Eddie and I are in Hawaii visiting our son's family, and we are having the best time with Julianna and Brianna, our four and five year old granddaughters. Being with them, I cannot help but think what life is going to be like when they are grownup. With the pace of innovation and development in the field of technology, major changes in how we do just about everything is inevitable.
Our granddaughters are bright, happy little girls, who love to play outside riding their bikes and scooters, read, draw, play pretend, and cuddle on the coach while watching a movie – preferably one featuring fairies or princesses. But their world also revolves around technology, which is fully integrated into their lives in a way quite dissimilar from previous generations.
Little children today take technology for granted, and cannot imagine life without the tools that some of our generation have trouble understanding. Smartphones and tablets devices are a part of their lives. Our girls have known how to use a smartphone since they were toddlers, and it amazing how intuitive it is for them. While our generation gets annoyed at needing to enter pass codes and passwords repeatedly, the little ones take it for granted. They assume that you need a code to do things, that is just the way it is.
For Christmas Santa brought Julie a cash register, but it is a little different than the toy cash register I remember as a child. Julie's cash register includes a conveyor belt, scanner and even a credit card reader – for a toy credit card, of course. They love getting behind the "counter" and checking out the play food. They use an iPad tablet to watch movies, play games, and learn with educational apps – and it isn't too much of a leap to think that they are going to be using these devices to control their environment in the very near future.
The technology already exists for the average person to have a what is known as a smart home. With installed electronics and a smartphone app, you can control the thermostat, home entertainment systems, and even lightbulbs. Several manufactures have introduced LED lighting systems that can be programmed to turn on and off, change color, and be remotely controlled. Are you arriving home after dark and realize that you forgot to leave a light on? No problem if you can turn lights on with an app before you get home.
There is a lot of talk about cars that drive themselves, and in December Google unveiled a fully functional prototype. While it will be a few years before such cars are available to the public, I expect that these cars will be the norm when Brianna and Julianna are old enough to drive. Already we have cars that warn the driver when a car in front is too close, and some cars will brake automatically in dangerous situations. We have begun to take backup cameras on cars for granted, and our new Honda Odyssey has a right-side blindspot camera that is synchronized to come on with the right blinker.
The pace of technology can be a bit overwhelming, but watching our granddaughters I know that the generation starting school today is going to be more than ready for what the future holds.
As final note, an update on an earlier column that I wrote about Hulu Plus and Netflix as alternatives to cable TV. At the time I had not used Hulu Plus, but our family in Hawaii has a subscription and I've seen it in action this past week. Hulu Plus features prime-time television shows one day after they are first aired, with advertisements. However, the ads are limited to three during any one program, and they are extremely short in duration. It is definitely worth researching for anyone who wants to keep up with the current season of television offerings while at Travelers Rest – as long as you have a relatively fast WiFi network in your home or RV.
Aloha.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
It's the Little Things That Matter …
Last week I wrote about a medical record keeping application that has made my life easier. With the surge of interest in all things iOS at Travelers Rest, I thought many of you would be interested in another app I have come to rely upon, TinyScan. It is one of a number of apps that act as handheld scanners, and I have found it indispensable. Over the past few years I have downloaded numerous scanner app, but TinyScan best meets my needs. The app, which I use on my iPhone, also comes in a version for Android.
Scanner apps use the smartphone camera to take a photograph of a document. Before scanning you can select single or batch mode. When batch mode is selected the app will create a multi-page document. TinyScan takes a color photo and approximates the edges of a document. Dots appear in the four corners of the image, and if the entire image wasn't selected, you can move the dots to the proper locations. On the next screen you decide if you want the image in gray-scale or color. If you chose gray-scale you can select the intensity of the black/gray areas of the image. Click on a checkmark and the image is saved to the app. From there you can send the document to a cloud service – Evernote, Dropbox or GoogleDrive – email, print, fax, or open it in another app on your device. The resulting image is saved as a PDF (portable document format) file, which is the only format available in every other scanner app I have tried.
What makes TinyScan stand out is that it also saves document image to the device's builtin camera roll. I need this feature, because I scan all of my business related receipts with TinyScan. Once on the iPhone camera roll, the images become available on my iPad, and I can then import them into the iPad app I use for keeping track of business-related expenses — apps which do not accept imported PDF files.
