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Saturday July 10, 2010

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Edited Audio

Posted one week after broadcast…

Tech News

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets served

According to Valleywag, Mark Zuckerberg got served after being asked for his autograph. Leo says no one really knows why he’s being sued yet, but it comes with the territory.

Look at Apple. They’re getting sued over the new iPhone 4 antenna design, even though they tried to improve cell reception and failing miserably at it. Then it didn’t help that they admitted that their cell bars are a poor barometer of cellular signal strength.

Leo also says there’s more to be frustrated with. The proximity sensor misbehaves, the phone has crashed on him twice, but even with that, is it worth suing over? Leo doesn’t think so. And he still says that people who love the iPhone will just love it.

Fring does a cool thing on the iPhone - free video calls from iPhone to iPhone. So popular, that AT&T had to turn off access to Skype to leave it open.

But here comes ….

The Droid-X to debut this week.

Leo calls it the “hummer of smart phones.”

Microsoft patented the “page turn,” will they sue?

Tech Meme has a story that Microsoft patented the page turn, which is a very popular feature in iBooks on the iPad and iPhone. Really?

Guests

Dick DeBartolo, The Giz Wiz

Dick’s Gadget today is from Swiss-Tech, who makes every conceivable gadget for your keychain which just may save your life in an accident. This one is the Bodyguard 5 in 1 emergency tool. $15 from Amazon It’s has a spring loaded window shattering tool. It also has a seatbelt cutter, a flashlight, a small emergency flare, and sonic alarm.

Leo also got the Schosche SolBat 2 Solar Charger. Charges your iPhone with power from the Sun.

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Hour 1

Q Fred, Bloomsberg, VA - video streaming

Fred would like to do video streaming for his podcast, but wants to improve the quality by using a camcorder. Is firewire the only way to go? Leo says on Mac, yes, but on Windows, USB 2 is really your only choice, largely because of the current lack of drivers, and it’s not up to the challenge of video. And what’s coming up is USB 3 which will really handle video with ease.

According to the chatroom, Windows 7 comes with Firewire driver support. According to Wisewarrior, Click on Device Mgr, click on ieee1394 bus host controllers. Find the right device - NEC 1394 OAC Host controller. Leo says that you need to get the camcorder to look like a Windows media device.

Leo also says that firewire camcorders are unfortunately fading out. The Canon HV40 is really the last one he knows of and they’re being discontinued.

Some camcorders are also coming with HDMI out which, if you have an HDMI in connection, will give you a good quality connection. There’s also things coming up on the horizon include including a fiber optic spec called Light Peak,but who knows when they’ll be out.

Q Jeff, Woodstock, CN - getting rid of duplicate files

Jeff has a ton of stuff that he’s copied via backup and wants to know how he can weed out duplicates so he has a good backup? Leo says there are several programs that are smart in identifying duplications. Leo says that the best duplicating finders use CRC which identifies the files by a unique number, file size, date, etc. Duplicate Cleaner, Clone Spy, Exact Duplicate Finder, Double Killer.

Q Dennis, Santa Monica, CA - High cost of smart phones

Dennis thinks that Smart Phones are costing us to much a year. Leo says that a lot of it is hidden costs like limited data access that’s required, high texting costs, and other costs which can jack up the cost of that smart phone to nearly $2000! Thank God for competition from Verizon, T-Mobile, and others which push great phones regularly, offer month to month service, and more, if you shop around.

If Dennis wants to avoid the trap, are there PDAs still available? Leo says he’d avoid Palm since HP gobbled it up. If you want a PDA, you can use an iPod Touch, which runs every application that the iPhone does. Or even the iPad, which is an excellent slate style PDA device. But sadly, the PDA market was killed by the smart phone rage.

Q Felicia, Brentwood, CA - Online slide shows

Felicia wants to post her wedding pictures online in slideshow format with her favorite music and share them with her friends. But she can’t find out where to do it? Leo says that Muvee’s sister site called Shwup, which is like or SmugMug, but gives you a slide show option. You won’t have a lot of creative control, but it may be fun and the shows are very professional. Another option is Animoto.

ON the Mac, using iPhoto to make a slideshow, save it to video and upload to Flickr. Enigma, in the chatroom, recommends SmileBox. You may run into issues with licensing of music though.

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Hour 2

Q Anne, Riverside, CA - Active-X frustrations

Anne has Windows XP and recently when she goes online, she gets a popup for Active-X control and it drives her nuts. Leo says that it’s due to her using Norton. Leo says that Norton should stop bother you about it when you say “yes,” and it leads him to believe it may be “broken.” But then again, it may keep asking you if you go to different sites.

Leo says that Active X is a security risk, but many sites need it to run. Leo says it’s okay to say “yes,” if you know you’re on a safe site and if Norton is configured a certain way, it may ask you over and over again. The good news is you can go into the settings and disable it. But it’s a risky move.

Would getting a new computer help? Leo says yes, since it’ll be running Windows 7, but it’s not really necessary. It may be a good idea to call Make It Work and get them to fix the issue for you. Leo also agrees with the Chatroom that Norton’s 2010 version is okay, but over the last few years, they have been really bloated. You’re better off using Windows 7, turn on automatic updates, and install Microsoft Security Essentials. Get rid of Norton.

