Wireless Wednesday for 10/28/15: - iOS 9 and Windows 10 Tricks

Rick is in Macon, GA all this week once again. He is the media coordinator for the Tennis Classic of Macon, a women's professional tennis tournament- think of it as the Triple-A of the tennis circuit. It's a stone's throw away from the big tennis tours. You find young players, former college All-Americans and come veteran pros working their way up the rankings. Rick is there for all 9 days of the play and the action is taking place at the tennis center at Mercer University.

We may have talked "Halloween Gadgets" last week on Wireless Wednesday, but this week we are going to talk some operating systems "tricks" that can be a "treat" for gadget users.

Have a listen:

iOS Tricks

1.  Audio App on the Home Screen

Maybe you’ve noticed a little icon on the home screen when you upgraded to iOS 9. Well it turns out that this icon is the last audio app that played after plugging in your headphones. This is a small upgrade, but actually can save you time when trying to access whatever you were last listening to. Perhaps the coolest thing about this feature is that it’s location specific. Basically, if you listen to Spotify at work  or maybe SportsRadio 92.9 The Game on TuneIn Radio, the lock screen will reflect that depending on where you are. If you want to access your last played audio, swipe up on the icon to open up the app.

2. You Can Extend Battery Life with 'Low Power Mode'

While you have a new way to view battery life, more importantly, you now have a way to extend it. By using Low Power Mode, you can get up to an additional three hours of use from your iPhone.

According to Apple, the new Low Power mode disables background features not needed for basic functionality, and in turn, provide up to 3 more hours of battery life. If that's true, it'll be a darn-impressive feat.
 

3. Ask Siri to do math for You

Siri now performs mathematical equations and unit conversions all on her own in iOS 9. Answers now show natively in a smaller results panel, without all the extra information that shows up in iOS 8.
 

- Windows 10 Tricks

1. New Web Browser "Edge"

The new Edge browser is also one of the first examples of Microsoft’s new Universal Apps Platform, an app that will work on any version of Windows 10 with a GUI — desktop, mobile, even Xbox One.

It comes with access to Cortana, Microsoft’s new voice-recognition digital assistant, but the most obvious addition is the ‘inking’ feature, which allows you to draw, highlight and annotate right on the webpage.
You can then share your ‘web notes’ with others via social networking or save them as favorites within the browser.

Apart from sharing your Web Notes, a new feature built into Windows 10 Preview Build 10158 is the ability to send them to OneNote, Microsoft’s note-taking app available in this preview.
One last surprising but welcome new feature will be Edge’s faster update schedule — Microsoft is calling it ‘regular’, which will make a nice change from previous efforts.

 


2.  Save maps for offline use

This is a tip that’s more useful on smartphones, but tablets and laptops can benefit from it as well: Windows 10 lets you save maps to your device in case you should lose a Wi-Fi or data connection while you’re trying to scout out the nearby area. Head to the Settings app then choose System and Offline maps to choose which maps to download (each region comes with an estimate of how much storage space will be taken up). You can then launch and use the Maps app whether or not you can get online.
 

3.  Sync your Windows experience to other PCs

Like Windows 8, Windows 10 lets you sync various parts of your Windows experience — such as your desktop wallpaper and online passwords – between computers, as long as you use the same Microsoft account to sign in with. From the Settings app choose Accounts and then Sync your settings: the subsequent screen lets you turn syncing on and off and choose the data that’s included. If you have multiple Windows PCs in multiple locations (eg at home and in the office) it’s one way of keeping a consistent experience across them all.

App of the Week:

1Blocker for iOS  (Free for iOS)

The ability to block certain online content is a major highlight of iOS 9. Apple is giving developers the option to build ad-blocking and tracker-blocking extensions on Safari websites. 1Blocker is designed to give you control over the content you see. In doing so, it cuts down on Web page loading time and decreases the average of total downloaded data by 50%, its website reports. 1Blocker has 7,000 pre-installed blockers for ads, tracking scripts, widgets, comments, and other online content.

After downloading, go to Settings > Safari > Content blockers to activate 1Blocker.
 

Wireless Wednesday for 10/14/15: Back to the Future Tech

Rick has been in Jacksonville, FL the last 4 days getting the low down on the upcoming Georgia/Florida weekend and then come January, the TaxSlayer Bowl... Jacksonville offers more than The Landing... . it's a cultural, business and entertainment center of North Florida and of course all the sports...

