Looking Ahead

It is the time of the year again to look into my sometimes cloudy crystal ball and predict what devices, services and technologies will be popular in 2014.  We’ll look at what is a “must have” and what you might want to avoid.

For sure we will see more and more internet related services and devices in the new cars.  Already we have internet radio, navigation systems that watch out for traffic jams and smart phone apps that will remotely start your car on that cold winter morning.  Real time diagnostics now available on some high end models will find their way into the mid- priced models.  Dashboard idiot lights will begin to give way to technologies that constantly monitor all the car’s critical systems sending reports in real time to the manufacture that can send back tweaks to fix the issue while you are driving or contact you to arrange a visit to the closest dealer’s service department.

Once only available to the super rich and super tech smart, home automation systems will get more affordable and simple to program and use.  Using the smart phone or tablet as the controller, inexpensive interface devices can be installed in home heating, lighting and security systems.  On your way home from the weekend at grandma’s house, you can turn up the heat so it is warm and cozy when you arrive.  Many home products stores carry plug and play devices that a non-technical person can install.

The TV in the family room will continue to serve as a display screen for multiple video sources.  Seamless integration of video from broadcast, cable, satellite, DVDand the Internet will be done for you.  It will be difficult to tell if your favorite program is coming from the TV network or from the cloud.  This will increase the amount of programming available on demand and will enable “binge watching.”   Binge watching allows you to watch an entire series, like Downton Abby, in one sitting.

Added pressure for a la cart pricing will be put on some of the large cable TV providers as subscribers bridle at paying monthly fees for services they never watch.  Program services like ESPN receive an average of $5 per month from each cable subscriber even if not a single program is watched.  With internet delivered competition offering a pay as you go option, look for some changes in how your cable bill is structured.

The continued slide in the sale of traditional desktop and laptop computers will continue as more and more of us use tablets and smartphones for many of the tasks once only possible on a computer.  The prices and features will get more attractive on traditional computers so if you do find you need to replace that old clunker, you will not break the budget.

Some of the “also rans” in 2013 like 3DTV will see sales continue to languish and the adoption of the ultra HD screens will also be sluggish until more programming is available and the TV set prices fall.  Both will happen but most likely not in 2014.

Happy New Year!

Perhaps the Coolest Gadget of 2013

The digital revolution has spawned change in most every facet of our lives.  Among the most revolutionary have been changes in photography.  Taking, printing, sharing and displaying our favorite pictures is nothing like it was in the days of developing film and waiting to see if we really did catch that one-in-a-million shot. 

Sharing photos with friends and family no longer requires making and mailing actual prints.  Digital copies emailed or shared on one of several free online photo sharing websites allows for instantaneous and virtually free distribution.  Keeping track of the individual digital photos and displaying them is still somewhat of a hassle especially if you are not computer savvy.

 

I recently had the chance to use an electronic picture frame that takes the hassle out of sharing photos.  The frame and technology was developed by a French company and is marketed in the USA under the name PixStar. www.pix-star.com While electronic picture frames have been around for several years most require the user to transfer the photos from a computer, tablet or phone to the frame.  This task was at best tedious for the computer aficionado and downright mystifying for less technology prone.  The Pixstar frame makes it a breeze.  Each frame is provided a unique email address.  When you have a picture that you want to be displayed on your frame you just email it to that address. 

Once you set it up you can provide your frame’s address to anyone you want to be able to share pictures with you.  When they have a picture for you they just email it to your frame and the picture gets displayed in the rotating queue along with all your other pictures. This is all done automatically.

There are settings that allow you to preview incoming photos before they get added to your library.  You can set up a list of people you wish to share photos with.  So if you get a great vacation shot from one of your children you can send it from your frame to others in your family.

 

The Pixstar frame requires wifi and an internet connection.  Once purchased for about $150.00 there are no other charges for the service.   Set up was easy and once completed, the frame worked with no user intervention.  It even resets itself after a power or internet outage.

 

The Pixstar uses very powerful technology but requires the user to have little or no technical or computer knowledge. I noticed that it was out of stock at many retailers due to holiday demand but a search on line in early January at Amazone.com or Pic-star.com should provide a way to get one soon.

 

Is Traditional Radio On The Way Out or In?

When TV was just getting established in the early fifties, many predicted that radio would rapidly loose audiences and become a footnote in mass media history. While radio stations did begin to loose some listeners, the industry changed focus from offering long-form dramas and variety shows to music and news. The stations also emphasized the portability of radio.

One of the most significant driving forces in preserving radio’s viability was the auto industry. Radio was a perfect companion for the increasing number of commuters opting away from public transit to the personal automobile. In fact, many analysts point to Detroit as the savior of FM radio in the US. When FM and FM stereo radios became standard equipment in Detroit’s new lines, FM radio stations went from second class operations to cash cows.

Jumping ahead 50 years, we may be seeing that the savior of broadcast radio, i.e. the auto industry, may be its worst enemy. Major changes in wireless internet technologies are making our cars as connected as our homes and offices have already become.

If you listen carefully to the most recent ads for new models from most all manufactures you will hear words like “Pandora enabled” or “Spotify-ready” touted as features as important as antilock brakes or leather heated seats. The internet connectivity in cars provides a way to listen to most any music or program on demand regardless of geography. Where traditional radio stations have an average coverage area of about a 60 mile radius, there are no restrictions if the programming is distributed via the internet. So if a station in Cincinnati chooses to stream live on the internet, a driver on I-75 at the “cut-in-the-hill” can be listening along with someone stuck in traffic on the Santa Monica Expressway.

How this will change radio is still a question. For sure it may change the advertising since the person stuck in LA will not be stopping by Skyline Chili at the next exit. There will still be a need for local only information. Reporting on weather, traffic, local politics and sports will still be needed.

One other important aspect of over-the-air broadcast technology is the relatively simple technical infrastructure that enables stations to continue to operate in times of serious disaster. A radio broadcaster needs only a single generator and transmitter to stay on the air. The consumer needs only to turn a few knobs on the dashboard or use an inexpensive battery powered receiver to get programming. Internet delivered radio programming, be it wired or wireless, relies on thousands of individual routers, fibers, wires, towers and computers to remain operational. Often after storms or other calamity one or more of these critical systems fail bringing online to off line.

