HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
On the show this week we talked about a NASA humanoid robot that was recently woken up in space and immediately started tweeting, here’s a picture of it:
Robonaut 2 at the Space Station
Terry in Memphis, Tennessee listens on 98.9 FM and asked: “I have a Verizon phone that has a bunch of personal pictures. Verizon won’t turn the phone on because I actually owe Verizon a little money. How can I get videos and pictures off a G’Zone Casio Verizon phone without actually turning on the service. I took it to a couple places and they have no idea how to get the pictures off. ”
You didn’t tell us which particular model of phone you have, which is going to make answering this question rather difficult. Casio’s G’zOne phones have three models, the Commando, the Brigade, and the Ravine (which replaces the Rock).
The Commando is an Android phone, so we’re going to guess that’s not the phone you have. Because getting pictures off an Android phone is as simple as connecting it to your USB port, then pulling down the notification bar and making sure the phone’s “USB Connection” setting is on “Mass storage.” That’ll make an Android phone appear as a disk drive letter to your computer, and you’re all set.
The Brigade and Ravine are Verizon “feature phones,” which is code for “not running any useful operating system.” In order to get your pictures off the phone, you’ll need to follow a series of steps to move them to the phone’s memory card. Both phones use a microSD card stored under the battery. Once you get the pictures on the memory card, power down the phone, remove the card, and then you can read it in a computer (assuming that you have a microSD to SD adapter and either a USB card reader for that, or a computer with an SD card slot on it).
Here’s the step-by-step process straight from Verizon Wireless’ own website.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer
Reports Feature with Carol Mangis
Forty-nine days after its introduction, HP announced that it would discontinue its TouchPad tablet. Carol Mangis, Web Editor for Consumer Reports, discusses the implication of this news for TouchPad owners.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
For Android:
• Mark recommends: Buildings, FREE
“My app this week is ‘Buildings,’ an app that is powered by ‘OpenBuildings.com.’ When you open it, you will shown a list of buildings near your current location that have either an interesting architectural history, or are historical in general. As someone who enjoys local history, and doesn’t mind driving around to look at stuff, I find this app to be quite fun. Sometimes the information is out of date, but the history of various buildings and places is FASCINATING to read. The information is uneven, however, with some buildings packed with info while others barely have any. But the app is free, and when it’s good – it’s QUITE good. You can download Buildings from the Android Market, and did I mention it was free?” — Mark
For iOS:
• Rob recommends: BuzzMob, FREE
“The latest in the social networking world. It’s dubbed ‘Social Media for Real Life.’ It integrates social media with live, localized experiences. It connects users within the same physical vicinity to talk, share tips, pictures, and receive exclusive content from within a GPS-defined digital network. The developers say: ‘At concerts, sporting events, college campuses, shopping centers and more, BuzzMobbers can join or create the Buzz in a GPS-enabled ‘Ring’, where those on site can share messages, tips reviews, photos and other content in a contained community'” — Rob
• Chris recommends: Toaster Pop, $0.99
“Toaster Pop for iPhone and iPod Touch is a fun and addictive game of speed and skill! Created by Connor, a First Grader!
Toaster Pop is fun and easy to play! Swipe toppings onto each slice of toast as you race against the clock. Top as many slices of toast as you can before time runs out! Toaster Pop features six fun levels”
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
What are your favorite apps?Let us know!
Guest in this hour:
Eric Klein, Senior Manager of Online Strategy – PC Tools
Security researchers say the rollout of new social media sites and features are leading to a fresh crop of online scams and threats. What top threats should consumers be on the lookout while joining or engaging on social networks?
Ray in Niagara Falls, New York listening online asked: “I’d like to know what you could tell me about the ‘Chrome Notebook’ I think it’s called. It’s on the Google OS.”
There isn’t just one Chromebook, there are two. Samsung makes one with a 12.1″ screen and Acer makes a smaller model with an 11.6″ screen. They run the same processor, the same SSD drive, and the same amount of RAM. In fact, the only difference between them is that the Samsung offers a mini-VGA port for an external display (both offer HDMI output), the Samsung has a bigger, brighter screen, and it also has longer battery life. For that, you’ll pay $80 more than the Acer, which is smaller and lighter. Both machines come in a Wi-Fi only version (the Acer is only $349 in this style) and more expensive Wi-Fi plus 3G models.
Both come with an Intel Atom processor, 16GB solid state drive, and 2 GB of RAM. It’s got an antiglare display, which allows a reflection free surfing in brighter light. The design is sort of a hybrid between a consumer laptop and a low cost business model. It comes with a webcam, but unfortunately some people say it produces a dark, generally murky picture unless you have plenty of light.
Applications from the Google Web store aren’t installed locally, but rather on the Google server (of course you need a google account for that). Security is a main theme on Chromebook. As long as you trust the secure data in the cloud (Google’s Server) you could even lose your Chromebook and not have to worry about someone accessing your data. When the Chromebook is fully shut down (not in standby mode) all the locally stored data is deleted.
Chromebooks are available online at stores like Amazon and Best Buy.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
“Wireless Update” Weekly Feature with Chuck Hamby
We’ve seen some terribly severe weather lately with tornadoes, flooding, fires and more. And this time of year heightens many of these dangers. Chuck Hamby of Verizon Wireless, do you know how to stay safe?
Ken in North Miami, Florida listens to the Podcast¸ and sent us the following comment: “Finally traded in my flip phone for an HTC Inspire. Listening to your show made me go out and get a new phone. Thanks for doing a good job.”
Our pleasure Ken. Glad you’re happy and thanks for letting us know!
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
C.Crane: Several Super USB WiFi Antenna
Endangerbles: Several music CDs to help children learn about endangered species
Logitech:Several items, including … Tablet Keyboard for Android 3.0+ and an m315 Wireless Mouse