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This week Dave and Rob bring you highlights from the 2012 SINOCES convention that recently took place in Qingdao, China. Find out how consumers are taking advantage of technology from that part of the world, where a lot of our electronics are made. Also, Mark and Chris are in-studio answering more of your tech questions.
Tech News & Commentary
Consumer Reports
with Donna Tapellini
The beach is certainly a great place for fun in the sun this summer, but it can be a dangerous place for electronics. To protect your gadgets, well, it’s all in the bag, says Consumer Reports Senior Editor Donna Tapellini.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
For Android:
• Mark recommends: Robin, FREE
“My app this week is Robin, a personal assistant from Magnifis. Robin is billed as “Siri for Android,” and we’ve all heard THAT before. Thing is, this time they might have actually got it right. I’ve used Vlingo and said on this show that Vlingo was the closest thing Android had to Siri, but it was still a long way off. Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” has a Siri-like voice assistant in it, but for those of us running the ubiquitous Android 2.3 “Gingerbread,” Robin appears to be growing into a rather nice program. It started out just doing navigation, and with every update they add another feature. Rather than trying to be all things to all people right out of the gate, Magnifis is building Robin one layer at a time. It’s gone from being curious, to being really useful, and I think in time it will be the personal assistant you’ve always wished Android had. Robin is available now, for free, in the Google Play Store.”
— Mark
For iOS:
• Chris recommends: Logos Quiz Games, FREE
“I’ve got a very simple app this week, called Logos Quiz Game. As the name suggests, it’s a quiz game where you have to guess what company or brand a particular logo represents. I first heard of this app from my daughter. I remember thinking “What a waste of time! That can’t possibly be any fun.” But I was surprised how addicting it can be. Especially if you are a competitive person like me. You can spend hours sitting around seeing who can get the most correct answers. If you get stuck, there are hints available. In fact, the more correct answers you get, the more hints you unlock. If you still can’t get it, you can post to twitter or Facebook to solicit help from your friends. The app is free in the iTunes App Store.” — Chris
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
Ralph in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM listens online asked: “I have a Kindle Fire and I have Internet in my house. I would like to take the Internet with me for the Kindle Fire. How do I go about doing that?”
There are rumors of a new Kindle Fire that may include 3G or 4G mobile access. The one available today, the one you have, is WiFi-only, so you won’t have able to just take the Internet with you by only taking your Kindle with you.
Obviously, you’re not limited to using your Kindle Fire on your own WiFi network only, so if another network is available wherever you want to use it, you can just connect to it but assuming you want to use it somewhere without WiFi, you can look at either a MiFi device or, if you have a smartphone, at a wireless tethering plan for your phone, that would give your Kindle Fire the 3G or 4G connection it’s lacking.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use aircards designed for computers. WiFi tethering is pretty much your only option to add mobile broadband capabilities to your Kindle Fire.
Having your smartphone tethered to your tablet might be expensive or it might be included in what you already pay, so you should check with your wireless provider. For example, T-Mobile wasn’t charging for tethering, nor does Verizon if you have one of their new Share Everything plans.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Jason in Wellington, Florida listening via our free Android app asked: “How do I make my smart phone battery last longer? I have a Samsung Captivate and I can only use it for about two hours before the battery goes dead. I’ve started carrying 3 extra batteries just to get me through school! It really gets on my nerves. Any tips? I don’t watch videos or anything … just check my email often or random Google searches. And when I’m done, I end all processes.”
Battery life is a major concern among smartphone users. But, there are some features you can turn off to help save some juice. We’ve talked a lot about it in the past, but it’s always to refresh our memory.
Some helpful tips we can give you include:
- Turning off Bluetooth. If you leave it on, it will keep searching for Bluetooth devices, which drains your battery.
- You can also turn GPS and Wi-Fi when you aren’t using them.
- Other smartphone users also turn to 2G radio coverage vs 3G or 4G, but beware … you won’t have the best Internet access possible.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
| HOUR 1 GUESTS | ||
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| At the “Into Tomorrow” booth | Gary Shapiro, President & CEO – CEA | Rob hard at work |
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| Almost a Dyson fan… | Watching Dave and Rob at work | This year’s innovation awards |
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Boingo: Several 60-day Certificates — With Boingo you can connect online at free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots.
Kingston: 16GB SD memory cards and a MobileLite G3 (USB 3.0 Card Reader)
Idea Incubator: Several txtRng — “the stylus with style”. This is a unique stylus Rob recently featured it on our Product Spotlight.
Radio Shack: Auvio Element Earbuds with Microphone