Shelly Palmer Daily Report
The video companion to Shelly Palmer’s daily radio show which is broadcast on over 250 stations across America.Technology
Video Episodes:
15 Views
02:02:28 07/27/12
Google Fiber
[LESS INFO] 15 VIEWS | ADDED 02:02:28 07/27/12
I wasn’t exaggerating when I said recently that the Internet speed wars were beginning. Google has now entered the race by building their own fiber optic network, and its new service is light years ahead of Comcast and Verizon when it comes to speed and price. Google Fiber offers speeds of up to 1000 megabits or 1 gigabit per second for 70 bucks a month. Compare that to Verizon’s 300 megabits per second for 205 dollars a month and it sounds like a steal. Google Fiber will also offer TV service that comes with a Nexux 7 tablet, which will serve as the remote control. The combined Internet and tv package will cost 120 bucks a month. What’s the catch? It’s only available in Kansas City and is still considered experimental. Google hasn’t announced any official plans to expand the network but let Google Fiber serve as an example of the kind of service we all may have access to one day in the future.
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02:06:06 07/26/12
Comcast Increases Internet Spees
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 02:06:06 07/26/12
In order to compete with Verizon Fios, Comcast has announced that it will increase Internet speeds in ten Northeast markets. Its new tier will offer download speeds of up to 305 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 65 Mbps. In case that sounded like gibberish, let me break it down for you. MBPS stands for megabits per second. Verizon’s top tier plan has download speeds of up to 300 megabits per second and costs 205 dollars per month, while Comcast’s fastest service will cost 300 dollars a month. Wondering if you need the speed? An average single user doesn’t really need more than 55 megabits. So unless you’re a family who connects to the Internet with several devices for several hours a day, you can probably skip the top speeds. Comcast also announced that if you’re a subscriber to Xfinity Blast or Xfinity Stream, your Internet speeds will be doubled at no additional cost. Looks like the Internet speed wars have begun.
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01:23:04 07/25/12
Apple’s newest operating system, Mountain Lion, has finally arrived.
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 01:23:04 07/25/12
Apple’s newest operating system, Mountain Lion, has finally arrived. Let’s take a look at the new features it will bring to your Mac: Mountain Lion is more compatible with other iDevices than past operating systems. iCloud plays a much greater role, allowing for easy syncing of media, calendars and contacts. A few new apps let you sync messages, reminders and notes between devices as well. The new OS is more social too, with integration for both Facebook and Twitter and with multiplayer gameplay through the iOS Game Center. It also has a new notification center that pops up in the right hand corner and looks very similar to the notifications on iOS5. Safari gets a few updates too. A copy of Mountain Lion costs 19.99 at the Mac App Store and can be downloaded to multiple Macs after purchase, but you have to be running the latest version of Snow Leopard or Lion to install it.
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23:49:22 07/23/12
Smaller iPhone Dock Connector
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 23:49:22 07/23/12
If you follow my blog, you’ll have read a post I wrote recently called Dear Apple – let me tell you where to stick your MagSafe 2 Plug. I wrote that blog after receiving my brand new, all singing, all dancing Macbook Air, only to find out that it has a new power adapter, rendering the 50 or so power supplies I have useless without a 10-dollar converter. Now it seems that something similar may happen with the new iPhone. Reuters is quoting two unnamed sources as saying that the next generation iPhone will have a smaller dock connector than the one that’s been used for iPods, iPhones and iPads for the last nine years. If you’ve been a loyal Apple, you’ve probably amassed a collection of accessories that will be useless with the new phone without a converter of some kind. I can think of only one group that will be happy with the news: accessory makers. But what will they do with all the unsold inventory?
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07:34:30 07/23/12
Still not on Google Plus?
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 07:34:30 07/23/12
Still not on Google Plus? A lot of people aren’t, but maybe they should be. In a new survey that measures user satisfaction of social media websites, Google Plus came out on top, while Facebook’s score was at a record low. Google Plus’ growth has been slow since its debut in 2011. It currently has about 250 million users, while Facebook has over 900 million. But Facebook users are often left dissatisfied and confused by sudden changes in interface and privacy settings. Just because Facebook has been on top for a few years, doesn’t mean it will be on top forever. Remember MySpace and Friendster? Yeah, me either. In the end, it’s our friends that we’re addicted to, not any individual website. Google is betting that by providing a better user experience and better tools that eventually, Google Plus is where everyone’s friends will be. Give it a try and add the Shelly Palmer Digital Living page to your circles for more tech news.
