Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 144 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 144. Well last weeks temporary recording setup garnered some nice feedback and was actually clearer that my home recording setup. Pretty impressive for a digital voice recorder. I have done some experimenting at home with my standard recoding gear and have applied a few tweaks to the audio in post editing to try and find similar clarity. Please let me know how this weeks edition sounds in comparison. I kick things off by talking about my shift from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One. Microsoft was offering such a good deal and it was just a week before my birthday so my wife, who is the greatest already, got me the Xbox One from one of the Microsoft Store’s in Orlando. The deal was excellent as I got the Madden NFL 15 console bundle (without Kinect) plus the free game offer (I chose Forza 5) and a $50 Xbox Live Gift Card. So two games, the $50 gift card and the console was $425 including the tax. The timing and the deal was pretty spectacular. Of course, my acquisition of an Xbox One was not the only news over the last seven days. Some big news over the weekend was that Microsoft should be announcing on Monday the $2.5 billion dollar purchase of the company that makes Minecraft, lots of Windows 9 screenshots and video leaks and the analysis of what was being seen plus Apple announced their new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus which will be available soon and an Apple Watch that will not be available until next year sometime. Of course, there are many other areas with news including a summary of all the new OEM’s building Windows Phone devices, Xbox sales double in August but Sony still leads overall sales for 8th month in a row and the era of apps and services that make information expire as a norm. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 143 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 143. This week I am testing a new method of recording the show for when I am away from my home recording studio. I am using a handheld digital audio recorder to record the main element of the show and then I will edit that into my standard opening and closing sequences to see how it all fits together. Luckily I have Audacity and I can tweak the recording to improve the sound but expect it to sound a little different this week.
Many topics get covered in this weeks show including the recent hack of Apple’s iCloud, more fan funding non-sense this time on YouTube, fake cell phone towers, NFL apps gone wild on Windows Phone for the new NFL football season, the small form factor Windows 8 devices that were announced this past week at IFA2014 in Europe and the newest Nokia Lumia’s as well. Of course, there is always Windows 9 Threshold news as we get ever closer to that expected technical preview at the end of September and we also talk about Cortana having some fun at Siri’s expense plus Cortana’s recent personality tweak. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 142 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 142. I begin the show by explaining a change in the weekly production and publication of the OTP because of my new full time job. Bottom line is that you should get each week’s new episode on Monday and occasionally on Tuesday when the Monday is a holiday – like this week for example. Flexibility is the name of the game when it comes to getting the podcast out but it is a good problem to have – a full time job to work around. I also hit on apps and Windows Phone again because it always seems to be an issue and also mention the breaking news of upload file size limitations being removed for Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage. Of course the normal collection of tech news and other items fill up the rest of the show. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 141 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 141. I kick off today with some big news on my end. I was hired earlier this week by PC Pitstop to do Customer Service and Tech Support for them. I am quite excited to be joining this growing company. I also shared with you about receiving my FreedomCase for my Surface 2 and how the AT&T MicroCell has helped improve our mobile phone use around the house. I also talk about some other stuff in the tech world including Steve Ballmer moving on, Rapid release and related issues on Patch Tuesday, Windows 8 Lifecycle and Update Support, Surface Pro 3 gets Out-of-Band Firmware Update, Windows 9, Google seeks kid customers, Symantec slims down, Global Web Access Shifts to Smartphones, Windows Stores Only At Best Buy Open in 24 new stores in Chicago, OneNote updates Windows Store app gets a big update, Tips to unplug on vacation, 15 inch tablets, PlayStation 4 outsells Xbox One, Sony’s Share Play not all it seems, Microsoft vs Apple vs Rationality, Amazon bullying continues, It’s Too Early to Write Off the Third Smartphone Ecosystem, How Perception Will Kill Windows Phone, Windows Phone: The final review, Connecting the world’s developers results in innovative apps, Microsoft and UserVoice Feedback Portals, Miracast on Windows 8.1, No cross platform IE on Android and iOS, Selling Windows Phone, On the Threshold of the next version of Windows, Windows Phone replacing Windows RT, Surface Pro 3 Docking Station, Mobility has become the new normal, Google owned Waze will likely see no more updates on Windows Phone, Google’s Music Service inadvertently revealed, Twitter experiments with your timeline continue, Which email application is right for you between Outlook and Gmail, Surface RT plus Azure and Windows Phone security project, After 10 years Munich bailing on Linux and heading back to Windows, Improved Skype notifications, Windows Phone Convert from iPhone and Android and Sorry for the ads. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 140 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 140. I start off today’s show commenting about the tragic news this week concerning Robin Williams and his death. He inspired my generation with many of the roles he played on TV and in the movies with his energetic and untiring comedic talent. It reminds us all that it is hard to know what it is like inside of depression and how difficult it is to ask for help. Take care of each other out there. On the tech side of things I discuss the following during this weeks show IBM PC is 33 years old this week, Microsoft jumps into 21st century with development, Windows in the Mobile First, Cloud First world, Booting to the desktop in Windows 8.1, Updating Windows has changed for good, Windows 8.1 August Updates, Control Panel on the Taskbar Tip, Microsoft makes gains in cloud battles with Amazon and Google, Cortana and the next version of Windows, Virtual Desktops and other Windows 9 Threshold features, Wi-Fi Issues on Surface Pro 3, Firmware updates for Surface hardware, Skype gets some free features that used to be paid only, Nokia 130 feature phone, Lumia Cyan firmware fixes battery drainage issues, Start Screen on Windows Phone 8.1 Update, Carriers and Windows Phone in their stores, Nokia Lumia 1520 32GB version dropped by ATT, 300K apps on Windows Phone store and coutning, OneNote continues to shine, GamesCon 2014 Xbox News, NextGen console wars, Kindle dead to new Xbox consoles, Amazon invites Kindle Publishers to join Hachette fight, Support Solutions for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, Hyperlapse, 23 million Twitter bots, Comcast Customer Service takes another hit, Steve Ballmer now owns the LA Clippers, Telemarketer revenge and Dad builds coolest Mission Control and Spaceship for his kids. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.