Episode 916 October 7, 2012

Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

I fixed ripped speakers with super glue and Armor All.

Watch J.R. from Detroit, MI Comments

JR has a pair of 20 year old Polk speakers. Leo says that Polk are fantastic speakers. Unfortunately part of the speaker ripped. So he managed to fix it with superglue and then Armor All'd everything and now it looks like new again. Leo says that's a great tip for maintenance to improve the life of your speaker! But what is Amour All anyway?!

Should I build an exit button into my app for Android and iOS?

Watch Matt from North Hollywood, CA Comments

Leo says it's not necessary. No app really has an exit button because the mobile device actually releases the program from memory and exits automatically. He's wondering about the app still taking up CPU cycles in the background, though. Then, Leo says, the app isn't properly coded. The app should clean up after itself.

Why do I have to go through more trouble logging onto my banking website since updating Windows 7?

Watch Ron from Laguna Nigel, CA Comments

Ron has to answer all of his security questions to identify himself every time he logs into his banking website. This is because his browser's cookies have been cleared out. He had the browser set to automatically delete all cookies when he exits. Cookies aren't bad, they simply store information so the user doesn't have to re-identify themselves every time they go to a site. If Ron sets his browser to not automatically delete cookies, he won't have to go through that whole process to identify himself every time he goes to that site.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

What's the high-pitched tone that teens can hear that adults can't? (Part 1)

Watch Mark from Tustin, CA Comments

Mark has "golden ears," and says he can hear the high-pitched sounds that most adults can't hear. Leo says teens actually started using this sound as ringtones so they wouldn't get disciplined in school when their phones would ring. It's the Mosquito sound ring tone.

Is there an alternative to Text Expander available for Windows? (Part 2)

Watch Mark from Tustin, CA Comments

There is a site called AlternativeTo.net, which would allow him to enter in a program name and then will tell him alternatives to it. This doesn't work for getting an alternative to a program on another operating system, though.

Web166 in the chatroom says that AutoHotKey is a great equivalent to Text Expander on Windows.

Is there an iPad app that would allow me to watch movies at two and a half times speed? (Part 3)

Watch Mark from Tustin, CA Comments

Many podcast apps will do this, and Audible does as well. But Leo doesn't know of anything that would do this with video.

What would be a good family computer for video editing, school projects, and watching movies?

Watch Joe from El Cerrito, CA Comments

Joe is thinking of getting an iMac, but is wondering if an All-in-One PC would be better and more affordable. Also, if Apple's going to announce a new iMac in the near future, should he wait? Leo says there may be a new iMac, but there may not. They're certainly overdue, and a new SandyBridge processor is available from Intel, but the current model is definitely powerful enough for what he needs.

Another option is the Dell XPS One. It's pretty comparable to an iMac, and it comes with a TV tuner too. iMacs are well integrated with software, though. If TV is an important thing to have, then the XPS is probably best. But he shouldn't stop himself from buying an iMac just because Apple may or may not announce in the coming months.

Is there any third party app to give me the functionality of the old Music player app in iOS?

Watch Kerry from Mount Holly, NJ Comments

Kerry has an iPad, and he doesn't like to update because when they do, certain things he uses and enjoys disappear. For instance, the music app used to be for video and audio, and now it's separated. He hates how the videos are listed. VLC may be a good option, but there are dozens more video viewers in the app store.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I convert the digital audio signal from my TV to analog for use with my powered speakers?

Watch Larry from Orange, CA Comments

Larry got a new Panasonic TV, but it has no analog audio out capability. He has powered speakers and amp that he can plug into, but he has to convert that digital audio signal to analog first. He has a preamp and converter, but it only works if he routes it through the VCR. Leo says this is the reason that people who want home theaters systems buy AV receivers. They can convert and drive multiple sources.

Larry will need a Digital to Analog audio converter to run it straight into his speakers. Monoprice has one that works great for $22. That chatroom says to also make sure the TV is sending unencoded audio.

Why won't my computer turn on properly and let me enter my password without hassle?

Watch Lynda from Laguna Hills, CA Comments

Leo thinks it's most likely a hardware issue with the motherboard, RAM, or even power supply. Lynda will have to call Dell and get them to repair it, or take it to a local repair shop if there's one around.

It also could be that Lynda's hard drive is starting to die and it may be that it can't read the file it needs. Flakey hard drives are not all that unusual. Google has done a study and found that hard drives fail either right away or they work reliably and fail 4-5% every year.

Which phone would be better for international travel, iPhone 5 or an Android phone?

Watch Gary from Camarillo, CA Comments

Gary is trying to decide between the new iPhone 5 or an Android phone. He wants to be able to go around the world with it. Leo says that Verizon's new iPhone 5 comes unlocked, which makes it the best world phone ever made. Since Gary is on Verizon already, that makes it an excellent choice.

Why do I keep getting error messages to close out of Internet Explorer?

Watch Leslie from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Leo says that just happens when Internet Explorer is crashing. The web is an unpredictable place and bad code can be causing it to crash. Leo advises using the most recent version for her operating system, which would be Internet Explorer 8. She should make sure to run Windows Update regularly. In fact, set it to automatic so she doesn't have to worry about it. Also, once a month Leslie should be running Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. Click Start - Run - type MRT and hit enter.

Another issue could be that Leslie has installed a toolbar or extension that's poorly written, making the browser crash.

She could also download Google Chrome, which Leo likes better than Internet Explorer.

Playlist

Guest appearances

Chris Marquardt, "Tips from the Top Floor"

Watch

Chris Marquardt

Chris wanted to chime in over lens flare gate with the iPhone 5. Lens flare happens because light bounces around multiple elements in the lens. Every camera does it.

Rick Alber, Dr Web

Watch

Rick Alber

Rick Alber joins Leo to talk about a new app for Android called FIELD TRIP.

This Week in Tech News

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Microsoft to get back in the phone game with dual screen hinged device.

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Microsoft Event Showcases Dual Screen Surface Products

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Oculus Announces VR Social Network

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September 29, 2019

This week, at Oculus annual VR conference, Oculus announced a new virtual social network called Facebook Horizon, where you can join friends in a virtual room and hang out. It's like the infancy of Ready Player One. Leo says it makes sense now the way Facebook would spend $3.2 Billion for Oculus, now. They see the future. Here's what it will look like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Is8eXZco46Q

But there's a problem Leo says that according to recent studies, about 10% of people who wear VR glasses, get nausea.

TIVO To Put Ads on Your DVR Recordings

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September 22, 2019

TIVO has announced that they are putting ads in front of every recording they make. Leo says that will be a death knell for the company, which has been struggling since the advent of video on demand. Leo also says it's ironic because TIVO also has a commercial skip button. It's outrageous because you spend hundreds of dollars for a TIVO, and then you pay for a monthly guide subscription. We shouldn't have to deal with ads from TIVO as a reward. Plus, we don't need DVRs anymore, and if we do, Leo says that Plex (a sponsor of the TWiT Network) on your Roku does just as good a job. Or, you can get the SiliconDust HDHomeTun and DVR over the air signals. So it's probably all over for TIVO.