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Weekend of August 10th, 2012

 

Dave and his team of tech experts answer more of your questions via the Ask Dave Hotline. In case you haven't yet, call us ... toll-free 1-800-899-INTO (4686) ... with any consumer electronics question, opinion, help another listener or tell us what your favorite app is and why. You can also participate via our FREE "Into Tomorrow" App (iOS/Android/Intel AppUp). Thank you for your participation!

ITTV Video Update

The latest version of OS 10 hit 3 million downloads in just four days, making for the most successful OS 10 release in Apple's history. Our iDork Rob Almanza shares some of the outstanding features and discusses if it's worth upgrading. Also, Chris Graveline takes us back into yesterday's most outstanding tech events on "This Week In Tech History."

Listeners & Guests on the show this week:

For ALL the details ... be sure to listen to the show by downloading the MP3 or clicking the RED & WHITE "Play" button on the media player, both on the right-hand side of this page.

HOUR 1:

Tech News & Commentary

 

Susan in Porterville, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM asked: "At what age would it be good to get a child a tablet or e-reader? My granddaughter is 10 and she's good with a cell phone, but I didn't know if a tablet or e-reader would be good at this age."

 

A full fledged tablet is a little trickier, since they have access to other content online, so we can understand wanting to wait for that. But, an e-book reader is basically a book that changes text. If she can read a book, she can probably handle an e-reader just fine, in fact it may even encourage her to read.

Even a tablet may not be a bad thing to buy her. They do come with parental controls, so you can set limits on the content she can have access to, and she could handle it just fine.

Just keep in mind that if you want to encourage her to read, a tablet will provide her with far more options, so she may choose games over books. If you just want to get her a device that she'll love, well, a tablet will provide her with far more options than an e-reader, so she may like that better.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

 

 

The "Into Tomorrow" team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.

For Android:



Listener Orlando shared: "I just started using Dolphin Browser Beta for Nexus 7 and it's awesome. Fast, really fast."

 

• Dave recommends: Speaking Clock - EQ STime, $0.99


 

" The Android software speaks the current time.  It will speak by pressing the headset button, it features automatic speaking of current time each hour, 30 min, 15 min (can be configured), even if device is in standby mode. You can set night hours and night volume: selected hours will be announced with configured night volume. It comes with English and Russian voices They plan to add new languages and voice packs. It’s a free demo on Android. 99 cents if you like it and want to keep it." -- Dave

 

For iOS:

 

Listener Brandon recommends: Echofon Pro for Twitter. "So user friendly, much easier to use than Twitter for iPhone (in my opinion), great for people who manage multiple accounts, great search features, totally worth buying!"

 

Listener Rebecca said: "Newest app on my phone are the 'Build a Word' from Word World and Team Umizoomi's "Uminumbers". My child (Andie) loves them! Great counting, number recognition and word recognition apps!! My fave app is Pandora radio! Love it!!"

 

• Rob recommends: Diptic, $0.99


 

"This week I'm showcasing a photography app. It's been a while! I've raved about PicStitch on iOS before, which you can use to glue pictures together and make an interesting image with different collage layouts. I discovered another app that does something similar, but has more layouts to choose from. If you're an IGer or like to post fun pics on your social networks, check out Diptic. It allows you to quickly and easily combine two, three or four photos together into a single image. Unlike PicStitch, you can customize the color of the the frame layout and adjust the thickness of it, too. And, when you have your masterpiece ready, you can share across multiple platforms from within the app, including: Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr or Posterous, Instagram or any app that supports JPEGs. It's available for iOS and Android for 99 cents." -- Rob



Diptic example

 

• Chris recommends: Finger Olympic, FREE


 

"This week I'm back to highlighting a complete time waster. But at least it's a timely time waster. It's called Finger Olympic. It's a Track and Field sports game for IPhone & IPod touch where you can be an Olympic player in many skill levels. Basically, you tap the screen with two fingers to run. You have to outrun your opponents to win the gold medal. Once you win the gold medal in one event, you move on to the next. It's hours and hours of wasted time, but it's fun. Finger Olympic is free in the iTunes App Store." -- Chris



• Andrew recommends: Dice with Buddies, FREE


 

"Is the next big thing in the trend of popular mobile games such as: Words with friends, Hanging with friends... and so on. The game is simple and easy just roll the imaginary dice to make pairs or straights. The higher the combo, the bigger the score. This game is turn base like all the other games and is sure to hold my attention, or cause some distraction at work, for at least a few weeks. (we’ll see) Dice with Buddies is free on iOS and Android." -- Andrew


For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

John in Montgomery, Alabama listens on WLWI 1440 and asked: "I have a laptop that's on a router but I can't contact my printer from the laptop. I want to know if there's a way I can contact my printer, which is on my desktop, from my laptop."

