Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Tech News & Commentary
Mark in Harlin, Indiana listening via the Android App asked: “Is it better to root or not root my EVO 3D phone. If so, am I able to bring it back? I have insurance on it.”
Do you have a reason for wanting to root the phone? If the OS is not working too well, if it’s buggy, or if you want apps or features you can’t access otherwise access, then you can consider rooting.
Now, if your phone is fine the way it is, don’t bother.
The big downside of rooting the phone is that you will lose your warranty while that phone is rooted, and depending on how you root it, you can’t always put it back in a way that’s not detectable, with some roots you can with others not so much, it depends on the phone.
Your insurance will likely not cover any damage you do to the phone while doing something that the manufacturer does not recommend or support, so that won’t help you. In fact, in your case it may be a reason not to root, since you’re paying for something that might become useless if you root.
As for putting it back, you can… Sometimes it’s very easy, sometimes not so much, it all depends on the phone and the way you choose to root it.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports
with Mike Gikas
The iPhone 5 isn’t the only new smart phone that worth’s a look if you’re in the market, says Consumer Reports. The latest Motorola Droid Razr model, the M, is also a compelling option. Senior Editor Mike Gikas is here to tell us how it did in their lab tests.
Daniel in Milbrook, Alabama asked: “I’m thinking about getting a tablet and I was wondering which is one of the better tablet that are reasonably priced? And I stress “reasonably.” What OS do you prefer on the tablets? Or do you think it would be better to get a small laptop. I’m kinda pulling between both. I like the tablets because they’re touchscreen and as I understand it, the inexpensive laptops are not.”
Well, if you’re looking for “reasonably” priced, you’re pretty much priced out of any tablet hovering around the 10″ mark, you’re looking at smaller 7″ tablets, like the Kindle Fire of the Nexus 7.
Of the 7″ tablets, the Nexus 7 would probably be the first one we’d recommend, you can get it for $199, it comes with a quad core processor and a 12-core graphics processor and it runs Jelly Bean, the otherwise still unreleased version of Android.
The Kindle Fire is the other big contender, it’s OS is a little more limited, you don’t get access to the Google Play Store, you don’t get a dual core processor and you’re still paying $199 for it, but Amazon’s media and app library is good, and you do get access to that.
As for laptop or tablet, what are you going to be doing with your device? if you’re just gonna be consuming media and not doing an awful lot of typing, then a tablet would work for you, if you’re going to e working on documents or doing anything more involved than watching a movie, looking at pictures, reading a book or playing basic games then a laptop may be better for you, it all depends on your intended use of the device.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they
have been playing with recently.
For iOS:
• Mark recommends: Shazam, FREE
“This isn’t a new app to some people, but I haven’t used it before and I’ve never talked about it on the show. Last Saturday evening, a friend was describing a song they’d heard on the radio and trying to get me to tell them what the song was. I said “you should get Shazam on your phone.” And then I thought, you know, *I* don’t have Shazam on my phone. And so now I do. Shazam is an app that listens to the music playing when its activated and it identifies the artist and the song with nearly 100% accuracy. It’s pretty amazing, and it works FAST. It conveniently tags the song for you, lets you share those tags with friends, and links to iTunes for you to purchase the song. Shazam is pretty close to magic, and it’s free in the iTunes App Store.”
— MarkTune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
Guests in this hour:
Gabe Wiebenga, Marketing Manager – M
Do you want to create a cinema big-screen viewing experience anywhere at home? 3M recently announced an exciting new venture with Roku and a projector sleeve for the iPhone.
Judah in Fairbanks, Alaska listening on KFBX 970 AM asked: “I was looking for a good satellite phone option. Something that would work where a regular cell phone wouldn’t work. Something cheap would be right up my alley.”
There a several options out there for satellite phones. Phone prices usually start around $500 and go upwards from there to about $2,000. Then, you have to add in the monthly cost for your minutes which vary from $39.95/month to $79.99/month, depending on what you may need.
If you only need the phone temporarily, you can rent a satellite phone. For example, you can take a look at SatellitePhoneStore.com. Depending on which phone you want, prices can range from $35-$105/month + usage.
A phone that is on the lower end of the price scale is the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro. It offers a wide range of features, including good battery life and a good coverage area. We haven’t tested this one ourselves, but reliable sources have given it good reviews. According to the reviews, some people have complained about latency during voice calls. But, you have to consider it’s a satellite phone.
We found the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro online for around $600-$650.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Jenny in Jackson, Mississippi listening on WFMN 97.3 FM asked: “Is there a way to disable the camera feature on the lock screen of the iPhone? (using the iOS 5)?”
One of the features included in iOS 5 was a shortcut to the camera from the lock screen. On iOS 5.0 & 5.0.1 it only shows with a double tap of the Home button. However, on the more recent software updates, it’s there permanently and cannot be disabled. There are still many features and apps on the iPhone several users would like to get rid of, and there are some features we’re still waiting for. Unfortunately, it seems like Apple keeps forcing some unwanted features on us.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Willy in Columbia, Missouri listening Online asked: ‘I’m looking for the best products to make my surround sound system completely wireless.”
It’s going to be tough to do a completely wireless system. There aren’t that many of them on the market. True audiophiles and even people that really enjoy their home theater systems will tell you that the wireless technology is just not “there” yet. Yes, we see a lot of wireless speakers. Most are in the form of bluetooth speakers for MP3 players.
You don’t see a lot of wireless audio devices for home theater because they typically use RF signals which are very prone to interference from things like Wi-Fi, walls and even a microwave oven.
However, you will find some products that allow you to wirelessly connect your speakers. And these typically work with most speakers. One that we came across is the Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit. As the name implies this is a kit that will allow you to hook your existing speakers up wirelessly. There is a base station that you hook up to your amplifier or tuner. Then there is a receiver module that you can place up to 100 feet away and connect your speakers to. This device has gotten some good reviews. You can find it starting at around $110.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Corrosion Technologies: Several bottles of CorrosionX — A few squirts of CorrosionX clean contacts & connections & keep them protected for months (in salt spray environments) to years.
Dane-Elec: Several 8GB USB Flash Drives from Marvel’s The Avengers Collection
Ergotron: A Universal Tablet Cradle — This accessory converts a monitor mount to hold a tablet or eReader. Works with most popular tablets and eReaders, including Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle.
iolo Technologies: Copies of System Mechanic 11 – PC Tune-up Software
SMS Audio: “Street By 50” Wired headphones in black or white. We brought ’em back from 50 Cent and our interview in Berlin.