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Weekend of August 21st, 2009
We have more Back-to-School tech products and tips for you. Find out how to save money on electronics with Newegg.com. Plus, Rob has an interesting music-making system on this week's Product Spotlight. Don't forget to watch this week's ITTV Update on the right.
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
Arnie in Los Angeles, California listening to our podcast asked: "I'd like to sync my iPhone with two different computers, a Mac and PC. I understand there's software that you can purchase to do that."
There are several ways to do what you're trying to accomplish without needing any special software. On iTunes you get to choose what you want synced on your iPhone: calendar, mail, contacts, music, ringtones, videos, etc. If you use Outlook as your mail and calendar client on a PC, when you connect your iPhone, you'll want to sync: calendar, contacts and mail only. Then, on the Mac, you would only sync music, videos, apps, and any other files you choose. Of course, roles can be switched. Read more about this topic on Apple's Support Discussion Page here.
A costly option, which you referred to as software, would be to use Apple's MobileMe service which works with Mac, PC and iPhone. MobileMe is an alternative to an exchange server if your company doesn't have one. It pushes new email, contacts, and calendar events over the air to all your devices. So your iPhone, Mac, and PC are in-sync at all times and no docking is required -- freeing you up to only have to sync music and other files with the cable. You can try MobileMe for free for a trial period of 60 days. At the end of your free trial, it's $99 for year subscription.
However, if the company where you work has an exchange server, than you can sync mail, contacts and calendar appointments over-the-air like MobileMe and free of charge. Another free alternative is to sync your calendar with Google Cal.
"Technology On-The-Go" Feature With Andy Frankel from Nextar
Don in Cedar Rapids, Iowa listening on Sirius Ch. 108 asked: "I'm curious about upgrading a machine from Vista to Windows 7. I have had trouble with peripherals upgrading from XP to Vista. I was wondering if I'll have the same issues going to Windows 7."
That's a good concern to have since the trouble we went through with Vista. Microsoft has confirmed having an "XP Mode" feature.
According to a blog post by the Windows 7 Team, they say: "Microsoft is already known to work closely with its hardware partners in their attempt to prepare their products for the Windows 7 Logo. We now have printers, scanners, networking cards, storage devices, video capture cards, and ultra mobile systems that have already earned the 'Compatible with Windows 7' Logo and many more on the way."
Another blog post by Microsoft says: "Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC. All you need to do is install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7". They say users can access USB devices attached to the host directly from virtual Windows XP. These devices include: printers, scanners, flash drives, external hard disks, digital cameras and more.
For more info on Windows 7, please visit their blog.
Ronnie in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: "I have an HDTV and sometimes the channels look like they're in HD, but some of the local shows that say they're in HD don't look as clear as some other channels. How can I check this and make sure my TV is setup correctly?"
If you're able to see anything in high-definition and it looks good on your TV, then it should be setup properly. A lot of local stations across the country are not broadcasting their locally produced programs in high definition yet. However, the network programs should still come across in high definition. Even in big cities, a lot of the local stations haven't caught up yet. For instance, down here in Miami, all but the CBS station now broadcast their local news and other programs in high-definition. Even then, many of the live shots are still in Standard Def. However, all of them are able to transmit the network high-def for the national shows.
If you're in doubt, call your cable or satellite provider to make sure you're getting the high definition feed of that particular station and make sure you're tuning to the correct channel.
Also, if you want to get the best possible quality on your local high definition stations, go with an over-the-air antenna. The antennas sometimes offer you the best quality, because the signals don't have to be compressed as much as they tend to be on cable or satellite. You can find more information on antennas and what type will work best for your particular application at antennaweb.org.
Guest in this hour:
Dan Kelley, Senior Director, Marketing – D-Link Systems
Want to gear up with the latest digital home Wi-Fi solutions without breaking the bank? D-Link may have some solutions for you.
