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Tech News & Commentary
Hunt in Columbia, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM – calling via the App asked us: “What is the difference in sound quality between a sound bar, located under the TV, and the wireless surround sound systems I’ve seen on the market. Prices are similar, but the sound bar is much more convenient. Wondering what are the advantages/disadvantages of both.”
Hunt, Both sound bar and wireless surround sound systems are great sound devices but both have their pros and cons. Just like you said the sound bar is more convenient in terms of installation, a few wires, and a single sound system compared to a surround sound system that has multiples. The main two disadvantages are that the location of the sound bar can affect the sound quality and also it doesn’t produce complete surround sound for a large environments.
With a surround sound system, you get a complete full range of sound and have the control, where the sounds systems are placed throughout the room. Honestly, the appearance of surround sound gives the impression of a theater which changes the feel of the room. The downfall with the system is that to ensure the best quality surround system, you would need a wired connection between the television and the speakers. Also, the installation isn’t as easy as the sound bar.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Facebook Participation:
Who has the best tablets? Which one would you buy and why?
Here are some of the answers that we got:
Larry said Microsoft RT Tablets
Kurt from McKean, Pennsylvania shared iPad…love all apple products for ease of use and I love the ios operating system.
Peter in Olympia, Washington – calling in via the App asked us: “Thank you for fixing the Into Tomorrow app for Tablets. Question is… Why do some companies put out applications for tablets and some do a separate app for phones when it comes to Android?”
Peter, Depending on the company, it may be because the application has no place on a phone, because it’s the easiest way to maintain it, or because it’s been around for a while. Some applications require the big screen and companies don’t want them on phones at all, but when they do the also face other issues.
Android is quick to push OSs or to try to incorporate new devices and Google often does it without thinking of the challenges that will be involved, that means that sometimes supporting a certain tablet means not supporting a certain phone, or that code that runs well in that tablet OS doesn’t work well in the version some phones are using. On top of that, Google pushed out Android Tablets without thinking of how they were going to relate to phones, so they didn’t start out having universal apps that would run on either.
That means that if you released an app for a tablet and an app for a phone, and you would like to roll them both into a single app, you need to either get all of your phone users or all of your tablet users to transition onto the other app. You can’t just say “hey everyone, app C is the merged version of app A and app B and your next update will take all of you to app C” they have to transition manually, and that more often than not is too much to ask.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Ari Roisman, CEO & Co-Founder – Glide
CEA Update with Danielle Cassagnol
A new study from the Consumer Electronics Association reveals 2014 is going to be a record year for technology sales. Danielle Cassagnol with CEA is here with some of the breakthrough innovations that are capturing the hearts, minds and imaginations of tech enthusiasts…in this week’s CEA Update.
James in Woodbury, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked us: “I have Verizon right now and my contract is up in November. I was thinking of going with one of those $50 a month straight talk deals. Wondering what would be the best one to go with.”
James, You don’t seem to have much choice in the way of Straight Talk plans, there’s the $45/month unlimited and the $60/month unlimited with international long distance included too. Do you call internationally? If you don’t, save yourself $15 a month.
In terms of phones, be aware that you will be buying an old phone by Verizon’s standards. The best phones you can get on Straight Talk are the Samsung Galaxy S4, which is already not the newest Galaxy phone, and the iPhone 5S, which is literally week from being an older Apple model.
You will likely also have slower internet service and you may not have the same coverage that you’re used to, especially if you travel.
Now, having said that, it’s very cheap, it’s unlimited and if you can live with those concessions, it’s not a bad deal.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Joshua in Sparta, Tennessee listening on SuperTalk 99.7 WTN asked us: “I have a Galaxy S4. I filled up my memory card. I am buying a new one. I’m looking for an easy way to transfer the contents of this memory card, to a new one with more space.”
Joshua, The easiest way is to use your computer to read the card, then copy everything manually, including hidden files, and then copy them from your computer onto the new card.
If you don’t want to do it manually, you can try HDD Raw Copy Tool or Win32DiskImager, they will both clone your old card onto your new one without the need for manual input.
Those programs may help you, because it’s hard to make sure you’ve copied all of the files you’re gonna need, a lot of them are in hidden folders that you may or may not see, and you may or may not be able to copy easily. If in doubt, you may want to use those.
If you decide to use a computer for this, you should know that very few (if any) computers have a slot for a micro-SD card like the Galaxy S4 uses. You will need to purchase an adapter that converts the micro-SD card into a standard SD card. They’re not expensive, in many cases they even come with the micro-SD cards. We just wanted you to know another part would be required before you stood in front of your computer with your micro-SD card in hand, wondering just exactly where you should stick it.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Hydreon:Fake TV – Burglary Deterrent Device
iolo: Copies of System Mechanic – Tune-up your PC to increase performance and reliability.
Tylt: ALIN Screen Protectors for the iPad Air
“Into Tomorrow”: Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!