We answer questions about iPads, Xboxes, and Windows 7 sleep blue screens.

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Episode 201

All-Questions

New project: CNET to the Rescue.

First one: Chris Chirstensen, Amateur Traveler, YT ban.

3 weeks, no resolution
Called them, account reinstated, Google saying changing appeals process.
Have an injustice that needs to be righted? An ad that needs looking into? E-mail rescue@cnet.com or join the Rescue forum at http://forums.cnet.com/

http://cnet.com/rescue

Links from calls

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958233

QUESTIONS

*********************

1.  Dear Tom and Rafe,

I am an xbox user and would like to be able to connect my xbox to the internet. The problem? I only have a wireless data card from verizon. I know there is a hack to connect the data card to the xbox using my laptop but I can't seem to get the darn things to recongize each other. I have asked my tech savvy friends and searched all over the internet to no avail. Please please please help me solve this dilemma.

-Danielle

P.S.: If it helps at all I am using a laptop with windows vista and a xbox 360 elite.

Josh says: The 360 is decidedly finicky about accepting data from the same devices computers would have no problems with. This is, in part a way to get people to pay for the overpriced wireless adapters, which MS sells for $70 and $100 depending on whether you're getting the 802.11g or N versions (respectively). That said, you can turn your laptop into a wireless bridge, by turning Internet sharing on, then connecting an Ethernet crossover cable from your laptop to the console. The most important thing here is that you need a crossover cable, as a standard cat5 cable won't cut it. Instructables has a fantastic guide here that works for Windows + Mac: http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-your-laptop-as-an-XboxXbox-360-wireless-adap/

*******************

2.  Dear Tom and Rafe. I was wondering what is the llegality of downloading TV shows from websites such as the Pirate Bay or even application such as TED (http://www.ted.nu/). I want to download TV shows so I can watch it later on my iPod touch. Some of these shows I don't get on TV.

Love the show

Michael

Answer: Downloading copyrighted video from any source without the copyright-holder's permission is illegal. So if TED is making their videos available for download freely, then you're OK. But if you're downloading a network TV show from the Pirate Bay, that's not legal. To download and watch TV shows, make sure the source of the videos has permission to distribute them.

*********************

3. Hey Tom & Rafe,
I've been thinking about getting an xbox 360 recently but i'm not sure about the reliability, i know about all the problems in the past and was wondering if current new consoles are any better with reliability and if either of you have any first hand experiences with them. I like the idea of getting one but don't wont the hassle of getting it repaired or replaced over and over, and paying to ship it back to Microsoft.

thanks guy's love the show

Calum from The UK

Answer: Microsoft is making good on defective units with the red rings of death within the first three years of ownership. And the incidence of the red rings has decreased in the newer units. I have so far escaped from the issue, but have friends who haven't. I'd say you have 79% chance of being OK.

**********************

4.  Hey tom and rafe, I've been using a plantronics 520 with my computer for the last two months and have fallen in love with it. It works almost throughout the whole house, almost. One day, I found a bluetooth dongle (vakoss) that claimed it could transmit 100m instead of the normal 10m. I bought it, uninstalled the other one, downloaded newest drivers from broadcom and installed this 100m bluetooth dongle. Sadly though, the plantronics gets static and dies at the same spots as when I was using the 10m dongle. My question is, was this some misprint on the dongle, a problem with the plantronics 520, or can bluetooth ONLY reach 10m?

Brandon Hagelgans [cmptrvir@gmail.com]

-
Hack The Planet!!!

A: Many people buy so-called 100-meter bluetooth dongles and have the same experience. There is in fact a spec for long-range Bluetooth, called Class 1. It takes more power and has longer range than most headsets and devices, which are Class 2, and which are generally limited to about 10 meters or 30 feet. A class 1 adapter connected to a class 2 device, unfortunately, will only work up to the max range of the class 2 device. I believe this is because the radio on the dongle is not sensitive enough to pick up the lower-power output from the headset.

If you want a long-range headset to go with your long-range bluetooth adapter, google Class 1 Bluetooth headset, or look at something like the Callpod Dragon: http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/callpod-dragon-titanium-silver/4505-13831_7-32780177.html

*********************

Next time: 4G vs. 3G

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

************

Tom and Rafe talk about eReaders and help you decide which one you should get.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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Episode 200

EReaders

Come a long way from RocketBook

Models
-Sony Reader
-Amazon Kindle
-Barnes and Noble Nook
–Various up and comers like Que, eDGe, Samsung E6 and E10
Alternate Devices
-Phone (Kindle, Stanza, etc…)
-Laptop (Kindle app, Word, browser….)

Ebook formats (millions)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats
.mobi (.azw is Amazon’s proprietary version) also .prc
.epub
.pdf
.html
.txt

Transferring data?

**********************

EBOOK EMAIL

Hey Tom,

Last week the ibisreader.com launched for the iPhone. It is an html5-
based service so it emulates an app on webkit based phones. That is
cool enough but the killer feature is it allows you to upload your own
ePub formatted books (sans DRM) and read/sync them from the cloud.
This service is outstanding and the cloud feature let’s me own and
control my own books. Now we just need publishers to sell more books
drm-free.

