OK, so we don’t really talk about Jurassic World on this episode. But Ray, Tom and Sean DO discuss some of the week’s tech news, including California’s new rules for Uber, the annual E3 video game trade show and more. Ray also reviews the food replacement product Soylent. All of that and more on this week’s Deemable Tech!

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THIS WEEK’S RUN DOWN

California commission rules that Uber drivers are employees

In what could be a major, precedent-setting decision for the so-called ?sharing economy,? the California Labor Commission has ruled that ride-sharing company Uber?s drivers are employees, not independent contractors. Uber has claimed that it is a logistics company and that drivers and passengers merely use its app to facilitate transactions.

However it seems that the Labor Commission took issue with this representation. It said that Uber controls the tools drivers use, monitors their approval ratings, and will terminate drivers whose approval ratings fall too low or who go too long without taking fares. The commission was ruling on the appeal of a labor commissioner?s award of $4,000 to Barbara Ann Berwick of San Francisco, who worked about two months for Uber last year.

If this ruling stands it could have huge consequences for Uber, currently valued at $40 billion. Uber is appealing the ruling.

European court rules news website liable for anonymous comments made on it

It?s a generally held legal principle that websites are not liable for offensive or infringing content users post on them if they remove that content when notified about it. In a surprising reversal, the European Court of Human Rights ruled this week that an Estonian news site called Delfi could be held responsible for anonymous and allegedly defamatory comments left on it. This goes against the existing European Union e-Commerce directive, which essentially has a version of the American DMCA. The court found the comments to be ?extreme? and Delfi?s efforts to control them to be insufficient – thus the ruling.

It?s not immediately clear what the effects of this ruling are. It doesn?t seem to change existing law, but could guide future European laws regarding what sort of content website operators can and cannot be held liable for.

LastPass hacked

If you use LastPass, and you haven?t changed your master password, stop listening to this podcast and do it RIGHT now. Seriously! Earlier this week, on its website LastPass announced it had detected an intrusion. Don?t panic, but the hackers did get email addresses, password reminders, and authentication hashes. So, that could be used to access your account.

The good news is, as we have said before, LastPass has multiple layers of encryption and it?s likely that no account data was lost in the breach. That being said, you must go change your LastPass master password, right now if you didn?t already do it, and it would be smart to set up two-factor authentication. We?re including a link in the show notes to Lifehacker?s article showing you how to do that if you?ve never done it before.

The FTC takes legal action against Kickstarter creator

One of the big stories of the internet over the last couple of years is crowdfunding campaigns, where sites like Kickstarter and IndieGogo allow people to back projects they?re excited about financially. Unfortunately, not all of those projects are on the up-and-up. Last week the FTC reported that it had taken its first legal action against a crowdfunding campaign – a Kickstarter-based project to create a board game called ?The Doom That Came To Atlantic City.? The FTC says that would-be creator Erik Chevalier had asked for $35,000 and wound up raising over $122,000 from 1,246 backers. Most of the backers pledged $75 or more in hopes of getting a backer reward that included pewter figurines. 14 months later, however, Chavalier had not provided any rewards and announced he was cancelling the game and would be refunding the money. No refunds were ever given.

The FTC has settled with Chevalier, forbidding him from ?making misrepresentations about any crowdfunding campaign and from failing to honor stated refund policies. He is also barred from disclosing or otherwise benefiting from customers? personal information, and failing to dispose of such information properly.?

Backers hoping for their money back are out of luck, though. The FTC would make Chevalier pay it back if he had it? but it appears that he doesn?t. It appears that the first rule of crowdfunding campaigns is still in full effect: let the buyer beware.

AT&T fined $100 million

The FCC won?t let AT&T be, or let AT&T be AT&T so let me see. The FCC is hitting AT&T with a $100 Million dollar fine for telling customers they had unlimited data, when in fact they were throttling them when they hit an undisclosed limit.

Travis LeBlanc, the chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau said in a statement “Unlimited means unlimited. As today?s action demonstrates, the commission is committed to holding accountable those broadband providers who fail to be fully transparent about data limits.”

On average, affected subscribers were throttled for 12 days a billing cycle. The fine is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of dollars AT&T has made from its so-called ?unlimited? plans. However, it is the largest fine proposal in the history of the FCC. The Federal Trade Commission also has a pending lawsuit against AT&T for the same issue.

SwiftKey vulnerability on Samsung Galaxy phones opens 600 million devices up to hacking

Another day, another hack that potentially affects millions. Security researchers at the BlackHat security conference in London have demonstrated that it is possible to exploit Samsung?s customized version of the SwiftKey keyboard to allow hackers to secretly gain access to the phone?s camera and microphones, text messages, memory, and to install malicious apps. It appears that Samsung grants the SwiftKey app high level privileges but makes no effort to encrypt updates to the software. The SwiftKey app is used on virtually all Samsung Galaxy phones, which means about 600 million devices worldwide. There?s not much users can do to make themselves safer at this time, other than to avoid unsecured wifi, and even this will not make them absolutely safe. Simply not using the SwiftKey keyboard will not help. The only real fix will be a patch from Samsung.

E3

This week is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual trade show for the video game industry. This is where game makers announce new games and technology, as well as show off games that are currently in production.

There were many announcements and interesting things at this year?s E3, so we?re not going to be able to cover all of them today. In fact, we?re actually recording this episode on Wednesday, so there may have been more this week than we are even aware of. But we did want to mention two things we thought were cool, and they were both from Microsoft.

First, Microsoft announced that their Cortana digital assistant that can currently be found on Windows Phone will be coming to Android and the Xbox One. This means that you will be able to perform common tasks on your Xbox using voice commands. No firm release dates for these, but Microsoft did say that the Xbox One version will be out ?this fall.?

Microsoft also showed off their Hololens augmented reality headset live onstage at E3.

The Hololens — which Microsoft announced a while ago yet we?ve never talked about it — are holographic glasses that let you see and interact with virtual objects and environments as if they existed in the real world. Unlike virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, the Hololens is transparent so you can see the actual world around you.

During their presentation this week, Microsoft demoed this technology using everyone?s favorite game, Minecraft. Explaining it verbally won?t do it justice, so we have included a video of the demonstration in the show notes at Deemable.com. The presentation begins with a Microsoft developer wearing a Hololens playing Minecraft using an Xbox controller on a virtual screen on the wall he was looking at. He then gets up, stares at a table on stage and says ?Build World.? This results in the Hololens building a three dimensional version of the Minecraft world on top of the table, which the developer can move around and look at from different angles. He can also manipulate things by using voice commands and gestures.

Polygon: Hololens hands-on review

Forbes: Hololens will cost significantly more than $400

St. Louis Cardinals allegedly hack the Houston Astros

Time to talk about SPORTSBALL!

The St. Louis Cardinals are being investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department for allegedly hacking the Houston Astros. What is a Cardinal or an Astro? A Cardinal is red birds that lives in Missouri and an Astro is a grey dog from the future that has a speech impediment. They get together to play sportsball with a baseball bat.

Why did the Cardinals hack the Astros? I have no idea. Were they trying to get secret sportsball techniques? Maybe. According to the New York Times, the database that was hacked contained statistics and values about the players and potential recruits.

The ?hack? looks like it was as complicated as using crappy passwords. Jeff Luhnow, who is now the Astro?s general manager was an executive at the Cardinals until 2011. He took some of the front office personnel from the Cardinals when he left. Investigators compared a list of passwords used by the staff when they worked for the Cardinals and they apparently used the same ones at the Astros.

REVIEW

Ray shares his experience with the food replacement product Soylent.

Image credit: Soylent

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If Google can do it, we can too! The title of this episode is this GIF.

This week the guys geek out over Tesla adding an autopilot feature to their electric cars, mourn the death of TigerDirect retail stores, and wonder if they can follow in Google’s footsteps and communicate purely through GIFs. Plus, Ray shares his thoughts on the Cogito smartwatch.

If you haven’t subscribed to Deemable Tech yet, get on it! Subscribe to Deemable Tech in iTunes, on Stitcher or subscribe to the show in another podcast reader. Make sure to leave us a review in iTunes and Stitcher. The more reviews we have the higher we’ll be listed, and the more listeners will see our show.

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This Week’s Run Down

Tesla Announces Software Update for Cars Which Adds “Autopilot” Feature

Tesla CEO Elon Musk held a press conference this week at which he announced that late model Teslas will be getting a software update that will give them a new feature called ‘autopilot.’ The autopilot feature will bring ordinary Tesla electric cars that much closer to being self-driving, enabling them to stay in their lane on a well-marked highway without driver intervention. Musk claimed that the autopilot technology would enable to a driver to make it from San Francisco to Seattle without steering.

Musk also announced a feature called Range Assurance which will alert Tesla drivers when the charge in their car is getting too low to make it to the nearest charging station.

$10 Million Target Credit Card Data Breach Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval

You probably remember the massive data breach that hit Target during the 2013 holiday season where tens of millions of credit cards were stolen right out of their systems. A class action lawsuit was filed and now Target is preparing to settle? for $10 million dollars.

If that amount seems low to you, it is because Target is not going to do the usual thing and send five dollars to every customer whose card number was stolen. Instead, card holders can only be reimbursed if they can show that they were actually hurt by the data breach. They need to have had fraudulent charges placed on their card that they were not reimbursed for, that negatively affected their credit score, or show that they spent a lot of time and money resolving the problem, or that it harmed them in some other way.

The proposed settlement is only preliminary, and members of the class action suit have until November 10th to object.

RadioShack Puts Customer Data Up for Sale in Bankruptcy Auction

RadioShack is on the auction block this week as its creditors attempt to sell the company?s assets – this apparently includes a large chunk of customer data, including 65 million customer names and physical addresses and 13 million email addresses. Consumer advocates are concerned, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims it may be illegal under state law. Texas does not allow companies to violate their own privacy policies and signage in RadioShack promises that they will not sell their private mailing list.

AT&T is also opposing the sale of data because they say RadioShack is not entitled to personal information it collects from wireless sales. AT&T wants the data destroyed to keep it from falling into competitors hands.

A bankruptcy court still has to approve the deal.

TigerDirect Closing Retail Stores

Speaking of defunct electronic stores, remember Circuit City… CompUSA… Ultimate Electronics? Well, TigerDirect bought them in the late aughts. Well, now TigerDirect is joining them in the electronic retail store afterlife. Two of the former executives for TigerDirect were recently sentenced to 60 and 80 months in jail for a kickback scheme that cost the company $27 million. Apparently that hurt the company enough that the company decided to close all by two retail stores.

It makes me sad because TigerDirect was a “dot com boom” success story. They actually started as a catalog company, but transitioned into internet sales early. When all of the retail computer stores started dying, TigerDirect was holding strong, and they bought up the stores and their IP and entered the retail market. They did a fantastic job of turning stores like CompUSA and Circuit City, which were known for fancy displays and overpriced electronics, into stores with smart employees, simple displays and prices that competed with the Internet.

TigerDirect is going to continue selling computers, electronics and computer components on its website.

No word yet if NewEgg is planning on buying its stores, but that would be the perfect irony.

Facial Recognition Software Leads To Arrest of Jacksonville Man Who Faked His Own Death

Another thing the internet has ruined: faking your own death. Jacksonville businessman Jose Lantigua had been reported dead in Venezuela two years ago. But when he attempted to apply for a new passport under his new, false identity the US State Department used facial recognition software to match him to his original identity in their database. Federal agents then set up a sting operation and caught him wearing a brown toupee and ?a poorly dyed beard.?

Lantigua is wanted on numerous counts of insurance fraud, since his family attempted to collect on his life insurance policy after his death. The insurance company has long viewed this with suspicion.

Google Responds to Reporter with GIF Instead of “No Comment”

This week, Daily Dot writer Richard Lewis published a story about YouTube reportedly planning to relaunch its livestreaming platform with a focus on computer gaming and esports. This is similar to Twitch, which Google tried to buy last year before it ended up being purchased by Amazon.

Lewis reached out to Google for a comment on the reports, and they apparently responded with something only Google could get away with. Instead of the usual “no comment,” the representative sent Lewis this animated GIF of a little girl shrugging. No text, just the GIF.

Lewis at first assumed that this was a joke, and said that he received a “no comment” response from Google in his story. The same representative sent another message saying that the GIF was, in fact, their official response.

Reviews

Ray shares his thoughts on the Cogito swartwatch this week.

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Ray Hollister reviews the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer on Deemable Tech

This week Ray, Tom and Sean talk about how Hilary Clinton used her personal email address the entire time she worked at the State Department. They discussed the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, (which included the announcement of SamsungPay which is the implementation of LoopPay into the Samsung phones which Ray insisted two weeks ago would not happen!) They also talked about the death of Google+ and Google starting its own wireless carrier. Then, Ray shared his review of the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer. If you’re just here for the video, make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom.

#74 Ray Likes His Crow Breaded With A Light, Crispy Panko Crust

RUN DOWN

Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge

This week was the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain and Samsung used the opportunity to take the wraps off the next iteration of its flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S6? and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. That?s right, the S6 will come in two formats – a standard rectangular shape and a more curvy version with a display that wraps around the edge and which can display alerts by lighting up.

Regardless of what you think about Samsung?s latest gimmick, both phones are aimed squarely at the premium smartphone market. Samsung has ditched the removable plastic cases of previous Galaxy S?s for a phone that is completely encased in aluminum and Gorilla Glass, similar to the iPhone. The phone boasts an almost ridiculous Quad HD (2560 x 1440) Super AMOLED. Why would anyone need that kind of resolution on a 5.1 inch screen? Virtual Reality! You can strap your S6 into the latest version of Samsung?s Gear VR for a super-high-res virtual reality experience. Since the screen will be literally centimeters from your face, it has to look good.

