In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy and Shawn wrap up the year 2023 with a discussion on headphones. Shawn is broadcasting from a basement while the family celebrates the holidays, we will refer to that as a Dungeon! Shawn is wearing the Wyze Gaming Headphones and tells us about some of the good points versus what he wishes the Wyze headsets would have like his Steel Series headset which centers around dual audio. Andy wonders with so many options, Logi, SteelSeries, Hyper X, where is the original leader in Sound – Creative Labs. There are options for the SoundBlaster lines, and they still create some fine products. Shawn tells us about a couple of tech products he received during the holidays including the Wireless Battery Powered PC Duster. The ATEngus Cleaner has already been put to use. The guys talk about the need to clean the computer for the best performance.

Andy tells us about an issue with a SanDisk USB Flash Drive which suddenly is write protected, after a call with Support it was deemed defective. Andy seeks out a good disc management tool to try to fix himself. Shawn recommends the Subreddit for Data Recovery available https://www.reddit.com/r/datarecovery/.

Shawn and Andy talk about a video Justin sent them earlier in the week, a Spider board. Shawn talks about the level of tech this is but also serves as a warning to not chuck out non-working USB Drives and to be careful where they plugged into. Shawn tells us about a recent security issue with a web portal connected to Ubiquity devices which has since been corrected.

Shawn and Andy talk about some steps to take when you believe your system may have been compromised and how some users aren’t sure how to shut off the computer and the steps after it has been shut off. In a story in the news which had Apple 9 Series Watch and Ultra 2 not able to sell these in the US, Apple has pulled them from Online and In Store Apple purchase. This was due to a patent issue from Masimo. Since this show aired after asking the federal government to step in, which they refused, the Sales have been reinstated. Shawn has the AirBuds Pro and Andy is thinking about getting a pair and the benefits over the Pro versus Standard are discussed.

Andy talks about an article he saw at CNET regarding getting good audio from your television. This has been an issue for many viewers trying to make dialog more listenable, a soundbar may not always be the ultimate solution. While Netflix has done a good job with accessibility in audio, Shawn has seen some benefits with Roku TV’s and the Roku App on the Smartphone. Andy talks about Epic and how at the Site store.epicgames.com users may be able to find some discounted or free games to play.

Shawn tells us about ADSBExchange, A flight tracking site for finding aircraft around the world. Similar to Flight Aware from the User Experience Shawn says this is a bit better https://globe.adsbexchange.com/.

In this week’s show, Broadway and Justin talk with Andy about an article which ran in Esquire about celebs regarding themselves and styling as nerds, the difference between a nerd and a geek. The guys describe that difference. As a Windows Insider, Broadway gives us more thoughts on the upcoming launch of Windows 11 and shares what are some of the things for computer users to think about before migrating to the new operating system available for many PC Users with Windows 10 on October 5th. Broadway shares how things may be majorly different for many users, there was so much info when we first heard about Windows 11 regard TPM 2.0 and the guys discuss on why that may have changed

The battle between Epic and Apple is Confusing, when it comes to the legal challenges from both sides, the question is who won? Epic, Apple, or the Consumer?

Security Specialist Jeff Birner joins the show to talk about protecting yourself online and good security principles, tune in for tips and the discussion with Jeff Birner and his IT Company in St. Petersburg, Jeff’s organization can help companies as well as individuals maintain security on their systems and practices when interacting with home and work systems. Jeff also shares an well priced Wi-Fi router that is available from his company. Find them on the web at https://itcstpete.com

Connect with Us on social media!

Facebook @techtalkers
Twitter @TechtalkRadio
Instagram techtalkradio
Web: TechtalkRadio.Com

Subscribe and Like on Spreaker!

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.

We learn about the trials and tribulations that occurred when one of the guys attempted to purchase an Apple TV.

A review of the latest generation of Apple TV…is it worth the money?

The premiere/debut of “The 60-second TechBlast”.

ANDY explains why “arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement”.  (Again, ANDY said this…)

And our Website of the Week:  StumbleUpon

=====================

We talk to an Uber driver, and Justin explains how he uses Uber…without paying for it.

“…driving jobs for independent contractors in Tucson…work as much or as little as you want. Uber takes care of all the details…”

———————————–

Also, Uber is working with the UA College of Optical Sciences:

Brian McClendon, vice president of advanced technologies for Uber…”it’s clear that Arizona welcomes innovation.”

“…I look forward to working with Arizona…”

============================

iOS 9 has been released. Some got it (S!ick)…some didn’t (Andy)…and others don’t care (what’s-his-name/Justin).

————————————–

We learn that Apple uses end-to-end encryption in iMessage and FaceTime…

And in a related issue, Microsoft is resisting to comply with a warrant which orders it disclose contents of an email account…because the data is kept in a different country.

==================================

The cats of TechtalkRadio have new shirts for their “uniform”. And, so do cats.  (Again:  Justin’s fault.  Hey…I’m writing the post, I get to pick-on whom I choose to…)

================================

And here are some links related to subjects discussed during the show:

“…With Slingbox, you can watch live cable or satellite TV, video apps, recorded shows, and on demand shows on your phone, tablet, and computer. Anywhere in the world. Literally.”

Yahoo Livetext is live video texting, without sound…

“Tile is a tiny Bluetooth tracker and easy-to-use app that finds everyday items in seconds—like your phone, keys, and wallet.”

“Gazelle buys mostly Apple products, iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macbooks, Macs, select Apple TVs & Apple Displays. We also buy a select group of other smartphones and tablets like Samsung, Microsoft. LG and HTC to name a few…”

“Find your bacon lover. Introducing Sizzl – a real dating app for bacon lovers. Connect with thousands of like-minded lovers who share your selective taste in bacon…”