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Tech News & Commentary
Chris mentioned a sound system for a casket, here’s the link we promised: http://catacombosoundsystem.com/
Susan in Porterville, California listens on KTIP 1450 asked: “What are the differences between an e-reader and an audio reader and if there are some of them that have capability for both.”
An e-reader is basically a little tablet that will let you load books onto it and read them as you would read any other book, the words appear on the screen, when you’re done reading you push a button or touch or swipe the screen … and the next page appears.
An audio reader is not a term we’ve heard for a standalone device, but some devices have audio readers built in so that they can read the text that’s on the screen to the user. Similar to an audio book, only instead of having a professional human narrator they just use a computer voice to read the text.
Many e-book readers do have an audio reader function, Kindles have had it since day one they call it “text-to-speech”, Nooks do not allow it. Many can download audiobooks and play them back for you as well, again Kindles allow this, Nooks do not.
Tablets often allow both text-to-speech and audiobook downloads. Either as self contained audiobooks or as mp3s, and they generally have access to several ebook reading apps. So depending on whether you just want a dedicated reading gadget or one that does more, you may want to consider a tablet too.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports with Matt Ferretti
Call of Duty: Black Ops II was one of the most hotly-anticipated video game releases of the year. But should you add it to your holiday shopping list? Consumer Reports gaming expert Matt Ferretti shares his review of the game with us.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
• Listener Harold in Columbus, OH recommends: Draw Something, FREE
“Hi Dave, I’m a first time listener. You guys rock!!! I have an app for you guys in case you hadn’t heard of it. It’s called Draw Something. It’s like charades.”
• Rob recommends: My Lens Flare for Instagram, FREE
“Available for iOS devices. Lens Flare is great for the hardcore Instagrammers. You can create some eye catching photography. Like the name implies, you can add flare to your pictures. You know that reflective light you get when you point a lens to light? You can choose from several flare designs and adjust the size of the flare on each picture you edit. Just load an image from your camera’s photo library or capture a new one with the camera feature. Lens Flare automatically sizes your pictures to fit into Instagram’s standard size. Adjust the flare and you’re done. It makes some interesting pictures. You can download from the App Store for 99 cents. I looked for a version on Android, but couldn’t find one legit. There was one online, but it didn’t show up on the Google Play Store or Amazon App Store.” — Rob
Before
After
Guests in this hour:
Devin Giddens, Manager – uBreakiFix
When it comes to broken phones or tablets, how do you know when to replace vs. repair? Devin shares some helpful tips for smartphone and tablet owners.
Josiah in Wichita, Kansas listens via the Android App asked: “Hi Dave, I am looking into buying one of the Adobe program suites. I plan to use it for photo and video editing. I was wondering if the Production Premium would be best, or if the Master Collection would be better. Thanks and I love the show!”
If all you’re looking to do is photo and video editing, then the Production Premium bundle would cover your needs. That bundle includes 11 different programs, including Premiere for your video editing and Photoshop for your photo editing. It also includes many other programs for video like AfterEffects, Flash, Audition, Encore and so on.
The Master collection would probably be a bit much for you. It has everything that the Production Premium bundle has – plus programs like Acrobat, InDesign and Dreamweaver – for website creation. Of course since the Master collection has more stuff, you can expect to spend a bit more for it. It costs about $2,600 while the Production Premium bundle runs about $1,900.
With Adobe’s latest Creative Suite, you can now rent their programs in the cloud. They call it “Creative Cloud.” With a monthly subscription, you can get access to all of their programs from Creative Suite 6. Prices will vary based on the subscription plan you choose. For a single program or app, it’s $19.99 a month and that gives you 20GB of cloud storage. Or, for $49.99 a month you get the entire collection and 20GB of cloud storage. However, you have to commit to a year for that price (which adds up to $600 a year). Or you get the same package without the annual commitment for $74.99 a month. What we like about Adobe is that they let you try before you buy. They have a free 30-day trial and 2GB of storage. We’ll have a link for you on this weekend’s show notes if you want to learn more about their Creative Cloud.
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
Bedol: Several Bedol Water Clocks – A water powered alternative energy alarm clock. Does not require batteries or electricity. Just fill with normal everyday tap water.
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo – A simple solution to tangled earbuds.
Magellan: RoadMate 5265T-LMB GPS – With FREE lifetime map updates and traffic alerts.
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.