"Wireless Update" Feature with Chuck Hamby from Verizon Wireless
Mike in Fairbanks, Alaska listening on KFBX 970 AM asked: "I saw a web page about laser televisions. What have you heard about this and do you think this type of TV will be the next big thing? From what I could gather, they are supposed to have brighter & much crisper pictures and they will not fade as time goes on. What do you think?"
It’s all about efficiency. For example, consuming about 100 watts of power, Mitsubishi’s LaserVue laser tv is a visual marvel and it's now a class-leader in big screen energy efficiency. As LaserTV.org says: "Mitsubishi is wise to tout the LaserVue’s low power consumption, as the Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating the expansion of the EnergyGuide label to cover televisions, which are one of the largest energy users within a home."
Debuting in 2008, the LaserVue was billed as a hip 3-D-ready TV boasting a color range twice as broad as a typical HDTV, while using less energy than a plasma or LCD HDTV. Powered by three lasers projecting a seamless array of pure color, the Laservue is capable of projecting hues and life-like colors normally viewed from your living room window. When the laser engine is switched off, true black levels are achieved, it's got an insane contrast ratio previously unseen in video displays. As with most new emerging technologies, the Laservue primarily caters to the luxury end of the market. The Mitsubishi 65" LaserVue sells for $6,799.00!
Dane in Standish, Michigan listening on his cell phone asked: "I have a 160GB External hard drive that I copied to another hard drive. There's nothing left on that drive, but when I plug it into my computer, it says its still 90% full. Is that normal?"
It is normal, but there's an easy remedy for it. With your External hard drive plugged into your computer, empty your "recycle bin." When you delete a file on our external hard drive, it will put the file in the recycle bin on that drive, just like your internal hard drive, unless you've set it to not do so.
If you want to change that setting, then with your external hard drive connected, just "right click" on the recycle bin on your desktop and select "properties." Highlight your external hard drive in the list and select the option that says "Do not move files to recycle bin." Be careful with this, though, because if you select this option, then you won't be able to recover any files that accidentally delete.
To clear up additional space you can try Tree Size. This software will show you what files are taking place and where. It's available for under $50.
HOUR 2:
Tech News & Commentary
John in Rockland, California listening to our podcast asked: "Sometimes I have to teach people in a classroom. One of the things that bugs me more than someone falling asleep, is people taking a phone call or texting while I'm trying to teach. Is there anything I can do to be more proactive and prevent this from happening other than telling people to turn their phones off, which they generally don't?"
We feel for you John! Because jamming equipment for cell phones is illegal in the U.S., you have to get creative. Depending on the circumstances, you can ask them to stop and ask everyone to STARE at the individual until they hang-up or get up and walk out! Good luck buddy.
"This Week in Tech History" Feature with Chris Graveline - Brought to you by C.Crane. Call C. Crane at 800-522-8863 or visit them online here.
Ray in Raleigh, North Carolina listening on WPTF 680 AM asked: "I bought a boat load of 4GB SD cards and then discovered that the cameras I have only take up to 2GB SD cards. I'm trying to find a way to partition these. You can partition a hard dive and USB, but how do I partition an SD Card?"
This isn't an easy task. However, it's not impossible to partition SD cards. We ran across a quick solution you can try with your camera. According to several discussion forums, you can have a simple dummy file on the card, so you always have less than 2GB free. This works for a camera application, but any other device or application taking a look at the actual size of the disk will still screw up.
To learn how to partition an SD card, check out this forum discussion. Let us know if it worked for you.
Charlie in Dover, Delaware listening on WDEL 1150 AM asked: "I was playing World of Warcraft and downloaded a file (from what I thought was one of my fellow guild members) and when i opened that file, it turned out to be an execution file that downloaded into my computer and steals all my key punches in the game. Now, they have my password and login ID, and they steal all my characters and belongings and such. Is there any way that I can get rid of this file without formatting the hard drive?"
Most keyloggers are variants of common virus tools -- meaning that antivirus and anti-spyware programs can usually find them and remove them. A couple of good, free recommendations are the following: AVG Free Edition antivirus, Spybot Search & Destroy anti-spyware and Avira AntiVir Personal.
