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Weekend of September 30th, 2011

Answering your calls ... "Into Tomorrow"

We're back in the studio this week, which means your calls and emails will be answered ON THE AIR! If you haven't yet, call us toll-free 1-800-899-INTO (4686) ... participate via our "Into Tomorrow" App (iOS/Android/Intel AppUp) ... or email the show: AskDave@graveline.com. Thank you for your participation!

Our Latest ITTV Video Update (Watch in HD)

We recently hosted Rob's 25th Black & White Birthday Bash, where we incorporated lots of tech with our party favors. Rob's got a fun product we used that's designed by Haus of Gaga, the Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer. Chris reminds us of the most famous satellite to orbit Earth 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

 

 

 

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

For Android:

 

• Mark recommends: Netflix, FREE

 

"My app this week has to be the relatively brand new Netflix player for Android! It requires Android 2.2 or higher, but it works on just about ANY smartphone or tablet. I logged in to my Netflix account and had full access to my instant queue as well as the entire library of on demand movies and TV shows. Video quality on my Wi-Fi at home was excellent, and it's even quite passable on my Verizon Wireless 3G. It does drain the battery hard, so I'm sure to keep my Powermat Dual 1850 handy for a little boost. But with a nice set of earbuds, who CARES how long the doctor takes to see me now! You have to have a Netflix subscription to use it, but the app itself is free in the Android Market." -- Mark


For iOS:

 

• Rob recommends: Instagram 2.0, FREE




"I've raved about Instagram in the past. They recently upgraded to version 2.0 and people like me are loving it. I'm hooked on Instagram! It can be addictive. I mentioned several times how I love using quirky filters on the pictures I post online. It makes them artistic. That's why I love Instagram. It's easy and fun. For those who don't know about Instagram, it's a photo-sharing social network. The new update gave us instant live filters, so you can alter the image before you snap it. And, an additional 4 filters. You also have the option of turning borders on or off. The latest update has improved Instagram quite a bit. The app is available for free." -- Rob

 

Some of Rob's recent Instagram posts:



Dave on Instagram



Rob on Instagram

 

• Chris recommends: Cook This, Not That!, $0.99




"Discover how to turn the expensive, unhealthy foods at America's restaurants into fat blasting super foods that cost just pennies - and taste even better!"

 

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

 

What are your favorite apps? Let us know!

 

 

Timothy in New Florence, Pennsylvania listening to the podcast asked: "I was wondering when iOS 5 is due to come out."

 

Sorry, but we're gonna have to say "soon". Apple hasn't given us an official release date so far, they probably will at their big event on Tuesday, October 4th. It's been widely reported that iOS 5 is at an advanced beta stage, so it shouldn't be too long now. Some rumors say it may be as soon as October 10th.

Since they announced iOS 5 features, they teased us by saying sometime this Fall. Don't you love it when they do that? In the northern hemisphere, that can be anytime between late September and December. I hope the rumors are true and it comes out very soon!

 

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

 

 

Listener Pat asked: "I have an iMac with Airport Extreme and I'm wondering if there are any WiFi headphones I can get, so I can listen to internet programs while working outside in the yard. Thanks for the informative show."

 

We have heard from a few WiFi headphones, but haven't seen them in action yet. The main advantage these would offer over regular wireless headphones is that some of them offer built-in software that doesn't require an outside source to access online streams. The upcoming Nox Audio Admiral Touch, for example, is powered by Android and has access to Pandora.

Having said that, you could get similar functionality for cheaper with regular wireless headsets if you don't mind leaving your computer running and not being able to change streams directly from your headphones.

You can find RF wireless headsets, that will work from any audio source that takes regular headphones, for under $20 online.

 

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

 

 

Steve in Lake Villa, Illinois listens to the podcast and asked: "My wife has a trade show coming up. Her company uses the iPhone 3G. We're looking for something she can put on top of the phone to use as a credit card scanner. They rent them at the hall, but they're very expensive and they're a small company."

 

There are a few options to do that. One that we came across is from a company you may be familiar with. Intuit, the people behind TurboTax, has their "GoPayment Mobile Credit Card Processing" service. This is compatible with many phones, including the iPhone. It's an app that you can use with a card reader that plugs into your phone, or you can go without the card reader and type the information directly into the app. After the payment processes, it'll give you the ability to text or email a reciept to your customer.

Of course, you'll need to open a merchant account with Intuit for this to work, and like all credit card processing companies, they take a percentage of each sale. Depenting on your needs, the service maynot cost very much. If the business processes less than $1,000 a month, there is no monthly fee. If it does more than that, the fee is about 13 bucks a month.

There's also a service called Square. With Square, you can accept credit card and cash payments on your iPad, iPhone or Android. All you do is sign up online and they mail you a free Square Card Reader. The reader plugs into the headphone jack. You then download a free app that works with the card reader. On their website, they say they charge 2.75% per card swiped (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover). You can access your money next day by linking your bank account for direct deposit.

