Recalculating

Recently there was a segment on ABC’s 20/20 about the misadventures of three women in Death Valley.  It seems that they decided to go on an impromptu sightseeing trip through one of the worlds most desolate and dangerous places on earth.  I’ll refrain from all the details but suffice it to say they got lost.  According to 20/20 and these fearless explorers, the main reason they got in trouble was due to inaccurate direction from the dashboard mounted GPS.

If you are a regular reader of my musings you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my GPSbut that, as they say, is another story.  Learning of the plight of these women prompts me to remind you that if you have a GPS you do need to update the software periodically.  Just like printed maps must be updated, the innards of your Garmin or TomTom need to be refreshed. 

The amount of data resident in even the simplest GPS device is huge and as such there are bound to be errors.  These often get reported by customers and get fixed and are included in the updated information.  Information about new roads, speed limit changes, location of new businesses and even abandoned roads changes constantly.

Most all manufactures of GPSdevices offer updates.  Most are easy to install although some are a bit pricey.  For example Garmin, a leader in this industry, offers on its website updates for most all of its products.  For a one time fee of $90 you can get updates downloaded to your device for as long as you own it. For $50 you can purchase a single update.

Many of us have GPSapps on our smart phone.  In most cases the data for these services is automatically updated so you don’t need to be concerned about updating to the most current info used by Google Maps or Apple Maps navigation apps.

If you have a built in navigation systems in your car there are various ways to get it updated.  Some automakers will provide this service at the dealership while others provide updated software on a DVD that is inserted into the CD/DVD slot on the dashboard.  For updating information on your specific system, just look in the Operator’s Manual.  It’s that fat book that keeps falling out of the glove box when you are looking for those napkins you got at Burger City.

Updating your GPSshould make your next road trip safer and more enjoyable.  Now if I can just get that lady in my GPS to lose that attitude when she tells me she is “recalculating.”

Recalculating

Recently there was a segment on ABC’s 20/20 about the misadventures of three women in Death Valley.  It seems that they decided to go on an impromptu sightseeing trip through one of the worlds most desolate and dangerous places on earth.  I’ll refrain from all the details but suffice it to say they got lost.  According to 20/20 and these fearless explorers, the main reason they got in trouble was due to inaccurate direction from the dashboard mounted GPS.

If you are a regular reader of my musings you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my GPS but that, as they say, is another story.  Learning of the plight of these women prompts me to remind you that if you have a GPS you do need to update the software periodically.  Just like printed maps must be updated, the innards of your Garmin or TomTom need to be refreshed. 

The amount of data resident in even the simplest GPS device is huge and as such there are bound to be errors.  These often get reported by customers and get fixed and are included in the updated information.  Information about new roads, speed limit changes, location of new businesses and even abandoned roads changes constantly.

Most all manufactures of GPS devices offer updates.  Most are easy to install although some are a bit pricey.  For example Garmin, a leader in this industry, offers on its website updates for most all of its products.  For a one time fee of $90 you can get updates downloaded to your device for as long as you own it. For $50 you can purchase a single update.

Many of us have GPS apps on our smart phone.  In most cases the data for these services is automatically updated so you don’t need to be concerned about updating to the most current info used by Google Maps or Apple Maps navigation apps.

If you have a built in navigation systems in your car there are various ways to get it updated.  Some automakers will provide this service at the dealership while others provide updated software on a DVD that is inserted into the CD/DVD slot on the dashboard.  For updating information on your specific system, just look in the Operator’s Manual.  It’s that fat book that keeps falling out of the glove box when you are looking for those napkins you got at Burger City.

Updating your GPS should make your next road trip safer and more enjoyable.  Now if I can just get that lady in my GPS to lose that attitude when she tells me she is “recalculating.”

Might Want to Wait to Buy a 4K TV

If you have ventured out to purchase a new TV recently you may have been confronted with some new and often confusing options.  Now that the manufacturers have essentially given up on 3D TV they have released a new line of models that boast extraordinary clarity and color.  Dubbed 4K TV, these sets provide resolutions up to four times that of the regular HDTV.  The screen on the HD set in your family room has about 2 million pixels while the new 4K model boasts more that 8 million.  So is more, better?

