On this episode of the Deemable Tech podcast, Ray and Tom answer more of your questions about unwanted emails, transferring your copy of Windows to a friend and more.

The guys are also once again joined by producer Sean Birch to discuss some interesting news from the tech world, including the Kickstarter project that raised almost $60,000 to make a batch of potato salad, and a hotel that threatened to fine customers who left negative Yelp reviews.

#64 Bacn and Potato Salad

Links mentioned in this episode:

Lifehacker: How to Wipe Spam Email in Your Inbox

Use iTunes to Your iOS Device to Factor Settings

Restoring Your iOS Device Using Recovery Mode

Potato Salad Kickstarter – By the Numbers

Hotel Adds Negative Online Review Fine Clause to Terms of Service

Facebook Mood Experiment

OkCupid Experiment

Q: I’m a writer and working on a new blog, where I’ll post a new article every week. A friend suggested that I do a weekly podcast, too. How do I do that? What kind of equipment do I need, and how do I market my podcast?

I’m not very good at tech terms, so when I looked up this question on the web it just confused me. Is there someone who can walk me through the process and give me a better understanding about podcasts, and blogging in general? I have a “computer guy” but he doesn’t know anything about podcasts.

A: Great question, Karen. Here at Deemable Tech we are actually able to record in a professional studio, but that’s not an option for most people. However, you can still record a great podcast right in your own home.

At the bare minimum, you need a computer and a good microphone. If you have nothing but that, you can start recording a podcast. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Windows or a Mac, both have plenty of software available to do the job. Macs, however, come with the software you need built-in. And, those software programs are a bit easier to use that their PC counterparts.

The kind of microphone you should get depends a lot on your budget, and the amount of time you want to invest in learning about sound production. On the simple end of things, you can get a microphone that plugs into the USB port of your computer for anywhere from 50 to 200 hundred dollars. Most of the major microphone manufacturers make a USB model.

The Audio-Technica AT2020 is one we like, and we’ve always had a soft-spot for the Blue Microphone Yeti.

Once you have a good mic, the next step is to record your podcast. You’ll need some software to do that. As we mentioned before, on the Mac there is a built-in program to do the job – it?s called GarageBand. You can also download a free program called Audacity for Windows or Mac. It does a great job recording, and it is pretty easy to use it to edit your recordings.

Once you have your podcast recorded, you are ready to take the big step of putting it out on the internet.

Now, here’s where it can get nerdy. You’ll need to either setup a website that can host an RSS feed, or you’ll have to use a service to publish your podcast for you. If your blog is a WordPress site, you can just create a new category named podcast, and then you’ll publish all of your podcast episodes in the podcast category. WordPress creates an RSS feed for you, which is the technical term for what a podcast really is. If that sounds too complicated for you, there are services that will set it up for you. One good one is called BuzzSprout. You have to pay for BuzzSprout in addition to your website hosting, but it gets the job done, and it’s really easy to set up.

Once you get it published, then you need to advertise it. The best way to advertise it is to get it listed in podcast directories, like the big one, iTunes. It doesn’t cost anything to be listed in iTunes, but you practically have to be listedthere if you are ever going to be heard. More people listen to podcasts listed on iTunes than anywhere else. But there are other great podcast services like Stitcher and Slacker Radio as well. List your podcast in as many places as possible.

Hopefully that will get you pointed in the right direction, Karen. Another great resource to getting a podcast started is, ironically, a podcast. Download the Podcast app for iPhone or iPod or just open iTunes and search for Podcasting for Dummies. This is the companion podcast for the book Podcasting for Dummies. There’s a lot of great information in the podcast, and it’s completely free.

Check that out and you’ll be on your way to internet stardom in no time.

In this episode of the Deemable Tech podcast, Ray and Tom answer your questions about controlling your Apple TV with your Mac, keeping your emails up-to-date across multiple devices, managing your iTunes music library and more!

If you’re looking to buy a new laptop, the guys also take a little time to discuss a few of the best laptops according to Laptop Magazine and PC Magazine.

We’re currently working on our second hour-long public radio special, and we want you to be a part of it! Leave us a voicemail with your tech question at 1-888-972-9868 to “audition” for the show!

#62 This Is How Deemable Tech Does It

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Laptop Magazine’s Best Laptop Guide
• PC Magazine’s Laptop Guide

Q: How do I switch my iTunes account from an old computer, which is broken, to my new computer? I’ve downloaded iTunes onto the new computer, but, of course, it doesn’t recognize my account. The real problem is my iPod. I have all my music on it, but now I am not able to add to it to iTunes.

A: Well, first of all, Phil, your new computer should recognize your iTunes account. If it doesn’t, you have a problem that you need to contact Apple about. You may have to reset your iTunes password. Hopefully you still have access to the e-mail address you gave Apple for your account. Once iTunes does recognize your account, you need to authorize your computer. Sign into iTunes, then click the Store tab at the top and click “authorize this computer.” You should now be able to re-download any songs you purchased through iTunes. However, any songs that you ripped from CDs, or acquired through other questionable methods, are still trapped on your iPod. Apple made it this way so people couldn?t use their iPods to transfer illegally shared music between computers. But in this situation, their safeguard is a real hassle for you.

Regardless of how you acquired your music, and we are not here to judge, your music isn’t trapped on your iPod forever. You can transfer it to your computer, but it takes a little work, unless you are willing to pay for an app. We’ll show you how to do it the hard way first, then if you decide that’s not for you, we’ll include a link to the app at the bottom. Here’s how to do it if you have a Windows PC.

Transferring your iTunes library from an iPod to a new Windows PC

When you plug your iPod into your PC, you need to stop it from auto-syncing. To do this, hold down Shift and Ctrl while you plug in your iPod. Then, you can open your iPod like an external hard drive, by going to My Computer and double-clicking the iPod.

