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Tech News & Commentary
William in Danville, Kentucky listening on 1250 AM asked us: “I was wondering if there was a way to configure an AT&T U-Verse router in order to filter adult content or put parental controls on it.”
William, Some AT&T U-Verse routers do offer parental controls, others don’t, but AT&T offers free parental controls at the account level too, bypassing the need to set anything up on the router at all.
If you go with those, you should be able to create profiles for the different users in your family, allowing you to set limits for the amount of time they can be online, what service they shouldn’t be allowed to use, you can get alerts if anyone tries to make changes to the account, and you can keep a log of each user’s activities.
You could also force your connection to go through a DNS server that blocks access to whatever it is that you don’t want your children exposed to. OpenDNS offers services like that, and after you set up your restrictions online all you’d have left to do is configure your router to use their DNS server to find websites. Having said that, you should keep in mind that it is basically an arms race, and out of the warring sides, you’re the one with the least amount of technical knowledge, so don’t expect miracles, there’s a good chance that a properly motivated kid will run laps around your attempts at censorship.
Also, if they have access to any device that has it’s own connection, you’d have to block access on those devices as well.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Scott in Jackson, Mississippi listens on 97.3 FM and is calling via the App asked us: “How can I password protect my external hard drive?”
Scott, Usually your external hard drive should come with a software that will allow you to password protect your device easily– but in the unusual case that it doesn’t, there are some softwares available for download that can get that done for you. In the case that you locate the build-in software at a later time, we recommend using that one rather than one of the suggestions we’re about to throw at you because it’s likely suggested by the manufacturer.
One option is to download Folder Lock, an application that will protect against prying eyes who are trying to access all your most sensitive documents. With the full-version, you can lock files and folders using a simple drag-and-drop method, protect locked data, clean window and browser history, feel guarded with secure file, folder and drive shredding, and more. Probably one of the neatest features is that with a cloud backup, you can download a Folder Lock app on your iPhone, Android or Windows phone that will allow you to access files from your phone as well, with features that vary depending upon your phone type. Folder Lock Lite costs about $24.95 and for $15 more, you can purchase purchase the full version.
Also, be on the lookout for discount codes which are usually easy to find on the main Folder Lock website.
Another option is StorageCrypt, a program that allows you to password protect second hard drives as well as removable drives. The program utilizes 128 bit AES encryption to secure your files and promises not to store your password in order to further protect against any violations of privacy. StorageCrypt, while not as high-tech as Folder Lock, comes in at a much more affordable $29.95 for the complete, full-version.
Some editions of Windows come with their own encryption utility, if you have Ultimate or Enterprise versions of any Windows released since Vista came out, you probably have a tool called BitLocker already and for free. BitLocker can encrypt your internal drives, but it also offers an option called “BitLocker To Go” to protect your removable drives.
If you’re running one of the more basic version of Windows, it may not work for you, but If you have access to the right Windows edition, you might as well take advantage of the free encryption that’s already built in, especially since all you may need to do is right click and click Turn on BitLocker.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Kevin Haley, Director of Security, Technology and Response– Norton by Symantec
Advances Security for AllDevices
CEA Update:
If you’re in the market for a new home, odds are “tech” will be part of what your builder will offer. Laura Hubbard from the Consumer Electronics Association explains why the future is bright for installed home technologies…in this week’s “CEA Update.”
Tim in Miami Lakes, Florida asked us: “I need to buy an Ipad for my daughter for school. Any ideas on deals out there?”
Tim, It’s hard to find deals on them, as Apple doesn’t generally allow retailers to offer coupons or sales on them. However, some retailers have gotten around it by offering Gift Cards with the purchase.
I know when Samantha bought me in iPad a couple years ago, she got it from Target and at the time, they offered a $100 Target Gift card with an iPad purchase. I don’t know if they are doing anything like that currently, or if any other retailer is doing a similar thing, but unfortunately, that’s really the only way you can get a deal on them.
You can also look for someone who is still selling the older iPad 2. Those will be less expensive than the latest models. We’d also recommend, unless she plans on storing a lot of music or video on it, getting one of the smaller capacities.
My daughter and I both have the wi-fi only, 16GB models and that works just fine for both of us. If we need to go online when we are not near wi-fi, we have a hotspot on our phones. Of course, if you will need to get online with it when you are out of wi-fi range and you don’t have a wi-fi hotspot on your phone, you may need to look at one of the 3G or LTE iPads. But they will be more expensive and obviously, come with a monthly cost for a data plan. Hope that helps and wasn’t too much info to confuse you!
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Chris from Baton Rouge, Louisiana listens to Talk WBRP 107.3FM asked us: “The Nook from Barnes n Noble doesn’t have a camera; is there anyway to connect a camera to the Nook?”
Chris, Sorry, unfortunately, there is no way to connect a camera to the Nook. The Nook does come with a USB port, but it’s not enabled for that kind of data, so you’d have to install some hacked firmware to be able to use the port at all, and even then you’d have a hard time finding a camera to work with it.
Then there’s the other obvious problem, it’s not supposed to work with a camera, so even if you manage to connect one to it, you won’t find a lot of software that expects the camera to be there at all, so you won’t really be able to get a lot of use out of it anyway.
You’re best bet here is to get a tablet with a built in camera that can take advantage of it through apps that know it should be there.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 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