Like most simple questions, there is no simple answer.   For sure if you have a large TV, i.e. 50 inches or more, the clarity of the picture will be noticeable.  On the other hand, if you are watching on a 27 inch screen the difference will be negligible.  It is similar to still photography resolution.  The high resolution is really not noticeable until you enlarge the print. That 3” x 5” baby picture of Aunt Emma you found in the family album looked great until you blew it up for that poster celebrating her 90^th birthday.  The kid looks like she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The set manufacturers will claim, with some veracity, that even a standard HD program will look brighter and the colors more vivid when displayed on a 4K set.  Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it with a side by side comparison.  Beware, as some less than reputable salespersons will show you a side by side comparison but have the TV’s brightness and contrast set very low on the model they don’t want you to buy.

Another consideration you might keep in mind before you spend the extra bucks for a 4K TV is that right now there is little or no 4K content available.   The higher resolution makes for major program storage and transmission challenges.  Where an HD DVR might only need a few terabytes of storage, a single 4K movie would fill up that same DVR.

Just coming on the market are 4K receivers and program storage devices that connect to the internet.  Only downloaded material is possible now.  Real time program delivery is not. It requires such high bandwidth that no cable, satellite or traditional over-the-air broadcaster and only a handful of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have the ultra high transmission capacity to handle live programming.

Since the technology is still developing, 4K programs are not yet readily available and the prices are still high, I would wait to purchase a 4K TV.  But if you are one of those people who just must have the newest and greatest, go for it.  Oh yes, invite me over to watch.  I’ll bring the beer and chips.

Might Want to Wait to Buy a 4K TV

If you have ventured out to purchase a new TV recently you may have been confronted with some new and often confusing options.  Now that the manufacturers have essentially given up on 3D TV they have released a new line of models that boast extraordinary clarity and color.  Dubbed 4K TV, these sets provide resolutions up to four times that of the regular HDTV.  The screen on the HD set in your family room has about 2 million pixels while the new 4K model boasts more that 8 million.  So is more, better?

Like most simple questions, there is no simple answer.   For sure if you have a large TV, i.e. 50 inches or more, the clarity of the picture will be noticeable.  On the other hand, if you are watching on a 27 inch screen the difference will be negligible.  It is similar to still photography resolution.  The high resolution is really not noticeable until you enlarge the print. That 3” x 5” baby picture of Aunt Emma you found in the family album looked great until you blew it up for that poster celebrating her 90^th birthday.  The kid looks like she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The set manufacturers will claim, with some veracity, that even a standard HD program will look brighter and the colors more vivid when displayed on a 4K set.  Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it with a side by side comparison.  Beware, as some less than reputable salespersons will show you a side by side comparison but have the TV’s brightness and contrast set very low on the model they don’t want you to buy.

Another consideration you might keep in mind before you spend the extra bucks for a 4K TV is that right now there is little or no 4K content available.   The higher resolution makes for major program storage and transmission challenges.  Where an HD DVR might only need a few terabytes of storage, a single 4K movie would fill up that same DVR.

Just coming on the market are 4K receivers and program storage devices that connect to the internet.  Only downloaded material is possible now.  Real time program delivery is not. It requires such high bandwidth that no cable, satellite or traditional over-the-air broadcaster and only a handful of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have the ultra high transmission capacity to handle live programming.

Since the technology is still developing, 4K programs are not yet readily available and the prices are still high, I would wait to purchase a 4K TV.  But if you are one of those people who just must have the newest and greatest, go for it.  Oh yes, invite me over to watch.  I’ll bring the beer and chips.

