This week Tom shares news about Taylor Swift tackling problems with Apple Music, Sean hits the “undo send” button on that embarrassing email he just sent, and Ray looks at why a branch of the U.S. military is still running Windows XP. That and more on this week’s Deemable Tech!

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THIS WEEK’S RUNDOWN

Taylor Swift makes Apple change its mind about paying artists during free trial period of Apple Music

In an abrupt about-face, Apple has changed course and decided to pay artists during the free trial period of Apple Music streaming.

Apple executive Eddie Cue specifically attributed this change of heart to an open letter penned to the company by Taylor Swift, in which she said that she would not be making her album “1989” available on the streaming service because she felt they were not compensating artists fairly. Since Apple’s announcement, several indie labels have announced that they were signing up with Apple Music.

Image credit: Jana Beamer / Flickr

Gmail officially adds “Undo Send” feature

If you’ve ever sent an email and realized that you didn’t attach an attachment — or worse, wrote something you never meant to say to the other person — Gmail added a feature this week that you will love: Undo Send!

Well, maybe “Undo Send” is a bit of a misnomer. What the feature really does is delay sending your message for 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds to give you the chance to change your mind. Just turn on “Undo Send” in your Gmail settings, and the next time you send something you didn’t mean to you can just hit the “undo” button at the top of the page.

The team at Gmail has actually been experimenting with this feature for the past six years (and you could use it before now, if you knew that it existed and knew how their Google Labs section works), but they officially made it part of their mail service this week.

We should note that this appears to only work for personal Gmail accounts at the moment. So if your employer uses Gmail for your work email, you still need to be cautious about what you send for the time being.

Disney and ABC TV cancel plans to offshore IT jobs

Back in October, Disney gave notice to around 250 IT employees that work for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. To make it worse, they thought they were being called in to find out they were getting bonuses.

Actually, no, it gets worse than that, they then found out that they were being “given the opportunity” to work longer if they stuck around and trained their replacements. The controversial part was their replacements were foreigners in the country on H-1B Visas. The purpose of the H-1B visas was to attract IT workers to the US to fill the gaps in tech labor shortages, not to replace American workers with lower wage earning employees.

Some media outlets mentioned it, but it really picked up steam when a few weeks ago, Disney’s ABC Television Group called in about 35 application developers for a meeting, and told them they were being laid off, and they were going to be training their replacements, more foreign employees on H-1B visas.

However, just last week, Disney did a complete about-face, and canceled the layoffs. Of course, no one would speak to the media on the record, but an anonymous source told Computerworld that Disney just “want[s] this to go away — right now.”

A source at Disney also told Computerworld that this change had absolutely nothing to do with the dozens of negative news stories that popped up after the news got out.

You can get Windows 10 for free, but there’s a catch

Since Windows 10 was first announced, Microsoft has released a lot of conflicting statements about who exactly would be able to get it free. From the beginning they’ve been consistent in saying Windows 10 will be a free upgrade to users who have Windows 7 and Windows 8 and 8.1. But for other users, things have been less clear.

First they said that even users without legitimate copies of Windows would be able to upgrade, then they said they wouldn’t. Then this week there was more confusion. It appeared that Microsoft would be giving away a free copy of Windows 10 to any user who agreed to test it. However it now appears that the situation is more complicated than that.

Installing the Windows 10 preview will grant users free access to Windows 10, but only as long as they stay in the preview program. If they leave at any point, their preview copy will eventually expire. In other words, you can get Windows free as long as you agree to beta test new releases of the operating system… forever.

Facebook working on facial recognition software that doesn’t need to see your face

Facebook researchers say they are working on experimental systems that will allow Facebook to recognize users in photos based off their hairstyle and clothing. In other words, it is facial recognition that doesn’t actually need to see your face.

According to the researchers, the new system is accurate 83 percent of the time, far better than current facial recognition systems which need clear, full frontal shots of people’s faces to recognize them. The researchers described the project as “experimental” and “long term” and said that we shouldn’t expect it to be rolled out on the site any time soon.

Good thing, considering the controversies that Facebook’s facial recognition algorithms have caused in the past.

