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Tech News & Commentary
Michelle in Belvedere, Tennessee listens on WTN 99.7 calling in from the app asks us: “I was wondering how I can detect if my ex-husband has put spyware on my iPhone.”
Michelle, As technology advances, so does spyware; making it even more difficult to detect. When determining whether your phone is being monitored or not be aware of several signs that may 
signify spyware activity.
First and foremost… is your iPhone jailbroken? The only way your phone can have a spyware software is if its jailbroken. If you don’t know if your phone is jailbroken, try locating the installer app named “Cydia” on your home screen. If your iPhone isn’t jailbroken, then you’re good and don’t have to worry.
Another option is to do a factory reset of the phone which will wipe all your phones information and data. If you plan on resetting, make sure to back-up your phone. Factory resetting should be the last step in removing spyware.
The bottom line here is that unless your ex-husband is a really good tech wizard, the answer is most probably no. We can’t tell you about what might be possible, because you can’t always predict what people might dream up, but we can sure tell you that it’s not probable, and well outside the tech reach of normal, everyday folk.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With James McQueen
Have you been thinking about cutting the cord, swapping your pricey cable service for an indoor antenna and free over-the-air TV? Then you’ll have to make sure you can get decent reception. And just like real estate, indoor antenna reception is all about location, location, location. Consumer Reports Electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with a few tips on placing that antenna.
Guest Segment:
Dr. Beth McQuiston, Medical Director – Abbott Diagnostics
contains information specific to certain countries or regions.
Benjamin in Keithville, Louisiana listening on KEEL 710 AM calling in from the app asks us: “I’d like to know how to set-up my surround sound; we just bought a new house and I don’t know whether to run it up the wall or come down through the ceiling. Its the first time we’ve had an attic to work inside of. What’s the best way to run that and how would I be able to run it into separate rooms and through the house.”
Benjamin, The attic will probably be easier, but it won’t look as finished.
If you’re going for the clean, totally cable-free look, running wires through the walls will get you that, but it requires an awful lot of work, and in-wall rated cables.
Since you bought this place and you’re not just renting for a short time, it may be worth your trouble to do it once and have it look nice forever.
You can always look wireless systems too, they do exist and they would free you of the hassle of having to run any wires at all, but you will have to pay more upfront when you get them.
Now, if you want to wire a house-wide entertainment system, you may benefit from looking at options that are made for that specific purpose, rather than to have to start from scratch. Here at our studios we use a system by Leviton that allows us to play audio from different sources on speakers in different rooms, we have it running 24 hours a day and it works well. There are similar systems by companies like Sonos and Pure too, we haven’t been able to try them ourselves yet, but some of them offer wireless and wired speakers, so you can install what makes the most sense for each particular room.
You can also look at ceiling speakers, those would be very easy to wire from your attic and you wouldn’t have to worry about hiding cables, since they would just stay in the ceiling.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Randy in Sartell, Minnesota listens on KNSI calling in asked us: “I was wondering why there seems to be a problem with Windows 8 and usb ports. I alway have trouble getting them to read the devices. When they are connect they work half of the time and half of the time not. Any suggestions would be great.”
Randy, Windows 8 did have a problem with USB ports, in particular when disconnecting a device and trying to connect it again, and they’ve released a hotfix to get rid of the issue.
Make sure you’re updated to the latest version, that alone may make the problem go away, however there is a chance that it won’t.
If the problem doesn’t disappear once you’ve updated to the latest version of the OS, this page on Microsoft’s website that lists step by step instructions on how to modify your computer’s registry to make your USB ports work as they should, it’s fairly involved, but you should be able to do it if you follow the step by step instructions.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
SMS Audio: Street by 50 – Over-The-Ear Headphones and earbuds
Parellels:Parallels Desktop 10 Software allows you to run Windows on your Mac
Kanex: GoPower Battery Pack – Mobile battery pack with built-in stand for smartphones
Tylt: Several Charging cases and cables – for smartphones and tablets