Andy TaylorApple, Computers, Facebook, Netflix, Online Tools, Safety, Technology News, TechtalkRadio, TTR Website, , ,

Is that Site Down?

In this Weeks Show we discussed the recent issues with Facebook and Instagram with widespread reports of the services being down which affected 2.3 Billion Users! Of course this drove traffic to Twitter, even Facebook itself took to Twitter to let users know that the services were facing a downtime. It’s amazing how many people felt disconnected and shared the frustrations on Twitter and Snapchat with Meme’s and the pondering what the user may have down to infuriate the FB Gods to be ignored when trying to login!

It wasn’t you or your fault that sites were having an outage although I did tell my 78 year Great Aunt Delores it was her that took them down and to stay off the Internet! While we still haven’t heard the story of why the Sites were on Timeout other sites have taken a similar turn this week including Apple, Verizon, YouTube and Gmail and its services.

There are a few online tools available as we discussed on this weeks show which can give you a head up if a Service/Site is having an issue. Apple features a System Control Panel giving you a quick look at the different services and display the areas of trouble and accessible to the general public. Check it out at the Apple System Status page.

There are a couple of sites which can give you a pretty good overview of the many services online and when they may be having issues:

  1. Is It Down Right Now – Gives you current status on Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Facebook, Steam and many other services https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/
  2. Down – Type in the URL and it will tell you if it’s down https://down.com/
  3. Down Detector – This Site is easy to use however requires you to click through to get your answer https://downdetector.com

These will give you a good overview of a Sites Status.

Screen Shot of the System Status Screen at Apple
System Status Screen on the Apple Website
Andy TaylorAmazon Prime, Apple, Bluetooth Technology, Broadband, Computers, Hardware, Microsoft Windows 10, Music, Review, Samsung, TechtalkRadio, TTR Website, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If I Fits, I Sit

Sometimes we have no real clue how we come up with these titles for the shows but they just seem to fall in place! In this Weeks Show Below we cover a variety of topics. First off, it seems like there is a race for Fold-able Smartphones.  The Cost for this technology will more than likely drive the price tag of smart phones in the 2k region. Justin talks about some new smartphone technology that could be coming from Google. Justin adopted the Pixel 3 as his smartphone not too long ago and loves it! He shares his reasons.

Snow Day in Tucson has Andy taking photos with both the iPhone and Canon DSLR and has a tough time viewing the differences on Instagram – Justin talks about the compression used on Social Media on Images. An upcoming trip to Japan has Justin talking about ways to use technology overseas and stay connected. Justin also shares the love for Pokemon and how the game has been re-energized recently by groups playing the game and looks forward to catching creatures in Japan.

Justin talks about a New Super responsive Mouse from Logitech he purchased. The G-502 Hero Mouse. He shares the differences between an “office mouse” and Gaming Mouse. A story on a New USB 3.2 Standard which could achieve speeds of up to 20Gbps transfer speed. Justin shares a story from How To Geek on Transferring a Windows Licence. The guys talk about the Battle of the OS and the different versions of Windows. Justin talks about some new updates to the Xbox One with the introduction of Dolby Atmos Sound. Justin tells us about Playstation Vue for watching Content.

Blu-Ray and 4kUHD Players may eventually disappear, More content is going digital however Andy shares info on an older gentleman who purchased a VCR on Ebay and wrote a letter to the seller on how appreciated he was to be able to purchase the older technology to watch content he hadn’t see in a many years. Andy talks about Nuraphone headphones available at B8TA in Scottsdale as well as online at Nuraphone.Com. A recent story about Stevie Wonder trying them out a CES and loving them so much he bought three pairs! If you get a chance, Please Visit iTunes or Google Play and Drop us a review!

Have a Great Week!

Justin and Andy

Andy TaylorAmazon Prime, Apple, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Entertainment, Hardware, Mac, Movies, Netflix, RockStar Games, TechtalkRadio, Tucson Computer Repair, Videos, , , , , , , ,

Now for Something Completely Different! New Show Posted!