The Navy says Windows XP is worth $9 million

According to Computerworld, the U.S. Navy has about 100,000 computers running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003. Server 2003 expires in July, and all of the others have been expired. To keep their computers running in tip-top shape with security updates, the Navy is paying Microsoft $9.1 million.

If there was ever a computer you wanted to be secure, it would be a computer in the Navy.

And, to be fair to the Navy, Windows XP still has approximately 10-14 percent market share, depending on who’s counting, which, either way, still puts it over Apple’s OS X.

Ebay and Amazon banning confederate flag merchandise

Major online retailers, including Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba are banning and removing Confederate flag merchandise from their inventories in the wake of the tragic shooting at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The man the police have identified as the shooter, Dylann Roof, had posed in several photographs with a Confederate flag. As calls have spread for the flag to be removed from state flags and capitals, retailers have been quick to distance themselves from it publicly.

Actually getting flag merchandise off the shelf may take time, however. As of the time when we recorded this episode, however, some confederate flag merchandise was still available.

Microsoft Office coming to Android

Microsoft released full versions of its Office productivity apps (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) for the Android operation system this week.

This comes after about month of beta versions of these apps being available for Android users. Microsoft said in a statement that the incorporated a lot of feedback from users of these early versions into the final ones.

These apps won’t work on all Android devices, especially older ones, but they will work on a majority of smartphones and tablets. The Microsoft Office mobile apps are currently free in the Google Play store.

Amazon now paying Kindle Unlimited authors by the page

Amazon has announced that starting on July 1, they will begin paying authors in the Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Lending Library programs by the number of pages read, rather than simply when their book is downloaded. To keep the system from being gamed by large fonts, Amazon has introduced the Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count, or KENPC, which is a formula that will attempt to standardize page counts for all books.
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Photo Credit: “Taylor Swift RED tour 2013” by Jana Beamer is used under CC BY 2.0.

Q: I have an email conundrum. I have had Comcast internet for years but have decided to switch to another provider because I don’t get online that much or watch cable. The problem is that I don’t want to lose my Comcast email address. Is there a way to keep my same address even if I don’t have Comcast?

Image credit: OpenClips / Pixabay

A: Unfortunately, Shelly, email addresses are not like phone numbers: you don’t get to keep them if you switch providers. But we think we can make losing your email address a little less painful.

There are a ton of free email services out there that are not tied to internet providers. And, as it turns out, most of the free ones are better than the ones you pay for. These include Yahoo Mail, Outlook, and Mac.com. Far and away the most popular, though, is Gmail.

Gmail is also our personal favorite, because it’s easy to use, has a lot of features, and (most important for you) it interacts well with other email providers. For instance, you can import all of your contacts from your old email account into your new Gmail account.

This process pretty easy. Once you have signed up for Gmail, click the settings icon (it looks like a gear), click “Settings”, go to the “Account and Import” section and click the “Import Mail and Contacts” button. Then just follow the instructions.

Of course, you’re going to want to send a message from your old email address to all of your contacts letting them know that you’re switching to a different one. We would also recommend setting up email forwarding on your old address a few weeks before you cancel that account. This will automatically send new messages from your old address to an email address you specify (for example, your new Gmail address). That way, as messages come through, you can respond from your new account and let people know to begin sending emails there.

The hardest part about switching email addresses will be updating all of the online accounts you currently have linked to your email (e.g. your bank account, Facebook, etc). Unfortunately, Shelly, there isn’t a quick and easy fix for this – you’re going to have to simply log in into all of those accounts and change them by hand.

This might seem like an arduous task, but we think it will be worth it in the end to have an email account that is free, can be accessed from anywhere, and isn’t tied to whether or not you want cable.

This week on the Deemable Tech podcast, Ray and Tom answer a ginormous number of your questions about everything from Gmail message threads to iPhone apps that won’t update.

Then the guys take a few minutes to discuss some of their favorite iOS and Android apps at the moment in our Downloadable segment – including Tom’s current favorite, Doge Weather. Much tech advice. So wow.

