For this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy, Shawn, and Justin discussed a busy week for all of them which had Andy jump in after last weeks show and made a purchase, The Google Pixel 9 XL. Andy talks about his initial reservations about the cost and unfamiliarity with the device and surprising to him, the device came with a physical SIM card, which he didn’t need, as it could have used an eSIM. Justin clarified that the Pixel 9 devices do support dual SIMs, including eSIMs. When it comes to the iPhone they also discussed the recent iOS 18 update, which supports RCS messaging, a feature that the major carriers have started to support. Justin advised Andy on how to transfer his data from his old phone to the new one. They also discussed the organization of apps on their phones, with Andy noting layout preference on the iPhone with the abundance of apps and Justin suggesting that Android users could also organize their apps in a similar way.

Andy expressed his initial excitement about testing the AI feature, sharing his initial experience with the Google Gemini, which he found to be overly talkative and difficult to shut up. Justin was surprised by this long response that Andy was getting. Justin shared his wife’s transition from iPhone to Android, noting that it took her three months to adjust. Shawn and Andy expressed their preference for iPhones due to their familiarity and ease of use, particularly in sharing media with family members who also use Apple devices.

Shawn discussed Apple’s risk-taking in developing their own silicon, the M-chips, which has led to superior multimedia production capabilities compared to Intel and AMD. He highlighted the cost-effectiveness of a Mac mini with an M2 chip as a multimedia platform. Shawn and Justin discussed the affordability and practicality of Apple’s Mac mini and MacBook Pro, with Shawn noting the Mac mini’s reasonable price for entry-level PCs and Justin arguing that Apple’s pricing strategy is designed to hook customers with a taste of their products.

With the discussion shifting toward A.I. Services, The team agreed that AI is becoming increasingly beneficial and will continue to shape their work. Andy, Justin, and Shawn discussed the rapid advancements in AI technology, likening it to a new technological arms race. A Listener question from Grace stated that she was giving her older Windows 10 computer to her 13-year-old granddaughter for her schoolwork after getting herself an All In One HP and asked for advice on transferring programs from her old computer to the new one. Justin and Shawn suggested downloading the installer from the program websites, but Shawn also mentioned that moving files from one PC to another in Windows is not easy due to the way Windows operates. Shawn recommended a fresh install of everything on the new computer. Andy shared his experience with a program called PC Mover, which he used to transfer programs from a Windows XP machine to a Windows 10 machine.

Another Listener Question comes in about Cutting the Cord and finding free TV services. The guys talk about options such as apps like Pluto, Tubi and Fubo. We also learn Justin doesn’t know Fred Mertz. They discussed various options for streaming and TV services, with Justin suggesting using an over-the-air antenna to access local channels for free. Andy recommended using an app to determine the best antenna for the area and to scan for available channels. The conversation concluded with Justin suggesting the use of a website like Antenna Finder to determine the best antenna for the area.

Andy and Justin discussed the evolution of the Tile, a Bluetooth tracking device, and its improvements over time. Andy also shared his past practice of giving Tiles as holiday gifts. The company has released a new product while Shawn, Andy, and Justin talked about the parent company Life360. The Show wraps with a discussion of the Game titles they are currently enjoying.The Audio Only Version is Below!!

For this Weeks Segment on KMSB Fox 11 News 13 – Andy Taylor of TechtalkRadio is looking at a product which has gained a lot of interest and it’s a perfect companion for Gatherings, Summer Vacations and for fun. We are looking at the Camp Snap Camera. The hand size camera that has been designed to enjoy the moment and has eliminated one of the features we have found on Digital Cameras and Smartphones, The Rear Screen.

With the Camp Snap Camera which is available in about 9 different colors. It features a 8mp sensor and while I can say it is designed for kids, many have found it to be a great inexpensive way to capture a photo and not get lost in the moment of taking a photo and then looking at what you took and then snapping others. The Camera ships with a 4GB Micro SD Memory card which could store about 2000 photos.

Taking photos with the Camp Snap Camera is easy, there is no focus, no shutter speed to adjust, it’s all in the camera. The company based in Redondo Beach has also made Filters available, Vintage and Black and White to download and take new photos in that mode. There is free software to apply this and other filters after taking the picture and it’s easy to connect the included USB C cable to the computer to transfer photos and that’s how you can view them.