 

The basic process is this: You’re going to have to go to “Devices and Printers” and right click on the printer you want to share and under properties find “Share this printer”.

After you’ve done that, the computer on the other side should be able to find it as a networked printer.

For this to work, “File and printer sharing” must be enabled on the computer sharing the printer, so there may be a few extra steps to go through to get everything working. Instead of listing every case, we’re going to link you to a page on Microsoft’s site that will guide you step by step through the whole process from turning on file sharing to finding and sharing printer and finding it on the other computer.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Richard in California listens on KTIP 1450 and asked: "Thanks for all the great advice. I got an iPad for my birthday in May. Other than playing games, Facebook, checking email, and downloading movies and watching it on our TV, what else can it do?"

 

Well, what do you need to do, Richard? You can listen to music both from the device and from online sources, browse websites (other than Facebook), chat, video conference and make phone calls using software like Skype, send text messages using apps like Google Voice or Text+, record video or take pictures (though very awkwardly), upload clips to YouTube.

You can edit movies, spreadsheets, and text documents, mix music tracks, subscribe to and download magazines, read books, you can even use it check aviation weather and draft flight plans.

iPads are fairly versatile we couldn’t really list all that they can do. If there’s anything you’d like it to do, you might be better off searching for that particular function and seeing if it can fulfill it.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

HOUR 2:

Tech News & Commentary

Brian in Cleveland, Ohio listening on CKLW 800 asked: "I've noticed that the phones I purchased over the last few years have a lot of apps already installed on them that keep running in the background and cannot be deleted from the phone - at least not by any means I've tried. Is there a way to remove all these apps that were already on the phone when I bought it... or is there a phone I can buy, Android or iPhone, that will not come pre-loaded with all this garbage that eats up system resources?"

 

The easiest way to find an Android phone that doesn’t come with extra bloatware is to look for one with the word “Nexus” in the name. Nexus phones and “Google Phones” run a stock version of the Android OS and they come without extra apps built in.

By the way, iPhones come free of carrier bloatware, because Apple just doesn’t allow it.

Both stock Android phones and iPhones will still come with software you won’t be able to un-install even if you don’t use it, and some of it will perform some functions in the background, though nothing on either operating system is as bad as the apps carriers add onto the phones they customize.

You can always just root a phone and remove the apps you don’t like that way, but that does come with a certain amount of risk, it’s legal, but it will void your warranty and in some cases it may even violate the terms and conditions of your cell phone service, so it may be easier and safer to just stick to the route you chose and look for a phone that doesn’t come with a lot of bloatware to begin with.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

 

Robert in Grove City, Pennsylvania listening via the App asked: "I'm due for a phone upgrade with Verizon next month and I'm trying to decide which phone I want. I'm currently an Android user and I've been back and forth on several Android phones like the Droid RAZR Maxx, the Galaxy S3 and so forth. Any advice would be helpful."

 

From our recent testing of the Samsung Galaxy S3, that would be our top choice. The Droid RAZR Maxx is not a bad option, but the hardware on the Galaxy S3 beats the RAZR.

 

RAZR MAXX vs. Samsung Galaxy S3

- GS3 is slightly thinner than MAXX (8.6mm vs. 9mm)
- GS3 has a removable battery, MAXX does not
- MAXX has more battery power (3300mAh vs. 2100 mAh)
- GS3 has bigger screen (4.8-inch vs. 4.3-inch on MAXX)
- GS3 has a notably higher screen resolution: 720 x 1280 px vs. 540 x 960 px
- Smart Actions vs. Everything Else that’s cool on GS3 :)

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Bill in Baton Rouge, Louisiana listening on 107.3 FM asked: "Is there a GPS system that will closely resemble OnStar with voice command requests for directions? Even better, one that would speak through my radio speakers. I don't want to wire my cell phone to my radio to accomplish this though. My car is equipped with hands-free phone use."

 

There are GPS systems with voice command recognition. In fact, all of the big manufacturers -- TomTom, Garmin, Magellan -- they all have models with voice recognition built-in. But, if you want the voice commands to come though your speakers, you're either going to need to do that wiring you don't want to do, or use your car's hands-free phone system.

Your car's system may support Bluetooth, and some GPS models will be able to connect via Bluetooth. But, if you choose to go that way, then you can revisit the option of connecting your phone to your car. You already have it and don't have to pay for any extra equipment.

Google's Voice Actions will let you give verbal instructions to your Android smartphone, including the direction "Navigate to such and such address."

