Wireless Wednesday for 1/6/16 - Rick at CES

Rick is in Las Vegas this week for the massive CES show, otherwise known as the Consumer Electronics Show.

Rick arrived on Sunday. Monday started with the Storage Visions Conference, a 2-day conference on digital and data storage. Monday night was the CES Unveiled Show, a press only event where some of the new gadgets debut. Tuesday is "Press Day" and it's wall-to-wall press conferences with all the big tech companies. Tuesday night is the Pepcom media event and the actual show begins Wednesday.

Here are some of Rick's finds and observations so far:

1.    This Show is Big

CES takes up most of the Las Vegas Strip.  Last year there  were 176,000 people. This year they say around 160,000.  This is one of the largest trade shows in the world and many of the new products shown here won't debut until later in 2016.
 

2.  Press Events are Important

The show is so large, it would be impossible to see everything. Therefore the press (1000s of them) come in days before for press events and briefings.

Rick attended the Fitbit press conference at 7:30 am on Tues to hear about Fitbits new products which were shown off my former Falcon great, Tony Gonzalez.

 

3.  A "Smart Everything"

Smart watches, smart cars, smart beds, a smart refrigerator an even the debut of a smart spoon this week in Vegas.
New for 2016, Slow Control has a "smart spoon." Of course they do, but the thought here is noble in that a toy makes kids want to try and eat vegetables. It's said this spoon will come out in the first quarter of 2016. Who would've thought that a spoon could be smart?
 

4.  Older Brands Trying to Become New Again

Remember RCA, Panasonic, Pioneer, Casio and more...'
These iconic brands all have a big presence at CES and are reinventing themselves in different ways.
***RCA is introducing some new TVs and accessories, working on info for the others...

5. Andre Agassi partners with Square Panda for a line of educational apps and devices for kids up to the age of 8

Who would've thought tennis great, Andre Agassi would be so involved with learning and educational opportunities for kids. The Andre Agassi foundation has workd for 20 years with Agassi's charter sachool in Las Vegas and now he has a line of apps and learning tools for kids.

This is the first in Square Panda’s line of educational products aimed at promoting literacy among preschool children. Along with its debut, Square Panda is proud to announce the appointment of Andre Agassi as a board member. He is also a founder of the Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund which was established to provide investors seeking both financial and societal returns access to the growth of
America’s most innovative educational organizations.

Designed to teach, engage, and entertain early learners (ages three and up), the phonics play-set uses connected letter toys and multi-sensory apps to explore early reading skills.
Drawing from the latest research on phonics and multi-sensory instruction, Square Panda’s adaptive technology combines multi-sensory learning, humor, and exploratory play. Built upon proprietary hardware and software technology, its connected play-set adapts to recognize what a child is ready to learn and presents challenges to stretch growth and language skills.

See more at www.squarepanda.com

 


App of the Week:

Speedify

This is an app that debuted at CES...  Speedify Mobile
With Speedify Mobile, Android and iOS users can seamlessly combine Wi-Fi, mobile data and Bluetooth connections for faster and more reliable mobile Internet connectivity.

Speedify Mobile is solving the frustration that most smartphone users encounter daily, weak mobile or Wi-Fi signals that impede streaming media and make web pages fail to load. Speedify promises seamless mobile connectivity by intelligently switching between available Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth networks or bonding them to create the best possible mobile experiences.

Speedify Mobile is also cost aware. It uses free Wi-Fi as long as it is available and will seamlessly move Internet traffic to mobile data only when necessary in order to conserve mobile data usage.

"We are thrilled to begin offering Speedify Mobile at CES 2016," said Chief Executive Officer, Alex Gizis. "We want to empower users all over the world with fast and reliable connectivity while ensuring they are getting the most out of their mobile plan."

The Speedify Mobile app establishes a connection to the company's Speed Servers in the cloud.  The technology works similar to a VPN by acting like a middleman between mobile devices and the rest of the Internet. The app works in tandem with their Speed Servers to intelligently divide Internet traffic at the packet-level taking best possible advantage of Wi-Fi and mobile data to deliver the combined availability and speeds of both connections. In this way, even single applications like streaming video, VPNs, and file transfers are given a speed boost on mobile devices.

