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Show Notes > Show 635	Edit \| Read \| Hist \| Prt

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Saturday January 30, 2010

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Posted one week after broadcast…

Tech News

The New Apple iPad

Leo was at the Apple Event on Wednesday when Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s latest creation - the Apple iPad. Available in 8–64GB versions, this Tablet PC as a 9.7″ multitouch screen running Apple’s 1GHz A4 processor. 10 Hours active battery life with 30 days on standby. 1/2 wide, 1.5 pounds. Runs the same OS as the iPhone and iPod Touch. All apps are backwards compatible, but Apple has also released a software development kit (SDK) for those who want to write custom apps for the iPad as well. Wifi only version will be available in 60 days starting at $499. 30 days later, the 3G & Wifi versions will be released for $130 more plus monthly data plans from AT&T starting at $14.99 for 250MB, $29.99 for “unlimited.” There’s No phone. No USB. No camera. And again, no Flash support (though there is a custom HD YouTube app which can show full length movies).

Here’s a few of Leo’s impressions: Brilliant product. Very elegant. Very aesthetic. Good gaming platform. Solid reader. But the iPad is a terrible name. TERRIBLE NAME! Leo thinks that because of it’s media applications, that MediaPad would’ve been more appropriate. Not a very good movie watching device. It’s 4:3 screen resolution isn’t that great. No flash? Big deal. Flash is a security nightmare anyway. Leo says that the future is HTML5 over flash anyway.

Leo also thinks that the media over-hyped it, and the crazy speculation meant that there was no way to live up to it. But you can get a netbook for half as much that does more. But so what? The thing about the iPad is, it’s not really a tablet PC per se. If you look at it as an ebook reader plus - a Kindle on steroids, then perhaps it’s more of an ideal way to look at it. And perhaps that’s where Apple blew it on the iPad. They should’ve framed the argument as a content consumption device, rather than a tablet PC. It’s not something you need, but once you hold it, you’ll want it. And Leo can’t wait to get it. And Leo also thinks that the only one really compelling is the 8GB $499 model. He thinks that the 64GB $800 version is a tad pricey.

Guests

Tony Randel, Film Director

Tony Randel, director of Hellraiser 2, is going outside the system and using off the shelf consumer electronics to make his movies. This is something he’s wanted to do all his life and now that the technology is available, he’s saying that anyone can now make a movie. Tony’s movie - The Double Born - is now available on DVD.

What does Tony recommend for those starting out in movie making today? Tony recommends watching movies with the sound off. This teaches you how the film is constructed.

What is Tony doing to get out the word on his movie? The Internet is a great distribution avenue, witness Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. And if you already have an audience, you can pretty much go it alone and do quite well.

Hour 1

Q Dan, San Diego, CA - voice recognition applications

Dan’s wife is suffering from a broken wrist and can’t type. What voice recognition software do you recommend? Leo says that Dragon’s Naturally Speaking 10 is the best. But the real issue is that while the software is very mature, believe it or not the hardware isn’t quite there yet to talk in real time and have it keep up. Most of the challenge is training it (or is it training you) to hear what you’re saying. Make sure you do the complete training option. It’ll get better as it goes along, but you need to lower your expectations some as it won’t pick up everything you say.

Both the iPhone and Google Android phones have a Dragon iPhone application that works great as well. They take your recording and upload it to a server where all the processing power is and then return a text file back. That’s a good option. And Google’s working on their own app which is constantly being updated thanks to a wide data set it gets through it’s Google 411 service.

Q Ellie, Honolulu, HI - is the iPad for the vision impaired?

Will it work for the vision impaired? Leo says that it’s got to be easy on the eyes not matter who reads with it. Leo says the accessibility options available in the iPhone and iPod Touch are all on the iPad. Leo says that Apple will have the same challenges that Amazon has restricting voiceover if publishers demand it, and installing DRM. And turning off voiceover is a violation of the American Disabilities Act, but no one has challenged that yet.

Ellie’s website is Giant Dolphin.

Q Gene, Lancaster, CA - After market scanning software

Gene has written a children’s book and wants to create a website to attract an agent. What scanning software does Leo recommend for scanning illutrations? Hamrick Software has VueScan which works great for documents, image scans, etc. Ideal for someone looking to scan illustrations. You can try it out for free, but it’s $40 for standard, $80 professional.

Hour 2

Q Andrew, Riverside, CA - digital camera

Andrew wants to get a new DSLR, what does Leo think of the EOS 7D. Leo’s a big Canon fan and thinks the EOS 7D is a sweet camera and some ways superior over the 5D Mk. II. Does incredible video, faster continuous shooting and focusing. One drawback - it’s not full frame. A full frame sensor if better for lower light, color accuracy, resolution. That’s where the 5D Mk. II pulls ahead. On the other hand, the 7D has some nice lenses and if you have already had a 10D or 40D camera, the 7D is a natural.

Andrew is also doing a podcast on old thyme radio dramas - mostly westerns. Check it out at OTR Westerns.

