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Weekend of October 5th, 2012

Dave and his tech panel answer more of your questions via the Ask Dave Hotline. 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

If you're an Adobe Creative Suite user, how often do you upgrade to the latest version? Rob has been testing the latest version of Creative Suite 6 and shares some of the new highlights. Also, Chris Graveline takes us back to Apollo 7 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

 

George in Shreveport, Louisiana listening on News Radio 710 KEEL asked: "I have an Android phone and an Android tablet. I keep hearing people talk about rooting and jail-breaking. What are the advantages and disadvantages of those and is it something I would want to do?"

 

Both rooting and jail-breaking will give apps low level access to the operating system, that means that they will be able to do much more than the OS would’ve otherwise allowed them to do.

That might mean, for example, that an app can force the processor to run faster than the manufacturer intended, or it may just mean changing the color of the status bar at the top of the screen, or something similar -- as an example.

Rooted devices can also run other version of the operating system that were not released by the devices’ manufacturers, that means that if you’re unhappy with the particular customization of Android that came with your phone or tablet, you can install a different one.

Rooting your device can give you access to restricted areas of your phone or tablet’s memory, so for example, you can delete apps that came bundled in with the device and are of no use to you, but you can’t just choose to uninstall through normal means.

The advantages of rooting are simple: you can do more, you can choose your version of the OS, let your apps take care of stuff they wouldn’t normally be allowed to do, and have access to extra functions yourself. The disadvantages are that you are making your device do things the manufacturer did not intend for that device to do.

That means that you are on your own if something goes wrong, if you overclock your phone and it’s processor gets fried, it’s on you, if you root and a rogue app changes some setting you did not want changed, it’s your problem, you’re give up your warranty when you root and no one will put things back to normal for you for free.

You also lose the layer of security that sand-boxing gives you, you’re allowing apps to step out of bounds and not ask permission to do everything, so malicious apps can do far more damage than they can do on a non-rooted device.

Whether you want to look into it or not, is up to you, by doing it you gain some freedom, but take on some extra risks. If you’re happy with the way your devices are now, you might want to leave them alone, if if you think there’s something missing that rooting them can provide for you, then think about it.

It is important to note that while it may not be hard to root an Android device or jailbreak an iOS device, going back might be more difficult than you would think. Rooting an Android device means you are replacing the ROMs in the device with new ones by overwriting the version of Android your wireless provider shipped with the device. If you decide you want to go back, good luck with trying to find the ROM images to restore it. You’ll likely have to visit your wireless provider’s store and ask them for help restoring it.

An iOS device is a bit easier, as you can connect it with iTunes and restore the factory software. But just be careful before you make the decision to become a tech rebel. It’s easier to get there than to get back.

 

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 iOS:




• Mark recommends: Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion, FREE


 

"It's time once again for more advice from the fat guy! My app this week is Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion. I'm using the iPad version of the app and unfortunately it's not yet available for Android. Since they have both Android and iPhone versions of their basic mobile app, let's hope they off this for Android users also. You can select recipes based on the time it takes to make them, the ingredients you have on hand, or the number of points plus per serving you want to eat. It also ranks them based on how hard they are to prepare. You get a great picture of how it should turn out, and easy to follow instructions for preparation. If you're trying to lose weight on the Weight Watchers plan, and you have an iPad, get the Kitchen Companion. It's free, as long as you're a member. It DOES require a sign on to an active Weight Watchers account." -- Mark

 

• Rob recommends: YouTube, FREE


 

"New YouTube app for iOS. As many of you know, Apple continues to break ties with Google. iOS 6 doesn't have a stock version of the YouTube app. So, google created a new YouTube app you can download. I downloaded and loved it. The look is a lot cleaner on the iPhone, works faster and is more reliable with a good Internet connection. The app is of course free to download. The interface I think is much improved. It goes more with the Internet browser version. The quality of the videos is awesome! I encourage you to try it on your iDevice." -- Rob



• Chris recommends: The Simpsons: Tapped Out, FREE


 

"The app that has completely sucked up all my free time lately (which isn't much these days) is The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Yes, it's a complete time waster. Think of it as The Sims meets Farmville but with characters from the Simpsons. The description says "Homer accidentally caused a meltdown that wiped out springfield. Now it's up to you to rebuild it." You earn money and donuts in the game by completing tasks like making Apu work extra long shifts at the Kwik-E-Mart, having Homer do things like lounge in the pool, break into a house to watch TV, and so on. You add more characters to the game as you progress until you collect all the characters and have them all doing wacky jobs. Like Farmville, this is a social game. You can visit your friends' "Springfields" and help them complete tasks to earn more money. The Simpsons: Tapped out is free for the iPad and iPhone." -- Chris



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

 

 

 

 

 

Patrick in Nashville, Tennessee listening on Supertalk 99.7 WTN asked: "I love this new option that many of the new routers have that you can plug in a USB device and access it wirelessly. I did that with a small USB drive. I can access the files on the drive but I cannot save to that drive from other wireless devices. I'm wondering if that's not a feature that you can go both ways with it, or if I'm missing something."