 

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

 

 

 

HOUR 2:

 

Tech News & Commentary

 

Andy in Raleigh, North Carolina asked: "I want to know why I shouldn't buy the Toshiba Thrive Android Tablet as opposed to the iPad. And what could possibly be coming out new in the area of tablets over the next few months?"

 

The question isn't "why shouldn't you buy the Toshiba Thrive," the question is why should you buy one? It's a 10 inch Android tablet running Android 3.1, which is good, and it's virtually identical in performance to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. We think it is, however, quite portly and a little cheesy looking with its rubberized back and odd metal highlights for the camera lens. It's both larger and quite a bit heavier than the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and also of course the iPad 2.

For some people, the mere fact that it's not Apple is reason enough to buy it. And if you're one of those people, then you will find the Toshiba Thrive to be a solid performer at a reasonable price. If you can get past the whole thing of it being a bit ugly and heavier than its competition, you will probably be very happy with this tablet. At $429 for the 8GB model, it's priced about the same as an iPad 2.

And that right there is our problem. While we respect Android and some of us choose to use Android smartphones instead of iPhones, we're all in agreement that Apple's iOS is a mature and smooth mobile operating system for tablets, with far more apps designed to take advantage of the tablet's larger display. The iPad outsells all the Android tablets combined by a margin of 8 to 1.

We're not saying that the Toshiba Thrive isn't a good Android tablet. It actually is a pretty decent value when compared with other Android tablets. And like we said, if something not being from Apple is reason enough for you to buy it, then go right ahead. But if you're asking us what the best tablet your $400-plus bucks can buy is, we'd have to say it's the Apple iPad 2.

 

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

 

 

 

Bruce in Haynesville, Kansas listens to the podcast asked: "I have a Samsung Epic on Sprint. How do you erase unused Bluetooth devices from the profile? I'm running Android 2.2, I believe. Also, Sprint has an "ID Screen". How do I erase it?"

 

Erasing the unused bluetooth devices should be pretty simple. From the home screen hit the menu button, then settings and then go to Wireless, from there go to bluetooth settings and you should get that list of devices, some of which you don't use.

To get rid of one, just long-press it (meaning leave your finger over it for about 3 seconds), a menu should pop up giving you the option to "unpair", touch "unpair" and that should get that particular device off the list. Just repeat the same procedure as needed.

To stop the vendor's branding screen from appearing when you power the phone on, if that's what you mean by "ID screen," you would have to root your Android device. When you root the device, you replace the factory ROMs (Read Only Memory, or the chips that store your Android operating system inside the phone) with generic, and usually more recent, Android ROMs. Rooting your phone is entirely legal, it's not hard, and a lot of people do it.

However, it most certainly does void the warranty, and Sprint will offer you precisely zero support once they've discovered you rooted the phone. Also, some apps don't work properly on rooted phones. But if you're determined to press ahead, just google "rooting samsung epic" and that should put you on the trail of ROM images you can use. If something goes wrong, however, it'll be a long, slow walk to the Sprint store to ask them to reset your phone back to the factory settings.

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

 

Dale in Santa Maria, California listens to the podcast and asked: "I've been trying for the last year or two to setup an easy, simple, inexpensive VPN for personal use at my house. Having trouble finding the right resources. I'm not a junkie on setting up routers and such. Wondering what the simplest, least expensive way to do it."

 

If you want a really simple solution you can try something called "Hamachi".

Hamachi (which was purchased by LogMeIn), basically has one button, an on off switch and pressing it let's you choose between starting a new VPN or joining one.

To start one, you just need to name it (the name must be unique and you cannot use a name someone else is using), and if you want, add a password. To connect to the network you just open Hamachi on another computer and type in the name and the password that you used to create the network on the first computer.

Once you've done that just network away, you should be able to use your own personal VPN (though you will technically run some of your information, at least the login portion though LogMeIn servers).

Another option is OpenVPN, which will permit you to set up a VPN server on your home network and connect to it with a laptop from wherever you are. It's free and quite powerful, with extensive documentation. They do sell services related to it, but if all you want is the server and client software for Windows, Mac, or Linux, you can find that at OpenVPN.net.

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

 

 

 

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer (Grey Label Series) We just hosted Rob's 25th Black & White Birthday Bash this week. Because we love technology, we incorporated lots of it at the party at the Miami Science Museum.

