Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss keeping connections going during the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple banning coronavirus-related games and apps, smartwatches and the virus, and more.

Steve in Lake Villa, Illinois listens to the Podcasts and is calling via the App and asked: “I have a Roku Ultra, I have some Roku Sticks, I’ve tried Google Chrome. I haven’t tried the Amazon Fire Stick. Which player do you prefer? Roku, Fire Stick, Chromecast, Apple TV? Just want my biggest bang for my buck. The Roku seemed to do that, but I’m not sure anymore. I like trying different things.”

Steve, the Roku still probably is the best bang for your buck. Roku are pretty inexpensive, they come with a great number of streaming sources, and they have some nice features like the headphone jack in the remotes.

Both the Amazon Fire sticks and Apple TV, the two options you haven’t tried, will both give you a relatively similar experience to the Roku in that they are more centered around apps that act as channels as opposed to Google’s casting model.

Since you like to try different things, a FireTV stick seems like the obvious next one to try, they’re cheap, they include some Alexa functionality, and they’re generally ok. You may find them clunkier than what you’re used to, but they’re not bad by any means. The FireTV Sticks are MY device of choice, and I have one on all the TVs in my house, but I’m also a Prime member, and being a native Amazon device, they work the best with Prime content in my opinion.

Apple TVs are great if you’re already invested in the Apple ecosystem, they play nice with all of Apple’s products, but they are very expensive compared to pretty much any other system and since what you’re paying for is an access point to external streaming services more than anything else, the price difference may be hard to justify unless it’s the system you specifically want to buy.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Lisa Cini: Copies of her book, Boom: The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Leveraging Technology

EZVIZ: Indoor Pan/Tilt Wi-Fi Security Cameras

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer – easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS — using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  – automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss staying connected during the pandemic, tech companies helping to fire the virus with location data, Apple software and hardware news, a fine for Apple in France, and more.

Our guest this hour:

Josh Elizetxe (aka Josh Snow), Founder & CEO of Snow

Barbara in Fairbanks, Alaska listens on NewsRadio 970 KFBX and asked: "I have an iPhone and I have over 1500 photos and some videos on my phone and I was wondering how would I move them out of my phone and what's the best device I could use to store my photos and videos."

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-20-2020/03-20-2020-H2S1.mp3

Barbara, the best device is many devices.

The easiest solution is to put them on iCloud, you can turn on that option in settings, though at 1500 pictures, they may want to charge you an extra dollar or couple of dollars a month for storage.

You can also upload them to a different service like Google Photos straight from your phone. Again, they may want a little money given the amount of pictures you have. You can move them to your computer by plugging your phone in and syncing the pictures via iTunes or Photos.

Once they’re in your computer you can store them in several hard drives, if you want to be safer.

The main strategy is to diversify, get them onto different storage devices or mediums if you can so if one fails you’ll still have them stored somewhere else. iCloud or Google Drive are unlikely to disappear, but they could choose to charge you more or eventually discontinue the service, so it’s smart to back up to several services even if you choose those to be your primary backup strategies (and they are great as primary backup strategies, by the way, because they back up in the background without you having to do any extra work).

Robert in Puerto Rico listens via Spotify and asked: "I already purchased a tablet and I'm planning to purchase a new computer. I'm not sure if I would like to buy a laptop or a desktop. I really don't need to travel a lot, so by purchasing the laptop, it really won't make a difference between the laptop and a desktop. My wife said that since I already have the tablet, then I won't need to purchase the laptop. What do you think?"

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-20-2020/03-20-2020-H2S4.mp3

Robert, it all depends on what you want to do with the laptop.

A laptop is still more powerful and versatile than a tablet, but a tablet is enough for many people. If all you need is an email and web browsing device, the the tablet is probably good enough, but if you want a device that can take on more complex tasks, or more serious gaming a laptop might be a better choice.

While we’re talking about gaming, that’s probably the most popular reason to opt for a desktop these days. Desktops can be far more powerful gaming machines, but when you buy one of those you lose the other reason people buy desktops: to spend less money. Powerful desktops aren’t cheap, but cheap desktops can be more than enough.

There are advantages to laptops beyond travel, it’s nice to be able to use it wherever you want rather than just at a fixed desk like you would do with a desktop.

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss staying connected during the pandemic, tech companies helping to fire the virus with location data, Apple software and hardware news, a fine for Apple in France, and more.

