Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
John in Bridgewater, New Jersey listens via the iPhone App and asked: “They finally announced when they are gonna release the Windows Surface Tablets. I wanted the Windows OS and I wanted it to be usable for playing games and watching movies, but also be able to surf the web and edit documents. Microsoft has put that all together. The price point is still up in the air ’cause it hasn’t been announced yet. But supposedly we’re looking at about $500 for the RT version and about $1000 for the professional version. Is that what you’re hearing as well? If I can’t get the professional version, is the RT gonna do it for me? What are the limitations? What are the pluses? I wanna be able to run iTunes so I can watch my iTunes movies that I have. But I wanna be able to do the other things. I just hope I can afford the one that will do what I need it to do.”
It’s hard to tell what will and won’t run on each version of the Surface, the Pro version will run Windows 8, which would indicate that it would likely be able to run software like iTunes, but the truth is Microsoft hasn’t been very specific about what they will be able to run.
Considering it’s expected to be equipped with Core i5 processors and at least 64GB of storage, it’s fair to assume it can run software like iTunes well enough. But, that’s the Pro, we don’t know much about what Windows RT can do, so you may have to consider the expensive version.
What we do know is that Windows RT has a desktop, but it’s not supposed to be able to run third party desktop applications, so using regular iTunes on a surface seems to be very unlikely, unless you buy the Pro version.
You may also want to think about how to best store your movies because the estimated $1000 price tag will be for the base Pro model, not the one with the larger hard drive, and when you subtract the amount of memory taken up by Windows 8 and by whatever software you have installed, you may not have a ton of room left to fill with movies.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
Michael in Pembroke Pines, Florida listens to the Podcast and asked: “I have a question about my original iPad. I understand with the new iOS6 coming out, it will be pretty much obsolete. What are some of the uses I can do with that iPad considering that I won’t have a lot of the great features that are coming up?”
You can do absolutely every single thing you’re doing with it now. It’s not going to be obsolete, it just won’t be updated to the next version of iOS.
The fact that you don’t get the new version of maps, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the current version. And the fact that you don’t get iCloud synced tabs, doesn’t mean you don’t get to use your browser, and that same logic goes for everything else. Everything you’ve been using it for so far, will still work after other people get the iOS update, even if you don’t.
This is not any different from when the iPad 2 came out and people were able to FaceTime and your iPad still couldn’t. It couldn’t do that, but it could still do everything it had been able to do before.
So, if you want the new features, you will have to update, and you will have to figure out if there’s any use for your current iPad, but the uses you’re gonna find for it are the exact same uses it has now.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
KIM in Charlotte, NC. listens on WXNC and asked: “Hey Dave, I just bought a Nikon 1, and I LOVE IT. However, spending this much for a camera, I want to make sure it will last. What are some good ideas to keep my camera in good shape? Thanks!”
The most common and easiest thing to do would be to get a case or camera bag. They make them with soft lining that won’t scratch your camera or your screen, padding helps as well. The case should have a small pocket for a spare memory card and a spare battery.
Keeping the camera clean is your #1 priority. Dirt and DSLR cameras simply do not mix. We found some really excellent web sites with tips and techniques for cleaning your camera, and we will link those for you in this week’s show notes. As we already said, get a quality case for your camera. And if your camera comes with a lens hood — use it! Those help keep your lens safe from bumps and scratches.
Never touch the lens with your fingers. The oils on your fingertips will muck up the lens. Before wiping off the lens, hold the camera upside down and gently blow off any grit and lose dust particles. Then, lightly wipe the lens and other camera parts with a soft, dry cloth or lens cleaning paper.