So is Radio on the way in or on the way out? My advice is to stay tuned.

Google’s Chromecast Worth a Look

 Many of us still look at Google as the de facto search engine allowing us to find information about just about any topic at any time.  The word “Google” has joined the likes of “Kleenex”, “Frigidaire” and “Jell-O.”   All of these brands have become collective words for an entire genre of products.    Of course Google is more than a search engine; their maps, translation services, email and now even self-driving cars make up only a few of their myriad products and services.  One product, Chromecast, is a relatively new offering that is worth your attention if you want an inexpensive way to expand the viewing options on your HDTVset.

I have written extensively about the various TV services available both free or with subscription on the internet.  Hulu, Hulu Plus, Netflix, AmazonTV all provide movies, network TV series, documentaries and special programming on demand and with a video quality that rivals cable, satellite and broadcast transmission.  In order to access this programming you must have an internet enabled TV or some add-on device.  Most of the devices to date have had a price of between $75 and $100.  Roku and Apple TV are among the most popular.  Some Blu Ray players and some game consoles can provide this access as well.

The Google Chromecast has a $35 price tag and can be a great inexpensive way to begin watching some internet delivered TV content on your regular TV.  A little larger than a standard thumb drive, Chromecast plugs into an open HDMI port on your TV.  Most new TVs have two or more HDMI ports but look and make sure you have one available since your cable box or satellite receiver also needs one.

Unlike the Roku or Apple TV devices, Chromecast does NOT come with a remote control.  You must have an iPhone or Android smartphone, a tablet such as the iPad, or use a laptop computer to control the Chromecast. Set up is easy.  Once connected to the TV a small power supply is plugged in the wall and the device will search for your home wifi.  There is no hard wire option for connecting to the internet so wifi is required.

Besides having access to one or more subscription TV services, you can display on your large screen TV YouTube videos and other content that you access through your smartphone, tablet or lap top.

For the price the Chromecast is worth a look.  I personally like the AppleTV as it is easier to set up and use but it does cost more than twice that of Chromecast.  You can get Chromecast at most big box stores and, of course, on line at Amazon and many other electronics websites.  It would make a great stocking stuffer.

 

Why Pay for Free Stuff

The local ABC station, WCPO Channel 9, recently announced that it was going to begin to charge a fee for some of the news content provided on its website. (www.wcpo.com) The report noted that only a portion of the material will be in this “walled garden” section.  Reports on local businesses and government will require a subscription while weather and public safety news will continue to be provided free.
 

This is not the first online news reporting to embrace the subscription model.  The Wall Street Journal has, from the very outset of online publishing, required a fee to read the complete daily paper.  About 18 months ago the Enquirer adopted a pay as you read model.  For some these changes may be irritating.  Nobody likes to pay for something that was free. 

 

A closer look however might change your mind.  A cursory glance at news reporting available online will show clearly that a large portion of the solid, credible and complete reporting is still being done by professionals associated with bona fide newspapers and broadcast news organizations.  In many cases the Internet is only a wonderful aggregator of material produced and paid for by others. 

 

When the internet was only a minor player in our daily lives this was not a problem.  In fact, newspapers and other major broadcast news operations were delighted with the publicity and the extended reach provided by the online exposure.  As more and more of us moved away from paying for the ink and paper version dropped on our driveways everyday, the newspapers’ revenues plummeted.  Today the viewership of major TV network newscasts is a fraction of what it was and as such there has been a precipitous drop in advertising revenue.

 

Look for more news websites to begin charging.  While citizen journalists and twitter and Facebook reports can provide information quickly and from places inaccessible by traditional media, having trained articulate journalists also part of our news diet is critical.  Paying a modest fee toward the cost of professional newsgathering is a small price to pay for maintaining an informed electorate that is absolutely imperative for a vital democracy.

Why No Local TV On My Smartphone

A reader recently asked me why he is not able to watch local TV stations on his smartphone.  With the state of mobile technology providing apps for everything from real time foreign language translation to solving complex math problems, one would think the simple process of capturing and displaying programming that already is being transmitted over the air would be a simple task for a smartphone.   Well, it is not.

There are two major stumbling blocks to making local TV a reality on your smartphone: the first impediment is technology based; the second, and the more difficult issue to conquer, relates to money and programming rights.

As I have written often, the standard over-the-air digital TV broadcasts are often plagued with reception issues.  Trying to receive these less than robust signals transmitted from your local TV stations using a small hand held device is difficult if not impossible without the addition of a large antenna and some battery eating circuitry.   Both are cumbersome, heavy and just not practical. 

While there are special mobile DTV technologies available, they have been enthusiastically embraced by neither the phone manufacturers nor the broadcasters.  Here in Cincinnati some stations have mobile transmissions but programming is sparse and very few of the local viewers have the equipment to receive them. 

A few Cincinnatistations are now promoting an add-on device called Dyle.  This mini DTV converter, about the size and weight of a can of tuna, connects via a wire to your iPhone or Android.  It might be ok for use at home but carrying around this extra box with a two foot antenna just doesn’t cut it for me.

The technical problems most likely could be solved by using the internet and existing 3G or 4G networks to carry the stations but then the second big impediment, the legal and financial issue, would need to be addressed.

The way local broadcast stations obtain programming from the networks for local broadcast has really not changed in decades.  The local affiliate has rights to broadcast programming from the network within a specific geographic area, i.e., a market.  For non-network programming like Jeopardy or Oprah, stations purchase the rights for the individual market from a syndicator.  Again the rights are only for the specific market which is limited by the physics of the broadcast signal.  Moving from a broadcast to the internet broadens the coverage.  It changes the economic model.  At this writing the local stations would not be permitted to offer most of their programming on line.

Programming that is locally produced, like the local newscasts, could be distributed via live internet streaming but so far very little is.  There have been some.  Recently one of the mayoral debates for Cincinnati was streamed live instead of being broadcast on a TV station.

