FrequencyCast UK - Show 73
The show notes to go with Show 73 of our online technology radio show.
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Listen to, or download, FrequencyCast Show 73 (30 mins)
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Show 73 NEWS
Here's a look at the news stories covered in Show 73:
Freeview 4G Filters: As we covered in show 65, from 2013 almost a million Freeview homes may be affected by interference from the new 4G mobile networks. The Government has announced a £180 million pound programme to supply filters or satellite receivers for those affected.
More on this story: Nearly a million homes need a Freeview filter.
- Broadband for £2.50: Tesco's offering an unlimited Broadband service for just £2.50 a month if you order before the end of May. For some reason, to get this excellent value service, you'll need to have a Tesco Clubcard. Tesco Broadband Offer
- DAB Retune: Due to changes rolled out on the 1st of March, DAB radios need to be retuned in March. Check your radio's menu for an "Autoscan" or "Autotune" option to ensure you can still listen to the digital stations
Raspberry Pi Launch: No, it's not a delicious dessert - it's a new computer with Ethernet, USB, HDMI and SD card support. Price... £21.60 - It runs Linux and is a fully-functioning credit card sized computer that can connect to a TV set, run software and play HD video. They were originally intended for educational use to encourage young coders, but when these launched at the end of February, there was massive demand due to their potential.
More details: Raspberry Pi.
- All Change for Gadget Show When Channel 5's Gadget Show returns in April, it will be without Suzi, Jon and Ortis. The new format will be Jason and Polly travelling the world in search of gadgets. Gadget Show Changes. You can see all five presenters for the last time, at Gadget Show Live in April.
- Playstation Vita: February saw the UK launch of the new handheld console from Sony, with 1.2 million sold worldwide since launch. Cheapest price we've found... £197. See Sony Launches Playstation Vita
- Connect TV on Freeview: The Connect TV service has launched on Freeview (Channels 110 to 116). 45 channels are promised, including foreign-language channels, Sports Tonight Live and Racing UK. The subscription service uses Internet-enabled TVs and set-top boxes, with some Sony and Panasonic TVs, plus TVonics boxes being supported at launch
Robot for £66: Want a robot vacuum cleaner for £66. Thanks to listener Tish for spotting this bargain.
Get the VAX R8801 Freetime at this rather tempting price.
- iPad 3 News: Details of the latest iPad from Apple to be announced on March the 7th, we understand...
- Sky TV News: This month sees the launch of the Sky Formula 1 channel (free if you have Sky HD or Sky Sports). Sky has also launched its Sky Go app for Android smartphones and tablets.
Also, if you're quick, you can get a £100 voucher for signing up to Sky online.
- And finally: The ultimate PVR has arrived. The new Promise TV hard drive recorder records every Freeview TV and radio show, all of the time, giving you a week's work of Freeview, on-demand. The down-side? Due to the massive amount of hard drive needed to capture 10,000 programmes a week, the price: £2000 (Dropped to £995 shortly after show release). More: Promise TV Freeview PVR
FOCUS: The House of 2027
In this show, we look fifteen years into the future, to see what the home of the future has in store.
In a report written by the Centre for Future Studies, there are some fascinating predictions as to how we'll be living in 2027.
We spoke to Nick Rawlings, the Commercial and Marketing Director at Plusnet (who commissioned the report), to find out more.
The House of 2027, as discussed in Show 73 (Click to enlarge) - Thanks to Plusnet for the image
BONUS MATERIAL: Extended Focus: The Home of 2027 (22 mins) |
Featured: Blackberry Playbook OS2
In Show 72, we mentioned the Blackberry Playbook, and that it had dropped from a launch price of £399, to just £169. As we had lots of listener feedback on this, we decided to look at the tablet more closely.
- Front and rear cameras
- wi-fi, GPS and Bluetooth
- 7" screen hi-res touchscreen
- 16GB , 32GB, 64GB version available
- Micro USB and HDMI Out
Our look at the Playbook happened to coincide with the launch of a free upgrade to OS2 - which added some extra features, such as :
- Dedicated e-mail, calendar, and contacts apps (at last)
- Better Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn integration
- An Amazon Kindle App (although this was pulled shortly after release whilst a few bugs got ironed out)
- Android applications - Not all Android apps are supported, but it's a start
Blackberry Playbook from £399 to £169: Blackberry Playbook at Currys |
Cast 73: Interactive
Thanks to everyone who got in touch. In this show, we respond to the following mails and calls:
Media Streaming with the Roku:
Mark Webb got in touch to tell us of his experiences with the Roku media player that's now available here in the UK. The Roku 2 XS, which looks a little like the Apple TV box. It's wi-fi, supports micro SD and costs £99. Roku 2 XS at Amazon.
