HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
Brian in San Antonio, Texas listening on Sirius 108 Ch.108 asked: “I’m ready to buy a video camera. I have a 7 month-old baby and want to capture all the memories. In the $300 to $1000 range, what camera do you recommend? I’d like to record on an SDHC Card. Even though I don’t have an HDTV, I want good enough quality so it would look good on a big TV.”
A camcorder we’ve talked about a lot on the show is the JVC Everio. They have both standard and HD versions, and most have both flash memory and are compatible with SD memory cards. It makes it easy to transfer the content to a computer. And all Everio models fit under your budget, as they range from just over $200 up to $1000.
Another camera we would recommend is the Sony HD Handycam HDR-CX300 that we’ve been carrying with us. This would come in under budget at just about $800. It’s small, but records great video quality. However, this uses Sony’s own Memory Stick and not an SD card. But, it would work in a similar way. Also, keep in mind that they come with a USB cable you can use to transfer the media as well.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
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George in State College, Pennsylvania listening on WRSC 1390 asked: “Android and one of the apps. Not able to get rid of or uninstall the Google Goggles App. Just wondering if that’s possible to do.”
1) Go to the phone’s settings. You can do that by pushing “Menu,” while on the home screen, and going to “Settings,” or by opening the slider that contains all of your applications and looking for the “Settings” app.
2) Once you’re there, scroll down the list until you find a row labeled “Applications.”
) In “Applications,” go to “Manage Applications.”
4) Once you get to this screen, you’re going to see a long list of everything installed on your phone, from the apps you’ve installed from the Android Market to such basic things as the on-screen keyboard.
5) What you’re looking for here is an item called “Goggles.” When you find, it touch it to open it and you should see a button labeled “Uninstall.”
6) Touch that button and confirm that you want to uninstall.
What The Tech?
President Obama recently dissed technology … Claims he doesn’t know how to work an iPad or iPod or an Xbox or PlayStation.
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Guest in this hour:
Lonny Paul, Director of Interactive Media – CompUSA
CompUSA has partnered with Lions Gate Entertainment to bring you an insane sweepstakes. You can win an all-expense paid trip to the premier of KILLERS, a new film starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl on June 1st. Or better yet a PC worth $10,000!
“Into Tomorrow” Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza: ioSafe Solo External Hard Drive — Click Here or on Rob’s face for details
Aaron in Yuba City, California listening to the podcast asked: “I have had issues in the last few years with vandalism in my neighborhood. I thought about getting a video surveillance system, but would really like a wireless one, so I don’t have to crawl around in the attic to put the wiring in. Is there a good wireless surveillance system that links to a DVR and connects to the network, so I can have access from any web browser and on my Droid phone?”
Aaron also sent us the following email and said: “The question for today, which is my first question for the show, is brought about by me finding my motorcycle tipped over in my driveway this morning. I will obviously have to make room in the garage to keep the bikes safe, but I’d still like to be able to monitor the perimeter of my home, day, and night, to see who might be trespassing and/or vandalizing/stealing. In the past, a neighbor kid has egged one of our vehicles (at least we believe it was him), slashed tires on the street side of ours and various neighbors’ vehicles, and gotten caught “red handed,” so to speak, after spray painting on about ten of ours and neighbors’ vehicles one night. Thankfully, my understanding is that he is no longer living in our neighborhood, but the recent finding this morning has me particularly irritated, and I’d really like to catch whoever might do this sort of thing on video so I can identify him to the police.”
The video surveillance category has grown tremendously over the last several years. What’s good about that is that there are so many options available. There are systems out there that will do everything you want.
What you need to be careful about, though, with the wireless video systems is interference and distance. Hard-wired cameras are still the best and most reliable way to go. With the wireless, once you get beyond a certain distance, it simply won’t work. That distance becomes a lot shorter when you start getting things like walls and roofs in that “line of sight” to the receiver.
Many larger hardware and home improvement stores sell some surveillance systems that may work for you. They will generally have a couple setup, so you can take a look at them and compare features, image quality, and that sort of stuff. One brand we found that matched most of your requirements was the Swann Security DVR4-2000 with 4 bundled outdoor wireless cameras. This system features remote Internet access for PCs and smartphone access for iPhone 3G and 3GS, Windows Mobile 6.0, and Symbian S60 phones. Now, we know that none of those were Android, so you’re out of luck there for the time being, but for others listening perhaps this can help.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Concord Keystone: Several Easy Shot Clip, Ultra Mini Digital Video Cameras
iosafe: Several ioSafe Solo USB External Drive – Protects against Fire, Water and Theft SIZE? VALUE?
Klipsch: Image X10i In-Ear Headset w/ Mic & 3-Button Remote Headphones.