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Weekend of August 13th, 2010

Dave and the team were reunited back in-studio after our trip to Los Angeles. We were answering more of your calls and emails on the air.

ITTV Video Update

What's YOUR favorite "fun" app this Summer? YOU submitted your faves and we share with the world on our Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza. Also featuring: Chris Graveline with his tech throwback on This Week in Tech History (aka TWITH).

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

 

Michelle in Miami watching our ITTV Updates asked: "About Wi-Fi Capabilities on the Evo. I would like to know, when I leave the United States, can I piggy back off a Wi-Fi signal at places like Starbucks, and go around my plan, or am I still charged for usage?"

You absolutely can do that. When you use Wi-Fi on your phone, you are not using the cellular data that you generally pay for. So it won't be using your plan. Now, you still may have a fee to connect to some of the hotspots you come across, like having to buy some fries at McDonald's for example, but that has nothing to do with your rate plan.

Keep in mind that when you are connected to Wi-Fi that your phone will have limited capabilities. You will not be able to send or receive text messages. You also won't be able to make phone calls, unless you're using an app like Skype or Fring That, you need a separate account for.

If you wanted to use your phone as you normally would at home, you may need to contact your carrier to activate International Roaming. You will then be able to make phone calls and send and receive text messages using your account's rate plan, but it will be at a higher cost.

 

 

The "Into Tomorrow" team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.

• For Android, Dave recommends: Voice Chat Robot (TalkPal)
• For iPhone/iPad:
  
  Rob recommends: SmackTalk
  
  Chris recommends: Juicy Fruit (Watch Demo Below)

• For BlackBerry, Mark recommends: Thumbplay
  
  

Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.

 

Tom in Geneva, Ohio listening on Sirius Ch.108 asked: "Which do you see is the most trouble-free 15-inch laptop for the average consumer?"

 

 

Vince in Albuquerque, New Mexico listening on talk radio asked: "Trying to think of what phone to buy. Looking at the Omnia 2, or the HTC Imagio, or the HTC Droid Incredible. I want to know which of those would be the best to buy for what I want to do."

For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.

 

Abbas sent us the following email and asked: "I have recently installed a mini-PC inside my car. I wanted to listen to FM/AM radio and I have found a product called Radio Shark 2, but the reviews on it are not very good. Could you please advice me on an AM/FM receiver for my PC?"

This one was a bit more difficult to find as most manufacturers have stopped making PC cards with AM & FM tuners. We found a couple of FM tuners for a PC that costs less than $30. The software that they often come with is usually feature packed. But remember, no AM radio. Since you're in the car already, we'd really suggest an inexpensive AM/FM radio from your local electronics store.

 

 

Al in Jefferson City, Missouri sent us the following email and asked: "I purchased a copy of Norton 360 virus software to download on 3 of my PC's. I used one of the downloads on my laptop, but the hard drive crashed shortly after installation. I still have 2 downloads left. However, I lost the product code for the software CD. I registered the product with Norton and can bring up my account. However, when I try to contact them, they want a product code before they answer an e-mail. Do you know of any way I can recover my product code?"

There are a couple of solutions that we offer for you. The first and easiest option would be for you to check your emails. When you downloaded the product, you would have to provide your email address. As such in your receipt, they would have provided you with a copy of the product code.

The last option for you would be for you to call Norton. As with most companies, you will most likely be on hold for a while or have to go through a series of prompts. But if you just push zero enough times, you will eventually get to a person. Hopefully, if you explain your situation, Norton will be helpful.

HOUR 2:

Tech News & Commentary

 

Mark in Coquille, Oregon listening on Sirius Ch.108 asked: "What's the difference between the solid-state hard drives and the 10,000 RPM? Which is faster these days?"

The first main difference would be that the solid-state drives have no moving parts. They tend to be more reliable and durable. That also means they tend, right now, to be more expensive. But as with all things tech, the price will eventually come down so most of us can afford them.

As for the "standard" or "non-solid state" hard drives, that RPM number is very important. Depending on what you do, you may want a faster drive. If you're going to just be using your computer for things like web surfing, email, and maybe some word processing, you won't need one of the faster drives. A 7,200 RPM drive would probably suffice. But if you're going to be gaming, editing video, or accessing a lot of photos, you may want to go with a 10,000 or even 15,000 RPM drive. As you might have guessed, the higher the RPM on a drive, the faster is spins and accesses the data stored on it.

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

 

William in Ashville, North Carolina listening to the podcast asked: "I have an 8GB second generation iPod Touch and with these new iPhones coming out, I was wondering whether it would be worthwhile to jailbreak an iPod Touch. What are the drawbacks? What's the advantage to jailbreak an iPod Touch?"

While we never recommend jail breaking a device, some people see advantages. For example, it allows you to run some third-party applications and operating systems on a device that was originally not supported. One of the main drawbacks is it voids any kind of warranty a device may have and most companies will no longer offer tech support for a device that has been "jail broken."

But you need to be careful. If you attempt to jailbreak a device (and again, we're not recommending that you do), make sure you know what you are doing so you don't render your device useless. Because, again, you will probably not be able to get tech support for it. If you're doing this on a device like the iPod Touch or iPhone, and you connect it to your computer to install new software on it, it will generally take it back to the "un-jail broken" state.

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

Bill in Tucson, Arizona listening on XM Ch.139 sent us the following email and asked: "I'll be doing some international travel in the coming weeks (barring another volcanic plume in the skies over Europe). What's the best cell phone to take along that will let me call back to the U.S., surf the web, and check emails along the way without running up a ridiculous phone bill?"

