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Weekend of September 3rd, 2010

Dave and the "Into Tomorrow" Away Team are on their way to Berlin, Germany this week. Meantime, we prepared another show with more of your calls and emails. Thank you for your participation!

ITTV Video Update

Chris Graveline joins us with his tech throwback on This Week in Tech History (aka TWITH) and Caitlyn Gatrell with our latest KidsTech -- featuring Barbie Video Girl.

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

 

Trevor in Alaska sent us the following Facebook message: "Ok Rob, so being the tech type guy you are, I thought maybe you could help me. A friend of mine sent me a couple videos of herself, but when I went to play it, all I got was the audio. I tried playing in on Windows Media Player. I even tried on my iPhone. Do I just need a bigger hammer or should I just wrap it all up in det cord and blast it into next week? It's a dell laptop if that helps at all."

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

Wesley in Plantation listening to the stream asked: "Interested in a Slingbox. I hear people talking about it and wondering what it entails and what the benefits are of having it."

Benefits of having a Slingbox is that you can watch live TV programs, or recorded programs, from the Internet, or from a mobile device, wherever in the world you are. For example, one of our biggest uses of Slingbox is every time we're in Tokyo with very little English on TV, we watch our shows, even our own live local news back at home. Even with the 12 hour time difference, it may be morning news in the evening, but it's still our TV, back here in Miami.

If you are on vacation a lot or are away from your TV a lot, we think it's a good thing to have. There is the Slingbox Solo for about $180, which only in standard-def, but if you want HD, there is the Slingbox Pro HD for about $300, which is what you need if you want the high-def.

 

Cliff in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: "When I check text messages on my BlackBerry, it will jump to about a month back, and then I have to scroll with the wheel all the way back to the top. There is a button you can press to have it go to today's date."

When you open the text messaging app on your BlackBerry, the newest messages will always be on the top of the file. You can press the "T" key to instantly jump to the top of the file. That actually works in many, if not most, BlackBerry apps.

 

 

William in Southwest Michigan sent us the following email and said: "You criticized Steve Jobs for choosing not to use Flash on Apple's mobile devices. If your argument is that Flash is a "standard" and just needs improvement, recall who is responsible for doing that. Adobe. If Adobe wants to see Flash everywhere, they could offer Apple a license to develop their own native Flash player. I'm sure Apple could re-write Flash in Objective C and adapt it for touch-sensors. But Adobe hasn't done that in the three years since the iPhone came out without Flash. And they seem incapable of doing the work themselves. Perhaps, you should be criticizing Adobe for not improving Flash for anything but Windows. Begin by asking how many programmers work on the Mac version."

We did, in fact, criticize Apple for not supporting Flash on their iOS, as the portable operating system has come to be known. The security vulnerabilities that Apple seems unable to accept don't seem to be causing any problems to the Android developers. Flash is working very well on our new EVO, for example.

We are not the ones who have made Flash into a virtual standard on the web. That was done by the programmers and web developers who chose to use it. Were it not for Flash, there might never have been the explosion of streaming video content we have today. We're old enough to recall the bad old days when you had to download a "compatible player" in order to see online video. Our point is not that Apple is bad. Apple makes fine products. They make good decisions, and they make ones that are bad, in our opinion at least.

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

 

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 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 1 of our podcast.

 

Gary in Hallsville, Texas listening on 710 KEEL asked: "iPhone, I go to a lot of streaming stations, but you can't download Adobe to an iPhone and I wondered if there was any time frame for that to be taken care of. Also, I have a hard drive in a tower unit that I want to get some stuff off of, but it smokes a little bit when I plug it in. Really, not interested in spending a lot of money on it. Wondering what my options would be."

Apple's CEO Steve Jobs has recently escalated an ongoing war between Adobe and Apple and explicitly stated that it would never happen. iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad are going to ignore Flash and wait for HTML5 to replace it, which everyone but Adobe seems to agree it will, but not in the short term.

Interestingly though, you can get other Adobe products, such as Photoshop mobile on the App Store, but Flash will never be a part of iPhone, as long as Steve Jobs is breathing.

As for your hard drive, we've never seen that, at least any drive that is supposed to be working, so we're not too sure what to tell you about that.