The bottom line to this whole issue comes down to the fact that the economic model, the copyright laws and the agreements between local stations and the networks are based on technology that was dominant in the last century.  Until and unless these issues get resolved you will be able to watch programming live from half way around the world on your mobile phone but local news and weather will not be available.

 

All Eggs in One Basket

 The recent outage causing thousands of Cincinnati Bell Fioptics subscribers to be unable to watch the Bengals trounce the New York Jets calls to mind an old saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”  The problem is that with the integration of all things digital, that good advice may be difficult, if not impossible, to follow.

Not too long ago you made telephone calls on a wired phone, watched TV using rabbit ears, paid your bills with a check, envelope and stamp and watched your favorite movie at the local movie theater.  When planning a family trip to Aunt Gertrude’s house you sent her a letter using the post office and you plotted your route using a free map picked up from the Esso station down the road.

Today literally all the tasks listed above are routinely accomplished with a smart phone and the internet.  Great when it all works as it does most of the time, but a real pain in the (fill in your favorite word here) when it does not.  Our eggs are indeed now firmly packed into a single basket.  While the integration provides great convenience, when the technology fails bad things can happen and sometimes it can be more serious than just missing out on a touchdown.

For example, many have cut the cord with Ma Bell and use a voice over internet (VOIP) service from Time Warner or another internet provider.  A power outage can render the phone useless.  Since Cincinnati Bell provides power to their network, even powering standard phones in your house, very seldom will you lose the use of your wired phone, even if your whole neighborhood is without power from Duke.

A few months ago there was a story on the news about a motorist who placed a bit too much confidence in her malfunctioning GPS, only to get lost in the Mohave Desert.  This does not happen often but a healthy skepticism of technology can be good idea.  Digital or not, you are using machines, very sophisticated machines but still machines.

Just as you most likely have a flashlight on hand for those times when the lights fail, you should have some alternate ways of handling those tasks that you take for granted and are handled solely by the internet.  So the cloud is fine for storing your files but make sure you have copies of those important files in a safe place. 

In the case of the customers relying in Cincinnati Bell Fioptics, a $10 rabbit ears antenna would have solved the problem.

The Problem Is Not In Your Set

A recent email exchange with a reader prompts this week’s essay.  It seems she had recently purchased a new HDTV and was having trouble receiving local Channel 12, the CBS affiliate in Cincinnati.  The reader, like many people, has decided that she does not want to pay for cable or a satellite service and instead would rely on free over-the-air broadcasts.  She noted in her email that she could receive 18 other channels just fine.
 

When she questioned the salesperson at Best Buy about her problem he responded that it had to do with the Channel 12 tower location and how HDTV works.  Well, he was close but … no cigar.  For sure, tower location can cause reception issues but in Cincinnati the transmitting towers for all but one TV station are located within a mile of each other.  She was getting all the other stations. So tower location is most likely not an issue.

 

The real reason that Channel 12 is more difficult to receive than any of the other local TV stations lies in the fact that it is the only channel to use the VHF TV Band.  Many will remember the old days when you had VHF and UHF stations.  The major network stations in Cincinnati were in the VHF band, i.e., 5, 9 and 12.  Public TV and FOX were in the UHF band.  In fact, all stations still brand themselves with those old channel numbers but few actually use those channels.  In reality Channel 12 is the only station still using a “real” VHF channel.

 

Unlike the old analog transmissions, digital signals and the VHF band just don’t play well together.  The VHF signal does not cut through obstructions like walls and leaves on the trees as well as transmission in the UHF band.  You might remember that Channel 9 in Cincinnati had a similar issue when it first began digital broadcasting.  The station solved the problem by asking the FCC for a UHF channel in place of the assigned VHF channel.  They now use UHF Channel 22.  Of course, this change cost lots of money as it required a new antenna and extensive transmitter modifications.  But it solved the problem.

 

Channel 12 has not been able or has not tried to get a new channel assignment in the UHF band and as such that channel remains very hard to receive in many areas of our community. Perhaps the management of Channel 12 feels that since most local viewers rely on a cable or a satellite provider for receiving the local channels that making expensive changes for a relatively small number of people receiving over-the-air is just not worth it.

 

There are some things you can do that can help.  For example, using a high gain amplified antenna will often solve the problem and, of course, adding an outside antenna is always a good option, albeit somewhat pricey.

 

As they say, “the problem is not in your set.”  The problem lies in the laws of physics and we are not going to be able to change them anytime soon.

Your New Best Friend

The new operating system for Apple mobile devices was released about a month ago and to date some 70% of all who regularly use an iPhone or iPad have downloaded the upgraded OS7 software.  I waited a while as I have found that even with the most diligent testing and pre-evaluation, whenever a new version of software comes out there are always bugs.  This was true with the release of OS7.0.0 but after the release of OS7.0.2 most, if not all the bugs, have been addressed.

There are several improvements that OS7 provides even to older models of the iPhone and iPad.  For example, I am still using an iPhone 4S and have noticed significant improvements in speed and accessibility.  Perhaps the most visible, or should I say audible, improvements are in Siri, the personal assistant app that uses voice recognition.  The number and complexity of the tasks that Siri can now perform has been greatly expanded.

For those who do not use voice recognition applications like Siri, you are missing out on some very cool and helpful features of your phone or tablet.  It should be noted that many of the features of Siri, an application only available on Apple products, are available on other platforms as well.  For example, Google also has very good voice recognition applications and those can be used on both Apple and non-Apple devices.

The new Siri is very reminiscent of scenes from the bridge of the Enterprise in the iconic Star Trek TV series.  Captain Kirk was always in some dialog with the onboard computer.  For example Kirk would command, “Computer, lay in a course for the Orion Nebula.”  The computer would respond accordingly and off the ship would go.  All very cool.  Today, some 40 years later, you can ask Siri to give you directions to Aunt Millie’s house and up will come a map and a GPSapp will lead you there.