TechtalkRadio – And Now for Something Completely Different

In this TechtalkRadio Episode, Justin and Andy begin with a discussion of Monty Pythons Flying Circus and how Netflix has added the shows to its library of entertainment. New shows such as Sam Esmail’s “Homecoming” and the return of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to Amazon Prime are discussed.

Justin and Andy talk about Repairing PC’s and Macs with Today’s Technology. Where can a consumer have a Mac-book repaired? The only solution in most cases for warranty and parts would be through an Apple Certified Repair shop. Not all is rosy with today’s Windows based laptops as many manufacturers have taken away user serviceable areas such as hard drives, memory and even batteries. What are the benefits of building your own PC? Can building your own still be done and which could be more expensive? Local Shops to Tucson like SWS and NOS Computers are great, Justin also recommends the PC Part Picker Website. Are Add-On Sound Cards still required?

Friend of the show, Mitch Goldstone from ScanMyPhotos.Com visits with TechtalkRadio to talk about the service available from the company. Protecting the photos and film from years past is a process made extremely easy with the services of the highly reviewed ScanMyPhotos.Com.  Mitch shares stories of photos which have been preserved in the digital format and why this is also a great gift idea for the holiday season. Technology has advanced the process over the years and in many cases Same Day Scanning is available. This can be great for memorial services or special events. Mitch talks about ScanMyPhotos and why the company takes great pride preserving these images.

Powering a Computer, Do you turn your computer off every night? Is the proper fix for a computer to basically, Turn it off and Turn it on? The guys discuss the idea of rebooting for solving problems. Justin talks about running multiple Operating Systems as a Virtual PC with VMware.

Justin talks about a game called GameDevTycoon from GreenHeart Games. Website of the Week is a look at a product that only because of the Internet could become huge, The Nose Warmer. Don’t Sneeze. The Website is at NoseWarmer.Com 

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Show from 09/17/2016 Some Charging Tips without all the Smoke!

  • In this Weeks Segment from 09/17/2016 – Andy, Slick and Justin talk about the Note 7 and the Recall of the device – (Since this show was recorded the Recall was Official)
    The guys talk about the threat of charging devices and why your devices should be monitored when charging. With the thought in mind, the guys share some ideal charging suggestions and why they shouldn’t be plugged in overnight. Why Samsung had to shift marketing focus quickly and why Lenovo is focusing on Skipping the 7s.
  • Slick shares what grinds his gears when it comes to batteries in smartphones. Next to using a smartphone as a phone, the guys share what are the most important features for the team.
    Andy Taylor talks about the Lenovo MotoMod from Hasselblad, True Zoom which can help turn the smartphone into a feature filled digital camera for the end user. Slick challenges Justin on a comment regarding iTunes Digital Rights Management of music purchased through the iTunes Store.
  • Andy Taylor discusses the idea behind The Digital Dark age and why we shouldn’t get rid of our paper, photos, music CD’s, DVD’s. Tivo is bought out by Rovi for 1.1B and changes
    its name to Tivo. The new Tivo Bolt with 4k and 3TB of Data storage is talked about. What do you need to make the Tivo Bolt work on your Cable System. How do you find out what to sell your used hardware for? Listener Gilbert asks. What should somebody do with a Hard Drive in their system before they donate or sell it. Dban Dariks Boot and Nuke is noted as a program to make drives unrecoverable.
  • App and Website of the Week is a simple tough game from potoandcabenga from Armor Games
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New KMSB Fox 11 Daybreak Segment featuring products for the Home!

In this Segment from 09/19/2016 – Andy Taylor shares some products which will use the Power Outlets in your home for Technology. The Netgear Powerline 1000 extends the network in your home through the powerlines and an easy to set up interface. Devices without WiFi capability yet needing a Net Connection can be connected without running wire across the floor. The device is capable of transfering data up to 1000Mbps.

Andy Taylor also shares with Andrew Capasso the iHome Smart Home connectors which can also plug into an outlet and using the Wink App or Nest or even the Apple HomeKit, can be used to control the power to small appliances.

For more info on the Products check out http://www.netgear.com and http://www.ihomeaudio.com