Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Something a bit uplifting for this new year. Ford Philanthropy has reached an impressive milestone. It has become the first corporation to surpass 100 million dollars in global donations with Global Giving. Mike Schmidt is director of Economic Mobility and Global Community Development…

“We try to take a holistic approach to it and it’s all sorts of different kinds of work. We have community centers in Ford communities around the globe. We have mobile dental and medical offices that go out into communities that really need that support. We have education programs that are helping prepare young people for the future of work. So it’s a range of things that we do.”

Often without a lot of fanfare. There is more info at FordPhilanthropy.org.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

How can AI help you stick to those resolutions? Just about a week into the new year, Google's Sarah Armstrong joins Techstination's Fred Fishkin to chat about how Gemini can help with everything from fitness to travel and new tools to help you breeze through that Gmail inbox.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. The smart wallet folks at Ekster are out with the Cardholder Pro for MagSafe. As the MagSafe name implies…it will snap onto phones…from either side of the wallet which holds 7 cards with add-on capability as well. The push of a button at the base pops cards up . We’ve been a fan of the technology for years. CEO Olivier Momma..

“It clocks to your iPhone. Any phone that has MagSafe technology. We also sell MagSafe stickers so you can stick it to other phones that don’t have MagSafe technology. It still has the card feature. But it now clicks. And it’s still trackable so there’s still the Find My technology in there.”

What we’re most impressed with …along with the design…is the durability. Ekster includes a lifetime warranty.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Roblox has become the first online gaming platform to implement facial age checks for chat. Why? How does it work? Director for Product Policy Eliza Jacobs chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It was back in February of 2025, when we first introduced you to a Texas high school student, Tejasvi Manoj, who was inspired by her grandfather to create an app designed to protect older adults from scams using AI. She called it Shield Seniors….

“And though I realized that there were a lot of seminars that were helping with cybersecurity for seniors, there wasn’t really a real time assistant for them. So that’s why I decided to create Shield Seniors which hopefully would help with that.”

And we are happy to report that Tejasvi was named Time’s Kid of the Year for 2025. No doubt this new year will see her achieve even more as she prepares for college. Congratulations!

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

With the arrival of the Nebula X1 Pro and the newly announced Nebula P1i the latest projectors from Soundcore are capturing attention at CES 2026. Soundcore's Adam Weissman chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It is a gadget category that is new….and growing pretty fast. AI notetakers. Soundcore Work is a remarkably small AI voice recorder, the size of a coin, that uses GPT for transcriptions and summaries. We have been impressed. It can clip onto clothing magnetically or be worn necklace style. Soundcore’s Adam Weissman…

“While you’re in a meeting, while you’re talking to important people, if you’re in school or whatever, you can take notes. There’s really two pieces to it. So there’s the actual recorder, which is this part right here. And then there’s the bottom part or the bigger part is the dock slash charger.”

That snaps right onto the back of a mag safe or similar phone making it easy to carry the Soundcore Work everywhere.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Among this year’s CES Innovation award winners is Netvue for some new innovations in its Birdfy smart bird watching line. There’s a new smart bird bath and a cleverly designed Hum Bloom smart hummingbird feeder. CMO Prima Shi..

“This provide a 3MP camera capturing every wing beat because we know hummingbirds really move fast. With this one, you can see it clear and you can see every movement with the slow motion. The AI identifies over 150 species of hummingbirds. With the design, that is a leak proof hydraulic system.”

There’s more info on the very full line up …including a smart bird house…at Birdfy.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. At the beginning of this new year, we’ve been talking about the advancements in autonomous vehicles and robotaxis…and the need to use the technology to provide mobility who really need rides. And that need is great. For instance, ITN America, was started in Maine, thirty years ago and it has spread throughout the country enabling older adults who are capable of driving…to give rides to those who aren’t. The programs have provided more than one million 750 thousand rides and counting. The founder is Katherine Freund..

“So we’ve driven a lot of miles over the years and we’ve served a lot of people. We’ve got about a hundred non-profit organizations in our national network and we just added fifty more, so up to a hundred and fifty now.”

Freund looks forward to the day when affordable driverless vehicles can help as well. Visit ITNAmerica.org.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It has been a long time coming, many billions of dollars have been invested, but robotaxis are finally on the road in a handful of cities. But at Princeton University, the faculty chair of autonomous vehicle engineering, Professor Alain Kornhauser, says removing the driver should lower the cost, and make mobility for all much more affordable..and so far…that has rarely, if ever, been the case..