Best regards,
Mark from Toronto

**********************

Quick Road test – Sonos?
S5
http://www.sonos.com/assets/0/88/220/230/236/238/16faafff-1723-4465-9659-21d5b01064a7.jpg

**********************

QUESTIONS

*********************
1.

Hey Tom and Rafe,

I tried to connect my iPhone to my Windows 7 laptop via A2DP Bluetooth so that I could use the (moderately) better laptop speakers. I have been very happy with Windows 7 so far and did not expect any issues. Turns out Windows 7 lacks an A2DP driver of any kind. Is there an easy way to enable this feature? Any help will be greatly appreciated as my office has just blocked all Pandora and other streaming services. Help me Real Deal. You’re my only hope.

Thanks,
Kail the Behavior Analyst in Houston

A: Yes: Get a new job. Why would an employer block PANDORA? That’s just lame. Another solution: If you have external speakers, plug them into your iphone for better sound anyway.
To get iPHone->Laptop via BT A2DP, it’ll be a hack. I found instructions in a few places but it didn’t look pretty. You may have to use an external BT adaptor. See http://www.a2dp.info/Articles/A2DP-Support-on-Desktop-and-Mobile-Platforms.html and http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-hardware/8235-how-add-a2dp-support-windows-7-a.html

*********************

2.

Hi Tom and Rafe:

Is there any particular inexpensive (under $20) product that will let me
connect an IDE hard drive to a SATA computer?

Love the show.

–Noah

Answer: Yes. You can buy adapters to put on your mother board. You will most likely need a power supply adapter as well.
R: What’s a SATA computer? Anyway: http://www.cooldrives.com/saidecomisat.html – says is a bidirectional SATA-IDE adaptor.

**********************
3.

Tom / Rafe,

I’m a LTLFTE (Long Time Listener, First Time Emailer).

I haven’t missed many episodes, but there is always a chance, so if you’ve covered this before, feel free to skip.

I have a home wireless network that I’ve secured with a passcode. Since I have lots of devices in the house that use it (Tivos, iPhones, iPod Touch, Nintendo DS, Wii, Laptops, Desktops, etc.), I don’t like changing the passcode very often.

However, more and more people visiting ask for the code so they can use the network. Some are adults, but a lot are my kids friends who want to play iPod Touch games over the WiFi against each other or download free games, etc. I just don’t like the thought of people coming by and being able to get on our network anytime they wanted since I don’t necessarily enforce real tough passwords for accessing machines and thus shared drives within the house.

I’ve thought of getting a 2nd wireless router and setting it up for guests, but thought I’d ask if you knew a better way. I have Comcast and have a cable modem and separate Belkin DIR-628 Wireless Router at the moment.

Thanks,

Greg in Lincolnshire, IL. (suburb of Chicago).

A: A 2nd router will do it, or you could replace your router with one with guest mode. Unfortauntely the DIR-628 (DLink, not Belkin) doesn’t have this feature. Routers like the Belkin N+ Wireless Router (F5D8235-4) or DLINK DIR-655 (the one I have) let you set up open zones while walling of a password-protected segment. You can also use MAC filtering instead of passwords. Guest access is easier.

****************************

4.

Hey Tom and Rafe,

My prayers were answered last week when I heard Tom speak highly of Wiretap studio as a bit of software that would help me record skype conversations. I have been working on starting a podcast with some other folks who can’t readily get to my house to record, and I was dismayed to find out that audacity struggles with recording multiple sources of audio.

So I went over to the Wiretap Studio web site only to find out it’s a Mac program, not PC.

I have a Samson C01u USB Mike, audacity, skype and a PC-and i’m hoping you could give me a software alternative (or some hardware suggestions) that will help me to record more than one audio source. I’m a fairly interesting guy, but even I can’t carry a podcast all by myself.

Much appreciated, and keep up the great work!

Answer: This is what I used to use on Windows

http://www.hotrecorder.com/

But I've also heard good things about Freecorder

http://www.appliantechnologies.com/freecorder/index_skype.php

*********************

COMMENTS

I found an old listing in the CNET forums regarding the Samsung USB TV dongle issue called in by a viewer, some of the responses were apparently made by a Samsung representative:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-13973_102-0.html?threadID=340635

I don't know if it will help, but at least is could clear up the issue even more. I also tweeted Tom & Rafe the link.

Best Wishes,

Steven Lauren

********************

Rafe,

Thanks for the recommendation on the D-Link DIR-655. I bought it a few weeks ago to replace my old Netgear WPN824 that was giving trouble. It works great! My wired download speed went from about 8.5Mbs to 25Mbs. Still no where near the advertised theoretical max of 100Mbs, but now I feel better about my fiber provider. Wireless speed went up significantly as well.