Barbara in Fairbanks, Alaska listens on NewsRadio 970 KFBX and asked: “I have an iPhone and I have over 1500 photos and some videos on my phone and I was wondering how would I move them out of my phone and what’s the best device I could use to store my photos and videos.”

Barbara, the best device is many devices.

The easiest solution is to put them on iCloud, you can turn on that option in settings, though at 1500 pictures, they may want to charge you an extra dollar or couple of dollars a month for storage.

You can also upload them to a different service like Google Photos straight from your phone. Again, they may want a little money given the amount of pictures you have. You can move them to your computer by plugging your phone in and syncing the pictures via iTunes or Photos.

Once they’re in your computer you can store them in several hard drives, if you want to be safer.

The main strategy is to diversify, get them onto different storage devices or mediums if you can so if one fails you’ll still have them stored somewhere else. iCloud or Google Drive are unlikely to disappear, but they could choose to charge you more or eventually discontinue the service, so it’s smart to back up to several services even if you choose those to be your primary backup strategies (and they are great as primary backup strategies, by the way, because they back up in the background without you having to do any extra work).

Robert in Puerto Rico listens via Spotify and asked: “I already purchased a tablet and I’m planning to purchase a new computer. I’m not sure if I would like to buy a laptop or a desktop. I really don’t need to travel a lot, so by purchasing the laptop, it really won’t make a difference between the laptop and a desktop. My wife said that since I already have the tablet, then I won’t need to purchase the laptop. What do you think?”

Robert, it all depends on what you want to do with the laptop.

A laptop is still more powerful and versatile than a tablet, but a tablet is enough for many people. If all you need is an email and web browsing device, the the tablet is probably good enough, but if you want a device that can take on more complex tasks, or more serious gaming a laptop might be a better choice.

While we’re talking about gaming, that’s probably the most popular reason to opt for a desktop these days. Desktops can be far more powerful gaming machines, but when you buy one of those you lose the other reason people buy desktops: to spend less money. Powerful desktops aren’t cheap, but cheap desktops can be more than enough.

There are advantages to laptops beyond travel, it’s nice to be able to use it wherever you want rather than just at a fixed desk like you would do with a desktop. Smartphones have probably gotten us used to that freedom of movement even more and it’s definitely a nice feature to have.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss NBCUniversal movie releases for the home market, a bill to replace foreign suspect network equipment, and more.

Our guest this hour:

Angus Bryan, Senior Vice President of Merchandising - BrandsMart USA

Derek in Erie, Pennsylvania listens on Money Radio WPSE and asked: "I'm trying to combine a laptop and a cellphone - basically be able to make calls from an unlocked laptop or tablet-type device with a keyboard on it so I can also e-mail. Not sure if that's possible, and that's what I'm looking to get answered."

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-20-2020/03-20-2020-H3S1.mp3

Derek, what you’re describing is something that is expected to become more common as 5G rolls out. There used to be plenty of laptops with their own phone service as a way to provide them internet on the go, they just usually lacked the capacity to make real phone calls.

Today you can easily make WiFi calls on laptops through third-party services like Google Voice or Skype, and some computers like Apple’s line can make phone calls from a linked number on a compatible phone.

These days the easiest way to get what you want would just be to tether the computer to a phone for the service as needed, but stay tuned, computers with their own phone service are expected to make some kind of a comeback soon.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Lisa Cini: Copies of her book, Boom: The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Leveraging Technology

EZVIZ: Indoor Pan/Tilt Wi-Fi Security Cameras

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer - easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS -- using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  - automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss NBCUniversal movie releases for the home market, a bill to replace foreign suspect network equipment, and more.

Derek in Erie, Pennsylvania listens on Money Radio WPSE and asked: “I’m trying to combine a laptop and a cellphone – basically be able to make calls from an unlocked laptop or tablet-type device with a keyboard on it so I can also e-mail. Not sure if that’s possible, and that’s what I’m looking to get answered.”

Derek, what you’re describing is something that is expected to become more common as 5G rolls out. There used to be plenty of laptops with their own phone service as a way to provide them internet on the go, they just usually lacked the capacity to make real phone calls.

Today you can easily make WiFi calls on laptops through third-party services like Google Voice or Skype, and some computers like Apple’s line can make phone calls from a linked number on a compatible phone.