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

 

Elizabeth in Naples, Florida listening to the stream via the app on her iPod Touch sent us the following email and asked: "I have a Samsung model number HL-84266W, and it keeps turning itself off, of course, whenever I sit down to take over the TV. Anyway, I have checked all cables, power etc. and they are fine, so I am not sure now what to do except pout."

Our Director of Research, Jason, did a lot of digging to try and find out if this is a common problem, or something else. The answer from several different websites, including Samsung's, say that this is not a common problem with that model TV and is something that may require your TV to be serviced.

The last thing you are going to want to check is to make sure that the rear ventilation hole is blocked. This will cause the internal temperature to get to high and the TV will power itself down to avoid causing damage to the TV.

Everyone should take the time every-so-often to carefully vacuum the air vents behind your TV and other electronics.

 

 

Bill in Clarksville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: "Trying to figure out if there's anything that can help me understand the wireless interference that's going on in my house. I seem to drop the wireless signal all the time. Want to figure out if there's a better way to position the router, or find out what's causing all the interference. I have direct line of sight with the router and it still drops."

Assuming your router is working properly, you're probably facing just what you said, wireless interference. Since your connection drops under line of sight conditions, we can assume there's something in the air blocking the signal from getting to your devices. The cause though could be a very long list.

Anything from cordless phones to microwave ovens to other Wi-Fi or WiMAX networks to outside antennas or wireless security cameras can affect a wireless network.

Unless you know you have one of those devices near your Wi-Fi router and you can move either the cause of the interference or the router, you should go to your router's settings and change the wireless channel being used to broadcast the signal.

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

 

Katy in Dallas, Texas asked: "Looking for a new GPS. Which is the best, most user friendly and, also, not too pricey?"

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.

 

Lonny in Nashville, Tennessee listening on WTN 99.7 FM asked: "I'm using a Razr-type phone on Verizon because it's waterproof. I'm wondering if the (Casio G'zOne) Brigade will be as waterproof with the keyboard."

The Brigade appears to be very tough and we're told works great while fully submerged. The keyboard flips open.

When it was tested by Garwood Laboratories to military specifications, they immersed the phone under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes with, and this is key, all ports closed. That indicates they did not attempt to open or use the phone under water.

So, if you jump into the pool with the phone in your pocket, you won't kill it. It will also be able to withstand driving rain and high humidity without any trouble.

Click here to view the video

 

 

Dale in Mobile, Alabama listening on XM Ch.139 asked: "I got a 1972 (floor model) RCA and it keeps shocking me every time I touch it."

Don't touch it. That 1972 floor model is something special you have, but with a TV that old and it shocking you, maybe its time you come "Into Tomorrow," and buy a newer TV. As far as why your TV is shocking you, we are certainly not electricians here, but there might be some loose wires inside of the TV. And when you touch the TV, your body is completing the circuit and that's possibly how you are getting zapped.

First, unplug the set and then check the back of the TV and all outside wires to see if they are fraying or disconnected and see if you can fix it with some electrical tape. We wouldn't recommend opening up the TV and looking around, unless you have training in that area, so your best bet might be to take it to a repair shop and see what they tell you to do.

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

HOUR 2:

Tech News & Commentary

 

John in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada listening on Sirius Ch.108 asked: Do they make a device that would block a GPS signal? They put a GPS device in my truck and it snitches on me every time I go a little too fast."

You can indeed buy a GPS jammer, but maybe it's helping to keep you safe, and we're assuming that it's your company that's keeping an eye on your driving, so be careful before you jam it or rip it out. Many companies, like Haas GPS, provide services to companies to help keep track of their company vehicles and other assets.

You can have a very simple jammer that looks like an antenna with a cigarette lighter plug attached to it. You just plug it in and you're in business. If the jammer is within 25 feet on the GPS unit, the signal should be jammed.

Prices vary, but you can buy the cigarette lighter model for about $130. There are bigger models for as low as $27.

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

 

Alan in Santa Maria, California asked: "Interested in the iPad and also interested in the Nook from Barnes and Noble. Would like your comments."

Also, Hemanth sent us the following email and asked: "Is it a good idea to buy an iPad now or wait. I hear bad reviews about an iPad."

If you're wondering about which version of the iPad to buy, think about how much music or videos you have on your computer right now. When you sync with iTunes, you can control what stuff to transfer to it. Rob went with the 32GB version and has plenty of room on it. Dave has a pretty extensive music library. And, you have to think about how much you're willing to spend. The 3G+Wi-Fi version will cost you about $129 more than each of the Wi-Fi version only, depending on how much storage she'll need.

