Leo Laporte
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For more Leo and friends all week long, listen to the
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Saturday May 29, 2010
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
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Posted one week after broadcast… | |
Tech News
Facebook’s new privacy settings - too little too late
Faced with a severe backlash over eroding privacy on it’s social network, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announced new privacy settings this week that Leo says are too little, too late. You can now set three more privacy settings (as if the dozens they have weren’t enough), but Leo thinks that all they really needed to do was make everything opt-IN rather than opt-out.
iPad meets long lines in Japan and around the world
The iPad went on sale all over the rest of the world this week and Leo says that Apple fans are even more excited than we were here in the US. Lines were around the block in Japan and it’s selling even faster than it was here. The revolution is here, gang, and it will be televised.
Leo says that he gave his dad one this week as a birthday present and declared it a winner, saying it’s more a toy than anything else. And Leo agrees. Leo’s mom is obsessed with “We Rule.” So much so that Leo couldn’t take his iPad into work today! The computer is fun again. It isn’t just one thing to everyone. It’s personal.
Leo says we are now in the sixth wave of computing and predicts that the upcoming conferences like Computex we’ll see Android like iPad clones. And with HP buying Palm for their WebOS, they’ll no doubt launch a slate option as well.
Leo’s got his EVO!
Leo’s good friend at Sprint sent him an EVO Loaner to play with until he can buy one when it comes out June 4th.
Guests
Dick DeBartolo, The Giz Wiz
Dick DeBartolo, Mad Magazine’s maddest writer and host of the GizWiz podcast on TWiT is back with another fun gadget.
This week, Dick is playing with the LavNav bathroom nightlight. Motion sensitive and will display in either red or green light. $20 from LavNav.com. Leo says it should display a target for the guys to aim for!
Hour 1
Q Brian, Valencia, CA- Syncing Palm and iPad
Brian has the Palm Pre and the new iPad. How can he sync the calendars together? Leo says that both devices work really well with Google’s Calendar and Address Book. Sync through Google and it’ll work seamlessly. And in using Outlook, make sure you use Google’s Outlook utility.
What about the new EVO? Leo says he’s played with it and loves it, though he hasn’t gotten his yet. One thing he can say is that in the battle between Apple and Google, Google is winning. They’re selling more phones, updating Android faster than Apple is their iPhone OS. But what really kills is the EVOs 4.3″ sreen. Same resolution as the Nexus One, but the larger screen makes it easier to use. Down side, is the battery life. You really need to play with settings to “eak” out the most battery life. And in Valencia, you don’t have 4G access just yet and you’ll still have to pay for it! But the good news is that it’ll come to LA by the end of the year. 4G is an additional $10 a month, tethering another $30 a month. But even without 4G access, Leo thinks the EVO is worth it.
Q Eugene, Irvine, CA - Accessing hard drives online
Eugene wants to share hard drives with others over the internet. Leo recommends the PogoPlug. You connect it to your network and anyone on your network, and online can access whatever hard drive plug into it. Leo says it’s almost as fast as a local hard drive. $99, no monthly fee. In the Cloud is DropBox. You get 2GB free. And $10 a month for 50GB.
Leo says more and more people are going to the cloud for their backup needs and the PogoPlug and services like Drop Box fit right into that.
Q Karen, Los Angeles, CA - what’s an app?
Karen is confused about what an “app” is. Leo says it’s basically just a small application or computer program that does a specific thing. It’s usually wrapped inside a smartphone like an iPhone or Android phone, but even printers are starting to get “apps” for printing movie tickets and the like.
Q Amanda, West Bloomfield, MI - gaming consoles
Amanda’s brother is into gaming. But which should she get for him? Leo says that the XBox 360 and PS3 are both in HD. The Wii is not. The Wii does have a slight advantage in that it has wireless controllers that allow you to play virtual sports and do yoda with WiiFit, etc. Great for families. But it isn’t a serious gamers console. Amanda’s brother is a serious gamer and so Leo says the Wii is probably not for him. Leo says the XBox 360 or PS3 are better choices. And the XBox is ideal for first person shooters like Call of Duty. Go for the XBox.
Hour 2
Q Mark, Atlanta, GA - FTP security
Mark has several clients and is concerned about online security. He uses LastPass. Leo says that it’s a great utility which prevents you from having to remember dozens of passwords. Is there a similar utility for FTP passwords?
LastPass would store it if you’re doing ftp through the browswer, but many don’t, choosing a stand alone ftp utility. Leo uses FileZilla. There is a secure FTP called SFTP which you can use, but recommends not using wifi or working at a Starbucks when accessing clients FTP servers. Leo also recommends SSH to log in and SCP to copy files. Leo also says that SVN is far better because not only is it secure, but it supports “versioning,” in case you have to dial back to a previous version.
Q Mark, Costa Mesa, CA - malware protection
Mark is using AdAware and Avera for malware protection. But he’s having an issue where he’ll be searching for something and it’ll go to something unrelated. Leo says both those aren’t really protecting you as they should. Leo recommends removing both and going with Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s a good, free option that is constantly being updated and does a great job protecting against malware. Leo also recommends doing a web based scan from Eset as a second opinion.