When scanning documents for use with other iPad apps, or on my computer, I save them as PDF files to the Dropbox app, which, as a cloud based service, gives me access to stored files on other devices and computers. I have written about Dropbox in past columns, and I promise to include an overview again this season.
At this point you might be wondering why bother with smartphone scanning when many of us own scanners, either as stand-alone devices or in combination with a printer. My answer is simplicity. Once you understand the "how to" of using a handheld scanner, it is always at you finger tips. You can scan anywhere, and always find the resulting document in one location – stored on the app. It is simple to scan letter-size documents, receipts of any size, and business cards. I also find myself using TinyScan as a copier – simply scan and print.
When TinyScan accesses my phone's built-in camera, it compensates for camera shake, and I have yet to have a blurry result. The iOS version of TinyScan is universal, running on both the iPhone and iPad, but I find it much easier to take a picture with the iPhone. TinyScan comes in both free and pro versions for both iOS and Android devices. The free version features ads, which are eliminated in the pro version for $4.99.
I want to apologize to anyone who looked for the online version during the past few weeks. It was unavailable due to technical problems, but it is up and running once again. Eddie and I will be visiting family in Hawaii until early February, and OnMouseClick is being filed from the island of Oahu. Aloha.
Scanner apps use the smartphone camera to take a photograph of a document. Before scanning you can select single or batch mode. When batch mode is selected the app will create a multi-page document. TinyScan takes a color photo and approximates the edges of a document. Dots appear in the four corners of the image, and if the entire image wasn't selected, you can move the dots to the proper locations. On the next screen you decide if you want the image in gray-scale or color. If you chose gray-scale you can select the intensity of the black/gray areas of the image. Click on a checkmark and the image is saved to the app. From there you can send the document to a cloud service – Evernote, Dropbox or GoogleDrive – email, print, fax, or open it in another app on your device. The resulting image is saved as a PDF (portable document format) file, which is the only format available in every other scanner app I have tried.
What makes TinyScan stand out is that it also saves document image to the device's builtin camera roll. I need this feature, because I scan all of my business related receipts with TinyScan. Once on the iPhone camera roll, the images become available on my iPad, and I can then import them into the iPad app I use for keeping track of business-related expenses — apps which do not accept imported PDF files.
When scanning documents for use with other iPad apps, or on my computer, I save them as PDF files to the Dropbox app, which, as a cloud based service, gives me access to stored files on other devices and computers. I have written about Dropbox in past columns, and I promise to include an overview again this season.
At this point you might be wondering why bother with smartphone scanning when many of us own scanners, either as stand-alone devices or in combination with a printer. My answer is simplicity. Once you understand the "how to" of using a handheld scanner, it is always at you finger tips. You can scan anywhere, and always find the resulting document in one location – stored on the app. It is simple to scan letter-size documents, receipts of any size, and business cards. I also find myself using TinyScan as a copier – simply scan and print.
When TinyScan accesses my phone's built-in camera, it compensates for camera shake, and I have yet to have a blurry result. The iOS version of TinyScan is universal, running on both the iPhone and iPad, but I find it much easier to take a picture with the iPhone. TinyScan comes in both free and pro versions for both iOS and Android devices. The free version features ads, which are eliminated in the pro version for $4.99.
I want to apologize to anyone who looked for the online version during the past few weeks. It was unavailable due to technical problems, but it is up and running once again. Eddie and I will be visiting family in Hawaii until early February, and OnMouseClick is being filed from the island of Oahu. Aloha.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Taking care …
As I write this week's column, the annual International Consumer Electronics Show, known as CES, is taking place in Las Vegas. The largest show of its kind in the United States, industry watches from all over the world flock to Las Vegas to see developers, suppliers and manufacturers of electronics showcase their newest content, delivery systems, and hardware.
Over the past decade new products have been introduced at a dizzying pace, both at CES and other industry showcases, some of which have profoundly changed our lives. It is too soon to report on any world changing products that might be introduced at this year's CES, but the promise of new innovations got me thinking about how much has changed since Apple's introduction of the first consumer oriented smart phone in 2007, followed by the first iPad tablet in 2010. What makes these devices so special is not just the hardware, but the fact that the the software powering them is constantly evolving with new features and applications (apps) designed to make our lives a little easier and more efficient.
