HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
Leonard in Raleigh, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: “Is there any device out there that would recognize a song on the radio and give me the name and artist so I can tag it and download it to my iPod?”
There is an application for many smartphones called Shazam. Let’s say that you’re driving down the road in your car and you hear a song on the radio that catches your ear. Well, all you have to do is start Shazam on your Droid, iPhone, or BlackBerry and it will listen to the tune for a few seconds and then give you not only the artist, but the title of the song, as well as the album.
When you have the application, simply hold the phone to the speakers and tap the “tag now” button. Immediately, you will see Shazam start listening to the song for about 5-7 seconds. When it’s finished, it will return all of the info of the song.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Nick in Shreveport, Louisiana listening on 710 KEEL AM asked: “I have Sprint and I was wondering if you knew what type of cell phone booster I could use, so I can increase my reception.”
We’ve tried several cell phone signal boosters at our Into Tomorrow Labs. One of our top choices has been the zBoost products from our sponsor Wi-Ex.
Wi-Ex offers signal boosters for the home and office. One of their latest is called the zBoost Metro. It’s designed for consumers in single story homes. The zBoost Metro can boost indoor signal up to 1500 sq ft for multiple users in their home or office. It’s compatible with all U.S. carriers and mobile devices using 800 & 1900 MHz (not compatible with Nextel phones).
They also offer a zBoost for the Car. It extends an in-vehicle “Cell Zone” for multiple users. The zBoost captures the signal outside of your car and amplifies it inside. No cradle or connection is required.
Another company you can look at is Wilson Electronics. They also offer signal boosters for the car and the home. However, they don’t sell direct. Wi-Ex does.
Rafia sent us the following email and asked: “Just saw your video on YouTube on Wet Cell Phone Rescue. I recently dropped my new mobile phone Samsung d900i in the toilet. It was buzzing when I removed it from the toilet and immediately removed the battery, just like you guys said to do. I rinsed it with tap water and dried it immediately using a drier. Then when I arrived home, I opened it apart and dried all parts, including the LCD screen, which was flooded with water. I then put if back together and placed it overnight it in a bowl of raw rice. Today, I replaced the battery and switched it on and the keypad light lit up instantly, but the screen didn’t display anything. Now, even the keypad light won’t come on. I have now left it charging overnight. Do you think this can be fixed?”
It is possible for cell phones dropped in water to be fixed. After you drop your cell phone in water, follow these directions:
1) Remove it from the water right away
2) Take the battery out of the phone
) If you’ve got a GSM carrier, remove the SIM card
4) Dry the phone by putting it in a sealed container filled with uncooked rice.
Click here for full instructions.
Click here to view the video.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Laura Fay, CEO – HAPPYneuron
HAPPYneuron brings you Brain Fitness through entertaining games that are fun and developed to challenge your brain.
Nick in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin listening to the podcast asked: “We have an eMachines computer and it’s beeping at us. We were wondering what those beeps meant.”
Those beeps are telling you that your computer is not happy about something. Exactly what the beeps mean depends on the motherboard that is inside your computer. They could be alerting you to anything from bad RAM, to a hard drive malfunction, low CPU battery, and anything in between.
If you still have the manual for your computer, look there first. Many times they will have a section that tells you what series of beeps mean what.
If you don’t have the manual, try searching for it online. If all else fails, you can take it to a local computer repair shop, Geek Squad, etc. and they should be able to point you in the right direction.
The “Into Tomorrow” team posted the following question on Facebook: “What is your favorite FUN App this Summer on any mobile device (Android, iPhone/iPad, BlackBerry, Intel App Up Store, etc)?”
Tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast for more details.
Larry sent us the following email and asked: “Just picked up the Droid X and can’t seem to find a “Droid X For Dummies” to help get me started. Wondering if you can point me to something where I can learn more.”
Verizon Wireless has a great support section where you can learn how to use the Droid X. It’s the “Droid X How-To Simulator“. It’s very realistic and includes detailed instructions for operating your phone and getting started. It’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Janet in Jefferson City, Missouri listening on KLIK 1240 AM sent us the following email and said: “Thank you so much for answering my question submitted by phone on your show. (I was honestly surprised to hear you used my question on your show.) Using your suggestions, I purchased the Logitech Pro-9000 Webcam. As we both are on teacher salaries (and because we teach in the rural sections of the county), our funds are very limited. That makes getting it right the first time very important. I really appreciate your input.?”
If you have any questions about any of this week’s show info, please email us here.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
Our Top 5 Summer “FUN” Apps:
1) Voice Chat Robot (Android)
2) The Game of Life Classic Edition (iPhone)
) FourSquare (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone)
4) Marble Mixer (iPhone/iPad)
5) Tiffen’s Photo fx Ultra (iPad)
Let us know if you try any of the apps we chose as our top picks and what you think.
Email us here.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
SleepPhones: A Sheep of Your Dreams Kit
SmartSwipe: Secure personal credit card readers for shopping online
Smith Micro Software: Several copies of Anime Studio Pro 7
Total Training: Copies of Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended: Essentials
YoGen: The Universal mobile-device charger