“It’s a shame that we don’t do a better job for the people who are in most need. The seniors who can’t turn the key or press the button to start the care anymore or shouldn’t or the people who can’t afford it, simply because they have to feed their families.“

Kornhauser is the co-author of The Real Case for Driverless Mobility and is my co-host on the Smart Driving Cars podcast.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Self driving cars and robotaxis became a reality for many this past year. With Alphabet’s Waymo expanding service to more an more cities around the country there are thousands of people taking rides every day without human drivers behind the wheel. Amazon’s Zoox has begun testing in Las Vegas and parts of San Francisco. And Tesla launched its robotaxi service in the Bay Area and Austin…initially with safety drivers. And for everyday Tesla owners the progress made with FSD supervised technology was remarkable. While it doesn’t allow you to operate without a person behind the wheel, used properly, FSD can make Teslas much safer, with the camera systems and increasingly robust software able to see and react often more quickly than we humans. More, in my next report.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. What happens when a doctor and her award winning toy creator sister collaborate? You get a company called Playhouse MD…making a range of fun creations to make exams and medicine taking less scary for kids. For instance?Sydney Wiseman, creator of WowWee’s Fingerlings and more…and her sister, Dr. Kaitlin Wiseman..

“Made her a little rocket ship that fits over her otoscope and the narrative is do you want to go look for stars in your ears. How many stars do you think are in your ears ? She has kids that sit still.” “If they say thirty stars I’m counting till thirty, I’m finding thirty. I’m finding thirty stars and they’re sitting still for thirty stars to be counted.”

Brilliant. And there’s much more in the line like a light up narwal nasal bulb and a rocket ship medicine dispenser. Learn more at Playhousemd.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. It is that time of year…. Some end of year tips that might save you money on taxes. At H and R Block, Tax Institute Director Alison Flores says…

“The first thing you can consider is putting some extra funds in a retirement account, like an IRA. The next thing you can do is if you itemize deductions, go ahead and make those contributions to your favorite charitable organizations before the end of the year. And last, if you are self employed you want to take a quick check on your accounts receivable, your accounts payable, pay anything you can afford to pay now, as well as look and see if you need to address your quarterly estimated payments for the last quarter.”

Of course…there is more info and help…at HRBlock.com. Wishing you a healthy and happy year ahead.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Once again, this holiday season, that familiar Apple logo will be on lots of boxes being unwrapped. Whether it is a new iPhone, IPad or Apple Watch…a computer or Air Pods… Apple offers lots of help when needed. And when it comes to that first iPhone for a younger family member…parents can take an active role for peace of mind. Senior Product Marketing Manager Trisha Tierney…

“The most important thing you can do is ensure your kids are set up in a child account. And we’ve made this simple to do and with them, you then get access to our industry leading set of parental controls. The one you’ve probably heard about is Screen Time and this is all about building those healthy digital habits. You can use it to manage who your kids are talking to, how much time they’re spending in apps.”

And more. Learn more at Apple.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Netvue Birdfy is a 2026 CES Innovation Award winner, bringing new tech to smart bird watching. For instance? CMO Prima Shi chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Meta Quest VR headsets make video games a whole new experience….but they are great for entertainment too. There are apps that turn the headset into immersive big screens for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and more. Spokesperson Julie Loffredi..

“You can actually use Quest to get that big screen effect. It’s like having a movie theater sized screen in your living room. And on top of that you’ve got immersive sports, concerts, and social apps that make staying in more like going out.”

The only downside there is with family or friends, everyone ….will need his or her own Meta Quest. We’ve seen prices for the Meta Quest 3S this season as low as 250 dollars. Learn more at Meta.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Tombot's Jennie robotic Labrador puppy nears production, poised to improve lives. How? Founder Tom Stevens chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Make room on the kitchen counter. Iceplosion is a new slushie making appliance that is on the way. Details? Founder Andrew Heighway chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Fun with music for the holidays. Loops Lab offers a different type of music creativity with figurines that produce different musical sounds. They are placed on a little stage to make music together. Founder Yona Segev..

“You need to place a figurine on the stage and it plays. You want another figurine…this one is holding a saxophone. Maybe we have this figurine…”

The fun is endless and you can record your creations too. Loops Lab is great for all ages…but the pricing is higher than the typical toy…there’s lots of tech here…with the Starter Set Plus priced at 139 dollars. Find more at LoopsLab.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear. I’m Fred Fishkin. Still searching for a techie gift for the holidays? Everyone is taking lots of pictures these days….those smart phones are with us all of the time. The HP Sprocket Studio Plus is a great way to make 4 by 6 prints. It connects via Bluetooth or WiFi and use dye sub printing technology … that makes prints that will last. With the app you can have fun too adding stickers, frames and filters. The price.. about 150 dollars. A 108 sheet photo paper and cartridge add on sells for about 47 dollars….so it comes to under fifty cents per print. There are more choices these days when it comes to AI powered smart bird feeders. The Detiko solar powered feeder uses AI to identify more than 2800 types of birds and can make a fun gift for under 150 dollars

You can find us at Techstination.com. I’m Fred Fishkin.