#61 An Explosion of Tech Questions

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Avast! Antivirus
• AVG Antivirus
• Apps Gone Free
• Google Keep
• Google Now Launcher
• Weather Doge – iOS – Android
• Magnifier Flash
• Baby Connect
• MOON – Current Moon Phase

What do you think? I think the artist did a great job. Sean wanted his on the right because he’s left-handed.

The Internet loves April Fools’ Day. We didn’t pull any pranks this year; we’re too mature for all of those shenanigans. Also, we were too busy getting our new Deemable Tech tattoos. However, if you enjoy all that tom-foolery, here’s a break down of the best April Fools’ Day pranks for 2013. We’ll keep it updated throughout the day.

Google has built a reputation for almost every product at Google putting out several April Fools’ pranks each year. Starting with the one that made the front page, here are Google’s pranks for the year.

• New! What’s that smell? Find out with Google Nose 
  • Smells like a winner.
• YouTube’s ready to select a winner.
  • And they’re closing, YouTube?! God, Please No!! What am I supposed to do when I am supposed to be working? They have Facebook blocked at work!
• Gmail Blue
  • For those days you miss WordPerfect 5.1 on DOS. (Wait, does anyone have days like that?)
• Google Maps finds pirate, William ?Captain? Kidd’s treasure map and adds Treasure Mode
  • It looks like he didn’t bury any treasure in Jacksonville.
• Google+ adds emoticons to your pictures.
  • Because apparently seeing your face isn’t enough to know how you feel, because “when it comes to expressing yourself, nothing beats the richness and elegance of a few properly placed colons, parentheses, letters and hyphens.”

Another site that has become famous for their hilarious April Fools’ hijinks is the specialty online retailer ThinkGeek. Many of their past April Fools’ jokes have been so genius that they have gone on to become real products. Here’s a selection of this year’s pranks.

• The Eye of Sauron Desk Lamp
  • Don’t take off your wedding ring and leave it on the night stand next to this lamp.
• Play-Doh 3D Printer
  • Why do only thermoplastics and metals get to have all the 3D printing fun?
• Bane Mask Walkie Talkies
  • You will buy these, then when it is done and Gotham is ashes, then you have my permission to die.
• Death Star Trench Toss
  • Practice taking advantage of the universe’s worst design flaw ever made.
• Batman Family Car Decal Set
  • I hate those stupid family car decals.
• Creeper Body Pillow
  • Ah, Creepers, what would Minecraft be without them? More fun. that’s what it would be. More. Fun. Kill them with a Minecraft Foam Sword, also from ThinkGeek.

Other sites:

Ready to learn how to fly in a wingsuit? Why not learn from an expert that was made that way? For $50 you can take wingsuit lessons from a flying squirrel!

For $4 dollars a month, you can use Twitter premium. – Tme 2 drp d vwls. Twttr s nw chrgng 4 vwls.

Sprint launches Sprint Specs.  – Never look rude again when you’re completely ignoring someone.

 Update 1:03:45 PM EDT

The White House has gotten into the act. – You might not agree with his policies, but Kid President sure can get the world to dance.

Pokester – It’s time for a social network that only lets you do one thing, poke someone. (Thanks, reader Joey for the heads up.)

Search for “Google” on Bing. Try not to get confused.

Upload images to Imgur by mail!

Update 1:37:32 PM EDT

Virgin launces glass-bottomed plane. – As if air travel isn’t scary enough.

Hand written search results from Wolfram Alpha. – Basically, it’s a bunch of nerds being forced to do your homework.

Scope Bacon – We’re actually still not sure if this is a hoax or not. We are hoping that it is. We are really hoping that it is.

Kayak adds Dates. – Compare hundreds of dating sites at once!

Toshiba launches the Toshiba TubeTop, the world’s first inflatable laptop. – How many times have I wanted to surf the web while I was swimming in the pool? (That’s not a joke. I can think of at least 5 times off the top of my head!)

Digg + Konami code + Rick Astley = hilarious. – Just go try it.

Update 2:54:11 PM EDT

iFixit finds the least repairable tech product on the market: the Orange. After a complete teardown, they find it cannot be put back together at all. Orange mobile has not responded.

