Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 12/3/13 - Instructional DVDs and Apps

TOPICS - Rick and Brian take a look at some golf instructional DVDs and Apps
Some of these would make some great holiday gifts

 Have a listen:

1.  "David Leadbetter Interactive" - Now only $69
http://www.leadbetterinteractive.com

This is a 5-volume DVD series, four discs of which are golf instruction, with the fifth disc being interactive software. The software, if you choose to use it, analyzes your swing and then recommends specific drills included in the other four discs. Even without the software, it's a good collection of Leadbetter training.
- 5 hours of instruction
- 70 game improvement drills
 NEW! Access the Leadbetter Interactive Golf Academy and send your swing to a certified Leadbetter instructor for personal analysis.
NEW! View your drills on your iPod? or mobile phone and take David with you on the practice range!

 

2. Jack Nicklaus: Golf My Way"  $29.99 on Amazon

This series of tapes, based on the Golden Bear's famous instructional book of the same name, was selected in a Golf Magazine poll of Top 100 instructors as the best golf instructional video of all-time.
Now available on DVD
In 1974, Nicklaus authored what would become the most successful golf instruction book of all time, Golf My Way. Translated into numerous languages across the globe, Golf My Way quickly gained international appeal and worldwide distribution. It became known as the instruction source for golfers of all generations and skill levels looking to take up or improve their game. Golf My Way was the book former British Open champion Greg Norman credits for how he first learned the game of golf in the 1970s.
This was a best-selling VHS series released in 1983.

 

3.  Any of Jim McLean's DVDs

Jim has received throughout his golf career, such as coaching students like Keegan Bradley, Lexi Thompson and Erik Compton. Jim is also the proud owner of Jim McLean Golf Schools
One of the very top golf swing researchers in the game. He has been a PGA Master Professional since 1990 and has led more than 50 national teaching workshops for the PGA. Jim has authored 11 top selling golf instruction books, produced over 20 DVDs, and writes full time for Golf Digest magazine. His Eight Step Golf DVD is the all time #1 selling DVD on the Golf Channel.

 

Apps:

4. Swing Profile  free for iPhone

The Swing Profile Golf Free app for iPhone helps analyse the sequence of positions your swing to help you find room for improvement or areas of inconsistency between swings (using the swing comparison feature.
Swing Profile Golf’s Features

    Auto Capture – the app detects and records only the motion of your golf swing
    Auto Trim – superfluous footages is auto-deleted leaving a 2-second clip of your swing motion
    Auto Sequence – a sequence of 7 images of the stages of your golf swing are produced
    Auto Line – draws your swing plane
    Auto Sync – synchronizes two different swings regardless of tempo difference so you can compare them easily
 

5.  Tiger Woods: My Swing - $4.99 on iTunes

We may never have a swing like Tiger, but now with this app, we can compare our swing to Tiger's.
• Enhanced video capture
• Side-by-side swing comparison with Tiger Woods
• Advanced swing analysis and how-to demonstrated by Woods
• Swing comparisons, sharing and feedback tools tied to friends and community members
• Video updates from Tiger, exclusive for members only

TIGER:
• High quality video of each club from both Face On and Down the Line angles
• How-to video directly from Tiger covering swing analysis
• Video clips from Tiger when he’s on Tour, exclusive for members only

RECORD:
• Time delay to allow for self-recording
• Record voice and text notes that save with your swing

ANALYZE:
• Overlay “Tiger Lines” that demonstrate proper technique


** Bonus

On Golf Digest's YouTube Channel there are also all sorts of putting tip videos that are free to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/user/GolfDigestMagazine?feature=watch

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 10/22/13 - Best Tablets of 2013

Steven is in for Brian this week and we talk tablets.

* TOPICS - Rick is back from Ridgeland, Mississippi where he was covering the Bassmasters Open and we talk tablets

We are going to have some sort of announcement about new iPads today, so Rick and Steven take a look at the "Best Tablets" of 2013.

