Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Is the iPad Mini good for the visually impaired?

Watch Julian from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Julian checked out the iPad Mini and it was pretty cool, and what's cool is that it has stereo speakers. Not even the iPad 3 or 4 have that. Leo says calling it "stereo" is being generous. It's more two speakers side by side.

Julian didn't buy it, however, because he's visually impaired and says the iPhone works fine for him. Julian says that the Best in Tech Conference is coming on Nov. 17, 9-3p in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Culver City.

Is AppleCare worth it for an iPhone?

Watch Denise from Santa Clarita, CA Comments

Leo doesn't usually recommend extended warranties because they're a pure profit center for Apple, as most customers just don't use it. However, Leo generally recommends it for portable devices because they're more fragile and she would get better service with it. She may end up paying a deductable, but it's probably worth it on an iPhone.

How can I fix my broken iPhone 5?

Watch Matt from California Comments

Matt dropped his phone, shattering the screen, and he just got it. Leo says that there's a slight chance if he goes to Apple, they may replace it if he's really nice. If they want to charge him $230 for a replacement, then he recommends waiting until parts are available and fixing it himself. Leo recommends going to iFixit.com. They sell the repair kits and they'll have it before anyone else.

How can I speed up my internet connection?

Watch Mark from Bristol, TN Comments

Mark has a laptop and suddenly everything is slowing down, and his youtube videos are skipping to the point that it's unwatchable. Leo says that YouTube being slow may just be the Internet connection. Since Mark has cable, if everyone is watching Netflix at night, the Internet will really slow down. There's only so much bandwidth to go around. The ISP denies it, but Leo thinks that the problem is with the cable company. Upload speeds shouldn't surpass download speeds. Ask for a new DOCSIS III Cable Modem, which is the latest and fastest modem.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How is the accessibility with smartphones?

Watch Laurie from Austin, Texas Comments

Laurie has a client who has mobility issues and would like a voice activated smartphone. Leo says that both the iPhone and Android have voice activated dictation. The iPhone has Siri, which could be a great help to her client. So the iPhone may be the best solution. However, Google has also added voice activation to their Google App as well. So her client would get the best of both worlds with the iPhone.

The other concern is how her client would activate these features without physically being able to touch the phone. These touch screens are capacitive, which means they can't be used with just any stylus. She could use a capacitive stylus, though. The stylus would still need to be held, which could pose the same problem. A bluetooth headset may be the way to go because they can trigger Siri. Leo advises checking with an Independent living resource center or someone who has experience with adaptive technologies.

What is a good professional backup solution for digital photography?

Watch Nick from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Nick is a photographer and he wants to set up a good backup solution for backing up his hi-res still photos. He's currently using DropBox. Leo says that DropBox is not the ideal backup solution for a professional, and suggests going to dpbestflow.org. It's funded by the National Archives, and provides tips on how to best backup and archive your images.

Leo says that not only backup, but also sharing with clients online is important. He uses SmugMug, which is very popular for professionals. It's a portfolio, image marketplace, and backup solution that backs up to Amazon S3 storage. There are even special plugins for LightRoom and Aperture so it would become part of his workflow.

Was I the victim of a computer scam?

Watch Terry from El Cajon, CA Comments

Terry responded to a pop-up from someone who used remote access to get into his computer. Leo says that is a complete scam and it's likely that a they've infected his computer with viruses and maybe even key loggers to monitor activity on the computer. They even tried to charge him for this. Leo advises that he talk to a computer store in his area. Then have them backup his data and reinstall Windows. He can run a scanner such as the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool by clicking Start, selecting "Run", typing MRT and hitting enter.

How can I improve the battery life on Android Ice Cream Sandwich? (Part 1)

Watch Sidney from Irvine, CA Comments

Turning off extra services like Bluetooth can help. If he has 4G turned on, that'll really eat up the battery. So if LTE isn't available in his area, it's a good idea to shut that off. Leo also suggests backing up the Android phone and performing a factory reset, which often fixes issues. Leo also suggests getting an extra battery for his phone. Or if battery life is really important, the Droid Razr Maxx HD has the best battery life on the market.

What's the best world phone on Verizon? (Part 2)

Watch Sidney from Irvine, CA Comments

Leo suggests going with the iPhone 5 because it comes unlocked on Verizon. He can put in a European sim for a local number and local data. But he shouldn't use the phone for calls home, he should use Skype instead!

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I prevent my USB headset from getting garbled when recording?

Watch Drew from Topanga, CA Comments

Leo says the USB headsets will make that noise over time (he calls it "cyloning"). It's a memory leak. The only way to fix it is to unplug the mic and plug it back in. Leo suggests a bad chip on the sound card is the root cause.

Drew could try using the guest account on his computer to see if that works better since that's a clean account. Since he had completely wiped the drive and started over though, it most likely isn't a software issue. He also is having other problems with audio on his Macbook, and it sounds like it could be the logic board. If that's indeed the case, it would probably just be cheaper to buy a new MacBook

From the chatroom - the Black Macbooks were recalled with faulty logic boards. So it could be worth going to Apple to see if they'll still honor that recall and fix it.

Can I use HDTVs as computer monitors?

Watch Chuck from Monarch Beach, CA Comments

Chuck would like to have more real estate and is thinking of getting huge HDTVs instead of computer monitors.

Leo says he wouldn't want to do this because a TV actually has a much lower resolution, and therefore less screen real estate than a computer monitor. He'd be better off using several computer monitors. When we get 4K HDTVs, however, it will be high enough resolution to use that way. The problem is, those TVs would cost about $50,000, so it still might not be such a great solution.

Can I update Windows XP without using Windows Update?

Watch Glen from Georgia Comments

Glen has an issue reinstalling Windows XP on an old Gateway PC. He installed it, and everything works except Windows Update. Now he wants to get SP3, but wants to know how to do it without Windows Update working. Leo says to go to the Microsoft Update site and download all the updates offline. It's called a Network Installation.

According to the chatroom, a certificate update from the Flame virus blocks Windows update on older machines.

Here's how to download Windows XP SP3…
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389?wa=wsignin1.0#method21

Windows XP Service Pack 3 FAQ…
http://www.winsupersite.com/article/faqtip/windows-xp-service-pack-3-faq

Do I need to install Service Pack 2 before installing Service Pack 3?…
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_update/do-i-need-to-install-sp2-before-installing-sp3/1c5dfe78-9063-41c4-89fb-b9bea0155c46?msgId=77194557-474a-4c73-ad8b-7934e7edebd6

Knowledge article on installing SP3…
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

Windows Service Pack Center…
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/service-packs-download#sptabs=xp

Installing SP1a, SP2, and then SP3…
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=19751

What happened to Google Maps on my iPhone?

Watch Judy from Orange County, CA Comments

Google Maps has disappeared from her iPhone 4. She really likes street view, and would like that functionality back. Leo says that Google will be releasing a maps app for iOS. Apple replaced Google Maps with their own a few months ago, and it'll only be a matter of time.

There's an app called Live Street View as an alternative. Try the free one until Google Maps returns. Another option is to use the Web version of Google Maps for street view.

How can I sync my old data onto my new Samsung Galaxy Note II?

Watch David from Irvine, CA Comments

Leo says the best way is to use Google. He can sync his old phone's contacts, calendar and email to Google and then move it to the new Note II. After he does this, his information will be stored with Google and he'll never have to worry about it again.

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