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Tech News & Commentary
Nick in Decatur, Illinois listening on 100.9 WZUS asked: ” Which tablet should I get. One that may be used for word processing.”
Well, that all depends on your budget, most tablets offer apps that can handle basic word processing but if you want to create more advanced documents, maybe even store them online with Google Drive, or other services, then you really only have two options Android or iOS.
Pretty much any model will do, as long as the size, weight and screen is right for you. Since you are going to be spending some time looking at the screen, a high quality display is something to look into.
If you prefer Apple and iOS then the iPad is the one for you. It can handle popular apps such as “Pages”, “Quickoffice Pro” & “Google Drive” and with’em you can easily make documents with images, graphics and export’em to a variety of destinations. However, if your word processing requires Microsoft Word, and not just “any word processor,” you’ll need to look at a tablet running the full Windows 8 OS such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro or Samsung’s ATIV SmartPC Pro. Those cost around $1000 depending on configuration.
But if Android is your favorite then first of all you have a better choice of cheaper tablets. The Google Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10 both come from Google so you have pure android and are ensured compatibility with whatever comes from the Play Store.
They are, as their names suggest 7 and 10 inch tablets, they can also run Google Drive, Quickoffice pro and more. The 7 retails for about $230 and the 10 for $480.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With Donna Tapellini
Are you wondering if the latest generation of Intel Core processors produce any noticeable gains in laptop computer performance? Our friends at Consumer Reports have been putting some of the latest models to the test. Senior Editor Donna Tapellini is here to give us the low-down.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Kathy from Jacksonville, Fl. Listening on Supertalk Mississippi 100.9FM WKBB recommends: MyFitnessPal, FREE
- “I wanted to submit my favorite app, and that would be My fitness pal.com. This app suggests my weight loss position to help you monitor your calorie intake, protein intake, sugar, carbs and your weight, your measurements. you can enter your exercise for that day and it also calculates how many extra calories you’re allowed because of your exercise. It’s a wonderful app, you can share online with friends or to get feedback from other participants that are trying to lose weight. “
• Marly recommends: SociaLink, FREE
- “I’m going to tell you about SOCIALINK – the one app that you will need to be able to connect with everyone you meet – INSTANTLY! Now this doesn’t mean you should go home and throw away all your business cards- you still need them for presentations. SociaLink is simplifying the way we network. With this app, you can sign into your social media platforms and instantly connect with the person you are networking with, or you can send them an email with all of the links to your social media profiles and they can request to follow you at their earliest convenience! This app definitely enhances your networking experience, unfortunately, it is only available for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) and it’s FREE!! Check it out – It’s spelled SOCIALINK :)”
- — Marly
• Chris recommends: Redbox, FREE
- “My wife and I like to watch movies. We used to frequent our local Blockbuster store on the weekends – until they went out of business. Then we were introduced to Redbox. That made renting movies easier since we were able to do it through their (sort of) vending machine at our local supermarket. Recently, I discovered the Redbox app. Now we don’t have to stand in front of their machine and search through the available movies while a growing line of impatient people forms behind us. We can use the app on our Smartphone and search through new releases and older movies that Redbox carries. we can even watch the trailers for the movies on the app so we’re less likely to rent a “dud.” The app will tell us if the movie we want is available at the kiosk we choose. If not, it also gives you a list of other kiosks in your area and will tell you if any of them have your movie. Once you find the movie you want at a kiosk that has it in stock, you can use the app to reserve it so that it will still be there waiting for you when you get there. I’ve found this app to be very helpful and a major time saver. Of course, you have to pay for your movie rental, but at least the app is free.”
- — Chris
• Iggy recommends: Scripts Pro, $12.99
- “I love writing stories, but more specifically I love writing screenplays, so My favorite app of the week is Scripts Pro for the iPad. This app works just like Final Draft, which is a computer program that structures your script for you. Now Scripts Pro is a great app for me because no matter where I at, I have access to my screen plays. I can edit them, start new ones and if I want, upload it to DropBox and open it on Final Draft on my Mac. Also you can email the script to friends as a PDF file so they can access the script without needing any special program. Scripts Pro retails on the App Store for $12.99, Now thats a bit pricy but worth every penny if you’re an eager screenwriter.”
- — Iggy
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Guest Segment:
John H. Iasiuolo, President – Outlook Foundation
Comments from our COOL “Into Tomorrow” HOT Summer Giveaway!!!
Diane in Millsboro, Delaware – Listens on delaware 105.9. She says the show is very informative. When asked why she wants to travel: “Love the latest tech stuff and would love to attend.”
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Heard about the giveaway from our newsletter and videos. He watches ITTV, Subscribes to ITTV, Subscribes to our Tech Newsletter and has our app. Reason for wanting to travel: I would like to take my father on this trip to thank him for introducing me to your show and my love of technology.
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You may enter ONCE a week … AND … when you call-in, using our FREE APP or 1-800-899-INTO (4696) and we can HEAR you … we will BONUS you with yet another entry!!! Good luck!!!
JC from Corinth, Mississippi listens to SuperTalk Mississippi 94.3FM WXRZ asked: “Im curious about WiDi. I have WiDi one one of my computers and it works beautifully. On my Lenovo Laptop however it doesn’t work. I tried updating the drivers and that didn’t work. I tried rolling back the drivers and that didn’t work. I am an IT so please speak as high as you need to.”
Intel’s WiDi, or Wi Fi Direct, promises to zap media from your computer to your television wirelessly, and effortlessly. They have the wireless part down, but the effort, well we think it still needs some work.