One question, I finally switched to WPA2 for my security at the same time, but found my daughter’s old laptop doesn’t support it (nor are there any updates to get it to). Since she only uses it for web access, I set up a guest zone with WEP to get her up and running. Is it safe to leave it that way or should I just get her a new adapter? (I’m not sure how much I’m worried about it, I only have 2 neighbors that might be in range).

Thanks,

Scott

*********************
Hey guys,

On the Feb 12, 2010 show, you guys got a question from Jacob of
Bakersfield about making his ripped DVD’s into a single file so that
he can open them easily from his WDTV.
You guys suggested converting the VOBs in Handbreak, which will work,
but it will take a while to convert and there would be picture loss.
The easiest way is to simply pack the VOBs into a single ISO file.
This way he will keep his disc structure and keep his DVD lossless at
the same time.
I believe the best program for this is DVDshrink (free). I bet there
are other programs out there out there but I think DVDshrink works
perfectly for this.

Love the show guys.
Aleem

*********************

*********************

Next time: All-questions

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

************

Tom and Rafe report on how gear works in the real world, including Windows Home Server, the iPhone, and the Canon S90.

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Episode 199

Rafe

Jawbone Icon
http://jawbone.com/img/brandcenter/icon/jawbone_icon_thinker_f_w.jpg
Comfy, small, nice battery monitor in iPhone, but has silly features.

Canon S90 with kung-fu grip
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S90.html
Fiddly

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

WHS (Windows Home Server), HP EX470 – WHAT? CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE NOISE!

Tom:
Plants vs. Zombies
IPhone
Heil PR40 microphone, boom and SM-2 Shock mount
WireTap Studio

USER ROAD TEST
********************
Hey Tom & Rafe,

I bought a Western Digital WD6400BEVT hard drive (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=683) from Newegg back in December, installed it in my MacBook Pro, and it’s running great. I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone my original and full 250GB HD using Newer Technology’s USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adaptor (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/U2NV2SPATA/) that allows you to plug in any IDE/SATA/ATAPI hard drive into a USB port, and installed the drive using iFixit.com’s great repair/installation guides (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-2-Duo-Models-A1226-and-A1260-Hard-Drive-Replacement/670/1).

The process was painless and just thought I’d share a good road test experience with all the listeners.

I know you and Rafe had different experiences with your 7200 500GB drives, so I went with this large capacity laptop drive.

Love the show!

Jeremiah Ragadio
San Diego, CA

*********************

hey Tom and Rafe,
i have had the lg envy touch for about 5 months, and have a lot of issues that i would lot to share with you. its an OK phone for texting, but the keyboard is much bigger than the envy 3, and almost feels too big. the web browser is terrible, and is only good enough for Facebook at school. it does have flash, and loads the adds before any cnet podcast, but can not get the episode because it says that the media type is not supported. the biggest problem, though is that if my phone is on vibrate, it doesn’t actually vibrate!!! same with getting txts. nothing happens!!!! it goes straight to voice mail. Ive been to the Verizon store, and have been through 3 phones, and the big problem is the software. good hardware cannot fix bad software. the only complaint about the hardware is the super large keyboard and the 2.8 in screen, which is too small for a touch screen. I would not suggest getting this phone, and it feels very limited by bad software.
thanks,
Ryan
(rygavs in the chatroom)

**********************

QUESTIONS

*********************

1.
Wondering if you have a recommendation for a good n router. I am having trouble finding one that has a decent review. Most seem to be piles of junk. Also, how do you know when the router is the final version, i.e. not draft n? I have a g now and it keeps dropping the signal. It’s getting kind of old and its time to update. Any suggestions?

Thanks. Chris

Answer: All N-routers should be out of draft. The box won’t say draft anywhere and should carry the 802.11n designation. Not pre-N or draft-n or anything.

My pick would be the Netgear WNDR3700 RangeMax. http://reviews.cnet.com/routers/netgear-wndr3700-rangemax-dual/4505-3319_7-33485574.html

If you don’t care about storage or dual-band then try D-link DIR 165 or the Netgear WNR2000.

Rafe says: DLink DIR-655. Not a single problem. Fast and stable.

*******************

2.
Hi Tom and Rafe, I believe I emailed you before about a screen recorder app. Well now, I have a couple different questions regarding that same topic.
First: Do any of you know a good screen recorder app that can record video(games) on my laptop. I’ve tried half a dozen of them and they all either don’t work(bizarre unsupported formats) or are extremely choppy.
Second: Is the reason some of the apps record video very choppy because my laptop is being pushed to its limits? (amd turionx2 2.0ghz, 4gb ram, 7200rpm hdd, ati 3200 hd graphics chip) Would it be better to run the screen recorder off a second pc and do a remote desktop setup? Or do I just need to adjust the capture frame rate?

I hope you can help, I’m getting desperate,
Love the show,
JoshuCaleb the Author

AND Hey Tom just a quick question, Do you have any recommendations for a piece of software to record both video and audio on your computer screen. You know, like how all those people make those video tutorials on youtube? Oh and I also want to be able to record myself talking on top of that.