Rob has had his iPad since Day 1 and loves it. He has the 32 GB Wi-Fi only version that costs $600. There's also a 3G version, which requires a data plan from AT&T, but it also works on Wi-Fi. He uses it on a daily basis. It works great with email, web browsing, music & video playing, apps, and several other goodies. Please note the iPad is not a laptop replacement, but you can do a lot with it. You can stream movies using the Netflix app. And, our Into Tomorrow app works great on it.

If you have the Nook, make sure you have the new Nook 3 upgrade for the Nook's OS. The upgrade came out in the end of April, so we certainly hope that most you have already taken care of that by now.

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

 

 

The Rock-It portable vibration speaker turns any object into a speaker. It takes music from your device and generates it into vibration sequences. It sends those vibrations through the Rock-It "pod" which you can stick to any object.

 

Chris in Tyler, Texas listening on KTBB AM sent us the following email and said: "It was kind of amusing listening as you all were talking about iPhones and all the apps, and that you never have anyone say they’re unhappy with the apps, or “I just use my phone for phone calls.” Let’s face it, no one buys an iPhone for just calling and texting. They buy it for the apps available. Luddites, like me, buy simple phones for that. You wouldn’t buy the biggest, baddest Swiss Army Knife or top-of-the-line yacht and say, “I just bought it to open letters,” or “I just fish off of it from the dock.” My wife has an iPhone, which she bought strictly for the medical app she needs as a pediatrician. I have an iPod Touch and use it for music, solitaire, and word search. I only have that because my brother bought it for me. Otherwise, I’d have just a smaller MP3 player."

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

 

Joe in Hyannis, Massachusetts listening to the podcast asked: "Are there any TVs coming out that have Skype enabled on them. I heard about a Panasonic TV that had it, but are there any others?"

Yes, there are TVs that you can expect to use with Skype enabled on them. For example, Panasonic and LG widescreen HDTVs are said to be including Skype.

For those who may not know the full story, Panasonic displayed this technology at CES back in January. As of May 18th, they finally activated the app on all of its 2010 VIERA Cast-enabled TVs (including the VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series). However, you'll also have to buy a Panasonic webcam that will cost $170, which supports both VGA and 720p video.

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

 

 

 

Terry in Bossier City, Louisiana asked: "I'd like to know the difference between a netbook computer and an iPad."

A netbook is designed to look like a regular laptop computer, but smaller. An iPad is a hand-held tablet device and a larger version of an iPod touch.

Netbooks are great for people who need a lot of portability, but they don't quite have all the features of a laptop. Many netbooks do not have a CD driver, although they do have USB ports that will allow you to connect an external CD or DVD drive. They also won't have the processor speed, memory, or RAM of regular laptop.

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

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

 

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?"

 

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.

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

 

Jabster sent us the following email and asked: "Hi, I want to know if there is a thing where you can get Wi-Fi wherever you go on an iPod Touch."

There is no device that will get you Wi-Fi everywhere you go, but you could look into devices like the MiFi. That will give you Wi-Fi access wherever you have cellular coverage. In the US, they are available from Sprint and Verizon. The MiFi is about half the thickness of a deck of cards and can give you Wi-Fi access from up to 5 devices at a time using 3G.

You could throw a MiFi in your pocket and surf the web on your iPod Touch, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device. We've found the MiFi very handy when we've been traveling, especially at hotels that want to charge you a small fortune to access the Internet for just a few minutes. We've fired up the MiFi and been able to check our email, and do whatever else we needed to online.

In fact, when we have had rooms close together, we have been able to use it from other hotel rooms, although the signal wasn't necessarily the best through walls.

Click here to view the MiFi on Verizon

Click here to view the MiFi on Sprint

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

 

Kenneth in Wilmington, Delaware listening on 1150 WILM asked: "I have an HP all in one printer and I can't find my cartridges for it. What would you suggest?"

Have you tried going to HP's website? On their main page on the left side, it has a button called "Ink, Toner & Paper." If you click on this, it allows you to search for the proper ink cartridges by the type of printer you have, the ink cartridge number, or the printer series.

While ordering from HP directly may not be the cheapest alternative once you have the proper cartridge information, you could check at some local stores, or you check out one of our sponsors websites, such as New Egg or TigerDirect.