Not all of Samsung?s longtime users are excited about the S6. The premium case materials means that the newest Galaxy phones no longer allow for a removable battery or an expandable SD memory card, two longstanding features of the Galaxy line.

Samsung Pay, formerly known as Loop Pay, with its magnetic card swiping technology, is built right into the phone.

Google announced that Google+, its one-time ambitious attempt to take on Facebook and Twitter, is going under the knife.

Google+ Divests

The Verge is reporting that the Google+ social network is getting split up into Streams, Photos and Hangouts. It is also getting a new lead: Bradley Horowitz, a long time VP, is taking over from David Besbris. Besbris had held his position less than a year after Vic Gundotra was let go with little fanfare.

Google+ was originally pitched to be Google?s answer to rivals like Facebook and Twitter. In 2012 it took the controversial step of forcibly assigning every Google user across all of its services a Google+ account. Despite this, Google+ never reached the critical mass of user activity needed to take on the big guys. Google has since backed away from their one-size-fits-all approach.

Google execs are now calling the social network side of the product ?Streams? and considering them to be separate from Photos, home of the ridiculous Auto-Awesome feature, and Hangouts, Google?s free and easy-to-use chat and videoconferencing system.

How to Auto-Awesome your photos manually – AndroidCentral.

While Google has not officially announced the death of ?Streams? as a product, some experts are predicting it could be on the chopping block soon.

Google Wireless

According to Mashable, Google?s latest crazy plan is to become a wireless carrier.

Google revealed this week at Mobile World Congress that it plans to get into the wireless carrier business, offering mobile voice and data service to customers. Google says that it will do this on a small scale, buying wholesale access from Sprint and T-Mobile?s networks and selling them to customers. Google says it wants to ?push the needle? when it comes to features offered to mobile customers, for instance allowing users to seamlessly transition between wifi and cellular connections.

Google was careful to emphasize that it does not intend to compete with AT&T and Verizon and that they have been informed of its plans.

BIG STORY

Hillary Clinton used a personal email account the entire time she was US Secretary of State

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/us/politics/hillary-clintons-use-of-private-email-at-state-department-raises-flags.html

Clinton apparently set up an email account one week prior to President Obama’s inauguration, and she did not use an official @state.gov email address.

For comparison, according to NBC News, Former secretary of State Condelezza Rice did not use personal email while she was in office, but she rarely used email at all. Clinton aides have also said that, Colin Powell did regularly use a personal e-mail account while Secretary of State.

A Powell aide confirmed that information, saying, “General Powell used a personal email account during his tenure as Secretary of State. He was not aware of any restrictions nor does he recall being made aware of any over the four years he served at State.”

According to the Washington Post, “Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton appears to have operated in violation of what the White House said Tuesday was ?very specific guidance? that members of the Obama administration use government e-mail accounts to carry out official business.”

Hillary Clinton said on Twitter :

I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible.

? Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 5, 2015

REVIEWS

BACtrack MobileBreathalyzer Review

Last year Ray received the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer, which, unsurprisingly, tracks your BAC or your blood alcohol content. In other words, it’s a mobile Breathalyzer.

It is a really great product. (Disclaimer, BACtrack did provide a sample unit for review.) The BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer connects with your Smartphone via Bluetooth.

It’s pretty comfortable to hold in your hand, and it is very easy to use. You just turn it on, open the BACtrack app and pair it with your phone via bluetooth and follow the on screen instructions.

It keeps track of your blood alcohol level over time while you are drinking, and it calculates how long it will take for you to be sober. In addition to a number calculation of your BAC, it give you an idea of where you should be feeling. It will say things like “You are experiencing slight alcohol intoxication.”

The strangest feature of the device is that it let’s you post your blood alcohol level on social media. I personally never use that feature, but I can definitely see it going horribly, horribly wrong. I can only imagine the legal implications but it could possibly have too. But, it would help to explain all of those wacky drunk pictures.

If you are a frequent drinker, this breathalyzer has a great feature that will let you track when and where you drank. You can choose what you share otherwise it always stays private.

The BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer cost $99 now. It was $149 when I reviewed it. I feel like it was worth $149, but I think that $99 is the perfect price point for the features it has.

Now, there are other breathalyzers that BACtrack makes that are cheaper. They have a model that uses a different sensor that only costs $49, and they have keychain models that do not connect to your smartphone that are $29.

Personally, I like the model that uses the same technology that the police use to check blood alcohol level, because if I am trusting something to check if I am below the legal limit or not, I want to be absolutely certain it is right!

That being said, this is in no way an endorsement to drive while intoxicated. It’s never safe to drink under the influence of alcohol, and you can be arrested for DUI even if you’re under the legal limit.

The thing that surprised me most about using the backtrack mobile breathalyzer was that I am apparently a cheap date. I was drunk long before the device said I was a legally drunk. Or, at least I felt like I was drunk.

It was crazy to me that at .02, I felt that I could not drive a car, but I was still legal to drive.

Check out the video of the review below:

UNCUT!

Back to the Future Part II got it right! Now that it’s 2015, everybody’s wearing multiple neckties. Image credit: Universal Pictures

In this episode of the Deemable Tech podcast, Ray, Tom and producer Sean are back for more tech chatter. First, they help a listener looking for a good way to organize and filter her email inbox.

Then it’s time for a few reviews! Sean continues his series of subscription box reviews with the healthy snacking service Graze and the “Comic Con in a box” fun of Nerd Block. Ray reviews the LoopPay mobile wallet and smartphone accessory, as well as Tunity, an app that allows you stream audio from a muted TV on your device. And Tom shares his experience with the voice recorder and note-taking app Cogi.

If you haven’t already done so, please leave a review of the Deemable Tech podcast in iTunes. As more of you review the show, the higher it’s listed in iTunes, allowing new listeners to more easily discover us. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter where we deliver these podcast episodes and our radio segments straight to your inbox each week.

Download: #68 Sean Wears Two Neckties

Links mentioned in this episode

• Unroll.me
• Mailstrom
• Graze
• Nerd Block
• LoopPay
• Tunity
• Cogi

Image credit: Apple

Ray, Tom and producer Sean are back in this episode of the Deemable Tech podcast. The guys answer several of your questions about TVs, including how to present slideshows from your computer on your HDTV, using your TV as a hub for all of your devices, and recording shows off of your broadcast antennae.

Then it’s time for a couple of reviews! Sean continues his subscription box series with a review of Dollar Shave Club, while Tom takes a look at the new Moto X Android smartphone.

If all of that wasn’t enough, the guys also discuss some of the biggest tech news of the week, including reports that CVS and Rite Aid are pulling support for Apple Pay by removing NFC payments all together from their stores.

Download: #66 Ixnay on the Apple Pay

If you spend a lot of time on social media, you may have noticed a fair number of ads for subscription boxes on your feed. The trend of companies offering monthly packs of curated products has steadily grown over the past several years, and you can now find sites offering boxes of everything from specialty dog treats to designer makeup shipped directly to your door. I’ve always wondered how well these services work and if they’re worth the price, so I decided to try some of them out.

What Is It?

The first subscription box I’m reviewing (chosen at random) is Loot Crate, which according to their website is a “monthly gear and swag club for those that live and embrace the geek and gaming lifestyle.” This box (or crate, as they call it) is aimed at fans of such things as comic books, video games and superhero movies. I fit squarely into this demographic (read: I’m a geek).

Loot Crate’s July 2014 “villains” box. Check out those awesome Deadpool socks. Image credit: Loot Crate

Each month, Loot Crate ships a “product discovery” box filled with items like toys, shirts and gadgets picked by their staff and centered around a particular theme. For example, the “villains” themed crate for July 2014 (seen above) included among other things a Joker shirt, a Darth Vader keychain and a pair of Deadpool socks. They often use a lot of licensed products from popular brands like Marvel, DC, Nintendo and Star Wars, so their crates usually offer broad appeal.

Loot Crate provided me with their August 2014 box to review. Following the previous month’s “villains” theme, this one was appropriately centered around “heroes.”

Loot Crate’s August 2014 “heroes” box. Image credit: Loot Crate

What’s In It?

• Funko Pop! Guardians of the Galaxy Groot bobblehead doll – Funko’s Pop! line of vinyl figures and bobbleheads consists of super cute versions of many popular characters – everything from Disney princesses to horror movie icons –  that have giant heads and huge eyes. Groot, if you don’t know, is one of the characters from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy comic and blockbuster movie. Put these two things together, and you have one adorable bobblehead. As an added bonus, this Loot Crate exclusive version of the figure glows in the dark.

Sidebar: I have to say that I would have liked this box even more if it were themed entirely around Groot. I love Groot. I didn’t know anything about the character before seeing the film, but now I can’t get enough of him. I would have been on board for a full “Groot Crate” (I’ll be here all week!).

• Kidrobot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Ooze Action mini-figure – Based on the Nickelodeon show, these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figures are about three inches tall, have disproportionately large heads and include their weapons of choice as accessories. Each box included a random choice out of the four Turtles; I received Raphael and his trusty twin sai. These figures are also glow-in-the-dark.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sunglasses – These glasses, made to look like the Turtles’ trademark bandannas, were also different with each box. Because I’m color blind, I assumed the pair I got were red to go along with the Raphael figure. However, my Deemable Tech colleagues have informed me that they are in fact supposed to be Michelangelo’s orange mask. Either way, I’m wearing them as I type this.

• Shwings – These “wings for your shoes” accessories come in a variety of shapes and colors, and you attach them to your shoes by lacing through them. I received a gold foil pair of lightning bolts that kind of remind me of The Flash, but sadly don’t make me run any faster.

• Video game air freshener – Again, it appears that which air freshener was in your box was chosen at random. The picture on Loot Crate’s site shows a Mega Man themed one. I received a Sonic the Hedgehog air freshener in the shape of the hedgehog himself. The packaging lists the fragrance as being “Sonic Breeze,” which reminds me of a “fresh rain” or “mountain stream” scent. I have to wonder, though, do they mean this is what it smells like when Sonic runs past you? If so, that adds a whole new layer to those games.

• “Digital loot” card – This card includes three codes for various apps and PC games: a full Steam download code for the PC game Defense Grid: The Awakening; a special character unlock code for the Doctor Who Legacy app; and a special level unlock code for the PC game Gauntlet.

• Deadpool magnet – Based on the world of Marvel’s Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson aka the Merc with a Mouth), this magnet was designed to look like a box of “Wilson’s Chimichang’Os” cereal, “the breakfast of anti-heroes!” What are “Chimichang’Os,” you ask? Well, they appear to be chimichangas in a bowl of milk. That’s Deadpool for you.

• Loot Crate button – A special button for this month’s theme includes an illustration of heroes like Mega Man, Captain America and Batman.

• Loot Crate magazine – This booklet features articles and activities tailored to each month’s theme (among others, the August one included an article on the origins of several popular comic book and video game heroes). It also contains descriptions of all of the items in the crate.

Loot Crate’s box is about the size of a small shoe box, so I was surprised by the amount of stuff they were able to fit in it. The inside of the box is designed (at least for this month) to resemble the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ sewer home, and served pretty well as a display for the TMNT mini-figure.

How Much Does It Cost?

Loot Crate offers three choices of subscription plans:

• Recurring one month subscription for $19.37 per month (includes shipping and handling).

• Recurring three month plan for a total of $55.11 up front (includes shipping and handling).

• Recurrently six month plan for a total of $105.99 up front (includes shipping and handling).

Loot Crate advertises that the products in each box have a total retail value of $40 or more. From my calculations, this crate had at least $70 worth of items (based on current Amazon.com prices). Subscribers are also entered into a monthly drawing for a “Mega Crate” valued at over $750.

Verdict

Part of the allure of this type of “mystery box” subscription is the surprise factor of not knowing what you’re going to get. Unfortunately, that surprise factor can also mean your satisfaction with the the box could vary from month to month depending on your personal taste. While I really liked the selection in this Loot Crate box, I can imagine not being interested in another month’s theme or items. Because of that, I don’t know if I could ever commit to one of the more expensive plans they offer (especially since you have to pay for it all at once). I would, however, consider paying for the monthly subscription.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Loot Crate. I would recommend it for anyone who likes this particular slice of pop culture, or enjoys these types of collectibles. For the price and the value of the items included, I think it is a good deal.

And if you’re reading this, Loot Crate: please consider my “Groot Crate” idea, OK?

I’ll leave you now with a picture of me wearing those Shwings.

Oh yeah. Stylish.

Image credit: Stephen Jones / WJCT

Beat the summer heat with Deemable Tech!

In this sizzling hour-long radio special, Ray and Tom hear from listeners looking to back up a Mac and a PC to the same external hard drive, searching for ways to open more free space on their iPhone, wondering if their IP address has been hacked and more.

The guys also share some really useful websites for planning your summer vacation, talk about ways to secure your smartphone, and review the Nest “smart” thermostat.

Deemable Tech June 2014 Radio Special

Listener Questions

• Does my smartphone have a virus?
• Why won’t my Kindle battery charge?
• Is my IP address being hacked?
• How do I start a podcast?

Links Mentioned in this Special

• Format an external hard drive to use with both Macs and PCs
• Using the exFAT format
• Lifehacker – Making the most of an iPhone with minimal storage
• Backing up your iOS device – How to backup your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
• Tips to Hacker-Proof Your Smartphone
• Eight Websites to Help Plan Your Summer Vacation
• Nest Thermostat Review

The Nest Thermostat is a learning, programmable thermostat.

If you’re like most people your eyes just glazed over. I mean, those are two of the most boring words in the English language: thermostat and programmable. Thermostats are something that people use because they have to, not because they want to. They are boring gray boxes that go on the wall somewhere in your house. And, only nerds like to program stuff. I mean who enjoyed programming the time on their VCR?