However, if you double-click on the iPod and you get an error message asking you to format your iPod, stop! Your iPod was formatted for a Mac. If this is the case, you’ll need a program called MacDrive to see your Mac formatted iPod on your Windows computer. But hopefully this won’t happen to you.

Once you get it open, you need to reveal your hidden files. Each version of Windows has a slightly different way to do it, so if you’ve never revealed your hidden files before, just search Google or Bing for “Show Hidden Files Windows” and whatever version of Windows you have “XP, 7 or 8” Click on the first search results that are from Microsoft. Follow those directions, and you’ll be able to see your hidden files on your iPod.

Now, once you have your iPod open, look for a folder called “iPod-Control.” In there, you’ll find another folder labeled “Music.” Copy that folder to your computer. Now, open iTunes, and click File and Add to Library. Navigate to the Music folder you copied to your desktop, and iTunes will import everything. Your files will have random four letter names, but as soon as they are imported to iTunes, the song titles and artists will be restored.

Transferring your iTunes library from an iPod to a new Mac

If you have a Mac, it’s a little more complicated, but you’ll do basically the same thing. However,  unless you buy an app, you will have to go into the Terminal. Hold down Command and Option while you plug in the iPod. Then you will launch Terminal, and enter “defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE” and then enter “killall Finder” Now you’ll click on the iPod in iTunes, click the Summary tab and check box next to Enable Disc Use.

Now, open Finder, open the iPod, open the folder iPod-Control and copy the Music folder to your Desktop. Then, open iTunes, and click File and Add to Library. Navigate to the Music folder you copied to your desktop, and iTunes will import everything.

Transferring your iTunes library from an iPod with an app

If you’ve read the instructions above, and you are completely overwhelmed, there are two other options. First, you could buy an app that will do most of the heavy lifting for you. If you have an iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, DiskAid will do the trick. With DiskAid you can copy music, video, text messages and your contacts from your iOS device. If you have a iPod classic or Nano, PodTrans Pro will do the job for you. PodTrans Pro will also convert incompatible file formats for you so you can watch Windows Media files on your iPod. Both DiskAid and PodTrans Pro work on Windows and Mac. If the only thing concerning you is diving into the Terminal on your Mac is concerning you, you can download Houdini for Mac which will make your hidden files and folders visible.

The other option is to have someone do it for you. Most IT service companies can transfer the music files for you, and they usually won’t charge too much for the job. Check out our business directory for some good companies that should be able to help you out.

Image Credit: Niki Odolphie / Flickr

Q: I keep deleting apps off of my iPod Touch, but they keep reinstalling whenever the apps are updated. Why is it doing this? It’s driving me crazy. I want to be able to delete apps and for them to stay deleted. I am running iOS 6.1.3. My iPod syncs with iTunes on my laptop over Wi-Fi.

A: Great question, Lynda, and thanks for giving us specific details. It really helped us figure out what was going on here. We did a little research, and we found out what is most likely causing your headache.

Here’s what we think is happening. First, you installed an app on your iPod. Then, you decided you didn’t want the app anymore, and you deleted it before you synced your iPod with your laptop again. Now, the next time you synced your iPod with your laptop, iTunes saw that you didn’t have that new app on your iPod. So, in trying to be helpful, it reinstalled it on your iPod for you.

Now, what’s causing that to happen? Well, it sounds like you have iTunes on your laptop set to automatically download any new apps that you buy on your iPod. This is designed to make syncing your iPod Touch faster, but it can cause a problem like this to happen as well.

Lynda, it sounds like you’re going to have to decide which is more important to you: faster syncing with iTunes, or occasionally having an app come back from the grave. If it were us, we would prefer that our apps stay deleted when we deleted them. The only time where faster syncing would probably be important is if you were syncing your iPod Touch with a cable. Since you’re syncing over Wi-Fi, it’s doing it when you aren’t using the iPod Touch and it’s plugged in.

To fix this, all you have to do is open iTunes on your laptop, open the preferences menu, and click the “Store” tab. Then just unclick the check mark next to “Apps” under the heading “Automatic Downloads”.

If you weren’t aware of it, from this menu you can control automatic downloads of apps, music and books. So, if you want the music and books that you purchase on your iPod Touch to be automatically downloaded to your laptop, make sure to mark those checkboxes.

On your iPod Touch there’s a similar menu under “Settings”, then “iTunes and App Stores”. Play with the settings until you find an automatic download that works best for you. Hopefully that will take care of your zombie apps.

On this episode of Deemable Tech, Ray and Tom finally get a question they’re not qualified to answer: How do you make a podcast?! Sound ridiculous? Most podcasts are not recorded in an amazing studio like WJCT’s, and most podcasts do not have incredible producers like Sean Birch. In other words, Ray and Tom have no credible experience in producing a real podcast! So, Ray invited DJ Shott, host of The Green Light Show, a comedy podcast recorded in Jacksonville, to come to the studio to talk about what it’s like to really produce a podcast. A word of warning, The Green Light Show is a very explicit comedy podcast that holds nothing back. So, if you get offended at the Comedy Zone, The Green Light Show probably isn’t for you. But if you like comedy that gets really raunchy, check out The Green Light Show, and subscribe to The Green Light Show in iTunes. However, no need for a warning about this episode. Ray, Tom and DJ were perfect gentlemen, and refrained from any potty language during the show.

After they talked about podcasting, Ray and Tom asked DJ about his Nike+ FuelBand and got his take on it.

After the break, Ray and Tom recapped what DJ talked about. Ray mentioned a website where you can easily create a podcast, but he couldn’t remember the name of the site. The site is BuzzSprout. If you aren’t tech savvy but you want to start a podcast, BuzzSprout is a great resource. You can try it out for free to find out if you like the service, and it’s free forever. If you decide to upgrade, paid plans start at only $12 per month.