If your smartphone is connected via Bluetooth to your car's soundsystem, the voice responses from Google Navigation will come through that. If you are using an iPhone, then you should look at  Navigation by Telenav, a GPS app. We saw it in the iTunes App Store for 99 cents and it supports voice commands like "Drive to such and such address." You can probably even talk Siri into opening the app for you, if you ask her real nice and polite-like.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Rod in Bedford, Pennsylvania listens to the Podcast asked: "I have an HP Laptop and shortly after the warranty went out, I got a blue screen of death because a memory socket went bad. My question is: I used to let it sit around in a foam case. Did I inadvertently cause it to go bad because it heated up when it turned itself on in the middle of the night to defrag the disk or do some other test that was scheduled in the middle of the night?"

 

Well, that's entirely possible. Electronics are prone to overheating if they are not well ventilated. Which can definitely be a reason why your memory failed. However, it may not be the only reason.

The best way to find out is to take your laptop to your nearest electronics store and have them run a diagnostics to find out what the cause was because of the memory failure. It very well could have been the overheating that caused it.

However, if you want to know for sure it's best if you don't assume anything, and get your laptop verified by a professional.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

 

 

Joe in Laverne, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 FM and asked: "Are there any free good tethering apps for the iPhone?"

 

As far as we can tell, you can tether on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. However, this service is not free. Your wireless provider such as AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon will charge you as part of a separate data plan for the tethering service.

Now if you're willing to jailbreak your iPhone, there are a couple of apps that will allow you to accomplish what you are trying to do. PDANET, allows you to Tether over Wi-Fi using two different methods, essentially turning your iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, or tether over a USB. PDANet is free for the first 14 days, then they charge $16 dollars for continued access.

Another option is a MyWi. This apps also required your iPhone to be jailbroken. It has a few more features, and it will cost you about $20 dollars. However, this app does not provide you with a free trail.

There are a few free ways to tether your iPhone floating around online. However, you should be aware that carriers can easily track if you're using a third-party tethering app. If they detect you, you may get a message asking you to switch to a tethering plan or be charged anyways. If you have any other questions feel free to call us anytime and we will be happy to help.

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

John in Bridgewater, New Jersey listens via the iPhone App and asked: "They finally announced when they are gonna release the Windows Surface Tablets. I wanted the Windows OS and I wanted it to be usable for playing games and watching movies, but also be able to surf the web and edit documents. Microsoft has put that all together. The price point is still up in the air 'cause it hasn't been announced yet. But supposedly we're looking at about $500 for the RT version and about $1000 for the professional version. Is that what you're hearing as well? If I can't get the professional version, is the RT gonna do it for me? What are the limitations? What are the pluses? I wanna be able to run iTunes so I can watch my iTunes movies that I have. But I wanna be able to do the other things. I just hope I can afford the one that will do what I need it to do."

 

It’s hard to tell what will and won’t run on each version of the Surface, the Pro version will run Windows 8, which would indicate that it would likely be able to run software like iTunes, but the truth is Microsoft hasn’t been very specific about what they will be able to run.

Considering it’s expected to be equipped with Core i5 processors and at least 64GB of storage, it’s fair to assume it can run software like iTunes well enough. But, that’s the Pro, we don’t know much about what Windows RT can do, so you may have to consider the expensive version.

What we do know is that Windows RT has a desktop, but it’s not supposed to be able to run third party desktop applications, so using regular iTunes on a surface seems to be very unlikely, unless you buy the Pro version.

You may also want to think about how to best store your movies because the estimated $1000 price tag will be for the base Pro model, not the one with the larger hard drive, and when you subtract the amount of memory taken up by Windows 8 and by whatever software you have installed, you may not have a ton of room left to fill with movies.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Michael in Pembroke Pines, Florida listens to the Podcast and asked: "I have a question about my original iPad. I understand with the new iOS6 coming out, it will be pretty much obsolete. What are some of the uses I can do with that iPad considering that I won't have a lot of the great features that are coming up?"

 

You can do absolutely every single thing you’re doing with it now. It’s not going to be obsolete, it just won’t be updated to the next version of iOS.

The fact that you don’t get the new version of maps, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the current version. And the fact that you don’t get iCloud synced tabs, doesn’t mean you don’t get to use your browser, and that same logic goes for everything else. Everything you’ve been using it for so far, will still work after other people get the iOS update, even if you don’t.

This is not any different from when the iPad 2 came out and people were able to FaceTime and your iPad still couldn’t. It couldn’t do that, but it could still do everything it had been able to do before.