To get started, simply download the app from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android devices. Speedify Mobile is being offered for free with 1 GB of speed-up data at launch with subscriptions for higher data use.   
 

Wireless Wednesday for 11/4/15: - Tech News of the Week

With the holiday shopping season and the end of the year upon us, Rick and Mitch take a look at some of the hot topics and the tech news of the week.

Have a listen to both parts this week:

1.  Activision Blizzard Buys 'Candy Crush' Maker King for $5.9 Billion

There must be a lot of people still addicted to Candy Crush. With the mobile device revolution, the video game industry is alive and well.

Who makes more money: Hollywood or the video game industry?

The video game industry made twice as much money in 2013 than did the film industry.
Worldwide box-office revenue for the film industry in 2013 was $35.9 billion (source Theatrical Market Statistics 2013).

Worldwide revenue for the video game industry in 2013 was $70.4 billion (source: 2013 Global Games Market Report).

Video game maker Activision Blizzard has acquired Candy Crush creator King in a $5.9 billion deal.

The combined company will reach more than half a billion monthly active users in 196 countries. Activision CEO

Bobby Kotick says he has "long admired King for consistently creating incredibly fun, deeply engaging free-to-play games that capture the imaginations of players across ages and demographics."

Together, Activision Blizzard and King will have a portfolio with top-grossing mobile games (Candy Crush Saga), as well as successful console (Call of Duty) and PC (World of Warcraft) titles.
 


2.  Samsung Sells More Phones than Apple

Samsung Electronics Co. is selling more smartphones than it was this time last year. But under the hood, there are fewer reasons to celebrate.
Last week, the South Korean smartphone giant celebrated its first quarter of year-on-year mobile profit growth since 2013.

Samsung has been selling more cheaper smartphones, and fewer high-end premium devices, than it did even compared to Samsung’s rocky 2014, according to numbers from data firm Counterpoint Technology Market Research.

Samsung doesn’t separately disclose smartphone sales numbers.

Samsung shipped 84 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2015, 6.3% more than during the same stretch last year and more than the No. 2 and No. 3 players, Apple Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co., combined, according to Counterpoint.

But while 55% of its smartphones were priced at $301 per unit or more at this time last year, that high-end segment has fallen to just 40% of Samsung’s overall smartphone sales, Counterpoint said.

Phones priced $200 or below now account for 38% of total units shipped at Samsung, versus 30% this time last year.

So while Samsung is indeed shipping more smartphones, it isn’t charging as much for them — or making as much money from them.
 

3. HP Is Now Two Companies

Hewlett-Packard. The tech giant starts trading Monday as two separate companies: HP Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Enterprises. HP Inc. (HPQ) is responsible for the PC and printer businesses, while HP Enterprises (HPE) will sell hardware like servers to businesses. Hopefully customers get better PCs, better printers and more innovation.

 


4.  NASA Study Shows Net Gains For Antarctic Ice

Apparently, now that we don't send things into space anymore, NASA has time to look at glaciers.

A widely circulated NASA study published in the Journal of Glaciology, and reported by UPI, says that Antarctic ice has measurably thickened in recent decades, a conclusion at odds with earlier findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "which in 2013 suggested gains were not keeping up with losses."
The new tallies reveal an annual net gain of 112 billion tons between 1992 and 2001.
 

5. T-Mobile is Giving Customers a Free Cell Tower

Yea, really.

The cellphone carrier announced Monday that all T-Mobile customers with a "Simple Choice" plan can now receive a free mini cell tower for their home. The 8.5-inch square gadget blasts out T-Mobile's 4G-LTE network to a 3,000-square-foot radius.

T-Mobile has done this kind of thing before. It previously gave out free Wi-Fi routers that allowed customers to make calls and texts over their home Wi-Fi networks.

What T-Mobile announced Monday is different: The mini tower (T-Mobile is calling it a CellSpot), lets customers connect to T-Mobile's cellular network -- not Wi-Fi. That means in places where they received one or no "bars" of service, they'll now get a full, speedy connection.

 
6.  Technology Making Waves in the Sport of Curling

Somewhat like Major League Baseball never allowing metal bats due to fears that advanced equipment could trump human ability, the World Curling Federation, the sport’s governing body, is now being forced to actually address similar concerns about a new broom head.