Instead of switches, routers, and wires, WiDi devices incorporate software access points to enable ad hoc point-to-point networks. In order to get WIDi to work properly you must have a windows 7 based laptop with the latest version of the Intel Widi Widget.
Since most televisions are not shipped with Widi support, you will also need a WiDi adapter for your television. SOme brands that are available are the D-Link Mainstage, the Belkin Screencast, or the Netgear Push2TV. If you have all the necessary equipment, you should be ready to use your laptop as your hub for media on your television. As long as you dont try to watch a DVD or Blue Ray with this setup. Due to licensing and copyright laws, this is a no-no, and may be a reason to go a different route.
Now, that’s WiDi itself, but you already have WiDi working on another computer, so if you’re interested in making it work with this one, you probably already know that it does what you need it to do.
We looked into the Lenovo issue and, unfortunately, what we found is not really great…
Lenovo tech support seems to think that it’s not working because the integrated Intel graphics card is not being properly recognized, that could be a driver issue, unfortunately in your case you’ve reinstalled the drivers, so that’s not likely the problem… the other potential culprit they offered was the hardware itself, if there’s something wrong with the hardware and the computer is still under warranty, they will replace it, and the replacement should work.
Yours is not the first case of someone having issues with a Lenovo and WiDi (the Lenovo Y400 and Y500 in particular seem to have a lot of trouble with WiDi), so they will probably be able to get you a replacement without too much trouble, but they may want you to reinstall the drivers again from the recovery partition before they do.
Good luck, and unfortunately, no techy explanation that can fix the issue in this case… it seem to just be a regular hardware fault.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Joe asked: “You fellows know tech stuff inside out, so how about biometric deadbolt locks? I have had “professional” thieves looting my place for years so I installed a biometric lock. But, they can disarm the alarm and open the lock too. If I un-install the fingerprints so that there are no prints installed (they are numbered so I would know there gone) and just use number codes (change it again), can they spoof that too? Or is that what they are doing and I’d be better of just using the fingerprint function?”
If they can disarm the alarm and open the lock, they probably know more than we do!
We can tell you that some cheap electronic deadbolts don’t actually check the order in which you enter the combination as long as the right numbers are entered. So 1234 is the same to them as 4132. That’s pretty horrible in terms of security! Suddenly your lock goes from having 10,000 possible combinations to having 715 possible codes.
On top of that, shining a black light on the lock will show traces of sweat on a lot of keypads, which means that you can see the keys that are normally pressed. If you have one of those bad locks that don’t care about the order in which you enter the numbers and if the keys shine under a blacklight, they don’t need anything else. In that case, using the fingerprint scanner might be safer, but those things can be fooled too.
Assuming you have a better lock, we don’t know how they’d do it. But, if they can turn off your alarm, there’s a decent chance that they know a few tricks about good locks too, we just haven’t really found a way to consistently fool all locks.
Sorry , but you may have to contact some security experts instead of technology experts for this one. But please let us know.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Adams from Ontario, Canada listening via The Information Station 800AM CKLW asked: “I would like to ask if I should buy iphone 4s or iphone 5, because my daughter is going into university and I would like to give her a phone. Or do you recommend any other phone other than iPhone?”
Well, the most obvious choice for us techies is of course the latest, but that might not be what suits you better. If your daughter already has some apple products and accessories like music docking stations, then with the new connector on the iPhone 5, you will have to purchase a $30 adapter from apple to make them work and sometimes it doesn’t even fit right afterwards. If she likes the new features of the iPhones 5 like the taller screen, sleek aluminum design, 4G, etc… then that is probably the phone for her.
On the other hand, if a very good, still current smartphone is what suits her then there is no reason why the 4s shouldn’t do the trick!
As for other phones, Android is the other major mobile operating system. It is a lot different than iOS, the iPhone Operating System, first of all it being “open source” meaning that anyone with programming knowledge can download a copy and change it to whatever they want, that is why is it very long for consumers to get updates sometimes because you have first of all Google, the manufacturer who makes Android that pushes the update to the device manufacturers so that they can put their own custom “flavor” of Android, then you have the mobile carriers that install their “toppings” if you will, some apps of theirs, extra customization, etc.
Aside from the operating system, you have a much wider choice of devices in Android, so you can get a very nice phone for a cheaper price. It might not be as refined as others but it’ll run all of the apps on the Google Play Store.
At the end of the day, the only person to make the best choice is either you or your daughter. Try the different phones out, see what you prefer and all of the apps they have. We carry lots of different smart phones in our offices which proves that there isn’t just one that stands out, they all have pro’s and con’s.
Keep in mind that not only will Android smartphones typically be available at a better price than an iPhone, but they also come with much larger screens. At the very least, before buying your daughter an iPhone, look at a Samsung Galaxy S4. It’s representative of the large screen Android phones.
All this back and forth is moot, however, if your daughter has other Apple devices, such as an iPad or a MacBook laptop. In that case, the synergy between Apple branded devices is just too good to ignore. iPhone is the one for you in that case, but you still might want to wait a bit. We’re expecting an announcement from Apple in the September time frame and it’s quite possibly a less expensive iPhone model.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — Now with Dave’s face on them! — A clever solution to tangled earbuds.
SoundMatters: foxl – Pocket Sized portable Bluetooth Loudspeaker.
V Moda Headphones: a variety of styles of the DJ Inspired, Hollywood Designed Headphones
Ventev: An assortment of tangle-free USB cables and battery cases for iPhones