Thanks,
Kski

Answer: For the Mac iShow You is great. For the PC I haven’t found one I’m satisfied with. Hence I take most Windows screenshots in VMWare. I’m open to suggestions. One of the reasons for choppiness is what you’re capturing, and your capture software are fighting for resources. Usually RAM or hard-drive speed are the limiting factors.

Rafe: Camtasia on Windows. Project Jing is the free one. Jingproject.com

*********************

Next time: EBooks

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

************

We talk about what you need to know to get a blog set up, how to make good content, and whether you can make money from it.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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Episode 198

>

Why blog:
Marketing for your service
Fun.

So what do I do to get the blog up on the Internet?
Hosted vs. Non-hosted.

You can choose Blogger, Wordpress.com, Squarespace, TypePad.com, Posterous

Get a domain name, whichever way you do it. Register it cheaply.

If you want to host your own, you can install your own software. For this I still recommend WordPress.

Buy space at a webhost. Fairly cheap. Less than $10 a month. Unlimited blogs. E-mail, etc… You have to maintain.

Once you have it up, how do you make the most out of it?

How to get readers:
Write a lot
Twitter, Facebook your posts
Be part of the community – participate in other blogs.

Commenters

How to make money:
Don’t expect to make money! Be realistic – Bloggers don’t get rich. But consultants can.
But you can run advertising – Adsense. Wordpress users need to host; Typepad.com allows.
Blog-to-book (FastPencil)

QUESTIONS

***************

Why would I ever want FLO TV? Have we reached a gadget limit?
And don’t I have enough TV and subscriptions in my life?
Just looking for the RD geek perspective.

http://www.flotv.com/

Sheala, GA

Answer: Well in the backseat of a car? Or in the garage? Now that all the old broadcast TVs don’t work you might need this. But int he end? I can’t say.
Well, you can add it to some phones on ATT and VZ. But keep in mind that it’s a subscription service, $10 to $25 a month.

**********************

Hi Guys,

I really want to keep an eye on my new puppy at my house while I'm at work. I heard you mention once in passing about cat cams. If a cat cam is what I'm looking for I could really use some advice.

I want to use the webcams I already have in the house that I'm not using. I have a Windows 7 Desktop PC in my lounge room that I run Microsoft Media Centre on so it's running all the time, recording my TV shows.

I want to rig up the webcams to the PC with USB extension cords and have them record on the PC or to the cloud. Motion detection would be needed so I'm not just watching them sleep. I have an iphone so it would be good to be able to login to see my house from my iphone.

I'm currently playing with 'Home Camera' and it does have motion detection, takes a photo and then records a 10 second video. I get the photo and vid emailed to me and I can watch it on my iphone. It's ok and free right now but wanted to know if you have any other software suggestions I could try?

Thanks heaps - Love your show and all the Cnet podcasts!

Anthony from Australia.

Cooley the cat person says:

I've had pretty good luck with Active WebCam by Py Software.

http://www.pysoft.com/ActiveWebCamMainpage.htm

DL: http://download.cnet.com/Active-WebCam/3000-2348_4-10064509.html

Haven't tried it with iPhone, so don't know how well it works with that device. Also, the recommended max length for a USB 2.0 cable is 15 feet unless cascading hubs as repeaters.

B.C.

*********************

Next time: Road Test

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

We answer your questions about note-taking apps, facial recognition software and more.

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Episode 197

***************

Hi Tom and Rafe,

I’m in the market for a new computer and I thought I would ask your advice. I was thinking about getting a big external hard drive (like a terabyte or so) along with a new computer. The idea is that all my data would sit in a separate place and it would be easier to switch to a new computer in the future. Also, I like the benefit that if the computer dies or gets viruses, it’s not a nightmare trying to retrieve the data. My main concern is that having data on an external drive would slow down the system a lot? When I open some big files in photoshop and Adobe FlexBuilder, would it all run slowly? Would a USB 2 interface be so outdated (in 4 years when I buy another computer) that I would need to replace the external hard drive right along with my next computer anyway? I don’t need an external HD for day to day portability. Will the speed be significantly different so that I should just get a new computer with a big HD in it?

Thanks in advance for your advice,

Brian G

For same benefit with no speed hit: Use two drives, system and data. I have a velociraptor for system (300GB) and a 1TB data drive. When I upgrade to a new PC, I’ll replace the system drive but keep the data drive.

*********************

Tom and Rafe-

I’ll be buying a MacBook Pro soon for college and was wondering which productivity suite will suite me best. My main concerns are compatibility and price. Should I fork over the $150 for MS Office, spend a little less for iWork, or go with the free OpenOffice? I’ve only ever used office and really like Office 2007’s UI but I know it’ll be different on the Mac. I like the style of iWork and obviously OpenOffice’s price is its most appealing feature. What does you guys use?

Thanks for the help,
Dan in Mass.

Rafe: If you like Office 2007 on Windows, avoid Office 2008 for the Mac. It’s different and it’s frustrating. So much so that I use Office 2007 on VMWare isntead of the Mac version. The good news is that there’s a new, more Office-like Office coming to the Mac later this year: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10451101-56.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Meantime, Open Office or iWork, depending on what ppl around you use.

