Author: todd

Happy New Year!

Here’s what’s in this mini-podcast:

1. Thank you to my ComicsViews co-host, Jay Stone, and MobileViews co-host, Jon Westfall.
2. Thank you to our MobileViews 2017 guest panelists: Paul Lawler, Ricky Li, Frank McPherson, Sven Johannsen, Don Sorcinelli and Ryan Ozawa.
3. Comments on my 2017 doodle-a-day project using an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and the Procreat and Tayasui Sketches Pro apps
4. Some thoughts on what we might discuss in 2018 – the 10th year of this podcast!

1. Google AR Stickers (Star Wars and Stranger Things) in Camera app for Android 8.1 (Oreo) update. Also, Google Lens.
2. Ref: Trusted Reviews. New Oreo features.

   Battery: If a user has a Bluetooth device connected to their smartphone, they’ll be able to see how much power it has from the Quick Settings shade.

   Browsing: Safer Browsing allows applications from third-party developers to detect WebView attempts, which could point to malicious URLs.

   Fingerprint: Users can instruct their unit to disable the fingerprint reader once an unregistered fingerprint is attempted multiple times.

   Google Maps Transit now wakes you up at your stop

3. Plan your winter getaway now with new features in Google Flights, Trips, and hotel search Provides info on when it is best to book a flight based on historical data. Shows info on shifting room rates. Google Trips shows discounts.
4. ZDNet. No iTunes for Microsoft Windows App Store. Only affects Windows 10 S users.
5. Facebook Research. Facebook, citing academic research, says people “passively consuming” social media feel worse afterwards while active interaction improves well-being. Facebook propaganda?
6. A vulnerable hidden password manager in Windows 10? Pushed by Microsoft without users’ knowledge! Good reminder to always vet programs that you aren’t familiar with.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

In podcast 234, Jon Westfall and I discuss:

1. Paul Lawler, Ricky Li, and I attempted to record an in-person mini-podcast. However, there was too much microphone bleed which resulted in a horrendous “echo.” I’m trying to install a filter for Audacity to reduce the echo so it can be posted someday. – SEE MobileViews Mini-Podcast 30
2. Rant: Lost access to my PogoPlug a couple of weeks ago.
3. Ref: iDownloadBlog Apple Watch OS 4.2
   Send, request and receive money from friends and family with Apple Pay Cash in Messages or by asking Siri (US only)
   Adds support for HomeKit sprinklers and faucets in Home
   Adds support for a new workout type for third-party apps to track distance, average speed, number of runs and elevation descended for downhill snow sports with Apple Watch Series 3
   Resolves an issue where Apple Watch would sometimes restart when asking Siri about the weather
4. Carrot Weather
5. McDonald’s mobile order
6. Google shutting down Chrome “apps”. Ref: ars technica. And, while Google said that no one uses these Chrome apps, one of our mutual friends said that his app has 250,000 users and is getting 100 email messages a day about this. For Google, the math is 250,000 equals zero.
7. Special offers from Google for Chromebook owners. I had already redeemed a $20 Google Play credit and 100 GB of Google Drive storage for two years. Google recently added a Netflix free for 6 months deal which I applied to an existing Netflix account. These offers expire on December 31.
8. Photolemur 2.2 single click photo enhancer for MacOS/Windows – Disclaimer free review copy. $29 for one device license. $49 for five device “family” license.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

First, my apologies for the audio quality of this short (less than 6 minutes) mini-podcast. Paul Lawler, Ricky Li, and I tried to record a short podcast during lunch outdoors in downtown Honolulu food court. Unfortunately, we had audio bleeding over into the three microphones we used which created huge echos. Thanks to Scott Shpak of the ItStillWorks blog for the instructions on how to use the Nyquist Noise Gate for Audacity to reduce the echo in this recording.

1. Paul: ST:TOS Bluetooth Communicator
2. Ricky: BioStrap
3. Paul: Mini-router. USB-to-Ethernet or WiFi. Size of a stick of gum.
4. Ricky: Foldable laptop stand. Folds flat.
5. Todd: Bluetooth FM Transmitter with Micro SD card music play.
6. Paul: Bluetooth car tire cap pressure sensor.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss:

1. iOS 11.2 Apple Pay Cash. Also fixes spontaneous restarts
2. Apple Heart Study launches to identify irregular heart rhythms
3. $45 Google AIY Vision Kit. Add your own Raspberry Pi, Pi camera, SD card, & power supply.
4. Black Friday purchases???
5. Gadget gift suggestions?
6. Best purchase of 2017 (so far)?
   Jon: Tough one between the iPad Pro 10.5, Apple Watch 3, and iPhone X, but the one I get the most use out of is probably the iPad Pro 10.5, so I’ll go with that.
   Todd: Samsung Chromebook Plus

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

I’m joined by guest panelists Paul Lawler and Ricky Li for another all-Hawaii podcast. We discuss a wide ranging set of topics in this one.

1. New Google Calendar for web look
2. Google Home Mini initial impressions
3. Net neutrality
4. Paul’s forsaken Pebble dilemma
5. Should Paul buy an Amazon Fire TV, a Roku, or an Apple TV?
6. Home automation successes and failures (with small rant about services that fold up leaving hardware worthless…I’m looking at you, X-10)
7. Paul’s e-bike adventures
8. Rocketbook Everlast notebook
9. Tile
10. Dell Mixed Reality Headset and controllers
11. Lenovo Jedi Challenge – AR headset toy
12. Amazon cloud cam security camera
13. Biostrap “next gen” fitness wearable
14. iHealth smart health devices, smart blood pressure cuff, blood o2 measurement device, smartscale and how they plug into apple healthkit?