Have a listen:

Tablets have become so popular so quickly that they're predicted to surpass both laptops and desktops by 2015. Why? Because they're portable enough to take anywhere, and -- thanks to an ever-growing roster of apps -- are versatile enough for work and play. With so many models available, choosing the best tablet comes down to your needs and budget.

Those looking for a device that's affordable and easy to use with one hand should check out 7-inch Android tablets. Quality options start as low as $150. The 7.9-inch iPad mini and the larger 9.7-inch iPad offer the most tablet-optimized apps and the most intuitive interface, but start at $329. Then you have Windows 8 tablets, many of which double as laptops, making them compelling productivity partners. Most Windows tablets are larger, but cheaper 8-inch models are starting to hit the market.

1.  Apple's iPad and iPad Mini - We'll see what gets introduced today.
Faster processor, lighter, better screens?
 

2.  Best Android Tablet: Google Nexus 7
$229

The Google Nexus 7 delivers pure Android 4.3 Jelly Bean goodness along with blazing-fast quad-core performance, long battery life and one of the best screens on the market. The 1920 x 1200, 7-inch display is not only amazingly sharp at 323 PPI, but eye-poppingly colorful and bright enough to be viewed from any angle without image degradtion. The latest Android OS allows users to create child-friendly restricted profiles for the first time while the front and rear cameras provide solid camera images on a device that weighs just 10.2 ounces and lasts over  8 hours on a charge.

3. Polaroid 7" Kid's Tablet
Price: $149

Now little ones can have their own interactive fun! The Polaroid 7-Inch Internet Kids Tablet is loaded with 35 kid-friendly apps and interactive features, as well as 10 Dr. Seuss and Smithsonian interactive books. It has simple parental controls and a safe web browser so theres no wandering into off-limit sites. A kid-safe video player, camera, music player and game arcade provide hours of fun, and the large buttons make it easy to use. The backlit LED screen is crystal clear with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This 8GB tablet is Wi-fi enabled with USB 2.0 connectivity. Stand included.

    Simple parental controls & safe web browser.
    Includes 10 Dr. Seuss and Smithsonian interactive books.
    Preloaded w/over 35 premium apps (full versions).
    Appshop for kids (safely download kid-safe content).
    Camera & music player specially designed for kids.
    Maximum Resolution: 800 x 480
 


4. Best Tablet Value - ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7

How much tablet can you get for $150? A lot more than you might think. A chearp tablet that feels anything but cheap, ASUS's MeMO Pad HD 7 features a colorful 1280 x 800 screen, a powerful quad-core processor, high-quality front and rear cameras, 16GB of internatl storage and a microSD card slot for expansion. Throw in 9 hours and 40 minutes of battery life  and a host of custom Android features and you have one of the best bargains in all of tech.
Price: $150
 


5. Best Tablet for Reading Books - Amazon Kindle Fire HDX

When it comes to eBooks, no one tops Amazon, especially if you're looking for free stuff to read. Both the best tablet its size and the best tablet for entertainment, the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX gives Amazon Prime members ($79 per year) a host of compelling books, movies and TV shows for free. However, the HDX offers more than just a compelling content library as it provides impressive audio, blazing fast quad-core speeds and a 1920 x 1200 screen that's even better than the Nexus 7's, along with 8 hours and 39 minutes of endurance. A special Mayday button in the interface allows you to get live, video support on the tablet 24/7 while FreeTime allows parents to limit what their kids can do with the tablet.

Starting Price: $229
 

6.  The Wildcard in the fight:  Samsung Galaxy Note 3  - $299

A tablet and a phone

Strong battery life; Gorgeous full-HD screen; Sharp camera; Useful pen apps; Powerful performance
A gorgeous 5.7-inch full-HD display, a fast Snapdragon 800 processor and lots of improvements to the pen experience. It gets better. Verizon's version of the Galaxy Note 3 offers nearly 10 hours of nonstop use on our tests and is capable of next-generation AWS LTE speeds. Then again, the Note 3 is considerably larger than your average smartphone.