A recent article in The Wall Street Journalist was titled Your Smart Phone Will See You Now. Quoting from the article:
From phone attachments that can diagnose an ear infection to apps that can monitor your mental health, a range of new high-tech tools promise to tilt health-care controls from doctors to patients.
The article was personally relevant as Eddie and I have recently been attending to some medical issues. While we were not using our smart phones and tablets as diagnostic devices, they were an integral part of our medical journey. Every time we visited a doctor or medical facility we were asked for a list of current, and sometimes past, medications, as well as existing conditions and previously preformed procedures. Remembering all of the necessary information would have been difficult if not for Capzule PHR, (PHR stands for Personal Health Record) the app I use to keep track of our health records. I keep copies of the app on our iPhones and my iPad, and the information is always with me.
The app has categories for general health information, vital statistics, immunizations, pre-existing conditions, allergies, medications, results and procedures, and medical appointments. It is also possible to import and store PDF copies of labs and test results
A record keeping app like Capzule PHR is only as good as you make it, and for it to be effective you have to be disciplined in keeping records up-to-date. Every time either Eddie or I visit a doctor, I enter a new record, including notes on what the doctor said. I keep track of medications by entering the name, strength, prescription number and duration. Appointments are entered directly into the app, which synchronizes with my calendar app. On more than one occasion, when asked a question by a doctor, I was able to refer back to notes from previous appointments to fill in the blanks.
Capzule PHR is iOS only, but another medical records app, My Medical, looks very impressive and come in both iOS and Andriod versions. In another column I will cover some of the other health related apps and attachments available for use with smart phones and tablets.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Beginning all over again …
My husband Eddie and I both purchased our AT&T iPhones with a two-year contract, and at the end of our contract period, we are eligible to purchase a new phone at subsidized pricing. My contract was up in December and I asked Santa for an iPhone 6 for Christmas.
While the thought of purchasing a new generation phone is enticing, it can also be a daunting prospect. If, like me, you have invested time and effort in setting up your iPhone (or Android smart phone) exactly the way you want it, you want to transfer all your apps and data with you when you upgrade. Transferring apps and data to a new phone can be effortless if you follow a few, simple steps. The procedure I am going to outline is for iOS devices (it is the same for iPhones and iPads). If you use an Android device, instructions can be found online at the website cited at the end of this column.
The first, most important step is to back up your old device before getting the new one. An iPhone can be backed up to the iCloud, Apple's cloud storage which is available to all Apple users, or to you computer. If you use iCloud storage, only vital data is backed up – for a complete backup of everything on your phone, including apps, you must back up with iTunes software on your computer. Apple computers come with iTunes preinstalled, and it is a free download for PC users. The following instructions are for iTunes 12, the most current version of the software.
To begin, connect the phone to your computer with the USB cable that came with your device (it is the cable plugged into the power plug) and open iTunes. It may take a few minutes for the phone to be recognized, and once it is, a small device icon will appear in the upper left corner. Click on the icon and the iPhone Summary screen will appear. The screen will show information about your specific device in three informational boxes, labeled iPhone, Backups and Options.
On right side of the Backups box you will see the words Manually Back Up and Restore. If you have previously backed up the phone to your computer the date of your latest backup will be listed. Clicking on the Back Up Now button will commence a full back up of everything on your phone.
iTunes keeps a record of every app on your phone, and during the back up process you will be asked if you want to transfer all app purchases to your computer, a step you must complete. Once all your apps and data are saved to your computer, you are ready to go out and buy your new phone.
When you make the phone purchase, your sales person may offer to set up the phone for you, but if you do this you might not have all your apps transferred to the new phone. These instructions assume you are going to bring the phone home and set it up on your own.
Once the device is turned on you will be presented with a series of five screens. Follow the directions on the first four screens: a welcome screen, choose a language, choose a WiFi network, choose if you want to turn on location services.
When you come to the fifth screen you will be presented with a choice between three set up methods: Set Up as New iPhone, Restore from iCloud Backup and Restore from iTunes Backup. Select Restore from iTunes Backup and follow the instructions to plug the new phone into your computer and open iTunes. After a wait – the length depends on how much data needs to be transferred to the new phone – your new phone will restart and be ready to go, with all your apps and data. It is really that simple.
