Andy TaylorTechtalkRadio, , ,

New KMSB Fox 11 Segment – Roku – Welcome Home!

Exploring Home and Apartment Essentials with Roku: A Tech Tuesday Special

In this week’s tech segment, we’ll be diving into a range of products ideal for enhancing your home or apartment living. These innovative offerings come from Roku, the company initially recognized for its entertainment devices but now expanding its portfolio to cater to broader home needs.

Since its establishment in 2002, Roku has revolutionized the way we consume entertainment. Initially designed to stream Netflix content, Roku quickly emerged as a versatile platform, seamlessly integrating various subscription services and free content options. One of their latest devices, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, exemplifies their user-friendly approach. Simply plug it into an HDMI port, and you gain access to a vast array of content, along with the ability to add your preferred streaming services. Plus, it supports stunning 4K resolution on Enable TV’s. To make things even more convenient, the device includes a hands-free remote that can assist in locating itself if misplaced. Additionally, you can stream music from various music services directly to your devices and use your voice into the voice enabled remote to find Video and Audio features

Expanding beyond entertainment features, Roku has also ventured into home products. Their lineup includes the Smart Bulb SE, a set of app-controlled light bulbs, and the Smart Light Strip, a versatile strip that can be installed under or on top of cabinets, offering 16 feet of customizable, app-controlled lighting. Both these products provide seamless integration with the Roku Smart Home App.

One of the most exciting additions to Roku’s home product range is the New Home Monitoring System SE. This DIY wireless system enables you to monitor movement and track the opening of doors and windows. It includes a keypad for easy arming and disarming, all conveniently controlled through the Smart Home App. You have the option to monitor the system yourself or subscribe to a service that notifies you of any detected intrusions or alerts authorities if you fail to respond. The kit comes with five essential pieces to get you started and is remarkably affordable, retailing at just $99. Moreover, you can monitor your home directly from the Roku Smart Home App or from a Roku-enabled TV. It even offers the capability to control lighting or power off devices with the Roku remote.

Roku’s expansion into home products is aptly named “Welcome Home,” signifying their commitment to creating an all-encompassing home experience.

Andy TaylorTechtalkRadio, , , ,

Shawn takes a Look at Generative Fill with Photoshop

During a break in the Radio Show this Past Week, Shawn downloaded the Adobe Photoshop Beta and gave Generative Fill a run. An easy way to not only create images but also not use the web with images that may be subject to Copywrite but instead utilize the Adobe Stock Library. Listen to the Full Show at TechtalkRadio.com!

Andy TaylorTechtalkRadio, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This Week’s Episode Now Posted! Episode #366 – Is Resistance Futile?

In this week’s show, Shawn and Andy discuss recent issues they had with Streaming while on with the Metacast Podcast earlier in the Week which works into a discussion on Tech Support and how easy it is to troubleshoot new Tech versus what we had to do 15 years ago. Andy tells the story of how phone calls came into Radio Shows and got on the air compared to tech today from VoxPro and other companies. Shawn and Andy talk about how technology in Education changed from Mac systems to PC’s. Some employers are looking for workers that understand AI and how to work with it. Andy talks about how we could see AI used in Radio Broadcasting and even Television Newscasting and points out Synthesia at https://www.synthesia.io and how training videos could all be done using that platform. How will sports be influenced by AI and the predictability of plays viewed by opposing teams.

Andy talks about some products he featured on KMSB Fox 11. Kingston sent over an Ironkey 200 Flash drive with AES 256 Encryption and Military Grade Security to protect the device from prying eyes or in the event of a loss of the drive. After 10 Attempts to enter a password incorrectly, the drive will wipe its data off the drive and make it unrecoverable. Sizes vary from 8GB to 128GB. This also serves as a good reminder to never plug in a USB Flash Drive that you “find.” as it could compromise your system or even damage circuitry. Andy also shared a USB diskette Reader from Tandek that he shared on the Segment. Shawn feels there may at some point a Digital Revolution with consumers wanted content.

Shawn looks at the new Adobe Photoshop Beta with Generative Fill which uses AI to fill a background or part of an Adobe stock image with artificial intelligence and is very impressed with the results. What’s also nice is that while some programs use AI to complete images, this will stay within the Adobe Family pulling images only from Adobe Stock Images.