 

It all depends on your particular router, but there is typically an option somewhere on the settings that will let you choose whether the drive should be treated as read-only or not, and sometimes even who can write to it.

For example, a router may let anyone on the network access it, but only let users with administrator privileges write to it, or it may not let anyone without a password see any files, let regular users with a password access the files, and only let administrators save files to the drive.

Without knowing what particular brand and model you’re using, we can’t really tell you exactly how to set it up, or whether it’s even possible, but if your router comes with a USB port, there’s almost certainly an option to enable writing on the drive, check your manual if you have one or the settings on the drive. If you don’t, it should be pretty obvious when you see it.

 

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

 

Kay from Indiana listens via  TuneIn Radio asked: "What do cloud services provide that services like SugarSync and DropBox don't? Would you please compare the 2 kinds of services?"

 

It depends on what you mean by “cloud services.” SugarSync will backup your data and let you access it remotel. Dropbox will let you share files with other people. Both are cloud services. They’re similar in the sense that they will store files for you and let you access them, but they’re different in what their purpose is, one is primarily a backup service, the other one is primarily a file sharing service.

Some cloud services are completely different though. Netflix’s instant video is a cloud service, and it has a totally different function. It doesn’t let the end user upload, share or back up and files. Online banking is a cloud service, as well.

Google Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive are both cloud services and they both let you create and share documents online. Your local government may let you look up your property taxes online or pay for them online, those are cloud services, the same goes for utilities in general.

Amazon will let you buy a book, keep it on it’s servers and read it on your web browser, that’s a cloud service. Checking a stock’s price in real time is a cloud service, so is webmail...most of what we do online these days is a cloud service, anything that is customized for you, or served specifically for you is probably a cloud service, pages that look and act the same for everyone are likely not, so cloud services can be hundreds of different things online.

The term “cloud” became used to describe any external network, in this case the Internet, because network diagrams used an image of a cloud connected to your own network by a pair of pipes to mean “data goes out from our network here, and then magic happens.” That’s also why you’ll hear people discuss the size of their “pipe” when talking about how fast their Internet connection is.

In short, “the cloud” simply means “not on my computer,” and thus refers to a vast array of potential services.

 

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

John calling in via the FREE “Into Tomorrow” App asked: 'I'm calling in regards to my iMac. Do I need antivirus for it?"

 

Well, need … maybe not. There aren’t a lot of threats out there for Macs, but you may want one anyway for when one of those rare threats does pop up. And, they have been known to do so.

The thing about Mac anti-viruses is that they rarely ever even require updates. There are not a lot of new threats, and you can get a free one. It will rarely bother you, and when one of those threats does pop up, you’ll be protected.

The two most highly regarded free antivirus programs for your Mac are Sophos Free Antivirus for Mac or ClamXav (Clam Antivirus for Mac OS X). Both are reliable name brands and either one would protect your Mac well, should you feel the need to protect it.

However, unless you spend a lot of time surfing websites you wouldn’t tell your grandmother about or you like clicking links in random emails to see where they take you, you’re probably okay without one.

 

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

 

HOUR 2:

Tech News & Commentary

Don in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada listening on AM 800 CKLW - The Information Station asked: "I have been using a service called Unblock Us. It's a DNS service that allows you to watch American Netflix in Canada. My friend is also interested in this service, but doesn't want to pay the $5 a month. Are there any other good DNS servers for free out there? I've been looking and I can’t seem to find one that's good, fast and free."

 

There are many free reliable DNS servers out there, but all a DNS server does is translate a web address to an IP address, what you’re looking for is a proxy server. You will have a hard time finding a free proxy server that is good, fast, reliable, that hides your IP from Netflix without it being known to Netflix as a commonly used proxy (which would get it’s IP address blacklisted).

A lot of proxies are either public systems that have low speeds and are intended for lower bandwidth usage, computers that someone set up for that purpose, or computer that happen to be doing that without their owner’s knowledge and were discovered by someone else.