These days the easiest way to get what you want would just be to tether the computer to a phone for the service as needed, but stay tuned, computers with their own phone service are expected to make some kind of a comeback soon.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Lisa Cini: Copies of her book, Boom: The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Leveraging Technology

EZVIZ: Indoor Pan/Tilt Wi-Fi Security Cameras

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer – easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS — using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  – automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss more than a billion dollars lost in the electronics industry shows due to the coronavirus, hardware security issues in Intel chipsets, a 1 billion pixel panorama of Mars from the Curiosity rover, WatchOS 6 features, a new Chromecast Ultra, and more.

Our guest this hour:

Howard Huang, Head of Growth of UpTrade

Joshua in Sparta, Tennessee listens online and is calling in via the App and asked: "I am trying to find out what you think the best software is for YouTubing, as well as the best system to stream to YouTube and Facebook at the same time at the lowest cost."

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-13-2020/03-13-2020-H1S1.mp3

Joshua, this will depend a lot on your needs and how serious your streaming is.

The cheapest solution is to stream for free on one site and then upload the video file to the other, it’s not simultaneous, but most of the time that doesn’t matter much since people watch when they feel like watching anyway.

If you want truly simultaneous broadcasts, you will probably end up using something like Wowza, which starts at around $50/month for their cloud services. Restream.io technically starts at $0/month, but for multicasting you’ll need to pay at least $16/month, or ManyCam which is local software that will cost you around $30/year.

Any of them will get the job done, but they each do offer some different options, at least on the surface. For example, Restream claims better optimized video stream, ManyCam offers 4K at some price levels, and support for multiple cameras.

The best service for you will depend on what you’re trying to broadcast and how important it is for you to broadcast to all sources live. Having said that, Restream is the cheapest of this bunch and it is also very popular, so you might want to give that one a look first.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Killer Concepts: Piggy Pro Phone Stands - Razor thin stand that sticks to the back of any phone

Solpro: Helios Smart battery pack & solar powered travel charger.

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer - easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS -- using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  - automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss more than a billion dollars lost in the electronics industry shows due to the coronavirus, hardware security issues in Intel chipsets, a 1 billion pixel panorama of Mars from the Curiosity rover, WatchOS 6 features, a new Chromecast Ultra, and more.

Joshua in Sparta, Tennessee listens online and is calling in via the App and asked: “I am trying to find out what you think the best software is for YouTubing, as well as the best system to stream to YouTube and Facebook at the same time at the lowest cost.”

Joshua, this will depend a lot on your needs and how serious your streaming is.

The cheapest solution is to stream for free on one site and then upload the video file to the other, it’s not simultaneous, but most of the time that doesn’t matter much since people watch when they feel like watching anyway.

If you want truly simultaneous broadcasts, you will probably end up using something like Wowza, which starts at around $50/month for their cloud services. Restream.io technically starts at $0/month, but for multicasting you’ll need to pay at least $16/month, or ManyCam which is local software that will cost you around $30/year.

Any of them will get the job done, but they each do offer some different options, at least on the surface. For example, Restream claims better optimized video stream, ManyCam offers 4K at some price levels, and support for multiple cameras.

The best service for you will depend on what you’re trying to broadcast and how important it is for you to broadcast to all sources live. Having said that, Restream is the cheapest of this bunch and it is also very popular, so you might want to give that one a look first.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Killer Concepts: Piggy Pro Phone Stands – Razor thin stand that sticks to the back of any phone

Solpro: Helios Smart battery pack & solar powered travel charger.

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer – easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS — using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  – automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss Facebook and biometric privacy rights, Uber wanting to suspend account of COVID-19 affected users and drivers, medial simulation robots, Yahoo! Mobile, an all-electric commercial airline fleet, UK firefighters and a pig pedometer, a James Bond film delay, and more.

Our guest this hour:

Sheila Ronning , CEO and founder - Women in the Boardroom

Joel in Raleigh, North Carolina listens on NewsRadio 680 WPTF and asked: "I have a question about the blockchain technology and "gaps." I keep seeing that term and I'm wondering what they are and what makes "decentralized apps" I guess. But what does that mean and how are they different from the apps we use today?"

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-13-2020/03-13-2020-H2S1.mp3

Joel, the gaps you’re talking about are probably “gap limits” which are part of the BIP44 specification but can be a little bit of a problem for some users of digital wallets.