Mark owns a Roku, the Boxee Box, and an XBox 360 for streaming. He says that he finds that the Boxee Box is the most flexible and has the most content and offers features not available on the others. The Roku is by far the easiest to use but is shorter on features and cannot play locally streamed files, at least not straight from the Box. The main thing that Mark says that the Roku has going for it, is Netflix. Take Netflix away and there is not much left. As far as LoveFilm vs Netflix, Mark says that his vote goes to Netflix.
Powerline Adapter Problems:
Dick Amey asks: "I have recently bought 3 powerline adaptors. I can only get 1 "slave unit " to work if its plugged into the mains socket alongside the "master" unit. Elsewhere on the same ring main or on the next floor, no luck. Does the fact that my house's power is fed by overhead line have any affect?
Whether your mains comes in from overhead or underground should have no effect on a Powerline Adapter. You may struggle with a Powerline Adapter if you're using an extension block, or using a surge protector.
On the subject of Pesky Powerline adapters, radio hams have been very anti these devices, which have a reputation for creating unwanted interference to the radio spectrum. The good news, as reported in March's RadCom, is that new PLT hardware needs to comply with the new EMC compliance regulation. Amateurs that discover any PLT device released after October 2011 that's causing interference, should contact the RSGB. Full story
Panasonic Net TV Apps:
Andy in Thamesmead asks: "I have the Panasonic TX-L37V10B TV, which has an analogue, Freeview and Freesat . It has a number of built in "apps" which include a weather forecast app for most places around the world, Eurosport, YouTube and Twitter. Is it possible to get any others, such as NetFlix or Lovefilm?"
The TV in question uses Panasonic's Viera Cast service - Although newer Panasonic models support Netflix, the older V10 series doesn't. It's also worth noting that Viera Cast is being replaced by a new Internet TV service, Viera Connect, will support more apps as it's open to 3rd party developers - but sadly we understand it's not backward compatible.
Windows Phone App Store:
Complaint time: We also heard from David about our fitness piece in the last show: "The apps you mentioned are also on the windows phone platform for your listeners not on iwagon. Please mention them and research the platform other offerings"
Window Phone currently has somewhere between a 2% and a 3% share, so is pretty small compared to Android and iPhone - but nonetheless, we've asked David to give us a list of a few suggested apps to help keep Windows Phone users fit. We'll let you know when we get his list
David also says that Netflix is huge in the States, and as it's new to the US, that might explain why they only have a limited choice at the moment.
Thanks too to the listeners that got in touch to report that Lovefilm has now launched an unlimited streaming service to stave off the Netflix threat. Introductory price, just £4.99 a month, a pound less than Netflix.
500Mbps Broadband... Really?
Now, a podline call from Simon Hudson in East Yorkshire. He told us that his local broadband provider Kingston Communications is starting to roll out 100Mbps broadband to home users, with 500Mbps fibre on the way.
Anyone getting a mega-fast connection out there? Please get in touch.
Internet Camera Update Please:
One from Alison Jenner now... "I listened to a podcast you did a while back on Internet cameras, and think it could do with an update. The ones you had on your podcast are quite outdated now and I am using the webcams from a company called Eye Spy 247 - who also have a web system which lets me login and view my cameras as well as clips from them, and their system alerts me if my mum goes walkabout - which is great."
A new look at home security and wi-fi webcams is long overdue - perhaps something we can look at in a future show. Anyone out there got any exciting camera kit to tell us about, let us know, and thanks Alison for the suggestion that's just gone to the top of our list.
Film 4 HD on Sky:
Nicholas Skippins says: "Hi guys. Just seen your promo video on the Frequencycast home page. Great stuff. Any idea when Film4 HD going to be available on Sky? And when will iPlayer be on Xbox 360?"
The BBC iPlayer is due to appear on X-Box 360 in "early 2012" - we understand it's in testing at the time of recording. Ask for Film 4 HD on Sky - It's exclusive to Virgin at the moment, and we understand that it's not yet on Sky, most likely for commercial reasons.
Samsung Net TV Updates, anyone?
Dan in our forum asks: "I wonder if you have any information on when Samsung will be updating their internet@TV (not Smart TV) software with the updated BBC iPlayer app. Also, will Netflix will be coming to internet@TV?"
We've asked, but not a lot of news on this, we're sorry to say. Please get in touch if you know more than we do on this topic.
Geocache Update:
A quick thanks to "House of Hayward" for finding one of our roving memory sticks, and copying the latest show onto it before passing it on. Also, "BooBoo and Dog" have one to be moved on (2000 miles so far), and one's been stuck at Bruno Baggy Walk since November last year.
No clue what we're banging on about? See our Geocaching Feature
You can leave us a voicemail by calling 020 8133 4567, or sending us a message. We'd love to hear from a few more of you, so please get in touch and say "hi" - our shows are driven by your feedback - So talk to us!
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