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Weekend of June 18th, 2010
Happy Father's Day weekend! We're answering many of your calls and emails. Thanks for your participation!
ITTV Video Update
Do you trust Wikipedia? Want to have access to it at all times without an Internet connection? Rob Almanza has the WikiReader on our Product Spotlight this week. Also, Chris Graveline looks back at Windows 98 on This Week in Tech History.
Listeners & Guests on the show this week:
For ALL the details ... be sure to listen to the show by downloading the MP3 or clicking the RED & WHITE "Play" button on the media player, both on the right-hand side of this page.
HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Tech News Story discussed: What your cell phone says about you.
Marcos in Lindsay, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM asked: "I noticed that there are HDTVs coming out that are Wi-Fi enabled. What special purposes do those have? Can you browse on those? Is it for Netflix type services?"
Several manufacturers like Sony, Toshiba, Vizio, and others are coming out with Wi-Fi enabled TVs. They can stream content straight to their display without a network cable. For example, The Toshiba UX600 LED TV not only lets you watch movies from your cable or Satellite or DVD or Blu-ray, but it also lets you enjoy video from Into Tomorrow, YouTube, slideshows from Flickr, and other online content.
In addition to streaming video content from the Net, this set also has a customizable "Ticker" that lets you stay current with News, Weather, Twitter accounts and other stuff. These Toshiba models from 40 to 55" start at about $1400.
Another good example is the VF552XVT TruLED LCD HDTV from Vizio. It uses the latest wireless technology, like the others, so you can connect to the Internet, stream movies, and TV Shows using the Netflix and Amazon widgets, listen your favorite music with Rhapsody, and even get the latest news & sports through Yahoo. You can also use the Universal Bluetooth Remote with slide out Qwerty keypad to send a tweet or change your status on Facebook. That 55" unit is available for $2199.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
"Wireless Update” Weekly Feature with Chuck Hamby from Verizon Wireless
With Father's Day this weekend, Chuck Hamby is here to tell us that a SMART gift for a SMART dad, might be a SMARTphone.
The "Into Tomorrow" team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
- For Android, Dave recommends: Peanut Gallery (Sound Drops)
- For iPhone/iPad: Rob recommends: Words with friends (Available for FREE with Ads - gets a little annoying tho) Rob thinks it's worth spending the $2.99. He also recommends downloading "Words with friends HD" for the iPad - $2.99 as well.
- For BlackBerry, Mark recommends: Twitter (Official Twitter App)
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Guest in this hour:
Lance Parker, CEO - iTag
iTag is a mobile software company that helps you locate and protect the important things in your life -- your phone and its information, your friends and even your car.
John in Indianapolis, Indiana listening on WSBT 960 AM asked: "I use a service called MyFax, which allows people to FAX documents to a phone number, then a digital copy gets forwarded to my email inbox. Wondering if there is another version of that that is free."
You can take a look at faxZERO. You can send up to 2 faxes per day, 3 pages per fax, for free. The down side is that it puts an ad on the cover sheet. As usual, with free software, there are some limitations. Otherwise it's $1.99 per fax for 1 document for up to 15 pages. They remove the ad when you pay. FaxZERO offers a 30-day trial, but if you like it, maybe you can afford the service eventually?
There is another service called Maxemail. Their fax service allows your fax messages to be delivered to your email address like "MyFax". Their prices vary depending on the service you want. There are three different packages to choose from, depending on how many faxes you send & receive. Plans start at just under $10, but they do have a free trial for 30 days as well.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports: "E-book Readers" with Paul Reynolds
From the Kindle to the iPad, what are the best e-book readers? Electronics Editor, Paul Reynolds gives us the scoop on latest ratings from Consumer Reports.
Nathan in Murfreesboro, Tennessee listening on 99.7 WTN FM and the iPhone asked: "Transferring VHS to DVD using a Mac. I once used Pinnacle for a PC and was wondering if they had the same kind of hardware for a Mac."
If you want to convert VHS to DVD through your Mac, you can use the Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac.
Just attach the Pinnacle Video Capture to your computer, plug your VCR into the S-Video or composite video, audio ports and that's it. The hardware MPEG 4 encoder frees up your Mac's processor from other tasks.
An alternative and less expensive option is Roxio Easy VHS to DVD software for Mac.
HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
Mike in Idaho Falls, Idaho asked: "Wondering if there's a legit program where you can get satellite TV on your computer so that if you're out at a place with a Wi-Fi connection, you can get your satellite TV."