Instructions on setting up a new iPhone, complete with pictures of each screen, can be found at support.apple.com/en-us/HT202033. For instructions on upgrading an Android phone visit lifehacker.com/5843206/how-to-upgrade-to-a-new-android-phone-and-take-everything-with-you.
I am thankful for …
Take a minute to think about the technology you use every day, and then try to imagine what life would be like without your smart phone, tablet, computer, digital music player and GPS. Not to mention the computerize components in cars and household appliances. Technology plays such a big part in twenty-first century life that I wanted to take this opportunity to list some of the technologies I am most thankful for. Not the actual devices, but the uses for those devices that have made a difference in my life.
Facetime video conferencing on the iPad and iPhone – Our son Brian is stationed with the Army in Hawaii, and is a long time between visits. With Facetime we can talk to the family in real-time over the Internet, and because it works over WiFi on our portable devices, we can move around as we talk. On a recent call we gave our son a tour of our new house, and our granddaughters are always asking to to see the outside of our house. Our oldest granddaughter, Brianna, is learning to read, and last fall she called to read us a book for the first time. The younger one, Julianna, loves to dance to music grandpa plays for her on his iPad, and as we interact with the girls the miles between us melt away.
Photos posted on Facebook – Our daughter-in-law is very good about posting photos to Facebook. What fun to see the joy in Brianna's face on the first day of kindergarten, and to see Julianna dressed as Tinker Bell for Halloween.
Smart phone text messaging – Sometimes you want to talk to someone and it just isn't convenient to talk on the phone. Type a message and at the touch of a button it is instantly sent to the recipient's cell phone. Photos and videos can be attached to text messages, and on Christmas morning our son sent us videos of the girls opening presents in Hawaii. It was not as good as being there, but the videos made our Christmas just a little bit brighter.
Heated seats in our 2014 Honda Odyssey – In some ways a new car is computer on wheels, and it features a host of high-tech innovations. One of the features included with the car is heated seats. While it was not a feature we would have chosen, on our recent trip north for the holidays we found ourselves heating the seats every time we got in the car – it really made a difference in the cold weather. Sometimes it is the little things that mean the most.
Facetime is only available on Apple devices, but Skype, another video conferencing application, works on all platforms. Facebook is a website, and is also available as an app for iOS and Android devices Text messaging a feature built into all smart phones.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2015.
0n the road again …
I am writing this column on my iPad sitting in the passenger seat as we drive north for the holidays. Our car, a 2014 Honda Odyssey that we purchased in September, has a variety of innovative features, one of which is HandsFreeLink, which automatically provides a Bluetooth cell phone connection to the car’s speaker. Bluetooth is a wireless technology designed to pair electronic devices over short distances.
A few minutes ago we received a phone call, which Eddie answered by pressing a button on the steering wheel. The radio was automatically silenced, and we were both able to talk through the speaker. To hang up, he pressed another button on the steering wheel. The call was from the TR Times, requesting a new photo of me for my column. The phone call reminded me that I had a column due this week, and Eddie suggested that I write about what I had been doing for the past hour, which was searching online for a hotel for tonight.
While our new car is extremely computerized, it does not boast its own WiFi network, but my cell phone does have a data connection through AT&T. I much prefer the larger screen of my iPad for online searching, but it is WiFi only, and cannot receive data unless it is connected to a WiFi network. The solution was to use my cell phone as the conduit to the internet. Most newer cell phone models can be used as a hotspot to create a private network that other devices can join. The connection can be made by WiFi or Bluetooth, and I choose to use Bluetooth.
Once online I visited TripAdvisor.com to search for hotels in the vicinity of our planned stop for the night. There are many travel websites that offer reviews, some of which I plan to write about in a future column, but I have found TripAdvisor to be quite reliable. Enter the location and dates and TripAdvisor generates a list of hotels in the area, ranked by ratings and including the price you can expect to pay. Once I selected a few hotels that meet our criteria of price and location, I started reading the reviews – primarily the negative ones. Too many negative reviews and I pass on the hotel immediately. If several reviewers complain of dirty rooms I move on, but if most of the complaints are relatively minor, I will then read some of the positive reviews to narrow down my choices. My final search criteria is to look for reports of bedbugs on bedbugregistry.com. In the past several years bedbugs have been reported in hotels around the country (even 5-Star hotels), and just one mention of bedbugs in a hotel and I immediately cross it off my list.