The new version of Siri does much more.  You can ask for math problem solutions like the square root of a number.  You can even speak a series of numbers and get a total.  The list of numbers is displayed so you can check to make sure all were included in the total.

If you use a calendar on your smart phone or iPad and forget when you set an appointment in the future, you can ask Siri to find it.  “Siri, when am I meeting with John Smith?”  The response will provide all the meetings you have scheduled on your calendar with John Smith.  Of course, you can ask Siri to schedule a meeting with John Smith at a specific date and time.  If Siri finds you already have a meeting at that time Siri will indicate the conflict.

You can dictate and send emails, instant messages and ask Siri to remind you of a meeting or appointment.  When turning in for the night you can ask Siri to wake you in the morning.  Many don’t use Siri because they forget it is available.  You might want to give it a try.

Now, if Siri can wake me up in the morning, is a fresh cup of coffee out of the question?

Apple Picking Time?

I often get asked for advice about purchasing a new computer, tablet or smart phone.  The question often boils down to whether I recommend going with an Apple product or one from one of a dozen other tech manufacturers.  Like so many decisions about technology products there are many considerations. 

Today the rock star buzz around the announcement of any new Apple product is extraordinary.  Apple aficionados wait in line for days so they can be the first to have the newest and greatest.  It is not surprising that one would think that only Apple products are worth looking at and all the others are “also rans.”  There are many very good products, many even superior to those that have the iconic Apple logo.   So what is the big difference between Apple and everyone else?

I have long been somewhat less than high on Apple for reasons that have little to do with its technology.  I did not like the control that Apple placed on the products and services.  It reminded me of Henry Ford when he said that you could have a Model A in any color as long as it was black.  That control however has allowed Apple to make it very easy to use its products.

In my opinion it is the integration of their products that makes Apple a good decision for most people.  Apple’s legendary tight control over hardware, software, marketing and applications allows their products to work together seamlessly and efficiently.   From the very beginning of the computer age the Apple vs. Microsoft battle has waged on and at its core was Apple’s belief that control would provide a better user experience.  Microsoft allowed most any company to build machines, author software and develop systems using their operating system.  They were convinced that this would foster innovation.  It did but unfortunately it also allowed for many product and system incompatibility issues and required users to learn different commands and procedures depending on the product they wished to use.

Today if you already have one Apple product you should try to stay with Apple when you are buying another device.  For instance if you already have an Apple computer on which you have stored calendar and contact information you can easily access that information using an iPad or iPhone using iCloud.  For the most part Apple takes care of all the machinations that make that work.  You will also find many of the conventions, icons, nomenclature and graphic look are all integrated and very intuitive across the various products.   Of course you can share calendar and contact information among other non Apple devices but it requires much more user involvement.  In short by keeping tight control over all aspects of the products Apple does all of the heavy lifting of keeping the underlying systems running and lets the user concentrate on the task at hand.

Simply put when you ask for the time of day an Apple product will give it to you.  Many other non Apple devices will tell you how to build a watch.  You may end up with a Rolex but did you really want one?

Just my opinion…

Cut Your Monthly TV Bill in Half

The one thing that has not changed with all the advances in cable and satellite TV services is the steady price increase.  The recent brouhaha between Time Warner and CBS is only one in a long list of contentious negotiations relating to paying for TV.  The more the cable company pays, the more the customer will need to pay.  As discussed a few weeks back, with cable we all pay for many services we neither view nor want.  When and if that will change is anybody’s guess.  No matter, there are some things you can do to cut the monthly cost of TV.  With the average cable bill running well over $125 per month, some are opting for new ways of watching TV.  Some services remain free and others provide similar services to cable for a fraction of the cost.

Many would be amazed at the selection of programming that is offered free over the air from local TV stations.  Most provide three or more different services over and above the main channel.  For example, Channel 48 provides major PBS programs on 48.1 and two other services. One is for Arts and the other airs many how-to programs.  All the commercial stations provide extra services and all are free.

A look at the offerings of Netflix and Hulu Plus will show that many of the most watched programs are available there, too.  Not only can you watch the latest episode of hits like Modern Family, you can watch all the previous episodes as well.  All of this is on demand.  You are no longer wedded to the network’s schedule and you don’t need a DVR.  The combined monthly fee for Netflix and Hulu Plus is about 16 bucks.

Of course, you need to have high speed internet access in your home.  This averages about $50 per month.  So the combined monthly TV bill is now at about $66 or about ½ of what you are paying now.

To really enjoy these services you need either a smart TV with internet access built in or a separate device like AppleTV or Roku that connects the internet to your flat screen TV.   This is a one time investment of between $50 and $100.

This option is not for everyone.  For example, right now if you want ESPN you have to also be a subscriber to cable which negates any savings.  With AppleTV however there are several cable-like services like the Weather Channel, HBO Go and others that do not require a cable subscription. 

Before you decide to give up your cable or satellite connections try these broadcast and internet services for a month or so.  You can cancel without penalty and the $16 won’t break the bank.  If you find that you don’t miss cable or satellite services go ahead and cut the cord.  If not, you lost the price of a good pizza.

 

Reattaching the Cord

As many of us have cut the cord on traditional wired phone service we end up with several old style extension phones located throughout the house just gathering dust.  As old school as it seems, having a phone close by is a great convenience and unless you keep you mobile phone on your person 24/7, cutting the land line cord can get inconvenient.

Well, you can have your cake and eat it by installing a mobile to wired phone interface in your home or office.  Once you terminate the land line, or if you have two land lines like we did, terminate one wired Bellline, this device allows calls to be placed and received on your mobile phone and mobile number using any wired or hands-free telephone device in your home or office.  When you come home you place your mobile phone near the device and, via a wireless Bluetooth connection, all the wired phones in your house are connected to the mobile phone.  This also provides a good time to plug your phone into the charger to refresh the battery.  The phone can stay charging until you leave the house again at which time you just pick up the phone and go.

There are several options available with devices starting at prices of around $35 up to more than $100.  Most of them work the same way and use a Bluetooth connection and your existing home phone wiring and telephones.  Some can handle up to three mobile numbers all connected to the same home phones.  You can program different rings to identify which mobile phone line is ringing.