 

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 10/8/13 - Tech Trends

* TOPICS - Rick is Macon, GA this week as the media coordinator of the ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon. A women's pro tennis tournament, on a circuit kind of like the Symetra Tour is to women's golf
Women players ranked 85-300 in the world are participating

* Rick and Brian will look at some tech trends on the horizon....


1.  The Demise of the Desk Top Computer...

Still around, but now used for "heavy computing" - work stations, app developers, programmers.
We are a "mobile society" that is why we love out laptops, tablets, and smartphones
For the fifth quarter in a row, traditional desktops have seen a decline in sales globally. 
The past 10 years have seen U.S. consumer desktop PC sales shaved nearly in half, according to researcher Gartner.

2.   Free Wi-Fi for everyone. 

Towns are cities are slowly embracing this initiative.  Free Wi-Fi is popping up in cities all over the country. Soon there will be free universal Wi-Fi everywhere
http://www.techguysmartbuy.com/2013/09/nyc-to-free-wi-fi-by-december-in-select-areas.html

3. Augmented Reality

3D, but so much more
CrowdOptic is a company on the forefront of Augmented Reality and focus-based analytics
Augmented Reality is the interaction of superimposed graphics, audio and other enhancements over a real-world environment displayed in real-time. A key challenge in cyber-physical systems is that users often can’t see the cyber information they need in the real-world setting. For example, as construction workers walk around a site, they can’t see the 3D building plan for the project directly overlaid on the walls in front of them to determine if they are built as planned. Augmented reality technologies enable these workers to reduce costly mistakes by visualizing what they are building atop what actually exists in the physical world. Retailers are currently experimenting with augmented reality to get more customers into the stores by allowing shoppers to ‘see’ the clothes on them without having to actually try them on. Some of these apps are a bit gimmicky now, but have the potential to change how we shop, train for new skills, game, build, and make other important decisions.

 
 
4.  Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding campaigns will get more popular

More and more people, organizations, bands, tv and movie producers are putting their ideas up on sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo or creating their own websites to get money to produce their projects.
What's to say cities or schools can't start their own campaigns for various things.
It's a new way of fundraising.
 

5. More People "Cutting the Cord"

Our cable bills are out of hand  - Average range is now $115-$200
Now, for about $23 a month, you can watch all your favorite programs through the streaming subscription services Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus.
To catch local news, and sports like NFL games, tune into free over-the-air network TV using a low-cost “rabbit ears” digital antenna, which sells for as little as $8.
More and more programming, including original programmins will be coming via the internet

 
6.   5G

The G stands for Generation, thus typically the speed of data transmission over wireless networks increases with each generation. U.S. wireless providers are far into the process of converting their networks from 3G to 4G, as are the device makers (Apple's iPhone 5 was its first 4G smartphone). Recently two competing 4G platforms were in use by various wireless telecom companies. For many reasons, LTE (long-term evolution) won out over WiMAX for North American cellular phone markets in 2012, thus moving all of us closer to a common broadband platform for the world. You can expect to see 5G roll out within the next few years.

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 10/1/13 - Cyber Security Threats

* TOPICS - Keeping our computer-based equipment, information and services protected from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction. Computer security also includes protection from unplanned events and natural disasters.

There are Cyber Threats everywhere!  For individuals and businesses
 

* If you are an individual:

1.   Pick a good password.  A combination of letters and numbers, capital and small case
If you get message that a particular website could be infected or poses a threat, don't go to it.


2.   Don't open emails with attachments when you don't know what they are

3.    SMiShing   -  new threat

Cybercriminals use Short Message Service (SMS) (text message) to contact users and ask them to click on a malicious link,” he explained. “Once clicked, a malicious app download is triggered, taking the user to an infected website.”This website then enables attackers to collect login information, passwords and other confidential data.
 

*If you are an organization or business

4.  Choose infrastructures designed from the start with security in mind, rather than trying to layer security on top of existing, legacy systems.
    Make sure operators and security analysts clearly understand the new networks and put common policies in place. For instance, you want to allow only approved and certified applications and other software onto the system.  -  Basics
    Plan for round-the-clock monitoring to spot and prevent intrusion. It can be tough to identify unauthorised activity in a legacy network; it's easier with a new system.


