Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I get better wireless reception from Verizon out here on my ranch?

Watch Jim from Winchester, CA Comments

The issue is Jim's distance from the cell site. If he has line of site to it, he may be able to get an external directional antenna that would re-transmit the signal into his house. Check out CellAntenna.com. Look into the Yagi antennas. Wilson Electronics also makes cell signal boosters but he'll want to be sure he's getting an antenna that supports 4G/LTE.

Is there a way I can carry digital versions of personal documentation with me securely?

Watch Billy from Sacramento, CA Comments

Leo says a thumbdrive will work, and Sandisk makes secure thumbdrives that encrypts anything in a protected folder with 128bit AES. Additionally, Sandisk offers 2GB of secure access in the cloud.

There's a medical USB key from Medic Tag. RoadID.com is another good option. Similar to Medic Alert, it contains information that authorities could use to access his data in the event that he can't give it to them himself.

There's also a site called Emergency Standard with apps for iOS and Android. The site also offers cards that he could have with him.

The real problem is what happens if he's unconscious and the doctors or authorities don't have access to his password. It's certainly a conundrum to create a device that is secure, but able to be accessed by a third party in the event of an emergency. Doctor Mom in the chatroom says to have a card in his wallet, or a medic alert bracelet is the best option for medical information since time is a big factor in the emergency room.

Why is Sugar Sync adding more to my database file names every time it syncs?

Watch Eric from Gathersberg, MD Comments

Eric is using Sugar Sync with Microsoft Access, and every time it uploads his files to sync it, it gives them a longer and longer file name. Leo says it's doing this because Sugar Sync doesn't know which copy is the most recent and the one he wants, so it saves them all. It has to increase the file name of each one because there are naming conflicts otherwise.

Eric could get a hard drive and just carry that from computer to computer. The issue with using Microsoft's SkyDrive or Office 365 is that they don't support Access because they want to push their SQL Server software instead. The Chatroom says that GoToMyPC is another option so that the data is kept on one PC, but accessed from another.

If he's planning to copy the whole database over, it's really important he uses USB 3.0 because it's much faster. He'll also want to separate out the databases so he's not copying 20 GB each time.

(Disclaimer: GoToMyPC is a sponsor)

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Should I return the iPhone 5 for a Galaxy Note II?

Watch Richard from Rancho Cuamonga, CA Comments

Richard's daughter got the iPhone 5 and she's not impressed. Leo says that iPhone 5's only real advantages are 4G/LTE access and the slightly larger screen. If that's not important to her, then keeping her existing iPhone 4S is just fine as users should be in no hurry to upgrade just for that. Also, the 9 pin Lightning connector requires users to invest again in third party sync and charging options. Leo says that at least Apple could've done was subsidize part of the re-investment.

Richard's daughter is considering switching over to the Galaxy Note II. Leo says that the Google voice dictation mode is quite good, better than the dictation that Samsung includes. So he'd want to switch it to Google's dictation instead. Leo also recommends no matter what phone she has, to have a Google account that will sync her contacts, calendar and phone numbers. She can also use DropBox, Skydrive or Picasaweb to sync her photos.

Can I use my Verizon iPhone 4 at all while I'm in Asia?

Watch Eric from Hawaii Comments

Leo says that there's a good chance he won't be able to use it all. It's a CDMA phone, and most cell networks overseas use GSM technology. If he upgraded to the iPhone 5, he'd have no problem. The Verizon iPhone 5 comes unlocked and is a world phone, so Eric could buy a local SIM card and use data locally.

He's wondering if the Samsung Galaxy Note II on Verizon would be a world phone. Leo says that Eric should really talk to Verizon about what phone would be best for the countries he's visiting.

How can I speed up my 7 year old computer?

Watch Neil from El Segundo, CA Comments

Leo says that dogs age 7 years for every human year, and with computers it's even worse. Computers probably age 15 years for every 1 year. So it's not surprising that it's slow. If he were to restore it to the way it came from the factory, it would be exactly as fast as it was then. The problem is, over time, we want to use newer software. The web has also gotten a lot more elaborate. If he wants to do exactly what he was doing in 2005, it would be as fast as it was then. But that's not the case, he's doing more modern things and using more modern software.

If he has the system restore disks, they're easy to run. He'd just put the disk in, restart the computer and it will ask if he wants to wipe the drive and install Windows. Of course, he should make sure to back up first. The first thing he should do after installing Windows is run Windows Updates. If he doesn't do this, he won't be secure.

If he doesn't have his recovery disks, he could contact HP and they could send them for a nominal fee. He could also put Linux on it, such as xubuntu which is designed for older computers. It's actually more secure than Windows too, and kept up to date.

The good news is Windows 8 is coming out soon, and there are lots of new Windows 8 machines available. He'd definitely benefit from a new computer at this point.

Why did iCloud mess up the address book in Outlook on my PC?

Watch Dale from Florida Comments

Dale has a new iMac, iPhone 4S and an iPad for photography and decided to sync it all together with iCloud. When he synced everything though, iCloud shredded the address book in Outlook on his Windows computer. Leo says that's not surprising. Syncing can cause issues like this the first time around, that's why it's vital to backup his address book before trying something new. Syncing multiple address books in different formats (PC and Mac) really can be problematic. iCloud is a mess anyway.

Leo prefers Google for syncing all of these things. Then it doesn't matter what format he's using, and he doesn't need multiple address books. He'll have it all, plus calendars, in one place. It still won't work well with Outlook, so Leo just recommends using Google instead.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I get Windows updates to install without getting stuck?

Watch Dave from Pasadena, CA Comments

Dave has a Windows 7 PC and whenever he tries to install updates, an error occurs, and it tries to install the updates all over again. Leo says it's a common problem in updating, but thankfully there is an easy fix. Go to Microsoft's Support Page.

Is there an easier way for me to sign and send out work orders I get via email?

Watch Clinton from Calgary, Alberta, Canada Comments

Leo says that what Clinton needs is a custom form application that will allow him to update the work order and then resend it via PDF. There is a program for iPad called PDF Pen, and he can edit it and sign it on there.

Since he wants to create an invoice with that, he might want to look into FileMaker Go. This is a database program that would let him develop custom databases and forms. Then he can output it and email it to a computer with Filemaker Pro to do the rest.

How could I go about learning how to develop an app?

Watch Richard from Fullerton, CA Comments

Richard has a few ideas for apps, but doesn't know how to build and program one. Leo says that Ideas are really a dime a dozen, and the key is how he would implement it. Apps are programs and if he wants to learn programming, that's where he could start. There are specifics for learning not only how to program, but also iOS and Android, and the API (Application Programmers Interface) for each platform. To learn how to program, there are great MIT and Stanford programming courses online for free on iTunes U. Then, there's Coursera.org, and Big Nerd Ranch.

He can always hire a programmer to do it for him, too. Check out eLance.com.

How can I improve my search results through Search Engine Optimization?

Watch Mark from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Leo says that SEO is snake oil, in his opinion, and it's a scam that is used to bilk people out of money. It even could get him delisted from Google, which means he may as well not exist. He could buy an adword from google and his result will show up at the top of the list, but it's not cheap. Google uses page rankings, and the only real way to get a successful return is to get other pages to link to you.

Some SEO companies are legit, as the good ones can help him to effectively market his ads on his page and could help him to design his page properly from Google's perspective. The first 1500 letters and the title itself are crucial for searching, along with active content.

Buzzle has a great article on Google's page rank patent that will give him some great background on how Page rank works and how he can maximize the design to his benefit.

Also check out Matt Cuts' excellent blog on Google and search engine results.

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