among the people there, hln's digital lifestyle expert mario armstro armstrong.ok at the latest gadgets that can help you get healthy. >> reporter: mario armstrong on the floor here at ces in the digital health summit area. a big area about technology, health, and fitness. we've seen some amazing things. we've seen mobile devices be able to check our glucose, check our blood pressure, our heart rate, and keep all that information so we can track it over time. and we've seen how we can use apps to share that information and store it online so that physicians, family and friends, and distant relatives can get access to that info. even telemedicine. i was so amazed at how we can now take medication and technology into areas where these technologies don't exist. you can have your device to measure your health, measure activity with you all the time. you can use a smart phone or a smart device, and those devices are connected. they don't just collect the information, they use it to connect it to a service, an online service on your computer. you flow the information a

so hln digital expert mario armstrong, joining me now.us get to the bottom of this, my friend. what exactly is going on? >> it's a lot going on. are you kidding me? don't you use the google service at some point in your day? >> all the time. >> millions do. there's big some big changes. the biggest change is now they're allowing kids under the age of 18 to now use google plus. google plus is their social network. it's their answer to facebook and myspace. so this is the place where people can log on, establish networks with friends and share information, photos, contend and videos with each other. >>> but why are they changing the privacy policies? and how invasive is it going to be for us? >> it's pretty invasive. when you think about this privacy policy, we're talking about seven different google products out there from gmail or e-mail service to google groups, youtube, even. so the idea is this. let's say you do a search on youtube. maybe you're searching for a brand new ford car or something like that. you look that up. later in the d

. >> mario armstrong on the show floor here at ces in the digital health summit area.azing things. we have seen mobile devices be able to check our glucose, our blood pressure, our heart rate and keep all that information so we can track it over time. we have seen how to use apps to share that information and store it online so our physicians, family and friends can get access to that info. even telemedicine. i was so amazed at how we can take doctors, medication and technology into areas where the expertise don't exist. >> you can have your device to measure your hel and activity with you all the time. you can have it on your smartphone, your watch if it's a smart device. those devices are connected. they don't just collect the information, they usually connect it to a service, an online service. flow the information there, track it over time. >> companies have a patch you can wear. a whole week straight. you can go in the shower with it. it's taking all your vitals and you can analyze it and live a more health conscious live style. >> geeks haven't been the healthies

. >> mario armstrong, many devices, so little time.y as mario armstrong gives us the latest scoop on technology. >>> first iowa, then new hampshire. a week from today, it's south carolina's turn. can romney get a third victory or will south carolina change the race? >> you are looking at pictures from italy where a cruise ship ran aground on a sandbar. three people killed, dozens more missing. we'll have an update on the search, next. i've been taking x for several years now. i really can't see myself not taking it. osteo bi-flex is a great product. i can go back and do gardening with comfort. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, the glucosamine chondroitin supplement with 5-loxin advanced. shows improvement in joint comfort within 7 days. [ jill strange ] since taking osteo bi-flex, there's nothing that i can't do. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex. the #1 doctor and pharmacist recommended brand. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but f

our lifestyle expert mario armstrong joins us now. thank you very much for joining us. >> my pleasure. thanks for having me on. >> it's great to have you. >> i've got a way fork you to work off the pecan pie. >> i ate a lot of dessert. but i eat salads, too. >> they make vegan desserts, by the way. >> we'll have to talk about that the next time. we have something interesting we want to talk about this time. you'll give us the heads up on the new health and fitness gadgets premiering at the consumer electronics show. first tell us what css is, how big of a show is? >> this is massive. it happens in vegas. you're talking close to 130 or more thousand people from over 100 different countries attend. over 2,400 exhibiters. and the space takes up about the length of 33 football fields. this is a massive conference. all of the latest technology that shows up in the stores, the services, all the things that could affect your life. everything from smart refrigerators, to health and fitness, to tablets and cell phones, everything that you end

