HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Mike in Raleigh, NC listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: “I’ve heard a lot of comments about Macs being virus and spyware resistant. but I was wondering is there a need to actually have a spyware or malware or virus client on a MacBook?”
We’re not sure where you heard that Macs were spyware and malware “resistant,” because they’re not. Because Macs make up around 10% of the computer market, those who write viruses and malware are far more likely to target Windows than Mac. But, Mac viruses and malware do exist.
Apple’s current version of OS X, “Snow Leopard,” includes a built-in antivirus tool that is tuned to specifically catch some of the more common Mac-focused Trojans. That’s much better than having nothing at all, but most computer security experts say that you need more protection than that.
The usual Big Two are present in Mac antivirus: Norton and McAfee. However, most Mac experts warn their products don’t seem optimized for OS X and can slow your system down. The programs we’ve heard the best things about are Intego’s Virusbarrier X6, which is a Mac native (and Mac ONLY) product, Kapersky antivirus for Mac, and the Sophos antivirus for Mac (the Home Edition of which is free for personal use). We’ll have links to the various web sites in this week’s show notes.
To be fair, Mac’s AREN’T as prone to viruses and malware as Windows is. But to be fair both ways, simply being a lower profile target isn’t the same thing as being “resistant.” For example, Rob uses a FREE program called iAntiVirus from PC Tools on his Macs — both iMac and MacBook. According to the iAntiVirus website, “Its database has been designed to detect and remove Mac specific threats, which enables a high level of protection whilst keeping memory footprint and resource usage at a minimum.” So far, both of his Macs are performing well and haven’t infected. It did take a year for him to be convinced to install some kind of antivirus protection. But, he gave in.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
“Consumer Reports” Feature with Donna Tapellini – “Dell Mini Duo”
Consumer Reports gives us a first look at the latest technology: the Dell Inspiron Mini duo, a netbook/tablet combo. Donna got her hands on one before they hit the store shelves and has a mixed review.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
- For Android: Pen Reader.
- For BlackBerry: Did you know?
- For iPhone/iPad: Cut the Rope
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
Guest in this hour:
Chuck Hamby, Public Relations Manager – Verizon Wireless
Verizon’s 4G LTE rolls out this weekend (Dec. 5th). Find out how this will affect you.
Eric in Kansas City, Missouri asked: “I was gonna buy an iPad for my mom. She has a desktop PC at home and has her own marketing business so she’s always doing TV commercials and does a lot of pictures with her graphic designer. Didn’t know if I should get her a regular laptop instead and didn’t know what her capabilities would be with her PC back at home.”
We’ve said this many times: An iPad is not a computer. You will be unhappy with it if you expect it to be a tablet computer. It’s terrific for consuming content, not so hot for creating it. Now that may change as more support for the iPad comes online. For example, Google Docs recently added support for iPads to edit their online documents. Previously, they could be viewed but not changed.
If she’s going to be editing pictures, or in some other way creating content, then do her a favor and get her a computer instead. However, if she wants a highly portable, elegant and intuitive way for displaying content on the go, an iPad would be perfect.
We think she would love an iPad, however, it won’t be as practical for her business. It would only be a good novelty gift for her, so a laptop makes sense. That being said, a good alternative would be the MacBook Air if it fits in your budget. It’s about $170 more than the top of the line 64 GB 3G + WiFi iPad — the 11″ starts at $999. It’s practically an iPad with a computer keyboard and camera minus the multi-touch screen. The graphics card is the same one used in MacBook Pros, so it’s powerful enough to handle image/graphic editing.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
George in Warwick, New York listens to our podcast and sent us the following email:
“Dear Dave and Crew, I listened to you talk about the demise of Sony’s Walkman on your last show and I would like to comment that I still have and use my Walkman. I commonly record NPR shows from my FM receiver through a Pioneer component timer to a Pioneer tape deck when either I am not around when the show airs or it’s not convenient to listen to the show at that time. I either play the show back through my stereo or take it with me and listen on the Walkman. I have been doing this for years as a way of listening to programs I wouldn’t ordinarily hear. The cassette is NOT completely dead.
My question to you is: I finally replaced my 8 year old computer running Windows XP and purchased a new quad core machine running Windows 7 Home Ultra 64 bit. I used a lot of programs on my old machine that I really like or cannot get anymore. When I tried to install some of them on my new machine, the installer told me that the program is not compatible with Windows 7. I know that in Windows XP there was a compatibility mode that let you run programs written for Windows 95/98. Is there anything like this in Windows 7? It won’t even let me install the program no less try to run it.
I love your show and have been a listener for years.”
Microsoft has included a couple of ways to run old XP programs on Windows 7, the best one is called XP mode and it’s a free download from Microsoft’s web site.
What it does is run a copy of Windows XP inside a Windows 7, that way the program runs in it’s native environment even if you’re running the newest version of the OS.
However you may have a problem with that option: You must have a Windows Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate edition to download it, Home and Starter versions are left out, so you may need to try option two: something Microsoft calls the “program compatibility troubleshooter” and which is designed to detect and fix common problems that keep old software from running on Windows 7.
To access it right click on the program that won’t run and click on “Troubleshoot compatibility”, then you will be asked some questions about the program and Windows will change that individual program’s settings to try to mimic the environment in which it used to run.
That is not guaranteed to make your legacy software run like it should or even at all, some old software may never work or work well with 7, but it may bring some of that old software back to life.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Vince in Albuquerque, New Mexico listens to our podcast and asked us the following question: “I have a blackberry Bold with Verizon. Is it possible to watch movies on the Blackberry Bold? If it’s possible, how do I do it?”
You can watch movies on a Blackberry Bold, in fact it will even play video on a lot of different popular formats.
Basically any movie that will play on an iPhone will probably play on the Bold as well, and the Bold will also play AVI, DIVX and XVID movies, all three popular formats that Apple doesn’t support.
To get the movies on to your Bold you will have to use your computer, you can use Desktop Manager or you could transfer the file using “Mass Storage Mode” (you will be asked if you want to use “Mass Storage Mode” when you plug your BlackBerry into your computer), if you are comfortable navigating through the folders your phone created on the memory card this mode is perfectly ok, just find the media folder and drop the videos there from Windows Explorer.
If you’re not so comfortable making your way through the directories on the memory card just stick to the Desktop Manager, you’ll have an option to manage your media and you can upload your movies straight to your phone from there.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
D-Link: Several MyDlink-enabled Wireless Network Cameras to keep an eye on your home.
Honestech: Copies of Claymation Studio 3.0 Deluxe with PC Camera included – stop motion video creation software
TrenMicro: Copies of Titanium 2011 — Maximum Internet Security including 10 gigs of online backup.
TuneUp: Copies of TuneUp Utilities – Optimization software for PCs.