Also, Ray and Tom answered questions about printing contacts from Outlook, email file attachments that cause the Internet to disconnect, and how to block pop-ups on Internet Explorer and Chrome.

Don’t forget, we’re still in the middle of the $50 Amazon Gift Card giveaway! 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 need 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, include your Facebook name, Twitter and YouTube username. We’ll pick one eligible email at random and we’ll announce it on the show. The links to all of our social network profiles are in the top right corner of the website under the heading, Follow Deemable Tech.

Also, 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.

One last thing! Don’t forget to vote for Ray and Tom in Folio Weekly’s Best of Jax for Hottest Local Celebrity. Go to http://folioweekly.com/bestofjax to enter your vote!

#45 Deemable Tech and The Podsters

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.

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.

RAY: So, if you listened to last week’s episode, you know that we are in the middle of a contest. If we reach 200 subscribers on YouTube and 500 subscribers on iTunes we are going to give away a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Here’s what you have to do to be eligible. First, Subscribe to us on YouTube and iTunes. Then, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

Then, send us an email to 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

To make it easy for you, the links to our Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and Twitter accounts are all available at the top-right of our website under the heading, “Follow Deemable Tech”

So, go subscribe, like and follow us, and get your emails in so you can win that $50 gift card.

TOM: Hey Ray, I just wanted to tell you that you look great tonight.

RAY: Thanks Tom, you don’t look too bad yourself.

TOM: Ray, we’ve often been complimented that we really have faces for radio. And to commemorate that, we’ve entered ourselves into Folio Weekly’s yearly Best of Jax contest under the Hottest Local Celebrity category. Because, listeners, we know that when you think of Hot Local Celebrities you think of Ray and Tom.

RAY: folioweekly.com/bestofjax *blah blah blah*

TOM: Alright, Ray, should we answer some listeners questions.

RAY: I think we should.

TOM: OK, let’s take a look at Carlos’ question.

TOM: Carlos writes:

Hey Ray and Tom,

I’d really like to start a podcast, but I have no idea where to begin. Would I have to buy studio time? Don’t some people podcast out of their house? What kind of equipment would I need to do it that way? Thanks, love your show! Carlos

RAY: You know what Tom? I think we have found a question that we are not qualified to answer.

TOM: Why is that Ray? We do a podcast almost every week.

RAY: Well, Deemable Tech is really not like most podcasts. Most podcasts aren’t recorded at radio stations. So, we’ve invited somebody who has experience doing a podcast the real way.

Joining us in the studio we have DJ Shott, the host of the Green Light Show.

• Describe your show to us. What is your podcast about?
• Why did you want to start a podcast?
• How did you get started podcasting?
• Where do you record and stream your show from?
• What kind of equipment do you use? Mics, soundboards, headsets, computers, Internet connection…
• What software do you use? Ustream, Audacity, Garageband, WordPress, etc.
• How long does it take you to prepare for the show? How long does it take you after the show is over?
• What have you done to grow your audience?
• Is the show making any money?
• Where do you see your show going from here?
• What has been the most rewarding thing about producing a podcast?
• What has been the most challenging thing about producing a podcast?
• Was there ever a time when you just felt like giving up? Why?
• If people dare, where can folks find your show? (EXPLICIT content!)
  • http://Greenlightshow.com/
  • http://Facebook.com/greenlightshow
  • http://Twitter.com/greenlightshow
  • http://greenlightshow.com/itunes

Next question:

Marvin writes, I have an HP computer  with Windows XP.

I have been trying to print my contact list alphabetically from Outlook. The left half of the page prints out, but the  right half is hidden and will not print. It is laborious to have to  click on an individual’s name to get the whole address, etc.

This is frustrating, because I want to print out a hard copy to keep by my desk so I do not want to have to have the computer turned on.

Any ideas? Thanks.

TOM: Hi Marvin, thanks for the question.

The first thing I would do is check your printer settings when you are printing. Just before you click the print button that prints the actual page you should see the screen where you select what printer you want to print with. While you’re on this screen you can make changes to the print settings.

What this screen looks like and what options it gives you depend on a lot of different factors: what operating system you’re running, what kind of printer you have, what program you’re launching from, etc. There should be a button on this screen for printer preferences or advanced settings. Click that, and then look for an option that says something like ?Fit to page? or ?Fit to paper size? or ?Shrink to fit?. Most printers have a setting like this which will automatically resize a page that is too big to fit on the paper. You may have to click a different tab to find it. Just look around, you won’t hurt anything!

Once you find ?Fit to page?, select it. Then click the OK button to get back to the print screen. Now go ahead and print. Hopefully the right side of the page is no longer cut off!

RAY: Cool. So, that solves the problem.

TOM: Wait, there’s one more thing Marvin may need to know about and it’s kind of a doozy. If he has Outlook 2003, it actually prints using Internet Explorer. So he needs to go into an entirely different program to change his settings!

RAY: Wow, that’s convenient.

TOM: Yeah. So Marvin, if you have Outlook 2003, open up Internet Explorer, go to Internet Explorer, then select ?Page Setup? from the File menu. There you should find the Shrink to fit option. Check it, and boom. Happy printing!

Richard writes, When I try to attach an attachment to an email, Internet Explorer looses connection to the Internet. I am using Windows 7 with latest patches applied by Window’s Update and IE 10. This email attachment problem happens on my Gmail and a friend’s yahoo mail.

TOM: Thanks for letting us know what versions of Windows and Internet Explorer you are using, Richard.