When I am ready to make a reservation, I go directly to the hotel chain website (or App). In my experience, the prices offered through direct booking are as good, if not better, than those offered on booking sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Priceline. When booking I either use an organizational booking code, if available, or the AARP/senior discount, to get the best rate. For tonight I reserved a room in a Comfort Suites in Florence, South Carolina using the Choice Hotel mobile app (also available for Android devices). Postscript: The Comfort Suites in Florence proved to be an excellent choice. The hotel was new and about a half mile off of Interstate 95. We had a good night’s sleep and continued on our way north in the morning.
A few minutes ago we received a phone call, which Eddie answered by pressing a button on the steering wheel. The radio was automatically silenced, and we were both able to talk through the speaker. To hang up, he pressed another button on the steering wheel. The call was from the TR Times, requesting a new photo of me for my column. The phone call reminded me that I had a column due this week, and Eddie suggested that I write about what I had been doing for the past hour, which was searching online for a hotel for tonight.
While our new car is extremely computerized, it does not boast its own WiFi network, but my cell phone does have a data connection through AT&T. I much prefer the larger screen of my iPad for online searching, but it is WiFi only, and cannot receive data unless it is connected to a WiFi network. The solution was to use my cell phone as the conduit to the internet. Most newer cell phone models can be used as a hotspot to create a private network that other devices can join. The connection can be made by WiFi or Bluetooth, and I choose to use Bluetooth.
Once online I visited TripAdvisor.com to search for hotels in the vicinity of our planned stop for the night. There are many travel websites that offer reviews, some of which I plan to write about in a future column, but I have found TripAdvisor to be quite reliable. Enter the location and dates and TripAdvisor generates a list of hotels in the area, ranked by ratings and including the price you can expect to pay. Once I selected a few hotels that meet our criteria of price and location, I started reading the reviews – primarily the negative ones. Too many negative reviews and I pass on the hotel immediately. If several reviewers complain of dirty rooms I move on, but if most of the complaints are relatively minor, I will then read some of the positive reviews to narrow down my choices. My final search criteria is to look for reports of bedbugs on bedbugregistry.com. In the past several years bedbugs have been reported in hotels around the country (even 5-Star hotels), and just one mention of bedbugs in a hotel and I immediately cross it off my list.
When I am ready to make a reservation, I go directly to the hotel chain website (or App). In my experience, the prices offered through direct booking are as good, if not better, than those offered on booking sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Priceline. When booking I either use an organizational booking code, if available, or the AARP/senior discount, to get the best rate. For tonight I reserved a room in a Comfort Suites in Florence, South Carolina using the Choice Hotel mobile app (also available for Android devices). Postscript: The Comfort Suites in Florence proved to be an excellent choice. The hotel was new and about a half mile off of Interstate 95. We had a good night’s sleep and continued on our way north in the morning.
How we watch TV – Now and in the future …
In my last column about remote television viewing, I described how using an Apple TV, connected to an HD TV set, content is delivered and displayed via the Internet. In the last paragraph I mentioned that another method of accessing some of the same content is with a Smart TV. What exactly is a Smart TV?
According to Wikipedia, A Smart TV … is a television set or set-top box with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 features, and is an example of technological convergence between computers and television sets and set-top boxes.
In laymen terms, a Smart TV is a regular HD television set with the added option of viewing additional content delivered over the internet through a WiFi connection. A Smart TV gives you a menu of apps (applications) that connects to various television and internet networks, although the number of networks offered are not as extensive as those available on the Apple TV. Every Smart TV brand features a different number of viewing apps, and currently Samsung is reported to offer the largest variety of apps. As with the Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast, the key ingredient to watching content through a Smart TV is the Internet connection. Without a fast, steady internet connection the system cannot work reliably. Here at Travelers Rest our only option is to subscribe to Centurylink DSL, and at a minimum you need the10 Mbps service.