We suggest that you first look at your existing phone carrier and see if they have any sort of international plans. If you happen to have AT&T for example, for $5.99 a month, you can add a Business World Traveler option to your plan. While this won’t eliminate charges when being in other countries, it will dramatically reduce the costs per minute by up to 50% in certain circumstances.

As far as data is concerned, you have to be very very careful. When we were in China, the standard international data rate applied and that was $19.97 per megabyte. So, it can get expensive in a hurry.

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

Tom sent us the following email and asked: "I just noticed many free or cheap unbelievable Internet TV offers. Are they Legit or are they scams? I tried a free site and was very disappointed with the site and wonder if I would benefit by paying for a lifetime membership at a paying Internet TV site."

IPTV Services teh team recommends:

- Hulu
- Boxee

For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.

 

 

 

"G" in New York, NY asked: "I would like to find out where I can get hacking programs for netbooks."

Hacking is illegal. We don't advise doing it.

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

 

Leonard in Raleigh, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: "Is there any device out there that would recognize a song on the radio and give me the name and artist so I can tag it and download it to my iPod?"

There is an application for many smartphones called Shazam. Let's say that you're driving down the road in your car and you hear a song on the radio that catches your ear. Well, all you have to do is start Shazam on your Droid, iPhone, or BlackBerry and it will listen to the tune for a few seconds and then give you not only the artist, but the title of the song, as well as the album.

When you have the application, simply hold the phone to the speakers and tap the "tag now" button. Immediately, you will see Shazam start listening to the song for about 5-7 seconds. When it's finished, it will return all of the info of the song.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

 

Nick in Shreveport, Louisiana listening on 710 KEEL AM asked: "I have Sprint and I was wondering if you knew what type of cell phone booster I could use, so I can increase my reception."

We've tried several cell phone signal boosters at our Into Tomorrow Labs. One of our top choices has been the zBoost products from our sponsor Wi-Ex.

Another company you can look at is Wilson Electronics. They also offer signal boosters for the car and the home. However, they don't sell direct. Wi-Ex does.

 

Rafia sent us the following email and asked: "Just saw your video on YouTube on Wet Cell Phone Rescue. I recently dropped my new mobile phone Samsung d900i in the toilet. It was buzzing when I removed it from the toilet and immediately removed the battery, just like you guys said to do. I rinsed it with tap water and dried it immediately using a drier. Then when I arrived home, I opened it apart and dried all parts, including the LCD screen, which was flooded with water. I then put if back together and placed it overnight it in a bowl of raw rice. Today, I replaced the battery and switched it on and the keypad light lit up instantly, but the screen didn't display anything. Now, even the keypad light won't come on. I have now left it charging overnight. Do you think this can be fixed?"

It is possible for cell phones dropped in water to be fixed. After you drop your cell phone in water, follow these directions:

1) Remove it from the water right away

2) Take the battery out of the phone

3) If you've got a GSM carrier, remove the SIM card

4) Dry the phone by putting it in a sealed container filled with uncooked rice.

Click here for full instructions.

Click here to view the video.

For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.

 

 

Nick in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin listening to the podcast asked: "We have an eMachines computer and it's beeping at us. We were wondering what those beeps meant."

Those beeps are telling you that your computer is not happy about something. Exactly what the beeps mean depends on the motherboard that is inside your computer. They could be alerting you to anything from bad RAM, to a hard drive malfunction, low CPU battery, and anything in between.

If you still have the manual for your computer, look there first. Many times they will have a section that tells you what series of beeps mean what.

If you don't have the manual, try searching for it online. If all else fails, you can take it to a local computer repair shop, Geek Squad, etc. and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

The "Into Tomorrow" team posted the following question on Facebook: "What is your favorite FUN App this Summer on any mobile device (Android, iPhone/iPad, BlackBerry, Intel App Up Store, etc)?"

Tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast for more details.

 

Larry sent us the following email and asked: "Just picked up the Droid X and can't seem to find a "Droid X For Dummies" to help get me started. Wondering if you can point me to something where I can learn more."

Verizon Wireless has a great support section where you can learn how to use the Droid X. It's the "Droid X How-To Simulator". It's very realistic and includes detailed instructions for operating your phone and getting started. It's exactly what you're looking for.

 

Janet in Jefferson City, Missouri listening on KLIK 1240 AM sent us the following email and said: "Thank you so much for answering my question submitted by phone on your show. (I was honestly surprised to hear you used my question on your show.) Using your suggestions, I purchased the Logitech Pro-9000 Webcam. As we both are on teacher salaries (and because we teach in the rural sections of the county), our funds are very limited. That makes getting it right the first time very important. I really appreciate your input.?"

If you have any questions about any of this week's show info, please email us here.

Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza

Our Top 5 Summer "FUN" Apps:

1) Voice Chat Robot (Android)

2) The Game of Life Classic Edition (iPhone)

3) FourSquare (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone)

4) Marble Mixer (iPhone/iPad)

5) Tiffen's Photo fx Ultra (iPad)

Let us know if you try any of the apps we chose as our top picks and what you think. Email us here.

This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners

SleepPhones: A Sheep of Your Dreams Kit

SmartSwipe: Secure personal credit card readers for shopping online

Smith Micro Software: Several copies of Anime Studio Pro 7

Total Training: Copies of Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended: Essentials

YoGen: The Universal mobile-device charger

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