I recently installed one in my home and the set up was quick and easy.  The device is about the size of a box of cake mix and is plugged into the wall for power.  The only other plug connects the device with the home phone wiring and uses a traditional telephone cable.  The first time you turn it on you must pair the mobile phone or phones with the device using Bluetooth.  This is done in much the same way you pair Bluetooth hands free devices for your car or home audio system.  This needs to be done only once and takes only a minute or two.

Once connected, all the wired or hands-free home phones work almost the same as they did when they were connected to Ma Bell.  There is even a dial tone.  The only discernible difference is a short delay in connecting after you dial an outgoing number.

This connection allows you to use the free long distance calling that is standard with most mobile plans as well as any other features you might have such as call waiting, conferencing etc.  There is no additional fee or costs for using your mobile phone and mobile number in this fashion.

Here are some links ifyou want more information on where to purchase these devices.

Getting On the Grid

There is a lot written about people wanting to get off the grid.  The 24/7 connectivity of mobile phones, email, instant messaging and Facebook is being eschewed by more and more seeking a simpler life.  In the real world however, unless you are independently wealthy or really want to live like a hermit, connectivity to the internet is becoming as important as the availability of water and electricity.

In our area it is simple.  We need only call Time Warner orCincinnati Bell and we can have high speed access in our homes and offices.  Our mobile carrier can handle our smart phones and tablets.  A recent email from a reader pointed out that there are still some spots in our community that do not have easy access to high speed broadband.  These people live in areas that are not served by Time Warner and are on the fringe of Cincinnati Bell’s DSL coverage. 

The emailer asked about other options such as Verizon’s HomeFusion System so I did a bit of investigation.  HomeFusion uses the Verizon wireless 4G network to provide internet to homes and businesses unable to connect to wired services.  In essence it uses the same network used to connect smart phones and other mobile devices.

In order to use HomeFusion you must purchase a 4G modem/router from Verizon for about $200.  The device is connected to an antenna located on your roof.  As many as 20 wireless devices can connect via wifi to the system.  Once the equipment is installed you will also need to purchase a monthly data plan. 

Here is where things get a bit complicated.  Unlike Time Warner or Cincinnati Bell where you have unlimited bandwidth for a fixed monthly charge, Verizon charges you based on your use.  The least expensive is 10 GB for $60 per month.  While this may be sufficient for getting email, surfing the web and checking Facebook, if you plan to watch videos, subscribe to Netflix or Hulu you will need a more expensive plan. 

HomeFusion may be a good option for some but “buyer beware.”  First make sure that Verizon provides a robust signal to your location.  The good news is that a check with Verizon showed that they have a 14 day money back program if the system does not meet your needs and expectations.

The big concern you should have is running up fees for going over your monthly bandwidth allocation.  If you are a power user, this service may get very pricey.  Compared to some of the other options, such as a satellite provided internet connection, HomeFusion is less expensive.

One final caveat, calls and emails to Verizon with regard to HomeFusion being available in our area met with mixed responses.  The Verizon website will show addresses in 45030 are not covered but conversations with some customer service folks indicated that some addresses may be served.  All the more reason to take advantage of the 14 day trial period.

 

Not “IF’ but “When”

I know for many of you my comments this week will seem like a “broken record.”  If you understand the analogy then the message is definitely for you.  If you have no idea what a “broken record” is or you think it is some computer file corruption, you can just ask some over the age of 50.

The explosion in the use of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices has made many of us comfortable with using the “cloud” to store our data.  Rather than all of our files, pictures, emails and other digital stuff being stores only on the device they are “backed up” in the cloud and as a result are relatively secure.   At the same time however for those who still us a desk top or lap top computer, the importance of backing up our stuff is still often overlooked.

As reliable and robust we might think these devices are, all are only a power surge or hard drive crash away from disaster. Your tax forms, banking information and priceless pictures of Aunt Esmeralda all can be lost forever.  A backup routine is absolutely a necessity and can be accomplished easily and inexpensively.

The most inexpensive method but one that I don’t recommend is to do weekly backups on an external Hard Drive or DVD.  There are two reasons I don’t recommend this method First, you will most likely keep the backup copies in the same room as the computer thus fire, flood or other calamity will destroy the computer and the backups.  The second reason is that you won’t have the discipline to do the backups.

The best way to make sure you are protected is to subscribe to an online cloud based service.   There are several.  I use a service called Carbonite  but there are many other companies that have similar or the same services and features.  You can google “Cloud Backup Services” to get a list.

For an annual cost of about $60 your computer files are automatically backed up and stored in the cloud.   Once installed you don’t need to remember to do a backup it is done whenever a file is created or changed.   You can identify all files for backup or only selected files.  Once in the cloud these files are available to you form any computer connected to the internet.  Of course if your computer crashes all the files can be retrieved and stored on the repaired or new replacement computer.

For those who have experience loss of important data backing up becomes a high priority.  For those who have not had the problem it is not a case of “if” but only “when” this will become your priority.

 

Recalculating

Recently there was a segment on ABC’s 20/20 about the misadventures of three women in Death Valley.  It seems that they decided to go on an impromptu sightseeing trip through one of the worlds most desolate and dangerous places on earth.  I’ll refrain from all the details but suffice it to say they got lost.  According to 20/20 and these fearless explorers, the main reason they got in trouble was due to inaccurate direction from the dashboard mounted GPS.

If you are a regular reader of my musings you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my GPSbut that, as they say, is another story.  Learning of the plight of these women prompts me to remind you that if you have a GPS you do need to update the software periodically.  Just like printed maps must be updated, the innards of your Garmin or TomTom need to be refreshed. 

The amount of data resident in even the simplest GPS device is huge and as such there are bound to be errors.  These often get reported by customers and get fixed and are included in the updated information.  Information about new roads, speed limit changes, location of new businesses and even abandoned roads changes constantly.