And Leo suspects that Mark has something on there that’s fooling with him. It’s probably best to simply backup your data, wipe the drive and reinstall the OS from a known, good source. Then update the OS and from there, you can install MSE and you’ll be protected. Also, before you do anything else, image the drive. This will give you a snapshot of your drive and if this happens again, you can be back to it’s pristine condition in minutes, rather than hours.
And the bottom line is, you should be following:
1. Don’t open email attachments; even if it’s from someone you know. If you do get something from someone you know, make sure that they really sent it to you. Email attachments are the number one way viruses and trojan horses get into your email. You might also want to turn off HTML email in Outlook and other programs. HTML emails are just as dangerous as rogue web sites, and can spread infections just by previewing them.
2. Don’t click links in email. That link could lead you to a phishing site, or the link may lead you to install malicious software. Copy and paste links into your browser, or type them in by hand instead. Another reason to disable HTML email - the HTML hides the real destination of that seemingly innocuous link.
3. Don’t download files from places you aren’t absolutely sure are safe. Stick with the well known sites. Teeneagers who use filesharing software like BitTorrent, Azureus, etc., often unwittingly download spyware and trojans.Also don’t click on links that strangers send you in social networking sites. Don’t accept links to update flash. Go directly to Adobe and let it determine if you need a new version of flash.
4. Update your OS regularly! Turn on automatic updates in OS X and Windows. Apply all critical updates immediately. Criminals often create hacks within 24 hours of Microsoft’s patches (these are called zero day exploits), so you need to protect yourself the day the patches appear.
5. Use a firewall. The best firewall is a hardware router - the kind you use to share an internet connection. Even if they’re not billed as firewalls, they are, and they’re quite effective. I also recommend turning on your operating system’s firewall - even if you have a router - but I don’t recommend third-party software firewalls. They cause more problems than they solve.
6. Have inexperienced users run as limited users.
Q Meghan, Anaheim, CA - Dying hard drives
Meghan’s hard drive has begun to fail. So she started to backup and it died before she could finish. She tried to install it internally and the motor is broken. What can she do? Leo says that unless your willing to go to DriveSavers and spend thousands, there’s nothing you can do. The important thing is to backup, backup, BACKUP! Upload your photos into the cloud to places like SmugMug or Flickr. SmugMug will save RAW, which is nice. Use Peter Krogh’s 3-2-1 protocol where you backup three copies of your data on two different media forms, with one off site.And get Carbonite!
Leo also recommends getting a second opinion. The head could just be stuck and a good solid wack with a screwdriver may free it up.
Q John, Anaheim, CA - Security issues and copy machines.
John just discovered that digital copy machines have hard drives. Leo says it’s stunning because those hard drives store thousands of sheets of copies which are then available to anyone who buys that machine used unless the manufacturer wipes the drive, which they seldom do. And according to John, China is one of the biggest buyers of used office equipment.
Hour 3
Q Stephen, Charlotte, NC - Experimenting with “The Switch.”
Stephen has decided to experiment with a 24″ iMac. HIs biggest frustration is that he can’t use the keyboard shortcuts he’s used to under Windows. The Mac isn’t really much for a power user who uses keystrokes. It’s more “Steve’s way or the highway.”
Q Naomi, Los Angeles, CA - Powerpoint to DVD advice
Naomi is trying to transfer a Powerpoint program with music onto a DVD. But it won’t work. Leo says the best way is to create a video by exporting the Powerpoint as an AVI file. This may be problematic for some of the transitions. In Office 2003 it was called “Pack n Go” in Ofice 2010 it’s called Package for CD. But then you have to “author” it to play on a DVD player. This will then encode that AVI file into a MPEG2 file that a DVD player can read. Leo recommends Adobe Premiere Elements or Nero 10. Easy DVD Creator by ULead. All of these offer 30 day trials which you can download and try before you buy. And you may not have to buy at all.
Another free option is Windows Live Movie Maker, which you can download from Microsoft for free which will let you import the AVI file and burn it directly to DVD.
Q Luiz, Orlando, FL - the iPad
Luiz has an iPad and his three year old loves to play with it. He also says that they hardly ever use their computers anymore. Great educational games, great for teaching kids to read.
Q Dean, Los Angeles, CA - Bad HD resolution
Dean’s frustrated because his HDTV plasma is suffering from poor resolution. He’s been through all the settings, and is connected via HDMI. Leo says that it could be a bad HDMI cable, but he suspects the circuitry in the TV may be defective or broken and Dean should have it looked at or returned for repair.
Q Shannon, Orange, CA - Camera recommendation
Shannon is going on a cruise and wants a good pocket still camera for the trip. Leo’s a big fan of the Canon Powershot SD780. Thin, 12MP. 3X optical zoom. Excellent camera. Another option with longer zoom is the Canon SX 120 IS.
See you tomorrow!
