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Dave and his team of tech experts answer more of your questions via the Ask Dave Hotline. In case you haven’t yet, call us … toll-free 1-800-899-INTO (4686) … with any consumer electronics question, opinion, help another listener or tell us what your favorite app is and why. You can also participate via our FREE “Into Tomorrow” App (iOS/Android/Intel AppUp). Thank you for your participation!
Tech News & Commentary
Brett in Lexington, Kentucky listening on 1250 AM asked: “I’ve got a Samsung Epic on Sprint. It’s a great phone. The only problem I’m having is everything downloads to the internal memory. I have a card, but only a few things I can transfer to the card. Is there a way to move some of the programs stored on the phone to the SD card?”
To be able to move apps into the memory card the apps have to be set up in such a way that they’ll allow it, not all of them are. You have a couple of ways to move everything you can to the memory card. Android leaves you with the hardest way, which is by looking at the application information for every single app you have installed and see if you get an option that says “Move to SD Card”. If you get the option, tap it and it will move it.
An easier way of doing it is by using an app called Apps2SD. It will search through all your apps and give you a list of the ones that can be moved. It will even give you an option to move all the ones that can be moved. The problem is that it won’t actually move them.
Instead, it will open the Application Info page for the first app, and wait for you to tap “Move to SD”. After you do, it will wait for the application to be moved by Android and for you to hit the back key. When you do, it will open the application information page for the second app and will wait for you to tap move to SD on that one. It will keep doing that until it can find no more more apps that can be moved. If you run into an app that you do not want to move, then you can just hit the back button and it will move on to the next one.
Keep in mind that moving apps (even the ones that are designed to be moved) can have negative consequences. The main one and first one you’ll notice is widgets. If an app includes a widget, you must keep it on the phone’s internal memory to have access to the widget, otherwise you won’t even have the option to put it on your home screen.
It’s also good to remind everyone that there are three different types
of memory we discuss, when we’re talking about a smartphone. There is RAM for running apps, there is internal storage on the smartphone, and then there is external storage on an SD card (if the smartphone supports it and you have one). The reason this is an important distinction is that when you run
out of RAM, your smartphone starts to run very slowly because apps have to be swapped in and out of memory as you use the phone. And if the internal storage fills up, you’re headed for major problems as there are some processes running on your phone that simply will not work without internal storage.
The iPhone avoids some of this confusion by not supporting expandable memory. You’ve got RAM for running apps and internal storage- -however much you’ve paid for when you bought the phone, and that’s it. So when you’re considering purchasing a new smartphone, make certain you understand how much capacity you’ll be getting in all three areas. Mark’s Droid 4, for example, has 1GB of RAM, and that’s made a huge difference in simultaneous apps not slowing the phone down.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports
with Donna Tapellini
Intel has been slowly rolling out the latest batch of its Core i5 and i7 computer processors. But how much do they boost speed and performance and will you even notice? Consumer Reports Senior Electronics Editor Donna Tapellini shares what they’ve discovered in their tests.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
For Android:
• Listener Karina from Jackson, Mississippi listens through WFMN 97.3 FM and recommends: RunKeeper, FREE
“Hey gang, there is this app and it’s called RunKeeper. I use it on my Android and let me tell you that it does wonders for me. I use this app when I go running around a small lake near my 4-year-old daughter’s pre-school. The app uses the phone’s GPS to track my workout running routine and it even tells me how many calories I’ve burned. I love this app and the best part about it is that it’s free. It even tells me how fast I am jogging or running per hour. I am new to running but anyone who would like to start or is a professional will find this app useful.”
For iOS:
• Chris recommends: Action Movie FX, FREE
“ACTION MOVIE FX lets you add Hollywood FX to iPhone movies YOU shoot! ”
Sample videos around our broadcast center:
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
Guest in this hour:
Noah Shanok, CEO & Co-Founder – Stitcher
With services like Spotify, Google Music and Amazon CloudDrive many people are listening to streaming music on demand, but would you like to listen to streaming talk radio on demand? If you do, Noah may have the service for you.
Eddie in Akron, Ohio listens to the Podcast asked: “I know there’s a scanner called Neat that does receipts and documents. But it doesn’t do it directly to an SD card. I’m looking for something that will scan directly to an SD card.”
You can try ION Docuscan. It’s a portable scanner with an SD Card reader built-in that can scan with or without a computer present. You can find Docuscan online for $70, which makes it the cheapest option we’ve found.
You can also look at the Doxie Go. It’s small and portable, but you’ll be paying at least twice as much as you’d pay for the ION Docuscan.
The SkyPix Portable Handheld Scanner, unlike the other two, is handheld and you will have to move it over what you want to scan. It’s about as expensive as the Docuscan, between $150 and $200 depending on where you buy it.
The Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner comes with a 1GB SD Card, like the others it will work without a computer, and it costs around $150, much like the others.
Now…why must it be an SD card? There are scanners and multifunction printers that will scan and store the image on a USB flash drive. And why must it be directly to the SD card? Any scanner attached to a computer can give you images, which you can then copy to an SD card using an extremely inexpensive USB-to-SD card adapter. What we’re suggesting
is that you examine what is truly impossible to do without, and what might be good for a workaround, to increase your options and save you some money.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Danny in Kennett, Missouri asked the following question on a recent show: “Is there any kind of security system for your vehicle that will not only start your vehicle, but move your seats and mirrors as well as turning on your air conditioning or heat?”
Our car security and electronics expert from Audio Logic in Hollywood, Florida “HiFi Mike” gave us his input based on his experience.
He says: The answer is definitely maybe! That means it will depend on a few factors like: you must first have electric seats and mirrors on the vehicle. I know this sounds fundamental, but you would be surprised at what people come up with.
Next, unless your budget is unlimited, your car would benefit if it had as factory the key fob recognition feature where the car recognizes the key and automatically sets the seating position, mirrors, and steering wheel for you, or at least preset seat memory.
Some cars run on a bus architecture that is tough, stubborn or impossible to interface with, even if they are inclusive of the features listed above. Think exotics, Bentley, Volvo and most German cars. Again if your budget is unlimited, anything is possible. Some cars might be easier, some much more difficult, so consult a reputable security manufacturer or brick and mortar retailer to delve deeper into the possibilities for the car you drive!
You must leave the A/C or heat “turned on”, and set at the fan speed desired before exiting the vehicle. The alarm cannot easily (unless your budget is Zuckerberg sized) manually turn on your A/C or switch between A/C and the heater!
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
“Wireless Update” Weekly Feature with Chuck Hamby
from Verizon Wireless
Could there be any of you
who don’t yet use a wireless smartphone. Well, Chuck Hamby of Verizon Wireless has a few words for you.
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)
Radio Shack: Auvio Element Earbuds with Microphone
ZoneAlarm (Check Point Software): Download keys for ZoneAlarm Extreme Security