What should be the most boring thing in my house is actually my favorite device in my house. Okay, let me be fair, maybe it’s my third favorite device after my Macbook and my iPhone. Let’s start with aesthetics. The thing is beautiful. It’s round, and has a glass front, and brush steel ring around the outside. It blends in and compliments every wall it is on because it reflects the colors of the wall. It doesn’t look like a gadget, It looks like a piece of modern art on my wall.

The interface is incredibly intuitive. It’s a thermostat, so to turn it up, or make it warmer, you turn it clockwise, to turn it down or make it colder, you turn it counterclockwise. Just like the old-fashioned thermostat that used to be in every school-house and home. When the AC is on, and the house is cooling, the screen is blue. When the heater is on and the house is warming, the screen is orange. So it gives you a visual indicator of what you’re heating and cooling system is doing. And, I’ll tell you, if that was all that it did, it would be a really nice thermostat. It would still be better than almost everything else on the market.

But, that’s not all that it does. One of the features that I love is that the Nest detects whether you are in the house, and if you’ve been away for a certain time, it goes into “auto?away “mode. You don’t have to worry about making sure that the air is turned down when you go on vacation anymore! Or when you go away just for the weekend.

Another great feature is that the nest thermostat connects to the Internet via your Wi-Fi network, and you can control it from the web and from your iPhone or android device. That way when you’re on your way home from your vacation, you can turn the AC back on, and it will be nice and comfortable when you walk in the door. The inherently lazy part of me also appreciates that I don’t have to get out of bed in the middle of the night when my wife complains that it’s too cold, Lord do I have to get off the couch in the middle of a movie marathon because it’s too hot. Nest Labs recently announced Works with Nest, which essentially turns a Nest Thermostat into a hub for your home automation. Companies like Whirlpool, Mercedes-Benz, and Jawbone have added integration with the Nest Thermostat into their products to make them more convenient and energy-efficient.

At this point, you probably noticed that I haven’t said anything about how to program it. Well, that is really one of the greatest things about it. You don’t have to do anything. All you have to do is use it for a couple of weeks, and the Nest thermostat just figures out how long it takes your house to cool down or warm up, and it figures out how you like the temperature in your house to be and when, and sets your schedule based on how you use it. So, for instance, if you like it to be kind of cold when you go to bed but warmer when you wake up, and you always set it to 72° around 10 o’clock and 78° when you wake up at 6:00, after a couple of weeks, the thermostat will automatically set itself to cool down to 72° by 10 PM and warm back up to 78° by 6 AM. And, if you always leave the house to go to work at about 8:15 AM and get home by 6:30 PM, your house will start going into auto away mode automatically at 8:15, and it will automatically turn back on in time to have the house cooled back down by 6:30.

Americans waste a lot of energy running our our air conditioning units all the time. Most people forget or just don?t want to turn their AC up when they go to work. If you don’t think that matters, just think about this, half of most home’s electric bill is controlled by the thermostat. If you have a properly programmed thermostat, you can save 20% off of your energy costs.

Finally, the Nest Thermostat is ridiculously easy to install. It took me a total of 20 minutes. Most of that time was me reading over the instructions 4 times because I was nervous that I would mess something up. The instructions are super easy to follow, and if you have a “complicated” old thermostat like I did, all you have to do is take a picture of your old thermostat, send it to Nest, and they will email you back a custom wiring diagram. All you have to do is remove the faceplate of your old thermostat, apply the included labels, and then plug them into the Nest Thermostat base plate. Everything you will need is included in the box, including a screwdriver. But if you really don’t think you can do it, or you just don’t want to do it, Nest has certified installers that will be more than happy to take your money from you to install a Nest thermostat in your home.

The Nest Thermostat is available for $249 at Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Google Play, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and of course, Nest.com.

This week we did things a little differently on Deemable Tech and actually didn’t answer any questions! Ray and Tom are both back in the studio following almost a month of holidays, illnesses and no shows. After catching up and making sure everyone is feeling better (spoilers: they are!), they’re joined by producer Sean Birch to play a round of geeky trivia we’re calling DOES NOT COMPUTE.

Then all three review some new tech gadgets, including the bug bite itch relief instrument Therapik, the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth headphones and the Lifeproof Fre iPad Mini case.

Remember, we are prepping for the first Deemable Tech hour-long radio episode. Get your calls in at 1-888-972-9868 to “audition” for the show!

#55 Reviews! Reviews! Reviews!

TRANSCRIPT

RAY: From WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m Ray Hollister,

TOM: I’m Tom Braun,

RAY: and this is Deemable Tech. The Deemable Tech Podcast is brought to you by A Small Orange, Homegrown Hosting. A refreshingly different approach to web hosting. On the web at a small orange dot com.

TOM: Got a question about your computer, smart phone, tablet or the Internet? You can give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or send us an email to questions@deemable.com.

TOM: Well we?re back after quite a long break. Let?s address the elephant in the room. Ray, what happened?

RAY: Well, I had major surgery!

TOM: Today on the show we?re changing things up a little.

RAY: Right, we are going to be doing fewer questions. We?ve realized that the people who listen to our podcast and the people that listen to our radio segments on NPR are not necessarily the same people.

TOM: With all due respect to any radio listeners out there, the typical podcast listener is a little more tech savvy. And we want to make this podcast more interesting for you guys. We don?t have a specific plan. Instead we?re going to try different things. And if you have suggestions for things you?d like to hear us try, let us know. Questions@deemable.com.

RAY: Well, later on in the show, we have some cool tech products to review, but before we jump into that, what do we have on the docket first, Tom.

TOM: We?ve come up with a segment called DOES NOT COMPUTE. I?ve compiled some quiz-show style questions about tech facts, things that the average user may not know. I?m going to ask Ray joined by our producer Sean Birch some of these questions and we?ll see how they do.

Where did the word robot originate from?

Ken Olsen, the founder of DEC, said in 1977, ?There?s no reason for any individual to have a ____ in their home.?

What is the only sport played on the moon?

In a vacuum light travels at 670 and a half million MPH. Harvard scientists recently used slowed a beam of light down to what speed?

How many bytes are there in a kilobyte?

Reviews

Therapik Bug Bite Itch Relief Gadget

Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Headhpones

Thanks for all your questions, and keep them coming. Call us at our toll-free number, 1-888-972-9868 or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com. Also, subscribe to the show! Search for Deemable Tech on iTunes, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and follow us or subscribe.

Our producer is Sean Birch. I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

This week on Deemable Tech, we’re really back in the studio, and we answer tech questions! We have questions about how to wipe an iPad, whether you should buy an AMD or an Intel laptop, the best way to host unique email addresses, and more. And Ray and Tom talk about their new toys! Ray has an iPhone 5S, and Tom finally got his hands on the semi-mythical Chromecast.

#49 Ray Admits He’s an Idiot

DRAFT TRANSCRIPT

RAY: From WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m Ray Hollister,

TOM: I’m Tom Braun,

RAY: and this is Deemable Tech, tech help worth listening to.

TOM: This week’s episode of the Deemable Tech podcast is brought to you by A Small Orange, Homegrown Hosting. A refreshingly different approach to web hosting. On the web at a small orange dot com.

RAY: And if you haven’t done so already, make sure to subscribe to the Deemable Tech podcast. Just go to iTunes and search for Deemable Tech, or go to deemable.com/itunes to take you directly to our iTunes page. You can also subscribe to our YouTube page at youtube.com/DeemableTech. And we’re on the Facebook and the Twitter, just search for Deemable Tech.

TOM: Got a question about your computer, smart phone, tablet or the Internet? Give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or send us an email at questions@deemable.com.

RAY:

We’ve started a new Amazon Gift Card contest. All you have to do is answer a few questions about the Deemable Tech podcast.

Don’t worry, it’s not a trivia contest. We just need your opinion on a few questions. If you could take a few minutes and answer our survey it will really help us out a lot. And, just for doing so, you’ll be entered to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Just go to Deemable.com and click the link to take the survey. You can’t miss it, it will be the first or second article at the top of the page until the contest is over. Speaking of which, it ends September 30th, so don’t wait, go submit your survey answers right now,… unless you’re listening live, then wait until the show’s over and then answer the questions.

Speaking of questions, Tom, do we have any questions?

TOM: Do we have any questions? Do we have any questions?! Yeah, we have questions. We have questions about how to wipe an iPhone, whether you should buy an AMD or an Intel laptop, the best way to host unique email addresses, and more.

RAY: Ooh ooh an we talk about our new toys?

TOM: OH, that?s right, we both have fun new gadgets. Ray has an iPhone 5S, and I?ve finally got my hands on the semi-mythical Chromebook. But first we?re going to dive into a couple of questions, starting with this one from Martha.

TOM: Martha writes, I am a middle school art teacher. My classroom is long and narrow and set up for for projection on the center of one of the long walls. With large classes of 44 students plus, nearly half of them cannot see the examples and demonstrations that I am projecting. Having 16 -20 students move their seats every time I want to show them something eats up too much class time. I am looking for a way to project the same image on the side and end wall at the same time – and of course on a school teachers budget. I have a laptop and an LCD projector. I thought about trying to add a TV to the set up. How? Will it work? Is there a better (and/or cheaper) option?
Thanks guys!

RAY: It all depends on your setup Martha. I am assuming that you are connecting your laptop to your projector with a VGA cable. The end of a VGA cable looks like an upside-down trapezoid with 3 rows of 5 pins on it. That used to be the standard monitor/projector cable. If you’re using HDMI or DVI then these instructions would be a little different.
Many projectors have an extra VGA out port, so you can daisy chain them.

Let me explain what that means.

If it doesn’t, you’ll have to get a VGA splitter. You can find them for $10 to $20.

Now, if I was doing this, and I had an unlimited amount of money, I would hook up another projector on the other side of the room. But, since you mentioned that you’re on a school teacher’s budget, and, if I had to guess you’re probably paying for this out of your own pocket, I expect you don’t have a load of cash to throw it this problem.

You mentioned that you have a TV that you could add to the set up. That will most likely work, but you may have to buy adapters to connect the laptop to the television set. If you’re really lucky, it might have a VGA in port on it. If you’re not so lucky, you may have to buy an adapter, which can run anywhere from $50-$200 depending on which type of adapter you need.

Either way, you are going to need a cable to run from your laptop, or from the other projector, to the other side of the room where the TV or the other projector is going to be. 50 foot VGA cables run anywhere from $15-$60 online.

So, best case scenario this is going to cost you about $50. Worst case scenario it might cost you closer to $200.

I hope that helps. If that seems doable to you, but you need some more help, do us a favor and take a picture of the back of your laptop, and the back of the projector where you plug it in the laptop, and the back of the TV where the ports are. We will be able to tell you more specifically what exact cables and/or adapters you need. Email us those pictures at questions@Deemable.com and we’ll take another look at it okay? Thanks.

Maliery writes, Are AMD processors the generic processors in comparison to Intel Celeron processors?
I’m shopping for a laptop, and I’m finding that the price of the AMD is more alluring, but not more than the specs on a i5 intel processor. If I bought an AMD processor (laptop), will I be disappointed when I visit my grandma, and she’s playing Solitare on an i5?

Thanks for the question, Maliery.

The way you framed it makes me think you?re comparing, say, Tylenol to the generic store-brand stuff. Processors don?t work quite the same way. There can be a lot of little differences under the hood.

AMD had kind of a hay-day in the 90?s, and several desktops I owned then had AMD processors and could go toe-to-toe with more expensive Intel machines. But things have really changed. While AMD computers are often quite cheap these days, they just aren?t up to par with Intel machines.

I?m not just talking about performance, either. You?re generally going to see better battery life on Intel laptops versus AMD laptops. Intel chips do a much better job with power management. I also suspect that you?re just going to have a smoother overall experience with an Intel machine.

Even price doesn?t have to hold you back from buying Intel. I recently helped a friend shop for an Intel laptop that was under $500. Sure, there are some real bargain basement AMD laptops, but once you get down to the $250 range I?d start thinking about getting a Chromebook for that email-and-web-browsing laptop.

It is possible to get higher end AMD processors that have clock speeds on par with lower end Intel processors. But Intel simply makes a better chip, so unless you are planning on buying a laptop based on price alone I would not get an AMD.

Name: Bill

Question: One of the icons on my iPad screen is called “Notes”. It’s a yellow legal pad app that I have used often to make notes in meetings. How do I print those notes off my iPad using my MG6220 Canon Printer? Thanks.

Fortunately your Printer is AirPrint ready. So you can automatically print from your iPad.

Just tap the Action button, which on iOS 6 is square with an arrow point sorta to the right. On iOS 7 it’s a square with an arrow pointing up.

Walk through from there

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/printers_multifunction/pixma_mg_series/pixma_mg6220

BREAK

RAY: So, if you follow us on Twitter @Deemable, or if you follow me on Twitter @RayHollister, then you know that I spent Friday morning waiting in line at the Apple store for the iPhone 5S.

TOM: Now Ray, I know you are an Apple fan, but I thought you always said people that lined up overnight for the iPhone launches were idiots?

RAY: Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still think they’re idiots, I’ve just accepted that I am one of them. All kidding aside, it was a lot of fun although it was exhausting. I got there at about 3:00 AM and got my iPhone 5S at just after 8:00, so it wasn’t too bad, but I really didn’t prepare for it. I was busy all day Thursday, so I was about to pass out from exhaustion by the time I got home. If you want to read the highlights, check out my Twitter feed @rayhollister.

TOM: So, what’s your verdict? Was it worth the wait and the money?

RAY:
TouchID works fantastic
I never had a passcode on my iPhone before, like most people, but now I have a 35+ character passcode

It works almost every single time. The only time I have had a problem was when my fingers were wet, and I tried to unlock it.

