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Tech News & Commentary
Janet in Bristol, Connecticut listens to the podcast and calling in via the App asked: “I would like to buy a WiFi radio and I was wondering which one you’d recommend.”
We’ve heard good things about the Logitech Squeezebox Radio, it’s portable, has good sound and a lot of sources to choose from, but the optional battery and remote will cost you an incredible $50 on top of the $130 price.
You can check out the CC WiFi radio from C.Crane for $100, it comes with 3 quick-access preset buttons on the front of the radio, but using the remote, you can save up to 100 presets for quick access to stations but stations come pre-programmed.
If you want something more high end, the Sonos Play:5 will stream radio, let you play media files from your computers or network storage devices, and can be controlled by a smartphone, but it will cost you about $400.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into
Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Brett in Lexington, Kentucky listening on 1250 AM asked: “I’ve got a Samsung Epic on Sprint. It’s a great phone. The only problem I’m having is everything downloads to the internal memory. I have a card, but only a few things I can transfer to the card. Is there a way to move some of the programs stored on the phone to the SD card?”
To be able to move apps into the memory card the apps have to be set up in such a way that they’ll allow it, not all of them are.
You have a couple of ways to move everything you can to the memory card. Android leaves you with the hardest way, which is by looking at the application information for every single app you have installed and see if you get an option that says “Move to SD Card”. If you get the option, tap it and it will move it.
An easier way of doing it is by using an app called Apps2SD. It will search through all your apps and give you a list of the ones that can be moved. It will even give you an option to move all the ones that can be moved. The problem is that it won’t actually move them.
Instead, it will open the Application Info page for the first app, and wait for you to tap “Move to SD”. After you do, it will wait for the application to be moved by Android and for you to hit the back key. When you do, it will open the application information page for the second app and will wait for you to tap move to SD on that one. It will keep doing that until it can find no more more apps that can be moved. If you run into an app that you do not want to move, then you can just hit the back button and it will move on to the next one.
Keep in mind that moving apps (even the ones that are designed to be moved) can have negative consequences. The main one and first one you’ll notice is widgets. If an app includes a widget, you must keep it on the phone’s internal memory to have access to the widget, otherwise you won’t even have the option to put it on your home screen.
It’s also good to remind everyone that there are three different types of memory we discuss, when we’re talking about a smartphone. There is RAM for running apps, there is internal storage on the smartphone, and then there is external storage on an SD card (if the smartphone supports it and you have one). The reason this is an important distinction is that when you run out of RAM, your smartphone starts to run very slowly because apps have to be swapped in and out of memory as you use the phone. And if the internal storage fills up, you’re headed for major problems as there are some processes running on your phone that simply will not work without internal storage.
The iPhone avoids some of this confusion by not supporting expandable memory. You’ve got RAM for running apps and internal storage–however much you’ve paid for when you bought the phone, and that’s it. So when you’re considering purchasing a new smartphone, make certain you understand how much capacity you’ll be getting in all three areas. Mark’s Droid 4, for example, has 1GB of RAM, and that’s made a huge difference in simultaneous apps not slowing the phone down.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Jason in Wellington, Florida listening via our free Android app asked: “How do I make my smart phone battery last longer? I have a Samsung Captivate and I can only use it for about two hours before the battery goes dead. I’ve started carrying 3 extra batteries just to get me through school! It really gets on my nerves. Any tips? I don’t watch videos or anything … just check my email often or random Google searches. And when I’m done, I end all processes.”
Battery life is a major concern among smartphone users. But, there are some features you can turn off to help save some juice. We’ve talked a lot about it in the past, but it’s always to refresh our memory.
Some helpful tips we can give you include:
– Turning off Bluetooth. If you leave it on, it will keep searching for Bluetooth devices, which drains your battery.
– You can also turn GPS and Wi-Fi when you aren’t using them.
Other smartphone users also turn to 2G radio coverage vs 3G or 4G, but beware … you won’t have the best Internet access possible.
We’re wondering what our listeners do to save some battery juice. If there are some tips you’d like to share with our audience, please call us now: 1-800-899-4686.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guests in this hour:
Dan Boatman, Sales Manager – IK Multimedia
How can applications help you create music on your tablet or smartphone? IK Multimedia is a leading developer of music creation apps and accessories for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
Since the compact disc was such a huge success, the industry tried to develop the technology further. A photo CD for pictures, an interactive CD-I and a CD video format for up to 74 minutes of video were developed, but the capacity was limited at 900MB. So the industry jointly worked on a new system, based on the CD technology but with much higher capacity. In 1995 the Digital Video Disc, sometimes also referred to as Digital Versatile Disc, with a capacity of 4.7 GB was defined, nearly double that capacity in a double layer version. Of course IFA was the stage for the new DVD technology.
Willy in Bristol, Virginia listening online asked: “I’ve got an iPhone 4S on Sprint. Is it possible for me to be able to call 5 or 6 of my friends and connect them all to a conference call? If it is, how would I do that?”
An iPhone will allow you to make conference call with up to 5 people. What you need to do is call the first person, then tap “add call” and dial the number for the second person, once they pick up — tap on “merge call”, then just keep doing it until you’ve added all 5 members of the conference call. ROB: Keep in mind that you will be charged for every single individual call, whether the 5 are talking to each other or not. Sprint will consider each call a separate call. CHRIS: Also, depending on your plan, Sprint may limit the number of calls you can place at one time to less than 5. Five is the iPhone’s limit, not necessarily Sprint’s limit.
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:
Dane-Elec: Several 8GB USB Flash Drives from Marvel’s The Avengers Collection
Magix: Copies of Music Maker 2013 – Create your own tunes! Even beginners can easily create music.
Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 Software
Steve Nicholls: Copies of his book “Social Media in Business – Succeeding in the New Internet Revolution” – A guide to the understanding of social media’s business value.