- Prints without ink using 2nd generation ZINK (Zero Ink) Printing Technology -- Inkless printing embeds color into the paper. So, no ink cartridges needed. - Prints 3 x 4-inch color pictures. - Can print pictures with the Classic Polaroid Border or you can add your own customized border, or print borderless (which covers the entire sheet). - Prints wirelessly from most smartphones, including: Blackberry, Android and Windows compatible phones via Polaroid apps. Doesn't work with iPhone. - You can connect and print from most PictBridge-enabled digital cameras using USB, print from your PC or MAC via Bluetooth. - Has a rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery or can run while plugged-in to the adapter. - Designed in conjunction with Haus of Gaga - Costs $170; ZINK Paper: 30 sheets for $10.

 

Neil in Idaho Falls, Idaho listening on KLBI 1260 AM asked: "I am calling to find out if there's any way to root an LG Ally smartphone. I have been unable and unsuccessful with everything I have tried."

It's possible that you haven't been able to root the phone because you've been using instructions for older versions of Android than the one you have now, since we don't know what version of Android your phone is running we're going to give you a few different options to try.

Here are some links that may help you root the phone, they are different methods that have worked for different people: LG-Phones.org, Android Forums

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

 

HOUR 3:

Tech News & Commentary

 

Bill in Boise, Idaho listens to the podcast and asked: "I'm reading that Sprint may be getting the iPhone. Is there any truth to that?"

 

The easy answer is... Maybe. Neither Sprint or Apple have made any kind of official announcement. Although that may change in the next couple weeks. We'll have to wait and see. Of course we know Apple has an event coming up next week. Sprint has an event just a few days after that. We'll have to wait and see.

Rumors have swirled that Sprint will get the iPhone 4, not the iPhone 5. Stephen Bye, Sprint's CTO, appeared in San Francisco this last week, at a conference. Immediately, he was asked if Sprint would offer the iPhone - although not which version. Not surprisingly, Bye punted. He said, "I'm not in a position to comment." He went on to say: "Even without the iPhone, for the last two or three years Sprint has done tremendously well."

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

 

 

Willy in Columbia, Missouri listening on KFRU 1400 FM and asked: "Are there any Pads out there, equivalent to the iPad, since they cost so blooming much? Looking for something reasonably priced that will jump through all the hoops, have the belas and whistles, streaming ability, WiFi and stuff."

 

Yes and no. There are tablets out there that can do what the iPad can and are roughly similar in size and a few, similar in weight as well. The problem is not "is there anything out there that's similar" ... the problem is "is there anything out there that's similar and reasonably priced?".

If the iPad is too expensive for you, then pretty much any capable tablet in the market will be too expensive, too. You won't find a tablet that can do the same as the iPad and it's competitors, or do it as well and cost half the price. It's probably possible to charge half the price, Apple has never been one to shy away from big markups on their products, but the market doesn't seem to be demanding it loud enough yet for other makers to see a benefit in competing on price alone.

So basically, are there tablets similar to the iPad? Yes, most Android Honeycomb tablets have similar features to the iPad, but whether you look at the Motorola Xoom, the Acer Iconia, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or any of the iPad's competitors, you won't find low prices, yet.

The Nook Color from Barnes & Noble is a very inexpensive Android tablet and e-reader combination device, selling for $249 in a 7" version. That's probably the most cost effective "quality" Android tablet you can buy right now. There are some selling for $99, but generally they use resistive screens instead of capactive ones (those require pressure rather than simply a touch) and an old version of Android (1.6 most of the time).

There are some drawbacks to the Nook Color. It can only get apps from the Barnes & Noble app store. The regular Android Market is blocked. So your selection of apps isn't great. And while you can find any book under the sun, buying music, or movies and TV shows, is difficult.

Coming soon will be Amazon's Kindle Fire, which will also be a 7" Android tablet and e-reader combination device. It's highly customized version of Android also has its own app store, but Amazon's app store is already available for Android devices, and its selection of apps is nearly as broad as the Android market itself. Shopping for music, movies, TV, or anything else under the sun will be easy, since the device is tightly integrated into Amazon.com.

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

 

Listener John asked: "My computer will not stay online. Bright House my provider has sent nine techs out to fix the problem. They have not fixed the problem. My computer tells me I am losing my IP setting. It fixes the problem but does not last very long and I have to start over. This has gone on for at least six months. I have had my computer checked three times and there seems to be no problem with my computer. I even bought another computer and it does the same thing. I need help."

 

We'd like to question the quality of the techs they employ if nine of them showed up and not one of them managed to solve your problem!

Your problem can be at:

1) the computer itself, which we can rule out since you replaced the original computer and still have the problem.

2) your internal network, which means you could be getting WiFi interference or have bad wires, depending on the type of connection, or a faulty router or modem (both of which you could've replaced for a lot less than the cost of a new computer).
3) it could be their problem, their lines to your home might have some problem.

It should be easy to find out what's causing your problem, but probably more time consuming than they'd like.

If it's your internal network they can just run some traffic through your private network without connecting to the internet, or they can plug your computer direct to your modem and see if you stay connected.

