HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
Ray in Niagara Falls, New York listening online asked: “I was interested in the Clickfree backup Hard drive. They make a C2 model and a C6 model. Was wondering if you can tell me what the difference is.”
Clickfree C6 is an Imaging computer Back up Drive that comes with Easy Recovery, Restore and Repair. It comes with Easy Fix technology, you can recover from a failure of a computer viruses or software corruptions, even if Windows can’t start instead, as long the computer can start, Easy Fix can help to repair your computer with a previous backup.
Clickfree C6 can save backups of imaging Easy as many computers as necessary, and is limited only by available disk on your hard drive click free.
Computers with various Windows operating system can access the same disk imaging ClickFree C6 Easy saved.
Clckfree supports Windows 7, Vista, XP. All that’s required is a USB port and 100 MB free space on your computer.
For laptops, it comes in 500GB and 1TB starting at $ 139.99, for Desktop versions comes in 1TB up to 2 TB starting at $ 149.99.
The Clickfree C2 is a wireless Backup Hard drive, is very easy to setup and use wirelessly. Just connect the hard drive to your computer via USB 2.0 port.
Assuming that your computer is connected wirelessly or via Ethernet to your router, the hard drive will detect your computer’s setting and then connect to your computer wirelessly.
You can even have your hard drive connect to more than one computer on your wireless network and migrate data through the hard drive to different computers.
Ones wirelessly connected the hard drive, automatically backs up the files on your computers.
The C2 comes with Smart Restore function, it can automatically restore all or select files on your computer.
Available online for Windows and Mac at $197.00.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline.
Sue in California listens on KLIV 1590 asked: “I have a job that enables me to have the bunny slipper commute. In other words, I work from home. My own PC has a nice mouse, keyboard, and, best of all, a large, flat screen monitor. The computer that has been issued to me by my company is a MacBook Pro. Since my job entails a lot of working with different documents side by side, I REALLY want to use my large, lovely, flat screen monitor to do it rather than the dinky monitor built into the laptop. As long as I’m at it, I’d rather use my ergonomic Logitech mouse, too. Recabling the monitor is not even a question. Can you tell me which KVM switches will let me use all three perihpherals currently hooked directly to my pc with both my PC and the MacBook?
My second question is about hubs. I connect to the world via a DSL modem (D-link 2320B). It has one port. I’d like to be able to connect both machines. What would you suggest I use to do that? Thank you.”
About the first question: You need a pretty simple KVM Switch, something like the Black Box ServSwitch Micro 2 Port USB KVM Switch Cable will do.
It’s simple a cable with two VGA output jacks and two USB cables, each USB end plugs into one of the computers and the same goes for the VGA jack, on the other end you’ll see VGA input jack, you plug your monitor that one, and two USB jacks, one of the mouse and one for the keyboard.
And that’s it, you’re all set, you can switch between computers by using a hotkey and both the Mac and the PC will be able to share the mouse, the keyboard and the large screen.
There is one more thing you’re going to have to spend some money on, your work Macbook Pro won’t have a VGA port, so you will have a buy an adapter that will convert your computer’s display out or thunderbolt port into a VGA port. If you buy this adapter directly from Apple you’ll spend $29, if you choose to buy a knockoff online you can spend under $10… whether it will last is anybody’s guess, but it’s definitely an option that can save you some money.
About the sharing the connection, depending on how easy you want your set up to be, you could buy a hub and make one of the computers act as a router, or you could simply buy a router and let it take care of the connections sharing on it’s own.
Considering your work Mac is a laptop, you may want to buy a wireless router, they don’t cost much more than a wired only router and it will give you the ability to use your work computer from anywhere and you won’t have to plug it in, even to use it at your desk.
Overall you’re looking at about $60 for the KVM switch, anywhere from $5 to $29 for the Apple adapter, and about $50 for the router, so you will have to spend a little money just to share a screen, a mouse and a connection, but you’re probably saving a fortune on gas!