*********************

Hey Tom and Rafe, excellent show to start with, certainly keeps me entertained and informed!

Apologies if this has been raised before.

After listening to Tom (among others) on the Podcast version of TWiT, and hearing yet more news of the immediately ubiquitous iPad, my question is this: What do you guys do with regards to old Tech?

I think it’s pretty much a certainty that this will follow the Apple trend of a yearly refresh, and I’d like to know what happens with the outdated hardware? Do you sell them immediately, do you keep a hold of them until they become collector’s items, or are you collectors of old Tech (possible for sentimental value)?

Would love to hear your thoughts,

Roshan Patel, London, U.K.

We did a show on this: http://www.cnet.com/8301-17920_1-10072072-84.html

**********************

Hey guys

love the show.

I'm trying to find a great antivirus software that is cheap or free but that is not junk, and more importantly won't infect my pc with crap.

Thanks guys, i'm kinda pc stupid.

solid schuyler

Rafe: I know we’ve answered this a few times before, but it’s worth repeating: Microsoft now has its own free antivirus app, MS Security Essentials. Just install it and stop worrying about which AV product to get. It’s not 2005 anymore, we can move on to other problems. http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

**********************

Hey Tom and Rafe! Love the show!

If you could answer this simple question on the next “All Questions” show (or as a reply to this email), it would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve been longing to get a Macbook for some time now, but I want to know how to do (nearly) everything I do on my PC on a Mac before I spend the $1,000+ on one. One of the things that isn’t clear to me yet is how to uninstall programs from Mac OSX. I’ve heard it was as simple as going to “Applications” and deleting the program, but that apparently seems too simple for me. Does this method leave any files or whatever junk from the program behind? Is there any Revo Uninstaller-like programs out there for the Mac? Any explanations on the whole process of deleting programs from a Mac would be appreciated.

Thanks and keep up the good work!

- Kenny

Answer: Essentially what you've heard is correct. You delete an application and in the majority of cases, you're done. OS X has no registry so there are few things to go dig up.

Some programs like Microsoft Office for instance, do put folders in other directories like /bin or /lib. I use a nifty program called AppCleaner ( http://freemacsoft.net/AppCleaner/) to handle uninstalling. It makes sure to delete all the folders no matter where they are.

Rafe: Can I rant about the registry?

COMMENTS

Real Deal,

While listening to show 196 of the real deal you mentioned that the easy transfer tool in windows 7 doesn’t work from going winxp 32bit to win7 64bit. Well actually… I’m not sure if it works with upgrading the same physical machine but… it does work if you have an old system with 32bit winxp and it’s on the same local network as your new windows 7 machine. I did that very thing with someones system at work today and I ranted and raved to my boss of how great windows 7 was. Everything transferred perfectly including it automatically updating outlook from office2003 that was on the old system to office2007 that is on the new one.

Thanks for doing the show

Chris the broadcast engineer

*********************
Hey Tom and Rafe,
I think around two episodes ago I had asked you guys about my
problem of connecting the slingbox wirelessly. I was digging around cnettv.com
and found tom’s video of hacking your own router. Even though I had
to buy another router it was much cheaper option than the powerline
option, and I was successful in setting up a bridge between my slingbox
and my router wirelessly using an open source slingbox router. Hope
this solution helps with any one else out there with a similar problem.

Appreciate your help from last time,
Thanks a lot and love the show
Calvin.

*********************

I Tom and Rafe; I thought it was worth mentioning, many of the camp stoves out there that use fuel canisters like the JetBoil, do not all ways perform well in colder temperatures and some not at all below freezing. All thought there are a few that do work in the cold, I have used an older Coleman stove using their powermax fuel at -10 here in Minnesota.

All so there are a number of stoves marketed as “international” that will work with multiple fuels like white gas, kerosene, or unleaded gasoline.

Love the show! Matt in MN

p.s. It looks like Coleman has quit making the stove I have, bummer.

*********************

Next time: Beginner’s guide to blogging

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

What kinds of tech gadgets should you have in your emergency kits? We give you some ideas and take some from the audience.

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Episode 196

Power for gadgets

* UPS
* Batteries (code red) store around 60 degrees in a dry place. Best to store rechargables at half power.
* Crank chargers
* Solar chargers like Solio
* Don’t forget your car as a power source – got adapters?

Backup of data

* Cloud storage – Mozy, Carbonite, Sugarsync. Backupify, or shared – Crashplan
* USB – in Tupperware for waterproofing. In fireproof safe. (Fireproof hard drive — http://www.iosafe.com/; http://www.digitalhomethoughts.com/news/show/28375/backing-up-your-digital-photos-in-a-fireproof-safe-without-opening-it.html)
* Legacy Locker; InformationSafe

iPhone apps to save your…

* First Aid
* EMT ICE

Gadgets for disaster

* Scott E Vest!
* Radio
* Walkie-talkie
* Old GSM cell phone with charger. Grundig emergency crank radio with phone charger.
* Cellular diversity – have different people in the family on different networks. More expensive but more fault-tolerant
* Landline phone
* PLBs; the SPOT messenger (http://www.findmespot.com/en/)

Tech for Emergency kits

* Walkie talkies
* Fire makers
* Stove – jetboil
* Purifier (filter/tabs)
* Headlamps
* Find a good Twitter feed – LA fires.

