HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
Sharon in Jefferson, Texas listening on KEEL 710 asked: “My husband needs to upgrade from a simple cell phone to something that can help him keep organized. I don’t want something basic, looking for something that can really help him juggle everything. What’s the best on the market to help him get rid of the calendar and just use his phone?”
Any of the current smartphones can do that. BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile all include calendar features that live on the phone and integrate with web calendars out there “in the cloud.” Each of us here regularly makes the case for why we choose the platform that we did, and I’m sure you’ve heard us make it again today, at some point.
But, since any smartphone can do this, you’ll have to make a choice as to which one you get based on other criteria. Are there any other things your husband needs to do with his phone? If it’s really just phone plus calendar and nothing else, then you should start shopping coverage and price. Who has the best coverage where you are, for the lowest price?
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Wesley in Plantation listening to the stream asked: “Interested in a Slingbox. I hear people talking about it and wondering what it entails and what the benefits are of having it.”
Benefits of having a Slingbox is that you can watch live TV programs, or recorded programs, from the Internet, or from a mobile device, wherever in the world you are. For example, one of our biggest uses of Slingbox is every time we’re in Tokyo with very little English on TV, we watch our shows, even our own live local news back at home. Even with the 12 hour time difference, it may be morning news in the evening, but it’s still out TV, back here in Miami.
If you are on vacation a lot or are away from your TV a lot, we think it’s a good thing to have. There is the Slingbox SOLO for about $180, which only in standard-def, but if you want HD, there is the Slingbox Pro HD for about $300, which is what you need if you want the high-def.
Sally in Carey, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: “Wondering how to compare features and value on the Droid vs. the iPhone. I’m unsure how to compare them and decide which one. Or maybe there’s other candidates now.”
Dave loves using the Android, but most of the staff loves their iPhones. Mark, of course, loves his BlackBerry.
When it comes to the Android phone, it really depends on what carrier you have, because there are a lot of phones that have the Android operating system, and what features it has depends on what version of Android they are running.
A couple of weeks ago John in Bridgewater, NJ called our show and asked about a Windows 7 tablet and we basically had to tell him: “Well, HP announced one, but it may or may not be cancelled.”
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Scott Jordan, Founder & CEO – SCOTTeVEST
There is a Pocket Showdown brewing between Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) and our next guest. Who came up with the iPad pocket?
“Into Tomorrow” Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza: HTC EVO — Click Here or on Rob’s face for details
Bill in Clarksville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: “Trying to figure out if there’s anything that can help me understand the wireless interference that’s going on in my house. I seem to drop the wireless signal all the time. Want to figure out if there’s a better way to position the router, or find out what’s causing all the interference. I have direct line of sight with the router and it still drops.”
Assuming your router is working properly, you’re probably facing just what you said, wireless interference. Since your connection drops under line of sight conditions, we can assume there’s something in the air blocking the signal from getting to your devices. The cause though could be a very long list.
Anything from cordless phones to microwave ovens to other Wi-Fi or WiMAX networks to outside antennas or wireless security cameras can affect a wireless network.
Unless you know you have one of those devices near your Wi-Fi router and you can move either the cause of the interference or the router, you should go to your router’s settings and change the wireless channel being used to broadcast the signal.
For more information, click here, or tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Amazon: HydroRight Smarter Flush Technology Converts any size toilet to Dual-Flush AND Anti-Siphon Fill Valve!
Cooper Lighting: Several Might D Light – Rechargeable LED worklight
iMPROV Electronics: Several Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablets
Joby: GorillaTorch Original – Hands-free flashlights with flexible, bendable legs and magnetic feet