Most all manufactures of GPSdevices offer updates.  Most are easy to install although some are a bit pricey.  For example Garmin, a leader in this industry, offers on its website updates for most all of its products.  For a one time fee of $90 you can get updates downloaded to your device for as long as you own it. For $50 you can purchase a single update.

Many of us have GPSapps on our smart phone.  In most cases the data for these services is automatically updated so you don’t need to be concerned about updating to the most current info used by Google Maps or Apple Maps navigation apps.

If you have a built in navigation systems in your car there are various ways to get it updated.  Some automakers will provide this service at the dealership while others provide updated software on a DVD that is inserted into the CD/DVD slot on the dashboard.  For updating information on your specific system, just look in the Operator’s Manual.  It’s that fat book that keeps falling out of the glove box when you are looking for those napkins you got at Burger City.

Updating your GPSshould make your next road trip safer and more enjoyable.  Now if I can just get that lady in my GPS to lose that attitude when she tells me she is “recalculating.”

Might Want to Wait to Buy a 4K TV

If you have ventured out to purchase a new TV recently you may have been confronted with some new and often confusing options.  Now that the manufacturers have essentially given up on 3D TV they have released a new line of models that boast extraordinary clarity and color.  Dubbed 4K TV, these sets provide resolutions up to four times that of the regular HDTV.  The screen on the HD set in your family room has about 2 million pixels while the new 4K model boasts more that 8 million.  So is more, better?

Like most simple questions, there is no simple answer.   For sure if you have a large TV, i.e. 50 inches or more, the clarity of the picture will be noticeable.  On the other hand, if you are watching on a 27 inch screen the difference will be negligible.  It is similar to still photography resolution.  The high resolution is really not noticeable until you enlarge the print. That 3” x 5” baby picture of Aunt Emma you found in the family album looked great until you blew it up for that poster celebrating her 90^th birthday.  The kid looks like she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The set manufacturers will claim, with some veracity, that even a standard HD program will look brighter and the colors more vivid when displayed on a 4K set.  Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it with a side by side comparison.  Beware, as some less than reputable salespersons will show you a side by side comparison but have the TV’s brightness and contrast set very low on the model they don’t want you to buy.

Another consideration you might keep in mind before you spend the extra bucks for a 4K TV is that right now there is little or no 4K content available.   The higher resolution makes for major program storage and transmission challenges.  Where an HD DVR might only need a few terabytes of storage, a single 4K movie would fill up that same DVR.

Just coming on the market are 4K receivers and program storage devices that connect to the internet.  Only downloaded material is possible now.  Real time program delivery is not. It requires such high bandwidth that no cable, satellite or traditional over-the-air broadcaster and only a handful of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have the ultra high transmission capacity to handle live programming.

Since the technology is still developing, 4K programs are not yet readily available and the prices are still high, I would wait to purchase a 4K TV.  But if you are one of those people who just must have the newest and greatest, go for it.  Oh yes, invite me over to watch.  I’ll bring the beer and chips.

Paying for what you don’t watch

The cable and satellite wars continue to be waged between the people who make the programs you watch (or don’t watch) and the people who deliver them to your TV.  Most recently the battle is between CBS and Time Warner.  The giant cable company refuses to pay CBS what the company maintains are excessive fees to carry “How I Met Your Mother” or “Dexter.”  Things are not going well in the 500 channel universe because that universe is enabled by an arcane business plan, a plan that is under fire from politicians and consumers.
 

The cable or satellite providers pay for each of the channels that they carry on their systems.  Those fees are passed on to you as part of your monthly bill.  The fees you pay are all over the map.  In our area you pay as much as $5.00 per month for ESPN and perhaps only 25 cents for the “Wallpaper Channel.”  Whether you watch either makes no difference.  This practice is being scrutinized by some in government and exploited by some of the new players using the Internet to deliver TV programming.

 

If you are like most TV viewers you watch only a handful of channels.  One or two favorite local stations, a news channel, a weather channel and one or two specialty channels like ESPN, HGTV and HBO.  Once in a while you may venture to some more eclectic fare but that is the exception.   What many are asking is why they can’t choose from a menu what they want and pay only for those services.  After all, when you go to Kroger and buy a pound of ground beef you are not required to also buy charcoal, peanut butter and three rolls of toilet tissue.

 

The popularity of the Netflix, Hulu and Amazon online video services continues to erode cable’s dominance offering viewers what they want, when they want it and at a very competitive price.  Aereo delivers on the Internet, in a handful of major cities, an a la carte menu of channels allowing the viewer flexibility in what they watch, when they watch it and what they pay for.  What a concept!  Many of the established players in the TV game have tried in the courts to stop Aereo but to date have been unsuccessful.

 

There is really no simple solution.  Backers of the status quo point out that in an a la carte world only 25 channels would survive making diversity in content disappear.  Those pushing for change note that there is little diversity now with copy cat programming becoming the rule.  How many more weird Pawn Shop owners do we need to watch?

 

The power of the dollar will ultimately prevail.  Even with the flawed channel bundling business plan, the big cable companies are making a lot of money.  There is little impetus for change now.  I look for change as TV viewing transitions to a combination of online and on demand delivery via the Internet leaving only late breaking news and sports to be  the bread and butter of cable and broadcast.

Where Did I Leave Those Keys?

I came across a new product that not only could provide many of us aging boomers with some help keeping track of our car keys and other items that seem to go missing but can also let us participate in the development of a new product and even a new way of funding the R&D and manufacturing process.  The product is called Tile.  For less than 20 bucks you can check it out.

Tile combines tiny plastic tags with a companion smartphone app, and promises to help you find and recover lost or even stolen items. But, as they say on late night TV, “There’s More…”  By connecting your smartphone with others who have the Tile App on their phone, your tile can “call home” from distances much further than the 150 ft coverage area.

Here is how it works.  The Tile is a small postage stamp size tag that you attached to your key ring, your purse, even your bicycle.  The device sends out a locator beam to your iPhone or Android smartphone within a range of about 150 feet.  If you can’t find your keys your phone will lead you to them or you can ping the Tile and it will emit a sound.  Each Tile will run for about one year before needing replacement. 