Paying for what you don’t watch

The cable and satellite wars continue to be waged between the people who make the programs you watch (or don’t watch) and the people who deliver them to your TV.  Most recently the battle is between CBS and Time Warner.  The giant cable company refuses to pay CBS what the company maintains are excessive fees to carry “How I Met Your Mother” or “Dexter.”  Things are not going well in the 500 channel universe because that universe is enabled by an arcane business plan, a plan that is under fire from politicians and consumers.
 

The cable or satellite providers pay for each of the channels that they carry on their systems.  Those fees are passed on to you as part of your monthly bill.  The fees you pay are all over the map.  In our area you pay as much as $5.00 per month for ESPN and perhaps only 25 cents for the “Wallpaper Channel.”  Whether you watch either makes no difference.  This practice is being scrutinized by some in government and exploited by some of the new players using the Internet to deliver TV programming.

 

If you are like most TV viewers you watch only a handful of channels.  One or two favorite local stations, a news channel, a weather channel and one or two specialty channels like ESPN, HGTV and HBO.  Once in a while you may venture to some more eclectic fare but that is the exception.   What many are asking is why they can’t choose from a menu what they want and pay only for those services.  After all, when you go to Kroger and buy a pound of ground beef you are not required to also buy charcoal, peanut butter and three rolls of toilet tissue.

 

The popularity of the Netflix, Hulu and Amazon online video services continues to erode cable’s dominance offering viewers what they want, when they want it and at a very competitive price.  Aereo delivers on the Internet, in a handful of major cities, an a la carte menu of channels allowing the viewer flexibility in what they watch, when they watch it and what they pay for.  What a concept!  Many of the established players in the TV game have tried in the courts to stop Aereo but to date have been unsuccessful.

 

There is really no simple solution.  Backers of the status quo point out that in an a la carte world only 25 channels would survive making diversity in content disappear.  Those pushing for change note that there is little diversity now with copy cat programming becoming the rule.  How many more weird Pawn Shop owners do we need to watch?

 

The power of the dollar will ultimately prevail.  Even with the flawed channel bundling business plan, the big cable companies are making a lot of money.  There is little impetus for change now.  I look for change as TV viewing transitions to a combination of online and on demand delivery via the Internet leaving only late breaking news and sports to be  the bread and butter of cable and broadcast.

Paying for what you don’t watch

The cable and satellite wars continue to be waged between the people who make the programs you watch (or don’t watch) and the people who deliver them to your TV.  Most recently the battle is between CBS and Time Warner.  The giant cable company refuses to pay CBS what the company maintains are excessive fees to carry “How I Met Your Mother” or “Dexter.”  Things are not going well in the 500 channel universe because that universe is enabled by an arcane business plan, a plan that is under fire from politicians and consumers.
 

The cable or satellite providers pay for each of the channels that they carry on their systems.  Those fees are passed on to you as part of your monthly bill.  The fees you pay are all over the map.  In our area you pay as much as $5.00 per month for ESPN and perhaps only 25 cents for the “Wallpaper Channel.”  Whether you watch either makes no difference.  This practice is being scrutinized by some in government and exploited by some of the new players using the Internet to deliver TV programming.

 

If you are like most TV viewers you watch only a handful of channels.  One or two favorite local stations, a news channel, a weather channel and one or two specialty channels like ESPN, HGTV and HBO.  Once in a while you may venture to some more eclectic fare but that is the exception.   What many are asking is why they can’t choose from a menu what they want and pay only for those services.  After all, when you go to Kroger and buy a pound of ground beef you are not required to also buy charcoal, peanut butter and three rolls of toilet tissue.

 

The popularity of the Netflix, Hulu and Amazon online video services continues to erode cable’s dominance offering viewers what they want, when they want it and at a very competitive price.  Aereo delivers on the Internet, in a handful of major cities, an a la carte menu of channels allowing the viewer flexibility in what they watch, when they watch it and what they pay for.  What a concept!  Many of the established players in the TV game have tried in the courts to stop Aereo but to date have been unsuccessful.

 

There is really no simple solution.  Backers of the status quo point out that in an a la carte world only 25 channels would survive making diversity in content disappear.  Those pushing for change note that there is little diversity now with copy cat programming becoming the rule.  How many more weird Pawn Shop owners do we need to watch?