If scanning your system with these two programs turns up nothing, then you are probably going to need to restore your system to a previous backup, made before it was infected. If you don't make regular backups, you might have to go back to square one with your System Restore CD.
Blizzard makes a hardware authenticator you can get, which will prevent hackers from getting in to your account. Each time you log in, you will receive a code that you enter into the authenticator. That device gives you a response code that logs you in to the game. Contact Blizzard support for details.
Guest in this hour:
Bernard Luthi, VP of Marketing & Merchandising – Newegg.com
Learn about their daily shell shocker promotions and how to save on tech products for the new school year.
Jolyne in Jefferson City, Missouri listening on KLIK 1240 AM sent an email and asked: "I want to be able to listen to a talk radio station in Atlanta, Georgia without being stuck at my computer for three hours every week day. I purchased an iPod because I was told I would be able to listen to the radio station. I cannot listen to the station on my iPod. I click on LISTEN LIVE on the radio website and get the message that Safari cannot download this file. Is there any way to listen to the radio station on my iPod? That was the only reason I purchased the iPod in the first place. If I purchase an Internet radio will I be able to listen to WSB? I don't want to waste any more money if I cannot pick up the radio station."
First, we tried it from a desktop computer and wsbradio.com required a first time registration of an Email address, Zip code and age. Then, it started streaming just fine. We tried listening from an iPhone and it worked perfectly. You mentioned that you were using Safari with an iPod, so we're assuming you have an iPod Touch. We tried the same on an iPod Touch and it worked! Are you clicking on their first option that says: "Listen Live on your iPhone"? That's what we clicked on to make it work.
“Into Tomorrow” Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza: The Beamz Interactive Music System (Scroll down for more info)
HOUR 3:
Tech News & Commentary
Mike in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: "When I'm editing music on Adobe Audition, what would be the best way to save a WAV file or an MP3?"
The MP3 files are digital audio files that use a compression format, sound quality is based on bit rate. The higher the bit rate the better the sound quality. MP3s seek a balance between quality and size, while unique tracks are usually compressed at 192k. Because of the small size, the MP3 format is great for Internet projects or downloads. It makes it easier to email a small file if you need to. The best quality is the WAV, this is an uncompressed digital audio file -- much larger files, but the quality is a lot better.
“Into Gaming Minute” with Mark Lautenschlager
Cameron in Baltimore, Maryland listening on Sirius Ch. 108 asked: "Will the Android OS ever get onto MP3 players, to have a fully open MP3 player?"
Creative has unveiled a multi-touch MP3 player called the Zii Plaszma -- jampacked with awesome features. It is compatible with either their own Plaszma OS or Android. We plan to chat with them at IFA in Berlin in a few weeks, so stay tuned for even more details.
The Plaszma features a 3.5" multi-touch screen with customizable gestures, outputs 1080p high definition video, has two cameras built-in - a front facing and a rear facing 'HD camera' capable of capturing high def video footage (720p/1080p), WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, an ambient light sensor and an accelerometer. Internal storage will offer up to 32GB and can handle up to 32GB more with an SD card. It will also have Creative's proprietary X-Fi audio processing.
There's also talk that Sony may adopt Google's Android OS for future versions of their Walkman players, cell phones and their mobile Internet devices such as the Mylo.
Adam in Indianapolis, Indiana listening on XM Ch. 139 asked: "When you first buy a laptop and you first turn it on, you have to set up your recovery disk. It asks to do something with a partition. I would like more info about that as far what to do, whether I remove that partition or reset it to a different level or something like that. Anything you guys can say to help me would be really appreciated."
Computers used to come with an operating system CD. If you bought a Windows PC, you received a Windows CD with it. But, you also had a CD for device drivers, and another one for the applications shipped with your computer. To save on costs, as well as making the process of going back to the original configuration simpler, computer makers started sending a "System Restore CD," which put everything back the way it was on day one. Windows, all the device drivers, any programs delivered as standard, and so forth. Some time after that, they figured out it was less expensive still to take some of the space on your hard drive and give you a System Restore Partition instead of a CD.
