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Tech News & Commentary
Gaylord in Detroit, Michigan listens to the podcast asked: “Do you know if Amazon is coming out with an updated or new Kindle Fire2 this year? I own the original Kindle Fire.”
According to rumors, there will be a Fire 2 this year. No one really knows exactly when it’s coming out. Some people say this summer, some say September, some say before Christmas. The only things all rumors seem to agree on are that it’s coming this year, and that it’s going to have an 8.9 inch screen.
Some people even claim we should expect 3 tablets, 2 7-inch ones with different resolution and an 8.9 inch. You should probably expect to see a new one soon, but when it will come out and what it will be like is pretty much still a mystery.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into
Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Group Discussion: Viper SmartStart Bluetooth Module
Julie in Hartsville, Tennessee listens on WTN, calling in via the App and asked: “I have a question about uploading video to YouTube, I have a Panasonic camcorder that’s not the newest, but when I upload my videos onto YouTube they become squished, I’m recording them at the 16:9 aspect ratio and I don’t think YouTube asks me any questions about how I wanted uploaded, but if you could help me I’d appreciate it.”
Aircards will most likely not work with many tablets at all. The Archos 101 G9 comes with a built in aircard, and it allows 3G tethering from a cellphone. But, for the most part if you want connectivity on tablets you will need either WiFi or a tablet with a built-in 3G or 4G chip.
If you’re willing to pay for an aircard just for the tablet, consider getting a 3G or a 4G tablet. If this is an aircard that you’d use with a computer as
well, then maybe you should look into getting a MiFi type of device. You’ll pay a monthly fee like you would with an aircard, but the WiFi network it creates can be used with any tablet you choose, and you could even use it with your laptop at the same time, as it supports more than one device simultaneously.
You don’t have to go through a cell phone provider to buy either an aircard or a MiFi. You can buy them through third party stores like Best Buy, but you will need to get service from someone, which may mean a contract
or a prepaid plan. Either way you’ll be getting it from a cell phone service provider.
The challenge on the North Slope is finding good coverage. Alaska Wireless has invested in cell towers that cover the Prudhoe Bay and surrounding North Slope areas quite well. They sell the Novatel MiFi device for $79 and their mobile broadband data plans are priced about the same as anyone else’s. 5GB of data per month will cost $29, 10GB is $59, and 20GB is $99. If you’re not in the Prudhoe Bay area, then we’d need to know more specifically where you are to suggest a provider, but Google can find one for you also. Search for your zip code and the nearest city name, combined with “cell phone coverage,” and you’ll hit a gold mine of information.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Dave Vigil, President – Snaptracs
What if your pet were to run away? Would you be able to find them easily? Learn about Tagg and see how it can help us track our beloved animals.
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
In 1933 at the 10th Funkausstellung, today known as IFA, several companies had already presented TV sets with bigger screens ready for the market, now about the size of a postcard instead of a postage stamp, with 180 lines and 25 frames per second. These receivers were expensive, but the engineer Dr.Walter Bruch from Telefunken developed a small and cheaper unit for the masses, named “Volksempfänger” which is German for “people’s receiver”. Two years later in 1935 the first regular TV broadcast in the world started in Berlin, with 90 minutes three times a week.
Rob in Hoboken, New Jersey listening online and calling in via the Free App asked: “I have a question about cell phones. Mobile phone screens are getting bigger and their processing speeds are getting faster, but still these phones can’t get you through a full day even if you’re using them lightly. When do you think manufacturers are gonna realize that battery life is a real issue for users?”
YouTube supports 16:9 aspect ratio for their videos, what your camera is calling 16:9 though, may actually be anamorphic video (especially if it’s old), which will look fine if you play it directly, but it won’t when you upload it
to something like YouTube or most of the other video-sharing sites. YouTube considers pixels to be perfectly square, so sometimes sources that claim to be 16:9 don’t show up as 16:9 in YouTube.
An easy fix for that is to add “yt:stretch=16:9” to your video’s tags, that will force the video to show in it’s intended aspect ratio.
In the future, if you import a video from your camera make sure that you use something like 640×360 or 853×480 as your resolution, and if you see an option for setting the “pixel aspect ratio” make sure it’s either 1.0, 1:1 or “square,” all of those will give you square pixels and they should work well with YouTube.
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
Boingo: Several 60-day Certificates — With Boingo you can connect online at free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots.
Kingston: 16GB SD memory cards and a MobileLite G3 (USB 3.0 Card Reader)
Radio Shack: Auvio Element Earbuds with Microphone
ZoneAlarm (Check Point Software): Download keys for ZoneAlarm Extreme Security