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Tech News & Commentary
Mark mentioned a hand made “lightsaber-like” laser, here’s the video of it in action:
Chris in Columbia, Missouri listens via the iPhone App calling in via the FREE app: “Hey dave i have a 15 year old child that has had some nerve damage done to her right arm and as a result has limited function. Her hand on the right does not fully function, just the index finger and thumb are fully active; the other three fingers are very slow. I was wondering if there was a keyboard that would be better suited for her typing with her left hand? Thanks”
Well, you have a few options, there are some ‘left-handed’ keyboards, there aren’t any significant improvements other than the fact that the number pad is set to the left, allowing easier access to numbers.
The DSI Left-Handed Keyboard, for under $100, is one of the many choices available online. Another type of keyboard that you could consider is a ‘One handed keyboard’ although, it would require a learning curve, as the device is shaped to fit in one hand, the choice is a bit more limited. The Single Hand Keyboard by Maltron Keyboards is an option we found for a hefty $515.00.
Another solution you could try is voice dictation software, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home Version for windows is the overall top rated software available, instead of typing, your daughter could simply speak, this probably won’t be useful everywhere, but it can certainly avoid her from typing all the time. The Dragon software is available online for less that $85
One other thing we’d like to mention is that if she’s normally right handed and still wants to use the mouse with her right hand, you can get a mouse that features a thumb button. You can then map that thumb button to a right click for her, to make operating the mouse a bit easier. One of our favorite low cost wireless mice featuring a thumb button that is prominent and easy to click is the Logitech M510 that sells online for between $25 and $30.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With Mike Gikas
Physical keyboards have all but gone out of style in smart phones. But if you’re an old-school Blackberry loyalist, you may have something to look forward to with the upcoming Blackberry Q10. Consumer Reports Senior Editor Mike Gikas is here to tell us all about it.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Level-, FREE
- “In a break from my usual reminder and organizer tools, this week I have something simple and intensely practical. We bought a new stove this past weekend and had to level it as part of the installation. It occurred to me that there ought to be a smartphone app that would spare me from having to rummage in the garage for a level, and there is. The one I downloaded was called “Level-” (yes with a dash after the name, because there are a LOT of apps called “Level something or another” in the App store). This one is from Tim O’s Studios and it’s free (ad supported). It works BRILLIANTLY. I call it up, set my iPhone down, and immediately know what’s happening with both axes. Level- is free in the iTunes App Store and it will keep you and your smartphone on an even keel.”
- — Mark
• Marly recommends: kik Messenger, FREE
“This app has been around for about 4 years and over 50M people are already using it BUT… It just KICKED ME … I mean, It’s called KIK. – and it’s a FREE instant messaging application for mobile devices. Not everyone has an iphone or imessage but with kik you can connect with your friends and family even if they have an android, windows or blackberry phone. Best of all it’s a free app! Kik Messenger has become the simplest, fastest, most life-like chat experience you can get on a smartphone. But Kik isn’t just about instant messaging. You can share videos, sketches, smileys and more ! Kik Messenger uses a username instead of a phone number, allowing for more privacy than other forms of text messaging. It uses your smartphone’s data plan or Wi-Fi to transmit and receive messages, a feature that’s great if you’re looking to avoid text messaging rates set by your phone service providers.” — Marly
• Chris recommends: Dumb Ways to Die, FREE
- “You’ve seen the video – now the lives of those adorably dumb characters are in your hands!
- Download the FREE game now to protect private parts from piranhas, wipe up vomit, feed rattlesnakes, and most importantly – be safe around trains.”
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
Xbox One Discussion: Microsoft has announced their new generation Xbox “One” the 8x more powerful home entertainment system is meant to be the center of your living room, you can Skype, game, listen to music and watch TV by plugging your cable box into to the console, you can use voice commands to control which channel you’re viewing, and even turn the console on and off with voice.
With this diversion from games console to TV hub mindset from Microsoft, will you be buying the new Xbox One? Tell us why or why not by using our FREE app or by dialing 1-800-899-INTO (4686)
Wireless Update with Chuck Hamby
Smartphones can help us do many things these days – including keeping an eye on the little ones. Verizon’s Chuck Hamby is here to share some cool tech that parents may find very useful.
Daniel in Sparta, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 asked: “I’m a teacher. I have an iPad and Apple TV in my classroom. I have to use the school wifi to mirror my iPad on to my Apple TV. The schools wifi can be unstable at times which means I get disconnected a lot during lessons. Here is my question: Is there any way to directly connect the Apple TV and iPad wirelessly without the use of wifi?”
Unfortunately, you can’t directly connect the iPad to the AppleTV without something else providing a network.
That doesn’t mean you’re tied to the school’s WiFi network though, many other devices, some of which you may already own, can create WiFi network as well.
If you have a cell phone plan that allows tethering, you should be able to make the AppleTV and iPad talk to each other but starting a hotspot from your phone and connecting them both to it.
If that’s not an option for you, your laptop may be able to act as a DHCP server and give establish a wireless network that they can both share with it.
If those options won’t work for you, you can go online and but the cheapest router you can find, spend $20 on it and just plug it in when you walk into the classroom, then connect both devices to it and use that as your iPad mirroring network.
We do need to mention, however, that using your iPad and Apple TV with your own private router might be fine for mirroring the iPad display to a TV set, but it won’t work for streaming any outside content unless your own little private network has its own connection to the Internet. Once you move off the school’s wi-fi, getting Internet access becomes your own responsibility.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
HDRadio: FM/HD Insignia Table Top Radios with 10 presets
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — Now with Dave’s face on them! — A clever solution to tangled earbuds.
iolo: Copies of: Drive Scrubber – Erase data so it can NEVER be recovered.
Magix: Music Maker 2013 Premium – Make Music Now! With More Sounds. More Possibilities.