HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
Catherine in Raleigh, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: “I got an iPod touch and have heard that there are various applications where you can rig it with a microphone to turn it into a phone that uses Skype or something like that, so it’ll have a phone function. Wondering if you knew how to do that.”
You can in fact use your iPod Touch as a phone, so to speak, with apps like Skype. But the catch is, you have to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to do so, so you are still somewhat limited. You can’t be using it while driving down the street, unless you have a mobile hotspot, such as the Mi-Fi. But if you’re going to pay the monthly service for the mobile hotspot so you can use Skype, you might as well just get a phone. It’ll cost less.
You’re not just limited to the Skype App, though. There are tons of Apps available from the iPhone and iPod touch that you could look into. Vonage has one, too, but you’ll have to be a Vonage subscriber to use it. The same goes with Skype. It’s sort of a “Pay as you go” service. Unless you’re calling someone else who has Skype, that’s free. As are most of the VOiP apps that are available. Look into Fring as well. That’s another VOiP app you can use.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Carson sent us the following Facebook message: “Looking for a smart phone without a camera. We are with AT&T at this time.”
AT&T offers some of their BlackBerry models without cameras. We know for certain that the Bold 9000 was offered in a model that did not include a camera, and it’s likely they will have the more recent Bold 9700 and Curve 8520 models without a camera also. AT&T usually designates these models with an “NC” after the model number, as in Bold 9000 NC. We’re being a little vague here because AT&T doesn’t offer their no camera models in their retail stores. Nor do they appear to offer them through their web site. Verizon Wireless, for example, also skips them in the retail stories but does offer them featured plainly on their web site. AT&T told us that they don’t offer them in the stores because “it’s really something only their corporate customers want.” Which makes sense, actually. Skipping a camera is something that’s usually a security concern for corporate users. So, you can expect a bit of a hassle tracking down an NC BlackBerry model from AT&T. They’re available, but you’re going to need to connect with someone in “Corporate Sales.” Those same salespeople should also be able to hook you up with a camera-less version of the HTC Tilt 2 Windows phone. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and it’s quite bulky compared with most smartphones, but it is available in a no camera configuration.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Evelyn sent us the following email and asked: “Please let me know if there is a digital photo frame which will scan 4 by 6 pictures. I need to get rid of albums and albums of pictures.”
You can try the Skyla FS80 Memoir 8-inch Digital Photo Frame. It’s got a built-in scanner that scans pictures up to 4×6 at a high resolution. It’s 1GB of internal storage can hold up to 3000 photos. It even lets you enjoy music while viewing photo slideshows.
Basically, you slide your picture into the slot on the front and it will show up on the digital frame. You can then create a digital album with the pictures you scan. The frame automatically senses ambient light conditions and adjusts its backlight accordingly for optimal display of photos, and a Smart Touch Pad allows you to edit and enhance your digital pictures on the frame itself.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
William in Ohio listening on Sirius XM Satellite Radio sent us the following email and asked: “Can you give me a good suggestion for an HD radio for a car?”
There are so many options for HD Radio in your car. It all depends on how much you’re willing to spend, and what kind of radio you’re looking for. You could go with a whole new head unit in your car that had HD Radio built-in. You could also go with an aftermarket add-on HD Radio that you connect to an existing factory radio, or you could buy a new radio that is HD ready. That usually means the manufacturer has an HD Radio tuner available that will interface directly with that head unit.
The speakers make a big difference. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a great stereo and HD Radio tuner, but if you have cheap speakers in your vehicle, it’s still going to sound like garbage. One thing we recommend a lot is to go by a local electronics retailer, or auto sound shop, because they will usually have several units setup for you to check out. A lot of times, these stores will have an area with many radios and many speakers. You can select which radio you want to hear, then select a certain set of speakers to hear it on.
Guest in this hour:
Mohan Sadishiva, Senior VP of Marketing – FusionOne
FusionOne helps mobile subscribers transfer their content between mobile devices anytime, anywhere.
Henry in Porterville, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM asked: “I installed a DVD writer internal drive into a Dell 3000 built in 2005 and the Bios will not recognize. What are things that I can do?”
With a machine that old, you’re going to be dealing with IDE drives connected to a standard ATA port on the computer. Today’s computers use the newer SATA (that’s serial as opposed to parallel, with smaller cables and less bulk). But one of the key things about the original ATA, which some started calling PATA after SATA came out was that the drives needed to be configured for Master and Slave. On any given cable, only one drive could be the Master. And sometimes, if you have say a hard drive and a CD ROM drive on a cable, it would work with one of those being the Master, but not the other, so you had to fiddle things around a bit. Usually, the hard drive would be your Master drive and the optical drive would be the Slave.
So, when you’re installing the new drive, check that one of them is set to “Master” and any other on the cable as “Slave.” This will be done using some small jumper pins on the drive itself, and the owner’s manual for the drive will tell you how to set them, or it’s often printed on the drive itself.
If that doesn’t work, check your IDE cable. If the cable is defective in any way, the computer won’t see the drive and swapping it for a new one will solve the problem. An easy way to check is taking another cable (for example, one connected to the hard drive or another component) and seeing if the BIOS reacts to the new drive.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Mike in Pleasant View, Tennessee listening on 1590 AM and the podcasts sent us the following email and asked: “My question for you is concerning barbecue. Has there been a way to wirelessly monitor your barbecue while cooking your favorite summertime foods? Say you want to know how that T-bone is cooking using a wireless temperature probe from your laptop or desktop inside the house. It could come in handy for those who like to barbecue no matter what the weather is.”
You can try the Maverick ET-71CAN Redi-Chek Remote BBQ & Meat Thermometer. This is a programmable remote meat thermometer that lets you monitor the internal temperature of meat (or other food) in your oven or barbecue grill wirelessly, in °F or °C, from up to 100 feet (30 meters) away.
Ryan in Indiana listening on WJOB 1230 AM asked: “How far does Wi-Fi travel from its location? From like a city into the country and how far can you pickup a useable Wi-Fi signal?”
Not very far, under ideal conditions, with an unobstructed line of sight between the Wi-Fi Router, and the device using the connection. The theoretical maximum distance the connection should hold for is around 300 feet. In the real world, it’s usually much less than that.
If you’re interested in a connection that can connect a city with an isolated place in the country, you might want to look into WiMax which has a top range of up to 30 miles, but WiMax is not a simple as Wi-Fi, and you might need to get an FCC license depending on what wireless band your equipment uses. WiMax speeds also drop as the distance grows.
A simpler option, if you’re only interested in having an Internet connection, might be to talk to your cell phone company about their mobile broadband offerings, if you are able to get a decent signal where you want to connect to the Internet. You may be able to get good connection speeds by connecting your phone, or a USB dongle to your computer.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Honestech: Fotobox – Easy to use photo slideshow software
OrigAudio: “Rock-It” Portable Vibration Speakers
RadioShack: Weather Clock Radios – with SkyWarn
SmartSwipe: Secure personal credit card readers for shopping online
YoGen: The Universal mobile-device charger