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Jerry in Dearborn, Michigan asked: “I was wondering about MP3 players. I got a Samsung for my birthday from my little boy and it quit working about 10 months after getting it. I sent it to Samsung, they repaired it, and about 45 days later it quit again. I contacted them and they said the original manufactures warranty was only 12 months so there is nothing they could do because the unit is now just over 13 months. I explained to them that they just repaired it and the repair should come with some sort of warranty, and they responded it only carries a 30 day warranty. Talk about a bunch of crap! No more Samsung for me. Now I would like to get one of the new iPods. But I again, am leery to spend money on my credit card for something that is not going to last. What are your thoughts on the iPod with the touchscreen, and do you have to have a MAC computer to load it with music? Do you know where the best place to get one price wise?”
iPods tend to last. In terms of the warranty, you’d be pretty much in the same boat you’re in with Samsung, up to one year, no problem, they’ll fix anything. At one year and one day you’re on your own and repairs are expensive, but we’ve hardly ever heard of iPods having problems before they reach old age.
Rob says that he still has the original iPod Mini that he bought in 2001 and he says it works! Like many things, they do last, if you take good care of them. By the way, loading songs onto an iPod does not require a Mac. In fact, most iPod users probably have PCs. You just load the music onto iTunes on your computer and when you plug in your iPod it will sync them on it’s own. Pricing is more complicated, typically you won’t find heavily discounted Apple products anywhere, for the most part when Apple says “it costs $200” it means it costs $200 everywhere. Although, sometimes Walmart can be different and sell it for a dollar or a penny less.
One option that may work for you is looking at refurbished iPods on Apple’s website, they come with a full warranty (the same one new products get), new cables, new boxes, even a new exterior shell, so it will definitely look and feel new, and it might save you a few dollars.
We have also reviewed several models of the SanDisk Sansa line of MP3 players and find them to be very reliable, low cost alternatives to iPods. They don’t pretend to be iPods, they have far fewer features, but as music players they are excellent choices especially for children because of their low cost. Models we have personally tested and approved include the Fuze and the Clip+. While we don’t want to discourage you from purchasing an iPod if that’s what you want, there are some reliable, low cost alternatives to consider. We will give you a link on this week’s show page to the entire model line of Sansa MP3 players, so you can comparison shop.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guests in this hour:
Scott Steinberg, Gaming Guru & Tech Expert
The holidays are approaching and video gaming is expected to be a bright spot and we are getting a preview of some of the hottest games we’ll be playing.
 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: iPhone 4S
There’s been a lot of buzz and disappointment (at the same time) since news broke out about the iPhone 4S. Our very own iDork stayed up all night to pre-order his (as many other iPhone fans did) and gave us his attempt at an objective “editorial review”. Listen to Hour 2 of our podcast for more. |
John from Hartland, Michigan listens via 800 CKLW asked: “Hi Dave, what is the best value in products for boosting cellular signal indoors?”
That depends on your circumstances. There are many cell phone boosters on the market, that fit all sorts of scenarios. The first ones we’ll talk about are the Wi-Ex products. We’ve used these in our studios for years and they work. They have several models available. For instance, the zBoost Metro. This one is ideal for single story units and will cover about 1500 square feet. Its antennas are built-in, so there’s no need to run an antenna to the outside of your home or office. It sells for about $300. Then you have the zBoost SOHO that extends your range up to 3000 square feet. That one sells for about $400.
There are also the signal boosters from Wilson electronics. Wilson and Wi-Ex are the two biggest players in the cell phone booster field. Wilson’s products have very similar features to the Wi-Ex boosters. Along with wireless solutions, Wilson has a line of higher-end, “direct connect” boosters and cradles that you can install in your vehicle or your home or office that include external antennas.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Energizer: Several Weather Ready 2 LED Flashlights
Otterbox: Several protective cases, including: Defender for Amazon Kindle & Defender for iPad 2
Philips: Sonicare AirFloss (interdental cleaner) … Experience a microburst of clean in-between.