The problem is that providing a proxy server leaves you open to legal problems is someone uses your IP for something illegal, so most people and companies do not make their server available to everyone out there. With free ones, you’re typically at the mercy of whoever is providing the service, they may turn their computer off one day and the server is gone, they may be downloading a huge file, or choose to limit the speed of the server and you won’t be able to stream anything.

If your friend really wants to find a way around Netflix’s regional barriers, his best option is probably to pay like you do. If you want a longer term solution, you might want to consider writing to whoever regulates content licensing in Canada, or even to your MP in Parliament, and see if you can add your voice to the people demanding access to better legal content online, without licensing restriction US and Canadian Netflix would probably be about the same.

Unblock Us is a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, not a DNS (Domain Name Server) service. A DNS is akin to a telephone book. You come to it with an address and it gives you the number, in this case the IP address, for a particular website. A VPN is like a tunnel in cyberspace, burrowing under the US-Canada border, and connecting with services without revealing its actual location.

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

 

 

Steve in State College, Pennsylvania listening on Newsradio 103 WRSC and asked: "What's the best laptop to get? I'm new. I'm a baby boomer. I'd just like to find out some information."

It all depends, there are baby boomer gamers and baby boomer email checkers. You say you’re new, if that means your use will be very light, you can probably focus on cheaper laptops. They won’t have the power of a gaming system, but you probably don’t need it, you’ll save some money and be able to do the basic things most people do, email, web browsing ... that kind of thing.

A Samsung Series 3 laptop, for example, will cost you $450, it has a 15.6” screen, a Core i3 processor, a reasonably large 320GB hard drive, and at that price it’s basically competing with Chromebooks that will let you use only cloud services.

On the complete other end of the spectrum, you can look at a $2000 MSI laptop with a 17.3” screen, 16GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD for very fast performance and a 750GB HDD for plenty of storage room, but the thing is... if you’re new, you probably don’t need any of that and are better off sticking to something cheaper that will fit your needs just fine.

An Ultrabook may be a good option for you, they’re super light, super thin, with good battery lives and their price is between the first two computer we mentioned. For example, you can buy a Toshiba U845 Ultrabook with slightly better specs than the first laptop we mentioned, but with a smaller 14” screen for $700. It would likely be a nicer computer to use, so if you don’t think they price is too high, Ultrabooks are a good category to explore.

 

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

 

Gloria in Brentwood, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 asked: "I did the update on iPhone 4 and have no issue. I have Straight Talk. But I am unable to send group messages or send pictures to iPhone 3. Any suggestion on how to fix this?"

 

As far as we can tell one of two things could be causing the problem, either it was an issue with the network at the time you tried, which we are mentioning because it happened to Straight Talk recently, or your phone’s settings may not be correct.

On the phone side, the first thing you should check is whether or not picture and group messages are enabled. They can be disabled from the settings. So open your Settings, and check under Messages that both MMS Messaging and Group Messaging are on.

If they are, then the problem may be with your data connection. Your data configuration has two separate sections, one for mobile internet and another one for data messaging. The easiest way to change your data settings is to go to http://www.unlockit.co.nz from your iPhone and select “US - Straight Talk”, the website will make the change for you.

Just make sure that it’s still not working first and that it wasn’t a temporary network issue.

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

 

Jack in Los Alamos, New Mexico listening on KTRC 1260 - Santa Fe’s News Talk Leader asked: "I was wondering if there was any service available that when I get one of these phishing e-mails that I'm afraid someone on my family downloaded, that I could send it to them and find out if there is anything like a keylogger or whatever on it."

 

There are sites that let you submit addresses that you suspect are phishing related. The most popular one is PhishTank.com, where you can submit links and either get a result, if it’s already known, or have the community vote on it, if it’s a new link.

The process is not really automated though, you have to copy the link from the email yourself, paste it on the site and either get a response or wait for one and remember to go check.

For most stuff, this is overkill. If you’re concerned that the email you got may be a phishing email, just don’t click on anything. Open a browser, go to the website that the email claims to be coming from and log-in as you would if you hadn’t received an email at all.

As for keyloggers, you will most likely either receive an email with malware attached, or a phishing attempt, but not both at the same time. A phishing email will just look like an official email from a reputable company to try to trick you into going to a site that looks official as well in an attempt to steal your login information and gain access to something valuable, typically your bank account. Bad guys don’t need to install anything on your computer to do that, they just need you to go to a website and use your credentials to sign in.

