HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Trevor in Alaska sent us the following Facebook message: “Ok Rob, so being the tech type guy you are, I thought maybe you could help me. A friend of mine sent me a couple videos of herself, but when I went to play it, all I got was the audio. I tried playing in on Windows Media Player. I even tried on my iPhone. Do I just need a bigger hammer or should I just wrap it all up in det cord and blast it into next week? It’s a dell laptop if that helps at all.”
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Wesley in Plantation listening to the stream asked: “Interested in a Slingbox. I hear people talking about it and wondering what it entails and what the benefits are of having it.”
Benefits of having a Slingbox is that you can watch live TV programs, or recorded programs, from the Internet, or from a mobile device, wherever in the world you are. For example, one of our biggest uses of Slingbox is every time we’re in Tokyo with very little English on TV, we watch our shows, even our own live local news back at home. Even with the 12 hour time difference, it may be morning news in the evening, but it’s still our TV, back here in Miami.
If you are on vacation a lot or are away from your TV a lot, we think it’s a good thing to have. There is the Slingbox Solo for about $180, which only in standard-def, but if you want HD, there is the Slingbox Pro HD for about $300, which is what you need if you want the high-def.
Cliff in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: “When I check text messages on my BlackBerry, it will jump to about a month back, and then I have to scroll with the wheel all the way back to the top. There is a button you can press to have it go to today’s date.”
When you open the text messaging app on your BlackBerry, the newest messages will always be on the top of the file. You can press the “T” key to instantly jump to the top of the file. That actually works in many, if not most, BlackBerry apps.
IFA2010 Update
Learn about the rich history behind one of the largest consumer electronics trade shows we report from each year in Berlin, Germany.
William in Southwest Michigan sent us the following email and said: “You criticized Steve Jobs for choosing not to use Flash on Apple’s mobile devices. If your argument is that Flash is a “standard” and just needs improvement, recall who is responsible for doing that. Adobe. If Adobe wants to see Flash everywhere, they could offer Apple a license to develop their own native Flash player. I’m sure Apple could re-write Flash in Objective C and adapt it for touch-sensors. But Adobe hasn’t done that in the three years since the iPhone came out without Flash. And they seem incapable of doing the work themselves. Perhaps, you should be criticizing Adobe for not improving Flash for anything but Windows. Begin by asking how many programmers work on the Mac version.”
We did, in fact, criticize Apple for not supporting Flash on their iOS, as the portable operating system has come to be known. The security vulnerabilities that Apple seems unable to accept don’t seem to be causing any problems to the Android developers. Flash is working very well on our new EVO, for example.
We are not the ones who have made Flash into a virtual standard on the web. That was done by the programmers and web developers who chose to use it. Were it not for Flash, there might never have been the explosion of streaming video content we have today. We’re old enough to recall the bad old days when you had to download a “compatible player” in order to see online video. Our point is not that Apple is bad. Apple makes fine products. They make good decisions, and they make ones that are bad, in our opinion at least.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Mike in Idaho Falls, Idaho asked: “Wondering if there’s a legit program where you can get satellite TV on your computer so that if you’re out at a place with a Wi-Fi connection, you can get your satellite TV.”
There is a product that will allow you to watch your home TV from anywhere in the world. In fact, we were talking about it on the show last week. The Slingbox connects to any source (a cable box, a satellite receiver, etc.) and will allow you to use your broadband connection to access and watch your TV from anywhere (Assuming you also have a broadband connection at the other end.).
There are a couple models available. The standard definition, Slingbox Solo, sells for about $160, and the Slingbox Pro HD sells for about $300. Once you buy the box, there is no monthly fee to use it. You just login from your laptop and watch away.
You can also purchase the Sling Player Mobile, which works with the set top box, to allow you to watch from your mobile phone. It’s compatible with BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Symbian, PalmOS and iPhone. That software is an additional $30.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Gary in Hallsville, Texas listening on 710 KEEL asked: “iPhone, I go to a lot of streaming stations, but you can’t download Adobe to an iPhone and I wondered if there was any time frame for that to be taken care of. Also, I have a hard drive in a tower unit that I want to get some stuff off of, but it smokes a little bit when I plug it in. Really, not interested in spending a lot of money on it. Wondering what my options would be.”
Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has recently escalated an ongoing war between Adobe and Apple and explicitly stated that it would never happen. iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad are going to ignore Flash and wait for HTML5 to replace it, which everyone but Adobe seems to agree it will, but not in the short term.
