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Weekend of June 15th, 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

Rob's been testing some interesting smart phone accessories that recently arrived at our studios, including a unique stylus and one-handed grip that also functions as a stand. Also, Chris Graveline takes us back into yesterday's historic tech past on "This Week In Tech History."

Orangutans are being trained to communicate with an iPad. Technology is no longer exclusive to humans! On this edition of our KidsTech Reports, Caitlyn visits Jungle Island in Miami, Florida to take a closer look at how they've accomplished this.

 

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

Willy in Bristol, Virginia listening online asked: "I've got an iPhone 4S on Sprint. Is it possible for me to be able to call 5 or 6 of my friends and connect them all to a conference call? If it is, how would I do that?"

 

An iPhone will allow you to make conference call with up to 5 people. What you need to do is call the first person, then tap "add call" and dial the number for the second person, once they pick up -- tap on "merge call", then just keep doing it until you've added all 5 members of the conference call.

Keep in mind that you will be charged for every single individual call, whether the 5 are talking to each other or not. Sprint will consider each call a separate call.

Also, depending on your plan, Sprint may limit the number of calls you can place at one time to less than 5. Five is the iPhone's limit, not necessarily Sprint's limit.

 

For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.

 

 

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

For Android:



Andrew Recommends: Mr. Number, FREE

 



"Mr. Number is a phone number look up directory. Which allows you to find out who is calling you when you don't recognize the number that is calling you." -- Andrew





For iOS:




• Rob recommends: Quizboard, Free


 

"It's a board game that's a mix between the social play of "Words with Friends" and trivia of "Trivial Pursuit". Players take turns answering five questions each turn: the more questions you answer correctly, the more points you get. Categories include: Arts & Literature, History, Geography, Entertainment, Sports, and Science & Technology. You can even combine questions to get more points and certain tiles have points multipliers. The winner isn't always the one who knows the most trivia, but the person who can place their tiles in the most strategic manner possible." -- Rob


Screenshots:









 

• Chris recommends: Songza, FREE


 

"My app this week is called Songza. It's a music app, similar to Pandora, only better in my opinion. When you first launch the app, it will say at the top something like 'It's Friday afternoon, play music for:' and then you have some choices, based on the day and time of day. It will be things like Summertime, An energy Boost, A sweaty dance party, taking the day off, and things like that. Once you choose, it gives you a few more choices. Let's say you chose "Taking the day off." the next screen tells you to pick your activity or destination. You can choose things like "Lying on a beach," Driving on the open road or walking through the woods. Choose one of those, and it gives you a few specific playlists to choose from. Pick one of those, and the music that they feel is best suited to your mood starts playing. It seems like of lot of choices to go through, but it does a really good job of fitting the music that plays to your current mood. The app is free in the iTunes store, and the part I like best, over Pandora, is there are no audio ads, the ads are in the form of banners, so they won't interrupt your music. It's also available on Android and for the Kindle Fire." -- Chris






Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.

 

 

 

 

 

Marie in Tennessee saw our video on YouTube asked: "Emmi Dent - Wondering if by using the toothbrush, it eliminates the need to floss or have your teeth cleaned at the dentist's office."

 

As far as we know, the manufacturer doesn't advise to stop flossing or to stop going to the dentist. Think of it as a replacement for your regular toothbrush, not a replacement for everything you currently do.

The company says their toothpaste creates millions of "nano-bubbles" that cleans places that even floss can't reach. But, you should probably still be safe and floss like you do now. Rob's obsessed with flossing! He does it about twice a day, especially after eating meat. Because he has a couple of crowns, he makes sure I remove food particles in that area. He didn't used to care much about flossing, but now he does. And, he encourages others to do so. So, please don't stop flossing if you end up buying the Emmi-dent.

 

For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.

 

HOUR 2:

Tech News & Commentary

Jeremy in Louisiana listening on 710 KEEL asked: "I was wanting to know about Verizon cancelling the unlimited plan and making it where 'you could put the plans together.' Can you explain that please?"

 

What Verizon announced was that that they'd be ending their unlimited data plans and are instead moving to a "shared data" model.
What they mean by shared data is that you will have a set amount of data available for all of your devices, it doesn't matter if that device is your smartphone, your tablet, or aircard, whatever Verizon device you use it will take it's data from that pool.

What you heard about "putting the plans together" probably meant that you won't need a separate plan for every device, instead you'll just be able to "put them all together" and form a single data plan that will feed all the different mobile devices that you use.

Now, if you don't want anything to change about your Verizon plan, nothing has to change. You can keep your unlimited data plan. But you will no longer be eligible for phone upgrades at a discounted price. You will have to pay full price for any new phones you get, and for a smartphone like an iPhone 4S, that can be as much as $500 or $600.

