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Tech News & Commentary
Dave in Dallas, Texas sent us the following question: “What is it exactly I need to do? I have Windows XP, and I’m hearing that it won’t be working in the near future and security issues. SO what exactly do I need to do and what kind of change do I need to make with my computer to make it work without Windows XP.”
Dave, Since April 8, 2014 support for Windows XP is no longer available. You basically have two options now. You can either upgrade your PC or get a new PC. To check if your PC is able to run Windows 8.1, download the Windows Upgrade Assistant and it will help you verify. The older your PC is, the more likely it won’t be able to run Windows 8.1. The second option is to purchase a new PC. If you remain using WIndows XP, your computer will be more defenseless towards viruses and harmful software. [JP]
Of course that brings us to your third option: You could do nothing. Windows XP – contrary to what a lot of people are thinking – will not stop working. What has stopped are the security and maintenance updates. It’s possible that your computer will continue to work for a while. (More possible if you don’t have it connected to the Internet.) But if you go this route, you have to understand that as we mentioned earlier: you will be more defenseless against new threats that pop up.
Just FYI: your upgrade will probably feel like a downgrade until you get used to it. Windows 8 is an acquired taste, or maybe an acquired sense of resignation, either way, you probably won’t like it at first, but you should eventually get used to it.
And honestly, with the cost of a new computer these days being so affordable, it’s probably just wisest to continue using your Windows XP computer until you can afford a new one. Don’t put it off forever, though, because now that Microsoft themselves no longer supports Windows XP, other software companies will begin removing it from their list of supported operating systems. That means, for instance, when a new version of your favorite web browser, or perhaps that photo editing software you like, become available, they may not work on Windows XP.
And when you purchase new devices, the odds that a driver will be available to connect them with your computer are quite small. Not being able to use that shiny new multifunction printer you just spent $100 on would be very annoying.
So the question shouldn’t be “how can I keep going with Windows XP,” the question should be “what is the most cost-effective way to get a new computer running Windows 8.1?”
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Ron in Nashville, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 and is calling in via the App asked us: “I have a Galaxy S3 phone and absolutely love it. I’m looking at the Galaxy S5 and wondering if I should upgrade or if there’s another Android phone I should be looking for. I’m not interested in iPhone. Want to stay Android.”
Ron, Coming from a former S3 user, it’s an amazing phone but if you’re looking to upgrade to another Android phone, the Galaxy S5 & HTC One (M8) would be a couple that you might want to look at. If you want to go to a phone with a reasonable price, then you should definitely consider looking at the Galaxy S4 – because now that the S5 is out, you’ll find some good deals on the S4.
The Galaxy S5 has quickly become a very popular phone. Featuring its fingerprint scanner, heart-rate monitor, improved battery life and waterproof design, the S5 outshines many other Android phones in a lot of the reviews out there. The S5 is a big jump from the S3. For example, while the S3 has an 8 megapixel camera, the S5 features a 16 megapixel camera.
The closest competitor to the Galaxy S5 is the HTC One (M8), and a lot of people feel the metal design of the M8 is a lot nicer than the S5. Sadly, the M8 4-megapixel camera is only half the resolution of the S3,so if camera quality is what you’re looking for then you might want to look elsewhere. The M8 & S5 both fair well in regards to performance and speed, but what makes the HTC One M8 so popular is its high end design.
At the end of the day, the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 are both amazing phones as well as the Galaxy S4. If you want something completely fresh and new, go with the HTC One M8. If you want a phone that you’re still familiar with, but with amazing features, go with the S5. Choose the S4 if you want a better phone but you’re on a budget.
We should also mention that if you’re wanting the “pure” Android experience without any of the customizations made by the phone manufacturers or wireless carriers, you can consider Google’s Nexus 5 phone, which admittedly doesn’t have the slick metal case and high quality speakers of the HTC One M8 nor the high resolution camera of the Samsung Galaxy S5. It does, however, have an excellent screen, a very fast Snapdragon processor, and it runs extremely fast (partially because of that processor and partially because it doesn’t have any additional things added to Android to slow it down).
Depending on when you will be purchasing this new phone, Google is widely expected to release a Nexus 6 model this fall, with a larger and higher resolution screen, and–we assume–a better camera. So it really comes down to a question of whether you like, or at least don’t mind, an Android phone that’s been “enhanced” by the phone manufacturer and/or the wireless network carrier, or whether you want to get the “pure” Android experience.
Any way you go, though, you will get a phone that is a nice upgrade from the Galaxy S3, but don’t expect it to be dramatically different. The Galaxy S3 was a quantum leap ahead of its predecessors, and the evolutionary Android scale has been a little less rapid since then.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Kurt Bauer, CEO – One Llama Labs
understand the meaning behind sound, audio and acoustics for all things.
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
In 1973 the second Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin, today known as IFA, saw the market introduction of the first home video recording system in the world, the VCR system by Philips and Grundig. Home video recording had been made possible by an invention of Telefunken engineers, helical scan, which allowed the machines to record in very small tracks without cross talk. Telefunken and Teldec, the joint record company of Telefunken and Decca, introduced the first picture disc named TED. The TED disc was read with a pick up needle like a long play audio record.
Joe in Paducah, Kentucky listens online sent us the following question: “My daughter just started middle school and since she will be walking to school, I wanted to get her a phone that she could use to call us if there is an emergency. She doesn’t need anything fancy, but I also don’t want her to have a phone with no features at all. Can you recommend an entry-level phone that would be good for an 11 year old?”
Joe, You might want to just get her an older iPhone or Android phone and manage it using parental controls.
iPhones come with their own built in parental controls that let you manage what your child can and cannot use (browser, app stores, the cameras, the microphone, etc), Android doesn’t come with very comprehensive parental controls out of the box, but there are plenty of apps that would allow you to set limits on what she can do.
Going with a basic smartphone rather than a feature phone would also make it easier for you to track her, if you’d like to do that, since both Android and iPhone have tracking apps and service you can use. Since you don’t want anything fancy, an older smartphone would also likely be very cheap, if not free.
Most 11 year olds can easily manage an iPhone, and most wireless carriers will give you the older model iPhone for free when you sign a new two year contract, or extend an existing contract.
Be sure that you have something with actual wireless service and not simply a data plan. Heaven forbid that something should ever happen, but if it does, having the phone contacting wireless towers would allow law enforcement to quickly narrow in on the phone’s location.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Cliff in Chattanooga, Tennessee listens via the App sent us the following question: “What contacts program/app do you recommend that works with most emails, outlook and social media. Thanks for the advice. Right now I’m using “contacts+” it seems to work well except I don’t see how to get it on my laptop as well.”
Cliff, This is actually a pretty tough question, there aren’t many products that meet your requirements.
The best mix we have been able to find would be to continue using Contacts+ on your phone, and to use Apowersoft’s Android Manager on your computer.
Android Manager, allows you to sync contacts with Outlook and manage your phone’s contacts from your computer.
Between both of those, you should be able to get what you want, but unfortunately, unless you can do it through an email provider (and all of the major free ones will let you sync contacts), you won’t find a much easier way to keep everything synced.
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.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Joanne Black: Autographed copies of her book “Pick up the damn phone”
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!