There is a product that will allow you to watch your home TV from anywhere in the world. In fact, we were talking about it on the show last week. The Slingbox connects to any source (a cable box, a satellite receiver, etc.) and will allow you to use your broadband connection to access and watch your TV from anywhere. (Assuming you also have a broadband connection at the other end).
There are a couple models available. The standard definition, Slingbox Solo, sells for about $160, and the Slingbox Pro HD sells for about $300. Once you buy the box, there is no monthly fee to use it. You just login from your laptop and watch away.
You can also purchase the Sling Player Mobile, which works with the set top box, to allow you to watch from your mobile phone. It's compatible with BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Symbian, PalmOS and iPhone. That software is an additional $30.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
"This Week in Tech History" Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Victor in Smyrna, Georgia listening online asked: "I am interested in buying a camera, but I don't want to spend a lot of money, and I don't want it to be too hard for me to figure out how to use it. I want to spend around $150. I want the zoom function and I want to be able to crop, and maybe a little video recording."
One camera that Ross, on our staff, recommends is the Canon Powershot A1000. It has decent image quality, and a 4x optical zoom. It's a bit over what you want to spend at about $200, but it's a great camera to have. A plus, it also does do video recording, as do most digital cameras these days.
You can also try the Panasonic Lumix DMC FH20, it's a 14.1 megapixel, slim, pocket able camera that packs a 28mm wide-angle lens and 8x optical zoom. It can record HD video, is very easy to use, compatible with Windows 7, can take HD quality photos that fill a 16:9 HDTV.
Another contender that fits your budget is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330. You'll find it under $150 online. Because of the price, it's lacking some features, but you can shoot video that is good enough for Web-sharing, and you can crop pictures. It has an image resolution of up to 14 megapixels (good enough for large prints, but you probably won't need to use all 14 MPs).
sixs sent us the following email and asked: "I have a computer with a 300GB hard drive running Vista. I also installed several versions of Linux. I reinstalled with the HP disk the new OS. It now shows 198GB on the hard drive. How do I recover my lost hard drive space?"
What happened was your Linux installation partitioned your hard drive and the HP disk didn't reclaim the space when installing Vista.
Think of it this way: Vista is living in a nice house all by himself, then he invites Linux to move in, Linux decides it needs a minimum living space and immediately puts locks on the kitchen, bathroom, and living room doors and claims those parts of the house as his.
Eventually, Vista kicks Linux out, but Linux leaves with the keys and Vista can't reclaim the rooms. Now back to computer terms, the rooms (or hard drive space) that Linux took up make up its partition, the rooms it never claimed make up Vista's partition.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest in this hour:
Alex Eckelberry, CEO - Sunbelt Software
Sunbelt's new VIPRE Antivirus Premium product adds firewall protection to its security capabilities. Alex tells us how it can help protect your computer and data.
“Into Tomorrow” Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza: WikiReader -- Wikipedia in your pocket without an Internet connection! Click Here or on Rob's face for details
Micah in Porterville, California listening on KTIP 1450 AM asked: "Was thinking of getting USB headphones for the PS3 that could possibly do the 5.1 surround, and somewhere between $100 - $150."
You might want to look at the Tritton AX 720 Circumaural Dolby Digital Surround Sound Headset. The long name means that when you have the headset on, it completely covers both ears, giving you one of the best quality sound experiences possible.
This headset also allows the removal of the cushioned pads, which makes them easy to replace after countless days of use.
The box contains two headset jacks, a USB microphone port, and a Digital Audio decoder. The Digital Audio control box allows you to deliver your sound via Dolby Digital 5.1, Pro Logic II, and Dolby. This gives you the option to hear the sound through the headset with the 5.1 Surround Sound experience.
HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
Katy in Dallas, Texas asked: "Looking for a new GPS. Which is the best, most user friendly and, also, not too pricey?"
Most are very affordable these days and there still are many to choose from. One that we can recommend right off is the Garmin nuvi 260 W. It's a touchscreen interface that gives you turn by turn directions with voice-over guides.
Chris still uses the Garmin nuvi 660. That one has been discontinued, because it's such an old product, but he has been extremely happy with it. Each year, he purchases the new maps and loads them into the device to keep it up to date. But he hasn't really seen the need to upgrade.
"Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
With news from E3 this week!
The "Into Tomorrow" team posted the following Facebook message: "Did anyone pre-order the iPhone 4? How long did it take you and what website did you use? Or did you order by phone? Share your experience with us!"
Tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast for more details.
Guest in this hour:
Elias Janetis, CEO & Founder – MobileHelp
MobileHelp is a medical alert system, providing emergency assistance to users inside and beyond their home.
Paul in South Bend, Indiana listening on WSBT 960 AM asked: "I have some stereo slides that my uncle took back in the 50s that I'd like to convert to DVD or some other digital format. All we have right now is the "binocular" type viewer to see the stereo images. But, that's not good for large crowds. If there's any way of being able to produce it, even if it's in mono to put in a presentation, I'd really appreciate it."
There are many companies out there that will convert stereo pictures to standard flat digital images.
The process is not as simple as just scanning the slide. There are color and other image adjustments involved, and shops will typically only scan one side of the slide and work with that.
The going price seems to be around $1 per slide. Not cheap, but it will allow you to take those old pictures into tomorrow.
The following are some shops for scanning:
Bubba in Louisiana listening on 710 KEEL AM asked: "I have a Ford Explorer and I have 2 CDs that are stuck in there. Who should I go to? Do I need to go to the dealer? Is it going to be expensive? Should I go to a car audio place? Or can I do it myself?"
Without knowing what type of radio you have, whether it be stock or aftermarket, it's very hard for us to give you exact advice. However, paperclips were made for this reason. Check to see if your CD player has a small hole near where you put the CD's in. If it does, try sticking a point of the paper clip in there while holding the eject button and see if that works.
If your CD player doesn't have one of those little holes, you can always put the paper clip into the CD slot and try and lift the CD again, while holding the eject button. The risk you run here is you could damage the CD.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Russ in Raleigh, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: "In the past couple of months you spoke with a guest that had a solution to monitor your family’s text and picture mail messages. I told a customer of its capabilities, but could not recall its name. Could you provide that product’s name and a link please?"
The product you were mentioning is SpectorPro.
If you have any questions about any of this week's show info, please email us here.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
WikiReader: Wikipedia at your reach without the Internet.
Wikipedia hasn’t often been considered a trusty source of information, yet, a lot of people use it anyway. And if you use it regularly, wouldn’t you like to have it available to you at all times without the need of an Internet connection? Meet the WikiReader … a dedicated device that helps you do one thing: look up information, or Wikis. It’s simple to use and portable. Powered by 2 AAA batteries, so you won’t have to worry about charging it.
The design is quite simple. You have a power control, a touchscreen, and 3 ways to look for topics – Search, History or Random. And, it doesn’t require data service. It’s all built-in.
Just search for a topic, tap on the phrase, and then, scroll up on the screen to read more. (Be sure to watch our demo on this week’s Product Spotlight video above) You can also view your history to see what you’ve searched for previously. And for fun, hit random – a different topic every time you click. That’s a cool way to run into interesting topics and learn!
So how do you keep this device current, since it doesn’t connect to the Web? It doesn’t require constant updating, but you can update it. Log onto TheWikiReader.com and look for the “Update” page. There are a couple of solutions for this. 1) You can copy an update onto the Micro SD memory card or 2) Buy a new card with the latest content.
For the summer season, the WikiReader can be helpful to kids, especially those who are always asking questions or may be taking courses. They can search on the WikiReader for answers. By the way, Openmoko, the company who created the WikiReader, provides parental controls so youngsters don’t run into articles that may not be appropriate for their age.
If you have a smartphone with a data plan, you obviously can access Wikipedia on the go, and may not need the WikiReader. However, not all kids have access to the Internet at all times; and, most schools ban cell phones on campus. We don’t guarantee it, but we think school teachers and principals would likely allow this device at school, as it’s a digital encyclopedia. No games. No music-playing. No Internet. Just information! Well over 3.1 million Wikis pre-installed.
If you’re interested, it’ll cost you under $100. Get one here. Have fun searching for Wikis!
We’d like to know what you think about this device. Call our listener hotline: 1-800-899-INTO or connect with Rob below. You can also leave comments on our “Into Tomorrow” Facebook page.
-- By Rob Almanza, “Into Tomorrow” Correspondent
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Amazon: HydroRight Smarter Flush Technology Converts any size toilet to Dual-Flush & Anti-Siphon Fill Valve!
Honestech: VHS to DVD 4.0 Plus – Easy to use video conversion software
iMPROV Electronics: Several Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablets
Joby: GorillaTorch Original – Hands-free flashlights with flexible, bendable legs and magnetic feet
RadioShack: Weather Clock Radios with SkyWarn
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