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Sunday February 19, 2012

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Edited Audio
Posted one week after broadcast…

Tech News

Another privacy issue - this time by Google

The Wall Street Journal is sounding the clarion call about privacy breaches by Google and Apple. But Leo says it’s not only in a sensational and inaccurate manner. Especially since the WSJ (which is owned by News Corp) does the same thing. Leo says that the privacy breaches people incur are usually aggregation of data from your internet activity which is usually done on free sites like Google, Facebook, etc. There’s not private information, but all the demographic data is collated and sold.

In addition, the WSJ isn’t telling the full story. Google’s position is just that they use the data to create “+1″ info for ads. But Leo says that New Corp is after Google because they link to full articles behind pay walls and thinks that the search engine steals from them. And Apple seems to get a free pass, but they are blocking third party cookies by default on their devices to keep their customers THEIR customers.

And Leo says the trade we make to keep the internet free is to have to deal with ads that pay the freight.

Apple announces OSX Mountain Lion

Apple is scheduling the new operating system for Apple computers. It’s called Mountain Lion and it should be out late fall (September). Additionally, they are planning an annual release schedule for updates from here on out. Also, if your computer is more than 4 years old, you’re out of luck on the new OS.

Meanwhile, March 7th is the agreed upon rumor date that Apple will be announcing the iPad 3. Invitations haven’t gone out yet and Leo doesn’t think it’ll happen until the last minute. But Leo thinks the rumors of the iPad 3 having a retina display are pretty credible. 2048×1536 resolution. WOW. That’ll require a larger battery and that means it would have to be thicker. Talk is 4G LTE, but that’s still being tested. But possible. And Leo says it’ll have a quad core A6 processor.

Guests

Chris Marquardt - Tips from the Top Floor, @ChrisMarquardt

Chris wants to talk today about Black and White photography. There’s a lot of power in B&W, but there’s things that are important and not important. Bright things draw the eye easier than dark. Contrast. Color has it’s own heirarchy. B&W just let’s you reduce the clutter and shoot. A great iPhone app for it is called NO FINDER. You can check out some shots Chris shot on Flickr here. NoFinder is so basic, it has no viewfinder! So you have to compose the image in your mind. While there, why not also pick up POCKET CHRIS (Chris’ camera app)?

This month’s assignment … MUSIC. Take a picture by, about or otherwise concerning the concept of music and then post it to Flickr, tagged for the Tech Guy Group and the assignment. You can submit up to one picture a week (so 4 total) and if it catches Chris� eye, he may review it on next month�s Tech Guy Photo segment!

Hour 1

Q Greg, Truckee, CA - Streaming music on Android

Greg is looking to get a Samsung Galaxy Note Android phone and stream through his Airport Express, but he’s having trouble. Leo says you can’t do it. It isn’t compatible. He uses a SONOS system to bypass that and it allows him to use any device to listen to music off his Android phone. The other option is just to use his MAC to stream. Or his other iPhone.

One of the reasons why Leo loves Android is because there’s choice all around. Apple calls if fragmentation, but not everyone’s tastes are out of a cookie cutter. The Galaxy Note has a HUGE 5.3″ screen, dual 1.4 Ghz processor, Super AMOLED screen and 1GB of RAM. That’s as powerful as many desktop computers! And the surprising feature is it’s doable battery life, a solid 10 hours (your mileage may vary). Leo thinks battery life should last the day, but with an extra battery, he can live with it. AT&T only ($300 w/ a two year contract). But Verizon may offer it as the Galaxy Journal.

Q Julie, Linden, NV - Internet radio

Julie’s father has lost one of his favorite radio shows from the radio. How can he get them back? He has WiFi, but he doesn’t have a laptop and he’d like to listen in bed. Leo says there’s several options for him, but streaming through them may be blocked behind a pay wall for that option. It it’s on I Heart Radio, then he can enjoy it streaming. An internet radio may be a good solution. Leo just bought a Grace Digital GDI-IRC6000w WiFi Music Player, with a 3.5″ LCD. Supports iHeartRadio, is a clock radio. An easy solution. The Chatroom says that CCrane makes them as well, and there’s the Logitech Squeezebox.

Hour 2

Q John, Palo Alto, CA - Streaming iTunes

John wants to find a way to see his iTunes collection on his TV through the Roku box. Leo says there may be a channel in Roku’s Channel Store. But Apple is notorious for a closed universe. You could hack the AppleTV with FireCore, but probably best to leave it as is. The PlayOn app (not free) will see an iTunes server on the WiFi and if it’s not copy protected, you’re good to go. Also a Plex client (free).

Q David, New York, NY - Router recommendation

David needs a new router. He’s been having trouble having to reset his current model. Leo says it may not be the router. There’s a new issue called “buffer bloat,” that’s caused by router manufacturers who are using too much buffer memory to protect against dropped packets. It’s starting to break CP congestion avoidance. And it sounds like router makers have forgotten that bigger isn’t always better.

