person app that the deaf consumers
don't need to pay for. It is more for them
to get used to the technology. This is brund New AI,
(29:30):
so really making sure that the deaf consumer gets used
to it from the comfort of their home. So we
do offer it for them to use it at home,
but we understand that the deaf community should not pay
for their own accessibility, so we offer it at the
consumer level and we're also offering it to enterprises.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
All right, So do you mean then, like, just like
you and I are talking in the same room right now,
that if you had it on your phone, that this
could kind of be a mediator between us two if
you were deaf and I did not speak asl Yes, exactly, Okay,
thanks for that. Earlier this year I was at an
Intelligent and they had something similar that they were demonstrating
on stage. How does AWS help you deliver this service?
Speaker 6 (30:09):
Yeah, I think that our infrastructure takes into account latency
because the real time communication needs to happen instantaneously and
in real time. So right now our system is equal
to the latency of an interpreter. So usually because we're
talking about ASL and English, two different completely different languages
(30:31):
with two different grammadical structure. There is about a three
to two second lag time that any interpreter will have
and the deaf community is very used to it. What
my team is super excited about AWS is sort of
AWS Trainium, AWS inferratio, which really allows us to train
(30:51):
these models and operate them at a lower cost, so
that then when we're talking about things like using smaller
models on the phone or on devide, well now that
is a reality, and we've seen what has happened with
voice recognition where now voice recognition is essentially everywhere. That
is because we have smaller models that can do that,
(31:11):
and AWS has allowed us to get there through some
of their technology.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
We are chatting with Yami Paiano. She's CEO and co
founder of sign speak. That's the name of the company
and the solution the service.
Speaker 6 (31:23):
Yes correct, So please go to www dot sign speak
dot all right signdsh speak dot com to learn more.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Yamy, it's been a pleasure chatting with you. Thank you
so much and have a great rest of your AWS
reinvents show, thank you and saying to you. The new
SanDisk Creator series is a line of storage solutions designed
specifically for content creators, the driving force behind the content
that we consume online, from videos and blog posts to
podcasts and social media updates. These external sand disc SSDs
(31:55):
and other flash based products help to streamline the creative
workflow from start to finish. There are five main features
of the sand Disk Creator series. Number one high speeds,
plug and play solutions that offer fast read and write speeds,
ensuring smooth workflows and quick transfers of large files. Number
two durability. These products are designed to withstand the rigors
(32:17):
of on the go use with features like drop protection
and resistance to water and dust. Number three portability. This
SanDisk series includes several portable SSDs and other flash drives,
making it easy to take your storage with you wherever
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designed to work with a range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops,
(32:40):
cameras and more. And Number five high capacity. There's no
longer a tradeoff between the durability of solid state drives
and capacity for those who need a lot of storage,
as you can have it all now with drives that
can store several terabytes of data. More info is at
SanDisk dot com slash creator. That's SanDisk slash creator. Well,
(33:02):
we've got one more block left of teck it out
where I will share the latest in gaming laptops and
handheld PCs. Stick with us, We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Follow Mark Saltzman on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, listen
to check it out whenever you want.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
As I mentioned earlier in the show, I had a
blast on TV on Thursday from New York City where
I'm recording this right now, talking with over twenty five
stations across the country for some recommended PC related gifts,
whether they're laptops or handheld PCs designed for gamers. That's
my jam right there. So I thought I would share
with you the computers that I showed on TV, and
(33:48):
if you do want to see them, by the way,
you can simply go to Indnews dot tv if you
want to see these products in action. Before I share
these with you, I wanted to first offer a tech tip.
You know, the claw has run out on Windows ten
support and so it's imperative to upgrade to Windows eleven
to eliminate major security risks and basically give you peace
of mind. But it's not just about protection, but a smoother,
(34:12):
faster system. So with Windows eleven, which you can upgrade
your existing Windows ten Machine two for free if it
supports it, or better yet, there's new laptops and desktops
out there you can take advantage of those modern benefits
to help you with productivity and multitasking, as well as
features that gamers will love. More on that in a moment.
