As you get ready to go out to holiday parties, be sure to check out this week’s podcast for tips on how to get there and home again safely with the help of your smartphone. We tell you all about apps like Taxi Magic (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taxi-magic/id299226386?mt=8) for summoning and paying for cabs. And have you heard about services like Uber and (https://www.uber.com/) and Lyft (http://www.lyft.me/)? We have the scoop on those as well.
Also, be sure to listen to our warning about online pranks that have gotten out of hand: You can seriously destroy your Xbox One or iPhone by following the wrong instructions online.
Our resident Crank Gadget Nerd, Rick Broida, is on hand to tell you all about how you can get a cell phone plan almost for free.
On the show this week is Richard North, the founder & president of WOW! Stuff. He’s on hand to talk about Combat Creatures (http://www.combatcreatures.com/), a very cool combat robot “toy” that Dave and Nikole can’t get enough of. Check out some video of them in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiP841BlO1k
After the interview, Richard graciously hangs around to take the weekly Geek Trivia Quiz – he’s playing for podcast listener Jane Dorherty, who just might win a set of ThinkGeek Geeky Scented Candles (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f2a1/). Listen to see if she can make her house small like a "retro arcade."
In this sad episode of the eHow Podcast, we bid a kinda-fond farewell to Blockbuster, which closed its doors forever last month. Nikole reminisces and Dave and Nikole talk about more modern alternatives.
This episode is all about “smart homes,” so Dave discusses many of the most interesting connected devices you can purchase today to make your house smarter and more science fiction-y:
http://www.sonos.com/
http://nest.com/
http://www.build.com/kwikset-925-kevo-db-l03-lifetime-polished-brass-kevo-single-cylinder-bluetooth-deadbolt/p2239111?term=kwikset+kevo&source=msn_ch_kevo%2520kwikset_3247854173&s_kwcid=TC-1026982-20448825729-be-3247854173&s_kwcid=TC-1026982-20448825729-be-3247854173
http://www.netatmo.com/en-US/site
https://www.ismartalarm.com/
Our guest this week is Jamie Siminoff, inventor of DoorBot, the first doorbell Wi-Fi-enabled video doorbell that lets you see and speak with whoever is at the doorstop from anywhere in the world via your smartphone. Jamie talks about smart home technology and, of course, takes the Geek Trivia Quiz. Jamie played for ehow Tech podcast listener Joyce Mason, and the prize was a copy of Corel Paintsho Pro.
You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form: http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/VF3aN3Qf69wTe0EmLu6Y
If you pay $100 or more each month for your cell phone bill, you’ll want to check out this week’s podcast, which focuses on saving money on your mobile phone bill.
First up, Dave and Nikole talk about inexpensive cell phone plans, including refurbished phones and no-contract plans from companies like:
https://republicwireless.com/
http://www.virgin.com/gateways/mobile
https://www.textnow.com/wireless?ref=textnow
On the show this week is Dawn Mauricio, a Montreal-based yoga and meditation instructor who has boldly abandoned her traditional cell phone in favor of a Wi-Fi-only phone. Check out the interview and see what it’s like when your phone depends upon Wi-Fi hotspots for all of your calls.
Dawn takes the Geek Trivia Quiz in hopes of winning a set of ThinkGeek Geek Scented Candles for podcast listener Lisa Raymond.
We ‘ve also got a rundown of the Xbox One – find out what all the hype is about, and what Nikole’s favorite game is. You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form:
http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/VF3aN3Qf69wTe0EmLu6Y
The holiday shopping season is about to start, and so this week we’ve got you covered with tips and tricks for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Not only do we recommend some smartphone apps to help you shop, but we’ve got Rick Broida, the official Cheapskate at CNET dispensing holiday buying advice as well.
Some of the apps and sites we mentioned in the podcast this week:
Black Friday
http://blackfriday.com/
Amazon
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amazon-mobile/id297606951
Red Laser
http://redlaser.com/
Speaking of spending money, Nikole and I talk about Coin, the electronic universal credit card that contains all of your other credit cards (and gift cards). Should you invest $50 to take your wallet fully digital? Listen and find out.
Rick plays this week’s Geek Trivia Quiz for eHow Tech podcast listener Len Udes, from Huntington Beach, CA, with a copy of Corel Paintshop Pro X6 hanging in the balance. You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form:
http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/VF3aN3Qf69wTe0EmLu6Y
In episode 7 of the eHow Tech Podcast, we go one-on-one with a veritable icon of the geek universe: Popular Mechanics magazine.
This week, we chatted with Jerry Beilinson, Deputy Editor of Popular Mechanics. It’s time for the annual Breakthrough Awards, and so we talked to Jerry about the technology that made the cut in the 9th annual awards.