The A7 processor is so snappy.
Significantly faster than my iPhone 4S, and quite a bit faster than my friend’s iPhone 5.
The larger screen size took a little bit to get used to. Especially with my Megan Fox thubs.

Camera

Burst mode

SloMo

True Tone flash

New sounds, no more marimba

RAY: So Tom, I know that you also recently got a new toy, and I wondered if you wanted to talk about it a little bit.
TOM: Does a geek want to talk about his new toy??? Does Tim Cook own an iPhone?
RAY: OK, so tell us what it is.
TOM: It?s a Chromecast.
RAY: Now explain to our listeners what a Chromecast is.
TOM: Basically a Chromecast is a little dongle that plugs into the HDMI port of your television. When connected to your home wifi network, any device that can run Google Chrome can send video and audio wirelessly directly to your TV.
It works pretty well, and the kicker is that it?s $30.
The Chromecast actually came out this summer, but at that low price they sold out within about 24 hours. I wasn?t one of the people in the first wave, but I went ahead and put it an order for one on Amazon.com.
Right when Google announced the Chromecast I had actually been looking for ways to do exactly what it does: stream wireless video from my laptop to my TV. I probably stream video from my laptop 70% of the time I?m using my TV. I was getting tired of lugging my laptop into the living room and tripping over the eight foot HDMI cable I use to connect it.
Google is not the first company to come up with a way to broadcast video from a computer to a TV.
RAY: There?s Apple TV.
TOM: Right, but you have to have a Mac, and I don?t. Some newer Intel-based laptops have a technology called WiDi which can do it, but my laptop unfortunately doesn?t have that either. There are a number of third party solutions out there, but they all have two big drawbacks: they all require line of sight to the TV, and they all start at $150 and go up from there.
RAY: You can get AirParrot for Windows. It lets you broadcast video from your Mac or Windows PC to an Apple TV. It’s only $9.99 for the program, but you still have to buy a $99 Apple TV.
TOM: Right. So when Google announced that it had a $30 solution to this problem I definitely paid attention.
RAY: Okay, so how does the Chromecast actually work? How do you set it up?
TOM: *explains*
RAY: Cool. Can you send any video to the TV with the Chromecast?
TOM: No, you can?t send just anything. You have to have the Google Chrome browser installed, and that?s what?s going to talk to your television. But the nice thing is that Chrome is available for the PC, the Mac, Android and iDevices. So any of those can talk to the Chromecast.
So far the only apps that have native support for Chromecast are YouTube, Netflix and Google Play. If you have any of those apps on your phone or tablet you should see a square Chromecast icon. Touching the icon will send whatever you?re playing to the Chromecast. This works very well. The Chromecast actually streams the video or audio, and your phone or tablet basically acts as the controller.
RAY: But what about things that don?t have native Chromecast support?
TOM: There is a Chromecast extension which you install on Chrome, and that puts a button on your browser that allows you to share any browser tab with Chromecast. So if your want to share something that doesn?t have Chromecast support yet you can still do that. For instance, Hulu doesn?t have native Chromecast support but you simply cast the tab you?re watching it in and it appears on your TV – with a second or so delay, granted.
RAY: What about local files. Can you play movies that are on your hard drive?
TOM: You can, at least on a Windows PC. You can actually play video files in Chrome, as long as they aren?t in a proprietary format. Windows Media Player?s WMV files and Apple?s MOV files won?t work, but file types like AVI and MP4 will open in a Chrome tab. And then you can share them to your Chromecast.
Overall it works pretty well. Sometimes the interface is a little clunky and there can be a delay of a few seconds when starting a video. And of course it doesn?t support every video format. But for $30 I personally am willing to forgive a lot of those quirks.

BREAK

TOM:
Subject: For Those w/o a Domain Name
Ray, Tom-
Howdy. Your listeners might be interested in https://www.sneakemail.com,/
they provide a fair priced solution similar to what Amber and you do.
-Hoff
RAY: Last week Amber and I talked about how we use bestbuy@rayhollister.com, avenue@amberhollister.com etc.
For folks without their own domain address Sneakemail.com works the same way. $2.00 per month, which is about the same price as a domain name without all the hassle.

Geri writes in:

Okay, don’t laugh… I just found an old computer game CD-Rom designed for Windows 95/98. (I said don’t laugh!) It’s Scrabble, and it would be more convenient than online options sometimes, since I’m in Africa. Anyway, will this thing work on my Windows XP (also outdated now, I know)? Will it crash my computer?
Waiting anxiously for your response if I can get my Scrabble on!

RAY: It should work. Most likely you’ll only need to put the disc in. However, you might have to run it in “compatibility mode.” Try it and see.

Dave writes, Hi.
I have a Samsung Centura phone that accumulates frequently called
numbers. This is something different from the regular call log which I
can clear any time. The frequently called log is retaining _every_
number I dial and I cannot find a way to delete/clear this log. In fact
I would like to disable it altogether. Any help?
Thanks very much.
TOM: OK Dave, hopefully we can help you. We aren?t familiar with the Samsung Centura and we don?t have access to one, but we can tell you what the internet says about your problem. I searched for ?samsung centura frequently called numbers? and found someone complaining about the same issue. Another user said there is an app they can download that will do the trick.
Try searching for and downloading the ?HistoryEraser? app from DUMAPIC in the Google Play Market.
Once you have the app, select `Contacts`. Then, select target will say `All Frequently Called (in Favorites tab). Press `Ok` and they`re gone!
As far as I can tell, the HistoryEraser app looks legit. But we haven?t tried it ourselves, so this is a little bit of a use-at-your-own-risk case. That said, if this issue is really driving you crazy it might worth trying.

Michael wrote on our Facebook page:

All of a sudden an icon called “Homegroup” appeared on my desktop. I didn’t do anything I know of to get this, whatever it is. Have I been hacked or what? Is it safe and, if so, what for? And how did I get it? I’m running Windows 8, but not on a touch screen.

RAY: Most likely it is safe. I haven’t heard of any viruses or hacks involving Homegroup. You or someone on your network was most likely playing with file sharing settings. A homegroup is something that is setup on Windows 7 and 8 to allow you to share documents, photos, music, videos and printers with other people on your home network. You can set it up so that they make changes to your documents or set it up so all they can do is view them.

You don’t have to do anything about it, but if you want to get rid of it from your desktop, we’ll include a link in our show notes with directions on how to remove the Homegroup icon from Windows 8 and how to remove the Homegroup icon from Windows 7 if any other listeners that have Windows 7 want to remove it as well.

Thanks for all your questions, and keep them coming. Call us at our toll-free number, 1-888-972-9868 or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com. Also, subscribe to the show! Search for Deemable Tech on iTunes or point your favorite podcast app to dmbl.co/pod.

Our producer is Sean Birch. Thanks to Robert Snyder for Video Production Assistance. I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

This week, we’re finally half-back in studio. “Half-back” because Tom was out sick, but Amber Hollister, Ray’s wife, came in to fill Tom’s shoes. Ray and Amber were joined in the studio by Brian DeAlexandris, the owner of PrepChefs.com, to talk about his incredible company that delivers delicious, ready-to-cook, homemade style meals. If you’ve ever wished that you could pick up your iPhone and make dinner for the entire week appear at your doorstep, you need to listen to this episode!

After the interview, Ray and Amber recapped the Apple iPhone 5C and 5S announcement and answered a listener’s question about security questions.

#48 PrepChefs.com, New iPhones and In-security Questions

DRAFT TRANSCRIPT

RAY: From WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m Ray Hollister,

AMBER: I’m Amber Hollister,

RAY: and this is Deemable Tech, tech help worth listening to.

RAY: This week’s episode of the Deemable Tech podcast is brought to you by A Small Orange, Homegrown Hosting. A refreshingly different approach to web hosting. On the web at a small orange dot com.

RAY: So, as you can tell Tom is out of the studio today, so we’re joined today by wife Amber Hollister.

Does it feel weird being in here instead of at home watching the show on the website?

Got a question about your computer, smart phone, tablet or the Internet? Give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or send us an email at questions@deemable.com.

RAY: Well, as you might remember, we were doing a contest to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, and the time is now to announce the winner.

[Drumroll]

… No one!

That’s right. A lot of people liked us on Facebook and Twitter and subscribed to the show on iTunes and YouTube, but not a single person emailed us at giftcard@deemable.com to enter the contest, except for one guy that sent us some spam. So, that contest was an epic fail.

But we’ve learned from the experience, and we are starting a new Amazon Gift Card contest that is much easier to enter. All you have to do is answer a few questions about the Deemable Tech podcast.

Don’t worry, it’s not a trivia contest. We just need your opinion on a few questions. If you could take a few minutes and answer our survey it will really help us out a lot. And, just for doing so, you’ll be entered to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Just go to Deemable.com and click the link to take the survey.  You can’t miss it, it will be the first or second article at the top until the contest is over. Speaking of which, it ends September 30th, so don’t wait, go submit your survey answers right now,… unless you’re listening live, then just load the page in the background and answer the questions after the show is over.

Now, on to the show. So, Amber you remember the 90s, right?

AMBER: Sure,

• it started with the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union,

• They were playing alternative, grunge and ska on the radio,

• Dolly the sheep was the first cloned animal,

• There was the Iraq war, the Lewinski scandal, the ramp up to the fear of Y2K bug,

• and of course, that was the decade when Al Gore invented the Internet.

RAY: Wow, that was a really in depth description.

AMBER: [pause] I just looked on Wikipedia.

RAY: Ah. Well, I ask because remember how back in the old days of the Information Superhighway, the Internet was going to change how we did everything? Back then, they predicted that by now, we would be doing all of our shopping on the Internet. Brick and mortar stores would be relics of the past. We would buy everything online, all of our electronics, all of our clothes, all of our groceries would be bought online.

I have never bought a single piece of clothing online, have you?

AMBER: *answer, and vamp*

RAY: Well, obviously the Internet has turned out a bit differently than they predicted. But, there’s one thing that you can do online that they did predict right. That is buying your food online. Now, I’m not talking about going to the grocery store and buying your groceries online, although there are services that will do that for you, and you can even buy groceries on Amazon. What I’m talking about is delicious, ready to cook meals delivered to your door.

So, a little over a month ago I found out about this website that is here in Jacksonville called PrepChefs.com. The website looked fantastic, so we decided to check it out. My wife Amber and I have been using the service for about a month now, and we have loved it, so I invited the owner Brian DeAlexandris to join us here in the studio to tell us more about it.

Thanks for joining us Brian.

Also, because, I’ll be honest, she knows more about cooking these days than I do, I also invited my wife Amber to join us in the studio to tell us about her experience using the service.

OUTRO

Thanks for all your questions, and keep them coming. Call us at our toll-free number, 1-888-972-9868 or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com. Also, subscribe to the show! Search for Deemable Tech on iTunes or point your favorite podcast app to dmbl.co/pod.

Our producer is Sean Birch. Thanks to Robert Snyder for Video Production Assistance. I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

Want to save money on water and energy? Jo Borrás from Clean Technica has this report about a shower head that gently reminds you when you’ve been showering a little too long.

LED Shower Head Helps You Save Water, Power, Gas, & Money! (via Clean Technica)

After a long run in Miami’s blistering summer heat, there were few things I enjoyed more than stepping into a cold shower. That was a long time ago, though. I live in Chicago now, and the aches and pains I have now are less from things like ?running? or ?cycling? and more form things like ?sitting weird? or ?bending down wrong,? and there are few things I enjoy more than stepping into a hot, relaxing shower. It’s a bit decadent, I know, but I tend to get lost in thought a bit and end up using a few minutes more water than I know I should. I don’t think I’m alone in that, and neither does Uji, the maker of a clever new LED shower head that’s designed to help you enjoy your showers, guilt-free.

When I first bought my iPhone, I was so enraptured with the beautiful lines and sleek curves of the phone, I couldn’t think of putting it in a plastic, clunky iPhone case. I should have known better. It hadn’t been 6 months since my daughter, 4 years-old at the time, had flung my Palm Pre across the Fantasmic! stadium at Disney World. It had skidded on its face along the concrete down the length of an entire bench of seats, and now had a nice patch of road rash across its screen.

Despite this fact, I ran around with my without an iPhone case for almost 4 months. One day, I was walking out to the bus, and my phone rang. As I took out my phone it slipped from my fingers. My years of playing hacky sack in high school finally paid off. I instinctively lifted my knee. The iPhone bounced off of my thigh, then landed on my shin, and slid down to my toe. Before I realized what was happening, I kicked my iPhone off my foot.  Time seemed to slow down as I snatched my iPhone out of the air, right as my bus pulled up. The bus driver pointed out the obvious, “Boy, you sure are lucky that didn’t hit the ground!” I decided then that I had to buy an iPhone case. I bought an Otterbox Defender because it was the only iPhone case I could find that seemed strong enough to protect my iPhone for when my mad hacky sack skills didn’t save the day next time. I had to sacrifice the beauty of the phone for the protection of the phone. None of the iPhone cases on the market were aesthetically appealing and designed to protect the phone.

Why not an iPhone case that is beautiful and rugged?

I recently found a new iPhone case that incorporates beautiful design with protection. I received an AVIVO Style Rail Carbonate iPhone 5 case to review, and I was pleasantly surprised. The AVIVO Style iPhone cases from Design Syncracy are thin and stylish, but also strong and durable. The cases fit the iPhone snugly and securely. You can instantly tell the superior quality of the product, because there doesn’t feel like there is a micrometer to spare or a micrometer too little. The Rail Carbonate iPhone 5 case is also incredibly lightweight, but reinforced in the areas where it needs strength the most with shock absorbing dampers. Instead of covering the iPhone with a bulky case that makes the phone look like a chunk of plastic, it transforms it into an elegant fashion accessory that, according to drop-tests by the company, can withstand corner impacts from 12-14 feet! As an admitted Apple fanboy, I shudder to say it, but it’s the first iPhone case I have ever seen that makes the iPhone look better with a case on than without one.