This means a portion of the space on your hard drive is reserved and you can't use it for anything else. In the event you want do restore your system to its original state, you will have some key combination you press as it boots, and this will launch the restore tool from that protected space on the hard drive. We would NOT recommend removing this partition, unless you wish to completely give up on the ability to ever restore your computer to its original configuration.
Guest in this hour:
Mike Hale, CEO and Co-Founder – Tibesti
How can a social network help students save and make money at the same time? Tibesti is a unique social network that lets users shop and sell their favorite products, while earning money at the same time.
Listener Feedback >> Ray in Miami Lakes, Florida writes:
"In the first hour of last week's show you mentioned that DSL comes from the Central Office and if you're more than 18k ft from the CO, you're out of luck. Things have changed.
Now there are DSLAMs (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers). These are more local devices installed much closer to the home or business. Think of it as a small fiber to copper conversion installed outdoors. Most dialtone today comes from Remote Terminals in the neighborhood. The DSLAM is usually another cabinet next to the RT. So the Internet could travel for many miles over fiber, then get converted to DSL right down the street from the customer. If the local telephone company thinks they will get enough DSL customers in a remote area, and there is fiber within 18k ft, they might be convinced to install a DSLAM. No harm in asking."
More info on this topic here.
Amy in Moscow, Idaho listening on KOZE 950 AM asked: "Where can I obtain an MP3 recorder?"
You can find them at just about any electronics retailer, either online or in a retail store. They also sell these at many office supply stores. If what you're looking for is an MP3 voice recorder, we can recommend the Olympus models. They have several available starting at around $20. These are the handheld recorders, similar to the old micro-cassete recorders. They can be used to record lectures and those ever popular "notes to self."
Another device that's a little more advanced, which we actually use it a lot when we're on the road, is the Zoom Handy recorder. In the U.S., they're sold by a company called Samson. They have a couple of models: the H2 and the H4. They start at around $180 and not only allow for voice recording, but multi-track recording so you can record mulitple channels at once. A lot of musicians use these for recording demo songs. They can record their instruments on one channel, the vocals on another and edit them together later.
There's also software to allow you to record and edit MP3s on your computer. One of the free programs that we often recommend is called Audacity. It's available for PC and Mac and all you need is a microphone plugged into your computer.
If you have any questions about any of this week's show info, please email us here.
Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza
What is the latest in music technology? Check out this fancy toy that might just turn you into a music composer.
Meet Beamz … a MIDI player and controller. It’s an entertaining music system.
Each of the 6 low-powered lasers is a different instrument, rhythm or sound effect. You can load one of the many songs included in their software and then mix-in the sounds you make by interrupting the laser beams. You won’t be playing a “real” instrument – instead it’s a pre-determined harmony that plays when you break the beam.
Beamz is not a stand-alone toy. You have to connect it to a Windows XP or Vista based laptop to make it work. It’s not compatible with Mac at the moment. When you open the Beamz Player program, you’ll see a virtual copy of the controller. It includes a digital music system that plays more than 100 instruments and sounds and has 30 original songs. One of our favorite features is that you can “record” your performance and then save it as a “wav” file on your computer.
I have to admit I had fun playing with Beamz, but don’t think this is the way we’ll be creating music in the future. If you want to bring out the musician inside of you with a fancy toy, and can shell out $300 for it, then Beamz is for you.
Submitted by Rob Almanza
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Honestech: Copies of Easy Video Editor 3.0
iFrogz: NervePipes EarPollution headphones (assorted colors)
JayBird Gear: Endorphin Rush Athletic Earphones
ITTV Video
Will the future of music-making be determined by a fancy electronic toy? Rob Almanza has the Beamz Interactive System on our Product Spotlight. Also featuring: This Week in Tech History with Chris Graveline.
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