Best advice

* Find a burner, emulate their kit

***************

Hey fellas,

Long time listener, first time emailer. After losing a lot of stuff
in Katrina, my wife and I learned the only thing worth saving was
photos. Keepsake souvenirs from trips can be replaced, or aren’t
really that important to begin with. The family china and silver can
be washed. Photographs, on the other hand, are irreplaceable, and if
they get wet are completely unrecoverable. While we were on
evacucation, we bought a scanner and scanned all the printed photos we
had brought with us or could save.

Now, whenever I download photos to my computer from my camera, I also
upload them via S3Fox to Amazon’s S3 remote storage service. It’s
about .15 per Gb/Month and well worth the piece of mind. A backup
drive is only good if it’s not been flooded, burned, crushed, lost, or
stolen. If Amazon’s storage server farm AND my backup drive are
toast, I’ve got bigger problems than missing photographs. In
Louisiana, we at least get a warning for our disasters. In earthquake
country, remote storage makes even more sense.

LTS,

Duff
Citizen of the Who Dat Nation

Good advice. Here’s more: scan your old prints and negs. See Scancafe, Digital Pickle, ScanMyPhotos

*****************

First, may I say how much I appreciate all your knowledge. On a podcast, you recommended FoxIt for PDFs. If you install this, do you delete Adobe Reader? If you uninstall, do you mind telling me what I can safely delete? Again, love listening and watching you. Sarah

Answer: Don’t delete Adobe Reader, just uninstall it. You should see an uninstall option in for Adobe Reader specifically in your start menu. However, if you don’t, do this.

Control Panel>Add-Remove Programs>Adobe Reader

Don’t just delete files in Windows. It’s a bad idea.

*******************

Hi Guys!

I know that I need to do a clean install of Windows 7 on my Dell XPS 600 that is currently running Windows XP 32bit . On the 10/15/2009 episode of “How To: Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7″ Tom recommended using Windows Easy Transfer wizard to back up my files and settings.

My question is, I want to upgrade to Windows 7 64 bit so I can upgrade my RAM from the current 2G, but will the file that Windows Easy Transfer wizard creates from my XP 32 bit file be able to import to the Windows 7 64 bit?

Steve D

Answer: Good point! For an inexplicable reason, Microsoft’s Easy Transfer Wizard doesn’t support moving from 32-bit to 64-bit or 64-bit to 32-bit.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

I have READ that you can use the backup and restore function in Windows Vista, but that doesn’t help you anyway. In this case, I might try PC Mover from LapLink. http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/ Or just export the registry and move all your files manually.

********************

Hi Guys,
Love listening to the Real Deal!
Have enjoyed Buzz Out Load for years, but the Real Deal always leaves me with something to try out when I get to work.
I have written down a half dozen questions in the past – then they get answered on the show before I send!

I wanted to ask about what software you would recommend for video editing on PC?
I am fairly computer savvy and able to learn software operation.

Craig Parker,
Toronto, Canada

Answer: I asked around with the CNET TV editors, and we all pretty much agreed Adobe Premiere ($800) is the best for Windows still. You can save a load of bucks if you don’t need a lot of pro features and go with Adobe Premiere Elements ($80). http://download.cnet.com/Adobe-Premiere-Elements/3000-2193_4-10701416.html

Rafe: I used Windows Movie Maker, http://download.live.com/moviemaker. Very simple. And free!

********************

COMMENTS

Greetings Rafe and Tom,

On a recent episode, someone wanted to hookup their Sling Box wireless.
I had this problem with other devices that only support wired Ethernet.
The solution I used is a D-Link DWL-G820 Wireless Gaming Adapter.

Thank you for a very informative show,

Henry C
Livonia MI

*********************

To the engineer looking to do pen input on iPad; they make
capacitive pens, and actually they make an app that turns the new
giant MacBook touchpad into a “wacom” tablet. (I know that was a
horribly malformed sentence, sorry)

Also, what are your thoughts on multi-tasking on ipad or iPhone? I
personally think it’s worthless(other than running music apps). As
long as either device doesn’t have a windowing system, what’s the
point of multitasking? It’s not like you are going to start a final
cut render and switch to play some peggle to waste time while it
renders on your iPhone or ipad. As long as apps save the last used
state, it’s essentially the same as “multitasking.”

Just a thought

#end
dwight

For cutting and pasting between apps (browser/email/word processor for example), you don’t want to have to restart the app everytime you switch

Next time: All-questions

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We take a tour through the history of previous attempts at making successful tablet PCs. How is the Apple iPad different? Is it that different? Can it succeed? Also we take your calls and answer e-mails.