Sometimes your best practice is just hovering your mouse over the links in an email and looking down to the status bar where it should show you what web address that link is going to send you to. This may not work in all email clients, but if you’re using a web based email system like Gmail or Hotmail, it will. If anything looks suspicious at all, never click the link! You’re far better off entering the address manually or select it from your own bookmarks, to avoid being hijacked.

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

 

 

 

Carol in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania listening on News Talk Radio WDEL 1150 asked: "What is the best Bluetooth player for an older car? I have a regular cassette player and of course a cigarette lighter. I have a 96 Jeep. I wanted to play from my Android phone, my MP3 music or use TuneIn."

 

There are sites that let you submit addresses that you suspect are phishing related. The most popular one is PhishTank.com, where you can submit links and either get a result, if it’s already known, or have the community vote on it, if it’s a new link.

Your best bet, and maybe the only inexpensive option, will probably be to buy a Bluetooth cassette adapter. They’re fairly rare, but if you can find them, you can get one for about $25.

You can also look at replacing your radio. You can find some Bluetooth enabled radios for $60 or so, but they’re usually more expensive and will look nothing like your Jeep’s original radio.

The plus side of a new radio is that you will usually get the Bluetooth connection that you want as well and wired inputs, or the ability to play MP3 from flash drives, so you’re not just limited to your phone.

A new radio will also leave the 12V lighter jack unused and available for charging your phone, as Bluetooth use and Internet streaming over long drives will drain your phone if it’s not plugged in.

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

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

Steve in Edwards, Mississippi listening on Supertalk FM asked: "I'm totally blind and I was trying to find the best smartphone for the visually impaired."

 

There are a lot of phones out there that are usable by a person with limited or no vision. Pretty much every phone has to have some accessibility features. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires cell phones and phone services to be designed for people with disabilities. However, according to the American Foundation for the Blind, far too many cell phone carriers aren’t taking that obligation too seriously.

We can tell you about some of the features of phones that seem to make it easier for the visually impaired community to use them. As you can imagine, touch screen phones can be difficult to use if you can’t see what’s on the screen. Several phones, like the iPhone have a feature that will read the contents of the screen to you as you touch it so you know what you are selecting.

You will most likely need the assistance of someone who is able to see, to activate these features first, but it seems like you should be able to use the iPhone without too much trouble.

We have a large part of our audience who is visually impaired, so maybe someone listening has had luck with one phone or another. What have you used? What can you recommend to Steve? Call us at 1-800-899-4686 and help him out.

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

 

 

Jolene in Jefferson City, Missouri listening on News Talk KLIK 1240 asked: "Wireless headphones: This may be a dumb question, but I can't be the only one who wants to know. I bought a set to listen to the TV without bothering other people. What I really want is a wireless headphone that I can use to listen to my computer. Is there such a thing? Nobody can give me any information."

 

You can probably use the exact same wireless headphones. Your computer should have a headphone jack, if it’s a laptop it will be on the side, but if it’s a desktop it may be on the back.

Once you find it just plug in your headphones’ wireless transmitter and that should take care of it. Computers are compatible with regular headphones, you can buy USB versions specifically for them (that usually come with microphones as well), or Bluetooth versions if your computer has Bluetooth connectivity.

Plantronics has a product called the Ribbon that will connect to your bluetooth enabled device, whether that is a computer, phone, tablet or anything else, and will act as a bluetooth receiver for conventional wired headphones. That may be a good product for you if you have a bluetooth enabled computer,  but whatever you’re using with your TV now will most likely work just fine on your computer too.

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

 

Jim from Ann Arbor Michigan listens online and asked: "Hi Dave! I listen to your THREE HOUR (!!!) show on the Internet. I'm needing a new laptop computer. I'm currently running a 64-bit Vista machine that’s been abused from years of great photography, but non-existent cataloging of photos. It’s time to start fresh with a new computer. Windows 8 is coming out soon, but I saw an article that says Windows 8 offers few improvements over Windows 7, most being seamless syncing with Windows phones, which for the moment does not interest me. Windows 7 machines are selling at some great prices right now. I am in position to wait for Windows 8 and its first Service Pack, but if I can get a good deal on Windows 7 without giving up much in not getting Windows 8. I'm inclined to buy now. Any pearls of wisdom, insightful insights, life saving cautions, witty Windows wit, or sage advice from the grizzled digital veterans of Into Tomorrow?"

 

Windows 8 doesn’t seem to offer too many ground breaking features, but it is bringing with it a few things that are nice to have. The main one is probably File History, which is supposed to work like Mac OS X’s Time Machine and let you access older versions of the files that are currently on your hard drive. That’s a very useful feature when for some reason you find yourself needing to go back to a previous version of a file.

