Life & Technology – 2GB 3rd May 2014

 

It's that time of the year where we show our gratitude to our mums for all they do for us. That's right, Mother's Day is upon us once again. To help inspire our listeners we put together our top 5 gift ideas for tech loving mums. From the Fitbit exercise wristband to a sensor that wirelessly monitors the wellbeing of your plants we've got you covered, whatever your taste or budget. 

Here are 5 Tech Gifts to consider:

1)    Logitech Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Cover ($99.95) – Click Here

2)    Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity Wristband ($126) – Click Here

3)    AVLabs 1.5" Digital Photo Frame Keyring ($9.95) – Click Here

4)    Beats by Dr. Dre Pill Wireless Speakers 2.0 ($268) – Click Here

5)    Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensor Outdoor ($149.95) – Click Here
 

Samsung just had their 2014 TV Launch Event in Sydney so I caught up with Philip Newton, Corporate Vice President for Samsung Electronics Australia. He ran me through all the new TV trends and features for 2014. We talked curved screens, Ultra High Definition, OLED and much more.

 

I also spoke with Professor Gary D. Housley Ph.D. of the University of New South Wales, who told me about an important research project he is currently working on. Researchers have managed to restore hearing in guinea pigs, using a cochlear implant to regrow damaged auditory nerves. This technology has promising implications for treating those with hearing problems.

 

Les wanted to know why Facetime on his iPhone 5 was not working.

 

  • Check that Facetime is turned on. Go to Settings > Facetime and make sure the Slider is set to On/Green.

 

  • Facetime needs to know your contact details in order to do calls. In Facetime Settings make sure that you have your number or email address entered in the ‘You can be reached by Facetime at:’ box.

 

  • Make sure you’re connected to a network, either WiFi or Cellular.

 

  • Make sure that the person you’re calling is on a compatible device. Facetime works on iPhone 4 or later iPhones, iPad 2 or later iPads, 4th generation iPod touch’s and modern macs.

 

  • Try updating the software on your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the prompts.

 

David found an internet site where you can watch movies for free and asked ‘Is this legal?’.

 

David, be careful – there’s a good chance you may have found a site that streams movies illegally. If the site is showing big name blockbusters without charging then it’s likely illegal. Some older movies are available for free online though. Use your common sense – if it looks a bit suspicious then get out of there!

 

For general movie watching there are now an increasingly large number of ways you can watch movies online. Some charge for the service such as iTunes and BigPond Movies however there are sites that do have some movies available for free.

 

For old movies try Archive.org. Crackle.com has some decent films and YouTube has a section with some free films available.

 

Rod wants to buy a new desktop computer to replace his current one which is 12 year old. He asked for advice on what processor and RAM he should be looking at.

 

Rod 12 years is a long time so it definitely sounds like it’s time to upgrade! The main things to think about when buying a computer are the processor, RAM, the hard drive capacity, the screen size, connectivity (USB ports, HDMI) and accessories such as whether it has an optical  drive or a webcam.

 

Processor: Most modern computers use multi core processors which are faster. It’s like having more than one brain so they can handle several tasks at once. Look for PC’s with an Intel Core i3 or i5 for basic use. For more powerful use look at an i7.

 

RAM: The more RAM a PC has, the faster applications can run and you can run more apps simultaneously. Most modern PC’s have RAM ranging from 4 GB all the way up to 32 GB for the most intensive tasks. For an average PC look for a computer with 4 GB of RAM or try one with 8 GB of RAM for more performance.