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Episode 195

The long fail: A brief history of unsuccessful tablet computers
http://technologizer.com/2010/01/27/the-long-fail-a-brief-history-of-unsuccessful-tablet-computers/

A short history of the tablet computer (http://www.osnews.com/story/22739)
-DynaPAD the first concept from the late 1960s

The Apple graphics tablet
http://www.edibleapple.com/the-first-apple-tablet-from-1979/
Rafe: That’s an input device, dood! And I actually sold Tod Rundgren his first one.

-Apple Tablet design from Frog circa 1983 http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/24/frog-design-outs-the-apple-tablet-that-could-have-been-in-198/

-Apple’s Knowledge Navigator idea in 1988 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl3CVaWtF-o

-the GRiDpad was the first, real, tangible tablet computer as we would recognize it (GRiD was owned by Tandy)

-Momenta (Rafe) from October 1991: http://books.google.com/books?id=2j0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=RA1-PA142&ots=azCp6iU1z1&dq=momenta%20needleman&pg=RA1-PA142#v=onepage&q=momenta%20needleman&f=false

-Jeff Hawkins left GRiD with a software license and founded Palm
first successful utility (as opposed to gaming) computer product without a keyboard?

-GO introduced the PenPoint operating system in 1991 (Shipped on multiple devices including ThinkPad700T

-Shortly after we saw Windows for Pen Computing 1.0 (add-on for Windows 3.x – eventually developed into Windows XP Tablet edition

-MessagePad running Newton OS came along in 1993.

-Microsoft Tablet edition 2001

From @icesnake1950 – Fujitsu iPad 2002 http://www.currentdirections.com/hardware/fujitsu/ipad100.html

-UMPC 2005

-Nokia N800

-Amazon Kindle

Today’s tablets
Lenovo X series. And the weird U1: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10424800-269.html

Microsoft’s line of Slate computers from CES – HP TouchSmart tm2: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10423946-269.html?tag=mncol. $949

Apple tablet

****************
Hey Guys,
I have recently wanted to start using linux. I have done some looked around and found that there are several different distros, what are the major differences between them? Is there any particular distro that you would recommend to someone as their first distro?

Love the show
Gabriel

Answer: Hands down for beginners I recommend Ubuntu. Wikipedia has a nice list of distros with a designation of main purpose: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions If you really want to dig into reading up on the differences try http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

****************

Hi Tom/Rafe,

In the CES 2010 episode Tom made a comment that he used his Mifi instead of sharing the wireless on his Mac. I’ve been looking for a way of sharing my Wifi on an XP machine; the only way I’ve found is get the internet via wire and use the wireless for the sharing (and a wired connection isn’t always available). On a Mac, can you connect via wireless and share the connection at the same time? How about on Windows 7?

Thanks!

Chris the Accountant, Canada

Answer: You want Internet Connection Sharing: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Using-ICS-Internet-Connection-Sharing. Then you have to set up an ad-hoc WiFi link.
Go to Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center.

Click on the link “Set up a Connection or Network”.

Select the option "Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network".
Caveat: I haven’t actually done this. I’d rather pay $720 a year for a MiFi than bang my head against Windows’ network configuration settings.

****************
Tom,

You seem to love your Thinkpad’s so maybe you can help me here. I have a t61 that used to have XP and bluetooth. Now I have Windows 7 and no bluetooth. I have tried everything.

There is nothing on Lenovo’s site except for a Lazar mouse bluetooth driver. The device manager doesn’t show the hardware at all. not even as a device that is missing drivers. It is like It never existed to start with. I have installed all the hotkeys and Fnf5 only shows WiFi. You seem to work with Thinkpads so I am hoping you know about this glitch and a way to fix it.

Love the shows,
Ian

Answer: I haven’t run across this myself, but it looks like others have:

http://blog.tiensivu.com/aaron/archives/1843-Bluetooth-missing-from-Device-M
anager-on-Thinkpads-with-W7-build-7057+.html

****************
R&T,

I see some GPS units have bluetooth.

Is it possible to use a bluetooth keyboard to enter destination information on any make/model GPS units — instead of the on-screen entry?

I would expect this would have a better chance than a USB keyboard with a mini-adapter since the bluetooth keyboard would have its own power supply.

LTS

Michael, lost in Akron

Answer: Hello Michael,

Your question was passed around our Reviews staff and finally ended up on my desk. I hope you don’t mind my chiming in!

I’ve seen devices support hands-free calling (and a few support A2DP audio streaming and serial connections for contacts syncing), but none of the Bluetooth-capable GPS devices that I’ve tested have been compatible with Bluetooth keyboards or other input peripherals.

If you absolutely can’t deal with tapping on a touch screen, then you can always try using your GPS device’s software to input points of interest (such as TomTom’s HOME or Garmin’s Connect) using your full-size keyboard; sending destinations to your device through Google Maps (works best with a GPS smartphone or a Web-connected navigation device); or finding a device that uses voice recognition.

I hope that helps,

Antuan

*****************

Next time: Emergency preparedness

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We take calls about solid-state drives, iPhone 4, and uninstalling networking.