Based on what you’re describing, my first guess is that your copy of Internet Explorer has an add-on that is being a little too helpful. Possibly you have a security or anti-virus add-on such as Norton that’s malfunctioning and interfering with uploading files. To be on the safe side, start by disabling all the add-ons in Internet Explorer.

You can do this by clicking on the settings menu and then going to Manage Add Ons and disabling them one by one. But if you have a lot of them it’s quicker to click on the Tools menu and then under ?Toolbars’ you should see an option that says ?Disable Add Ons’. Click on that to bring up the dialogue box that will allow you to do that.

Once you’ve done that you will need to reboot your computer. When it comes back up, open up Internet Explorer and see if you are able to add attachments in Gmail now. If you are, you can start enabling add ons one by one through the manage add-on menu until you figure out which one was causing the problem. Or just leave them all off.

Again, if you have something like Norton Anti-virus it’s a good bet that it’s add ons are causing the problem.

If this doesn’t resolve your problem, well… try a different browser? You know, Chrome is looking very nice this time of year…

Bill writes, Question: I just read your response to Christine’s question about browsers in April, and have a follow-up question. Is there any way to completely block pop-up ads while running Chrome or IE? Or is Firefox’s add-in the only solution? On both Chrome and IE, I have adjusted the settings to block pop-ups but that doesn’t stop them on many sites I visit. I realize that those annoying ads are paying for these otherwise free websites, but I have to wonder what’s the point of blocking pop-ups when so many get through anyway, slowing down the page loading to the point that it reminds me of being on dial-up.

Thanks!

TOM: Excellent question, Bill. You turn on the pop-up blocker and you still get pop ups! What’s up with that?

The thing you have to understand is that pop-up blocking is an arms race. Just like you can’t tell your computer to block all viruses, you can’t really tell it to block all pop-ups. Every time there’s some new advance in pop-up blocker technology, the people making the pop up ads just get smarter.

RAY: To make things even harder on the makers of pop up blockers, you can’t just block all pop ups everywhere. there are lots of legitimate pop ups people want to see. Blocking all pop ups would make too many sites non-functional.

So the ?block pop ups’ options in Internet Explorer and Chrome walk a fine line.

TOM: If you’re really serious about blocking pop-ups in Internet Explorer or Chrome you need to download an add-in or extension that does so, much like you did for Firefox. On Chrome, check out Adblock Plus or Better Pop-up Blocker.

Your options are more limited on Internet Explorer, but there’s an add on called Smart Pop-up Blocker that will block most pop-ups. It’s no 100%, but it’s the best we could find.

RAY: Just a friendly little PSA about pop-up blocking: many free websites are ad supported. When you visit your favorite site and you’ve got a pop-up blocker running, you may have avoided seeing that annoying pop-up ad but you’ve also cost that site some ad revenue. So be sure to deploy your pop-up blocker judiciously. Most pop-up blockers give you the ability to allow pop-ups for certain sites. Be sure to allow them for sites you want to support!

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.

Sean was out of the studio, so Ray tried to play sound engineer and host. He almost pulled it off, but mostly through the magic of post production editing. On today’s episode we talk about how to keep your phone data usage low, how to download a new browser, how to install Adobe Acrobat even if you can’t see the installation page, and whether you should buy an bigger iPhone 4S or 5.

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!

Download Episode 35 – Ray Grows Extra Arms

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.

TOM: Today on the show, we’re going to going to talk about to keep your phone’s data plan usage low, and

RAY: how to figure out what browser you’re using and what a browser even is, but first.

One Spark,  April 17 – 21, 2013 register to vote at beonespark.com

The reason we are doing OneSpark is because we want to launch a full fledged public radio show. But to do that, we need money. It takes a lot of money to run a public radio show, and even more to launch one. So, hopefully, if a lot of folks vote for us, we’ll get a bit of money from the One Spark crowd fund, but even if we don’t hopefully a lot of people will find out about us, and we’ll be able to help them out!

*WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS*

You can hear Deemable Tech on WJCT 89.9 FM in Jacksonville, FL, now you can also hear it on WCWP 88.1 FM in Brookville, NY! Welcome to any listeners from Brookville.

 Questions

TOM: Michelle asks, I was wondering about ways to lower my data usage on my iPhone. I always seem to go over my limit, and then I am slapped with another monthly charge. What things can I turn ?off? or put away unless I need them, and how do I do it?

RAY: Thanks for your question, Michelle. iPhones and Android phones can eat up a data plan like a 5 year old with an unattended candy bowl. Unless you’re on an unlimited data plan, you have to keep an eye on what your phone is downloading and sending, or it’ll end up taking a bite out of your wallet.

Periodically check your cellular data usage on your iPhone by opening your Settings app, and tapping General, Usage and then Cellular Usage at the bottom. On that screen you can see how much data your phone has sent and received. Each month, at the end of your billing cycle, tap the Reset Statistics button to clear out the counters and start over.

TOM: Well, Ray, that’s good information about how to keep track of how much data you’re using on an iPhone, but Michelle wanted to know how to reduce the amount of data she’s using on an iPhone. Come on man, stay focused!

RAY: Well, you’re right, but the first step to any diet is keeping track of how much you’re consuming, or so I’ve heard. Knowing how much data you’re using in the first place will help to stay you on track. Now, here’s a few tips to keep your cellular data usage low. First of all, don’t download or stream any video or audio unless you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Those NPR, Netflix, Hulu and PBS Kids apps will devour your cellular data. I’m not saying don’t use them! They’re great apps. Just make sure to use them when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network if you’re trying to save your cellular data.

TOM: And, if you have streaming video or music that you just have to watch or listen to over 3G or 4G, go for the Non-HD version or the lower quality version. That will save you a bunch of data, too. If you use Spotify, make your playlists Available Offline so that the next time you’re away from home they’ll play from your phone instead of over the Internet.

