Tech News & Commentary
Scott in Weatherford, Texas listening on Sirius Ch.108 asked: “Curious about what you think about the Palm Pre Plus from Verizon. Amazon and Verizon have dropped the price to a penny. What do you think is in store for Palms that they seek a new owner/buyer?”
The problem is apps. What good is a Palm Pre Plus going to do you when all development work for the Web OS stops? BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, each of these has strong ongoing developer communities and thriving app markets. Palm’s Web OS is technically very sound, but has gathered no support to speak of, and with the shaky financial picture of the company, it’s not likely to any time soon.
Of course, this can all change if a high profile company buys out Palm. They could easily breathe new life into the Pre. In the meantime, you should remind yourself, there’s a reason why Amazon.com can sell them for a penny.
“Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
The “Into Tomorrow” team talked about the Sleeptracker Elite Watch
Tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast or click here for more details.
Cliff in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: “When I check text messages on my BlackBerry, it will jump to about a month back, and then I have to scroll with the wheel all the way back to the top. There is a button you can press to have it go to today’s date.”
When you open the text messaging app on your BlackBerry, the newest messages will always be on the top of the file. You can press the “T” key to instantly jump to the top of the file. That actually works in many, if not most, BlackBerry apps.
Curtis sent us the following email and asked: “What happened to the new invisibility cloaking technology? It was making news consistently for a while there.”
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Jens Heithecker, Executive Director – IFA
Guest in this hour:
Dirk Koslowski, Senior Executive Manager – IFA
Julie in Detroit, Michigan listening on WYCD HD3 sent us the following Facebook message: “My iPod Touch is stuck on endless restart loop.”
It’s times like these when you realize how few buttons the iPod Touch has, you run out of things to try very quickly.
Here are the instructions:
1) Plug your iPod into your computer.
2) Hold down the small power button (the one on top) for 3 seconds, ignore the “Turn off” slider near the top of the screen.
) Without letting go of the power button, hold down it and the round “Home” button together for 10 full seconds.
4) After the 10 seconds, are up let go of the power button but not the “Home” button, continue to hold down the home button.
Right about now, your computer will probably make some noise acknowledging that a device has been plugged in and iTunes will display a pop up telling you a device in recovery mode has been plugged in and needs to be restored.
Now, just follow the steps on the screen and iTunes will attempt to restore your iPod.
After all that, your iPod will hopefully be up and running again.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
If you have any questions about any of this week’s show info, please email us here.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
Mobile Hotspots Update
You’ve heard us talk a lot about the MiFi mobile hotspot on the show. Basically, this is a portable 3G router that creates a WiFi network that handles up to 5 devices like notebooks, netbooks, MP3 players, cameras, PDAs, portable gaming systems or whatever else you need a WiFi connection for. This week we’re giving you an update on how this technology is evolving.
For example, you’ve probably heard about the Palm Pre Plus.
Some physical features of the design have changed from the original Pre. But, the most notable one is its built-in 3G mobile hotspot. It works just like the MiFi on Verizon’s network. Like the MiFi, it can support up to 5 devices at the same time.
The Palm Pre currently costs under $50 with a 2-year contract.
Another option is the Palm Pixi Plus. It’s an entry-level smartphone, but takes “basic” a little further with WiFi capability and the ability to use the smartphone as a mobile hotspot. It too allows up to 5 devices on its WiFi. The Palm Pixi costs under $30 currently with a 2-year contract on Verizon’s network as well.
And here’s the really good news! Verizon no longer charges for that privilege. With a regular data plan, the mobile hotspot is FREE. However, you have to be careful. It only includes up to 5GB of data access. Any usage above the 5 GB monthly allowance will be billed at a per-Mega Byte rate.
We’ve been huge fans of mobile hotspots like the MiFi since the beginning and are excited about where this technology is expanding … “Into Tomorrow”!
— By Rob Almanza, “Into Tomorrow” Correspondent
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Firefold: Several gaming accessories & HDMI 1.4 cables
Flipper: A Big Button Remote
Honestech: Copies of FOTOBOX Plus — Easy to use Photo Slideshow Creator
SpectorSoft: Copies of Spectro Pro for Mac — Internet Monitoring Software.