If the problem is happening outside your home they should be able to test for it and let you know, ask your neighbors too, they might be having trouble as well and the broadband company might be more willing to act if they stand to lose a large group of subscribers.

The fact that your computer is reporting a problem with the IP address points to a router problem. Is the Brighthouse cable modem connected directly to your computer, or do you have a router in between so you can share the cable modem with other computers? Typically, the router will assign your IP address for you automatically, and then it's supposed to keep track of it for a period of time. That's called DHCP, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

If the lease time isn't working correctly, it's possible that the DHCP function is dropping your address back in to the pool, assigning it to another device, thus creating an IP address conflict. Since you've already replaced the computer, it shouldn't be a problem with that.

Generally, the cable tech will check everything up to their cable modem, and that's as far as it goes. If the cable modem isn't also your router, and you have your own router in the loop, then we'd suggest you take a strong look at that as being the problem.

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

 

 

 

 

Dan in Ft. Dodge, Iowa listens on KVFD 1400 AM and asked: "I bought an Ion Profile pro USB turntable. I hooked it up to my windows 7 computer and installed the iTunes software it needs to put my LPs onto my computer. Now everything I play on my computer, comes with an echo, whether it be the LPs, CDs, anything. What could it be?"

 

Problems with echoing audio playback after installing iTunes are not unheard of. Before you do a lot of troubleshooting, there are a couple things you should do. First, be certain you're running the latest version of iTunes. You can always get the latest version by browsing to itunes.apple.com.

Second, be sure you've got the latest device drivers installed for your computer's audio hardware. Many users have reported the echo disappeared as soon as they updated these two things.

If that's not it, then we need to check some settings in iTunes itself. Here's what you should do:

1. Open iTunes Preferences > Playback.
2. Disable Crossfade songs, Sound Enhancer and Sound Check.
3. Click OK.
4. Open the Equalizer under the View menu since you're on Windows.
5. Disable the EQ by de-selecting the checkbox in the upper left.
6. Play an affected track.

If the echo persists, then you're probably going to need to bravely venture into the customer support channels for your turntable and see if they've heard of this happening.

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

 

Tom in Raleigh, North Carolina listens to the podcast and asked: "This is a great show and I'm happy to hear it again. I was 'lucky' to pick up the 32GB HP TouchPad for $149, figuring it would be a decent Kindle e-reader. Any advice for this? Should I wait for the port to ICS (Android Ice Cream Sandwich Update) or will someone save WebOS from HP?"

 

It's fairly unlikely that you will see a lot of apps developed for WebOS in the near future, and no one so far seems to have shown too much interest in buying it from HP, so waiting for the port to Ice Cream Sandwich may not be the worst of ideas.

Keep in mind that the port is not coming from an official source, and the Android Market can filter out applications that are not supported on the device that's browsing the market, so depending on how the team porting Android to the TouchPad chooses to identify the tablet to the Market, you may or may not see some apps.

Again, it's unlikely you're going to see an awful lot of new apps built exclusively for the TouchPad, so we'd say hang on to your tablet and see how the Android ports develops, right now it does look like your best option.

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

 

Rebecca in Naples, Florida listens online and asked: "I was watching the Today show and they had new high-tech gadgets on there. One was a telephone that you could hook your iPhone up to. Another one was a printer that prints pictures directly from your iPhone. You just stick your iPhone right in the printer. Wondering if you've heard anything about them."

 

The printer is easy. While we didn't see that episode of the Today show, the Bolle BP-10, also sold as the VuPoint Photo Cube, almost has to be the one they showed. This is a dye sublimation printer with an iPhone dock that charges your phone even as it prints your photos.

There is a free app in the iTunes Store that lets you print your photos on the 4x6 paper in brilliant colors and very sharp quality. The printer sells for $99, the ink cartridges and paper come as a single unit, $29.99 for 36 prints.

While we may not be 100% sure ... the phone you're referring to could probably be one we reported on at IFA in Berlin last month. We featured the Invoxia VoIP desktop and conference phone (NVX 610) for iOS devices in the first part of our IFA coverage. You're welcome to watch the video of interview at IntoTomorrow.com. This desktop phone has a dock that can hold your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. It connects to your device via Bluetooth using the dedicated invoxia app to make calls. What's cool about this VoIP phone is that instead of using your iDevice, you'll use an actual handset. And, the unit has 8 high-quality speakers and 8 mics for conference calls. It's really neat! But, the price tag not so much. You can find it online for under $500.

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.

 

 

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This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners

Energizer: Several Weather Ready 2 LED Flashlights

Logitech: Tablet Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad

Otterbox: Several protective cases, including: Defender for iPhone 4 & Defender for Motorola Xoom Tablet

Philips: Sonicare AirFloss (interdental cleaner) ... Experience a microburst of clean in-between.

 

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