Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Tech News & Commentary
Jim in Looneyville, West Virginia asked: “I live in the woods in West Virgina, miles from DSL, cable, and wifi and have no direct shot to satellite. I am searching desperately for a way to connecting to the internet?”
Jim, That’s a tough question, you don’t have many options left! If you get decent cell phone coverage, you can always try to go that route, but we do know people that don’t get strong enough cellphone signal to have decent internet at home, even in more urban settings.
There is a company called SolveForce that claims to have coverage in your area, they provide a solution that is a little bit like what we were just suggesting, they offer internet over 3G, but only fixed location internet, which makes it possible to build a tall antenna, aim it just right and get better reception that your phone would. You may want to call them and see if they can help you.
There is another option that may work for you: WiMax. WiMax internet is typically broadcast from cellphone towers and it can yield fast service, a single node can serve a very large area (over 30 miles), so they’re still a good option for companies looking to provide service to remote areas.
Look into a company called Broadband Blue, they serve your area and may be able to make WiMax available to you, but don’t expect great speeds, you can get as much as 30 mbps if you happen to be close enough to a node but, considering you’re not close enough to anything else, you probably won’t be, and nodes set up for larger distances have slower connections.
WiMax bandwidth is also typically shared, it can be set up to guarantee a specific amount of bandwidth per customer, but odds are it won’t be, at least not beyond a very low threshold.
As hard as it is to admit, there are some times where we need to make a choice between where we live and what kind of Internet access we can find. Unless, of course, you’re a billionaire buying a private island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest and you can afford to have your own fiber optic cable run under the bay. Not that anyone has done that. More than once or twice, anyway.
We’re Sorry to be a downer, but until they figure a way to transmit data through tree leaves, you might be facing a real uphill climb.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With James McQueen
If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party, you’ll probably spend more time thinking about the chicken-wing sauce than whether you’re getting the best out of your television. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a TV guru to get your set running like a champ in time for kickoff. Consumer Reports electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with a couple easy tips.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: LogMeIn Pro, FREE
- “This week, I’m sending my app in via remote control. It’s LogMeIn Pro, the mobile app version of the remote access system. I recently switched from GoToMyPC, after having some problems with their software, and bought a LogMeIn Pro subscription instead. As you can imagine, it worked great from my computer, but what about from my iPad and even my iPhone? I downloaded the iOS app on each platform and I’m happy to report that they work WONDERFULLY well. Performance is fast and smooth, and I’m even able to connect in an emergency using the small screen on my iPhone and launch an application back in the office. LogMeIn Pro does you no good at all without an annual subscription, but the mobile app is therefore free of charge. If you’re looking for a fast and smooth remote access to your home or office computer, and you want one that works on mobile devices as well, LogMeIn Pro gets my vote.” — Mark
• Chris recommends: Where’s Waldo?, FREE
- “Where’s Waldo? A twist to the classic game. Tap Waldo as he jumps across the screen. See how fast you can tap him! Try and get the lowest score.”
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
- Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Guest Segment:
Bill Mobley, CEO – FreeCast
a Java application which allows peer-to-peer streaming
Greg in Tennessee listening on SuperTalk 99.7 FM calling in from the app asks us: “I got a windows phone and I’m trying to use my computer to text and have it sync with my same number from my cell phone and do it from the computer keyboard. I’ve seen some program for androids and I know how you love Androids, but I’m trying to find something that will work with windows phones, and see if there is an app out there that can help me.”
Greg, There is an online service called Zipwhip, it allows you to send text messages on their website or from a program available for Windows, Mac and Linux, and have them go out from your phone number.
We haven’t actually used the service ourselves, but we know it’s compatible with AT&T T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, so you will most likely be covered, and since the text goes out through their server, your phone doesn’t matter.
You can also look at Google Voice. This VOIP service gives you a single phone number you can use for voice calls and text messages. Calls can be routed to any phone, whether it’s a mobile phone or a landline. Text messages can be sent and received using both a mobile phone and your computer, simultaneously. The service is completely free.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Google doesn’t love Windows Phone very much. While they support iOS and Android with an official Google Voice app, Windows Phone users are stuck with third party applications. MetroTalk is probably the best of these.
That’s the other good news. The other bad news is that MetroTalk will be closing down in May of this year, when Google begins enforcing a ban on third party Google Voice apps by shutting down the API they use. There is an HTML5 app designed by Google itself that was intended for BlackBerry users, and we hear that it works okay on Windows Phones as well.
So, kind of a mixed bag there, but it sounds like you may have some options.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Don in Minnesota calling in asked us: “My google mail sometimes goes out in seconds and most of the time takes five min. no matter if it is a long email or short. Could you help me and tell me why this happens? So far no one has the answer. Thank you.”
Don, How are you sending that email? If you’re mostly sending out emails via your phone, it could just be a quality of service issue, maybe you’re in a low coverage area and it goes out when you have internet access.
If you do have good service, though… we don’t have the answer either. Google mail should not be slowing down your emails on purpose.
You could try to clear cookies, and generally restore your browser to it’s default settings and see if that helps at all, but it’s mostly a desperate effort rather than something that makes sense.
If you’re using the Gmail web client or a native Gmail app on your computer or mobile device, you should receive a status message indicating that your email is being sent. When it says “message sent,” it should have gone out.
Do you see that message? Does it ever go away? What sort of Internet connection are you using?
If you are using the Google Labs “Undo Send” widget, you should know that part of the way it works is to delay message sending to give you a chance to reconsider. If you’re using that widget, perhaps you should consider giving it up.
Sorry we can’t be more specific Don, but we’ll need to know a little more about what you’re using in order to diagnose the problem for you.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Dwayne in Flowood, Mississippi listens on 97.3 FM calling in asked us: “I got a question about windows 8.1, I did it before accidentally… I did split screen with two apps showing, and I cannot get it back again, I don’t know what I did to do that, but i would like to know how to do that.”
In order to split two applications, first make sure both applications are open and one of them is in full screen mode. Next, move the cursor or your finger to the top left corner to see the apps that are opened. Then drag the app you want to split on top of the full screen, and hold it until it splits screen and then release.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yos “A clever solution to tangled earbuds”.
Bits Limited: Mini Squids — Travel-Sized surge protected power strips
Datawind: UBISLATE 7Ci, 7” Android tablet with Wi-Fi, internal microphone and camera, and expandable MicroSD memory.
Dane-Elec: Mobile Junkie Media Streamer – Stream content from a flash drive or SD card to your Smartphone or tablet. (And, it also acts as a mobile charger!)
“Into Tomorrow”: Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!
Tylt: A plethora of USB charging cables for iPhone and Android phones and iPhone battery cases.