So, if you want the new features, you will have to update, and you will have to figure out if there’s any use for your current iPad, but the uses you’re gonna find for it are the exact same uses it has now.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

KIM in Charlotte, NC. listens on WXNC and asked: "Hey Dave, I just bought a Nikon 1, and I LOVE IT. However, spending this much for a camera, I want to make sure it will last. What are some good ideas to keep my camera in good shape? Thanks!"

 

The most common and easiest thing to do would be to get a case or camera bag. They make them with soft lining that won't scratch your camera or your screen, padding helps as well. The case should have a small pocket for a spare memory card and a spare battery.

Keeping the camera clean is your #1 priority. Dirt and DSLR cameras simply do not mix. We found some really excellent web sites with tips and techniques for cleaning your camera, and we will link those for you in this week's show notes. As we already said, get a quality case for your camera. And if your camera comes with a lens hood -- use it! Those help keep your lens safe from bumps and scratches.

Never touch the lens with your fingers. The oils on your fingertips will muck up the lens. Before wiping off the lens, hold the camera upside down and gently blow off any grit and lose dust particles. Then, lightly wipe the lens and other camera parts with a soft, dry cloth or lens cleaning paper.

If needed, wipe the lens with a few drops of lens cleaning fluid. Place the fluid on the lens cleaning paper, not directly onto the lens. The best camera cleaning cloth is made of microfiber, which should be stored in a plastic baggie when not in use. Lens tissue, a swatch from a cotton t-shirt or a soft handkerchief can also be used. Paper towels, napkins and facial tissue should not be used to clean the lens.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Karl in South Dakota listening on KOTA and the Podcast - calling in via the App asked: "My question is about the move command in Mac OS 10.6.8 I hold down the command key, click and drag to get something from my external drive moved to my main computer, but it seems like a third of the time to half of the time it comes out as a copy command instead of move, very inconsistent. Any ideas how to do this? I'd really prefer to right click see a "move" command that would lead me to a cascading menu on my computer but apparently the geniuses at Cupertino haven't figured that out yet."

 

What you're doing is what you'd typically do for moving a file instead of copying it. Here's where it can get a little confusing: when you drag a file from folder A to folder B, Mac OS X assumes you want to move it, if folder A and folder B are on the same drive, if they're in different drives Mac OS X assumes you want to back it up by making a copy.

The command key will toggle through those, so if the operating system intends to make a copy and you press the key, it will now move the file, if it intended to move the file and you press the key, it will now make a copy.

You can tell what the OS will do by the icon it displays, the copy icon will have a big plus sign in a circle, for "move" you'll just see the file over the other folder. We looked for Finder extensions to see if there was a way to add an item like the one you said you'd prefer to the context menu, but we haven't found any. The truth is, that would probably be too impractical for most users.

If you want though, you can download a program like Xfolders to make moving files easier. It will show you the two folders (the one you're copying to and the one you're copying from) and it will let you use dedicated "copy" and "move" buttons and keyboard shortcuts you can use.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

 

 

 

Frank in San Diego, California listening on KCEO 1000 AM asked: "How do I transfer VHS tapes onto my computer?"

 

That’s a question we get a lot on this show. That’s very easy to do if you have the right hardware. One product we have recommended a lot is called VHS to DVD Deluxe from Honestech.

This is software and a little white box that you plug your VCR into. The other end is a USB that you plug into your computer. You can then use the software to capture your VHS footage digitally in your computer. You can then either burn it to DVD or watch it from your PC.

The software also includes the ability to do some basic editing, so you can add titles, cut out unwanted scenes and that kind of stuff. Honestesch’s VHS to DVD Deluxe sells for about $80.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

Mark in Ocala, Florida asked: "Is there a cheap, inexpensive VGA to RCA cable (not a converter box, just a cable) that allows you to export the video from your laptop to your TV?"

 

You can find these online for like $2, they're very common. Keep in mind that VGA doesn't carry audio, so you'll need a separate cable to go from your headphone jack into the TV's audio input.

There are cables that come with both the VGA and the stereo jack in one package, so you may be able to buy an inexpensive cable that comes with what you need for both an audio and a video connection, but even if you don't, you can just buy a cheap 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable online too.

You can probably get the whole setup for less than $10 online and you won't need any converted box, as long as you have the VGA out on your laptop and an RCA input on your TV.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.

 

If you have any questions about any of this week's show info, please email us here.

This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners

C.Crane: Senta Forty Premium Wooden Headphones

Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 Software

NQ Mobile: Activation codes for NQ Mobile Vault (Premium Version) – An Android app that keeps your text messages, pictures, and videos safely hidden from prying eyes.

StrikeForce Technologies: Several Download Keys for GuardedID – anti-key logging software

 

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