If you do choose to change, here's how it will work. First you will select your monthly plan. All plans now include unlimited phone minutes and text messaging. What's different is the amount of data you get to share.
$50 for 1GB, $60 for 2GB, $70 for 4GB, $80 for 6GB, $90 for 8GB, and $100 for 10GB.

Before you get too excited about those prices, there is a new charge for each device (up to 10 devices) that shares your data plan. $40 per smartphone, $30 per regular phone, $20 per hotspot, netbook, or USB modem, and $10 per tablet. And that's $40 for every phone, even the first one.

 

For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

 

 

Seth in Murfreesboro, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked two questions: "Trying to find out What the capabilities were and the limitations of the new WeVideo you spoke about on the radio." and "How would one know which video card would work best or their computer and for their desires?"

As mentioned in our past shows, these browser video editing programs come in handy when you are trying to collaborate on a single project, or you just don't want/need to make the investment on a expensive desktop video editor.

The biggest features you find on WEVIDEO are collaboration, basic 3 window configurations, video effects, multiple video, audio layers, and a video wall! All of which you will find that you "need" when your getting in the more advanced areas of video editing.

However, there are still several limitations with WEVIDEO. First of which is that there is no auto save function, which really wouldn't be a huge ordeal, except that it leads to the applications next problem; It periodically crashes. Imagine working on a major part of your video project video, and the application crashes. Then you loose all your work before you can save. FRUSTRATING!

You won't be able to have some features you find in desktop video editing software, such as slow/fast motion, chromakey backgrounds, and noise removal. As we we said before these were the limitation you will run into when you getting into the more advanced video editing,

Online video editing is still very new, and WEVIDEO is one of the best options out there. However, If you are a serious editor, or you just want more advanced features, WEVIDEO may not be for you. For projects that you need to access from multiple computers, or that need to incorporate content from multiple sources, WeVideo is definitely worth a look.

What video card you need, depends mostly on what you want to do with it. If you don't need to do heavy video editing, and if you're not going to be playing highly graphic intensive games, odds are any card will work fine for you. If you do plan on doing those things, you'll probably benefit from looking at higher end models.

A very high end video card can be more expensive than a low end laptop, so don't just go for the most expensive card around, odds are if you don't know that you need it, you don't need it.

To determine which specific card might be best for you, there are some excellent review sites on the Internet.
Our in-house video game fanatic Mark says: "I'm always trying to stay ahead on this. I like and recommend TweakTown.com for their reviews, also GPUReview.com is worth reading for their extensive benchmarking."

 

For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

John in Jackson, Mississippi called in to share a tip with the listener who had an update to his OS that seems impossible. " A couple years back, there were some viruses that were set to execute when the machine was booted on a particular date."

 

Thank you, John!

For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

Mustang Mary in North Miami, Florida listens to the podcast and asked: "Since I now have an AT&T ANDROID Inspire 4G phone and still learning all the features, hence my email to you all ... I am not 'into' texting and did not get texting on my plan cause they want to charge me for it. I have heard there is an app for that (free texting). Do you know anything about it? Is it any good?! How do I find it, download it and is it really free?"

 

There are actually several you can use, Mary. For example, you can try HeyWire. It will give a number and let you text for free in the US and another 45+ countries. The texts and the app are both free, and you can also use it to access Facebook Chat and Twitter. Google has its own offering with Google Voice (my favorite!) The texts are free and have been free for a few years. But, that may change one day. We'll see.

ChompSMS will also offer free texts, and it completely rips off the iPhone's text messaging interface. So, if you like Apple's user interface designs, you may enjoy using ChompSMS.

Pinger will also let you send free text messages and it will give you the option to send a paid text through AT&T from within the app as well, so even if you don't have internet access you can still use it as your only text messaging app. So basically, you have a ton of options, Mary. As long as you have 4G (ahem...which is 3G) or WiFi they'll all be free, just have a look at them and see which on you like better.

One note of warning about Google Voice. It uses its own phone number, so your friends who want to send you texts will need to send them to a telephone number different from your cell phone's. You can actually use Google Voice as a VoIP service connected to your cell phone, if you wish, and just have everyone call or text that one number. Google Voice will answer the voice calls also, prompt the caller for their name, and then call you, connecting the call if you accept it. It's like having a personal assistant in your phone. If you want to port your cell phone number to Google Voice, you can, but getting control of the number again might be difficult.

But, Google Voice will give you unlimited free texting, it will let you make phone calls without using your plan minutes (it uses data instead, though, so watch those caps!), it will give you conference calling, call screening and call forwarding, one number "follow me" service that will ring you at multiple locations, and lots more, all for free!