Lightweight, a great introduction to taking pictures and staying in the moment- The Camp Snap Camera sells for about $65.00, and the response has been great! The company has indicated there could be new devices on the horizon.

For more check out https://www.campsnapphoto.com

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, We learn a little about Shawn’s Bucc-ees Outfit his mom got him and how Shawn has been traveling for work. Taking a flight on Delta, Shawn was happy to find out that Delta Airlines will hand out trading cards. The guys talk about tracking aircraft if you are traveling or a friend or family member is, you can easily follow the flight using websites and apps such as FlightAware or ADSBExhange. Andy talks about how the web can also help locate aircraft you have possibly flown in and tells the story of how while in Civil Air Patrol he co-piloted a Cessna 172 and was able to locate that aircraft today with the tail number. Microsoft faced an outage earlier in the week on its X-Box Live Service and it serves as a reminder for having physical media instead of relying on the cloud. This applies to Movies and Series we have come to rely on from streaming services.  The guys share a couple of ways to make sure you can view your content that you have purchased using MakeMKV and Handbrake as possible resources.  Shawn built a Raspberry Pi Media Player for handling digital playback. For Games, so many have only been released Digitally and the guys talk about the last versions they bought for consoles and PC. Shawn tells us about a great Website for Older games, GOG Games has older titles for purchase – Andy wants to get a copy of one he played a lot, RedneckRampage. 

Andy started a new project this past week to downsize from the massive Cooler Master HAF932 to a smaller case. This was all in part to begin to move to Windows 11. Using the Asus Z-170A after purchasing the TPM 2.0 Header the goal would be to Upgrade to Windows 11. Andy gets the Fractal G Mid Tower Case and gets everything moved and cleaner. After deciding to do this, he realized with the 480GB with only 60GB left, he would have to update the Drive as well for more space. Andy updates to a 1TB but has an issue in cloning the drive and find Partition Wizard Mini Tool was the solution he needed. This does pose the question of instead of cloning an older drive, reinstalling Windows from scratch gets rid of the bloat. Some points to consider regarding the software are discussed. 

RealVNC has eliminated the home plans for the service which enabled connecting to other computers. As Shawn pointed out, this was a great way to take care of family members’ computers remotely. The Cost for the new plan is discussed and the problem with TeamViewer and a Security Breach is discussed. DJI is still under the scrutiny of the US Government and the latest is discussed here and how that would affect this that want to use a drone, The Countering CCP Drone Act could ban the sales of DJI products in the US.  Andy gives us a look at the Camp Snap Camera and why many are excited about this very different digital camera. The Screen Free Digital Camera allows the user to experience the taking of the photo and enjoy the moment without looking at what was captured. Gizmodo put together a list of Cool Gadgets for the past month of June, this includes the Insta360 Go 3S which is a small action camera. 

Shawn shares a Website of the Week with us, A fun site to prank a friend or co-worker with, https://whitescreen.online The Site gives you various options to feature update screens, blue screen, broken screen and many others. 

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In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Justin, Shawn and Andy begin the discussions with a focus on the busy news cycle towards technology after a chat about the Summer Heat and cooling. Justin tells us about the split systems which can do a good job keeping areas cool but also a portable AC Unit. If trying to cool with a Swamp Cooler there are some considerations as they aren’t the best working along Electronics. Another consideration is where a PC or Mac is placed can also affect the performance, years ago companies sold cabinets to hide towers, and these were just not proper airflow. Justin determines he needs to delve into doing more home repair and has been watching videos on YouTube which have been very helpful. Andy used YouTube to help replace a Garbage Disposal Unit. Justin shares the best way to search for the project you want to do. The Crew pivots to the news of Adobe and how the FTC has directed a lawsuit at the company for its difficult process to cancel subscriptions with fees to the consumer when cancelling. Andy shares how he remembers from Aldus Photostyler to Creative Suite you could buy the package and use it till you wanted the new features. The Terms of Service have also been, as covered in last week’s show, Andy has a connection to Photographer Ron Hazelwood on Facebook and reads a post Ron shared regarding the TOS. Other points to consider include PDF’s which could contain sensitive documents. Ron mentions a possible alternative for working with photos, Affinity Photo 2. The Company can be found on the web at https://affinity.serif.com

