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Don’t forget our Ask Dave Hotline is open 24/7! Call us … toll-free 1-800-899-INTO (4686) … with any consumer electronics question, opinion, help another listener or tell us what your favorite app is and why. You can also participate via our FREE “Into Tomorrow” App (iOS/Android/Intel AppUp).
Happy Birthday Erasmo and Mark!
Tech News & Commentary
Lois in Selma, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM calling in from the app asks us: “Hi, I have an e-reader and I need to update to a Kindle. Do you have any idea on the best place or what I should do? I just have a regular Kindle.”
Lois, You have a few Kindles you can choose from depending on what you want to do.
Do you want to just read? If that’s the case, you can go for a regular Kindle, which costs about $79 with “offers” which is what Amazon calls ads, or $99 without. The ads do not show up while you’re reading only when you’re selecting an eBook and while the device is locked.
According to Amazon, single Kindle can hold over 1000 books at a time, it weighs next to nothing, have batteries that may last you a month between recharges if you don’t read too fast, and the screen is very much like paper and you can read it just as well inside or under the bright sun. You can also choose the Kindle Paperwhite which has a whiter background and a backlight for reading in the dark, and the Paperwhite 3G which always has a data connection to sync how far you’ve read and download new titles, those start at $119 and $189 respectively. The top of the line Kindle Voyage with its extra high resolution screen, special lighting, and “reimagined page turns” (yeah, your guess is as good as mine) is $199 with ads or $219 without.
If you’re interested in doing more than just reading, you can get a Kindle Fire. There are 4 different models ranging in price from $99 to $379 dollars, and can do most of what any tablet can do: web browsing, email, books, games, music, video, etc. As far as tablets go, they’re a little more rigid than some competitors, but they sell for a really great price, and if you’re interested in more than just reading, and you if will be doing your reading mostly inside and away from direct sunlight, they can be great options.
You’d be giving up the sun-friendly screen and the ridiculously good battery life, but gaining greatly in functionality, getting a high definition screen that can display much more than just text and black and white images, and you may find it replacing a computer for a lot of tasks.
If you’re not used to reading on screens, try a tablet before you buy one, it’s not the same, a Kindle is very similar to paper and it’s much easier to adapt to one.
Whichever one you decide on, you can get them on Amazon.com, since they make them, but you can also see one in person near you before you make up your mind.
On this week’s show page we’ll link you to a page that listswhere you can find one to play with around you, however you won’t find Amazon showrooms, just an Amazon forum to try to get current owners together with potential future owners to try out the devices, depending on where you live that may be more or less likely to succeed, but ask around, a lot of people have Kindles and Kindle Fires and they would probably let you play with one.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With James McQueen
If you’ve been flirting with a new Ultra HD TV but have been turned off by their high prices, Vizio might make you glad you’ve waited. Models in its new P-series UHD TV lineup are aggressively priced for a major brand, starting at $1,000 for a 50-inch. Consumer Reports Electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with more details.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Listener Arthur in Madison, WI recommends: MapMyFitness, FREE
- “Good for the fitness fanatic. Can record your activities that you do every day. Easy to use and you can challenge your friends as well. Available for Apple and Android”
• Mark recommends: Reddit AMA, FREE
- “An AMA is Ask Me Anything, reddit-speak for their special kind of interviews with everyone from top celebrities to your regular next door neighbor types. They have, quite literally, ALL kinds of people submit to these and the questions they’re asked, coming from anonymous reddit users, range from tough, probing questions, the kind you don’t hear on TV any more, to the goofiest things you can imagine. And the answers are often brilliant and hilarious. I most often find time to read the AMAs from my smartphone and doing it using a mobile web browser is painful. But the Reddit AMA app organizes them with big, bright, easy to read screens that make it an absolute pleasure to scroll through and dive in to the ones that interest me. I HIGHLY recommend this app. Reddit AMA is free for iOS, in your App Store.” — Mark
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
- Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Guest Segment:
Amy Saypol Tompkins, President & CEO – Gifting 365
Michael in Carey, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 calling in from the app to talk to us about a previous caller: “I’m calling about the previous caller, about her Apple iphone. You’re right, it is very unlikely. However, if the person has developers license which get thems full access to code whatever spyware, he can actually do it without being jailbroken,its a way of take in test software prior to release. Again, it is very rare but since she never mention what her husband did, it might be something she might want to consider.”
Thank you, Michael.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Chris in Columbia, Missouri calling in via the App called in to tell us about her cell phone plan change.
Thank you, Chris.
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