HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
Rita in Miami, Florida listening online asked: “Interested in getting a cell phone for my granddaughter. Which one would you suggest for adding extra minutes when she’s good, and taking minutes away when she’s not so great?”
Cell phone plans are almost all package deals now with you buying a bank of minutes, or in some cases, buying an unlimited flat rate plan. Not many people want the hassle of buying the phone on a variable, pay as you go contract. Those who don’t want or can’t afford a monthly charge will buy one of the “prepaid” cell phones, where you add minutes to the phone whenever they’re all used up. But those prepaid phones are just phones. You won’t get any kind of a smartphone, or probably even text messaging, using something like that.
Android based smartphones or the iPhone are clearly the most popular devices with the younger crowd, and that would really be the sort of product you’d want to look at for your granddaughter. Perhaps you could just take physical possession of the phone during those times when she’s being “not so good?” That’s what Mark does, and he says it’s a fantastic incentive to not misbehave. Kids love their phones and hate to lose access to them. Parents and grandparents should embrace this new tool in the parenting toolbox and use it wisely.
Tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast for more details.
“Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Guest in this hour:
• Aaron Cooper, Director of Marketing – Worth Avenue Group
What happens if your laptop is stolen? Should you have purchased insurance? Worth Avenue Group provides electronic device insurance for accidental damage and theft for laptops, cell phones, iPhones, iPads, televisions and more.
Joe in Hyannis, Massachusetts listening to our podcast sent us the following email and asked: “Are there any TVs coming out that have Skype enabled on them. I heard about a Panasonic TV that had it, but are there any others?”
Yes, there are TVs that you can expect to use with Skype enabled on them. For example, Panasonic and LG widescreen HDTVs are said to be including Skype. For those who may not know the full story, Panasonic displayed this technology at CES back in January. As of May 18th, they finally activated the app on all of its 2010 VIERA Cast-enabled TVs (including the VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series). However, you’ll also have to buy a Panasonic webcam that will cost $170, which supports both VGA and 720p video.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Agnes sent us the following email and asked: “We are in an RV park with free Wi-Fi, but the signal is very low. Is there anything we can do to get better reception?”
Probably the easiest thing for you to do is get a USB Wi-Fi antenna for your computer. They are available from any number of electronics retailers. We found some, for instance, at C.Crane that claim they can get you a usable Wi-Fi signal for miles. Now of course, that would be under perfect conditions, with no interference whatsoever. But working across an RV park should be no problem for these devices.They are basically (as the name implies) an antenna that you plug into your computer’s USB port. There are a few different types available.
First, you have the tabletop. Second, they have the mobile, or portable antennas that you can take anywhere, stick in a window, etc. Then, you have the point to point antennas. These can probably get you the best “boost.” But there is one main drawback. They are directional. You can find any of these antennas starting at around $20 at places like C. Crane.
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.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
Logitech Revue with Google TV
Logitech Revue is one of the first products to bring Google TV to your home. How well does this set top box perform? Is it the right time to get Google TV? Rob Almanza reports on our Product Spotlight this week.
– By Rob Almanza, “Into Tomorrow” Correspondent
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Improv Electronics: Several Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablets in a variety of colors and accessories including sleeves with stylus holders & magnet kits.
Intuit: TurboTax Deluxe Online – Several Pre-Paid Codes
Screen Guard: Foam Cleaning Spray with microfiber cleaning cloth to clean all of your electronic devices
SmartShopper Electronics: Several SmartShoppers — Electronic Grocery List Organizer