HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
David in Scottsdale, Arizona asked: “Wondering about surge protectors. I’ve never used one and never had a problem. I don’t know if we’re just lucky. We live in Arizona and don’t have a lot of thunderstorms. I bought one that is 490 Joules and was planning to use it for my computer area and my home entertainment area. Didn’t know if it was enough”
Surge Protectors are a great first line of defense for your electronics. It’s not just lightning from thunderstorms that can cause problems. Many surges can even come from the power company.
There are a few things you want to look at when choosing a surge protector. You should find a couple of ratings on them. You want to first look for the Clamping voltage. This tells you what voltage will cause the MOVs to conduct electricity to the ground line. (The MOVs are what take the extra current during a surge and redirect it, keeping your equipment safe.) A lower clamping voltage indicates better protection. There are three levels of protection in the UL rating — 330 V, 400 V and 500 V. Generally, a clamping voltage more than 400 V is too high.
The next thing you want to look at is the Energy absorption/dissipation – This rating, which is the “joules” number you mentioned, tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 200 to 400 joules. For better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more.
Then you want to look at the response time – Surge protectors don’t kick-in immediately; there is a very slight delay as they respond to the power surge. A longer response time tells you that your computer (or other equipment) will be exposed to the surge for a greater amount of time. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than one nanosecond.
You should also look for a protector with an indicator light that tells you if the protection components are functioning. All MOVs will burn out after repeated power surges, but the protector will still function as a power strip. Without an indicator light, you have no way of knowing if your protector is still functioning properly.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer
Reports Feature: “Tablet Computers” with Paul Eng
A year after Apple introduced its iPad, there are finally some competitive tablet computers on the market. Consumer Reports has been testing them out and Paul Eng shares the latest findings.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
- For Android:– Dave recommends: The Nuclear Site Locator– Mark recommends: Amazon’s new duo of Cloud Player & Appstore
- For iPhone/iPad:– Rob recommends: ReRave from Step Evolution – $1.99 (Introductory Price)ReRave is a reaction and rhythm based game. It combines rhythm and timing, as well as placement skills to create a new genre of reaction entertainment. This is great for those looking for a unique, fun app. Other features: Facebook & Twitter Integration & supports all iDevices.- Chris recommends: Shave Me! (A good time-wasting app!)
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
What are YOUR favorite apps?Let us know!
Guest in this hour:
Dr. Susan Malinowsk, Retina Consultants of Michigan
Is 3D harmful to your vision? How does it affect kids? What about reading our small device screens? Dr. Malinowski is a prominent vitreo-retinal surgeon (in practice for 15 years) and shares her input with us.
Group discussion: The team discussed the New York Times Articles “Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not)”
According to article, we should get rid of these products:
1) Desktop Computer (Replace with a Laptop)
2) Point-and-shoot Cameras (if you have a smartphone)
3) Camcorders (if you have a smartphone)
4) USB Thumb Drives (Alternative: Share Files online with services like “Dropbox”)
5) Music Player (aka MP3 Player) (only if you have a smartphone)
6) GPS Unit
And keep:
1) High-Speed Internet at Home
2) Cable TV — depends. Casual TV viewers can get by with low-cost subscriptions to services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video.
3) Alarm Clock (Remember iPhones having alarm problems after daylight-savings time??)
4) Books (Far cheaper to replace then eReaders, and if they get wet, you don’t lose info entirely)
We also asked our Facebook friends and here are some of the answers we got:
Brittany wrote: What a horrible list!! Desktops are much better, the screen is bigger and instead of getting rid of it when it’s out of date, you can replace pieces at a cheaper cost than replacing a whole laptop! I kinda see about cameras, but USB’s are you kidding?! Who has time to email pictures and large amounts at that when I can drag and drop 200 pictures in the same amount as 3 pics via Internet. Camcorders will always be better than smartphones until they change how long you can record.
Trevor wrote: Umm … I would get rid of the New York Times … if I had it LOL
Rolando wrote: Basically everything! We are all too busy with our smartphones to be using anything, but the phones LOL … But, I guess phonelines are useless unless you have a business.
Bill wrote: Come on, cell phone for GPS for professional drivers who use it to keep track of monthly mileage? The data plan would cost more than a GPS unit. Another bad one is thumb drives extinct?? So loading drivers onto a thumb drive is no more? Doing an OS re-install requires no additional drives? The new camcorders that accept thumb drives for transfer are no good? Loading multiple OSs onto external drives is no more? What’s the biggest complaint of the iPad?? No USB port for adding memory or external drives thumb drives are not extinct to be.
Tom wrote: I will keep the thumb drives and micro/SD cards. My digital spring cleaning was in bundling cables into bunches behind the dresser and using the pogoplug to set up my media file center to reduce using the need for USB hubs.
Norman wrote: Sell your desktop and get a laptop. Get an iPod and sell your CDs. And buy a bigger iPod.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Wireless Update with Chuck Hamby from Verizon Wireless
We’ve been hearing so much about 4G wireless these days, but do you think 3G is going to disappear quietly into the night? We’ve asked our own pop star of wireless, Chuck Hamby, to tune us into the answer.
What do you think about Chuck’s singing prowess? Let us know and we’ll pass it on.
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.
iolo: Several copies of System Mechanic – Fix & speed-up your PC, Automatically
SmartShopper Electronics: Several SmartShoppers — Electronic Grocery List Organizer
ZAGG: A variety of goodies, including: ZAGGsparq battery packs, ZAGGMate iPad cases, dual USB 2.0 in-car chargers & XL gadget wipes.