Leo got the new Apple Watch Series 7 this week and has seen up close the hand washing and pulse oxymeter features. And it works well! Leo also got a new Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which he says is incredibly expensive and looks very fragile. Don't drop this one because it's guaranteed to break. So if you tend to drop your phone, this isn't the phone for you.
Tom has an iPhone 11 using the AirPods Pro and he wants to know if it will automatically switch from phone audio and his Apple TV audio. Leo says that would be a nice feature, but it doesn't do it right now. It would certainly be a software fix to do it. It will do it for the Apple Watch and Mac computer though.
This week, Leo returned the Microsoft Surface Duo folding phone because while he liked the hardware, he thought the software wasn't ready for prime time yet, as a daily driver. So, instead, he picked up the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. Leo was pleasantly surprised. It actually has three screens. One in the folded position, and then when you unfold it, there are two screens on the inside. Leo says you can see the fold, and it's kinda worrisome, but after a while, the crease simply disappears and all you see is a huge tablet size screen.
Rick wants to know if he can stop the stereo from muting the audio when the phone gets a text or turn direction. Leo says that's called ducking and it does that so you can hear the notification. But if it doesn't restore the audio afterward, then it sounds like there's a setting in the phone that has changed.
Rene doesn't have a computer or WiFi. She relies on her mobile phone for her internet. Her phone is four years old and she is looking at the Samsung Galaxy S10E. Leo says that it's a year old, but there's nothing wrong with it. The latest model is the Galaxy 20, but there's no "E" model. Will it be difficult to transfer data? Leo says no. There is an app that will copy data from one phone to another, and it's really easy. She'll just have to be sure her Samsung Account is logged in and the backup is turned on. It'll be in the backup and reset settings.
David has a Samsung Galaxy S8, and recently his GPS started lagging and losing connection with some of his IoT devices. So he bought a new Galaxy S20+. But it's doing the exact same things. Leo says that GPS is a line of sight technology, and you can lose connectivity when the signal is blocked. It'll work better from your windshield dash. When you get into a new area, it could take some time to connect. After this, it builds an almanac of connections that the phone can rely on. So for those first visits, it could take a few minutes.
This Tuesday at 10am PDT, Apple will be streaming an event called "Time Flies," and Leo says it hints at a new, sixth-generation Apple Watch. Leo wonders though, just how much more you can do with a smartwatch. And he also thinks that maybe it'll be the release of a new version of watchOS 7. Other new features will include an expanded sleep feature and more software additions. But he also thinks there really isn't much more you can do hardware-wise. We are in essence at peak watch.
Leo got the Microsoft Surface Duo Android device this week, the first Android phone that Microsoft has ever produced. The oversized "phablet," has dual screens and opens up like a paperback book. Both screens can work in concert or independently, and Leo says with the Kindle App, it's the best digital reading experience he's ever had. It has also given him all-day battery life, so it's quite usable.
But the Duo has its buggy issues. It can crash and freeze up, forcing one to reboot. Microsoft has pushed out an update, but it hasn't really helped. It also has a terrible camera.
Doug is having trouble with using wifi calling on his older iPhone on Verizon. Leo recommends calling up Verizon and request a Femtocell (microcell). Verizon calls it a 4G Network Extender. The FemtoCell offers cellular wifi calling in areas that cellular coverage doesn't work well. It's essentially a mini cell tower connected to your wifi. And if you are nice and tell them your service won't work in your home, so you may as well not be a customer, they should send it to you for free. Don't pay for it.
Andy is thinking of getting his mother a Chromebook. But how can he access it remotely? Leo says that ChromeOS has remote access built-in. But he'll need to run the extension Chrome OS Remote Desktop. Set it up and then use the Chrome Browser on any PC and then navigate to hers. But he won't really have to do much with it. It's not like a Windows computer. If something goes wrong, he can always "Powerwash" it. Most of what he does on a Chromebook is online.