If needed, wipe the lens with a few drops of lens cleaning fluid. Place the fluid on the lens cleaning paper, not directly onto the lens. The best camera cleaning cloth is made of microfiber, which should be stored in a plastic baggie when not in use. Lens tissue, a swatch from a cotton t-shirt or a soft handkerchief can also be used. Paper towels, napkins and facial tissue should not be used to clean the lens.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
Karl in South Dakota listening on KOTA and the Podcast – calling in via the App asked: “My question is about the move command in Mac OS 10.6.8 I hold down the command key, click and drag to get something from my external drive moved to my main computer, but it seems like a third of the time to half of the time it comes out as a copy command instead of move, very inconsistent. Any ideas how to do this? I’d really prefer to right click see a “move” command that would lead me to a cascading menu on my computer but apparently the geniuses at Cupertino haven’t figured that out yet.”
What you’re doing is what you’d typically do for moving a file instead of copying it. Here’s where it can get a little confusing: when you drag a file from folder A to folder B, Mac OS X assumes you want to move it, if folder A and folder B are on the same drive, if they’re in different drives Mac OS X assumes you want to back it up by making a copy.
The command key will toggle through those, so if the operating system intends to make a copy and you press the key, it will now move the file, if it intended to move the file and you press the key, it will now make a copy.
You can tell what the OS will do by the icon it displays, the copy icon will have a big plus sign in a circle, for “move” you’ll just see the file over the other folder. We looked for Finder extensions to see if there was a way to add an item like the one you said you’d prefer to the context menu, but we haven’t found any. The truth is, that would probably be too impractical for most users.
If you want though, you can download a program like Xfolders to make moving files easier. It will show you the two folders (the one you’re copying to and the one you’re copying from) and it will let you use dedicated “copy” and “move” buttons and keyboard shortcuts you can use.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
Guests in this hour:
Rob Lippincott, Senior Vice President of Education – PBS LearningMedia
How are teachers using technology in the classroom? How are they using technology to help them teach? Rob shares the results of a survey of teachers on what tools they have and need in the classroom.
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
In 1966, an international conference authorized the European formats PAL and SECAM, and it was in 1967 at the 25th IFA in Berlin, when the German Chancellor Willy Brandt pressed the button to launch color television in Germany. The communist Eastern Germany, started two years later, but used the French SECAM system to keep their citizens from watching West Germany’s color TV – their favorite but illegal source of information and entertainment. Only big, expensive screens were available in color, and content very slowly made the transition to color.
Frank in San Diego, California listening on KCEO 1000 AM asked: “How do I transfer VHS tapes onto my computer?”
That’s a question we get a lot on this show. That’s very easy to do if you have the right hardware. One product we have recommended a lot is called VHS to DVD Deluxe from Honestech.
This is software and a little white box that you plug your VCR into. The other end is a USB that you plug into your computer. You can then use the software to capture your VHS footage digitally in your computer. You can then either burn it to DVD or watch it from your PC.
The software also includes the ability to do some basic editing, so you can add titles, cut out unwanted scenes and that kind of stuff. Honestesch’s VHS to DVD Deluxe sells for about $80.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
Mark in Ocala, Florida asked: “Is there a cheap, inexpensive VGA to RCA cable (not a converter box, just a cable) that allows you to export the video from your laptop to your TV?”
You can find these online for like $2, they’re very common. Keep in mind that VGA doesn’t carry audio, so you’ll need a separate cable to go from your headphone jack into the TV’s audio input.
There are cables that come with both the VGA and the stereo jack in one package, so you may be able to buy an inexpensive cable that comes with what you need for both an audio and a video connection, but even if you don’t, you can just buy a cheap 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable online too.
You can probably get the whole setup for less than $10 online and you won’t need any converted box, as long as you have the VGA out on your laptop and an RCA input on your TV.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast. Just click the red arrow in the upper right column on this page.
If you have any questions about any of this week’s show info, please email us here.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
C.Crane: Senta Forty Premium Wooden Headphones
Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 Software
NQ Mobile: Activation codes for NQ Mobile Vault (Premium Version) – An Android app that keeps your text messages, pictures, and videos safely hidden from prying eyes.
StrikeForce Technologies: Several Download Keys for GuardedID – anti-key logging software