 

 

The "Into Tomorrow" team talked about the Sleeptracker Elite Watch

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

 

Bob in Springfield, Illinois found us while clicking through the radio asked: "On eBay, they sell a mini notebook with the Windows CE OS. I'd like to know what the CE program is like when compared to XP, Vista, and Windows 7."

Windows CE is a completely different kind of operating system.

Windows CE is designed to run on small devices with extremely little memory. It can even run on a system with less than 1 MB of memory (these days, a memory card the size of your fingernail can easily hold 2000 times that, if not, more!). Depending on the purpose of the device it's running on, it can even run on a static version that lets the user make no changes at all to it or it's files.

This kind of configuration is fairly common on Windows CE devices, which doesn't even always have a separate hard drive (for example, an ATM running CE might not need any storage for it's users). Windows CE is popular with PDAs, some smartphones, and similar ultraportable devices, even ultraportable computers like the one you saw, but it doesn't have the same look, feel, or capabilities that XP, Vista, or 7 have.

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

 

 

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.

 

Curtis sent us the following email and asked: "What happened to the new invisibility cloaking technology? It was making news consistently for a while there."

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

 

Joe in Eerie, Pennsylvania listening on WPSE 1450 AM asked: "Considering buying a new TV. I have a 1989 Magnavox. It's good, but not as good as the new ones. I've been seeing LCD and LED. Which one's better? What's the difference? Which is going to last longer?"

LCD and LED are pretty much the same, except for the backlighting methods. The marketing of these LED TVs has confused a lot of people. And, add Plasma to the mix for even more confusion. LED TVs are really just LED-backlit LCD TVs using "Light Emitting Diodes." Wheras, LCDs have used some form of fluorescent lighting from tubes to much more advanced flat arrays of lights.

LEDs are more energy saving and produce a very good picture quality. Viewing angles have improved with LED TVs. We have an LCD-LED HDTV from Vizio in our studio lounge.

Click here for the buyer's guide.

 

Lew sent us the following question on our Facebook Fan Page: "How do I secure a domain name for my organization to protect the new name?"

We're not entirely sure what you mean when you say "secure a domain name" in order to protect it. If what you mean is how can you register the name of your organization as an Internet domain name, well, nothing could be easier. Visit any of the dozens and dozens of companies that are domain name registrars and it will take you only a few minutes to find out if your name is available. If it is, you can register it on the spot for just a few dollars per year.

For example, we've used GoDaddy.com to register domain names, and we find their domain control panel to be an excellent tool for administering your domain. They also have DNS services available if you need them.

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

 

Luke in Tyler, Texas listening on KTBB 92.1 FM: "I heard about the Mi-Fi. Can you connect an Android phone to your computer and use Wi-Fi from your computer to your Android phone?"

If you've got a Wi-Fi network that's available to your computer, assuming you know the password, you should be able to use it on your Android phone without the need for a computer at all.

If what you want to do involves connecting the phone to the computer via Wi-Fi, it can indeed be done, and the computer can also share a "wired" network connection through it's Wi-Fi adapter.

For example, if you get your Internet through a network cable connected to your computer, you can set that computer to act as a wireless access point and share it's connection wirelessly with other devices, including your Android phone.

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

 

Matt in San Jose, California listening on KLIV 1590 AM sent us the following email and said: "I was a little miffed about your "Into Tomorrow" show. It was about a week ago, and your show said the reason why Amazon sells phones for a penny is probably because "there is a reason they might be overstocked with them," implying the phone might be a bad phone.

Well, the truth is just about every phone when you compare it to the AT&T store or Walmart vs. Amazon, Amazon will always have the phone for a lot cheaper. It's not because they might have a reason they are overstocked with them, it's because they just do. These are not just new phone services, but also contract renewals. The only catch with renewing your AT&T contract with Amazon is they do not sell the iPhone.

Here are some examples:

- 2 years ago, LG Vu Cu920 was brand new, MSRP: $99, $49 at Walmart (Black Friday only), Amazon: 1 cent.

- Motorola Backflip Android phone $99 at AT&T, Amazon: 1 cent.

- HTC Tilt 2: $199 at AT&T, Amazon: 1 cent (new customer); $49 (contract extension).

- Blackberry Bold 9700: $200 or $29 refurbished (AT&T), Amazon: 1 cent (new customer); $74.99 (contract extension).

