Tech News & Commentary
Jason in Prescott, Wisconsin listens to the Podcast asked: “Trying to create a media server to put my movies on so I can play them on my computer as well as my HDTV. I was wondering if there was any software to help me organize that.”
If you’re looking for home media servers, there are some ready made options you may want to look at, you can always look into building your own, but these may actually save you some money — and a lot of time.
For example, the Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD comes with a 1TB hard drive and it costs $230, it should be able to store a lot of movies for you, and you can just plug it into your TV and enjoy streaming media from the internet as well. LaCie offers the LaCinema Classic HD for the same price with 2TB of storage.
Now, you asked about software to help you build your own, depending on the operating system you choose to use, you can use something like the Ubuntu Media Server, which comes pretty much ready for use after installation, or you may benefit from looking at a third party program, for example, Plex is multi-platform, it looks very nice, and it will let you access streaming services and your media on a hard drive. Both of those options are free, so you won’t have to worry about licenses and they will have you up and running very quickly.
Another idea you should consider is using a NAS drive, such as the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 or the QNAP home Turbo NAS. There are many different brands and prices, but be certain that the device you’re looking at supports being a media server (if you’re using Apples, double check that it’s iTunes). Both of the brands we just named support all the usual DLNA protocols as well as Apple’s iTunes Media Server, so they should connect with just about anything. The value of using a NAS is, if you buy a dual or quad bay model, you can install hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration, meaning that the drives back themselves up and the failure of one or two drives won’t cost you your data.
Plus, NAS units are easily upgradable. You’re really buying a smart network attached box into which you install off the shelf SATA hard drives. For just a few hundred dollars, you’ve got a media server, network backup device, FTP server, shared network file storage, etc., etc. They may cost more than simple media servers, but they DO a lot more and they will allow you the safety of a RAID configuration to guard against hard drive failure.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports with Mike Gikas
Smart phones keep getting bigger and bigger screens, perhaps none quite as large as the mammoth Samsung Galaxy Note II. But does it have any other qualities besides being, well, big? Consumer Reports Senior Editor Mike Gikas is here to tell us how it did in their lab tests.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Google Drive, FREE
“This week, I’m featuring the Google Drive app for iOS. The latest version of this app, released just a week ago, adds some MAJOR new features. First off, it can now edit spreadsheets as well as documents, using a native iOS app. This makes editing sheets and docs a SNAP on your iPad. It’s smooth, easy to read, and easy to use. Second, the new version of the app adds “Save in…” support for other iOS apps that support it, allowing you to store files easily in your Google Drive. Every Google account gets a free 5GB Drive. Google Drive for iOS is free in the App Store and it’s a MUST GET for any iPad user who is plugged in to the Google cloud!”
• Chris recommends: Flick Golf!, FREE
“No clubs. No rules. Just flick, spin and curve your shots to try and sink that perfect hole in one. Watch out for the usual hazards; bunkers, trees, sand… and of course the wind!”
Guests in this hour:
Karl Seelig, Founder & CEO – RingPlus
Want to reduce your monthly cell phone bill? RingPlus wants to bring your cell phone bill down to zero.
Fred in Baton Rouge, Louisiana listening on 107.3 WBRP asked: “Just got a new computer with a DVD recorder on it. I don’t know what the differences between DVD minus R and DVD plus R. I’d like an explanation what DVD minus R does and is that what I’d be using to download music and videos?”
The formats are not very different. They’re basically a little like HD-DVD and Blu-ray. They were supported by different industry giants, but they’re so similar. That neither one of them really stopped existing. DVD+R does technically have some advantages, but they’re so minimal that they may not even justify the fact that the discs are more expensive.
If you want to store music and videos that you download, either one will work, and they’ll both have almost exactly the same amount of storage. So you can use either and as long as your drive can handle both, you’ll be fine.
The “plus” formats are somewhat newer than the “minus” formats (which according to the standards bodies should be pronounced “dash” and not “minus,” as in DVD dash R) and have advantages when you are using the DVD discs for data storage on a computer. However, the DVD-R “minus” format write-once disc is still considered to be the most compatible computer-burned DVD option you have. If you’re making a DVD movie for someone and you have no idea what sort of device they have for playback, DVD-R is your safest bet.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Lynne in Trenton, South Carolina listens via the iPhone App asked: “I want to know just how good are the SOLAR cell phone chargers and if you know what brand may be better than others? Thank you.”
You have several options depending on what you want to charge. If you just want to charge your iPhone, there are cases made by etón corporations that feature a solar charger in the back and let you slide your phone in like a regular case. The case is the Mobius and you can find it online for about $60.
If you want a little more flexibility, you can look at the Solio Bolt, it will cost you $70, so the price is not that difference and it is abole to charge just about anything that comes with a USB cable. The Bolt has a built in battery, and if you leave it out in the sun long enough to get the battery to full charge, it will hold enough power to charge a smartphone twice.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Susan in Porterville, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM asked: “At what age would it be good to get a child a tablet or e-reader? My granddaughter is 10 and she’s good with a cell phone, but I didn’t know if a tablet or e-reader would be good at this age..”
A full fledged tablet of course, is a little trickier, since they have access to other content online, so we can understand wanting to wait for that. But, an e-book reader is basically a book that changes text. If she can read a book, she can probably handle an e-reader just fine, in fact it may even encourage her to read more.
Even a tablet may not be a bad thing to buy her. They do come with parental controls, so you can set limits on the content she can have access to, and she could handle it just fine.
Just keep in mind that if you want to encourage her to read, a tablet will provide her with far more options, so she may choose games over books. If you just want to get her a device that she’ll love, well, a tablet will provide her with far more options than an e-reader, so she may like that better.
Right now, there are some excellent deals on tablets. If you don’t want to spend the $199 for a Google Nexus 7, you can find the original Kindle Fire tablet for $129. If you want something that’s more specifically designed for kids, the $199 Fuhu Nabi 2 appears to be the smart choice. It’s basically a Nexus 7, with the same qua- core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It has kid friendly apps bundled on it and a special curated app store with only “kid friendly” apps in it. You can find the Nabi 2 at Wal-mart or online at Amazon.com.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners:
Audiofly: Several AF33M in-ear headphones with microphone
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — A simple solution to tangled earbuds.
Magix: Copies of Music Maker 2013 Premium – Create your own cool tracks with more advanced tools, additional instruments, high-quality studio effects and more sounds & loops.
Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2013 Software with GPS Locator – The maps software comes with a GPS locator (in the form of a USB stick) that plugs directly into your laptop and provides full-screen navigation, spoken directions, and automatic rerouting.
PNY Technologies: ThinkSafe Portable MacBook Locking System & Security Clamp Combo — The ThinkSafe Portable MacBook Locking System by PNY secures your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac via your device’s hinge or built-in slot. The Portable Security Clamp provides a secure anchor point for your Laptop, Ultrabook, or MacBook – keeping your device secured.