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Tech News & Commentary
Marty in Winchester, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 asked: “I was looking for an app for an Android for an anti-virus scan to help my phone if there’s a virus on it.”
Marty, Unless it’s rooted, you probably don’t need any kind of antivirus for your Android device, they don’t work the same way computers do and can’t just infect other files or apps outside of their small domains.
Having said that, just about everyone from AVG, to Avast, to Bitdefender, to Kaspersky, to MalwareBytes, to really just about everyone else.
Some like Avast offer special tools for users with rooted devices, to try to limit the risk of having apps that can suddenly escape their sandboxes, others basically run a scan of what’s installed and give generic advice as to what apps can be a “privacy risk” by storing cookies or uploading usage information.
Just keep in mind before you worry too much about an antivirus that Google scans every app before they’re uploaded to the Play store, the only problem used to be sideloaded apps that you download from other sources and copy onto the phone yourself, however, since Android 4.2, those are ALSO scanned when you add them to your phone.
If for whatever reason an app evaded Google’s scans and they find out later that it was malicious, they can (and have in the past) remotely uninstall it from your device.
Antiviruses on non-rooted phones are basically placebos to make you feel safer. They do a few semi-useful thing, like letting you know if a website seems fishy, but they’re not very useful. If your phone is rooted, then focus mainly on antivirus apps that specifically offer features for rooted phones.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Travis in Haughton, Louisiana listens on 710 KEEL asked: “I was listening and they were talking about an FM radio chip that was in our cell phone devices that was disabled. How do I enable that or is it possible?”
Travis, The answer was that it’s not possible to enable this chip, Travis. The chips that are used in smartphones are very similar to the chips used in any kind of portable radio receiver, and as such they have capabilities to meet a wide range of applications.
Unless a smartphone was specifically designed to connect the chip inside with the supporting hardware needed to turn it into an FM radio receiver, there’s nothing you can do to cause that to happen.
But, as we noted the last time we talked about this, it’s the rare broadcast radio station these days that doesn’t already have a streaming audio feed over the Internet. Also, apps like TuneIn Radio give you access to hundreds of radio stations from all over the country.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Adam Elkassas, Co-Founder – Down to Chill
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
The breakthrough for magnetic recording came in 1933 with the invention of the first recorder named “Magnetophon” by the German Eduard Schueller. One year later the chemical company BASF finished the development of the necessary magnetic tape, coating an acrylic tape with iron. In 1935 Schueller’s lab model together with the tape by BASF became reality at the Big German Funkausstellung with the “Magnetophon K1” by AEG. The first tape recorder in the world was a sensation at this show which today, is named IFA.
Steven in Fairbanks, Alaska listens on KFBX and is calling via the App asked: “I’m wondering what you guys would recommend for a cell phone signal booster. We live off the grid, so it would have to be something of lower wattage.”
Steven, In terms of signal boosters– going online to find one may be your best bet because they tend to be more affordable, and getting a high-quality one is probably really important in your case because you are living off the grid. Wilson Electronics offers a few signal boosters that run a bit high in price, but may be totally worth your time.
The Wilson Electronics DT 4G for a small home or office is actually listed as a best-selling item on Amazon. It will work with all major cell-phone carriers and comes with an instructional video for smooth and easy setup. Installation can be tricky, and requires users to be meticulous with placement of an inside and outside antenna– but with a 30-day money back guarantee PLUS with that instructional video … how can you go wrong? This signal booster runs about $330 on Amazon.
If you are looking for something a bit less pricey, zBoost also offers a few signal boosters– two of which are among the top five best-sellers on Amazon. The zBoost ZB545 SOHO signal booster is listed as the #1 best selling signal booster on the entire site and comes in at various prices depending on the square footage of your home.
For example, at 750 square feet, it will only cost $204 and at 10,000 square feet it will cost $330– the same price as the Wilson Electronics one specialized for small homes and offices.
We’re not sure what carrier is providing your service, but you also might want to consider heading over to their nearest store OR website and checking out what signal boosters THEY have.
The last thing you’d want is to purchase a signal booster that doesn’t work for your phone, so be safe and check out specifics on all these products before jumping the gun.
And as for “living off the grid,” we’re not sure what that means regarding your power source. If you mean that you run on solar or wind power with batteries for storage, then you’ll be pleased to know that these kinds of devices don’t draw an enormous amount of power. Like any electronics, it’s modest. Running a toaster for a few minutes is probably the same as a full day of the signal booster.
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
Burg: Burg 16A Smartwatch – connects with iOS and Android phones, offering handsfree calling, text and e-mail notifications and more!
Education.Com: Several “Brainzy” 12-month codes for online early-learning programs for math and reading. If you’ve got Kids … you WANT one of these!
HD Radio: “Into Tomorrow” branded Portable AM/FM/HD Radios – these are in high demand and give you more FREE radio — the way it should be!
LG: An LG ‘G’ Vista Smartphone with an extra large display and good battery life.
NanoTech: Several UltraFlix Gift Cards for 4K Content, like movies and a ton of other cool stuff. Let us know if you have a 4K Ultra HD TV!
NovaPhotos: A couple of their cool Bluetooth off-camera FLASH units for iPhone (that we featured in a recent ITTV piece). Perfect for Selfies. They have 40 LEDs!