As manly as a pirate ship

I expected the AVIVO Style Rail Carbonate iPhone case to be too feminine for my liking, but I found that it looked less girly and more luxurious. No, I wouldn’t carry it around a construction site or on a pirate ship, (Yes, apparently that’s the best illustration I could come up with to exemplify masculinity, a pirate ship.) but I would definitely carry it into a boardroom or into a meeting with a client. The Rail Carbonate iPhone cases ($39.99) remind me of a BMW 3 Series; it’s not too showy, but nonetheless very classy. Whereas the Rail Aluminum iPhone cases remind me of the BMW 5 or 7 series; not only will other people compliment you, they will be jealous of you as well.

Like LEGOs, but stylish. Stylish LEGOs.

One of my favorite features is that the AVIVO Style iPhone cases are engineered to be modular. The cases have interchangeable “rails” and frames. The rails, unlike the infamous Apple iPhone Bumpers, are elegant and fit the iPhone 5 perfectly. The Aluminum series has 4 different machined aluminium rails and 2 different frames to choose from. The Carbonate series has 2 different rails and 7 different frames to choose from. On the review unit that I received, the Rail Carbonate Frost White + Motif Jacket and Frame, the rail material somehow blends almost seamlessly into the white glass of the iPhone 5. Also, the ridges on the sides are not just for looks. In addition to providing structural strength, they’re also intended to serve as connections for future accessories like a kickstand, something the iPhone is desperately missing.

Final verdict

My only complaints are really unfair, because they don’t apply to what the AVIVO Style iPhone cases aim to be. I would like to see water and dust protection, which none of their products provide. However, just as you probably wouldn’t drive your BMW sedan to go mudding in the woods,  you probably wouldn’t take this iPhone case into a situation that necessitated water and dust protection. If you need a truck, you have to buy a truck. However, if you are trying to find a case that is elegantly and fashionably designed and will protect your iPhone, the AVIVO Style Rail Carbonate and Rail Aluminum iPhone cases are a smart choice.

Growing up in Florida I have had more than my fair share of bug bites over the years. In fact, I used to have so many bug bites as a child that I was almost cured from chicken pox before my parents even knew I had it! Over the years, I’ve also been covered in every type of itch relief cream and ointment imaginable to try to make the itch and pain from the mosquito bites, flea bites and ant bites go away. Most of them worked temporarily to relieve the itch from the bug bites, but none of them made the bug bite itch go away permanently. So, when I heard about the Therapik I was quite a bit skeptical. When I found out that the Therapik was clinically approved and cleared by the FDA in the United States and the TPP in Canada to claim that the product relieved pain and itch from bug bites, my skepticism waned a bit. Even still, I had to try it myself before I would believe it.

Who sent me a prop from a sci-fi B movie?

I was quite amused when I opened the package in the mail. Instead of a high-tech medical device, I found what looked like a phaser with a red tip. My first instinct was to run around the house and pretend to shoot Klingons. I held back my nerdy inner child, only to have my real life child, Zoë, do the exact same thing when she found it. “Ooh! Daddy got a phaser! Pew! Pew! Pew!” she yelled as she ran through the house with it. It took about 15 minutes to get her to turn over her new toy, and to explain that it wasn’t a toy, it was actually a product that Daddy was reviewing. When I explained to her what it was supposed to do, her eyes lit up. “Yay! Daddy has a phaser that will make the mosquito bites stop itching!” she exclaimed.

The Therapik is molded silver plastic with a large blue button on the side. At the bottom of the Therapik there is a small loop that I suppose could be used for a lanyard. That might be helpful if you took it camping with you. The Therapik is boxy in shape, but fits fairly comfortably in the hand. There’s not much inside the Therapik; there’s just a compartment for a 9-volt battery, a little bit of wire, and inside the red applicator tip of the Therapik, behind a metal mesh is a 5 volt light bulb. That is what makes the magic happen. When you press the blue button, the light bulb turns on, and because it’s being powered by a 9-volt battery, it gets hot pretty fast. As you can see in the image below though, it is recessed inside the red tip, so that it doesn’t touch the skin. To use the Therapik you simply press the applicator tip, (a.k.a. the red barrel of the phaser) gently against the center of the bug bite,and hold down the blue button for 20-30 seconds.

It really makes bug bites stop itching!

I tried it on myself, my wife and my daughter, and all of us noticed a huge difference in the itchiness of flea bites, mosquito bites, and ant bites. (Yes, I let ants bite me just so I could try it out. No, I did not let them bite my daughter or my wife, not that they would have let me try if I wanted to.) If you treat the bug bites immediately after they bite you it works perfectly. The moment you release the button of the Therapik after the 30 seconds are up, you notice that the itching has stopped. If it has been a few hours since you were bitten, it might not get rid of the itch completely, but it will help. According to the company, the Therapik works by delivering heat to a localized area of the skin. The reason it works to relieve the itching or pain from bug bites is because the venom that many insects inject into us is thermolabile, meaning that it is destroyed when heat is applied to it. Interestingly, fleas and mosquitos do not inject thermobile venom, but it works on those bug bites too. The assumption is that the heat causes a focused increase in blood flow at the bug bite which flushes out the mosquito and flea saliva that causes the itching. Regardless of how it does it, surprisingly, it works.

Does it hurt?

You bet! It doesn’t hurt at all for the first 10 to 15 seconds. You don’t even really start to notice it until between 15 and 20 seconds, but the last 10 seconds are Hell on Earth. You can’t remember why you thought you should try this thing. You’ll really want to take it off. Don’t be a weenie! If my seven year old daughter can handle it, you can too. It’s worth it in the end. After all, what’s worse, ten to fifteen seconds of intense pain or a week or two of itching? Keep in mind, you could possibly burn your skin if you held it on there for more than the maximum 30 seconds that are recommended in the instructions. However, the only way you are going to keep it on longer than 30 seconds is if you are some kind of sadist.

Should you buy it?

I am extremely sensitive to mosquito and flea bites. Before I started using the Therapik, one bite would itch for a week to two weeks, and the itch would radiate inches beyond the welts they would leave. Since I have been using the Therapik I haven’t suffered from constantly itchy legs for the first time in my life. Even when I get the occasional bug bite, the itch is gone in seconds. Brace yourself world! I might start wearing shorts again!

If you suffer from the itch and pain of bug bites from mosquitos, fleas and ants, or in other words, if you are a human, you should definitely buy the Therapik. For less than $15 bucks it provides real lasting itch relief, and it doesn’t use any chemicals. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun to run around the house with while you yell “Pew! Pew! Pew!”

On this episode of Deemable Tech, Angel Torres from The Logica visits us in the studio again to tell us what he’s been up to since One Spark, and to tell us about some big news from the Aurora App. Also, we help Amber remove a forgotten PIN restriction on her iPhone, and we helped Lynda figure out why apps keep redone loading on her iPod touch after she deleted them.

We also announced an Amazon Gift Card give away! We really need your help growing our show, and what better way to do that than through bribery! That’s right, if Deemable Tech gets at least 500 subscribers on iTunes and at least 200 subscribers on YouTube by the end of August, we are going to give away an Amazon Gift Card worth $50!

To be eligible to win the $50 Amazon Gift Card, you have to Subscribe to us on YouTube and iTunes, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Then, send us an email at giftcard@deemable.com. In that email, tell us your Facebook name, Twitter and YouTube username. We’ll pick one eligible email at random and we’ll announce it on the show. You got to do all of it and include all of it in the email. If you don’t, you’re disqualified! We’re gonna check!

Now, remember, we can’t give away the $50 Amazon Gift Card unless we hit 500 subscribers on iTunes and 200 subscribers on YouTube by the end of August. So, you’ve got to tell your friends about Deemable Tech, and tell them to subscribe to Deemable Tech on iTunes and YouTube! Not only does this put you in the running for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, but it will really help us to grow Deemable Tech. So, whether you do it out of altruistic motives, or out of pure selfishness, make sure to tell everyone you know about Deemable Tech, and make sure to like us on Facebook, Subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube and Follow us on Twitter! The links to all of our profiles are in the top right corner of the website under the heading, Follow Deemable Tech.

Also, we almost forgot to mention that we launched the Deemable Tech app! The Deemable Tech app is now available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in the App Store and for Android phones and tablets in the Google Play store. You can find a link to the app simply by visiting Deemable.com on your mobile device. On the Deemable Tech app you can listen or watch the latest episodes of Deemable Tech, read the latest articles, and submit questions right on your smart phone or tablet. You can receive notifications on your phone when new articles and episodes are posted too! Thanks to all of our Kickstarter supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you.

All that, plus our app recommendations of the week on this episode of Deemable Tech!

#44 Angel Torres and the Aurora App 2.0

DRAFT TRANSCRIPT

SEGMENT A INTRO

RAY: From WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m Ray Hollister,

TOM: I’m Tom Braun,

RAY: and this is Deemable Tech, tech help worth listening to.

RAY: This week’s episode of the Deemable Tech podcast is brought to you by A Small Orange, Homegrown Hosting. A refreshingly different approach to web hosting. On the web at a small orange dot com.

And, by audible.com – Deemable Tech listeners can get a FREE audiobook download at audibletrial.com/Deemable Over 100,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.

TOM: Got a question about your computer, smart phone, tablet or the Internet? Give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or send us an email at questions@deemable.com.

Amazon Gift Card Contest Announcement

RAY: Tonight, on Deemable Tech, folks, we need you to do us a favor. If you like the show, if you want to hear more episodes of Deemable Tech, we need you to do something for us. We need you to tell your friends about us. We need you to share us on Facebook, tweet about us on Twitter, just send an email to your friends and tell them to check us out. Or if you talk to people in real life, you can tell them there. Give them a call on the phone.

You know how Tinkerbell would die if people don’t believe in her? Well, we’re kinda like that. Except the energy that we depend on is Subscriptions, Likes, and Follows.

If you haven’t done it already,
Subscribe to us on YouTube and iTunes.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

I’ll be honest, right now, the Deemable Tech community is pretty small. We only have about 150 subscribers on our podcast, we have about 25 subscribers on YouTube. We do have about 1,000 likes on Facebook and followers on Twitter, but the subscribers is what really counts, because those are people who are actually watching or listening to the show.

Tell you what, I have a deal for you. If we hit 500 subscribers on iTunes and 200 subscribers on YouTube, I’ll give away an Amazon gift card. Sound good?

TOM: How much?

Here’s what you have to do to be eligible to receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. You have to Subscribe to us on YouTube and iTunes, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, and send us an email at giftcard@deemable.com. In that email, tell us your Facebook name, Twitter and YouTube username. We’ll pick one eligible email at random and we’ll announce it on the show. You got to include all of it. If you don’t you’re disqualified. We need that information because we’re gonna check! If you didn’t like us, you’re disqualified. etc.

You can like us on Google Plus too, but nobody really cares.

On this week’s episode we have a special guest, back with us in the studio again, Angel Torres, the CEO and founder of The Logica, a web and app development company. You might know him from when he was on the show back in February, or you might know him if you came to One Spark. Thanks for coming on the show, Angel.

So, I want to ask you about what’s been going on with the Aurora App, and any other projects that The Logica is up to that you can talk about, but I’m sure you’ve heard about the changes at One Spark that are coming for One Spark 2014. I want to see what you think about that too. Sound fun?

All right, but first, let’s talk about apps.

That App Segment

IFTTT – If This Then That

LIMBO Game

Aurora App

All right, well let’s answer a couple of listener’s questions.

Amber wrote in and asked, at some point I created a PIN number for my iPhone’s “Restrictions” setting. I can’t remember it now, and I have 9 failed passcode attempts. Will I ever be able to get in and change my restrictions… or will I be stuck with in-app purchases turned off forever? Help! How can I fix this?
Well, hopefully you have synced your iPhone with iTunes on your computer at least once before. If you have this going to be a lot easier. All you’ll have to do is open iTunes, and plug your iPhone in, and that will reset the count of how many times you can enter the passcode. So, theoretically you could enter pin numbers until the end of time. Hopefully at some point you’ll be able to figure out what your pin number was.
If you can’t figure out what your pin number was, then that’s a slightly bigger problem. You’re going to have to backup your iPhone, and then restore it from that backup. That will clear the PIN number. But, that will only work, if you have synced your iPhone with iTunes on your computer in the past. If you haven’t, you’re going to have to reset your iPhone to factory settings. That is why I said I hope that you have synced it before, because if you haven’t, you’re going to lose all your settings and all your stuff on your iPhone.
So, what I would do is start by plugging in your iPhone and trying those passcodes again, and keep track of which ones you’ve tried, especially if you’re only doing a four digit pin code. I mean there’s only 9,999 options. You’ve got to hit it eventually, right?
We will include a link to instructions how to reset your iPhone to factory settings, and how to restore your iPhone from a previous back up in the show notes for the episode.

iOS: Forgotten passcode or device disabled after entering wrong passcode

Lynda asked I keep deleting apps off of my iPod touch, but they keep reinstalling whenever the app gets updated. Why? It’s driving me crazy. I want to be able to delete apps and for them to stay deleted. What’s going on? I am running iOS 6.1.3 on a 4th generation iPod. I am running iTunes on my Windows 7 laptop. iTunes syncs over the WiFi.

I am going to guess that you probably don’t keep your laptop running all the time. Here’s what I think is happening: You are connecting to iTunes, and syncing. Then, later you install an app, and delete it before you sync with your computer again. Now what happens, is the next time you sync your computer with your iPod, iTunes downloads the app, and then it sees that you don’t have the new app on your iPod. So, in trying to be helpful, it reinstalls it on your iPod for you. Now, you’re probably only just noticing it when the App Store has an update for the app.