      Justin opens this segment with a discussion on social media and how the Surgeon General of the United States may consider a Warning Label like what we have seen on tobacco. Shawn had pulled away from Socials a couple of years ago and tells us how during the show he reactivated the account to use an Extension to save photos he was tagged in. The extension called Tagged Photo Exporter available in the Google Chrome Store and Shawn tells us how this works. Shawn and Justin both agree on the addictive nature on social platforms and share why many others feel the same way. How will parents need to respond to this and how will this help alter the time spent while the child is online. Shawn and Justin share how they have applied these guidelines.      

Shawn tells us how he believes in the distant future, a Youth Digital Rebellion and tells us what that means. His wife shared a story how a friend’s child had loved the idea of online shopping, in person. While it doesn’t play as good on the radio, Andy shares a Meme about how times have shared. Andy shares the reminder of your digital products in the car or trunk of the vehicle. A good reminder to take the gear to a cooler area and the pull the Dash Cams instead of leaving them in the hot sun. Wells Fargo has caught employees using Mouse Jigglers and the guys talk about this story circulating the web, PC World has put together a great article on how to turn off Recall on Co-Pilot + PC.s. Shawn reminds us about how this is supposed to work and how it is being used.  

Shawn shares a Website of the Week with us, A great site for those that enjoy board games. https://www.boardgamearena.com The Site allows you to play board games with your friends. 

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In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Justin tells Shawn and Andy about the Busted water heater in his basement and damage it has done to the area. Andy wonders if there is a Home Monitor that could have told him on the water leak/pressure issue. Justin talks about A Smart Valve Sensor on the Water Heater and how it works. Justin tells us about the products for creating a If this Than That system for all in the home. He tells us about Zigbee, Z-Wave found at https://www.z-wave.com and Matter found at https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/ . Justin has been checking out videos from Reed at Smart Home Solver on YouTube, found here https://www.youtube.com/c/smarthomesolver and while the idea of Home Automation can help in many ways, Self-Autonomy is something Shawn is not ready to give up yet. Justin likes how Home Assistant works great. Listener Question from Jennie on adding a Hub to her Mac and what could be solutions. Andy and Shawn look at products from EZ-Quest at https://www.ezq.com and another resource is Sabrent at https://www.sabrent.com 

Justin shares a laugh with his new shirt of Vault Boy from Fallout and tells us how he has got back into the game playing Fallout 76. He has even been buying merchandise based on the game. Justin makes a friend using voice chat in the game, Jay Dawg, and the guys discuss how having the voice connections can help a game become even more exciting. Shawn does a breakdown on the history of in-game chat from AOL Messenger to MSN Messenger, ICQ, Mumble, Ventrilo, TeamSpeak, Skype and then now Discord.

Rumblings about Microsoft Co-Pilot Recall and how it could screen shot everything done on the computer to aid AI to make your experience faster. Would this cause people to move to Mac or Linux? Shawn’s upset at the feeding of Ads in the OS Interface Start Menu. What are the downsides to moving to Linux?

A listener Rodney in Sahuarita heard the story about the NSA recommending Restarting the Smart Phone at least Once a Week and wants to know if that should be done with the Computer. The guys agree it should be done once a week and they discuss why. Andy mentions Hibernation, meaning Sleep, and Justin schools Andy on why hibernation is so bad. The discussion focuses on an update to the Terms of Use agreement which has upset some users which could appear to give Adobe a right to see your created content. Also, a Story about Ansel Adams and an image created by AI and sold on Stock Images which were taken down when found they were very close to Adams Images.

With Father’s Day around the Corner, Andy shares some products he featured on News13. The Anker 521 PowerStation for portable power can be found at https://www.anker.com and the SteelSeries Arctis 5x Headphones can be found at https://www.steelseries.com. Andy also talks about the TPM2.0 Module he will be doing a video of hopefully allowing a Windows 11 Update on an Older Motherboard. Justin wraps with our Website of the Week, https://www.cloaked.com This allows you to create identities for filling out forms or even Phone Numbers, As Shawn says It Worked for the Romulans!

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