Smart TVs give you access to Netflix and Hulu Plus, which are both subscription services offering movies and television shows. We have subscribed to Netflix for many years, and while in Florida we watch it more than any other television offering. We particularly enjoy the opportunity to watch some excellent Canadian and British television series, most of which have never been shown on American TV. Both Netflix and Hulu Plus plans start at $8.00 a month, and each has a slightly different focus. Netflix is free of advertising, offers movies as well as TV shows, and award winning original programming (such as House of Cards). The only negative is that you cannot watch the current season of a TV show. Typically, shows on Netflix are one season behind their broadcast dates. Hulu offers mostly television shows, from many of the major broadcast and cable networks (including FOX, Comedy Central, FX, and the Food Network), and current season shows are typically available the day after they are first aired. However, even though Hulu Plus is a paid service, the lineup includes limited advertising. A TR resident with a reliable internet connection might find the subscribing to Netflix and Hulu Plus meets all of their television viewing needs and a manageable monthly cost.
Of the broadcast and cable network offerings on a Smart TV (and devices such as Apple TV), few allow for free viewing. In order to access most of the content, you need to sign-in with a cable provider name, user name and password, to prove a current cable TV subscription. This allows you to view most, but not all, of your subscription package channels. This is changing with the advent of pay-as-you-go streaming services. CBS is the first major network to offer such a service. For $5.99 per month subscribers to the service, CBS ALL ACCESS, can stream past seasons of hit CBS shows on demand, with next-day access to some first-run shows. In some of the major markets CBS ALL ACCESS provides live-steaming, but unfortunately, Tampa is not one of the included markets.
In 2015 HBO plans to offer a stand-alone on-demand subscription service, which will be the first time a premium cable network has offered a service that cuts the cable cord. Rumor has it that Showtime, owned by CBS, will not be far behind. How we receive television signals is rapidly changing, and as the computer is an integral part of this change, OnMouseClick will continue to keep TR Times readers up-to-date. Links — NETFLIX • HULU PLUS • CBS ALL ACCESS • HBO GO • SHOWTIME ANYTIME
In laymen terms, a Smart TV is a regular HD television set with the added option of viewing additional content delivered over the internet through a WiFi connection. A Smart TV gives you a menu of apps (applications) that connects to various television and internet networks, although the number of networks offered are not as extensive as those available on the Apple TV. Every Smart TV brand features a different number of viewing apps, and currently Samsung is reported to offer the largest variety of apps. As with the Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast, the key ingredient to watching content through a Smart TV is the Internet connection. Without a fast, steady internet connection the system cannot work reliably. Here at Travelers Rest our only option is to subscribe to Centurylink DSL, and at a minimum you need the10 Mbps service.
Smart TVs give you access to Netflix and Hulu Plus, which are both subscription services offering movies and television shows. We have subscribed to Netflix for many years, and while in Florida we watch it more than any other television offering. We particularly enjoy the opportunity to watch some excellent Canadian and British television series, most of which have never been shown on American TV. Both Netflix and Hulu Plus plans start at $8.00 a month, and each has a slightly different focus. Netflix is free of advertising, offers movies as well as TV shows, and award winning original programming (such as House of Cards). The only negative is that you cannot watch the current season of a TV show. Typically, shows on Netflix are one season behind their broadcast dates. Hulu offers mostly television shows, from many of the major broadcast and cable networks (including FOX, Comedy Central, FX, and the Food Network), and current season shows are typically available the day after they are first aired. However, even though Hulu Plus is a paid service, the lineup includes limited advertising. A TR resident with a reliable internet connection might find the subscribing to Netflix and Hulu Plus meets all of their television viewing needs and a manageable monthly cost.
Of the broadcast and cable network offerings on a Smart TV (and devices such as Apple TV), few allow for free viewing. In order to access most of the content, you need to sign-in with a cable provider name, user name and password, to prove a current cable TV subscription. This allows you to view most, but not all, of your subscription package channels. This is changing with the advent of pay-as-you-go streaming services. CBS is the first major network to offer such a service. For $5.99 per month subscribers to the service, CBS ALL ACCESS, can stream past seasons of hit CBS shows on demand, with next-day access to some first-run shows. In some of the major markets CBS ALL ACCESS provides live-steaming, but unfortunately, Tampa is not one of the included markets.