And because you’re using this computer for business, you’re better served to get a new computer and start fresh.

Q Joe, Thomasville, GA - Unlocking a phone

Joe has an old phone and he wants to know if he can unlock it for Verizon. Leo says that there are ways to do that and he recommends going to an independent dealer. They will unlock it for you to get your business. CDMA phones usually require a code to unlock them and the independents either can input the code or have a gadget which they can connect that can do it. But Leo says the independent store want your business and they know how to do it. If they don’t, go to another store.

When a phone company gives you a router, it’s a DSL Modem/router. It may work, but it may not since they are usually based on DSL input only. You need an uplink connection.

What about the Sharp Quattro? Leo says the so-called 4th color is stupid. The TV signal coming to you is RGB. There is no yellow in the signal. You can buy it, but you’re not gaining anything for it.

Q Rob, Tarzana, CA - DVD playback issues

Rob has internal CD and DVD drives. He can burn and play CDs, but no DVDs at all. He tried updating drivers, has used various DVD players. Leo says that if your computer has an older version of Windows, you may not be able to. But Rob says he used to all the time. In the chatroom, WiseWarrior suggests removing your CD burning features as they can conflict and cause issues with optical drives. R/C the device and disable CD burning.

Q Joe, North Kingstown, RI - Imaging a drive

Joe has a Windows 7 Desktop that he has tweaked the way he wanted it. Can he then use Easeus to make an image and then use it on another machine? Leo says you can, but you may get an authentication error on Windows. In that case, you can call Microsoft and explain it’s a new machine and you’re not using the old machine anymore and they’ll authenticate it for you.

Q Jim, Cleveland, OH - Podcast playback in iOS4

Jim does and audio podcast and he says that some of his listeners are having trouble playing his podcast with iOS 4 phones after downloading directly. In the Chatroom, they say there has been issues using iOS4 on the 3GS or 3G playing AAC files. Great format, but Jim’s issue is MP3 files.

Another member in the chatroom is having the same issue Jim is talking about. Leo suggests using iTunes to convert the audio to mp3. Using a generic MP3 encoder at a generic bitrate may help mitigate it.

Jim’s paranormal podcast site is at JimHarold.com

Q Cathy, Mount Baldy, CA - Camera recommendation

Cathy’s son is spending a month in Europe and she wants to get him a good camera. Leo recommends the Canon Powershot SD780IS. Most compact camera that takes great shots and it’s compact design is ideal for backpackers. The Lumix LX3 is a great option, though not quite as small.

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Hour 3

Q Bret, Beverly Hills, CA - Apple TV

Bret just moved into a new home and wants to know if the Apple TV will sync up all the TVs in the house. Leo says you’re much better using the Mac Mini. The AppleTV will see any iTunes in the house and it’ll stream, but it won’t be fast enough and it’ll buffer and stall. The AppleTV will sync, but only with one iTunes. Leo says that if you have a little time, the new Mac Mini has HDMI running Boxee, XBMC or even Plex will give you what you need and it’s much slicker than the AppleTV. From the Chatroom, they use HDMI and 802.11n wireless in a 3 story house streaming 720p video, so it can be done.

Q Charles, Poway, CA - iTunes issues

Charles has defragged and defragged and he still gets low disk space messages. He’s bought a new hard drive and moved a lot of stuff over and the iPhone won’t read it. Leo says that iTunes just can’t find it’s folder. In the advanced settings of preferences, you can point it to your iTunes folder. Or, you can find the iTunes folder and then drag the old folder back over it.

Q Kim, Buena Park, CA - Laptop recommendation

Kim wants to get a new laptop that can handle basic video and photo editing, and software design. Companies Leo likes are Dell, Lenovo, Sony makes good laptops but their support isn’t great. HP has some of the best selling laptops due to price, but Leo’s not impressed. Check the refurb outlet for Dell, etc. you can save a few hundred. They’re usually laptops that were returned and have a full manufacturer’s warranty.

Q Richard, Marin, CA - Contact mgmt. on the Mac

Now Contact is now gone for the Mac. Where to go? He’s doesn’t find Gmail’s contact solution very powerful, especially note taking. Leo says that he uses Evernote like crazy and it syncs across all platforms. But unfortunately, no contact management features. The new Microsoft Office for Mac does it in Outlook. Another choice that has replaced ACT on the Mac is DayLite by Market Circle. You can try before you buy. But if you can get to the cloud, you can use it anywhere, which is the allure of Google applications like Contacts, Calendar, etc.

Q Alan, Burbank, CA - Mic recommendation

Alan wants to get a new microphone. Leo uses the Heilsound PR40. Great off axis noise cancellation. Very affordable. Another option is the Sure SM58.

Q Maryanne, Upland, CA - PDA recommendation

Maryanne is ready to let go of her Palm Trio. She doesn’t want to go with AT&T and it needs to be Outlook compatible. The Droid will sync great with Google Gmail and that will sync to Outlook. You can even use your business’ Exchange server. The Droid Incredible and the Droid-X is also a good option. And don’t forget the new Windows 7 phones coming out this fall.

See you tomorrow gang!

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