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Q Sean, Mt. Vernon, TX - Computer freezes up

Sean can’t do anything on his laptop and he just gets a waiting mouse icon. He suspects it’s his GPS causing a problem. Leo thinks that it’s unresponsive, not freezing. It may be a connection problem with his peripherals. A bad connector can easily cause this. Sadly though, with a laptop, it’s not easy to repair. Time to ship it back to HP.

CYA tomorrow!

Q Ellie, Oahu, HI - Trouble in iWork.

Ellie is using iWork and wants to use the voice feature to speak as she types. But it doesn’t and Apple says they have no idea why. Leo says Ellie found a bug. Sadly, she’ll probably have to wait until Apple decides it’s important enough to make a patch for it.

From the Chatroom - make sure you turn on the voice over utility in universal access. Check the box that says “enable access for assisted devices.”

Q John, Ontario, Canada - Recording to DVD

John wants to record his son’s hockey games to DVD in his camcorder and dupe to another DVD in real time. Leo says that some camcorders do send out the signal via firewire simultaneously while recording and if his camera does, then he can connect it to his PC and record a second copy simultaneously. But you will be tethered. Outside of that, you can just stream out to your PC, capture and then burn as many as you want. Another option is to attach an external hard drive to record.

Also, check out Wirecast, which can stream and add cool newsy graphics and the like.

Q Harold, Manhattan Beach - A solution for Denny in Hour 2.

You have to have active synch on each computer you’re using the phone with. Enable advanced functionality with active synch is what will do internet connection sharing. And the Motorola Q doesn’t have WiFi, so the WM Wifi Router won’t work for it.

And we’re just getting started as Photokina is coming this week.

More Apple Rumors abound

The word on the street is that Cupertino is already shipping super thing MacBooks. Has anyone seen em in the stores?

Intel annuounces new chips …

The Nehalen Chips may be an exponential leap in performance.

Colleen suggests WM Wifi Router. It’s software that goes on your phone and turns your cellphone into a wifi router. It’ll cost about $30, but the original free version is still floating around the net somewhere.

From the Chatroom - Verizon allows you to use your cellphone as a data modem using internet connection sharing. But at a price.

Q Harry, Los Angeles, CA - scanner recommendation

Recommends medium format scanners from LEAF. Drumtype scanner that goes up to 4×5″. It’ll scan negatives or transparancies in both monochrome or color. Takes about 2–3 minutes per image.

Also wants to know what Leo thinks of the Sony Alpha 900. It has teadyShot INSIDE in-camera image stabilization by moving the chip, not the lens. 25 MP. Cost is about $3K. And SONY is moving to the Schneider lens.

Denny just got an Acer Aspire and is having trouble linking it to his Motorola Q. He can’t connect using his Q as a tethered modem. Leo recommends searching internet connection with the Aspire 1. the issue is that you have to do it over USB, which could make it an issue due to bandwidth speed and USB drivers.

Where do the candidates stand on technology issues?

Check out Popular Mechanics Geek the Vote and Science Debate 2008.

Q Denny, Kernsville, NC - Linking his cellphone to his Notebook

Denny just got an Acer Aspire and is having trouble linking it to his Motorola Q. He can’t connect using his Q as a tethered modem. Leo recommends searching internet connection with the aspire 1. the issue is that you have to do it over USB, which could make it an issue due to bandwidth speed and USB drivers.

A few months ago, it was the Nikon D3. The the Nikon D90 with 720p HiDef video. Now, there’s the Canon 5D Mk. II. 21.1 Megpixels! Double the Mk. I! 1080p HiDef video added. Yikes!

A few months ago, it was the Nikon D3. The the Nikon D90? with 720p HiDef video. Now, there’s the Canon 5D Mk. II. 21.1 Megpixels! Double the Mk. I! 1080p HiDef video added. Yikes!

Q Evan, Melbourne, AUS - Cameras and Scanners

Q Aaron, San Rafael, CA - Net Neutrality

It’s more like “Net discrimination.” ISPs want to turn the Internet into the Corporate Model where priority will be given to certain types of traffic, discriminating against others. Example is bit torrent, where ISPs want to cut them off. Leo says bits are bits and it doesn’t matter what the bits are. But since companies like Comcast have cable TV as their main bread and butter, they want to cut off video traffic because it competes with their TV business. Same with Skype vs. their phone service. And that’s anti-competitive. Luckily, the FCC is watching very carefully.

Also, the followup to the Canon G9 - the G10. 14.7-megapixel resolution; 5x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer; 28mm wide-angle lens;DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves Face Detection & RAW. Nice!

From the Chat Room - Being Cross trained in both nursing and technology could be very beneficial.

Q Evan, Melbourne, AUS! - Cameras and Scanners

Evan recently bought a medium format film camera. He wants to pair it with a photo scanner. Nikon make a medium format CoolScan model. Leo likes the Coolscan 9000. The best are Drum scanners for prints.

Evan wishes he had the limits we’re experiencing here! His ISP is always throttling him because he uses VOIP!

