HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Gerald in Detroit, Michigan listening on CKLW 800 asked: “Is there a potential way to resurrect this ‘Six week wonder’ of Hewlett Packard, Pads. By flashing the memory? Perhaps putting Android OS on them? I deal with young kids that can’t afford toys like that, but if we could buy these things for $99 and put Android in them, it would be magnificent.”
There is a team called “TouchDroid” that’s been working on getting Android installed on the HP TouchPad and they seem to be doing a decent job. Just a few days ago they even reported that they have a version of Android now running on the tablet!
We don’t know for sure how well it runs, how easy it will be to install or whether or not they will make their hack available for free, but you have a bigger problem to deal with first anyway…
Unless you bought a TouchPad when HP put them on sale a couple of months ago it’s unlikely that you’re going to find one for $99 now, they’ve simply run out of units.
There were rumors of HP considering reviving the tablet for another short production run, but as far as we know that hasn’t happened yet.
If you did manage to secure one or two, hang on to them, it may be possible to install Android on them very soon!
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer
Reports Feature with Donna Tapellini
The Consumer Electronics Association estimates about 10.3 million tablets shipped in 2010 and expect sales to double by the end of next year. Donna Tapellini, Senior Electronics Editor for Consumer Reports, shares their latest results of their tablet lab tests.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
For Android:
• Mark recommends: Netflix, FREE
“My app this week has to be the relatively brand new Netflix player for Android! It requires Android 2.2 or higher, but it works on just about ANY smartphone or tablet. I logged in to my Netflix account and had full access to my instant queue as well as the entire library of on demand movies and TV shows. Video quality on my Wi-Fi at home was excellent, and it’s even quite passable on my Verizon Wireless 3G. It does drain the battery hard, so I’m sure to keep my Powermat Dual 1850 handy for a little boost. But with a nice set of earbuds, who CARES how long the doctor takes to see me now! You have to have a Netflix subscription to use it, but the app itself is free in the Android Market.” — Mark
For iOS:
• Rob recommends: Instagram 2.0, FREE
“I’ve raved about Instagram in the past. They recently upgraded to version 2.0 and people like me are loving it. I’m hooked on Instagram! It can be addictive. I mentioned several times how I love using quirky filters on the pictures I post online. It makes them artistic. That’s why I love Instagram. It’s easy and fun. For those who don’t know about Instagram, it’s a photo-sharing social network. The new update gave us instant live filters, so you can alter the image before you snap it. And, an additional 4 filters. You also have the option of turning borders on or off. The latest update has improved Instagram quite a bit. The app is available for free.” — Rob
Some of Rob’s recent Instagram posts:
Dave on Instagram
Rob on Instagram
• Chris recommends: Cook This, Not That!, $0.99
“Discover how to turn the expensive, unhealthy foods at America’s restaurants into fat blasting super foods that cost just pennies – and taste even better!”
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
What are your favorite apps?Let us know!
Guest in this hour:
Kevin Hamilton, President & CEO – TruConnect Mobile
Why aren’t that many people buying 3G plans for their laptops and iPads? Could it be the service costs? A new service launched recently from a company targeting 3G users with an alternative to carrier plans with an “ultimate unbundled service”.
Timothy in New Florence, Pennsylvania listening to the podcast asked: “I was wondering when iOS 5 is due to come out.”
Sorry, but we’re gonna have to say “soon”. Apple hasn’t given us an official release date so far, they probably will at their big event on Tuesday, October 4th. It’s been widely reported that iOS 5 is at an advanced beta stage, so it shouldn’t be too long now. Some rumors say it may be as soon as October 10th.
Since they announced iOS 5 features, they teased us by saying sometime this Fall. Don’t you love it when they do that? In the northern hemisphere, that can be anytime between late September and December. I hope the rumors are true and it comes out very soon!
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Listener Pat asked: “I have an iMac with Airport Extreme and I’m wondering if there are any WiFi headphones I can get, so I can listen to internet programs while working outside in the yard. Thanks for the informative show.”
We have heard from a few WiFi headphones, but haven’t seen them in action yet. The main advantage these would offer over regular wireless headphones is that some of them offer built-in software that doesn’t require an outside source to access online streams. The upcoming Nox Audio Admiral Touch, for example, is powered by Android and has access to Pandora.
Having said that, you could get similar functionality for cheaper with regular wireless headsets if you don’t mind leaving your computer running and not being able to change streams directly from your headphones.
You can find RF wireless headsets, that will work from any audio source that takes regular headphones, for under $20 online.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Steve in Lake Villa, Illinois listens to the podcast and asked: “My wife has a trade show coming up. Her company uses the iPhone 3G. We’re looking for something she can put on top of the phone to use as a credit card scanner. They rent them at the hall, but they’re very expensive and they’re a small company.”
There are a few options to do that. One that we came across is from a company you may be familiar with. Intuit, the people behind TurboTax, has their “GoPayment Mobile Credit Card Processing” service. This is compatible with many phones, including the iPhone. It’s an app that you can use with a card reader that plugs into your phone, or you can go without the card reader and type the information directly into the app. After the payment processes, it’ll give you the 
ability to text or email a reciept to your customer.
Of course, you’ll need to open a merchant account with Intuit for this to work, and like all credit card processing companies, they take a percentage of each sale. Depenting on your needs, the service maynot cost very much. If the business processes less than $1,000 a month, there is no monthly fee. If it does more than that, the fee is about 13 bucks a month.
There’s also a service called Square. With Square, you can accept credit card and cash payments on your iPad, iPhone or Android. All you do is sign up online and they mail you a free Square Card Reader. The reader plugs into the headphone jack. You then download a free app that works with the card reader. On their website, they say they charge 2.75% per card swiped (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover). You can access your money next day by linking your bank account for direct deposit.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Energizer: Several Weather Ready 2 LED Flashlights
Logitech: Tablet Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad
Otterbox: Several protective cases, including: Defender for iPhone 4 & Defender for Motorola Xoom Tablet
Philips: Sonicare AirFloss (interdental cleaner) … Experience a microburst of clean in-between.