The short version is that after a certain number of unused addresses in a row it is assumed that there are no more unused addresses beyond that point. The most common problem with that is with backups that can lose digital currencies if there’s a number of unused addresses followed by used addresses. It’s a little bit convoluted, but it’s something that exists by design, it’s not really an unintended bug.

As for what a decentralized app is, if we stick to currencies to explain it then it would work like this: your bank stores your money and you can use a website or application to use that money to pay your bills. In a decentralized system like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and so forth, there’s no bank. The money exists and it can be used, but it’s not stored in a central computer or computer system, but distributed in a way that makes it accessible directly to the nodes.

That kind of system frees you from the control of a single endpoint, which is why digital currencies are worrying to governments which have a hard time tracking illegally obtained money and taxable income.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Killer Concepts: Piggy Pro Phone Stands - Razor thin stand that sticks to the back of any phone

Solpro: Helios Smart battery pack & solar powered travel charger.

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer - easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS -- using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  - automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss Facebook and biometric privacy rights, Uber wanting to suspend account of COVID-19 affected users and drivers, medial simulation robots, Yahoo! Mobile, an all-electric commercial airline fleet, UK firefighters and a pig pedometer, a James Bond film delay, and more.

Joel in Raleigh, North Carolina listens on NewsRadio 680 WPTF and asked: “I have a question about the blockchain technology and “gaps.” I keep seeing that term and I’m wondering what they are and what makes “decentralized apps” I guess. But what does that mean and how are they different from the apps we use today?”

Joel, the gaps you’re talking about are probably “gap limits” which are part of the BIP44 specification but can be a little bit of a problem for some users of digital wallets.

The short version is that after a certain number of unused addresses in a row it is assumed that there are no more unused addresses beyond that point. The most common problem with that is with backups that can lose digital currencies if there’s a number of unused addresses followed by used addresses. It’s a little bit convoluted, but it’s something that exists by design, it’s not really an unintended bug.

As for what a decentralized app is, if we stick to currencies to explain it then it would work like this: your bank stores your money and you can use a website or application to use that money to pay your bills. In a decentralized system like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and so forth, there’s no bank. The money exists and it can be used, but it’s not stored in a central computer or computer system, but distributed in a way that makes it accessible directly to the nodes.

That kind of system frees you from the control of a single endpoint, which is why digital currencies are worrying to governments which have a hard time tracking illegally obtained money and taxable income.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Killer Concepts: Piggy Pro Phone Stands – Razor thin stand that sticks to the back of any phone

Solpro: Helios Smart battery pack & solar powered travel charger.

BACtrack: C6 Keychain Breathalyzer – easily estimate your alcohol level

All CALLERS — using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686)  – automatically qualify to win prizes.

Audio archived for at least 6 months

Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss rollable phones, Google is recommending all employees work from home in several offices, ionic fluid liquid batteries, Heathrow airport's drone detection technology, space news, and more.

Our guest this hour:

Nicholas De Leon, Senior Tech Writer - Consumer Reports

Donald in Tyler, Texas listens on KTBB and asked: "What are the best top-load washing machines with steam?"

http://www.intotomorrow.com/media/podcasts/2020/03-13-2020/03-13-2020-H3S1.mp3

Donald, we hear good things about GE’s High-Efficiency Top Loading Line with Steam, you can find models for around $550 that load around 4 cubic feet.

For around $750 you can get a well-reviewed, larger Samsung WA54R7600AW which can wash a load of 5.4 cubic feet in one go.

If you like smart appliances, LG’s WT7900HBA is also well-reviewed, and it loads slightly more at 5.5 cubic feet, but it’s hard to imagine that the WiFi will make a price tag of $1200 truly worth it. Then again, Samsung makes modern models that are not smart and cost the same amount of money, so if it’s in your budget it may be worth a look.

Now, the truth is that it’s pretty hard to find a washing machine with steam or otherwise with truly bad reviews, since few people bother to review their units 5 years down the line when something may break, so we’d recommend an established brand with decent warranty over anything new and gimmicky, most washing machines do a reasonably good job these days. It’s pretty mature technology by now.

When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.

TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.

WiZ: Wi-Fi connected color-changing LED lightbulbs. Works with Alexa, Google and Siri.

Killer Concepts: Piggy Pro Phone Stands - Razor thin stand that sticks to the back of any phone

Solpro: Helios Smart battery pack & solar powered travel charger.