For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

 

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: TxtRng & FLYGRIP   Rob’s been testing some interesting smart phone accessories that recently arrived at our studios, including a unique stylus.

1) TxtRng -- “The stylus with style” - The TxtRng is a stylus that can be worn on your thumb or index finger. It sits near the tip of your finger. - It’s designed to give you a better experience with your touch-screen devices. - We used it with an iPhone and Android smartphone. At first, it was a little weird to type with. Rob also tried to use it with the “Draw Something” app. His drawing didn’t come out so good. But, he did enjoy using it to tap buttons, apps, and scrolling on my iPhone screen. The typing and drawing might take a little more practice. - TxtRng is currently available in black for $20 for a pair. A set of two is also available in orange for a cause, for $30. 20% of proceeds are donated to go to the Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis. - TxRngs are available in 3 sizes: Small, Medium or Large. They have a measurement tool you can download from their website to determine your correct size.   2) FLYGRIP -- One-handed solution for your smartphone. - FLYGRIP is a one-handed solution for your mobile device. - The FLYGRIP can be applied to the back of any device with a flat surface, including a phone cover ... as long as it’s made or plastic or aluminum. - FlyGrip is installed by using a self-adhesive sticker and sticking it to the back of either your phone or case. The adhesive sticker used is a semi-permanent solution. You’ll have to use a knife to pry it off your phone, and apply a new sticker to use it on another device. - The company recommends inserting your middle and ring finger under the FLYGRIP to get a good grip. Rob discovered his index and middle finger worked more comfortably for him. In case you find it a little loose, they provide foam attachments to fit your fingers more snuggly. - What we like about the FLYGRIP is that it serves more than one purpose. It’s a grip-helper and a phone stand, which goes both ways. It can hold your phone upright (in portrait mode) or sideways (in landscape mode). - FLYGRIP is available just under $30 in multiple colors. And, they throw in a bonus: a free phone case with your purchase for select devices.

 

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

Kathy in Nicholasville, Kentucky listening on 1250 WVKY asked: "I have a wireless printer, brand new. I've paid for tech support and gotten the printer people on the phone. Sometimes it prints from my laptop and sometimes it doesn't. Nobody seems to know what the problem is. Do you have any answers?"

 

It’s really hard to say exactly what could be causing the problem, given that we don’t know what brand of printer you’re using. So there is a plethora of issues that could be happening.

Without knowing what printer you’re using, and what operating system, there’s not a lot we can tell you, at least not a lot that can help you solve the problem. It could be a driver issue, for example if your printer came with drivers for XP that are not compatible with your computer that’s running Windows 7.

It could be a network issue that is totally unrelated to the printer itself, for example, you may have a router with a bad DHCP server that occasionally refuses to renew the printer’s IP address, so the computer and the printer can’t talk to each other. It can even be network interference, for example, if your neighbors are on the same WiFi channel, or if you have other electronics around that use the same frequency as your WiFi the signals may be interfering with each other and the information might be getting lost before it reaches the printer.

It could be that you actually have a bad printer that need to be replaced, wireless cards on printers can break just like they can with computers, or you may need to update your printer’s firmware if this is a known software issue that was fixed at point by the manufacturer.

But again, without knowing more, we can’t really address other problems that affect your particular model and give you a more complete answer.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

 

 

Lisa in North Slope, Alaska listens on 88.5 FM asked: "Tablets ... I want to get one that has to get reception on the North Slope of Alaska, which is limited. Wondering if an aircard works in any tablet. Can I buy it at Best Buy or if I have to go through a cell provider? Would a Wi-Fi tablet work with an aircard?"

 

Aircards will most likely not work with many tablets at all. The Archos 101 G9 comes with a built in aircard, and it allows 3G tethering from a cellphone. But, for the most part if you want connectivity on tablets you will need either WiFi or a tablet with a built-in 3G or 4G chip.

If you're willing to pay for an aircard just for the tablet, consider getting a 3G or a 4G tablet. If this is an aircard that you'd use with a computer as
well, then maybe you should look into getting a MiFi type of device. You'll pay a monthly fee like you would with an aircard, but the WiFi network it creates can be used with any tablet you choose, and you could even use it with your laptop at the same time, as it supports more than one device simultaneously.

You don't have to go through a cell phone provider to buy either an aircard or a MiFi. You can buy them through third party stores like Best Buy, but you will need to get service from someone, which may mean a contract
or a prepaid plan. Either way you'll be getting it from a cell phone service provider.