earlier i asked hln digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong what to look for when buying that new tv for the super bowl, you want to really look for a few things. there are going to be a lot of deals that will be out there. some of these deals will be great. others will be pushing old technology that you may not want to buy. a couple of quick tips. number one, the refresh rate, refresh rate is important for fast action. you're looking for something that has something called 120 hertz or higher. 60 is the lowest. you don't want that if up to have a sports tv. number two, you want to be looking for the right size. bigger is not always better. i know that's hard to defense a lot of people. >> you said it. i didn't. >> it's the truth. a lot of people don't want to sit in a front row of a movie theater. why would you buy an oversized television for your room? measure the distance in terms of feet. multiply that number by seven to ten, and that should give you your minimum to maximum screen size that would be good for that room. number three, sound is so critical. people buy these great tv

digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong broke down the facts for me a little bit earlier. >> there'ssome big changes. the biggest change, besides the privacy policy changing a few days ago is now they're allowing kids, they're allowing the kids under the age of 18 to now use google+. it's their social network. it's that answer to facebook. it's place where they can log on and share information, content, photos, and videos with each other. >> what i are they changing the privacy poll sicks and how invasic is it going to be for us? >> it's pretty invasive. when you think about the privacy policy, you're talking about over 117 different products. the idea is this. let's say you do a search on youtube. maybe you're searching for a brand-new ford car. later in the day if you're using g-mail, you may see an ad about that same ford e-mail. they're tracking your moves an they're saying to personalize the experience, to direct thijss that would be more custom fit for you. privacy advocates says, whoa, this is tracking too much of what my personal interests are, my behavior, and i don't know w

tech guru and hln digital expert mario armstrong hates. >> it's called the motorola modo active. it's a smart gps watch that tracks your fitness. so you can track your jogging, track walking or cycling. your heart rate, it can show you a gps map of where you're going, where you've been, and it's one of them smart watches because it's an mp3 player. learns over time with what music you perform best to. i'm impressed by it, putting it in the last week. >> that's what it sounds like, the future has arrived. >> yeah. >> now, there may be a solution for people to go and see that show for those of us have that trouble sleeping. >> yes. this is the lark sleeping monitor. this is a wrist ban that you wear at night. you sync this up with your computer. it measures your sleep activity. this is very important for health. many people stress out, many people don't get enough relaxation and get quality rest so they're having a rough tlooi time throughout the day. it can create a sleeping plan for you. it's almost like having a virtual sleep coach. so over time, it shows you a chart and can pro

mario armstrong is the "today" digital contributor.will be seeing a lot of ads. i want to make sure they have basic tips to think about before shopping at all. number one, we need to not look just at price alone. you will see deals, different prices but make sure you have the right features. >> sound is critical. shop around. do your homework. pick one that can handle your needs. >> make sure it has all the ports for the devices in your house and the refresh rate. for fast action games you want 120 hertz at least to reduce motion blur on screen. >> this is a 47-inch smart tv by lg. why do you like it? >> it's a great special. number one, 3-d with web connectivity. also ten pair of 3-d glasses comes with it. it's a great deal if you want to invest in a future television. >> on sale now? >> it's a great price. $600 or $800 off now. >> this one's bigger. made by sony. 55 inches. what's special about it? >> you will notice the screen's different. it has a matte finish on the screen. that's important if you're home and you have a tv in a br

tech guru and hln digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong explains what this is all about. >> is this in school, and when would that happen? >> well, you know, i don't know if this is the end right now but certainly people have a choice and this is what we're talking about. do we want to start carrying textbooks or do we want to start carrying tablets that can have thousands upon thousands of these textbooks inside of one device. what we do know for sure is that education hasn't really changed when it comes to curriculum and textbooks. and textbooks themselves are flat. they're just pieces of paper. you cannot interact with them, you can't search them, they're not digital. so this is, to me, a welcome shakeup to an industry that is so important, and that is education. >> so how would they work? are they practical to use this school? >> yeah. so i've downloaded a couple. it's using an app called ibooks 2. this is an actual page in an ibook that you're looking at. for example, this is biology. if i wanted to dig into the cell, i could tap this image, go into the cell and actually start