5.  Make sure your employees are trained to spot a cyber attack or cyber threat

 6.  Lock holes in your network

Look at security holes within the organization. As technology becomes more complex and specialized, companies tend to rely on their IT providers to block access from outsiders, without realizing that security dangers are lurking between their own walls. Consequently, employees, vendors and even suppliers to vendors leak data, provide unauthorized access to others and engage in other risky behaviors that compromise the company, whether or not they intend to. And cybercriminals know about these security flaws all too well, said Rob Fitzgerald, data security expert and president of the Lorenzi Group, a data security provider.

* Final word: People, processes and technologies must all work in synch or the whole system will be vulnerable.

Tech Tuesday on Sirius/XM PGA Tour Radio for 9/24/13 - New iPhone Accessories and the App of the Month

* TOPICS - The new iPhones went on sale last Friday... Rick takes a look at some of the new accessories available  and the "App of the Month"

Have a listen to the frivolity:

1.  Cases Made By Apple

5C - A colorful mesh-style plastic case. This costs $29 and comes in the same five colors as the phone itself, so you can either match the phone or mix it up with a secondary color. There's also a black option if you want to tone things down a bit

5S- Made of leather on the outside and protective microfiber on the inside, and come in softer colors like yellow, peach, etc  for $49

2.   Book Book iPhone Wallet Case $59

It's a case, it's a wallet  -  all in one
It’s the best implementation of a wallet/case combination I have seen, especially now that it has a camera hole for the iPhone 5 model. While there are many case/wallet combos on the market, and I have tried quite a few, the BookBook remains my favorite because it’s rugged, stylish and has a place to carry cash.

 

3.    Pivot Power Mini Outlet Adapter  -  $24.99

A wall adapter with a plug for everything.

Only the newest homes these days come with built-in USB adapters in the wall. Our outlets simply weren’t designed for the type of power-hungry lives we all lead today. (Our descendants will wonder how we lived.) Enter this handy little adapter that doubles the plugs of any outlet it encounters and adds two USB ports. Great for an office, bedroom, kitchen or for throwing in your travel bag.
 

4.  PhotoJoJo iPhone Lenses  $20-$50
www.photojojo.com

PhotoJoJo Fisheye, Telephoto, Wide Angle and Macro Lenses are like pro-lenses for your phone!

Each is crafted out of solid aluminum and outfitted with thick, high-clarity glass. They’ve been factory tested by hand and inspected to ensure the utmost optical perfection.
How it works: each set comes with adhesive removable metal rings. The ring sticks to the back of your phone, and the Photojojo Lens attaches magnetically. Snap it on and off in an instant!

We've also included two extra-strong rings specially designed for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 (they stick to glass and won't block the flash or back mic).

5.   The Armpocket  - for Fitness Buffs  $29.95
www.armpocket.com
 You can comfortably and confidently carry your essentials, including your phone and case. Multiple inside compartments guard your valuables and a low-profile audio port lets you easily and securely connect your headphones. Great for the gym, school, shopping or traveling — anytime you need a dry, hands-free, secure and comfy carrying solution.

This model features two head-phone outlets, one on the bottom left and one on the bottom right, compatible with all phones including iPhone 5/5S/5C.

 



App of the Month

Errands (To Do List) app   -  Free

Errands is a task manager with a pleasing design and is easy to learn and use. Crafted with a blend of basic and advanced features: Folders, Checklists, Task Images, Scheduling & Repeating, Alerts (alarms), Automatic Badge Updating, Calendar View, Mail Tasks, Multiple View Modes.
Keep all your appointments, send yourself alerts, etc

Mail tasks (single tasks as well as entire folders).

• You can select from a built-in collection of image icons, choose a photo from your library, or take a new photo to customize your tasks.

• A unique feature allows notes to be viewed as a checklist. This shopping lists, multi-step tasks, etc.is particularly handy for small