In 2015 HBO plans to offer a stand-alone on-demand subscription service, which will be the first time a premium cable network has offered a service that cuts the cable cord. Rumor has it that Showtime, owned by CBS, will not be far behind. How we receive television signals is rapidly changing, and as the computer is an integral part of this change, OnMouseClick will continue to keep TR Times readers up-to-date. Links — NETFLIX • HULU PLUS • CBS ALL ACCESS • HBO GO • SHOWTIME ANYTIME
Cable TV Alternatives …
As seasonal residents of Travelers Rest, Eddie and I regularly read the summer updates posted on the resort website. This past summer, we were dismayed to learn that, as expected, the TR cable had been replaced by an over the air antenna system. Two weeks ago, shortly after arriving at TR for the season, an antennas was installed at our house in the village. We may occasionally utilize the antenna to watch programs on the three major networks and PBS, but we sorely miss having access to CNBC, MSNBC, AMC (how does one survive without the Walking Dead?) ESPN and TNT.
By now you are probably wondering, what is the relationship of TR cable and computer technology, the major topic of the OnMouseClick columns? In this second decade of the twenty-first century, computers and computing devices are ubiquitous, and at our house we make extensive use of one such computing device connected to our television— an Apple TV. It is a small, WiFi device, a little bigger than a pack of cards, that when connected to a HDTV through an HDMI port gives access to streaming content from the internet. We purchased the Apple TV primarily to watch Netflix, the subscription streaming service that allows us to view hundreds of TV series and movies without commercial interruption.
However, Apple TV is more than just a conduit for Netflix. It also gives us access to an alternative streaming service, HULUPlus, as well as a variety of TV stations, including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, ABC, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, The Weather Channel, ABC News, CBS News, PBS, Lifetime, A&E, The History Channel, and more. Most of the programming is on-demand. Once a show has been aired for the first time, the episode is then available to view whenever you want. A full listing of the current Apple TV lineup can be found here.
Reading the previous paragraph, Apple TV sounds too good to be true, and, as with most things there is a catch. To view most of the content, you need to be a customer of a cable TV company, and the network you want to watch must be part of your subscription package. To watch a network on the Apple TV, you sign in with your cable company user name and password. Since we have a home up north with cable service, Apple TV allows us to watch in Florida most of what we are paying for back in N.Y.
Apple TV is not the only such device available. Other similar devices are the Roku and Chromecaste, and if you have a smart TV, you can access some of the same content directly through your TV. Naturally, all of the devices mentioned work off a WiFI signal, and you need to have a dedicated WiFi signal in your home. In our case, we have a Centurylong DSL internet connection.
Both the Apple TV and ROKU list for $99, and the Chromecast lists for $35.
By now you are probably wondering, what is the relationship of TR cable and computer technology, the major topic of the OnMouseClick columns? In this second decade of the twenty-first century, computers and computing devices are ubiquitous, and at our house we make extensive use of one such computing device connected to our television— an Apple TV. It is a small, WiFi device, a little bigger than a pack of cards, that when connected to a HDTV through an HDMI port gives access to streaming content from the internet. We purchased the Apple TV primarily to watch Netflix, the subscription streaming service that allows us to view hundreds of TV series and movies without commercial interruption.
However, Apple TV is more than just a conduit for Netflix. It also gives us access to an alternative streaming service, HULUPlus, as well as a variety of TV stations, including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, ABC, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, The Weather Channel, ABC News, CBS News, PBS, Lifetime, A&E, The History Channel, and more. Most of the programming is on-demand. Once a show has been aired for the first time, the episode is then available to view whenever you want. A full listing of the current Apple TV lineup can be found here.
Reading the previous paragraph, Apple TV sounds too good to be true, and, as with most things there is a catch. To view most of the content, you need to be a customer of a cable TV company, and the network you want to watch must be part of your subscription package. To watch a network on the Apple TV, you sign in with your cable company user name and password. Since we have a home up north with cable service, Apple TV allows us to watch in Florida most of what we are paying for back in N.Y.
Apple TV is not the only such device available. Other similar devices are the Roku and Chromecaste, and if you have a smart TV, you can access some of the same content directly through your TV. Naturally, all of the devices mentioned work off a WiFI signal, and you need to have a dedicated WiFi signal in your home. In our case, we have a Centurylong DSL internet connection.
Both the Apple TV and ROKU list for $99, and the Chromecast lists for $35.
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