How to enable Automatic Downloads on your computer and on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

QUESTIONS FOR ANGEL

How did things turn out for you guys at One Spark?
What would you do different?
Are you planning on entering One Spark 2014?
What happening with the Aurora app?
What projects are working on now?

Changes for One Spark 2014 http://beonespark.tumblr.com/post/55001047087/one-spark-2014-press-release

More money up for grabs: $300,000
Distributed differently:
$200,000 guaranteed crowdfund distributed solely on public vote,
five $10,000 bonuses awarded to the top-voted creator in each category,
five $10,000 juried prizes and immediate individual contributions from attendees.
Other changes
Five creator categories, art, innovation, music, science and technology
More walkable, concentrated event footprint that will include 20 square blocks and additional programming throughout.
Significant number of additional voting and information kiosk locations.

SPONSOR

For the listeners of the Deemable Tech podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/Deemable. Again, that’s audibletrial.com/Deemable for your free audiobook!

OUTRO

Thanks for all your questions, and keep them coming. Call us at our toll-free number, 1-888-972-9868 or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com. Also, subscribe to the show! Search for Deemable Tech on iTunes or point your favorite podcast app to dmbl.co/pod.

Our producer is Sean Birch. Thanks to Robert Snyder for Video Production Assistance. I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

I had been looking for a decent wireless Bluetooth stereo headset for years.

I wasn’t asking for a miracle. I just wanted a Bluetooth stereo headset that had great audio quality, long battery life, was comfortable to wear and cost under $100. Sure, I could use a wired headset. I just didn’t want to. I know it’s just a thin piece of wire, but I hate it! I just want something I could put on my head and listen to music and podcasts, and maybe answer a phone call, without a piece of wire dangling around my arm or down my shirt. A few months ago, I saw someone on the bus wearing a headset that didn’t have a wire. I had to ask him what they were, and he told me they were the Bose AE2w Bluetooth Stereo Headset. I asked him how much they cost, and he quietly whispered, “Um…they were $250.” I was visibly taken aback, and blurted out, “Wow! That’s expensive!” He promptly got off at the next stop. I’m not sure if that was his stop, if he was embarrassed, or if he was afraid I was going to steal his headset!

Ever since my encounter on the bus, I have been actively looking for a Bluetooth stereo headset that would do the job, but we’re a little less expensive. I tried the Motorola S10-HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. Perhaps it was because I had long hair at the time, but I did not like the behind-the-head model stereo bluetooth headsets. So, those were eliminated from my quest. I looked at some earbud Bluetooth stereo headset models like the LG HBS-730 Bluetooth Stereo Headset. Again, I wasn’t excited about something laying on my shoulders. I finally found the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset. Fortunately, the price was under $100 too, which made my wallet happy. So, I ordered a pair on Amazon.

I was so excited when it showed up at my doorstep. The Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset is a beautiful piece of technology. It has clean lines, even at the joints where the headset folds, with just enough chrome to make it look like it’s from the future. It catches peoples’ attention everywhere I go. I’ve lost count of how many times people have asked me about them. Fortunately, they all wait until I take them off before asking me! The outer band has a soft, plastic matte finish. The inner band is a soft, velour material. The headset has an inner circumference of about 15.5 inches and the ear pieces extend an additional inch on each side. This allows both me and my 7-year-old daughter to use the headset comfortably. The bluetooth stereo headset is small enough to be held in my hand when they are closed, although I do have large hands. I’m not sure if Jabra endorses this, but because of the bluetooth stereo headset’s flat profile, when you aren’t using them you can put one ear piece in your pocket and let them hang at your hips.

Setting up the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset and using the controls

The first time the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooh Stereo Headset is turned on, it pairs easily by entering the pairing code from the manual in your smart phone. From then on, the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset conveniently turns on and pairs with your phone by just unfolding the headset. To turn the headset back off, you need only fold the headset. No more worrying about turning off your bluetooth to save the battery. Even if you forget to fold them up when you aren’t using them, the Bluetooth stereo headset gets 13 days of standby time. You can also listen to music or talk on the phone for up to eight hours before you have to charge them. I have spent several days where I walked out of the house listening to podcasts, continuoulsy listened to podcasts the entire day, and only finally during my bus ride home after listening to podcasts for 8.5 hours straight would the battery give out.

Fortunately, even then I can keep listening. The Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset works wirelessly with any smart phone or any music player that supports Bluetooth A2DP, which includeds the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices running 4.2 or higher. It can also be paired with two devices at the same time; it doesn’t have to be virtually unplugged to use it with two devices at the same time. So, you could have it connected to your Sony Playstation and still answer phone calls with it. However, one of the best features is that the headset can also be plugged into devices that do not have Bluetooth via the included cable. The cord has a Answer/End button on it because the controls on the headset turn off when you plug the headset in to a headphone jack. Unfortunately, it does not have a volume control switch like the cables on the Apple Earpods.

The Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset has two physical controls: a volume touch slider and the Answer/End button. With the Answer/End button you can obviously, answer and hang up phone calls, as well as ignore incoming phone calls and play and pause music and podcasts. With the volume touch slider you can adjust the volume of your headset by sliding up or down, and skip to the next track or skip back to a previous track by double-tapping the plus or minus end of the slide. I typically prefer volume controls that physically move, but the volume touch slider is suprisingly intuitive and easy to use. When you reach the top and bottom of the volume level, the HALO2 beeps to alert you.

Sound Quality

The sound quality on the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Headset is quite respectable, especially for the price. The AM3D Virtual Surround Sound 2.0 & Power Bass give it a full, rich sound that most headsets at this price range lack. The sound is significantly better when plugged in, but it is still solid when played over the Bluetooth connection. This headset isn’t going to compete with a pair of cans that can really kick out the bass, but they’re not supposed to. They’re not perfectly balanced either. They are just a tiny bit tinny and a little bit hollow on the low end. The sound quality might not impress your friendly neighborhood audiophile, but for the average listener, these headphones are above average. They won’t replace my studio headphones that I use when I am recording, but they are definitly the pair that I will carry everywhere with me. They are delightful to wear and listen to all day.

I only have one complaint about the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset. Occasionally, when I was walking or jogging, the sound would cut out every now and then for less than a second. It happened at least once every five minutes. Like I said before, the Bluetooth stereo headset has great sound for the price, as long as you sit or stand still and the phone and headset have a clear line of sight. The problem was only really bad when I would put my phone on my belt clip. I found that if I kept my iPhone 4S in my front shirt pocket, it worked perfect, but if I have to keep my phone in my front shirt pocket, I’d rather just use a wired headset. Fortunately, I found that if I kept my iPhone in the front or the back pocket of my jeans or shorts, I didn’t have a problem except every once in a while. It might cut out once every half hour to an hour. I let Tom take them out for a spin with his Galaxy S3, and he said that it only cut out on him once. After talking to a few of my friends that also have iPhone 4S phones I have come to find out that this problem is not unique to the Jabra HALO2. They all reported having the same problem with their bluetooth headsets as well. Although, this small problem makes the headset less than perfect, it is definetly not a deal breaker for me. I suppose I now have a good excuse to stop wearing my iPhone like a nerd.

For listening to music and podcasts on the go, the Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset is the best in its class that I have found.

You: “I’d really like to learn Photoshop. Ugh! There aren’t any classes when I am not at work. Private tutoring is so expensive, I guess I’ll just have to get a book and learn it on my own.”

Later, at the store…

You: “Man, there are so many books on Photoshop! I had no idea! I guess I will just get the book labeled “FOR DUMMIES” because I want to start from the beginning.”

Does that scenario describe your own experience? If so, you are reading the right post. Many people choose to buy a book when they want to teach themselves something on the computer. This works wonders if you are technically minded, a self starter, and extremely disciplined. The worst offenders are the “For Dummies” books. Have you even read one of them, actually read one? They may work for some people, but for most, they are too wordy and more technical than us “dummies” need. Their counter parts are the “Missing Manuals“. There was a reason they were missing. They come across as the bible of whatever subject their title boasts. However, upon further examination, they fall into the same mindset that anyone reading a technical book must be technically minded.

But, you are reading this to find out which books are the good ones.

The “Teach Yourself Visually” series is one of the better ones. They give you lots and lots pictures. There are some step-by-step instructions, but mostly pictures. I recommend this to my clients who are visual learners and those who learn by doing. The “Simplified” series come in a close second. Another great series for someone new to a certain subject is the “Plain & Simple” series. It is a great short book to get your feet wet in any subject.

“Visual Quick Tips” series is always a great reference. “Sam’s Teach Yourself” is good if you are attending a class where someone can explain what Sam fails to explain. It is a great supplemental read.

Portable Genius is a great series of how to and quick reference guides for anyone with an iPhone or iPad only. (Your parents, grandparents, etc.) It is a great series for those who just want to learn the basics and not be bogged down with too much outside info. Que came out with a “My…” series that rivals the “Portable Genius”. The “My…” Series covers all types of tablets, computers, phones. They even have a book on the Chromebook.

“In Easy Steps” and “In Easy Steps For Seniors” are two amazing series out of England. They are some of the best step-by-step and easiest to understand for seniors. I recommend both of these series to all seniors. The books are light, uncluttered, and a larger print; perfect for the Greatest Generation.

As you excel in your studies, “Digital Classroom” and Adobe’s “Classroom in a Book” series takes you to the next level. “Step by Step” is another series that can bring your skills from a 3 to a 7 in a matter of hours. They can be wordy, but they are easy to understand.

The O’Reilly books are not to be topped when it comes to the best in the business. If you are at a higher level and need that extra push or want to learn something new, O’Reilly is for you. They are comprehensive and serve as great desk references as well as paperweights when needed. They are worth every penny, and now available in non-paperweight edition (eBook).

When purchasing a book, Rule #1 is to always make sure you are getting the book that is right for you. If you have Mac OSX Lion, but the book you have in your hand is Mountain Lion, put it back. You should be getting the exact book for your exact program. If you have MS Word 2013, an MS Word 2010 book will not be kind to you. Close enough only works in horseshoes and hand grenades. Now that we know to match our book to our program, what about when the book was written? Was the program updated since the book was written? Take Facebook for example. People buy a book about Facebook, get it home and realize that nothing looks the same. Facebook doesn’t have a new “edition” out, but the program has been updated.

Rule #2 is always check the copyright! If a book was not published in the current year (ie: 2013), it is not worth looking at. When it comes to technology, everything changes so fast. It can take up to one year to bring a book to press and distribute it to the stores. If you have a book in your hand that says it was copyrighted in 2011, the info could be up to 3 years old!

For those of you on a budget, the library is a great resource, but remember to check on Rule #2! Many public libraries also now offer eBooks that can be “checked out” on a tablet or computer with an Internet connection. It takes a bit of time to figure it out, but it is a great alternative to the $60+ some books can run.

Another alternative is used bookstores. Sometimes, if you are trying to learn a program that is 1-2 versions back, the regular stores do not carry books on that software anymore. (See Rule #1.) Another option is a nifty little website called ALLBookstores.com. They have a one stop shopping approach to book buying. The site compares all other bookstore sites to find you the best price on any given book. They compile a list of well-known sites like Amazon, eBay, and Half.com, as well as the little guys like WonderBooks, and Textbookx.

If you still can’t find the right book, try this tried and true test. Grab three books off the shelf on your subject. Open each one into the middle. If you can comprehend and understand what they are asking you to do, and it makes some sense, it is the book for you! Not all writers write books for everyone. Find one that has a writing style you can learn from, hence the test.

Happy Hunting!

Hey everybody! After recovering from One Spark, the Deemable Tech podcast is back with tech questions to answer. Thanks so much to everyone that stopped to see us at One Spark, especially everyone that voted for us, and took pictures with us, like Jose! We received 222 votes, which gave us $1,041.30 of the crowd fund. It’s only a small part of what we need to fund a full hour-long public radio show, but it’s a start! The best part was getting to meet our fans, and getting to tell over 1,500 people in person, face-to-face, about Deemable Tech. Now, without further ado, on to the show!

Episode 36 – Printers Are Evil, But Fans Are Awesome!

DRAFT TRANSCRIPT

RAY: From WJCT studios in Jacksonville, Florida, I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech, technology worth talking about, and tech help worth listening to.

TOM: Got a question about your computer, smart phone, tablet or the Internet? Give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or send us an email at questions@deemable.com.

RAY: This week’s episode of the Deemable Tech podcast is brought to you by A Small Orange, Homegrown Hosting. A refreshingly different approach to web hosting. On the web at a small orange dot com.

And, by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download at audibletrial.com/Deemable Over 100,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.

*recap One Spark*

TOM: Hey, let’s answer some questions.

RAY: We have a voicemail from Joti:

TOM: Great question Joti! I remember meeting you at One Spark and discussing this. Thanks for sending this in!

So there are really a lot of great ?food’ apps out there for smart phones. Some are Vegan-specific, but some are general purpose apps which have Vegan and Vegetarian options.

Now Ray, I’m not vegetarian. Actually, I’m pretty… carnivorous. Are you?

RAY: *vamps* I’m neither for it or against it. I like food

TOM: Well even though I’m not too likely to order the tofu-burger at a restaurant, I do have a app that I love and always use to find restaurants. It’s Urban Spoon.

If you don’t have Urban Spoon I suggest you get it regardless of your cuisine preferences. It is a really polished app, and more importantly it’s widely used so it has a lot of accurate, updated information which is what you want in this kind of app.