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06:34:40 07/20/12
Botnet Grum Down
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 06:34:40 07/20/12
It’s time to celebrate. Your inbox just got one step closer to being junk free. Computer security experts have taken down Grum, the world’s third largest botnet, that until now, was responsible for 18 billion spam emails per day, yep, that's Billion with a "B." The researchers responsible started by blocking the botnet’s command and control servers earlier this week, but Grum’s quickly recovered. As cyber-warfare goes, this was over pretty quickly. The good guys prevailed and eventually took down the new Grum's servers too. Those servers were in Panama, Ukraine and Russia, which until recently were all viewed as safe havens for this kind of activity. Instead of law enforcement authorities, technologists have started to take the lead in combating digital crime and that could start a pattern of more big take downs. There’s no guarantee that the Grum servers will stay down, but security specialists are hopeful. Let’s be thankful for what we have while we have it and rejoice in our cleaner inboxes.
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23:38:30 07/18/12
AT&T Mobile Share
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 23:38:30 07/18/12
AT%T has announced that it will soon offer plans that allow customers to share data between devices. The new plans are similar to Verizon’s recently available Share Everything plan. Let’s compare: AT%Ts data plans start $10 cheaper than Verizon’s, at $40 for 1 gigabyte. Both plans charge a monthly fee for each device, but AT%Ts fee gets smaller as you add more data, while Verizon’s stays the same no matter what. AT%T offers a 20 gigabyte plan for $200 a month, while Verizon’s plan only go up to 10 gigs. But, Verizon’s plan provides more choices for users who use smaller amounts of data. Current customers are not forced to switch over with either company, but you’re probably wondering if you should. It all depends on your data usage and number of devices. If you have several devices, pay attention to their data usage in the next couple of bills to see if you’d benefit from the switch.
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04:22:47 07/18/12
New CEO Marissa Mayer
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 04:22:47 07/18/12
Yahoo has named a new CEO, its fifth in as many years. Marissa Mayer, a former top executive at Google, has taken the reins at the struggling company, whose revenue has dropped steadily over the past three years. Much has been said about her gender and current pregnancy, but there’s really only one thing that matters: how is she going to save Yahoo? Though it still has a high number of users and is the 4 th visited site on the Internet, it has failed to innovate the same way that companies like Google or Facebook have, and remains without a distinct identity. Mayer was chosen for her background in engineering, user experience and product design and says she wants to focus on Yahoo’s strong franchises including, email, finance and sports. She says she also sees opportunity for big growth in its video broadband and mobile businesses. Will she succeed where so many others have failed?
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08:36:20 07/17/12
Tablet Wars
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 08:36:20 07/17/12
If you were skeptical about the existence of the “tablet wars” before, there is no denying they are in full swing now. It’s widely agreed that Apple’s iPad trumps its competition but don’t count out Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 just became available and it’s rumored that a redesigned Kindle Fire will be available soon. They may just be making headway due to their smaller size and cheaper price. And let’s not forget about Microsoft, who announced its Surface tablet a few weeks ago. The device will run the yet to be released Windows 8 operating system and if you live in a Windows world, it may be the tablet for you. Though the iPad is still king, Apple is acting like it feels the heat – rumors are swirling that it has a tablet with a 7.85-inch screen in the works that is as thin as an iPod and will be sold for significantly less than $500.
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06:22:58 07/16/12
Is the Internet making us crazy?
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 06:22:58 07/16/12
Is the Internet making us crazy? A recent article in Newsweek Magazine asks that very question and finds that increasingly, experts think it might be. Internet Addiction is at term you may have heard before, and next year for the first time, it will be included in the DSM, the guide that psychiatrists used to classify mental disorders. Though extreme, life-threatening cases are rare, studies have shown that the brains of heavy internet uses often resemble the brains of drug and alcohol addicts. Here’s the kicker: as little as 38 hours a week online can be considered heavy use. By that standard, almost everyone has something to worry about. In the past few years, we’ve begun to outsource our brains more than ever before and that behavior will only grow as devices get more affordable and more efficient. The way we approach everything from shopping to education will continue to change, so we’d better find a way to make it work.
