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Tech News & Commentary
Susan in Porterville, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM called and asks us: “The all-in-one computers – are they comparable or better than the tower computers?”
Not really, they’re basically stationary laptops.
They’re mostly made up of the same parts as laptops, and are usually not any more powerful, but people looking for a larger, stationary computers, can take advantage of the, frankly, less ugly and bulky design compared to the towers.
Now, if you’re involved in any activity that requires the power of an old style computer, then an all-in-one won’t do, it won’t have the power, memory, graphics card, even cooling capacity and it will not meet your needs.
If you need power, it still lives in a tower.
This is really the choice of the user, and is completely dictated by taste an usage. An all-in-one is a great choice for low to medium-end computer user without budget constraints. For about $1000 you can get a great machine with an i5 processor and a TB hard drive as well as a 23” touchscreen. They work great in a small office, family room, or the kitchen. Just don’t use the touch screen while baking!
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With Terry Sullivan
Can Sony’s new lens-style digital cameras dramatically improve your mobile-device photography? Consumer Reports seems to think so. Associate Editor Terry Sullivan is here with the details.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Publix, FREE
- “I know that this will only have regional appeal, but bear with me. I was looking for an app to keep a grocery list because writing one on the door of the refrigerator does not help when we’re stopping on the way home from work WITHOUT the refrigerator door in the car. So I tried several. The classic Remember the Milk. The modern Listastic. But they all had one thing in common. They didn’t know what MY store had or what aisle it was on. We shop at the same Publix store near our house 99% of the time. So I downloaded the Publix app. With it, I can scan for coupons and weekly store specials, then add them to my list with a single tap. I can add items from their database of items as well. And every time I add an item, it finds out what aisle of my SPECIFIC store it’s on and puts it in the correct spot on my list. Grocery list managers are very cool, but ones that are actually tied in to YOUR store are far cooler. And the best part is, they’re free, since Publix knows I’m using their app to come shop at their store. So if you’re a Publix shopper, go get this free app. If you’re not, go look for an app for YOUR favorite grocery chain.” — Mark
• Chris recommends: Watch Disney Junior, FREE
- “My App this week is one that has helped over the last year or so when we’d be out somewhere and my son would get bored and restless. I just pull out my phone, launch the Watch Disney Junior app and he’s good. He loves Disney Junior shows, such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins and especially Jake and the Neverland Pirates. This app has those shows and more like Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, Sofia the First. If you subscribe to the channel on a participating cable service, which are AT&T Uverse, Charter, COX, Google Fiber, Midcontinent, Optimum, Verizon Fios or Comcast Xfinity, you just log into the app using your account from your cable company. That will unlock all the available on demand episodes of all these shows as well as a “Live” button which will let you watch the live stream of the Disney Junior channel. If you don’t subscribe, you still get one episode of many of those shows available to watch, so it’s not a total loss. The app itself is free and assuming you are a subscriber to one of the participating cable services, the content is free as well.” — Chris
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:
Anishiya Taneja, VP of Implementation – PlanetSoho
Frank in Seaford, Delaware listens on 105.9 and is calling in via the App sent us the following comment responding to the FB post about the phone stacking game: “I think it’s a tad bit unnecessary. We as a society need to have enough control to just keep our phones in our pocket. Not sure how necessary it is, especially if my phone is in a stack and someone bump the table and my phone goes flying and it breaks. I wouldn’t be too happy about that.”
Thank you, Frank.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Jim in Dickson, Tennessee listening via Supertalk 99.7FM WTN calling in asked us: “I am a retired mobile DJ. Looks like I’m going back to work but very part time. The laptop I used was a Toshiba Satellite but it’s about 7 years old so I don’t trust it. What make and model computer would you recommend that’s fairly inexpensive but capable of running a couple music programs including music videos. I don’t need or even want other programs on the computer since all I would use it for is work. Thank you, Jim”
Just about any computer you buy should be able to play music and video, so the real problem becomes, are your live DJing programs that much more processor intensive?
The ones we found online for live music don’t have crazy requirements, but they all seem to be little more than a music player that fades into the next song, if you know of any others that need a more powerful computer, by all means, go for something more powerful and more expensive, but for the ones we’ve seen listed online pretty much any computer will do the trick.
If you’re only going to be DJing “very part time” and you’re not planning to use the computer for anything else, then you probably don’t need to spend a lot of money. A Dell Inspriton I-13-Z series laptop has a Core i3 processor that can certainly handle a music player, especially if you clean it out of everything else, and it will only cost you $399. A $600 Acer Aspire V5 will even put a Core i5 processor in your hands if you want more power, but again, you’re barely even multitasking.
If this is not going to be a decent source of income for you, and if you don’t intend to do it for long, you can really get away with using a cheap machine for this.
You might even consider using an inexpensive Android tablet. There are two well-reviewed Live DJ apps for that platform. DJ Studio and edjing (e-DJ-ing, get it?). There’s also DJ PRO and ADJ Pro. Lots of choices, in fact. A tablet will be lighter, easier to carry, run for a long while on battery, and can be very cost efficient.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Wireless Update Feature with Verizon’s Michelle Sutton:
Autumn is here. The air is cooler and leaves more colorful. Verizon’s Michelle Sutton is on the line to tell us how tech can make your fall foliage tour a more vivid experience.
Tom in Columbus, Ohio listening via the Kindle App calling in asked us: “If you mostly use your digital camera for things like family and vacation photos, developed into a typical size like 5×7 or shown on a computer, does it really matter if the camera is 12 megapixel or 20? PS: I sent this with your app. I tried to record and got a message saying ‘unavailable’. Not sure if it is my tablet or the app.”
Easy answer…absolutely not. It is hard to find a camera or phone in todays market that has less than 5 or 6 megapixels, which is all you need to produce a crisp 12×18 photo.Sharpness of the photo depends more on your photography skills than the amount of megapixels. We’ve have seen beautifully shot photos blown up to 30 inches from a 5 Megapixel camera.
Photography is more about composition and lighting than it is equipment. More megapixels, or in Apple’s case bigger pixels, doesn’t always equate to a better picture. Image stabilization and low light compensation are cool features, but they tend to make pictures that are “softer” in appearance. If you’re looking for bright, bold, vivid pictures that look almost 3D, then you need plenty of light.
If you’re shooting family and vacation photos outside, you will likely be satisfied with the results. Sunlight is awesome for photos. It’s those indoor shots where your equipment will be tested.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Scottevest: Lola Puff Jackets for Women & Puffer Jackets for Men – Complete with pockets for all your gadgets.
iolo: Copies of System Mechanic- Fix and speed up your PC Automatically.
TYLT: An assortment of Smartphone charging accessories and bluetooth speakers.
Nite Ize Innovation: Connect Case and Connect Cradle for iPhone – Hard case with belt clip, vehicle mount and desk stand.