convention is now history and in case you could not make it to the awesome consumer electronics show mario armstrongporter: i'm at the electronics show in viva las vegas. it's amazing what's happening. 1.7 million square feet of space. 30 football fields of technology. this is the premier conference where exhibiters, buyers, retailers come together to talk about what technology you will see in the stores. a couple of key categories that i'm seeing this year -- ultrabooks. very thin, lightweight laptops that power on quickly, have great battery life and are really lightweight, easy to carry. i'm seeing a lot of stuff in digital health and fitness. things to track calories, heart rate. all of these things. check your glucose from the wireless phone. exciting things happening in health. even car connectedness is happening here. vehicles being able to talk to each other through sensors in the cars. preventing accidents, making confession go away. all kinds of cool stuff and connected home. having your appliances in your house be more intelligent, more smart. seeing washers and dryers to let you know whe

. >> wow, perhaps i'd like to suggest, andrew, that mario armstrong and their guests take their glassesas you saw there, there's plenty on offer from 3-d tv makers. the question is will the consume irbe any of it, whether they wear glasses or not? >> exactly. the other interesting thing is here, we're about to go hd from what i hear from our engineers. that could be interesting. seeing us properly for the first time, that could be scary, at least for some of us, nina. >>> just ahead on "world business today," we'll be delving into what 2012 has in store. it's been a tough 2011. robin bugh from the economists unit will be here to tell us about that. it's not a sealy, a simmons, or a serta... ask me about my tempur-pedic. ask me how i can finally sleep all night. ask me how great my back feels every morning. did you know there's a tempur-pedic for every body? tempur-pedic beds now come insoft...firm...and everything in-between... ask me how i don't wake up anymore when he comes to bed... these are real tempur-pedic owners...ask someone you know...check out twitter, or your friends on face

. >> join us every saturday at this time as our digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong gets the scoop on the latest technology. >>> it is voting day in south carolina. and momentum may be swinging in newt gingrich's favor. he has been surging in the polls. can mitt romney fend him off for a critical win in the south? you know when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed. these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right -- whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multi-grain cheerios -- 5 whole grains, 110 calories. creamy, dreamy

mario armstrong just got back from the show. >> still recovering from jet lag. >> do you find yourselfilter that and get through the smoke and mirrors and find products that are practical and useable for people. >> one of the themes was smart home. this fits into the category. it's a stove. it's the latest on the market. >> this is a thermador smart stove. >> you're touching it because there is no heat to the surface. >> induction cooking. it knows what pots are on it. i can move -- see the diagram? watch what happens. >> it follows the pot around. >> and the temperature. if i know i'm cooking something at a certain temperature and i move it to make more room. >> it cooks at that temperature. it's instant heat like gas but safer. talk to me about the wine cooler. >> they are getting smart. this is an a 18-bottle wine cooler. number one it keeps the temperature for wine at the right level but also alerts you on your cell phone when is the optimum time to drink it or when the temperature is dropping. >> your favorite chardonnay falls below the required temperature you get an alert. >> st

resolution to exercise more in 2012 and if you need added motivation today's digital tech editor mario armstrong. >> thanks. same to you. >> we're talking about technology. how much of this stuff is something that someone who is not a tech geek could use? >> that is a great question. it's not about the tech. you heard it earlier. get back to basics. this technology is simpler to use these days. we're carrying devices. we're used to downloading apps, connecting to the internet. a lot of this stuff is already happening. these devices are making it a little simpler and helping you track your progress better. >> right. >> so you want to figure out how to use tech because that is the way you can measure over time what progress or what lack of progress you really have. >> one thing you want to weigh is yourself. >> that's right. all the time. >> so scales have gotten very smart. >> they have. this is a smart scale. this is a wi-fi connected scale. so basically you stand on the scale. you can then connect this to any device -- smart phone, computer. it then will capture that information and give you th