On Computers

Using a radio device, a car thief can unlock your fancy sports car and drive away. Even from 16 to 66 feet away, your key fob’s signal can be intercepted and cloned. The same goes for your low-priced vehicle. “So why don’t key fobs come with an off button?” an engineer asked me. I told him it’s because car manufacturers worry that if you forget you disabled the system, you might think your battery is dead. Then you might lose a business deal and sue. But some models do have a way to turn off “Passive Key Entry.” Others offer a fob that goes to sleep when it’s not in motion. In either case, disabling the PKE or using a […]

Read more

Filed under: AI, keyboards, security | Comments Off on A FOIL TO FOB THIEVES

I’ve been listening to Cinderella music through my new WearIQ sunglasses. Ah, paradise. The $30 sunglasses don’t officially launch at Walmart for another couple of weeks, but I received an advance pair. Besides music, the frames are great for podcasts and audio books. My Jane Austen novels sound fabulous. The frames are large on my face, just shy of dorky. But the colors are cool: dusty blue, black, “chalk,” and brown. The tint on the lens is so light, they hardly look like sunglasses, though they offer UV protection. The privacy is great: No one can hear what I’m listening to unless they’re within three feet of me. Since they’re water resistant, I could theoretically listen while floating on a […]

Read more

Filed under: Amazon, gadgets, health, keyboards, phones, science, video | Comments Off on MUSIC TO MY EARS

A friend said she often loses cell service when camping in Yosemite. Either she’s too far from a cell tower or the signal is blocked by hills, dense trees and stormy weather. So what happens if she’s stung by a bee? There’s no Google when the internet is down. But there is artificial intelligence. A new iPhone app called “Survivalist.ai” can answer almost any question you throw at it, even offline, because it stores 1.8 gigabytes of info on your phone and was trained on 15 trillion tokens of public data. However, it can only provide event information up to March 2023. That’s because the system is based on many different language models, one of which, Llama 3.1, took 7.7 […]

Read more

Filed under: AI, Android, apps, computers, Google, Internuts, keyboards | Comments Off on GETTING ANSWERS OFFLINE

Most people rely on their phones to take pictures. But professional cameras, such as DSLRs, do a much better job.  Professional cameras have sensors about the size of 12 Lego bricks. Your phone’s sensor is probably about half of one, according to CNET.  But phones are catching up. Some have sensors the size of two Lego bricks. Meanwhile,  Xiaomi, the world’s third largest phone maker after Apple and Samsung, is developing one that lets you mount a Leica M lens. It’s been dubbed the “12S Ultra Concept Phone.” In other news, LG Innotek is introducing a new telephoto zoom camera module at this month’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The module’s moving lenses will be similar to professional camera […]

Read more

Filed under: apps, cameras, DVD, environment, Internuts, keyboards, passwords, printer | Comments Off on PHONES CATCHING UP WITH CAMERAS

When I wrote about cellphone texting from a Windows PC, I left iPhone owners in the lurch. There’s no easy way for iPhone users to to text from a Windows computer, though a Mac works fine. “Why not use a portable keyboard with your cell phone?” several readers asked. I like a foldable keyboard when I travel without a laptop. Mine is similar to the iClever BK06, $40 from Amazon. There are dozens of cheaper models you can find by searching on “Bluetooth keyboard for phone.” I like mine because it connects to my phone as soon as I open it. Plus, it feels roomy and has the keys were I expect to see them. I also have a phone […]

Read more

Filed under: keyboards, printer, web | Comments Off on TEXTING THE EASY WAY

“What is 5G?” The question reminds us of one of Joy’s favorite novels, “Atlas Shrugged.” The characters go around saying “Who is John Galt?” but never get a good answer until the end. Some say that 5G is ten times faster than the previous generation, others say it’s 100 times faster. An article in the New Yorker claims you’ll download a two-hour movie in four seconds. There will be no lag times for online games. But is this hype or reality? Several factors come into play, such as the hardware you’re using, where you’re located, what your network can handle, how many users are sharing it, what kind of interference you’re getting, and whether you’re at home or zipping around […]

Read more

Filed under: Amazon, Apple, browsers, gadgets, iPhone, keyboards | Comments Off on 5G PROMISES GREATER SPEEDS, BUT HARDWARE IS CRITICAL

Topics: DOS reconsidered,
gadget transfers photos from PC to iPad or the reverse,
Gamer’s Keyboard
Password Manger

Read more

Filed under: digital, gadgets, keyboards, passwords | Comments Off on A HARD MASTER

When our friend from Wisconsin (No, his name is not Yon Yonson) is in our neck-of-the-woods, he wants to watch the Green Bay Packer games on his phone. Can he do it? One way is to use “Watch ESPN,” a free app for Android, iPhone and iPad. We tried out the ESPN app on our phone to watch football in a doctor’s waiting room and it worked fine. But the catch is, you must verify that you have a subscription to cable TV. Our friend Lee does not have a cable TV subscription. Instead, he has a lifetime subscription to the TiVo service. TiVo users can stream programs to their TV at home or to their phone or tablet. But […]

Read more

Filed under: apps, books, games, keyboards, Mac, music, TV | Comments Off on WATCHING TV SPORTS ANYWHERE

A reader described himself as “an over-the-hill guy” who remembers having a pen pal in his youth and he liked it. It was great fun, he said, but how would he find pen pals these days? Well … PenPalParty.com has international pen friends. You can specify adults who speak English, are over a certain age, or use any criteria you like, by going to penpalparty.com/lookforpals.html. You could also go to favorite websites, such as your favorite newspaper or magazine. If there’s a topic you’re interested in, comment on it and include your email address so people can write you back. When Joy was in her 20s, she loved the pen pals she met through “Single Booklovers,” which still exists at […]

Read more

Filed under: contacts, facebook, Internuts, keyboards, photos, social networks | Comments Off on FINDING A PEN PAL ONLINE

We did ourselves a favor last week and bought an external keyboard for our smartphone. Wow, what a pleasure to type on an actual keyboard instead of thumbing our way through the tiny keys on a phone screen answering email or anything. We bought a Logitech K380 on sale for $40 at our local Office Depot. This is a standard brand, been around since the last ice age, and it was wireless; we did not have to connect it to our phone with a cable. Typing on a screen was for the birds. Just because they hunt and peck, why should we?  Typing on a roomy keyboard is fun. So what else does it work with? Besides a phone, we […]

Read more

Filed under: gadgets, keyboards | Comments Off on GOING LIGHT WITH A SMARTPHONE KEYBOARD