RAY: The same thing is true for Amazon Cloud Player and the Podcast app; make sure to download your songs and new podcast episodes to your device before you leave the house. Also, and it’s probably obvious, but make sure to only download new apps and updates when you are on a Wi-Fi network too.

TOM: Also, try reducing the number of times that your phone downloads new email. On the iPhone, open your Settings app and tap ?Mail, Contacts, Calendars? and then, Fetch New Data. Turn off Push, and change Fetch to Manually or, at most, Hourly.

RAY: Finally, If you see that you’re getting close to your limit, or you just want to save your data plan for later in the month, turn your cellular data off. On the iPhone go to the General menu under Settings, tap Cellular and then tap the Cellular Data on/off switch. You’ll still get phone calls and text messages, but you won’t be able to browse the web and none of your apps will access the Internet either unless you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. You can also turn off Cellular data for specific built-in functions like iTunes, FaceTime, and Personal Hotspot in that same menu.

Now Tom, we’re talking about the iPhone here, but do you have any tips for Android users to save on their data plan?

TOM: Well, Android phones have a lot of the same features. You can, for instance disable mobile data and only use data when you’re on WiFi. But there’s something even cooler that Android phones with version 4.0 or better can do. Open up your settings and go to the Data Usage menu. There is a checkbox there that says ?limit mobile data usage’. Check that and it will put a default cap of 5 GB. You can change the cap by touching the data usage graph below that option.

Alternatively, there is an option to have it alert you when you reach a certain amount of data. So Android gives you a lot of great options for monitoring your data usage.

Individual Android apps also often have settings that will restrict them from using data unless you’re on wi-fi.

In fact, I’d almost say that Android has more options for data saving than the iPhone does. What a surprise huh?

RAY: Yeah, BIG surprise.

RAY: Drew asked If I use Lastpass on my PC for an email account that I also have on my mobile phone can I still use that email account on my phone without Lastpass …

In other words that long password that Lastpass generates on my PC for that email account is that the password that I would have to use on my phone even if I don’t have Lastpass on it? Also if I uninstall Lastpass what will happen to all my passwords that were generated with Lastpass? Do I have to go in and change all my passwords to something that I can remember before I uninstall? Thanks!

TOM: No Drew, thank you.

LastPass is a great tool, but it does generate passwords that are difficult for humans to remember. Really, that’s the point of LastPass, which is to generate passwords that are hard to crack. So unless you set it otherwise, LastPass generates passwords of long strings of random numbers and characters, which makes it difficult to remember them. But that’s okay, LastPass remembers them for you. Unless you get rid of LastPass or don’t have LastPass on your device.

RAY: Then Drew, you have to remember those passwords yourself.

TOM: Right, Ray. LastPass is strictly a password database. It remembers the passwords you set, and it can suggest new passwords when you need them, but it does not actually control the passwords for any site.

So if you used LastPass to generate a password, all it does is suggest its usual string of random characters and then remember that string. If you used LastPass to generate the password for your email account, that password is the password for your email account until YOU change it. Deleting LastPass will not affect that password.

RAY: So if you delete LastPass, that super-complicated password is STILL your email account password, AND you now have to remember it. And that seems like a bad idea.

TOM: Bingo. I use LastPass when I have to create new accounts on the web. It generates 14 characters of gobbledygook for each individual website. There’s no WAY I’m going to be able to remember those passwords on my own.

So if you plan to delete LastPass, I strongly advise that you go to your email account and change your password to something you can remember on your own. And you need to do that for every account or app you have a LastPass generated password for.

Depending on how long you’ve been using LastPass, that could be a lot of passwords. So Drew, I strongly recommend that you do not delete LastPass. What I mean by that is, don’t get rid of your LastPass account. Even if you stop using it, even if you uninstall the app on your phone or the plugin on your browser, keep the password to your account handy. Because one of these days you’re likely to need to get in there and look up a password to some obscure website which you have forgotten.

RAY: And just to be clear, opening up the LastPass password vault, finding your stored email account and changing the password there will NOT change the password on your email account! It just changes the password LastPass remembers for your email account. Which will now be wrong.

TOM: Right.

RAY: No, wrong.

TOM: No, I mean ?right’ as in, ?you are correct’.

RAY: Oh, right. I mean, correct.

TOM: Another thing you can do is that LastPass allows you to export your password database. Just open up the LastPass password vault, click the down arrow by your account name and click ?export’. It will then walk  you through the steps to save all your LastPass stored passwords somewhere else.

RAY: So, if Drew wants to change his email password to something he can remember so he can type it on his phone, what should he do?

TOM: Well, the easiest way would be to access your email through your browser with the LastPass plugin running. Go to your account on your email website and change the password there to something you can remember. LastPass should automatically detect that you have changed the password and remember the new password.

If it does not, then you need to manually go into the LastPass password vault and change your password so that it matches.

Right, Ray?

RAY: Correct.

TOM: Christine asks, I have been having trouble getting on the Internet lately because of pop-up error messages. My friend Jeff, who usually fixes my computer, says the problem is my ?browser’ and keeps trying to get me to use something called ?Firefox’. I’m used to the normal way I get online. Do I really need to change?

RAY: It would be nice if the Internet worked and looked the same for everybody, Christine!

TOM: But that would be too easy! It’s a little more complicated than that.

Any program you use to view web pages is called a ?browser’. The browser that comes pre-installed on Windows is Internet Explorer, or IE for short. It’s the most popular browser in the world. But, there’s a catch.

RAY: Yep. Different versions of Windows, like Windows XP, Vista or Windows 8, come with different versions of IE. For instance, if you still have Windows XP then you may be running the version of IE that came with it, version 6.