And there's also AI powered experiences like Microsoft Copilot that
(34:36):
can help you with everything from holiday planning to finding
the perfect gift for everyone. So let's start off with
handheld gaming and the highly anticipated just released rog Xbox
ally and the Rog Xbox ally X, both of which
are portable powerhouses that blend a full PC with a
console like experience. I love the vibrant seven inch display.
(35:00):
It's a full HD screen, comfortable Xbox like controls on
each side, a long lasting battery, and the option to
dock these devices to play on a big screen when
you're back at home. We're in a hotel room. And
speaking of gaming, you'll also want to check out, or,
as I like to say, you'll also want to tech
out the Rog Zephyrs G sixteen, a powerful laptop that's
(35:21):
also a looker, so there's no trade offs with a sleek,
premium aluminum body and customizable lighting to flex your style.
By the way, that's RGB lighting in the keyboard itself,
as well as lighting on the back of the laptop
behind the display. It runs on Windows eleven for work, school,
and play, and it's thin and light so you can
take it everywhere. And I want to mention all of
these PCs I've mentioned so far include a three month
(35:43):
subscription to PC game Pass so you can start gaming
right out of the box. Love that. Two more laptops
to share with you. There's the AI powered Asus ZenBook
S sixteen, a premium laptop with high performance, stunning esthetics,
and extreme portability. I mean it's just a half inch
thin and built from Sarah aluminum, which is an exclusive
(36:05):
Asus material that's lightweight yet durable productivity. Is also supercharged
by Microsoft Copilot, instantly accessible with a dedicated keyboard key
to summon your AI assistant. Another pick is the versatile
and flexible Asus Vivo Book fourteen. Flip. As the name suggests,
it has an incredible three hundred and sixty degree hinge
(36:26):
that lets you flip it into multiple modes like a
tablet with Windows Hello. You simply glance at the infrared
camera to securely unlock your device so you don't have
to remember passwords. It uses biometrics identification. The most impressive
feature of this fourteen inch oh Lad laptop incredible battery
life of up to twenty eight hours on a single charge.
(36:47):
For everything I've chatted about here today, the Vivo Book fourteen, Flip,
the zen Book S sixteen, the rog Zephyrus G sixteen,
and the rog xbox ally and Alix, you can head
on over to Asus dot com. That's Asus dot com,
and thank you for your patients. When the segments are
a little bit louder than others with some ambient noise,
(37:07):
like I am here at LaGuardia Airport, so just finishing
up production on this week's Check it Out, and thank
you for tuning in whether you listen on your favorite
local talk radio station or if you subscribe to the
podcast version. Thrilled to have you along. I wanted to
give one more shout out to Norton and Visa again,
two amazing partners on this program. After all, Norton does
(37:29):
protect your PC, your Mac and your mobile devices from viruses, ransomware,
and other kinds of malicious software or malware for short while,
LifeLock takes it a step further, constantly monitoring for the
fraudulent use of your personal information from your social insurance
number to your bank accounts. So instead of piece mail
like using different cybersecurity protection from different companies, you can
(37:50):
get it all under one roof from Norton. Again, it's
called Norton three sixty. With LifeLock. There are other features
as well, like Norton Password Manager like its VP, so
you can browse the web anonymously and out of the
prying eyes of advertisers and Internet service providers and the
government and all that. So you get your privacy that
you want and deserve through Norton VPN. There's so many
(38:11):
tools that you could read about at Norton dot com.
That's Norton dot com. And then for Visa, did you
know that shoppers are three times more likely to enter
an unfamiliar store if it displays a Visa logo, and
customers are five times more likely to think a merchant
is reputable. This is because Visa has invested billions over
the years in fraud prevention. So you don't need to
(38:32):
think twice about shopping at retail or online with your
Visa card, nor should businesses be concerned about secure payments.
Visa is deploying advanced technology to ensure customer data is
not vulnerable no matter where the transactions take place. Learn
more about Visa's work and protecting you and your purchases
at Visa dot com slash security. That's Visa dot com
(38:53):
slash Security. Thank you so much for tuning into the program. Everyone,
have a fantastic rest of your day and I look
forward to chatting with you next weekend for another brand
new episode of Check it Out. Bye bye for now.
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