 

The power of the dollar will ultimately prevail.  Even with the flawed channel bundling business plan, the big cable companies are making a lot of money.  There is little impetus for change now.  I look for change as TV viewing transitions to a combination of online and on demand delivery via the Internet leaving only late breaking news and sports to be  the bread and butter of cable and broadcast.

Where Did I Leave Those Keys?

I came across a new product that not only could provide many of us aging boomers with some help keeping track of our car keys and other items that seem to go missing but can also let us participate in the development of a new product and even a new way of funding the R&D and manufacturing process.  The product is called Tile.  For less than 20 bucks you can check it out.

Tile combines tiny plastic tags with a companion smartphone app, and promises to help you find and recover lost or even stolen items. But, as they say on late night TV, “There’s More…”  By connecting your smartphone with others who have the Tile App on their phone, your tile can “call home” from distances much further than the 150 ft coverage area.

Here is how it works.  The Tile is a small postage stamp size tag that you attached to your key ring, your purse, even your bicycle.  The device sends out a locator beam to your iPhone or Android smartphone within a range of about 150 feet.  If you can’t find your keys your phone will lead you to them or you can ping the Tile and it will emit a sound.  Each Tile will run for about one year before needing replacement. 

There have been other devices similar to Tile available for years. The real innovation comes by networking your Tile app with others who have purchased the product.  If you authorize your Tile and the Tile app, any phone with the Tile app can receive the signal of any Tile and report the location back to the associated smartphone.   So if you have a Tile attached to your lap top and it is stolen, if it gets in range of any smartphone with a Tile App installed, it will transparently send the location of the lap top back to your phone.  So in essence the entire Tilecommunity helps keep track of your stuff.

The developers are using “crowdfunding” to launch this product.  Since only the prototype exists, each person ordering will not receive the product until Winter of 2014. But your credit card will be charged as soon as you place the order.  The press reports brisk sales with more than $2.5 million in pre-orders.

I figure that I will give it a try.  For $20 I can feel like a high tech investor and I may come away with a nifty gadget.  If you are interested you can get more information at the Tile website   www.thetileapp.com

Where Did I Leave Those Keys?

I came across a new product that not only could provide many of us aging boomers with some help keeping track of our car keys and other items that seem to go missing but can also let us participate in the development of a new product and even a new way of funding the R&D and manufacturing process.  The product is called Tile.  For less than 20 bucks you can check it out.

Tile combines tiny plastic tags with a companion smartphone app, and promises to help you find and recover lost or even stolen items. But, as they say on late night TV, “There’s More…”  By connecting your smartphone with others who have the Tile App on their phone, your tile can “call home” from distances much further than the 150 ft coverage area.

Here is how it works.  The Tile is a small postage stamp size tag that you attached to your key ring, your purse, even your bicycle.  The device sends out a locator beam to your iPhone or Android smartphone within a range of about 150 feet.  If you can’t find your keys your phone will lead you to them or you can ping the Tile and it will emit a sound.  Each Tile will run for about one year before needing replacement. 

There have been other devices similar to Tile available for years. The real innovation comes by networking your Tile app with others who have purchased the product.  If you authorize your Tile and the Tile app, any phone with the Tile app can receive the signal of any Tile and report the location back to the associated smartphone.   So if you have a Tile attached to your lap top and it is stolen, if it gets in range of any smartphone with a Tile App installed, it will transparently send the location of the lap top back to your phone.  So in essence the entire Tile community helps keep track of your stuff.

The developers are using “crowdfunding” to launch this product.  Since only the prototype exists, each person ordering will not receive the product until Winter of 2014. But your credit card will be charged as soon as you place the order.  The press reports brisk sales with more than $2.5 million in pre-orders.

I figure that I will give it a try.  For $20 I can feel like a high tech investor and I may come away with a nifty gadget.  If you are interested you can get more information at the Tile website   www.thetileapp.com