Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Can I use my new AT&T iPhone with T-Mobile?

Watch Evan from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Evan bought an iPhone 6s Plus on the first day. He hears there's a different phone for AT&T, though. Leo says that's true. The AT&T iPhone is different, but only in that it has an extra band. Leo says that's not a bad thing as the AT&T model has a lower frequency to pass through walls. But can it work with other carriers? Leo says that nobody has really addressed it, but with all the bands that it has, it's a question an RF engineer might be able to answer. Leo's betting if he put the SIM in it, it should work in most cases.

Why can't I use Google apps on my phone?

Watch Tony from Las Vegas, NV Comments

Tony's mobile phone is having trouble with Google apps. Leo says if all of his Google apps have been affected, that means it's the backend services that are broken, which is a side effect of having an open source scheme. Leo says that Google has redesigned their apps to "look" like apps, but they are mostly web driven. So he'll have to make sure all of his software updates are done, from the carrier and Google Play store.

If that's already been done, then it could just be damaged. He should try deleting and reinstalling them. If it still doesn't work, he'll probably have to rebuild the phone. He should backup his data to Google and then do a factory restore.

How can I broadcast audio from a movie wirelessly?

Watch Carl from Irwindale, CA Comments

Carl has family outdoor movie parties from time to time. He wants to be able to broadcast the sound of the movie to people who are hard of hearing and have specialized hearing aids, or those who want to use wireless speakers. Leo says that there is one called TeleLoop which uses RF technology. Leo also says he can get a micro power transmitter that can basically create a low power local FM radio station that can broadcast the audio. Scott Wilkinson says that a Bluetooth solution would be a better choice. He'd need a Bluetooth transmitter for that.

The Chatroom suggests Source WholeHouse FM Transmitter and APTX Bluetooth Wireless Transmitters. Leo says that the problem with Bluetooth is that he wouldn't be able to listen from multiple devices and it's got limited range.

What's the best dash cam for the money?

Watch Ivan from Fontana, CA Comments

Ivan wants to get a dash cam for his car. Leo suggests looking at Garmin and Cobra dash cams. PC World just released their roundup that looks at cameras ranging from $100-400. In fact, most of the GPS companies are now looking at making dash cams.

Leo says Ivan will want one that can set the time via GPS, and has night vision. According to PC World, the best is the Thinkware Dashcam X500 for $280. It records both front and rear (rear camera sold separately) and it warns of speed traps. WireCutter also has reviews of them.

What's the best Wi-Fi hotspot?

Watch Ivan from Fontana, CA Comments

Leo says that MiFi is the current best, but he recently got a flat rate pay as you go option called the MyKarma. FreedomPop also does this.

How can I fix my Google Nexus 5?

Watch Mark from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Mark has a Google Nexus 5 and he says it gets terrible battery life. But the worse thing is that he's having issues with sound. So he restarted the phone, and it fixed everything. Leo says that the Nexus 5X will be a bit larger, and there's also the 6P which is even bigger. But after Mark broke his phone and had it fixed, the phone's GPS no longer works. Leo says that the antenna could've been broken at the connection when Mark dropped it. He recommends going to iFixIt.com. If anyone would know how to fix it, they would. They also sell the parts and have step by step instructions on how to do it. Leo also says that fixing it on his own is not for the faint of heart and it might just be time to replace it.

(Disclaimer: iFixIt is a sponsor)

(Photo by LG)

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I use my US phone in Italy?

Watch Yune from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Yune is taking a European vacation to Italy and she's taking her iOS devices along with her. How can she call back to the States at no extra charge? Leo says that free Wi-Fi at the hotel or at a local internet cafe would allow Yune to make a FaceTime or Skype call.

Yune could also buy international data from her carrier. But when traveling to Europe, Leo advises turning off data roaming, or she may end up coming home to a bill for thousands of dollars. She should rely on the local free Wi-Fi options. Another option is to get a MiFi card and buy the local data SIM there in Italy.

Another option is to just have her phone unlocked by the carrier and buy a local SIM in Italy. She can get information on that at PrePaidwithData.wikia.com.

How can I add a Wi-Fi router to a wired house?

Watch Don from Mission Viejo, CA Comments

Don just picked up the Dell XPS 13 per Leo's recommendation with the touch screen and he loves it. Leo says when buying a PC these days, it makes sense to "load it up" to future proof it and use it longer.

Don bought a house a few years ago that came with a so-called "network box" that can run a network through house via Ethernet. But he'd like to get a new Wi-Fi Router. Leo says that having a Wi-Fi router isn't necessary if he has a house that's wired up for network access. Leo recommends putting his cable modem in with a wired switch, and then put the Wi-Fi router anywhere else he wants. It'll still plug into the network. It doesn't have to be where the modem is. But Leo would advise getting his own modem. Don should talk to his ISP about what modems they support and he should make sure he buys a DOCSIS 3.

Why does it take so long for my new iMac to start up?

Watch Todd from Sherman Oaks, CA Comments

Todd just got a new iMac, and he says it takes a full minute to start up. Leo says that since he now has 8GB of RAM, it takes longer for the computer to test that RAM on startup. 1 minute is not an awful amount of time for a computer to boot up, and if he wants a faster start up time, he'd have to get a solid state drive.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I connect multiple monitors via HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 to my Mac Pro?

Watch Michael from Granada Hills, CA Comments

Michael wants to add a few additional monitors to his Mac Pro but the HDMI connectors aren't working. Leo says it's odd that the HDMI can't be used in conjunction with the Thunderbolt connector, but that could be. He should check out this tech note from Apple.

How can get a longer Thunderbolt cable? Leo says to check out Corning's Thunderbolt cables. They convert the digital signal into fiber optic, which goes a long way.

(Disclaimer: Corning is a sponsor).

Why do I get more than contacts when I search Google contacts?

Watch John from Texas Comments

John has trouble searching his Gmail via Google on his phone and he ends up with everything other than his contacts. Leo says that it's likely that the feature John is using is an out of date Google Labs feature that no longer works. But it sounds like this is a bug in Google Plus. Google Circles are now in Contacts and that's a flaw that Google has to fix.

Why is battery life on Android so bad?

Watch Josh from Highland Park, CA Comments

In the battle of Android vs. iPhone, Josh likes both, but he says he prefers Android. Leo says he prefers Android as well, and now that hardware can run it, it's on par, if not better than iOS. But the problem with Android is that while they have better cameras and screens, the battery life has suffered as a result. Android runs a ton of background activity and that kills the battery. iPhone doesn't allow that.

What can I do with my old laptop?

Watch Sandy from California Comments

Sandy bought a new laptop, but at what point should she dump the old one? Leo says that there's no hurry, and there's likely data on it that she'll want to keep. Charities would love it, though. They'll fix it up and put Linux on it. Sandy should back up the data on it and wipe the hard drive, then donate it. The Cristina Foundation is a national organization that will take old computers and breathe new life into them.

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