Jerry handled the Geek Trivia Quiz with poise and cunning as well. He answered questions about tech urban legends, chainsaws, and the arctic in hopes of winning a Think Geek Build on Brick Mug for podcast listener Jeremy Stewart. You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form.
Also on the show, we talked about tablet PCs. With the holidays around the corner, you might want to pick one up as a gift. We compare and contrast the major models, and even give you the skinny on a few good sub-$150 options. For more, check out Under-$150 Tablets That Are Actually Good.
News: The new Nexus 5. Dave and Nikole talk about the phone and why you should consider Android, whether or not you currently carry an iPhone. Also, Panasonic exit the plasma TV market – what’s that mean for your next TV?
The hot topic this week is how to take better holiday photos. Dave explains how to capture high quality night photos of lighting displays, and suggests a way to capture better family and group photos. Specifically, Dave talks about the Photo Fuse feature in Microsoft’s Photo Gallery.
Rick Broida joins us for his monthly Cranky Computer Geek rant – this time about why he claims to be abandoning Windows 8 once and for all.
Our guest this week is Michael Paul Smith, miniature photographer extraordinaire. Be sure to check out his photos for a sense of why his work is so impressive: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24796741@N05/
As usual, we subject our guests to the weekly Geek Trivia Quiz. This week, Michael played for podcast listener Joseph Goode, and the prize is a Think Geek Megastomp Panic. You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form at http://tinyurl.com/ehowquiz
In the news this week: Apple unveils some new products, including a pair of new iPads. Dave and Nikole discuss what's to like, and what's not to like, about these new tablets. Also, Nikole runs down the most important updates the latest patch to iOS7.
This week we talk about computer maintenance -- specifically, what simple steps you should take to keep your PC and Mac healthy and running efficiently. Ever need to connect remotely to take a look at your mom's PC? No problem: Dave has a painless, free, and easy way to do that as well.
We talk to Ryan and Andrea Eldridge, founders and owners or Nerds on Call, a tech support service. They give us some advice and talk about some of the more interesting tech support calls they've had to deal with. And as usual, we subject our guests to the weekly Geek Trivia Quiz. This week, Andrea and Ryan played for podcast listener Tom Miller, and the prize is Corel Paint Shop Pro X6. (You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form.)
This week is (mostly) all things Halloween. After discussing what’s new in Windows 8.1, we talk about the tech you need to make your house and your phone more spooky.
We also interview Ed Terebus, owner of Erebus Haunted House in Pontiac, Michigan, a member of America Haunts, a chain of 30 haunted house attractions across the US. Ed talks about what it’s like to run a haunted house, and recounts some hilariously terrifying tales of customers who bit off more horror than they could handle.
Ed also takes the Geek Trivia Quiz so a random listener can win a Think Geek Mega Stomp Panic. (You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form.)
We interview Steve and Jay Novella from The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast. Steve and Jay talk about their favorite examples of magical thinking and how ordinary people can discern science from fiction.
Steve and Jay also play the Tech Trivia Quiz in an effort to earn a copy of Corel Paint Shop Pro X6 for an eHow listener. (You can enter to have a guest play the Quiz for you during a future episode by completing the entry form.)
Dave and Nikole talk about the Lit Motors C1 electric motorcycle, tactile touchscreens, and how to detect online hoaxes and how to train your mom to stop sending you email forwards about Nigerian princes.
This week, it's all about music. Well, we start with some news: You'll soon be able to use your Kindle during takeoff and landing. Also: A nasty privacy bug in the new Apple iOS 7. Cranky Old Computer Nerd Rick Broida then complains about the new iPhone. "Apple just played us all for suckers," he laments (probably while shaking his fist at the sky).
Radio might be dead (or at least dying) but that's okay, becuase we talk about Internet radio apps for your iPhone. And our guest this week is none other than Kristin Hersh, chief architect of legendary alt rock bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. Kristin talks about the new record, music, and the Internet. If that's not enough excitement for you, she takes the Geek Trivia Quiz, with a pair of ThinkGeek's fuzzy unicorn slippers hanging in the balance. You can enter to win the Quiz during a future episode at tinyurl.com/ehowquiz.
It's the very first episode of the eHow Tech podcast! We discuss the new iPhone 5s and 5c, as well as the coolest features in iOS7 that you need to try. Cranky Old Gadget Nerd Rick Broida complains about Bluetooth-controlled water bottles (yes, that's a real thing), and we talk to Jerry Irvine (CIO of Prescient Solutions and a member of the National Cyber Security Task Force) about the iPhone's Touch ID fingerprint reader security. Jerry plays the eHow Tech Geek Trivia Quiz, giving an eHow listener the chance to win a $25 gift card to Society 6. You can enter to win the Quiz during a future episode at tinyurl.com/ehowquiz.