Julie's mom in Buffalo has very poor cellular service. They've tried just about everything. Should she try Verizon? Leo says that it's best to see what the local coverage is. T-Mobile, for instance, is very good in cities, but not in rural areas. Ask her neighbors. Verizon may be better, but they're more expensive. Spectrum, though, uses Verizon's network. In fact, check with MVNOs. They buy cell service in bulk and resell it.
Mark just upgraded to the iPhone XS. But now he's having buyer's remorse because it feels smaller than he's used to. Should he return it? Leo says to bring it back and get the iPhone XS Max. It'll also have a longer battery life. In fact, go with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, it's got an even bigger battery. Users can usually return a phone after a few days, so go for it.
Rich needs to monitor his son's text messages. Is there an app for that? Leo says that there are circumstances when this is critical. For Android, it's easy to do. But if he's tech-savvy, he can probably find out pretty easily that he is being monitored. Rich may want to check with the phone company and see if they can help. Ideally, if you can do it without an app on his phone, that would be a better idea. Check out Verizon's Smart Family: they have monitoring tools that may be of help.
Chris has bought 4 Epson printers, and the blue always stops printing after awhile. It keeps clogging, even though he prints a lot with it. Leo says that inkjet printers clog if you don't use them regularly. Leo says that if you're using official Epson ink, you shouldn't have a clog. But if you're buying your ink from Amazon, it's possible that you purchased counterfeit ink. So be sure you're buying your ink from an authorized Epson retailer. But it could also be a defect, so Leo advises contacting Epson directly.
Microsoft has gotten back into the phone game with a new, hinged dual-screen mobile phone. Instead of running Windows though, it will run Android. It opens and closes like a book, and gives users dual screens that can work separately or together tablet-style. It's called the Windows Surface Duo. But here's the thing: the phone won't hit the market until late 2020.
At a surprise event, Microsoft announced two new Surface products, one like a digital book, the other a 5.5" dual screen mobile phone. Dubbed the Surface Neo and Surface Duo respectively, both devices will run on Windows 10X, a new mobile version of the OS, and will be available Christmas 2020. Microsoft says it will fold together like a book, or open up to be both screens on either side, or close facing each other. Unlike the overpriced Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Surface duo is hinged, rather than folding the screen.
Edward is a long-time listener who is legally blind. He has the iPhone 6+, and he's looking at the new iPhone 11. Leo says that Edward will love it, but the biggest annoyance is no headphone jack. That's still crazy. Will the iPhone 11 be 5G? Leo says no. It's not. But that's OK, 5G really won't be widespread until 2021. So if you want 5G, Samsung's Galaxy 10 is the way to go. But just because you can get 5G, you may not get 5G in your neighborhood. 5G is extremely limited because it takes four times the cellular coverage. So right now, it's just marketing (LYING).
Pat has a friend who can't speak and needs a device that he can type on, and then prints out to someone's mobile device so they can have a conversation. It also needs to be multi-lingual. Leo says that smartphones are great for that. He can use Apple Messages on the iPhone to do that. Leo recommends checking for Independent Living Resource Centers.
Mike upgraded to iOS 13.1.1 and now he can't copy and paste. Leo says that it's been relegated to a "gesture" now and he finds it annoying. He doesn't know if it's a bug or if it's Apple's new way to do it. Users pinch with three fingers to copy and then unpinch to paste. To cut, press twice. What happens with the Apple Pencil or a stylus? Leo says no idea, but he has a hunch that Apple hasn't thought this one through.
Sam joins Leo to talk about Ultra Wide Band (UWB) which is coming to mobile phones and cars. The iPhone 11 has UWB, but it's not turned on yet. It's wireless band technology that operates within 6-8 GHz. Google's Pixel 4 will probably have a UWB chip as well. The benefit is going to be that you can directionally connect with devices. It can work with IoT devices, and carmakers will shift to it for keyless entry. It's not uncommon for manufacturers to put hardware into a device even when the software isn't ready, and then turn it on with a firmware update.
