Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I find my Samsung Gear S smartwatch?

Watch Chris from Cupertino, CA Comments

Chris can't seem to find his Samsung Gear S watch. Is there a way to find it? Leo says that his experience is that the watch often unpairs and there's no way to go back in time and see when it was last paired. So he's probably out of luck. He'd probably have better luck retracing his steps to find it.

Should I be using a VPN when tethering my phone to my computer?

Watch Rob from Tarzana, CA Comments

Rob wants to know if he should use a VPN when he pairs his smartphone to his laptop. Leo says no. Modern digital cell phones are encrypted and no one has yet hacked their way into that signal. It wasn't like the analog days when you could listen in to cell phone calls with the right software. That can't happen with digitally encrypted mobile phones.

Can I assign a ringtone to my Ring Video Doorbell?

Watch Greg from Conifer, CO Comments

Greg has bought several Ring Video Doorbells for family. Leo says that Ring is a sponsor of the podcast and he really likes them. Greg says that the probolem is that his father is hard of hearing and the tones from the phones are hard to hear. Is there a way to adjust it? Leo says that is a flaw in the current design and he agrees that Ring should allow users to assign a sound they can hear and recognize.

On Android, he could create a sound and assign it to the Ring sound. He can use Astro or ES File Explorer, which will allow him to browse around the Android file system. Once he knows where the Ring Doorbell tone is, he can replace it with a tone with the same name. He'll want to be sure it's in the same file format and name, though.

The iPhone, on the other hand, is harder. He could try eCamm's Phone View. He can't browse all the folders or modify them, but he may be able to get to the Ring folder. It just depends on where the ringtone is. Apple tends to sandbox everything, though. Greg could also get a cheap Android tablet dedicated for that.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Is there a way to put the iPhone into a 'Drive Mode?'

Watch Dale from Palmdale, CA Comments

Dale wants to know if the iPhone has a special driving mode to keep phone use to handsfree like Motorola's Assist. Leo says it should, but not yet. There are a few websites that promise to do it, but Apple is stingy with access to that metric because of security. There is an app called DriveSafe Mode. But it doesn't prevent it, it just snitches on you. Apple should really address this issue or allow third parties to.

What's a good backup utility for the Mac?

Watch Tom from Albuquerque, NM Comments

Tom recently upgraded to Windows 10 and he's really happy with it. Now he's turning his attention to his Mac. It started notifying him that he's losing disc space, but when he went to check the storage space on his computer, it has a huge folder labeled "Backup." Leo says it sounds like OS X is backing up his data to his local hard drive. Tom should just go into the System Preference pane and disable Time Machine. Leo recommends SuperDuper instead. He likes it because he can boot to the external backup should the original drive die. It's a great feature.

Another good utility is called Disc Inventory X, which will show him what the space on his hard drive is being devoted to. He can see what kinds of files are taking up all that space.

What's an affordable mobile phone for the blind?

Watch Kurt from La Habra, CA Comments

Kurt is blind and he's looking to buy a smartphone that will talk back to him. He wants an Android phone that will take an SD card. Leo says that feature is on its way out and he also says that iPhone has the best accessibility out there. But if he prefers Android, it will get the job done. A $200 price range is misleading since he'll have to get a monthly plan, though. The phone cost is obscured because it's usually subsidized. That's slowly starting to change as people buy their phones at full price.

For that price, Leo likes the Motorola Moto G, which is unlocked. It also comes with an SD card slot.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Why is my DSL service so bad?

Watch Jim from Orange County, CA Comments

Jim is learning that having business service is way more expensive than consumer grade service. Leo says that's crazy but all too often true. Jim also says that the DSL in his building is terrible. Leo says DSL often has issues being too far away from the central hub switch, which can slow it down and affect the consistency of the service. The closer you are the faster and better it will be. Going with a third party service like DSL Extreme can be handy because they fight to give you better service.

Jim says that AT&T is promising fiber service with 10 Mbps up/down for $650 a month. Leo says that by comparison to a T1 line, that's actually a good deal. What about Microwave? Leo says that would be great, if he's within line of sight. A lot of people use that for business. And remember the real technology is in the "last mile." It's important to have a service level agreement. He should ask for references.

Why doesn't my video upload to iCloud?

Watch George from Germany Comments

George has been working on some photos and videos on his iMac and he can't get them uploaded to iCloud. Leo says that Apple Photos is their new photo software for that. Leo says to make sure "iCloud Photo Library" is enabled. Apple doesn't seem to be able to get cloud services right.

Another issue may be that George has run up against his free amount, which is 5GB. If he ran out, he'll have to buy more. Leo says that Google Photos may be a better option. But Google syncs really well. Flickr offers 1TB of photo storage. If George is an Amazon Prime member, he'll get free unlimited storage.

How can I switch between two cameras?

Watch Bob from San Diego, CA Comments

Bob does video podcasts and webinars, and he's built a studio to do it. Now his partners want to add a second camera to the mix. Leo says he'll need a switcher to switch between the two cameras, especially with Green Screen as well. He can also add multiple microphones and can switch live, which will save him time in the editing bay. Leo uses the TriCaster by NewTek, and they have green screen options built into it, handling the camera background switch automatically. Blackmagic also makes one for under $1,000 which is really good.

If Bob wants to just get a software switching solution, Leo recommends VidBlaster or Telestream WireCast.

How can I scan a lot of slides?

Watch Arnie from Palm Springs, CA Comments

Arnie has a bunch of slides that he wants to digitize. Is there something that will take a carousel tray and one by one feed the slide and scan it? Leo says that would be an interesting product, for sure. Leo says he can do that, but taking them to a service like ScanCafe is a better option. Not only is his time worth something, but they'll take the time to clean them up and remove dust. If it's an issue of cost, remember that he'd be buying an apparatus and spending the time. In the end, he's probably paying just as much.

If he has the slide projector, then he could check out the SlideSnapPro.

How can I rip CDs?

Watch Jim from Morrison, CO Comments

Jim wants to know if there's an alternative to Windows Media Center for Windows 10? Leo says that Microsoft dropped Windows Media Center because they say nobody was really using it. So with Windows 10, they completely killed it.They'll even remove it if he were to upgrade to Windows 10.

For audio only, ripping CDs, there's plenty of alternatives and it's really easy. He'll just want to be sure he has the right format. He can also add album art and metadata. iTunes will do it, but it's better with Mac than Windows. Leo's favorite is Media Monkey. He shouldn't save it as WMAs because that's specific to Windows. MP3s are better and the quality is the same. There's also MP3 Tag, which will allow him to mass tag his MP3s. It even tags WMA files.

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