With the Cubs still alive in the MLB Playoffs and maybe heading to the World Series

October 21, 2015. That’s the date Doc Brown punches into his time-travelling DeLorean in Back to The Future II, the 1989 sequel that promised viewers a near-future of flying cars, hoverboards and self-lacing shoes. And with the famous date fast approaching, a surprising amount of director Robert Zemeckis’s vision is becoming a reality.

Heck even the Cubs are in the playoffs....   Here s what has come true from the "Back to the Future" movies...

Universal intends to re-release the entire trilogy in selected cinemas on 21 October. Amazon Prime is streaming the films.

 
Have a listen as Rick and Mitch talk "Back to the Future" in both parts.

1.  PepsiCo announced that it would launch a limited edition line of “Pepsi Perfect” bottles

On 21 October, just like the one Marty McFly buys on the same day at the diner in Back to the Future II. The firm intends to make just 6,500 of the collectible bottles, to be sold online while stocks last. “Perfect” label aside, the 16.9oz of sugary drink inside the bottle will be plain old regular Pepsi, and the price will be a less-than-perfect $20.15.
 


2.  Multi-Screen TV's

First we had "Picture in a Picture" TV's now we have big screen HDTVs that can be broken down to watch smaller screens and multi channels.  This was a pipe dream back in 1985.

 

3.  Hoverboards

We've talked hoverboards before

Tech startup Arx Pax intends to ship the first of its real-life hoverboards later this month. Development of the Hendo Hoverboard was funded on Kickstarter last year, to the tune of $510,590, and the first 11 people to receive their boards will be those who pledged $10,000 or more to the campaign. The device reportedly works using magnetic-levitation, with four disc-like “hover engines” on its underside.
 


4.  Phone Glasses  -  Similar to our Google Glass

 
5. Auto Drying Clothes

New Dri-Fit technology from companies like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour produce apparel that not only keeps athletes cool in the hot weather but almost absorbs sweat instantaneous and stays dry even in rain and when it gets wel.  We don't even have to talk to it and tell it to dry like McFly did.

 
6. Thumb Recognition Technology

We use it everyday on our iPhones

 

App of the Week:

Google Play Music - which is more than likely preinstalled on your device. But what about new stuff?

In the past if you wanted to listen to new music and you didn't want to pay for it you would listen to the radio. Many Android phones and tablets have a built-in FM radio, and you simply plug in a pair of headphones to act as the aerial. There are also online radio services - one of our favourites is BBC iPlayer Radio.

Google Music service.
Listen to your fvorite songs, artists, or albums, or browse by genre, mood, activity, decade, and more. Bring your own music collection with you by uploading 50,000 of your own songs.

 

Wireless Wednesday for 9/23/15: Blue Week and Tech for the Home

Lead:  It's Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and high school football in Georgia is going "Blue" for the week.
Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition (GPCC) is involved in “Blue Week” because it builds Prostate Cancer Awareness. This is what all 421 high school football teams will be doing the week of September 21st thru September 25th. All presented by Northside Hospital.
 

All football players will have blue ribbon decals on their helmets

All coaches will have blue wristbands

All referees will have blue penalty flags

Blue ribbons will be stenciled on the fields

Public Service  Announcements will be mentioned during half time

Rick and Mitch take a look at some new technology for the home that Rick has been trying out

Have a listen to both parts:

1.   Pelican 3310 ELS emergency light  -  proving it's better to be safe than sorry

The Pelican 3310ELS - Emergency Lighting Station   - $48.95

When the power goes out, the PelicanTM 3310 ELS appears: a self-contained glowing beacon and flashlight that's easy to locate in the dark. Housed in a clear tamper-proof case, the PelicanTM 3310 ELS mounts to the wall in the home, office or factory, making it available during any power outage. The new PelicanTM 3310 ELS: You'll never lose it.

    Great for emergency preparedness
    234 lumens of light output, perfect for egress needs
    Signaling mode for search and rescue scenarios
    Up to 190 hours of runtime, invaluable during extended power outages
    IPX7 = Waterproof (submerged to 1 meter for 30 min.)
    Wall mountable case for ease of access (hardware included)

 


2. Aerelight A1 Desk Lamp

https://aerelight.com


An eye-catching design that uses an OLED panel to illuminate your room, which both makes it wafer-thin and produces a natural-looking, energy-efficient glow that should last as long as the lamp itself. You shouldn't have to touch anything but the controls for the next 20 years, according to Aerelight.

No bulb! We know desk lamps as spotlights that you need to be right under for light. This is an area light source that provides soft, uniform and glare-free light over a larger area and will last 18 years of normal use (at that point the brightness is reduced to 70% of its original brightness). Lasts even longer if you use it at lower brightness.