TOM: But Internet Explorer is now on version 10! So IE 6 is way out of date.

RAY: If you have an old version of IE, some web pages may look wrong or not load correctly. You may see bugs or weird pop-ups like you described, Christine. You are also in danger from all kinds of malware and online attacks through loopholes that were fixed in later versions.

TOM: To find out what version you have you need to bring up the ?About Internet Explorer’ screen. Depending on what version you are running, that will be under the Help menu, or under the menu that comes up when you click the little gear icon. They’re both at the top of the screen.

Then you should install the latest version available for your version of Windows. On Windows XP you can get up to Version 8, and for newer versions of Windows you can get version 10. Having the latest version of IE will likely fix many of the problems you are having. Plus, it’s just safer.

RAY: Okay Tom, but Christine said her her friend Jeff is trying to get her to switch to Firefox? Why should she change to Firefox?

TOM: Ray, do you know the classic nerd joke about Internet Explorer?

RAY: Refresh my memory.

TOM: Internet Explorer is the best browser… for downloading another browser.

RAY: *vamps*

TOM: The point Christine, is that there are lots of different web browsers besides Internet Explorer. There’s Firefox, Chrome and Opera. Those are just some of the bigger ones. There are literally dozens out there.

Other browsers offer a lot of different features and are often faster, so techies who want more control over their internet experience almost always use something else.

For instance, with Firefox you can download ?add-ons’ for the browser, that do cool things like block ads, let you download YouTube videos to your computer, display the weather at the top of the screen and more.

RAY: Google’s Chrome browser is quickly gaining popularity. Chrome is known for being really fast, which is nice. But its killer feature, is that you can synchronize all your copies of Chrome on any computer, tablet or phone. Any changes you make to one copy are automatically made to the other copies. You can also access web pages that you had open on other machines.

TOM: I love that feature. It’s so nice to be able to open a web page at work that I had opened earlier on my computer at home.

It’s also worth mentioning that most browsers other than IE conform more closely to the standards for displaying web pages, so web sites may display better on Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

RAY: Unless you’re visiting a lot of Microsoft sites: often those sites won’t work correctly on anything but Internet Explorer.

TOM: But the good news is that you can have two browsers at once, and switch back and forth between them anytime you like. So there’s no harm in downloading Firefox and giving it a try. It will get your friend Jeff off your back, and hey, you might even like it!

—–

Lynn asked, I typed this once before but not sure if it went through. I have an Asus laptop and have check on explore 8 and chrome but do not find java or it’s owner under either. I have Kaspersky and it uses Javascript. Could it be it never got installed? The laptop is about 2 yrs old, but I don’t use it much.

—–

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.

Also, make sure to come out to One Spark April 17-21, and make sure to come by and visit Deemable Tech’s booth at Ignite Adecco on Bay and Main Street, and make sure to vote for Deemable Tech we’re number 253. If you haven’t already registered to vote, go to beonespark.com and register now to vote.

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, Ray, Tom and Sean did things a little different. They packed up all the equipment they could find, and took the show on the road to Bold Bean Coffee Roasters! Apparently, Ray was so nervous, he changed the Deemable Tech tagline to “Tech help worth talking to!” But, it wasn’t long and they had the crowd warmed up, and everybody had a great time. If you weren’t able to make it, take a listen to the podcast.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Snopes.com
• UrbanLegends.About.com
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – Active Amber Alerts
• Nokia PC Suite
• Watchdog Task Manager Lite
• MotionX Sleep
• Alarm Clock Plus
• FxGuru: Movie FX Director
• Apps Gone Free
• AppGratis

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!

Download Episode 31 – Deemable Tech Live at Bold Bean Coffee Roasters

Sandra just bought an app from the app store, and it doesn’t work. Is there any way she can get a refund? The hosts of Deemable Tech, Ray Hollister and Tom Braun, help her out in this week’s Ask Deemable Tech.

RAY: Hello, I’m Ray Hollister, I’m Tom Braun, 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: Sandra asks, I bought an app from the app store, and it doesn’t work. Is there any way to get a refund?

TOM: Okay, first of all, this depends on what app store you bought your app from. The Android Market (now known as Google Play) has different refund policies from Apple’s App Store. So the answer will vary depending on whether you bought your app on an Android device (like a Samsung Galaxy or a Droid Razr Maxx) or an iOS device, like an iPhone or iPad.

If you buy any app in Google Play you actually have a very short window in which you can get a no-questions-asked refund. Here’s the trick: you have fifteen minutes from the moment you download the app to get the refund. Go back to the app page (actually if you’re lucky it will open right to it) and there should be a refund button visible. But only within the first fifteen minutes!

The moral of the story is that you should always immediately open any Android app after you download it to see if it works. If it crashes on you, or isn’t what you thought it was, you need to get back into Google Play pronto. By the way, this is a one-time deal. You can’t keep downloading and refunding an app over and over again.

If you’ve waited longer than fifteen minutes, well… Google says you’re at the mercy of the app’s developer. Open Google Play, find your app, then scroll down the page to the ‘Developer’ section. There will be contact information for the people that developed the app. Send them a phone call or an email or whatever and… good luck with that.

RAY: With iPhone and iPad apps, you can’t get a refund. That’s it. Sorry.

TOM: Really? that’s it?

RAY: OK, that’s not entirely true. Well, actually it is true, technically. The iTunes Store Terms and Conditions specifically say, “All sales and rentals of products are final.” So, they don’t have to refund you anything.

However, if you bought some terrible app, or you purchased an app and it didn’t do what you thought it would, you may be able to get a refund.