I wanted to see if you can search for vegan restaurants with the UrbanSpoon app and you can, or at least for vegetarian restaurants. From the home screen select ?browse’ and then select ?types of food’ from the next screen. Then scroll down until you find ?vegetarian’. Now, all you vegan folks, I realize that being vegan is not the same as being vegetarian. Stay with me here!

On the list of vegetarian restaurants I selected one that I know is vegan-friendly. If you scroll down the restaurant’s profile a bit you’ll see a list of categories applied to this restaurant. Hopefully if you pick a restaurant that is vegan friendly it will have the ?vegan friendly’ category listed here. When you see that click it.

Voila! Now you get a listing of nearby restaurants that are ?vegan-friendly’. And I’m no vegan, but just eyeballing the list for my area it looks pretty accurate.

RAY: Another popular general-purpose food app is Yelp. If you have the Yelp app you can search for ?vegan’ from the main page, and it will pop up a list of restaurants. Actually, since Yelp isn’t restaurant specific it will show you results like the nearby Grassroots Natural Market.

TOM: UrbanSpoon didn’t bring that up because it’s not a restaurant.

RAY: But it’s a great resource for vegans and if you’re vegan you would probably want to know about it. That’s the good and bad thing about Yelp: it will give you more than just restaurants.

But Tom, you said there were some vegan-specific apps?

TOM: Right. On Android, there’s a vegan app called Happy Cow: Vegin’ Out. It works a lot like Yelp. The list it returned is pretty comprehensive and it did include the natural market. A lot of the restaurants don’t have ratings, though. I suppose if this app takes off people will help it keep its information more up-to-date.

There are also numerous vegan recipe apps, like I’m Hungry: Vegetarian Recipes. And if you can’t find a vegan-specific store or restaurant and you’re in a hurry, there’s an app called Secretly Vegan Free.

RAY: Wait, Tom, this app finds places that are… secretly free of vegans? Isn’t that the opposite of what Joti wants?

TOM: Hah, no, it sounds like that though. There should probably be a comma in the title: Secretly Vegan, Free. See, there’s also a paid edition.

RAY: Ok that makes sense.

TOM: Secretly Vegan

RAY: (Free)

TOM: lists common supermarket products that are vegan. So you can hit up your local Qwik-e-Mart confident that the stuff you’re grabbing off the shelves is vegan-approved.

Ray, what about apps for the iPhone and iPad?

RAY: Well, there’s an app called VeganXpress that is supposed to be on Android and iPhone that works like Secretly Vegan…Free. It tells you what you can find at fast food chains and restaurants that are vegan. It’s $2.99 in the App Store, but I haven’t been able to find it in the Google Play store, even though it is supposed to be in there.

There’s a lot of vegan apps iOS, including Go Vegan with Sarah Kramer which is a vegan recipe app with over 50 recipes in it that’s $4.99. There’s also, Animal-Free which is kind of like Secretly Vegan Free. With the app, you can scan the UPC code or type in the name of the food to determine if the contents of the food is animal or plant derived.

If you’re a Food Truck lover, like I am, check out Roaming Hunger Food Truck Finder. It shows you where all of the food trucks are within up to a 50 mile radius. You can limit the search to just trucks with vegan options. Unfortunately, the app does not include Jacksonville food trucks! Boo! I’ve already complained to the app developer.

If you’re thinking about going Vegan, but you haven’t made the jump yet, check out 21-Day Vegan Kickstart by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. ?The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart app? and I am reading this directly from the description, ?gives you recipes and resources to improve and regain your health and includes step-by-step recipe photos.?

RAY: Ray writes… wait, I didn’t write this.

TOM: I think there’s another guy named Ray, Ray.

RAY: Is his name Rayburn Hollister III?

TOM: No, probably not.

RAY: Yeah, I didn’t think so. Anyway, Ray-who’s-not-me writes:

I recently had a problem getting my HP 1300 All In One printer back on line using a Vista computer. When attempting to cancel an overlong print job, the printer was turned off and an attempt to cancel the print job by going to the printer icon and right clicking to cancel the job was made, but then the printer could not be put back online. I tried to (1) right click the printer icon to put back online, (2) went to printer properties and unchecked the print offline box, (3) unplugged and replugged the USB and power cables to the printer, (4) rebooted the computer, (5) uninstalled and attempted to reinstall the printer, and (6) downloaded the printer driver using both windows update and the HP web sites, all to no avail. Finally I (7) restored the computer to an earlier time when the printer was working and this fixed the problem. At one point when I was attempting to delete the printer, the circular icon continued to rotate indicating either that (1) the computer was in a continuous loop or (2) that the program had stopped working or was taking much too long, or (3) most probably the program was unresponsive. Why could I have had so much trouble getting the printer back online? I enjoy your show. Thanks for any suggestions to prevent this from happening again and/or how to get the printer back online short of restoring the computer OS to an earlier time.

TOM: Well Other-Ray, thanks for the question. It sounds like you did all the right things and took all the right steps. You unplugged the printer from the computer, power cycled both the computer and the printer, plugged the printer back in. When that didn’t work you checked for updated drivers on HP’s website. When even that didn’t work, you uninstalled and reinstalled the printer software.

Those steps should have fixed the printer.

RAY: So… why didn’t they?

TOM: Well Ray, there is only one possible conclusion: printers are evil.

RAY: Evil?

TOM: Yes. They are malignant devices manufactured in the bowels of Hell. They were designed by the devil to bring pain and suffering to mankind.

RAY: Wow, okay Tom…

TOM: Ray, do you know what blood is? It’s Satan’s printer ink.

RAY: I’m getting the impression you really don’t like printers, Tom.

TOM: You’re picking up on that, are you?

RAY: Yes. So why do you hate printers so much? What did they ever do to you?

TOM: Ray, I’ve told you I spent about a year living in Amsterdam, right?

RAY: Right.

TOM: Well I was working as a social work volunteer for a half-way house there. I did all kinds of jobs there, but of course when they found out about my IT background they put me to work troubleshooting computer issues.

Do you know what 90% of the computer issues I had to fix were, Ray?

RAY: I think I can guess…

TOM: PRINTERS! PRINTERS PRINTERS PRINTERS! And it was always the same story: ?Oh, it was working normally and then I tried to print and it quit working for no reason.? And then if you were really lucky you power-cycled everything, unplugged the printer and plugged it back in, and it worked. If you weren’t lucky, before you knew it you were at the local computer shop buying a new printer. Which would work fine for a couple of weeks before the inevitable happened…

Anyway, sorry, Other Ray, but there’s no good reason your printer stopped working, other than that one day it’s black soul awoke full of hatred for mankind and it took it out on you.

RAY: So, anything you can add as far as suggestions for troubleshooting printers? Other than calling an exorcist?

TOM: Well, I guess there are a couple of things. First, avoid pausing or cancelling printer jobs at all cost. That seems to inevitably cause printers to start spinning their wheels. To avoid having a big print job that runs amok, print big documents in chunks. Do ten, twenty pages at a time. That way you can make sure it’s printing correctly before you throw a hundred pages of precious printer ink down the drain.

Other Ray mentioned he has an HP. HP actually has a diagnostic tool you can run to identify printer issues. I don’t know how effective it would have been in this case, but it’s worth a shot. We’ll put a link to where you can download it in the show notes. This utility tool works on Windows XP and up, but sadly not on Mac OS.

There is one last trick you can try when your printer is giving you the evil eye: restarting the printer service.

• Click on START

• And then Go to RUN, which should pop up a small box for you.

• In the Box type “services.msc”

• A New pop up box should appear in front of you.

• In that Box to go “STANDARD” and look for “Print Spooler”

• Just do a right click on that and click on Restart/Refresh

Hopefully, maybe that will do the trick and get your printer running. But, I won’t make any promises. Because Printers. Are. Evil.

Erica writes: I have a cheap Android phone on the Walmart 1 on 1 plan. I want to know what is a good, cheap app to download and edit photos on Android.

TOM: Thanks for the question Erica. Well, as is usually the case with Android, there are tons of photo editing apps out there. And many of them are free.

Just go to play.google.com/apps and search for ?photo editor’. The one I use came with my Samsung Galaxy S3 and it’s called, inventively, ?Photo Editor’, but you can also download it for free. We’ll have a link in the show notes.

Another very popular app is PicSay. PicSay has both a free and pro version. It has many of the same features, plus it allows you to export images from the app to Facebook or wherever you like.

Both of these apps allow you to apply your usual filters, like sepia toning or color inversion. You can also crop, rotate, sharpen and things like that. One thing I like is that both of them allow you to apply effects to the image by touch. So if you want to lighten part of an image you just run your finger over that part. That’s pretty cool.

So I hope that helps you out, Erika. Generally speaking the benefit of having an Android is that the Google Play Market is loaded with free apps for everything. So when I need an app for something I’ll usually download the top two or three based on starred ratings and then try them out for myself.

Thanks for all your questions, and keep them coming. Call us at our toll-free number, 1-888-972-9868 or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com. Also, subscribe to the show! Search for Deemable Tech on iTunes or point your favorite podcast app to dmbl.co/pod.

Our producer is Sean Birch. I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, and this is Deemable Tech.

Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

I love the smell of new app updates. Well, I wish they had a smell. If they did, Google’s latest updates would probably smell like a nice, new fabric upholstered car. Not luxurious leather, but nice fabric. The update to Google’s two major offerings in the iOS app catalog have been long awaited, and are quite nice; however, they’re not enough to get super excited about.

Google Chrome, the alternate web browser for the iPhone and iPad, brings the less exciting of the two app updates, so I’ll cover it first. According to the update description, version 23.0.1.271.91 (They are very exacting with their version numbers, aren’t they?) of Google Chrome allows you to open PDFs with other apps, save tickets and boarding passes in Passbook, and enable text encoding detection so that the app will automatically show non standard characters correctly. Other than that, and the usual stability, security and bug fixes, that’s all that Google Chrome’s update bring with it this go round. The ability to open PDFs in other apps is long overdue, and something that most other browsers, including the built-in Safari web browser, could already do. This is a nice feature though if you have a preferred PDF viewer, and you have been using Chrome.

The ability to save tickets and boarding passes in Passbook is surprisingly unique to Chrome since Safari does not currently have that feature. Passbook has not been as simple and easy as most Apple products are known for being and as it seemed it would be when it was announced at WWDC earlier this year. When iOS 6 debuted, there were very few apps that worked with Passbook, and currently, only iOS apps that are Passbook compatible can generate a Passbook card. It will be interesting to see how this is implemented. Once I find a website that I can use to save a Passbook card, I will leave a comment on this article.

The big update tonight came in the Google Drive app. When the Google Drive app was originally released it was depressingly limited in its capabilities. Other than renaming and deleting files it was basically useless. Recently the Google Drive app added document editing, and now, the Google Drive app finally adds spreadsheet editing and file uploading to its range of features. Now, Google Drive users can create, edit and collaborate on spreadsheets that they save to their Google Drive account. That, combined with Gmail’s update yesterday to allow users to attach files of up to 10 GB to their emails, makes Google Drive a powerful tool for business users.

Spreadsheets on Google Drive are much more limited than on other spreadsheet apps such as Apple’s Numbers. However, the Drive app loads spreadsheets significantly faster than Numbers. The Drive app leans towards the more practical and less pretty, but in a usable, well designed manner. Just like document editing in Drive, formatting options are in the graphic menu along the top of the screen. Notably missing is number formatting. Even though you can bold, underline, strike-through and left, right and center align your cells, you cannot choose whether they are formatted as numbers, dates, times, or currency. The formatting is assumed based on what you enter into the cell, and cannot be changed. So, if you enter “1/4” Google Drive assumes you are entering a date and changes it to 1/4/2012. That is problematic if you were intending it to read “one quarter” or “one divided by four”.  Formats can, of course, be changed on a desktop in the web in Google Chrome, but that is an annoying extra step. Hopefully, that will be changed in a future update.

As usual, Google has brought good updates to an app that is slowly growing in usefulness and power. When it was launched, Google Docs was clunky and terribly under-powered. With each new update, Google Drive becomes more and more of a powerhouse that makes Google serious competition for Microsoft’s legendary stronghold, the enterprise.

The Google Drive app is available in the Apple App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch for free.

Deemable Tech – Episode 22 – Turkey and Pie Hangover

On today’s episode Ray, Tom and Sean (for the first time on the microphone) talk about their Thanksgiving festivities and Black Friday/Black Thursday experiences. We also tell you how to transfer business cards wirelessly with the phone you already have, how to upload an audio file to YouTube, how to transfer a big file to someone else, and whether you should be keeping track of your business’ widgets in Excel or Access.

Make sure to subscribe to the show in iTunes by clicking here, or subscribe to the show in another podcast reader by clicking here. Also, make sure to leave us a review in iTunes. The more reviews we have the higher we’ll be listed in iTunes and the more listeners will see our show!

Need tech help? Got a problem or tech question about your computer, phone or tablet? Give us a call and leave us a voice mail at 904-372-DEEM (3336), or send us an email to questions at deemable dot com. We’ll take the best questions and answer them on the show.

Today’s Questions:

• How do you transfer a contact from your phone to someone else’s phone by SMS?
• How can you send a file to someone if it’s too big to email it?
• Why does YouTube say the video I uploaded is too big?
• Do I need to close my iPad apps or can I leave them all running?
• How do I transfer all of my files from my old computer to my new computer?
• Should I use Excel or Access to keep track of data?
• Is it cheaper to buy a modem, or is it cheaper to rent a modem from my internet provider?
• Can I block someone on Gmail like I can on Facebook?