David also says that everything drops off his network except his iPad. Leo says that Apple just came out with an update that is likely more agressive keeping it online. Leo says that before you buy a new router, upgrade the firmware and see if that solves it. But Leo likes Dlink and Netgear.

Q Charles, Omaha, NB - Security cameras

Charles’ got broken into and his computers and HDTVs were stolen. So now he has to replace them. What he’d like now is to have security cameras that he can view online. Leo suggests VueZone wireless cameras that are tiny and can be put anywhere. And the video gets beamed up to a private site that you can access online. $5 a month. Leo also uses DropCam in the Brickhouse Studios, but since DropCam started making their own cameras the quality has dropped.

Hour 3

Q David, Los Angeles, CA - unlocking smartphones

David has a Samsung Galaxy S2 Android phone that he’s “rooted,” which means he has superuser permissions and he can modify the look and firmware of the phone. But he’s also like to unlock it so he can use it overseas. Leo says buying the international unlocked version is what he does so he can travel a lot. But buying a subsidized phone is locked to a carrier. Fortunately, we’re moving towards being able to unlock a phone legally after you’ve had the phone for awhile. There are people selling unlock codes and there’s even an App called the Galaxy S2 SimUnlock which promises to unlock it. But you’re taking a chance of getting malware from it. You can always look in the XDA Developers forum. There’s a lot of help there. Leo also likes taking the phone to an independent cellphone operator to unlock it. It’s really the safest way to go. But according to the chatroom, you’ll need to restore the phone to it’s original condition to unlock it. Then you can re-root it.

Q Bill, Bushmills, FL - Tablets

Bill is looking to get an Android tablet and wants to find coupons that he can use to save money. Leo says that Android tablets aren’t really ready for prime time. He recommends an iPad, and you may want to wait a month since the iPad3 is about to be announced. Not only because you will get a faster iPad at the same price, but also maybe get that iPad2 at a reduced price to stem the flow towards a Kindle Fire. The Chatroom says that there’s great deals on refurbed iPads at Apple.com.

Q Tim, Sierra Madre, CA - Support

Tim is having trouble with his Magic Jack plus but he’s getting a total lack of support. Leo says good luck. The average cost of a support call is about $25 to start. That means they’ll lose money on the first call. So you’re not likely to get any decent support, much less from a human voice. And when you buy something as low cost as the Magic Jack, it’s really not realistic to expect support unless you pay for it. CitizenX in the chat room says if they make it, they should support it. Leo says morally, yes. But that would cost 3–4 times more and it’s our fault for demanding lower prices which have driven costs down and unbundled support.

Q David, Riverside, CA - Database files

David has a large database file that is WAY too large with thousands of pages. Leo suggests exporting the file out and then re-import it. That’ll bring the size down.

Q Henry, Las Vegas, CA - Android

Henry wants to know if he should upgrade his Motorola Photon Phone to Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Leo says that Motorola plans to upgrade all the phones, but there’s no hard and fast dates on which phones will be upgraded yet. And according to the chatroom, the Phonton may not get ICS at all. You could root your phone then and install a custom ROM version of ICS. And there’s plenty of improved features including a better camera and GMail integration, so it’ll be worth getting when it’s available. But how can he use it outside the US? Leo says that you can unlock the phone and buy a SIM card from the country you’re in and have a local number. Or you can pay your carrier to provide you with World Phone access.

Q Jason, Boulder, CO -

Jason has a MacBook Pro, but there’s an issue with his headphone jack. He removed what was stuck in it, but now his external speakers don’t work. Leo advises taking it back to the Genius Bar and tell them it’s just not working. It’s under warranty and Geniuises have a lot of leeway to make the call to replace your computer on the spot. And considering you have AppleCare, you should be golden. Be very nice and respectful, and make sure it’s on a day they’re not insanely busy. But make sure you backup your data first because if they replace it on the spot, you’ll lose that option.

Q Jenny, West Los Angeles, CA - a new iPad?

Jenny returned her new iPad2 because she heard a new iPad was coming. Leo says it may have been premature to return it, because rumors are that a new iPad 3 will be announced March 7th - and it’s just speculation. But the timing is right and valid. We’re also hearing it’ll have a very high resolution screen and quad core processor. Just speculation, mind you, but very valid sources are talking. Should she wait? Leo says it’s a good idea to play wait and see, it certainly won’t hurt you to, unless you need that tablet right now. Will it cost more? Leo says Apple doesn’t usually raise prices, choosing to keep them the same. But they’ll also DROP the price on the iPad 2. So be on the lookout.

Kyle’s Tech Guy Sunday Playlist (02–19–12)

On Spotify -

Have a great Geek week!

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