First, open iTunes on your desktop or laptop as soon as you can. There’s no timeframe that you have to act within like there is with Android, but probably the sooner the better. Then, open the iTunes store, and click on your account. It’s going to be the email address that you use to sign into iTunes and it will be in the top right corner. Now, go down to Purchase History and click See All. Scroll down to the button that says Report a Problem and click it. Then click the Report a Problem link that appears next to the app that you want to get a refund for. Then, choose one of the reasons for your complaint,

I didn’t receive this application
I inadvertently purchased this application
This application does not function as expected
This application is not compatible with my device

Finally, click Submit, and hope.

TOM: Click Hope?

RAY: No, just click Submit, and hope that they will refund your purchase!

TOM: Hahah. And, in your experience, do they?

RAY: Let’s just say I’ve been lucky so far.

To hear more answers to questions like Sandra’s 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 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.

Many public radio shows offer podcasts of their episodes. But what is a podcast, and what does it mean to “subscribe” to one? The hosts of Deemable Tech, Ray Hollister and Tom Braun, break it down 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 we received from a listener:

TOM: Hey Ray & Tom,

I have a question. What is a podcast? I listen to your show all the time on the website, and you keep saying to subscribe to the podcast. I hear other public radio shows talk about getting their podcast on the web too, but what is a podcast, and how do I “subscribe” to it? Are you going to mail it to my house or drop it off next to the newspaper? Forgive me for sounding stupid, but I don’t understand.

Thanks!

Subscribe me confused

RAY: Hey Subscribe me! Thanks for your email. Ooh, this is our first anonymous writer! Well, “Subscribe me confused”, you don’t need to be anonymous if you are embarrassed for not knowing what a podcast is, and you’re certainly not stupid for not knowing that. In fact, even your hosts here didn’t know what a podcast was only a few years ago.

TOM: In fact, podcasts didn’t even exist until as recently as 2005. A podcast is simply a broadcast to your media player. The term podcast is derived from the brand name, iPod, Apple’s MP3 player, but that doesn’t really matter now. Almost any device that can play music and/or videos can receive a podcast including most MP3 players, smartphones, and tablets.

RAY: Subscribing to a podcast means that you will automatically get the latest episode of the show that you listen to without you having to do anything. It works like On Demand works on your TV. You can listen or watch the podcast when and where you want to, and because it happens automatically, you don’t have to remember to check the website to see if a new episode has been posted.

To subscribe to a podcast you need a program or app called a podcatcher; the most popular one is iTunes. To subscribe to a podcast in iTunes you can either search for the name of the podcast you are looking for like “Deemable Tech,” or you can click a special link that takes you right to the podcast in iTunes, like Deemable Tech’s iTunes link.. Then, iTunes will pull up the podcast listing and you can click “Subscribe” to have the podcast automatically downloaded to your computer or your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

TOM: If you have an Android phone or a media player that isn’t made by Apple, you can either use a program like DoubleTwist to sync your device with iTunes, or you can use a different podcatcher like Pocket Casts or Stitcher for Android or Juice for Windows, Mac or Linux. Other podcatcher apps may not have directories like iTunes does. In that case, you may need to know the RSS feed address of the show that you are looking for. Ours is http://dmbl.co/pod.

RAY: If you love listening to public radio or talk radio, you will love podcasts. Almost all of your favorite radio shows on NPR, PRI and APM and most talk radio shows have podcasts, and there are a plethora of shows, like Deemable Tech, that you might not find on your local radio station. Also, subscribing to the shows that you love helps support those shows. The more subscribers that a show has, the higher up that show will be listed in the iTunes podcast directory, which means that more listeners will find the show and start listening! So, go subscribe to Deemable Tech’s podcast, and then check out all of the other shows out there.

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 1-888-972-9868, or you can send us an email at questions@deemable.com.

RAY: For Deemable Tech I’m Ray Hollister,

TOM: and I’m Tom Braun.

Apple has finally released the latest update to iTunes, the application that began as an MP3 player, but now is the all-encompassing media player and companion software for their mobile devices. iTunes 11 was scheduled to be released in October, but was delayed due to problems with development. The newest version has a cleaner design than the earlier versions and is more like the experience in the iPhone and iPad iterations of iTunes, so that, as Apple puts it, “it looks and works the same wherever you shop.”

Other than a whole new look, iTunes 11 is supposed to come with improved iCloud features, which if they work the way they should, they won’t be noticeable. You’ll just open iTunes and be able to download your iCloud purchases. One thing that you might notice is iCloud playback syncing. Now, if you pause a movie in iTunes and turn on your Apple TV, it will pick up where you left off. Also, a universal search across the entire local iTunes library has been added.

Hopefully, since this is a completely redesigned version, Windows users will have some respite from the earlier versions that had become notorious for being excessively bloated and slow.

Before you upgrade to the latest iTunes, check your specs. PCs will have to be running at least Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later or the 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, 7 or 8. Macs will need OS X 10.6.8 or later.

iTunes is available in the Apple Mac Store and from apple.com/itunes

Have you downloaded it yet? What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.

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

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

This week Ray Hollister, Tom Braun and Aaron Edelson ignore their friends on Facebook, but then change their mind, shoot at an iPhone, loan out a book or two and watch movies on their phones. All that and more on this episode of Deemable Tech.

Deemable Tech – Episode 8 – I want to shoot my iPhone because my Android is so slow

Today’s Questions:

1. 01:00 – How can I block and unblock people annoying people on Facebook?
2. 08:33 – I can haz Bulletproof iPhone case? Don’t taze me (with your iPhone,) bro!
3. 13:30 – The front facing camera on my Nexus 7 doesn’t work on Skype!
4. 19:04 – How can I watch my DVDs and Movies on Android and iOS?
5. 26:26 – Can I share my books on Kindle?
6. 37:31 – Why is my Android Phone so slow?
7. 47:07 – Opera won’t open an iTunes link, and the Podcast takes forever to download

Links we mentioned on the show:

• How do I control what I see in my Facebook news feed?
• Bulletproof iPhone
• iPhone Tazer
• Vudu
• Flixster
• UltraViolet
• Watchdog Manager Lite from Zomut

This week Ray Hollister, Tom Braun and Aaron Edelson tackle the tough questions, like how to get Facebook to stop pestering you to help your friends with their crops, how to leave Facebook if you can’t take it anymore, and what do when your apps jiggle, but they won’t delete.

