HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Chris in Columbia, Mississippi listening on KFRU 1400 AM and her iPhone asked: “We have a daughter going to France to study abroad. We currently use AT&T as our cell phone provider. I’d like to know what to do for her while she is in France for cell phone use for her to use locally. She does not have an iPhone yet, but if that’s necessary, we can provide that. If you could give us some guidance on her local communication that would be helpful. We do plan to use Skype to communicate with her on a regular basis, but I’d like for her to have a cell phone to use while she’s there.”
While an iPhone would be a good option to have, since it works internationally, being a GSM phone, it would be very costly. If she uses any phone on AT&T’s network, international roaming charges will be astronomical.
You mentioned she will be using it “locally.” Instead, she can probably rent a phone locally for a lot less money, or Euro over there.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
“Consumer Reports” Feature with Mike Gikas
AT&T is out with its first 4G phone, the HTC Inspire. But do the phone and the network live up to the hype that they provide the fastest downloads over a cellular network? Consumer Reports Senior Editor Mike Gikas took it for a test run, and here’s what he found.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
- For Android:Dave recommends: Swype
- For iPhone/iPad:Rob recommends: Toilet TicklesChris recommends: Crosswords
- For BlackBerryMark recommends: RIM’s own BlackBerry Podcasts
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
What are your favorite apps?Let us know!
Guests in this hour:
• Tom Markworth, Director, Product Management – Roku
Roku believes anything you want to watch, listen, and enjoy should simply be there on your TV, whenever you want it. They have updated their line of Roku Players.
• Terry Goertz, Co-CEO – ParkVu (Music with Me)
Music WithMe puts your iTunes library on your smartphone wirelessly.
Jesse in Windale, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: “Wondering about the best battery chargers. My son plays a lot of video games and I’m spending a lot of money on batteries. Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart love me! Trying to figure out the best battery charger on the market and what you’d recommend.”
Please keep in mind that some hi-tech devices require more of a punch than some rechargeable batteries can provide. If the video games become sluggish, you’ll know. But, we do recommend that you try a charger and see. Here are a couple of options for you:
1) 6 Bank Universal Battery Charger – It’s a device that will charge your AAA, AA, C and D batteries. It will charge both NiCad and NiMH batteries and offers short circuit protection. You can buy it online for under $80.
2) LaCross BC-900 – It will charge AA and AAA batteries at the same time and offers up 4 separate LCD displays so you can watch as each battery becomes fully charged. There are 4 modes to choose from and the heat monitor prevents overcharging and “burning out” the battery. You can buy it online for under $45.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Improv Electronics: Several Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablets in a variety of colors and accessories including sleeves with stylus holders & magnet kits.
Intuit: TurboTax Deluxe Online – Several Pre-Paid Codes
Screen Guard: Foam Cleaning Spray with microfiber cleaning cloth to clean all of your electronic devices
SmartShopper Electronics: Several SmartShoppers — Electronic Grocery List Organizer