Links we mentioned on today’s show:

• Share Contacts for Android phones.
• Abbyy’s Business Card Reader available for Android (9.99) and iPhone (4.99).
• Yolu Card on Android, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 (Free)
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• Outlook.com
• How to upload audio to YouTube using Windows Movie Maker or iMovie
• YouTube.com/my_videos_upload
• Windows Easy Transfer software
• How to migrate your data from an old computer to a new one
• Gmail
• Viber
• OnDemand.WJCT.org/DT

The Blue Screen of DEATH. Truly the most frightening monster to nerds.

You probably shouldn’t even listen to this week’s episode; it’s too much for you to handle. This week’s very special Halloween episode is the creepiest, grossest and scariest episode of Deemable Tech ever! If you dare, you’ll hear all about zombie computers, how to send tweets and Facebook posts from beyond the grave, what to do with your digital estate, how to recover passwords from our departed relatives, how your cell phone is probably going to kill you, or at least make you really sick, new high-tech grave markers, and folks who chose to commit virtual (social media) suicide and others who plan on living forever and are using the Internet to try to make it happen. All that, and Ray tries his best Bela Lugosi impression, on this episode of Deemable Tech!

Need tech help? Got a problem or tech question about your computer, phone or tablet? Give us a call and leave us a voice mail at 904-372-DEEM (3336), or send us an email and questions@deemable.com. We’ll take the best questions and answer them on the show.

Subscribe to the show in iTunes by clicking here.

Subscribe to the show in another podcast reader or RSS feed reader by clicking here.

Deemable Tech – Episode 19 – Death and the Digital Afterlife

Links we mentioned on today’s show:

• My Father Sent Me a Facebook Message From Beyond the Grave | The Stir
• Deleting & Memorializing Deceased Facebook Accounts
• Deleting Deceased LinkedIn Accounts
• Deleting Deceased Twitter Accounts
• Accessing Deceased Gmail Accounts
• https://www.securesafe.com/
• http://legacylocker.com/
• http://www.assetlock.net/
• KeePass – http://keepass.info/
• LastPass – http://lastpass.com/
• RoboForm – http://www.roboform.com/
• EmergencyLink – www.emergencylink.com
• Mobile phones have more germs than a toilet seat | Mail Online
• Mobile phones can cause flu, pinkeye and diarrhoea
• Why Your Cellphone Has More Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat
• Ebola Phone Theft: Man Steals From Quarantined Uganda Hospital Patient, Contracts Virus
• Bacteria-Eating Viruses May Power Cell Phones – Scientific American
• #BaldForBieber Hoax Teaches Kids to Fact Check Before Shaving Their Heads
• Digital Legacys
• Quiring Monuments Living Headstones
• All Things Considered – QR Codes For Headstones Keep Dearly Departed Close : NPR
• Web 2.0 Suicide Machine – Meet Your Real Neighbours again!
• LifeNaut
• iTunes Store: About authorization and deauthoriation
• Call waiting not working properly : Apple Support Communities
• While on a call on iPhone 4 the call waiting : Apple Support Communities

Ever since the first time I saw the Brookstone Rover App Controlled Spy Tank, I have geekily lusted for it. That was even before I owned an iPhone or iPad. After I bought my iPhone 4S I thought about getting one, but I could never bring myself to buy it because of the price tag. At $149.99, as nifty it was, I couldn’t justify it. However, when I saw it on clearance at Target for $49.98, I suddenly found that a hole had burnt right through my pocket, my money fell out, and the cashier scanned the box and took my money before I could do anything about any of it. So, ever begrudgingly, I brought it home to play with it, eh, um, *clears throat*, I mean test it for our readers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7tKMw_jWzQ

After playing with it at my apartment a little bit,  I took it in to the studio at WJCT and really put it through its paces.

http://youtu.be/04L32cIsNW4

As you can see in the video, the Brookstone Rover App Controlled Spy Tank is relatively slow, but it is a tank after all. It’s not supposed to be a race car. I assume Brookstone chose the tank design to minimize the abuse that a remote control vehicle faces. The delicate hardware inside might not be able to take as much abuse as remote off-road cars and trucks deal with.

As the title of the product blatantly states this remote control vehicle is controlled by an app, specifically an iOS app. The app works on iPhones, iPod touches and iPads. The only real difference between the iPhone and iPad version is the size of the app resolution. There are no Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry apps at this time.

The Rover is supposed to reach 200 feet unobstructed and 100 feet through walls, but I lost connection with it in my 920 sq ft apartment. So, don’t expect to use this thing in a large building or from a car parked outside.

The controls are easy enough to use, but just like any touch screen controls, it’s easy to accidentally slip off the buttons without realizing it. The G Drive accelerometer based controls work well, but only moving forward, backward, left and right. You can’t spin left or right. Also the accelerometer cannot be calibrated, so you must hold the iPhone or iPad flat to remain stationary and turn it away from you to go forward. Someone wasn’t thinking there.

The camera is surprisingly decent. It only shoots 320 x 240 but it works well in all light. The colors can be off. We found that blacks show up as blues on camera and vice-versa. The camera angle can be adjusted, but only manually. So you have to drive the spy tank back to you to adjust the camera. Whoopsie again. The infrared night vision is surprisingly awesome. Even in pitch black darkness almost the entire view screen is visible  The downside is that the Rover has two bright LEDs in the top, one blue and one orange. So, there’s no chance of it hiding unless you apply some electrical tape or open it up and disconnect the LEDs.

The Wi-Fi connection is built into the Rover. This is great because you don’t need to have a Wi-Fi network setup to use the tank, but unfortunately it means that you can’t connect to your router either. Connecting to a router could allow it to be controlled across the Internet and allow for greater range. Also, you wouldn’t have to switch Wi-Fi connections to run the Rover.

Over all, the Brookstone Rover App Controlled Spy Tank is a fun toy. I was right to wait until it went on clearance. I would have been sorely disappointed if I had spent $150 on this. However, at $49.98 it was definitely worth the price. It’s regularly available at Brookstone for $99.99. It’s worth noting that Brookstone released the Rover 2.0 recently, and from the reviews at TUAW, it looks like Brookstone has fixed all the problems with the original Rover and gave it a bunch of new features. That might make it worth the entrance fee.

The only most interesting thing announced at the Apple special announcement last week was the new Apple EarPods. Apple has redesigned the earbud headsets that have come standard with every iPod and iPhone since they were released in 2001. I picked up a pair and unboxed them for your viewing pleasure below.

The EarPods look strange, alien and futuristic when you look at them in the package, but after you try them in your ears, the design makes perfect sense. They are substantially more comfortable than the classic Apple earbuds. They don’t fit into my ears perfectly, but after all, these aren’t custom molded to my ears like a pair of Logitech Ultimate Ears. These also aren’t $170 to $1999 either! However, these were designed to comfortably fit as many people as possible, and you can tell when you put them in your ear. Instead of being a big, round globes that you have to wedge into your ears, they are an angular orbs that gently fit into the natural shape of your ear. The EarPods also have multiple sound ports instead of one large metal mesh screen. The multiple sound ports allow the airflow in your ear to occur more naturally and allow for a resonating chamber for the lower range of notes.

The ear pieces are made of hard plastic, which seems at first glance like a bad choice for something that is going to be against your skin for long periods of time. However, the plastic has a glossy smooth finish, and it rests comfortably in the ear without creating the vacuum suction that silicon in-ear headsets cause. It’s nice having something that fits snugly in my ear, but doesn’t feel like it’s going to suck my brains out. This is also helped by the airflow ports that I talked about above. I have managed to use them for around 2 hours straight before my left ear started getting a little achy. My left ear, which I suspect is smaller than my right ear, usually starts feeling achy around 20-30 minutes with most earbuds.

The sound quality of the Apple EarPods is substantially better than the traditional earbuds. If you’re a true audiophile, you’re still not going to be satisfied, so don’t throw away your Bose or your Beats headsets. For the price, however, the sound these put out is pretty incredible. I tested them on Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak, DMX’s …And Then There Was X, Owl City’s Ocean Eyes, Zac Brown Band’s You Get What You Give,  Yo-Yo Ma’s The Goat Rodeo Sessions, and Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night. The bass was much more solid than before, and the trebles aren’t quite as tinny and annoying. As always, the mid-range is where these headsets really shine, but it was more balanced than the older earbuds. On the older earbuds it felt like all you could get out of them was a solid mid-range, painful highs and shallow lows, but this was a well balanced, comfortable blend. If you turn the volume on them beyond the 14th preset volume level, or about 90%, the sound does still get a bit distorted, but not nearly as bad as most other earbuds on the market at the same price point. Also, no one should really be listening to their music that loud since that is far beyond the safe listening volume. I also listened to Tech News Today, The 404, and Deemable Tech to see how podcasts sounded. They also sounded crisp, clear and warm.

The microphone/remote has been enlarged to make it easier to use. It feels much more substantial in your fingers than before. The older version felt like two thin pieces of plastic that could snap if you clicked too hard. The new version feels like a real usable piece of equipment. It is also easier to use the controls without looking at them. Even though it is larger, it doesn’t feel any heavier, although I expect it might have added a fraction of a gram to the weight of the EarPods.

My favorite feature of the EarPods is the case. I have long desired a decent solution for carrying a pair of earbuds in my pocket since I lost my first pair of earbuds that I purchased back in 1998. They were Sony earbuds that came with a winding, hard plastic case. I always knew where my earbuds where, and they were never tangled. Sadly, Sony discontinued the higher quality version that came with the winding case, and the cheap ones were terrible. I’ve tried everything to manage my earbuds so that they don’t end up a mangled mess when I actually want to listen to a podcast or music. The case that comes with the Apple EarPods is the best compromise that I have found in the last ten years since I lost them.

The case is hard plastic, but smooth and polished with a nice, rounded rectangular shape. No surprise, it has an engraved Apple logo on the back. The cover of the case is clear plastic and the bottom is white. The cable wraps around the inside of the case and both earpieces and the microphone/remote have special places to insert them to hold them in place. Everything fits nice and securely, except when you put them in your pocket. Then they jiggle around and make a sound like you have maracas in your pocket. Another irritating thing about the EarPods is that the case is perfectly smooth along the edge that separates the case from the lid. This makes it annoyingly difficult to open. I find myself popping the case like a plastic Easter egg to get it open. I expect this will not be good for the long-term use of the case.

Final score, I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5. If you get a pair with a new iPhone or iPod, you probably won’t want to buy a third-party headset unless you are a true audiophile. If you have a pair of old ear buds and you weren’t fully satisfied with them, but didn’t want to drop a bunch of money on an expensive headset this would be a great buy. However, the case, although I love the concept, isn’t quite perfect. The noise it makes in my pocket is irritating, and it is frustrating to open. It is a really good, first-generation design. I expect it will be refined and re-released down the road. For the price of $29.00, the Apple EarPods can’t be beat. They are available now in Apple Stores, and will be included with the iPhone 5 and the new iPod touch.

Today, Ray and Tom finally took down the “NO GIRLS ALLOWED” sign as they were joined in the studio by Kristen Spencer, video game journalist and editor of CountGameula.com to talk to us about the Nintendo Wii U announcement.

Deemable Tech – Episode 14 – Cats on a Laptop

Links we mentioned on today’s show:

• Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST)
• Chrome Web Store – Google Chrome to Phone Extension
• Google Chrome to Phone – Android Apps on Google Play
• Downcast
• Podcasts by Apple
• Stitcher
• Our podcast RSS feed: http://dmbl.co/pod
• Why Mobile E-mail Signatures Can Hurt Your Business Relationships – CBSNews.com

Bumper Music

• Paul McCartney – Band On The Run (8-Bit Remix)
• The Beatles- Here Comes The Sun 8-bit

I have a bad habit (or good habit depending on your perspective) of updating apps without even looking at the description. As soon as I see the badge next to the App Store, I will automatically update all apps as soon as I get on Wi-Fi. So far this hasn’t been to my detriment. I know that a rogue update or bad app could slip through, but my mild OCD just can’t handle leaving badge numbers that can be cleared. So far, the worst that has happened has been that I have overlooked awesome new updates. That is apparently what happened yesterday. This morning, I opened my iPhone to take a look at next week’s show. I opened this week’s script for Deemable Tech, and I noticed a new green button that said “Edit.” I jumped for joy! Does this mean that Google Drive finally has native editing on iOS? Yes, it does! I went back to the App Store to see what the Google Drive description of the latest update said. It reads:

What’s New in Version 1.1.0

– Edit Google documents with formatting and collaboration
– Edits to your Google documents appear to collaborators in seconds
– Richer Google presentations with animations and speaker notes
– Create a new folder or Google document
– Upload photos and videos from your device or a photo directly from your camera
– Move an item to a folder in your Drive
– Delete and remove files from your Drive
– Drive is now available in over 30 languages

Thank goodness! This has been one of my pet peeves about Google Drive ever since the app for iPhone and iPad came out. Several apps (including GoDocs and AirSharing) could already upload and download documents to Google Docs before and after Google Drive was launched. It was ridiculous that Google’s own app couldn’t do that. Nothing drove me crazier than watching the Android guys edit the show notes on their phones while I was stuck using a desktop or laptop.

Unfortunately, the update only gives iOS users the ability to create and edit documents; spreadsheets and presentations are still out in the cold. Get to work on those spreadsheets and presentations, Google! I have TPS reports due by noon! At least I can create and edit the cover sheets in Google Drive, though.

The interface is quite attractive though, and in traditional Google style is very simple and clean. Once you tap the edit button, all the formatting options are at the top. A swipe to the left shows the rest of the options that aren’t on screen. If there are more options, an extra menu temporarily appears at the top or the bottom to select your option.

All in all, the update isn’t a huge step, but it’s enough to keep me happy for a while. How much can we really complain though? Pages from Apple costs $9.99 and it doesn’t even have an easy to use web interface or collaborative tools. Although to be fair, Google Drive doesn’t have nearly as many features as Pages for iOS either. Keep up the good work, Google.