No power button! Tri-state dimming control anywhere on the metal frame to cycle through different brightness levels. This was custom engineered.

Engineered, designed and assembled all in Toronto done by engineering graduates from the University of Toronto. We’ve shipped out to all our pre-order backers and are excited to be shipping generally now!
No wires! Concealed in the walnut hardwood base is a Qi and PMA 1.5+ cross-compatible wireless charging coil.

Price is $299.99

3.  A pair of D-Link Products (listed below)

a. D-Link AC1900 Wi-Fi USB adapter (DWA-192).

Designed to bring faster speeds and extended range to laptops and desktop PCs, the DWA-192 boasts 3×3 internal antennas, dual-band technology (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and speeds of up to 1900Mbps1. The AC1900 Wi-Fi Adapter enables users to upgrade a desktop PC to the latest generation wireless AC technology – up to three times faster than previous-generation wireless N – for streaming HD movies, transferring large files, and lag-free gaming throughout the home.

“Today’s computers are demanding faster Wi-Fi to keep up with applications such as streaming HD, gaming and more,” said Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. “Our new AC1900 USB Wi-Fi Adapter will significantly upgrade the network speeds of a device, providing the ability to do more online and stray farther from the home router.”

The DWA-192 is ideal for use in larger homes and for users who need a faster Wi-Fi connection. The AC1900 Adapter is backward compatible with 802.11n/g/a technology and works with all brands of Wi-Fi routers and range extenders making it a simple way to upgrade a laptop or desktop PC to 11AC speeds. For ultimate performance, this adapter can be used with a D-Link® ULTRA Series Wi-Fi Router to maximize home network speeds.
 

b. D-Link Wi-Fi Water Sensor (DCH-S160)

Plugs into an open power outlet and lets you know when leaks are detected around the house. Users will get push or text notifications with the mydlink Home app on their smartphones so they always know what is going on at home from anywhere.

 

4. Keurig Chicken Soup

* Your Keurig machine can now make you a cup of chicken soup

For those looking for a quick cup of hot chicken soup in a matter of seconds with no mess and great taste, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. is proving once again that a Keurig machine is more than just coffee and tea. Campbell's chicken soups for the Keurig is as easy as locating the included noodle packet and broth K-Cup pod.

To make your soup, empty the soup packet into your mug and insert the K-Cup into your Keurig and brew.

Combine the two and let sit for a minute to get to the desired temperature. In recent years, Keurig has made it a point to be more than just coffee and tea and this is another step in that direction.

$12.99 for 8 chicken soup K-Cups
 


App of the Week:

Rabble

Free for iOS and Android

Rabble is a new free social network service that allows people to listen to and stream audio tied to a live sports or entertainment event through a well designed app. It's called Rabble and their new 2.0 version is a winner. The folks at Rabble liken this to Mystery Science Theater 3000, where comments are made about the events happening in front of us. Rabble is for television fans that want more than the boring network broadcast feed of their favorite sports.
One of the great things about Rabble is you don't have to be an expert or genius to broadcast your own commentary of a big time sporting event. Maybe you want to hear what your friends or relatives are saying about the big Sunday Night Football Game on NBC. A refreshed iOS app and a new Android app will bring Rabble to just about all sports fans. You are also welcome to just go on Rabble and discover new programming and shows that might be both educational and entertaining.

Users seem to love having the ability to riff, jest, and originate alternative audio for their favorite shows and events. The app is pretty snappy, it easily lets users pick their favorite event and they start broadcasting. For those of you that like to talk, have strong opinions or need to get your message out, Rabble is the app for you. You can visit Rabble on the web here and see if it's something you and your buddies want to try you hand or voice at. If you missed an event or Rabble broadcast you wanted to see, don't fret, Rabble allows you to view and enjoy past broadcasts. Rabble is quite possibly where sports broadcasting is heading in the near future. We can watch the games and events the way we want to, but now with Rabble we can also hear them the way we desire to and at a time that fits our schedule.

 

Wireless Wednesday for 9/16/15: Omni Homestead, Golf and Tailgating Tech

Rick is at the Onmi Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA this week. This is where Sam Snead grew up and got his start in golf. It's also the oldest continuous first tee in the US, dating back to 1892.