- Pantech Impact: $30 at AT&T, Amazon: 1 cent.

- Samsung Mythic (current FLO TV-capable phone): AT&T: $129, Amazon: 1 cent (new customer); $49 (contract extension).

Once in a while, they will have a gold box deal on all AT&T phones, where all AT&T phones at Amazon are a penny.

AT&T might charge you a $35 activation fee for buying the phone at Amazon, but we believe they still charge you that fee if you buy it from their own store."

We never said anything about Amazon being overstocked with phones. At the time when we answered the question about the Palm Pre being sold for one cent, our reservation was the health of the company, and nothing about the phone. (This was, of course, before HP bought Palm for $1.2 billion. We're now far less concerned about whether Palm's technology will be supported "Into Tomorrow." HP is the logical company to invest in Palm, and they have the deep resources needed to increase Palm's share of the market, etc.) We did say, and we quote, "there is a reason the phone is being sold for one cent." We never said that reason was due to overstocking. Our implied meaning in this case was that if Palm went under, the Palm phones would actually be worth a penny, and maybe even less.

 

Shafe in Ashville, North Carolina listening on WWNC 570 AM asked: "Purchased an Alienware m11x and I'd like to switch my iTunes music from my iMac to the Alienware. Wondering what would be the best way to do that. Would also like to put it on my Droid using a program called doubletwist and I'm having a lot of trouble doing it."

In order to transfer an iTunes library, there are a couple of things you need to do first. On your iMac, make sure you've selected the options "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" (you'll want to set those same options on your Windows copy of iTunes, so don't forget that).

On the iMac, pull down the "File" menu, look for the "Library" command, and under that choose "Organize Library." This command will tell iTunes to copy any song files that had been added to your library but were not in the iTunes media folder and add them to that folder. Check the option that says "Consolidate Library" and then click "Ok". If you've not already upgraded to the new Media folder structure, you can also set that check box and do it at the same time.

You'll need a device large enough to store your iTunes library, whether that's a thumb drive or an external hard drive depends on how much music you have. Connect the drive to your iMac and drag your iTunes media folder to it. This copies your entire library. Disconnect the hard drive (after ejecting it) and connect it to your Windows PC.

Now, on the Windows side, after first making sure that you've selected the two options we listed above, you have a choice of several methods, but perhaps the simplest one is to pull down the "File" menu and choose "Add folder to library." Navigate to the iTunes Media folder on your external hard drive and choose "Select Folder."

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

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

Into Tomorrow Product Spotlight with Rob Almanza

We had a lot of fun with this week's Product Spotlight video shoot. We tested out an external hard drive from a company called ioSafe that claims it can withstand water. They say your data is protected from flood, full submersion down to 10 feet for 72 hours ... in fresh or salt water. A hard drive like this is good to have to prevent data loss or damage in the future. The ioSafe Solo external hard drive is similar to a "black box" on an airplane. The one we’re testing has a storage capacity of 500GB, but they have others that go up to 2TB.

The ioSafe Solo works with PC or Mac, just like most other USB external hard drives. A combination of ioSafe technologies work to allow for airflow cooling during normal operation yet protect the data from floods or fires. Yes, it’s also fireproof! A lot of our tech friends have already tested THAT for us – even with flamethrowers! Here are some notable videos to watch:

- Macworld Video: ioSafe Solo hard drive torture tests -- Watch Video

- Wall Street Journal Review / Compare ioSafe Hard Drive -- Watch Video

- Testing the ioSafe Solo with fire! -- Watch Video

During a fire event, its FloSafe vents automatically close to prevent extreme outside heat from damaging the hard disk inside the enclosure. I don’t think we’ve seen so much technology in a hard drive like this before!

For those asking about data recovery, ioSafe comes with a 1-year one-time data recovery service. This would be used in case something goes wrong with the hard drive or if you experience a flood or a fire. This drive is tough and a bit heavy. Almost like a cinderblock! It weighs-in at 15 pounds. You won’t be traveling with this as you would with portable drives.

We’re happy to see companies like ioSafe doing their best at protecting our important data and are fans of the technology on this product.

Buy one here. Or, you can win one by participating on our show. You can also hit "Like" on our Facebook Page. We're going to be giving an awesome prize that just might be one of these. Stay tuned!

-- By Rob Almanza, “Into Tomorrow” Correspondent

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