There have been other devices similar to Tile available for years. The real innovation comes by networking your Tile app with others who have purchased the product.  If you authorize your Tile and the Tile app, any phone with the Tile app can receive the signal of any Tile and report the location back to the associated smartphone.   So if you have a Tile attached to your lap top and it is stolen, if it gets in range of any smartphone with a Tile App installed, it will transparently send the location of the lap top back to your phone.  So in essence the entire Tilecommunity helps keep track of your stuff.

The developers are using “crowdfunding” to launch this product.  Since only the prototype exists, each person ordering will not receive the product until Winter of 2014. But your credit card will be charged as soon as you place the order.  The press reports brisk sales with more than $2.5 million in pre-orders.

I figure that I will give it a try.  For $20 I can feel like a high tech investor and I may come away with a nifty gadget.  If you are interested you can get more information at the Tile website   www.thetileapp.com

Why are eBooks So Expensive?

For those of us who have embraced eBooks, the US district court’s ruling last week was read with more than a passing interest.  The court ruled that Apple played a "central role" in a conspiracy with the biggest book publishers in the United States to fix prices in violation of antitrust law.

To understand this ruling a bit of history might be in order.  When the sales of eBooks first began to take off, Amazon was in the catbird seat.  They sold most books at $9.95 or less.  Best sellers, classics, even special interest publications were sold below10 bucks. Then, all of a sudden when the iPad was introduced and Apple wanted into the eBook market, publishers raised their prices.  Apparently the Federal Judge took notice and ruled that this was not a coincidence and those meetings between Apple and some of the publishers were not as benign as Apple’s top brass maintained.

The publishers are not happy, insisting that they need higher prices to make a decent profit.  This is something that I just don’t understand.

Before the advent of eBooks and the Internet, the publishing business was much more complex.  It required the manufacturing, i.e. printing, of books, warehousing, transportation and agreements with affiliate books stores.  All was very expensive.  Even the decision of the number of copies to print was a big gamble.  Too many copies sitting in a warehouse of a less than stellar title was expensive.   Too few copies made available of a gang buster best seller could cost even more money.

Today, with the advent of eBooks publishers have no printing cost, no warehouse fees and no transportation costs.  They don’t have to have any product on the shelf waiting for a buyer.  In short, most of the risk and hard costs have vanished.  Nevertheless they lament that lower prices for the consumer will render their business unprofitable.

If they could make a profit selling traditional books at 15 bucks each, why can’t they make even more profit selling eBooks at $9.95?  Perhaps bits and bytes are more expensive than paper and ink but I think not.

Free TV in Jeopardy?

I have written often about the changes in how many of us are consuming TV.  With the proliferation of wireless hand held devices and the expansion of high speed broadband networks, we can now cut the cord or should I say cut the cable.   The shift to some of these new technologies enabling us to view our favorite American Idol or local weather and sports when we are on the move may bring about some other changes.  Those changes may not be so good for the consumer.

Free over–the-air TV has been around since the late 1940s in this country.  Even with the explosion of pay cable and satellite services in the 1980s and the advent of digital TV in the late 1990’s, most of us could still watch many of our favorite programs using a TV and antenna without reaching for a wallet.  In fact recently there has been an uptick in the use of traditional over-the-air viewing since digital TV is capable of providing many more channels than the old analog system. Here in the Cincinnati area it is not uncommon to receive more than 25 channels of programming over-the-air without paying a dime.

Free broadcast TV may be going the way of free air for your tires from the corner gas station.  Recently in some larger cities, ABCprovided free transmission of its local station direct to smart phones.  So while commuting on the train or bus you could watch Good Morning America on the way to work and local news on the way home.  Now after a trial of about six months, ABC has now announced that in order to watch on your phone you will have to be a subscriber to a local cable service and pay a monthly fee.   While this does not affect the reception of the local channels using a standard TV, it does begin to take ABCtoward a pay model for all or at least some of its more popular programs.

With over 85% of all TV viewers already paying for cable or satellite some argue that free TV is already a thing of the past.   Sporting events, especially baseball and boxing disappeared from free TV years ago.  Highly acclaimed series like The Sopranos have never been available on free TV.

The big players like Time Warner, Disney and Comcast have been broadening their holdings and control over new platforms of delivery.  Even internet-only services like Hulu, Netflix and YouTube are attracting suitors from the traditional media giants. 

Content is king so as more quality content switches to the pay model, we can look for a more mindless reality programming available free of charge.   All of a sudden “Free” doesn’t look so good.

Get Ready For More TV Set Choices

It is hard to tell which new technologies will take off and which will be digital flashes in the pan.  The new TV set offerings make things even more confusing. Now that most of us have replaced our analog TV sets or at least relegated them to the guest bedroom or basement, there are some new offerings now available that might make that new 46” Sony Bravia flat screen seem like that old 27” Sylvania now gathering dust in the garage. 

No too long ago the buzz word was 3-D.  TV manufactures and program producers saw the renewed interest in 3-D content at the cinema and decided that the home viewer would also be interested in watching 3-D programs.  A few 3-D channels were provided by cable companies and most all set makers offered a variety of new 3-D TVs.  Some required expensive eye glasses and others used simpler displays.  The common denominator was that the public really wasn’t interested.  Recently the 3-D channels have been disappearing from the cable line up and it looks like for now 3-D in the home is on life support.

Not to worry if you are one of those consumers who must get the latest new technology before the guy next door.  There are several TV set manufacturers who are developing new sets capable of much high resolution than mere High Definition as we know it today.

Dubbed Ultra High Definition, they come in several “flavors.”   Ultra HD 2K, 4K and 8K and they all can provide breathtaking clarity and detail. For example, a 4K UHD set has trice the horizontal and vertical resolution than the 1080 set that is now in your living room and has four times the number of pixels

You may wish to wait to plunk down your cash for one of these new sets since there are several different competing production formats.  It is setting up a rematch the Beta vs. VHS fight.   Also you will not have anything to watch since no broadcaster, cable or satellite service is moving to provide an Ultra HD service.  No DVD currently has UDH material either. The UHD material is a ravenous consumer of bandwidth and will require major expensive changes in the production and distribution chain from the camera to the display and most everything in between. 

