Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss Snapchat filter plastic surgery, the drop in social media, Tesla's stock, Echo's away mode, no fitness trackers in deployed settings for DoD personnel, and more.

Billy Bob in Dallas, Texas asked: "How long is the Apple SE telephone viable, moving into the future with updates on the operating system?"

 

Billy, this is one of those only “Apple can answer that” questions.

What we know is that the iPhone SE will be supported under iOS 12, as will the iPhone 5s.

After that, it’s possible that the SE will be supported by the next version of the OS, but we wouldn’t really expect much more than that.

Operating system aside, you’ll probably notice the rest of the world, from apps to websites, is leaving the phone behind as it ages, so enjoy it while it works.

You probably have a few years left of the model being “viable” as you say, but like all phones, it will eventually get too old to be useful. At that point you can keep it and use it for what it is, but don’t expect to be able to use much of anything that didn’t come with the phone straight from Apple when you bought it.

Gloria in Fairbanks, Alaska listens on NewsRadio 970 KFBX and asked: "I'm interested in getting a computer at some point, but I don't have one yet. And I wonder what would be some good advice on directing me."

 

Gloria, if you don’t have a computer yet, it’s likely that you’ll probably be using it mostly to browse the web.

If that’s the case, just about anything will do. You don’t need anything too expensive or too fancy for that.

If you’d like to do more than that, Windows will get you the most software choices, Chromebooks will get you the fewest annoyances with updates.

An SSD will make your computer feel far faster, other features like a touchscreen are flashier but not that useful if the computer can’t turn into a tablet in some way.

For things like video editing, you’d need a powerful processor and lots of RAM, for things like web browsing, that won’t really be an issue.

If all you’re after is a larger screen, a tablet may be an option for you too, but it will be more limited than a computer.

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.

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