David is about to renew his contract and wants a new smart phone. He needs to get documents, listens to mp3s, etc. But David wants to modify his documents. Leo recommends the Motorola Q to do all that. It’s a tad old, but it runs Windows Mobile, which is what you need for the Excel functions. The TILT is the best, but it’s much more expensive. But wait until the Blackberry Bold and the HTC Dream come out.

Tony is changing careers from the health care industry to the tech industry. He’s a geek hobbyist and wants to make it a career. Leo tends to shy away from the “tech certifications” as it’s mostly studying to take the Test. But a good one to have is the MCSE.

Leo suggests starting with an ISP, starting in the call center and work your way up. Or, you can go your own way and become an independent operator and build your business up. The good news is that it’s still the “wild west” of technology. Tech certs are rather expected, but it’s generally considered the beginning. Companies will want to train you, so if you can get your foot in the door, they may pay for your certifications.

Q Kaye, Newport Beach, CA - Getting a new TV.

LCD? Plasma? DLP? Leo recommends a rather large screen, which leaves out LCDs since they get really expensive over 40″. For the biggest bang for your buck, DLP is best, but they don’t work well from an angle. Plasma works great, but you need to darken the room to enjoy it. Leo likes the Pioneer Kuro.

1080p vs. 1080i. What’s the difference? 1080i broadcasts using an interlaced framerate, which means that at any given moment in time, the TV is receiving every other line of resolution. Then it assembles these lines and shows you the entire frame. 1080p, whereas, sends the entire frame to the TV. And even though both have the same amount of data and resolution, broadcasters prefer to broadcast shows in 1080i because it uses less bandwidth. Blu-Ray DVD movies are shown in 1080p because they have no such restrictions. This is why Scott recommends that if you’re getting a new HDTV, that you get one that is 1080p. They are currently more expensive than 1080i TVs, but the price difference is closing as more manufacturers make 1080p models. Will you be able to tell the difference? Well, in sizes below 50″ and from distances of 15′, you won’t. But the thing is that when scaling down an image, 1080i TVs can cause artifacting, whereas 1080p sets don’t have that issue. Also, 30 fps is 1080i, whereas 60fps is 1080p.

Q David, Laguna Hills, CA - Cellphone recommendation

David is about to renew his contract and wants a new smart phone. He needs to get documents, listens to mp3s, etc. But David wants to modify his documents. Leo recommends the Motorola Q to do all that. It’s a tad old, but it runs Windows Mobile, which is what you need for the Excel functions. The TILT is the best, but it’s much more expensive.

Q Tony, Miami, OK - Changing careers to the Tech industry

1080p vs. 1080i. What’s the difference? 1080i broadcasts using an interlaced framerate, which means that at any given moment in time, the TV is receiving every other line of resolution. Then it assembles these lines and shows you the entire frame. 1080p, whereas, sends the entire frame to the TV. And even though both have the same amount of data and resolution, broadcasters prefer to broadcast shows in 1080i because it uses less bandwidth. Blu-Ray DVD movies are shown in 1080p because they have no such restrictions. This is why Scott recommends that if you’re getting a new HDTV, that you get one that is 1080p. They are currently more expensive than 1080i TVs, but the price difference is closing as more manufacturers make 1080p models. Will you be able to tell the difference? Well, in sizes below 50″ and from distances of 15′, you won’t. But the thing is that when scaling down an image, 1080i TVs can cause artifacting, whereas 1080p sets don’t have that issue.

Also, the followup to the G9 - the G10. 14.7-megapixel resolution; 5x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer; 28mm wide-angle lens;DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves Face Detection & RAW. Nice!

Q Ken, Los Angeles, CA - Streaming video online

Ken has been tasked with streaming live video for school. Leo recommends Stickam (which streams TwitLive). There’s also UStream. They use Flash to stream video through a camcorder connected to your PC. You can then embed it on your webpage. However, you can’t do HiDef or widescreen. DV and 4:3 is the current standard for these sites. It’s heavily compressed, though, so it may be difficult to stream movement like a sporting event.

The Hot Cameras right now

A few months ago, it was the Nikon D3. The the Nikon D90? with 720p HiDef video. Now, there’s the Canon 5D Mk. II. 24 Megpixels! Great in low light. 1080p HiDef video added. Yikes!

Also, the followup to the G9? - the G10. 14.7-megapixel resolution; 5x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer; 28mm wide-angle lens;DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves Face Detection & RAW. Nice!

The Hot DSLRs right now

A few months ago, it was the Nikon D3. The the Nikon D90? with 720p HiDef video. Now, there’s the Canon 5D Mk. II. 24 Megpixels! Great in low light. 1080p HiDef video added. Yikes! Also, the followup to the G9 - the G10.

Leo’s RAID goes belly up again!

Servers are down for now. But we have Tech Guy Labs running. Vieo available at Stickam. Leo’s going to be busy rebuilding everything else this weekend.

New Microsoft Ads. No, not those. Those.

Moving on from the Seinfeld sitcom. Microsoft released the I’m a PC ad (edited on a MAC, BTW)

Guests

Scott Wilkinson, Ultimate AV Magazine

Saturday September 20, 2008

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