So if you absolutely need to be the first one on your block to have an Ultra HD go for it.  If the screen is very large, i.e. 60’ plus, you may see a modest improvement in clarity but most people will be hard pressed to see the difference.  Perhaps someone will just sell a label with a fake Ultra HD Logo that you can put on tour standard set.  Remember the fake cell phone antennas that were sold for placement on the rear window of your car  when mobile phones were a status symbol?

If You Can’t Beat’em, Buy’em

One of the largest satellite TV providers, DirecTv is reported to have offered $1 billion to purchase Hulu. This is a classic example of a company covering its bets as they observe that the way we consumers watch TV continues to change.  For many of us, using cable or satellite to watch our favorite programs is becoming a thing of the past.  Hulu, Netflix and Amazon.com now offer just about any current show on demand and the HD picture is able to be displayed easily on the large flat screen in your family room.  It is no wonder that paying that monthly bill to the cable or satellite company for hundreds of channels we don’t watch is being questioned. 

A look at the catalog of offerings by Hulu Plus or Netflix Online will show hundreds of network programs available when you want to watch.  Not only can you watch the latest episode of your favorite primetime soap, you can go back and watch all the episodes, even those from a previous season.  Programs long gone from the big networks or from even the more esoteric cable channels are available on line.  Remember Rocky and Bullwinkle, or the original Star Trek from the late sixties?  They are all available for your viewing pleasure. And the price is just 8 bucks a month.

                                                                                                                      

To make a fair price comparison you need to factor in that to use Hulu or Netflix you must have a high speed Internet connection and that, of course, will cost about $40 to $60 per month.  But with most cases, switching from cable will save money.

Cutting the cable cord will also make getting live sporting events and late breaking news a bit harder to get.  Many have rediscovered over-the-air TV as a good solution.  Unless you live far removed from a large city, a modest antenna and new digital TV will pull in more local stations than ever before.  It is not uncommon for viewers in our area to receive 30 or more different channels over the air.

The recent offer to buy Hulu by DirecTv, from a partnership made up of News Corp, Disney and Comcast, will be interesting to watch.  All three of the current owners have more than a passing interest and financial investment in how we watch and pay for TV.  As they say in the business, “Stay Tuned.”

Venus Fly Trap Sale Just For You

While the topic of information and privacy has been dominating the news lately, it certainly should not come as a big surprise that our digitally interconnected world, while replete with many valuable and useful devices and services, also has a significant downside when it comes to privacy.    Unfortunately, in order to function in this world, it is almost impossible to completely disconnect and refrain from sharing personal information on these networks.  Our medical information, our banking and taxes details, even what brand of cornflakes we buy are all regularly and systematically stored and analyzed by machines.

If you would like to see first hand how quickly this information can be processed, distributed (read sold) and used to communicate with you (read sell you) some product or service, I have a simple project you might like to try.  

First, think of a topic about which you have no interest.  The more arcane the better but it can be as simple as buying a new car.  Begin by spending a few minutes on Google or another search engine using your chosen topic.  The more sites you go to the better.  Next, go to Amazon.com and search for books, videos, and products that relate to your topic.  You don’t need to buy anything.  Also, if you use gmail or yahoo or any other free email service, send someone an email with the bogus topic included in the text.  You can send the email to yourself.  It makes no difference.

Repeat a few times and wait.  Sooner than you might think, i.e. a matter of days, when you sign on to Facebook or Weather.com or any website that carries ads, you will begin to see ads that relate to your specific topic. Click on one or two of these ads.  You need not purchase anything.  In a week or so you will more customized ads about your bogus topic than you will ever care to view.  

The more arcane the topic you choose the more apparent the targeting will be.  Most sites have generic ads for cars and soap, few will have ads for the care and feeding of Venus Fly Traps.

While the results of this test will be sobering and scary for some, it is not meant to scare you but only to serve as a reminder to all that the information we share is retained, distilled and shared.  Remember that the next time you swipe that supermarket card or give a clerk your email address so your receipt can be emailed to you the savings or convenience comes with a cost.

What ... No Football Team?

With high school commencements still fresh in their minds, many graduates are now looking forward to college. There has been a lot of discussion in the media lately about the rising cost of a college education and whether it is still a good investment. Already many students coming out of high school are choosing to enroll in community or technical colleges which are significantly less expensive than large universities. After completing two years and satisfying most of the required core courses the students move on to the larger traditional campuses with broader course offerings to complete a degree program.

There is another option for these traditional students as well as for those already in the workforce looking to get a degree or advanced certification. This option has been gaining a lot of attention and according to many pundits, might well change the process and economics of higher education forever.

Called MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses), these courses are delivered using the web or other online technologies to very large groups of students. They are highly interactive and employ traditional course materials like readings, videos and lectures. They encourage interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and TAs. The latter is important since students can participate from anywhere on earth that has internet access.

Other than using new technology, you might ask what makes a MOOC different from the correspondence course delivered by snail mail in the 1950s or the much hyped and often less than effective distance learning of ten years ago.

Perhaps most significant is the quality. Some of the most prestigious colleges and universities are embracing MOOCs. For example, Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley and the University of Queensland in Australia are part of a consortium developing and distributing courses. Closer to home you can find several MOOCs offered by UC. The course options are often as broad as can be found in any leading university’s traditional catalog.

Rather than having a lowly adjunct professor to lead the class, you will find some of the nation’s top professors in their field providing high quality lectures and coursework. Content can range from a Harvard Law School course on Copyright Law to a “The Plays of Shakespeare” offered by New York University.

There is no one economic model for MOOCs. Some schools charge tuition comparable to traditional courses while others are absolutely free. Some are free to take and charge only if you want certification after you complete the course and pass the exam.

Obviously the free model will not be sustainable but many education professionals predict that MOOCs will help to bring down the cost of higher education and allow greater participation by individuals who are left out of post-secondary opportunities due to work schedule or economics or both.