Shawn and Andy share a great website for learning more about working with Photoshop and Graphics programs. https://www.phlearn.com The host also goes into a more in depth discussion on the Generative Fill Tool.

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New Show Posted – Episode #365 – It Was The Rat’s Fault!

For this week’s show, Justin, Shawn and Andy get together to talk about the latest in Tech. Shawn kicks off the show with a talk about his New Camper and how easy it was to install his backup camera from Furrion on his RV. Shawn said it took longer to open the box then to install the camera itself because it was a pre-wired system. The guys talk about how vehicles have changed so much over the years with items that have been removed from cars and trucks including lighters. The discussion moves to how Ford was talking, since changed, about removing AM Radios out of Vehicles. Why is this happening with Electric Vehicles? Justin and Andy talk about working together at a station in Tucson and how an AM Station went across the country, all due to a Rat. Justin is now thinking about getting himself an Electric Vehicle and talks about what he has been looking at and the buying process he has experienced with Tesla.


Andy talks about a product he featured on a TV Segment on KMSB Fox 11, The EcoXGear Eco Tundra. A massive Portable AM/FM Radio that also features Bluetooth Capability and it is IP67 Rated and will float in the Pool. Andy gets a product that missed this weeks segment and shares it here, the Ares Bluetooth Portable Fold up Keyboard.

Andy shares an App of the Week, Artifact was started by the creators of Instagram. It is a News app that uses AI to curate the top stories to your device.

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New KMSB Fox 11 Segment Posted! Technology and “Piece” of Mind

KMSB Fox 11 Segment from 05/22/2023

For this Weeks Segment on KMSB Fox 11, we take a look at a couple of Devices to help add a layer of Security for Living and for your Data. First Up. The New Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200. If you carry around a flash drive, what happens if it falls out of your pocket? Or it is left behind at Work or a place you were using your laptop at? For some this could be panic time – It’s not just the idea of losing a flash drive, it’s that data – Documents, Photos that could fall into the wrong hands.

The Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200 can at least give you peace of mind that whoever found it would not be able to pry at the data. The Kingston Ironkey 200 features level 3 military grade security and AES 256 Bit Encryption. For most of us, that means good security. It features a Keypad on the Device. Once you set it up, with an 8-15 Character alphanumeric Pin you can then feel a little more at ease. Also, if you do leave it behind, it features brute force protection, which means after 10 attempts to enter the incorrect password, it is wiped clean.  Some have wondered with keypads, that over time could reveal a pattern of wear that could aid in discovering a password, the Ironkey 200 key are coated with a polymer that protects the keys from not only wear but also fingerprints! It also has a shell with a rubber gasket to protect it from dirt and water and a nice steel chain to hang from your keychain. Available in 8GB, 16gb up to 128GB.  They start at about 75 bucks for the 8GB Model up to around 205 dollars for the 128GB. It’s worth that peace of mind for important documents. More at https://www.kingston.com

For Security at your Front Door, it used to be you may have had to Wire a Doorbell Camera to existing Wiring, and sometimes must go into the garage or Attic to change out a Transformer. And the early models of Doorbell Cameras in my experience had some lag. Some of the Newest Ones on the Market make it easy to install usings your Homes Wireless Settings. No having to Wire or change a transformer, the Google Nest Doorbell Camera can be setup with the Battery Version easily and give you that security on your doorstep.  It is battery driven but comes with a key to remove it and bring it indoors for a recharge. It’s not something you are going to have to do constantly, and most users have told me they do this every three or four months. Another Nice feature, if your Wi-Fi Goes out, the Nest Doorbell will automatically store up to one hour of recorded events in its local memory.  If you haven’t converted to the Google App from other Nest Devices you will need to do that for Monitoring. If features Night Vision, 960×1280 Capture and two-way audio, say you aren’t home, but somebody visits your door you can interact without them knowing you aren’t home. As far as notification, it will come in on your Smartphone for the Battery Wireless, but some have also got Google Assistant in the home and it can ring on there. Pricing for both the Wired and Battery Devices is about 180 bucks.

We also take a look at the Tendak USB Diskette Reader for those without the 1.44 Drive and Lots of those Old Diskettes laying around! Check out the Video and please Subscribe to our Videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@techtalkradio