In this week’s TechtalkRadio Show, Andy Taylor, Shawn DeWeerd, and Justin Lemme caught up after a busy couple of weeks. Justin shared his recent experience of tearing his calf muscle while walking at Waterworld, while Shawn talked about hosting Notre Dame’s first home football game of the season, which unfortunately ended in a loss. Sitting out the show, Justin received his Pixel 9 Fold smartphone and provided an overall review, highlighting its AI capabilities through the Gemini platform. One feature lets users reimagine photos and map search results, and Justin also showcased the phone’s ability to recognize and respond to hand gestures. The team discussed the phone’s price, with Justin mentioning a significant discount he received through his Google Fi and Google One memberships. He also shared his excitement about the new Pixel Watch 3, which he had recently acquired.

During the discussion of AI in the Pixel 9, the guys noted Apple’s recent announcement at the “It’s Glowtime” event, which introduced Apple Intelligence for the upcoming iPhone 16. They compared the performance of different AI assistants, with Andy expressing disappointment in Siri’s results. Shawn suggested that Apple’s AI focuses narrowly on tasks within the Apple ecosystem, while Justin and Andy recounted their experiences with Google’s AI. Andy shared a frustrating story involving Waze’s directions, and the group agreed that Apple’s AI is still playing catch-up with other manufacturers.

Justin highlighted the Pixel 9’s unique ability to automatically stitch photos together for seamless family shots. The conversation also touched on how easy it is to transfer data between Android devices, with Justin praising the smooth process.

Shawn brought up the recent announcement from DJI about their new lightweight drone, the DJI Neo, priced at $199. Designed for beginners, vloggers, and casual users, it features a 12-megapixel half-inch sensor, 18 minutes of flight time, and a control range of up to 50 meters via Wi-Fi. Justin raised concerns about its limited control range, noting it might not be ideal for high-altitude or long-distance flights. Shawn also mentioned the recent passage of the Countering USA Threats Act by the House, aimed at restricting drones from foreign countries, particularly China, which could impact companies like DJI. The bill now heads to the Senate.

In response to a listener question from Gary, the team discussed antivirus options for personal use. Justin recommended Windows Defender, while Andy shared his experience with Symantec. They also considered alternatives like Malwarebytes and ESET, with Shawn mentioning a family protection plan he has with Malwarebytes. The team agreed that choosing the right antivirus depends on individual needs and preferences. See Below the Photo’s “Imagined” with the Gemini AI on the Pixel 9 of Justin’s CoWorker

Also featured was a discussion of former guest and writer Ed Bott’s article at ZNet about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and ways to “Get Er Done!” Finally, the Website of the Week was the app “Spot the Station,” which alerts users when the International Space Station is flying over their community.

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy Taylor, Justin Lemme, and Shawn DeWeerd talk about some of the changes they have gone through in the past few weeks. Justin has a new job and Shawn is a new father. The guys talk about social media and how being new parents has not changed Shawn’s mind about getting onto Facebook to share photos. Shawn gives us a look at the Infant Optics baby monitor while Justin shares a great tip about extending the battery life. Andy jumps on to the new App BeReal and talks about what it is and how it is different from other Social Photo Sharing Apps. Justin tells us about his disappointment of a Kickstarter he got involved in 2019. The product, a Eve 4k Monitor was supposed to ship in 2020 however with the Pandemic this caused delays. Justin tells us about the bad experience and not getting product. Justin talks about how using the American Express Card could save him in this instance in getting a refund. Shawn gets his hands on a Graphics Card and shares the story of finding a RTX3070 from a buddy for only $350. Moving from a GT1080 he talks about the performance increases he was able to experience.

Andy finally sets up his new build and runs into a bit of problem. His Wireless Mouse has been freezing up. Andy determined after moving from the Cooler Master Haf932 Case to the smaller Corsair case, the interference with the Aura Components and smaller case needed the Wireless Dongle plugged to the back (On the Board) of the Case. Justin tells us about his new job and why it’s so much fun. His Office overlooks one of the nation’s largest water park, Water World. Justin tells us about how he has integrated Malwarebytes into the system and why he’s a proponent of the service, Shawn share how he has paid for the premium version and been very happy with it.

Andy talks with Vahan Hovsepian of Five Star Data Recovery about the Company which specializes in Digital Data Recovery. We found out what drove him to begin the company which has saved data from failed hard drives for years. Five Star Data Recovery has a great reputation for its services and support in this lucrative field and shares the personal rewards of recovering client data. Vahan tells us the differences in the processes to recover data from logical to mechanical failures. While SSD technology is fantastic, when it comes to your Data, in case of failure, having a traditional “Spinny” drive is much better. What should you do when your drive is clicking or beeping? Great tips shared from Vahan

.
Shawn shares info out of the recent National Association of Broadcasters Convention and the NDI Technology for Broadcasting Video.
Facebook @techtalkers
Twitter @TechtalkRadio
Instagram techtalkradio
Web: TechtalkRadio.Com
Subscribe and Like on Spreaker!