Interestingly though, you can get other Adobe products, such as Photoshop mobile on the App Store, but Flash will never be a part of iPhone, as long as Steve Jobs is breathing.
As for your hard drive, we’ve never seen that, at least any drive that is supposed to be working, so we’re not too sure what to tell you about that.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Elizabeth in Naples, Florida listening to the stream via the app on her iPod Touch sent us the following email and asked: “I have a Samsung model number HL-84266W, and it keeps turning itself off, of course, whenever I sit down to take over the TV. Anyway, I have checked all cables, power etc. and they are fine, so I am not sure now what to do except pout.”
Our Director of Research, Jason, did a lot of digging to try and find out if this is a common problem, or something else. The answer from several different websites, including Samsung’s, say that this is not a common problem with that model TV and is something that may require your TV to be serviced.
The last thing you are going to want to check is to make sure that the rear ventilation hole is blocked. This will cause the internal temperature to get to high and the TV will power itself down to avoid causing damage to the TV.
Everyone should take the time every-so-often to carefully vacuum the air vents behind your TV and other electronics.
Guest in this hour:
Matt Knox, CEO – DiggersList
Here’s a little something off the beaten path of our normal consumer electronics, but it is on the Internet… Want to save money on your next home improvement project? DiggersList.com is a unique website that allows to buy, sell, trade or donate thousands of excess home improvement and construction materials.
Bill in Clarksville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: “Trying to figure out if there’s anything that can help me understand the wireless interference that’s going on in my house. I seem to drop the wireless signal all the time. Want to figure out if there’s a better way to position the router, or find out what’s causing all the interference. I have direct line of sight with the router and it still drops.”
Assuming your router is working properly, you’re probably facing just what you said, wireless interference. Since your connection drops under line of sight conditions, we can assume there’s something in the air blocking the signal from getting to your devices. The cause though could be a very long list.
Anything from cordless phones to microwave ovens to other Wi-Fi or WiMAX networks to outside antennas or wireless security cameras can affect a wireless network.
Unless you know you have one of those devices near your Wi-Fi router and you can move either the cause of the interference or the router, you should go to your router’s settings and change the wireless channel being used to broadcast the signal.
For more information, click here, or tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Katy in Dallas, Texas asked: “Looking for a new GPS. Which is the best, most user friendly and, also, not too pricey?”
Most are very affordable these days and there still are many to choose from. One that we can recommend right off is the Garmin nuvi 260 W. It’s a touchscreen interface that gives you turn by turn directions with voice-over guides.
Chris still uses the Garmin nuvi 660. That one has been discontinued, because it’s such an old product, but he has been extremely happy with it. Each year, he purchases the new maps and loads them into the device to keep it up to date. But he hasn’t really seen the need to upgrade.
Lonny in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: “I’m using a Razr-type phone on Verizon because it’s waterproof. I’m wondering if the (Casio G’zOne) Brigade will be as waterproof with the keyboard.”
The Brigade appears to be very tough and we’re told works great while fully submerged. The keyboard flips open.
When it was tested by Garwood Laboratories to military specifications, they immersed the phone under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes with, and this is key, all ports closed. That indicates they did not attempt to open or use the phone under water.
So, if you jump into the pool with the phone in your pocket, you won’t kill it. It will also be able to withstand driving rain and high humidity without any trouble.
Click here to view the video
Consumer Reports:
“FREE Wi-Fi” with Jeff Fox
When you’re out and about, sometimes you need more internet access than you can get on your smartphone or 3G network. If you’re working on a laptop, Netbook or iPad, there are ways to access hotspots. Jeff has some interesting info for you.
Dale in Mobile, Alabama listening on XM Ch.139 asked: “I got a 1972 (floor model) RCA and it keeps shocking me every time I touch it.”
Don’t touch it. That 1972 floor model is something special you have, but with a TV that old and it shocking you, maybe its time you come “Into Tomorrow,” and buy a newer TV. As far as why your TV is shocking you, we are certainly not electricians here, but there might be some loose wires inside of the TV. And when you touch the TV, your body is completing the circuit and that’s possibly how you are getting zapped.
First, unplug the set and then check the back of the TV and all outside wires to see if they are fraying or disconnected and see if you can fix it with some electrical tape. We wouldn’t recommend opening up the TV and looking around, unless you have training in that area, so your best bet might be to take it to a repair shop and see what they tell you to do.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.