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Tech News & Commentary
Chris in Columbia, Missouri calling in via the App asked us: “I have a son who is going to be graduating this May with a degree in biomedical engineering. We’re looking at purchasing a durable-quality laptop that will run CAD. If you have any suggestions, that would be wonderful.”
Chris, First of all, congratulations to your son for his upcoming graduation– he must be working hard, that’s quite an impressive field to study in and, hopefully, he will be very successful Into Tomorrow! Now, in terms of a quality laptop that will allow him to work on CAD (for those of you who aren’t familiar, it stands for “computer-aided design”), there are a few things you must look for in a laptop.
Screen-size, resolution and battery life are the first and most menial specs you should check for because it would be pretty difficult to design without a decent screen or if your battery depletes. Generally, a 1920×1080 resolution would be greatest for these kinds of tasks and it’d be wise to invest in an external battery pack in the event he must work on the go.
RAM is also a crucial factor when choosing a laptop for CAD. a 4GB 64-bit processing system should be the minimum requirements because, as you can imagine, the work he will be doing could potentially take up plenty of space and slowing up a device would be detrimental to completing anything. Video RAM or VRAM is also important and the minimum you should seek for that is 512MB.
Next, you’ll probably need to make sure he is using a very fast processor and a device with plenty of storage space. A dual or quad core processor with a 2.6Ghz frequency or higher should be sufficient in the case that he is working with 3D rendering and 1 terabyte of memory will give him MORE than enough to work with. If you choose to go with less memory, a 1 terabyte external drive should cost about $100 or less and will allow him to save data on his regular device.
An easy way to find the kinds of laptops you’d need may be to just look for gaming laptops. Gaming laptops are usually set up to handle complex 3D graphics, large files, and are built for performance.
There will be a wide range of prices, but something like the MSI GS60 Ghost-470 may work for him and at $1350 it’s far from the most expensive laptop you will find for that kind of task.
If that’s too much, for $1100, the ASUS ROG GL551 would also meet his requirements.
Depending on the needs of his new profession, he may benefit from getting a computer with a 4K compliant screen. Those do exist, but will typically cost a little bit more, so if it’s not necessary, you may be able to save a little money there, or maybe apply that money towards a more important feature, such as an SSD, which should make a noticeable performance difference.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature:
Amazon recently entered the streaming media stick market with its $39 Fire TV Stick. But how does it stack up against competitors like Google’s Chromecast and Roku’s Streaming Stick? Consumer Reports electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with a first-look review.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Google Drive, FREE
- “This week I want to check in again with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This is the third time I’ve featured them as my app of the week and you know what that means, right? Yep! MAJOR NEW FEATURE TIME. The big change is Office Compatibility Mode. That is, Microsoft Word and Excel documents stored in your Google Drive can be opened and edited directly without converting the documents into the online Google format. When Google bought QuickOffice some time ago, I said then it was only a matter of time before editing Microsoft Office documents directly made its way into the Google products. It’s a huge increase in usefulness, since you can now choose the more flexible online format that permits simultaneous document editing, or you can make simple editing changes to your Microsoft formatted documents without converting them. Also, the new version of the Docs program can, finally, view and edit document tables. Perhaps Android has been able to do that for a while but it’s news to iOS. Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides–all free in your Apple App Store.” — Mark
• Fidel recommends: Find. Eat. Drink., FREE
- “Find. Eat. Drink.! Now, Find. Eat. Drink. is exactly what it sounds like; an app that allows users to find local restaurants and bars and see how highly recommended they are. So, what makes this app stand out from the rest of it’s kind? These bars and restaurants are all reviewed by experts! Now, you won’t have to skip a restaurant just because it received ten negative reviews from an elderly lady who felt her tilapia was too fishy or from a group of kids that were asked to leave after causing a ruckus– these reviews come straight from people who know exactly what they’re talking about; like chefs, bartenders and sommeliers. Certainly, in the hands of people who KNOW bars and restaurants, you can narrow down your choices and even discover some new, hip spots to impress a hot date..”
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
- Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Guest Segment:
Kurt Bauer, CEO – One Llama Labs
Patrick in Lafayette, Louisiana asked us: “I have a house with a metal roof, and I have trouble getting signal with my iPhone. I was wondering if a microcell will benefit and if so, how do you hook it up?”
Kurt, We like to think that there are never problems, only solutions. You are right; a microcell will definitely improve your iPhone’s signal underneath that metal roof of yours. The Microcell uses your broadband/high speed internet access to connect your phone to the AT&T network. That is if you have AT&T. The result is having five bars of reception where you normally may have none.
There has been some criticism though, over, AT&T charging minutes and data used through the Microcell against your package minutes or data. There are also concerns that the hardware is pricy.
While these concerns may have a good point, if you are in a location that has poor reception, the Microcell is definitely a solution.
The Microcell can handle up to four simultaneous calls or data sessions. Calls initiated through a cell tower do not transition to the Microcell. Strangely though, calls initiated on the Microcell will transition to a cell tower when you leave the Microcell’s range. In these instances, if you’re on the unlimited Microcell plan, you’ll stay on the unlimited minutes plan and your regular minute’s package won’t be used.
The Microcell comes packaged with the unit itself, a power cord, an extra long Ethernet cable and easy to follow set-up guides. Your first step is to go to their site and start the activation wizard. We’ll have a link to that page in our show notes on our site at IntoTomorrow.com. You will then sign in to your online account manager and enter the Microcell’s serial number, verify your address, and verify the authorized numbers on the secondary devices. From there you can either connect the Microcell directly to your high-speed modem or to your wireless router. You will power everything down, wait a minute, and then power everything back leaving the Microcell for last. And you’ll be set.
The Microcell can be moved to another location but you’ll have to update your account information. It can take up to 90 minutes for the Microcell to initialize, acquire a GPS fix and become active. AT&T recommends setting the Microcell up near a window to better improve GPS signal acquisition.
Let’s say you’re receiving two bars of reception near the windows, one bar at the main level of the house, and maybe you have a basement and you don’t get any bars there, with the Microcell, you could maybe get up to five bars of reception throughout the upstairs and main levels of your house, and let’s say three bars in the basement.
We should note, however, that “MicroCell” is a trademark for AT&T’s device and service. Every wireless network provider has a similar device. Verizon’s, for example, is simply called “Network Extender.” It does the same job in basically the same way, with the same caveats. Just as with AT&T, using your phone will use up the data on your wireless plan, even though the connection is being made through your own Internet connection. Double dipping is a good racket, if you can get it!
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
SMS Audio: Street by 50 – Over-The-Ear Headphones and earbuds
Parellels:Parallels Desktop 10 Software allows you to run Windows on your Mac
Kanex: GoPower Battery Pack – Mobile battery pack with built-in stand for smartphones
Tylt: Several Charging cases and cables – for smartphones and tablets