Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Tech News & Commentary
Ted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania listens on WEDO and is calling via the App told us: “Google Wallet – I’d like to transfer some money from my Google Play account into Google Wallet as opposed to giving them my credit card or bank account. Is this even possible?”
Ted, Google Wallet only lets you add funds from either a bank account or a debit card.
If you use your bank account, they will let you transfer money to Wallet for free. However if you use a card, they’ll charge you about 3%.
If you really want to avoid giving them your information, you could always use a prepaid card, they do accept those. Just keep in mind that you’ll be giving someone your information. Besides, you have an Android phone, by now Google probably know your 4th cousin’s blood type.
Consumer Reports Segment:
Is high-res digital audio worth the money? The experts at Consumer Reports decided to find out. The magazine’s electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with the verdict.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark doesn’t recommend: Google Hangouts, FREE
bring conversations to life with photos, emoji, and even group video calls
- “Usually I’m raving about one productivity app or another, but this week I’m raging about one instead. Google Hangouts has been released for iOS and I’ve had nothing but trouble with it. Unlike Apple’s FaceTime, which between Apple users, is dead simple to use, Google’s Hangouts requires connecting your Google account, which doesn’t always go so well, and then once it’s connected, you have problems establishing a video chat session, which is the entire reason to use an app instead of sending a text. I presume that Hangouts works well on Android, and I’m sure that Google will fix it on iOS, because they’ve fixed every other app they released…eventually. But in the meantime, we’ll FaceTime and hang out later on.” — Mark
• Chris doesn’t recommend: Pet First Aid, $0.99
basic pet first aid and how to respond during an emergency, including techniques of basic CPCR.
- “I’ve talked about the first aid app from the American Red Cross before. Now, I’d like to talk about their Pet First Aid app. This 99 cent app will put veterinary advice in the palm of your hand. The app has first aid steps for common pet situations through a combination of text, video and images. There’s an early warning sign checker to alert you to potential health problems as well as step by step, size specific CPR procedures for your dog or cat. There’s even a quiz that can help you stay at the top of your game when it comes to caring for your pet, and you can enter your vet’s info so that you can make an appointment right from the app. The Pet First Aid by American Red Cross app is 99 cents and is available for iOS and Android.” — 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:
Zain Naboulsi, CEO – Drone Labs
an analog sound module specially designed for making dense, rich drones.
Jan asked: “We live in a very rural area and only have satellite internet. I go to the local library several times a week to save using up our satellite bandwidth. Is there a thing like a router to put on my laptop to make it more safe there? I haven’t had any problems but it seems like my friends are getting hacked more and more. I do online banking there if our internet is down.”
Jan, Your banking itself should be more protected by virtue of using encrypted connections, you should see that when you log in to your account, the address says https://YourBank.com, https means HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (or “Over TLS”, or “Over SSL,” it all just means secure though), and it transmits encrypted information to keep your data private.
If you can add another layer of security, you could tunnel through a VPN or Virtual Private Network. A VPN, if properly set up, would keep all of your data encrypted https or not, and it would render anyone in the library’s network unable to capture any of that data and get any kind of useful information out of it.
CHRIS: You could technically set up a VPN server at home, but that would require a) that your connection is actually up and running, and b) that you don’t mind running all of your data through it, which defeats the purpose of you going to the library in the first place. Instead you can pay for a service, you can usually find them for around $5/month, some a free if you don’t transfer a lot of data, some are pay as you go.
Having said that,the odds of anyone sniffing your data at the library and hacking you in any way are very low, your friends are probably experiencing the result of setting up mediocre security questions on online services.
MARK: For example, if you click on “I forgot my password” when logging in to your email account, very often you will be met with a question like “what’s your dogs name?” or “where were you born?” a lot of the time what you share on social media makes those questions public knowledge. If you’re worried about those types of accounts being hacked, have a look at your security questions and either change them for harder ones to guess, or just lie… I mean Jan certainly doesn’t sound like the name of someone born in Laos…
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Karina in Miami Lakes, Florida listens online asked: “I have a new iPad Air that has its own cell phone number and cellular capabilities. Could this be used as a phone as well, to make or receive calls?”
Karina, Unfortunately the iPad Air cannot be used as a phone to make or receive calls. It may have a number assigned to it for billing and tracking purposes, but it uses a dedicated data connection and not voice. However, you CAN use apps like Skype to make international calls at a low price.
There is one exception, you can make one kind of phone call without downloading any extra apps, you can make FaceTime Audio phone calls to anyone with an iPhone.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Education.Com: Several “Brainzy” 12-month codes for online early-learning programs for math and reading. If you’ve got Kids … you WANT one of these!
PhoneSoap: Several Antibacterial – All Natural Touch Screen Polish (Ad lib: sorta like Cap Stick for your Phones & Tablets)
NanoTech: Several UltraFlix Gift Cards for 4K Content, like movies and a ton of other cool stuff. Let us know if you have a 4K Ultra HD TV!
iLuv: A pair of ReFashionOlogy Canvas Exterior, Collapsible Headphones with a Titanium Diaphragm
Westinghouse: Unplug Wireless Bluetooth Sound System