The challenge on the North Slope is finding good coverage. Alaska Wireless has invested in cell towers that cover the Prudhoe Bay and surrounding North Slope areas quite well. They sell the Novatel MiFi device for $79 and their mobile broadband data plans are priced about the same as anyone else's. 5GB of data per month will cost $29, 10GB is $59, and 20GB is $99. If you're not in the Prudhoe Bay area, then we'd need to know more specifically where you are to suggest a provider, but Google can find one for you also. Search for your zip code and the nearest city name, combined with "cell phone coverage," and you'll hit a gold mine of information.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

 

 

Rob in Hoboken, New Jersey listening online and calling in via the Free App asked: "I have a question about cell phones. Mobile phone screens are getting bigger and their processing speeds are getting faster, but still these phones can't get you through a full day even if you're using them lightly. When do you think manufacturers are gonna realize that battery life is a real issue for users?"

 

You could argue that manufacturers are starting to get the picture, the best example of that is the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx obviously, but let's be honest...how many phones are coming out with the RAZR Maxx's battery and how many are coming out with huge screens?

Battery technology evolves very slowly and manufacturers seem to think that a big flashy screens will attract more buyers than saying: "this screen is normal sized, but the battery won't die on you so quickly". To be honest, barely any apps are benefiting from the multiple cores on newer phones, the slightly bigger screens don't make much of a difference to most users, and everyone complains about battery life, but there's a limit on how much better battery life can get.

Manufacturers can't slightly shrink the screens and go back to using a single core processor and suddenly get twice the battery life, it will just be marginally better, and saying "we have a pretty ok phone, you know, nothing great, but the battery lasts a little bit longer" doesn't sound as sexy as saying "this screen is huge and crisp and the processor has 2 (or even 4) cores!"

People already expect smartphones to have lousy battery lives, until decent battery lives become a standard feature, people will expect to have trouble making it to the end of the day on a single charge, and will be open to putting up with that in exchange for cool features that they want to have.

There's a reason people left their dumb phones with batteries that would last the better part of a week or longer, for their smartphones that double as shiny paperweights by the later half of the day... people prefer cool features to good batteries... at least for now.

There are exceptions, however. We've already mentioned the Droid Razr Maxx. The iPhone 4S has "decent" battery life. The Droid 4 doesn't have the Razr's OLED screen, and while that means it's not as bright, it also means that the battery life on the Droid 4 is very good, even without the super- battery from the Razr Maxx.
Battery life needs to be one of those features you shop for, just like a dual core processor or 4G LTE support. A good bit of advise is to check several independent sources who've done a run-down test where they stress the battery. Compare their numbers to get an idea of what you can expect. We don't run benchmark tests like that, we use the phones ourselves and report what we find under real world conditions. Since there are good days and bad days with any smartphone, you want to look for benchmarks when making comparisons.

Finally, plan for the short battery life. Get a device like the PowerMat Dual 1850 that we rave about here on the show. It's a very compact backup battery for your smartphone or tablet. It supports both iDevices and anything Android that uses the mini-USB style power plug (which is all of them, now, but older devices may not). The PowerMat Dual 1850 isn't very expensive, we saw them for under $40 at Amazon, and it can be a life saver if you're stranded somewhere and find a dead phone battery.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

Andrew in State College, Pennsylvania listening on 103.1 WRSC asked: "I have an IP camera and I'm trying to access it outside of the IP Address that it's hooked to. I did the port forwarding but I can't seem to get into it."

 

Unless you have a static IP address, you're going to need to set
up a Dynamic DNS service. When you use one of those services, your computer or router lets the service know that it's address has changed,
and the website updates it's records, so you'll get a regular URL (think: AndrewsCamera.dyndns.org, or something similar), and that URL will always point to your IP address, even if it isn't static.

Once you have that set up, you should also consider making your cameras IP address in the network static, that way the port forwarding will always work, if it's dynamic, today you might be forwarding to the camera, but tomorrow IP assignments might change and suddenly your network will find itself asking your phone or a computer for access instead of the camera. You can assign the camera a set address by accessing it's settings.

The other big thing is, make sure your camera has a built-in web server. Some cameras require other software to view its video stream, while others will have a built-in web server that you can access from any browser. If your setup doesn't work, don't assume your camera necessarily comes with a built- in web server.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

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

KidsTech visited Jungle Island with Into Tomorrow, here are some pictures from the trip.

KidsTech at Jungle Island
Caitlyn and an orangutan	Interviewing the orangutan trainer	The iPad app they use
Using the iPad		Caitlyn feeding a kangaroo
Caitlyn holding an alligator	Dave petting a kangaroo	On stage with the trainers

 

This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners

Kingston: 16GB SD memory cards and a MobileLite G3 (USB 3.0 Card Reader)

Radio Shack: Auvio Element Earbuds with Microphone

ZoneAlarm (Check Point Software): Download keys for ZoneAlarm Extreme Security

 

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