All that and more on this episode of Deemable Tech.

Deemable Tech – Episode 6 – Getting Facebook to Leave You Alone and Jiggly Apps

Thomas Middleditch’s Disgusting Dub Step Drop (dubstep impression)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wMFu3Jaw3c

This week Ray Hollister, Tom Braun and Aaron Edelson tackle the tough questions, like “What is the cloud?,” “How do I cancel an AOL account?,” “I’ve lost my copy of 50 Shades of Grey! What do I do?,” “How do I get my money back from a crappy app?,” and “Is breaking out of jail bad?” (Seriously, someone still has an AOL account??)

All that and more on this episode of Deemable Tech.

Deemable Tech – Episode 5

Links we mentioned in this episode:

• http://myaccount.aol.com/
• How do I cancel my paid AOL account?
• How do I cancel my free AOL account?
• http://amazon.com/kindlesupport
• iClickr PowerPoint Remote for Android
• StageFlow Keynote Remote
• Presenter

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January, triumphantly walked out to a standing ovation at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Taking place in San Francisco, the gaunt and seemingly frail Apple CEO managed to address the thousands of developers in attendance by revealing major developments in Apple software that will be coming soon to consumers throughout the world.

The latest Mac Operating System, called Lion, will add 250 new improvements – such as multi-touch gestures for controlling applications. As the eighth major release of Mac OS, Apple has taken a step in a different direction by making the new release emulate the mobile iOS platform. Jobs has stated in the past that the PC-era will soon pass by, and with over 50 million Mac users across the globe his vision is coming into fruition. The software update will be on sale next month exclusively in the Mac App Store, and unlike previous Mac updates that usually cost $129.99, the 4GB Lion update can be downloaded for a mere $29.

Read more about Lion in Apple’s Official Press Release.

After selling over 200 million iOS devices like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch,
the highly popular mobile Apple iOS software will receive a much-anticipated update in the fall. Over 200 new features will be added including Notification Center, iMessage, Newsstand, and built-in Twitter integration. Users will be sent the new update over-the-air after it was announced that iOS devices will no longer require syncing with a computer to be activated or receive updates.

Read more about iOS 5 here.

iCloud

The headliner of the WWDC was undoubtedly the unveiling of Apple’s iCloud, a free wireless storage and syncing system. Based on the idea of cloud computing, which allows users to store files and applications on the internet instead of on their own devices, the iCloud will help further integrate and synchronize Apple devices in an efficient and simple manner. Using Apple’s servers, new files that a user loads onto their device will be automatically pushed and available in “the cloud” without having to manually sync or transfer anything.

Several features set Apple’s cloud computing service apart from competing cloud systems launched by Amazon and Google. The largest competitive advantage that the iCloud holds is its iTunes integration. As rumored before its release, iTunes will automatically push a user’s purchased song to all other devices running iTunes at no charge. For an additional $25 a year, though, you can access up to 20,000 songs from your entire iTunes library through a new service known as iTunes Match, which scans the iTunes library and matches it to the millions of songs that the company acquired licensing rights to. Users can also upload additional songs that haven’t found a match using the new program. Besides the iTunes integration, iCloud will also integrate with applications, documents, and photos.

Apple iCloud is set to fully launch during the fall, but some features are available right now.

Additional information about the iCloud can be found at Apple’s web site.

Full WWDC keynote below:

Photo via Ology

After signing contracts with three of the four major music labels (Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and the Warner Music Group) to license their recordings, Apple has just entered the final stages of preparation for its cloud-based music service to be launched. Apple is still in negotiations with the largest of the four labels, Universal Music Group, but that deal is expected to be completed by sometime next week.

Like Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Google’s Music Beta, Apple’s cloud-based music service would allow users to store their digital music library on the Web and stream it directly to their smartphones, computers, tablets, and other electronic devices. However, unlike Amazon and Google’s cloud-based music services, which were introduced within the past two months, Apple has taken the added precaution of obtaining licenses from the major music labels as well as beginning to obtain licenses from music publishers, who ultimately control the copyrights for the composition of songs. While Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Google’s Music Beta services are free, Apple will likely charge a small fee to be able to use their streaming music service to offset the cost of the contracts with music labels and publishers. The permission to use copyrighted material will allow Apple’s cloud music service to have more advanced features than either Amazon or Google’s services though, which are essentially Web-based hard drives that users would have to directly upload music to. The label licenses would also allow Apple to design a more efficient system in which it is predicted that the service would be able to scan a user’s iTunes library and sync these songs to the company’s master collection located on Apple’s servers, without the hassle of having to upload each song to the cloud – which could take days.

With a ready market of over 200 million iTunes users, analysts say that Apple might announce the new music service as early as next month, when the company holds its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. “The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) showcases the latest innovations and the newest technologies in iOS and Mac OS X. Over 1,000 Apple engineers guide you through five exciting days of in-depth technical sessions and hands-on labs that demonstrate how to harness the incredible power of the world’s most advanced operating systems into your apps.”

Apple fanboys may have to wait a while until the service is ready for a release date though, as the company always makes sure to work out all the kinks and to release a product only when it has been thoroughly tested… but you should already know that by now, since Apple has seemingly become its own religion.

Photo by Mark Milian via CNN