Rick and Mitch take a look at some new "Tailgating Technology" as the football season kicks off - have a listen:

1.   Backyard 2- Burner Grill from Walmart

- Small and compact, but powerful and durable grill for tailgating and only $89

The Backyard Grill 2-Burner Gas Grill has a 15-burger capacity. It features a chrome-coated warming rack, a durable porcelain-coated steel lid and a built-in temperature gauge. This backyard grill gas grill with cart also comes with two main burners for ample space to cook up tasty meals.
Backyard Grill 2-Burner Cart Gas Grill:
    312 sq in porcelain-coated cooking grid
    457 sq in total cooking area
    15-burger capacity
    24,000 BTUs
    2 main burners
    145 sq in chrome-coated warming rack
    Durable porcelain-coated steel lid
 
 

2. BBQ Dragon

- For those that like to still use Charcoal grills

The BBQ Dragon is a fire-starting tool so simple and yet revolutionary that it is literally changing the entire barbecue industry. It reduces the start time of charcoal grills to less than ten minutes and supercharges the starting of all kinds of other fires. It works by blowing large amounts of low-velocity, cool air at the fire. The BBQ Dragon's sophisticated, high-tech design is the perfect compliment to any grill or outdoor kitchen. It's battery-powered, hands-free, micro-USB rechargeable, and looks fantastic. It works on anything: charcoal grills, fire pits, fireplaces, wood stoves, smokers, even campfires. Never before has there been a product that so substantially improves America's most popular past time: barbecue. The variable speed motor allows you to infinitely control the amount of air, and thus oxygen, delivered to a fire.
Available at Walmart and Amazon.



3.   Digital Cornhole Scoreboard

For sale on various cornhole supply websites or some people are even making their own.

 
 
4.   DISH Network "Tailgater"

About $350 for the "Tailgater" and pay for only the months you will be using it
Watch yoour DISH Network programming right at your next tailgate

    Portable and lightweight
    Automatically finds DISH satellites
    Supports HD and SD programming
    Connects to a single HD TV

Specifications

    Dimensions: 17.5" H x 16" W x 16" D
    Weight: 10 lbs.
    Color: White
    Automatically points to satellites 110°, 119° and 129°
    Powered by DISH receiver, which requires 110VAC
 
 


5. Realtree 450W Tailgate Inverter

* Power up at your tailgate

The Realtree converts your vehicle's 12V DC power to household AC current for use by devices such as smartphones, iPods, iPads, laptops, TVs and more. The system plugs into a 12 volt outlet or connects directly to the battery with included cables and clamps.

The inverter features 3 AC outlets and 2 USB ports. It delivers 450 watts of continuous power, with a peak of 900 watts. This and related options are available at Bass Pro Outlets and online. The Realtree inverter goes for about $70.

 


App of the Week:

Pac-Man 256

Free
* For those Pac-Man fans from the 1980s- a great game to keep on your smartphone

PAC-MAN 256 is the maze that never ends.
-------------------------------

FEATURES:
• PAC-MAN perfectly reinvented for your mobile phone or tablet
• Outsmart ghosts with over 15 ridiculous power ups: Laser, Tornado, Giant and much more
• Stay ahead of the super-villain lurking in PAC-MAN since the beginning: The Glitch
• Take on a new gang of revived retro-ghosts including Sue, Funky, and Spunky
• Waka waka on PAC-DOTS and string a 256 combo for a super special surprise
• Controller support
 

Wireless Wednesday for 9/2/15: One Hit Tech Wonders

Rick is in Myrtle Beach this week, working the Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday World Am.

The World Am is the largest golf tournament in the world. 3,500 golfers competing on about 70 courses in Myrtle Beach. Brian Katrek is playing again this year...

Great fun in one of the best golf destinations, in the world, Myrtle Beach.

Check out www.myrtlebeachgolfholiday.com

You know those "one hit wonders" from the world of music. The Likes of: Manfred Mann, the Georgia Satellites and The Buggles have nothing on this one-hit wonders from the world of tech...

Have a listen:

1.   Rubik's Cube  

*Still being sold today

This has to be one of those one hit wonder inventions that makes the most famous list, in addition to being on my original one hit wonder invention list. The Rubik’s cube was invented by a Hungarian architect, Erno Rubik, in 1974, but he did not intend to create a toy! His invention stemmed from a means of displaying a working model explaining three-dimensional geometry! The 'magic cube' (as it was first known) consists of nine colored squares on each side and can be arranged 43 quintillion ways. After being displayed at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1979, it became a huge hit and was licensed to the Ideal Toy Corp in 1980. Since then, it has sold 350 million units, making it the biggest-selling toy in the world.

 

2. The Waterbed

The concept of a waterbed is not really new, but as with most inventions, it’s all about timing and when a product hits the market. The waterbed became a ‘hot seller’ during the late 1960s and into the 70s.

