Laptop or desktop computers and any components within.
Hardware
How Can I Play Music To All My Rooms?
Episode 1652
David fromDavid wants to stream music to multiple rooms in his house. MultiRoom music is a challenge because it has to sync from room to room with no latency. But it is doable with Amazon Echo. He can get a dot in each room and add some speakers and it'll work. The Echo is smart enough that he can even command it to play in different rooms as well. The Amazon Echo Input connects to one's own speakers, and right now it's only $10.
Will Starlink Satellites Ruin the Sky for Astronomers?
Episode 1652
Louis fromLouis wants Leo's thoughts on the Starlink project by Elon Musk and SpaceX. Leo says he has mixed emotions. He likes the idea of gigabit speeds anywhere in the planet, but he's not sure he's supportive of 42,000 satellites in low earth orbit. They are already interefering with astronomy, and there's less than 125 of them so far. Astronomers are already complaining, and SpaceX is working to make changes to the reflectivity of future satellites to be launched. Gwen Shotwell, of SpaceX said that nobody thought of that problem when they first conceived of it.
Apple Sets Sales Record for AirPods
Episode 1652
With the launch of Apple's new high priced AirPods Pros, a sales record of over $4 BILLION dollars for the recent quarter was announced. Not the year, mind you. BUT THE QUARTER. It's a good holiday for Cupertino.
Meanwhile, Samsung tried to brag that they had sold over a million Samsung Galaxy Fold phones, but when called on it, they pulled the number back. Embarrassing.
Why won't my Mac shut down?
Episode 1651
Angela fromAngela has a 2015 Mac and when she shuts it down, it turns back on. Leo says it's an incomplete shutdown, with some app hanging it up. A wipe and reinstall of the OS should make it go away. Make sure you backup your data first.
You can launch the activity monitor and it'll show you all the processes that are running.
Can I partition an SSD drive?
Episode 1651
Larry fromLarry is building a new computer and wants to know if an M.2 SSD drive can be partitioned like a regular hard drive. Leo says when installed, M.2 drives are just like any other drive and can be partitioned as you need. Leo advises, though, that users should keep their data on a regular spinning drive and keep the SSD drive for your OS and applications. The OS really wants apps to be on the same drive, and it's easy to put a second spinning drive in. But if you partition a drive, you're setting an artificial limit on what you can put on it. So you don't really need to partition it.
Sam Abuelsamid and the Electric Skateboard
Episode 1651
Sam joins Leo to talk about something a bit different, but still an electric "vehicle." It's an electric skateboard. It was a GM concept from 2001, and it used hydrogen fuel cells. The concept has been adapted over the last 20 years to just about all dedicated electric vehicles. Leo wonders if Detroit is working to make car manufacturing more modular, so you can mix and match components for different electric models. Sam agrees.
Can I port my Google Voice number to my smart watch?
Episode 1651
JC fromJC recently bought the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch 2. He wants to know if he can sync his Google Voice number to his watch. Leo says that the cell watch has to have its own number and your mobile service will charge you extra for it. It could conceivably, and it's worth trying. But Leo suspects that AT&T is using a gateway to prevent it.
The Giz Wiz ... Magnetic Personality
Episode 1650
This week's gadget is a Magnetic Charger that you can put onto your computer and even phone. Amazon describes them as Magnetic Phone Charger Cable, GARAS 3 in 1 Nylon Braided USB Fast Charging & Data Syncing Cord with LED Light Compatible with Mirco USB, Type C Smartphone and iProduct (3.9 ft-Red). Here's a bit more of what Amazon says about them: GARAS round magnetic charging cable support QC 2.0/3.0 quick charge, data sync speed up to 480Mbps.
Which Printer Should I Buy?
Episode 1650
Brian fromBrian's printer recently died after 10 years. He only prints about 50 pages a month. What printer should he get? Leo says that the Epson EcoTank is a good buy.
Why is My Chromebook Going Full Screen?
Episode 1650
Carl fromCarl is having a Chromebook issue where he's typing, the tab and address bars will disappear. It goes full screen. Leo says to use the keyboard combination Alt "-" to reset it. Also check the function keys, like F11. He may strike the wrong one and boom, he's in full screen. That's likely the issue. Carl also powerwashed his Chromebook and he can't log into his network because the keyboards reset. Leo suspects that Carl may have a faulty or damaged keyboard.