Nokia changes how you do TV dinners with a smart microwave.

HEX announces new cases for the Apple Newton.

Funny Or Die announces the Darkwing Duck, Wings, Sliders, Family Matters and Baby Sinclair from Dinosaurs Kickstarter movie projects.

Two of our favorite news sources, NPR and WJCT, pulled off their own April Fools Pranks. NPR’s Morning Edition aired this story, Hootie And The Time Traveler Love The 90s, and WJCT 89.9 FM aired Amusement Park Proposed For Shipyards Property.

 Have you found some that we haven’t seen yet? Let us know in the comments down below.

What if someone hacked into your email, and stole all of your personal information? Luckily, many sites like Gmail and Facebook offer an extra layer of protection to make sure that you, and only you, can log in to your account. So how can you make your login more secure? The hosts of Deemable Tech, Ray Hollister and Tom Braun, look into two-step verification in this week’s Ask Deemable Tech.

RAY: Hi, I’m Ray Hollister,

TOM: I’m Tom Braun,

RAY: and we’re the hosts of Deemable Tech. On the show, we answer your questions about computers, tablets, mobile phones and the Internet, like this question:

FRANKLIN asks: My Gmail account was recently broken into by hackers who guessed my password. I have regained access to the account through Google Support and changed my password, but I am concerned that something like this could happen again. Is there any way to increase the security of my online accounts?

RAY: Yes Franklin, you could have stopped the hackers from getting into your Gmail account if you had enabled two-step verification. Many online services are now offering two-step verification, and it’s a great idea. The way it works with Gmail is that you provide Gmail with a phone number. Then, if anyone tries to either reset your password or access your account from a new computer or device, Gmail will contact you through either a text or a phone call. They will give you a pin # which must be used in addition to your password to proceed.

With two-step verification, any time you or someone else tries to access your Gmail account from a new computer, phone or tablet, not only do they have to enter the password but they also have to enter the special pin code they send to your phone. You can set up special, single use passwords for apps and devices that don’t have the ability to input pin codes.
Two-step verification allows you to greatly enhance the security of your personal accounts. I have enabled it, so if somebody tries to reset my Gmail password, or attempts to login to those accounts from a different computer or phone, I will be immediately notified by text. Meanwhile, they won’t be able to log into my account without that all-important pin code. Even if they know my actual password.

Setting up two-step verification for Gmail takes a few minutes, but is well worth your time. Sign into your Google account, go to settings, and under Personal Settings, then under Security there’s a link that says “Using 2-step verification.”
Once you’re there it will ask you for a phone number to either send you a text message or call you to give you a pin number for verification. Once you get the pin number, enter it back into your Gmail account. Now you are ‘double verified’.

TOM: Facebook has a very similar system under their security settings. They call them ‘login approvals’. To turn on login approvals, login to Facebook and click the ‘gear’ icon in the upper right hand corner of the web page. Then click on ‘Account Settings’. Now, on the left side of the screen you should see ‘Security’ right under ‘General’. Click that. On this page you should see the ‘Login Approvals’ section. Check the box next to it and click ‘save’.
You will then be asked to enter a mobile phone number where you can receive text messages. Facebook currently requires this to activate Login Approvals. However once it is activated you can also receive login approval pin codes through the Facebook app on your phone.

RAY: Now, we don’t want to make you completely paranoid that hackers are out to get you. But Franklin’s story is a sobering reminder that we need to take all the steps we can to protect our most valuable online accounts. And two-step authentication, or ‘login approval’, is a great way to add an extra layer of security to your Gmail and Facebook accounts.

TOM: Now we just gave you a lot of directions, so if you want to hear this segment again when you’re in front of your computer, go to Deemable.com and click the radio segments link.

RAY: To hear more answers to questions like this one, listen to our show at Deemable dot com, that’s D-E E-M A-B-L-E dot com. There you can listen to all of our previous episodes and, of course, subscribe to our podcast.

TOM: If you have a question for Deemable Tech give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or you can send us an email at questions at deemable dot com.

RAY: For Deemable Tech, I’m Ray Hollister

TOM: And, I’m Tom Braun.