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Episode 194

Tom and Rafe discuss the gear they used to cover the consumer electronics show and how well it fared.

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Episode 193

Tech we used to cover CES – how did it hold up?

Rafe…
Tech is really getting simple. Used to have to lay out a war kit for covering a show. Now, standard hardware and software does it.
Macbook
Sprint EVDO card (never used)
Nikon D50, S400 flash, 18-200 lens
Flip camera

The double-wide trailer with our hard-wired connection

Evernote
iMovie – Great!!

To stay in touch:
Foursquare
Twitter
iPhone charge issues

Timbuk2 Commute.

Virgin America airlines – free wifi!

Other tools I like: CoverItLive, WordPress iPhone app.

Tom
Laptop – MacBook Pro – issues with screen output onto big screens. Otherwise.fine. battery life adequate.
iPhone
MiFi – keeping it turned off is a challenge. Needed it once and battery was drained.
Kensington iPhone Battery – Life saver. Not as elegant as Mophie Juice Pack.
Logitech MX wireless mouse – Perfect.

CALLS

Darren from Hak5 (http://www.hak5.org/) called in with the gear he used at CES

asus ul30a-x5
http://www.amazon.com/UL30A-X5-Light-13-3-Inch-Black-Laptop/dp/B002P3KMVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263503727&sr=8-1-catcorr

sima sl-20lx
http://www.amazon.com/Sima-SL-20LX-Ultra-Bright-Silver/dp/B000WKW69Q

kata r-103
http://www.amazon.com/Kata-KT-R-103-GDC-Rucksack/dp/B0009PYV6K

E-MAIL QUESTIONS

Hi Tom and Rafe!
I have an older desktop PC that runs Windows XP. I was wondering, how do I load Chrome OS (beta) on a flash drive, and then boot the computer from the flash drive? Is it possible that I could make is so that when the flash drive is plugged in, it will boot up Chrome OS, but when the flash drive isn’t plugged in, it will boot up the regular Windows XP? Also, could I get it to fit on a 2 GB flash drive? Also, I’m not super tech savvy so you know any simple tutorials I could use to do this?

Thanks so much! You guys are the best!
-George B.

Answer: Use this tutorial to make the USB drive. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-google-chrome-os-and-run-on-a-real-computer/ You can set BIOS to boot in order by preference.

****************

After it received rave reviews at cnet and, um, from Leo Laporte, I
recently installed Microsoft Security Essentials. It told me to
uninstall all my other security software, which I ignored, except for
one antispyware program, which had been annoying and I was not sorry
to see go. Now there is a new version of AVG Anti-Virus available. I
have had the free version of this on my computer for longer than I can
remember, and I have admired how light it was compared with, say,
Norton, and how free it was. I feel a little guilty about uninstalling
it, but the new version won’t install as long as I have Microsoft
Security Essentials installed as well. Should I say goodbye to my
free, shareware protector of the past and let the big corporate
program take care of me in the future? And does this mean that I’m
growing up?

Thanks for any advice
and Love. The. Show.

Christopher
The Administrative Law Judge in New York.

Answer:
Just stick with MSE.

****************

Hey Tom and Rafe,

I am planning on getting a sling player to stream my TV on my pc , iphone, ect. Here’s is my problem. I have my router from verizon connected via COAX cable. This router has to stay in my room on the second floor because I had linked up the router with the printers. So what I want to do is basically connect the sling box downstairs to the router via Wifi since the slingbox doesn’t include wifi built-in. I checked out the slinglink but it is I think too expensive for what it does. Is there any other alternate way to connect the slingbox via wifi?

Thanks. Calvin

Answer: There’s another solution, but it’s not much less expensive: Powerline networking. I’ve used it and it was reliable in my house. Costs about the same. Example product: http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-85Mbps-Powerline-Network-Adapter/dp/B001AZUTCS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1263334437&sr=1-2

Next time: All-questions! Send your questions to realdeal@cnet.com or call in live at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific at 888-900-CNET (2638)

We talk with Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of the MP3, about how the popular audio format came about, how best to use it, and what's next in digital audio technology.

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Episode 192

Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg
Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology

He studied digital audio coding and perceptual measurement techniques at university. The research results of his dissertation are the basis of MPEG-1 Layer 3 (mp3), MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) and most other modern audio compression schemes.

What was MPEG-1 Layer 3 when you first worked on it? What problem were you trying to solve? Was creating MP3 a similar problem to creating digital encoding for CDs?

What led to MP3 becoming so popular as a music format?

Did you anticipate the use of MP3? AAC?

What are the problems, if any with MP3 now?

Basis of how it works – psychoacoustics? Compression? Both?

Why do people like albums so much? What is “warm” sound?

Why didn’t the first CDs or MP3s sound as good as they do today?

Challenges yet to solve?

practical advice: What’s best for ripping CDs? Is there overkill, for ex at 320kbs.

You’re working on what’s next for MP3. What can we expect?

Discsussion of challenges for the music industry overall?

http://imdt.fraunhofer.de

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