The Winter Olympic sport where players vigorously sweep brooms to guide heavy stones down the ice – may be having its aluminum bat moment.

At the center of the controversy is the swatch of fabric affixed to the outside of the curling broom. In place of a smooth fabric head that has become the norm in the past two decades, the new technology uses a fabric that feels rough to the touch. Known as “directional fabric,” curlers claim these broom heads are making curling stones do things on the ice that seem so unnatural they could sweep athleticism and other currently necessary skills right out of the game. These new broomheads are very forgiving.
 

App of the Week:

Google Maps - new feature for Android - it gives you advice

Reviews and ratings speak volumes about an establishment, but to help you make quicker decisions, Google Maps for Android now displays at-a-glance details about best times to go, atmosphere, and more.

To gather this information for our community, you might have seen questions like “Is this place family friendly”— now, they’ll appear as notifications on your Android device based on your location history.
Search for any type of business and give it a try
 

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 10/21/15: Halloween Gadgets

Boo!

Halloween is just over a week away.

Rick and Mitch take a look at some hot Halloween Gadgets and Tech for 2015....

Have a listen:

1.  The Snake Wreath  -  Perfect for your front door

This wreath of slithering tangled snakes comes to life when visitors approach. Price: Merely $29

 
2. Professional Pumpkin Carving Set

$19.95 at www.ChefsResource.com

 Carve spooky or silly pumpkins like a professional with the carving knife, etching tool, and culinary scoop. Use the professional-quality culinary scoop with toothed-edge to remove seeds and pulp from the insides of your jack-o-lantern-to-be. The etching tool is great for carving grooves and designs into the outside of the pumpkin. The carving knife is great for detail work and edges.

 

3. Fox/Wolf Costume Mask   $50

www.geniegadgets.com

A mask so realistic, people will be amazed.

More realistic than we could possibly describe in these next four pulsating paragraphs (we’re still not entirely sure that it isn’t just a very still fox in a box), the Mr Fox Costume Mask will see you go down into fancy dress folklore should you don it to one of your infamous parties. Its outrageous appearance means that this will be one costume that your friends simply won’t be able to forget in a hurry, no matter how hard they try.

Terrifyingly entertaining, the Mr Fox Costume Mask makes the perfect fancy dress idea, and not just because of its worryingly accurate resemblance to its real-life equivalent. With its unique integrated speaker, the Mr Fox Costume Mask’s mouth even moves when you talk meaning this is one costume that delivers on both practicality and laughs.
 

4.   Misting Witch's Cauldron

Halloween traditionalists will love this smoking cauldron, and it’s a deal at $35 at retail and novelty stores. The gadget mixes plain water and LED lights to make a steaming tabletop display. Best of all, no dry ice is needed.
 

5. Download a free FLASHLIGHT app, like the iHandy Flashlight app

So your child’s device can be turned into a bight light and used for easy navigation.
The brightest, fastest, and most versatile flashlight in the world, ever! Instantly turn on the camera light, and then leisurely enjoy 60+ light effects in the pro version for .99.

 

6.  Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker

www.fugoo.com

Need a weatherproof Bluetooth speaker to play Halloween music or those scary and spooky sounds?

You don’t worry about getting your hair wet. Neither should your portable speaker. Introducing FUGOO Sport - the best waterproof Bluetooth speaker that was built for the fun, fast, and hardcore in all of us. FUGOO’s 40-hour battery life and Siri/Google Capabilities puts the ultimate in audio technology at your fingertips all day, all night, and then some.
 


App of the Week:

(Android or iOS)

See the latest weather for Halloween with Weatherlink...
* Crowdsourced weather info
View current weather data, and highs and lows for the day, month, and year with the FREE WeatherLink application for Android by Davis.

This free application for Android shows current and historical data from the WeatherLink.com website. It's a free download from Google Play. Just search for "WeatherLink" and download the free application today.

A growing new trend, and it's amazing how easy it has become for people to share their own personal weather station information and forecasts from their home stations.
 The Weatherlink network is free to the public to access so anybody can go to the map (see the link below) and see what the latest conditions in their area are. There are over 20,000 people sharing this information on http://www.weatherlink.com/map.php

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.