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06:45:49 07/13/12
Yahoo Usernames and Password Theft
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 06:45:49 07/13/12
Yahoo has confirmed the theft of over 450-thousand usernames and passwords. The information was posted online by a hacker group, who says it didn’t publish the list maliciously, but instead to highlight security holes in Yahoo’s servers. In a statement, Yahoo said the file came from its Contributor Network and therefore contains the information of not just Yahoo users, but some gmail, Hotmail, aol, Comcast and MSN accounts as well. It added that the compromised file was old and of the usernames posted, less than 5% of the Yahoo accounts had valid passwords, but did not mention anything about the passwords from the other services. If you’re a user of the Yahoo Contributor Network, best to change your password right away. Security company Securi has set up a site where you can check to see if your email was one of the ones leaked, but if you’re not sure it never hurts to change up your passwords.
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00:18:43 07/12/12
Ouya
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 00:18:43 07/12/12
Two new Kickstarter records have been set by a project whose popularity has exploded since it was added to the site. The Ouya video game console became the fastest project to raise a million bucks and raised the most money ever raised on Kickstarter in one day. The low-cost, Android-based, open-source device intends to pave the way for independent game developers to get their games to your television screen. Kickstarter users seem to agree with that sentiment; the project is raising money so fast, if I say a number now, it will be inaccurate by the time my voice reaches your ears and it still has until August 9 th to raise more money. Gamers are hungry for a new system – it’s been several years since the release of a popular tv-based device and technology and gaming has advanced significantly since then. The console is expected to be available in 2013 and by pledging 99-dollars or more, you can reserve one for yourself.
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09:24:20 07/11/12
T-Shirt Device Charger
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 09:24:20 07/11/12
Ever wish there was an easier way to charge your phone on the go? Well, one day, you might be able to charge your devices using only the shirt on your back. Scientists are working on a t-shirt with individual fibers that store electrical power. The scientists see that we are approaching a future where cell phones and computers are as flexible and thin as paper. So, they set out to create a charging method to match, where you could, for example, roll up your phone and put it in your pocket to charge. They started by taking a t-shirt and soaking it in a fluoride solution. Then they baked the t-shirt at a very high temperature. During the process, the fibers in the fabric converted from cellulose to activated carbon. Small parts of the fiber were then used as electrodes and were able to act as capacitors, which store electrical charges. Simple, right? And it’s environmentally friendly to boot.
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00:47:22 07/10/12
Power Searching with Google
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 00:47:22 07/10/12
Did you know that you can filter Google image searches by color? Or, that you can use the Google search box as a calculator? How about just typing the word movies and your zip code into the Google search bar to see what movies are playing? There are literally hundreds of Google tips and tricks that can save you time and make you much better at the art of search – and Google wants you to know them all. On Tuesday July 10, Google will begin offering "Power Searching With Google," a free, two week, six part course to help you find things faster and more efficiently. The classes will include some traditional exercises, interactive searching, Google + Hangouts on air and Google Groups and, you can take them whenever you want over the two week period. Becoming an expert at Google search will really help you, so google "Power searching with Google" and sign up.
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05:20:57 07/09/12
Having trouble getting online?
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 05:20:57 07/09/12
Having trouble getting online? This might be the reason: as of Monday July 9th, if your computer is one of the thousands still infected with the DNS Changer virus, your access to the internet will be cut off. The malware redirects the victim’s web browser to sites designated by the attackers, who were caught and charged last year. For example, victims who tried to Apple’s iTunes were instead sent to a site claiming it sold Apple software. If your computer is still infected, it’s still trying to go to the malicious sites while you’re surfing the web. The FBI had servers set up to point your machine to the correct websites instead of the ones dictated by the virus. But not anymore – they have now pulled the plug on the original server they seized from the scammers and on their own servers. If you’re experiencing problems, borrow a friends computer and visit www.dcwg.org or call your internet service provider.
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01:08:43 07/06/12
Apple Warranty
[LESS INFO] 13 VIEWS | ADDED 01:08:43 07/06/12
A friend of mine dropped his iPad 2, and not surprisingly, it stopped working. He asked me about his options. So here's a brief tutorial in Apple's in and out-of warranty service for the iPad, iPad 2 and even the new iPad. First, Apple does not like it when you drop or drown your device. If there is a visible sign that you have dropped or drowned your iPad, you may have trouble getting any kind of in or out of warranty service from Apple. That said, if you have a minor crack on your screen or something else is not working, there is a very good chance that your in-warranty repair will be free and you will only be on the hook for $249 to $299 for a replacement unit from Apple. Apple doesn't actually repair broken iPads, it replaces them, so make sure your iPad is completely backed-up before you bring it to Apple for service, since you won't be getting it back.
07/27/12
button to add it to your Channels Playlist (it's just like recording a Season Pass on your home DVR).