iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, or feature phones.
Mobile Phones
Which Cell Phone Should I Buy?
Episode 1602
Vicky fromVicky recently dropped her Samsung Galaxy S6 phone and cracked the screen. So now she needs to get a new phone. She's retired and is on a budget, so what should she get? Leo recommends the Motorola Moto G7. It's about $200, and Best Buy is offering $100 off right now. A great phone with a descent camera. And AT&T may give her a deal to keep business. But don't accept any lesser models.
How Can I Transfer Photos from Laptop to Phone?
Episode 1602
Vino fromVino wants to know how to upload his photos from his laptop to his mobile phone. Leo says that Google Photos is the best way, and it's free. Vino should just download the Photos Sync app and then backup up all the images to Google Photos. Then he can download the app, view them on the phone, and download them from there.
What's the Best Map App for Driving Around Traffic?
Episode 1602
Johnny fromJohnny would like to know about re-routing through accidents and bad traffic with his map app. Which ones are best? Leo says that the least helpful are the maps apps in your car unless the car has an LTE connection to get updates. Google Maps has recently added traffic information and rerouting from Waze.
Leo uses Google Maps for day to day, and usually uses Waze for road trips. And with Google integrating a lot of Waze features, we're starting to get the best of both worlds.
Harry Potter Finally Launches from Niantic
Episode 1602
Niantic, the creators of the successful mobile game Pokemon Go, has finally put out a game based in the universe of Harry Potter, called Wizards Unite. You play a wizard, using your wand to battle other wizards and catch fantastic beasts. All in Augmented Reality. Leo says that it was originally launched in Australia, and people went wild about it. Now it's been launched in the US and around the world, so MORE people are going wild.
Is Spectrum wireless service slow by design?
Episode 1601
Steve fromSteve signed up with Spectrum, using Verizon and the best he could get for his iPhone 7 is 3G. Leo says that's terrible. Verizon is much better than that, and it sounds like Comcast is going cheap on buying wholesale data and then reselling it. Also, while you're using Verizon's network, Verizon is giving priority to their own customers. So you get a slower experience. Spectrum is hoping you'll be close enough to an Xfinity Access point via WiFi. But half the time, there's nothing there!
Do smaller cell carriers use their own networks?
Episode 1601
Gary fromGary got an offer to sign up with Spectrum for mobile service, but he just learned that they use AT&T. Do smaller carriers use the big carriers lines all the time? Leo says that the big four is AT&T, Verizon, TMobile, and Sprint. The smaller cell companies, called MVNOs, interconnect and ride piggyback on multiple lines. It's pretty complicated. But if you sign up with a smaller carrier, you're actually running your traffic on the largest carrier.
What do I need for my technology for a trip to Vietnam?
Episode 1601
Sarah fromSarah is traveling to Vietnam and Cambodia later in the year and doens't know what to bring with her for her technology. Leo says that most electronics are now rated for 110w-240w, so they can handle any circuit all over the world. But that plugs will be different. There are travel adapters for sale that you can pick up to plug in your power plugs. They should be the same as China, but you may want to be sure it's not a french adapter since Vietnam was once a French colony. As for your data and international roaming, it depends on your carrier.
What's a good dual sim mobile phone?
Episode 1601
Manny fromManny's wife is going to need a new phone, as her Huawei Mate 9 will be denied service soon since the US Gov't believes Huawei is a security concern due to ties to the Chinese PRC Army, there won't be a new model for sale here in the US. So what are her options? Leo says that she should be able to continue using it for a few more months, but she should definitely consider a replacement soon. And she needs dual sims, which means there aren't a lot of choices, especially since she wants a great camera with it. That really lowers the options.
Johnny Jet ... Happy for Canada
Episode 1600
App of the week - CanBorder. This is the Canadian version of Mobile Passport.
Can I Text Using VOIP?
Episode 1600
Terry fromTerry gets a lot of phone calls from local numbers he doesn't recognize. Leo says that's called "Neighbor Spoofing" and it's designed to get him to answer the phone because the caller ID shows a local number. If it's important, they'll leave a message.
Can he respond to text messages with VOIP? Leo says he can partially. If he's using an app like WhatsApp, he can as long as the other side uses it. But if it's a "text subscribe to [enter number here]." It won't. VOIP doesn't support that.