Q Eric, Mountain View, CA - the iPad and the Nexus One

Eric has an iPhone GS and is thinking about getting the iPad, but he’s also thinking about the Nexus One. Leo says that the Nexus One is a better phone than the iPhone and he’s not a fan of AT&T. But if you’re happy with the service, there’s nothing wrong with iPhone. The OLED screen on the Nexus One is so stunning and crisp. The iPad screen is better - it’s an IPS for angle of view and high resolution. The big thing Leo misses about the iPhone is the iTunes. The iPhone is a great media player. But you can use Double Twist to sync iTunes to any player. The other advantage to the Nexus One is that it’s open architecture. Apple’ however, is more closed and you have to get approval from Apple to market an app. But the iPad will handle all those things that the Nexus can’t.

Q Paul, Toronto, ONT, CAN - iPad

Paul was a bit disappointed with the iPad. No camera. No flash. No multi-tasking. He can’t see the iPad being the “best internet experience ever,” like Steve Jobs says. He thinks it’s more an entry level computer or oversized iPod Touch. Leo says that it isn’t a computer and isn’t intended to be. It’s more of a media consumption device that competes with the Kindle. Apple doesn’t want Flash to become the dominate multi media player on the Internet, they want to use HTML5. It’s more secure, and less of a resource hog than Flash. Leo also believes that Apple is right, the future is HTML5. They may put a camera in a Gen 2 iPad, but does it need it? Not really. And even worse thing is that the iPad doesn’t play widescreen video, which would’ve really been great, but have raised the price considerably.

Samsung NC20, Dell Mini, HP Mini … these do better for Netbooks and run flash, are multitaskers, etc. But that’s not Apple is going after with the iPad.

Q Kerri, Park City, CA - The Kindle

Kerri is thinking about buying a Kindle. Should she wait and buy the iPad? Leo says he’d wait. The Kindle is cheaper, and the eInk is best in bright light. Page turn if flickering and the controls are funky. Not too great for skimming. Vast selection of books. Will the books be competitive? Leo says Steve promises the cost of books will be the same as Amazon. And initially, the availability won’t be as vast, but Leo has a hunch that Amazon will sell books for the iPad, so it’s a good idea to wait until the iPad comes out, rather than going for a Kindle now.

Hour 3

Q Andrew, Reno, NV - webmail in the cloud

Andrew has been using his email for about 10 years and wants to move to the cloud. How can he take that 2GB pst file and access it in the cloud? Leo says it’s risky, but you can with Dropbox. You get 2GB for free. Then you can have Outlook point to it. But you have to make sure you have backups of it because that pst file can be fragile and corrupt.

You can also get a PogoPlug. It’s a similar idea, but it’s hardware ($129). It has both USB and Ethernet plugs. You plug it into your network and then you add drives to it. Then you log into myPogoPlug.com and any computer can get access to it by using the PogoPlug software.

From the Chatroom - You can try using Microsoft’s Live Mesh technology. It’s in beta, but it may be a good option for someone who wants to have a global Outlook account.

Q Eric, Chevy Chase, MD - Fan speed on computers

Eric’s PC fan is running really fast but then slows down. Leo says that’s pretty normal these days. Fan spin changes according to heat, and sometimes the updates slow the fans down or up to keep the processors cooler. What’s really important is to open it up every once in awhile and clean the fans to keep them free of dust. Make sure the air flow is unrestricted.

Q Drew, San Diego, CA - Server issues with Steam

Drew just got a Dell XPS9000, and he’s using Steam to get games, but every time he uses it, he has to manually connect to the servers he wants. Leo says you want to prefer servers that work better for you, and if your friends have a different ISP it can affect it. You can put them on your favorites list, they will show up there. And as long as you bookmark them, you’ll be okay. Also, make sure you open up the ports that Steam wants you to open. Check out PortForward.com for tips.

Q Marilyn, Yucaipa, CA - Internet connection troubles

Marilyn has trouble with her Internet connections. She’s getting virus issues in spite of her AVS telling her she’s clean. She also uses “RegCure,” and Leo says that could be what’s causing the problem. There is no magic program that speeds up your computer. Leo recommends you uninstall AVG and download Microsoft Security Essentials. You can also run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (start - run - type “mrt” and hit enter, let it scan).

Another possibility is that your hard drive may be dying. When it begins to fail, it fails in pieces. You can run SpinRite, which will check your hard drive and mark bad sectors, moving the data somewhere else.

And just because you have an AVS doesn’t mean you’ve cleaned off your hard drive. Hackers have gotten very smart in hiding their viruses and even disabling AVS. To the point where backing up your hard drive and then reformatting and reinstalling the OS is your only sure option.

Q Bruce, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Running Windows on MAC

Bruce’s son has a Mac and wants to run Windows Virtually. 32 or 64 bit? Leo says you usually want to run the 32 bit version and Leo recommends Sun’s Virtual Box. But it’s not that fast for virtual, which means Boot Camp may be a faster option.

Q Glen - getting a cheap laptop

He has a website and he doesn’t get regular traffic. Leo says that you need to drive traffic to your site with regular content and having a laptop would help that way. But sometimes a cheap computer is harder to use and for Jean’s pricepoint, a Netbook wouldn’t be the best option. Spending a few hundred dollars more at somewhere like Dell.Com would give you better value for the money. Leo also recommends spending a little extra money and getting the gold support. You can get a nice Dell for about $500.

Q Jean, Glendale, CA - getting a cheap computer

She wants a laptop with a lot of storage and long battery life. She’s tempted by Verizon’s free netbook. Leo says that you have to pay for two years of service with it and so that $400 netbook is now going to cost you $1500.