Nowadays, waterbeds aren’t as popular, but they still account for about 5% of the mattress market.
 
 

3.  Books on Tape

Long before the iPod, iPad and smartphone the way many people read books was "Books on Tape"
People used to listen to books on cassette tapes in their car or on cassette players. Had to rewind the cassette after listening and many times the cassette tape would reak, get tangled or eaten by the casette player.

 

4.  The Bumpit

*Women know about the Bumpit
The brainchild of mortgage broker, Kelly Fitzpatrick-Bennett. Still sell for $5-$7
 
 Bumpits® Hair Volumizing Leave-In Inserts allow you to go from Flat to Fabulous in Seconds!

Bumpits self gripping leave-in volumizing hair inserts give you instant volume and let you enjoy FEELING CONFIDENT and BEAUTIFUL, like you just stepped out of a professional salon!!

At its peak, the Bumpit sold at a clip of a million units a month. Ms. Fitzpatrick-Bennett's current business plan calls for sales of about 20,000 a month. "I was pretty realistic in knowing it would only have a year of good life and then it would just sit and stop," Ms. Fitzpatrick-Bennett says.

5. The Sony MiniDisc and LaserDisc

Sony designed and developed MD in 1986 and launched in 1992. The MD looks like a small compact disc: the diameter of a CD is 5.25" while that of an MD is a mere 2.5". Following CD technology, MD technology uses a laser beam to read the information, but that is where the similarities end. MDs are magnetically encoded whereas CDs use physical grooves and pits to indicate the binary code. Also, MDs are considerably more shock-resistant; the 40-second digital buffer system utilized by MD players is far superior to most portable CD players' shock-resistant technology. Indeed, one can vigorously shake an MD player and no skipping would occur; a CD player would skip endlessly under the same conditions.

Sony emphasizes that MD technology combines the best of both audio cassettes and CDs. Recording mixes on MD is greatly improved over cassettes because MDs treat music as data - computer files that can be manipulated, moved, and erased. In a similar fashion to hard disks, MDs have a Table of Contents (TOC) that indicates which sectors contain important data. In this way, songs can be completely fragmented, with seconds at one sector of the disc and minutes at another sector. Not one precious second is wasted because the reading laser can jump from any sector to sector by simply following the TOC's directions. Therefore, after a full night of recording, one can erase any track at will and still have a seamless mix of music; no ugly gaps of filler appear. This effortless recording manipulation combined with instant playback track access (as we are accustomed to with CDs) seems to present the best of two worlds in one small package.

However, the MD's sound quality is slightly inferior to that of CDs.

The Laser Disc was supposed to complement VHS tapes, but you couldn't record on them and who wanted large album-sized discs holding movies on them.
 


App of the Week:

US Open App - iOS and Android

Designed and developed by IBM with special features sponsored by American Express. Follow the action LIVE during the Open, August 25 to September 13, 2015.

New this year:  "Push Notifications"

Push Alerts

Get breaking news and player updates as the action happens along with special offers and promotions for the US Open and our Official Partners.

NOTE: When you are on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, be sure to use the "USOPENWIFI" free WiFi Network courtesy of Time Warner Cable.

Key Features:

Scores – Analytics & Insights by IBM
LIVE exclusive point-by-point scoring, statistics and completed match results during the US Open.

US Open Trendcast – Presented by American Express
Fans can stay on top of and engage with the latest trending topics through Twitter, Insta-gram and Facebook in our TrendCast section and join in the US Open Daily Debate.

Video
On-demand video highlights, press conferences, analysis and more video features throughout the tournament.

Open Access
Open Access is a new Fan Enhancement available for all US Open Patrons allowing them streamlined access to various activation points around the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This program allows fans to register once to participate in activities ranging from customized photo opportunities to interactive games and it will personalize their whole US Open experience with their own personal webpage with the US Open app. Just for signing up for Open Access all fans are entered to win tickets to the 2016 Men’s or Women’s finals.

Streak Challenge – Presented by Esurance
New for 2015, fans can play along with the US Open Streak Challenge and test their US Open tennis knowledge with two questions every day about players, matches and tournament stats. Keep answering correctly and you’ll add to your streak and move up the leaderboard. Win a Prize?

News
Latest news updates from on and off the court throughout the tournament.

USOpen.org Radio - American Express Special Feature
LIVE streaming ball-by-ball radio coverage featuring Courtside Q&A — a live, interactive Q&A with match commentators featuring user-submitted questions via Twitter.