Native USB 3.0 support is also nice, though it most likely won’t make any difference to you right now. It’s more of a future-proofing feature, as USB 3.0 should eventually overtake USB 2.0.

There are some cosmetic changes too, both good and bad. You get a much prettier login page, but you also lose the regular menu and have to use the Ribbon User Interface whether you like it or not.

You will also lose some features. The most obvious one is the Start Men. But you will also lose the desktop gadgets, your recently opened documents menu, and the ability to play DVDs for free out of the box, as Windows Media Player will come without the DVD codec. To clarify, you can still get software that will play DVDs, free and paid, you just won’t have free software that comes pre-installed that can play DVDs.

If you’re not interested in the new features, or don’t want to lose the old ones, you might as well take advantage of any special offers you find on Windows 7 computers, by now odds are that they’ll include a free upgrade to Windows 8 when it comes out anyway.

Most of the time, however, the cost of Windows is built right in to the cost of your computer, and you’ll simply get whatever version they ship with it. Some name brands like HP are offering to pay for your Windows 8 upgrade if you buy a Windows 7 computer now, but those deals almost always have an expiration date. The major shift in user interface means that, at first, many things will be broken when they try and run on Windows 8. It doesn’t sound like you enjoy being an early adopter or an unpaid beta tester, so perhaps staying with Windows 7 for a while is smart.

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

 

 

 

Bill in Toronto calling in via the free App asked: "I have an Asus Eee Slate EP 121 and was wondering what the best version of Windows 8 would be for my tablet. Would it be the Surface, or Pro, or the basic?"

 

Your tablet came with Windows 7, so we would assume that if you don’t want to lose features, your best bet will be to transition to Windows 8 Pro. We’ve seen videos of the slate running it and it seems to work.

If you installed the more basic versions of the OS, you’d most likely end up with a tablet with more iPad or Android like functions, but not full blown Windows. If you’re interested in retaining your desktop and regular Windows programs, you probably want full Windows 8.

Windows 8 will come with some touch or tablet friendly features, so it should also make it easier to use your slate. But it won’t remove the standard Windows features you enjoy now.

Another thing to consider is that Microsoft may take the choice away from you. Windows RT for Surface tablets is supposed to run on an ARM processor, while the full version of Windows is expected to run on full powered Intel Core i5 processors. Your tablet runs on a Core i5. You may find out soon that Microsoft will only let you install the more powerful version of the OS on it.

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

 

Bob in Palo Alto, California listens Online asked: "Hi Dave et al, I live in 5-story building. All of the public WiFi signals are weak (one bar out of 5). There is a large hospital across the alley from me that is much taller than 5 stories. It has a public WiFi and its signal is weak. Is there some USB plug-in that will allow me to increase the WiFi signal strength?"

 

There are products you can use to boost your WiFi reception. The one we’ve used the most is the C.Crane Super USB WiFi Antenna 3. Like you said, it plugs into your USB port and acts as a network card and boosts your reception.

There are other antennas, ranging in price from below $20 to over $100. We haven’t tried any of those, so we can’t tell you first hand whether they’re good or not. But if you want a cheaper option, you can give one of the cheaper ones a shot. Obviously, the other option would be to pay for Internet access.

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

 

Tim in Bellville, Michigan listening online asked: "I am a long-time Sprint customer and have been looking at the Samsung Galaxy S3. But now that I've seen the new Note 2. I was wondering if you could find out if Sprint was going to get that phone. Because no one else seems to know."

 

The Note 2 is coming to Sprint. The company actually showed it off at a press event that Samsung recently held in New York and they announced that it will be available sometime “this holiday” season.

It will be the same LTE phone the other carriers are getting, so you should be able to get high speeds if you’re in an LTE area.

Other than Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, you should also be able to get it on US Cellular soon, so you shouldn’t have much of a problem finding the phone whether you decide to stay on Sprint or want to try someone else’s service.

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.

This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners

Corrosion Technologies: Several bottles of CorrosionX -- A few squirts of CorrosionX clean contacts & connections & keep them protected for months (in salt spray environments) to years.

Dane-Elec: Several 8GB USB Flash Drives from Marvel’s The Avengers Collection

Ergotron: A Universal Tablet Cradle -- This accessory converts a monitor mount to hold a tablet or eReader. Works with most popular tablets and eReaders, including Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle.

iolo Technologies: Copies of System Mechanic 11 - PC Tune-up Software

SMS Audio: "Street By 50" Wired headphones in black or white. We brought 'em back from 50 Cent and our interview in Berlin.

 

 

 

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