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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Apple's Siri Comes With a Downside, Twice the Data Usage?
If someone has a 4S can you put it in airplane mode and try Siri?
I did that-- got a message saying "Siri is not available, connect to the internet."
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flibmeister
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01/07/12 04:39pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Apple's Siri Comes With a Downside, Twice the Data Usage?
There was also a report awhile back about Siri telling someone to shut up and various other less than pleasant Things.
That was just a junior high school prank, similar to when kids come into a store and install a NSFW screensaver or wallpaper on display phones. When you set up Siri, you can tell her your name, and after that she'll often address you by name. Somebody changed the name on a display unit to a not-so-nice phrase-- so when Siri addressed anyone by "name" after that, she used that not-so-nice phrase.
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flibmeister
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01/07/12 12:44pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Apple's Siri Comes With a Downside, Twice the Data Usage?
For anyone that's concerned about cell data usage with iCloud, there's a toggle that will restrict it's access to wifi only:
Settings> iCloud> Documents and Data> Use Cellular (On/Off)
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flibmeister
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01/06/12 11:55pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Suggestions/oppinions on rear air bags for my E-450 class C
My Bigfoot came with airbags from the factory, and while they don't seem to hurt anything, they don't seem to help anything, either. Even with them, I still had to have the springs on one side re-arched (and added one) in order to correct a lean toward the passenger side.
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flibmeister
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01/06/12 01:44pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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Anybody Tried Direct TV Nomad Yet?
New(?) toy from Direct, when somebody tries it, please post a review!
"Watch your recorded shows anytime, anywhere.
Introducing DIRECTV nomad™. Now you have the freedom to watch your recorded shows and movies anywhere. The innovative DIRECTV® nomad™ allows you to sync your HD DVR with your cell phone, laptop, or tablet and take your recorded programs with you wherever you go. No Internet connection required to watch, so you can enjoy your favorites anywhere, anytime, without worrying about getting disconnected."
Direct TV Nomad
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flibmeister
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12/05/11 09:55pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Office Home & Business 2010
One of my main reasons for upgrading from Office 2003 is that more and more I'm getting documents from others that I can't open because they are using Office 2010.
Installation of a free Microsoft Compatibility pack should resolve that issue, and you could continue to use your present version of Office:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3
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flibmeister
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11/29/11 12:16am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Weather Alert Radios
For example, if we are in Virginia, could we get weather reports and alerts for Pennsylvania?
No. There are only seven NWS frequencies, and each is shared by dozens of low-power transmitters all over the country. By design, the signal doesn't go very far, since it's only meant to be heard in the relatively small geographic area served by that particular transmitter.
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flibmeister
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11/18/11 12:23am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Upgrade Your Smartphone Annually-- and Make Money
iPhone 4s painless? After hours of frustration I finally got all of my wife's notes over to her 4s from her 3Gs. Did I mention I hate iTunes?
I hate ITunes as well, but because I'd already upgraded the Iphone 4 to iOS5, I didn't have to use it, but used iCloud instead-- that's what made it painless!
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flibmeister
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11/07/11 02:55pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Upgrade Your Smartphone Annually-- and Make Money
Do you have to switch to your wife's phone number?
Oh, no, nothing like that, at least not on Verizon. Go to your online account, and on the main page it will tell you the upgrade date on your primary line. Under that is the option to see the upgrade dates for all lines on your account.
Click on that, and under any line eligible for an upgrade, there will be an option to transfer that upgrade eligibility to another line. Click on that, then pick the line where you want to use the eligibility. Once you've done that, the two lines just exchange upgrade dates.
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flibmeister
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11/07/11 01:17pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Upgrade Your Smartphone Annually-- and Make Money
...people wouldn't have the need to have the latest phone which pretty much does the same darn thing as the one they have but 'looks' different.:R
ROF,L. If you think anybody is switching to the latest Iphone because it 'looks' different than the last one, you haven't been paying attention; they are absolutely identical. Getting the "latest and greatest" version may be a perk of upgrading, but it isn't the point of my post.
The point is that you can get a new phone, with a new battery, and a new warranty-- and make money doing it. Why would anyone that has such an opportunity, whether due to access to a corporate account or because they have a tech-adverse spouse, NOT take advantage of it?
BTW, for anyone who does this and makes the switch from the Iphone 4 to the 4S, it's absolutely automatic, wireless, and pain-free: back up your old phone via iCloud, turn it off, then fire up the new one and restore it from iCloud. All settings, apps, contacts, etc., appear just as they were on the old phone. You do, however, have to connect to iTunes if you want to transfer your music.
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flibmeister
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11/07/11 10:49am |
Technology Corner
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Upgrade Your Smartphone Annually-- and Make Money
There's only one requirement: you have to have a spouse that doesn't give a whit if she has a fancy phone. I'm finding that's the case with a lot of folks in our age bracket, so maybe this can help someone. Here's how it works:
If you have a smartphone, you can upgrade at a discount every two years. If your DW is satisfied with a dumbphone, get her one-- but pay full price (my wife loves her LG flip phone, $120 on Amazon several years ago). Verizon allows you to trade upgrade eligibility to other lines-- so one year you upgrade via your own eligibility, and the next year you use hers.
One year old smartphones hold their value very well-- so well that you can sell one for more than the discounted cost of a new phone. I broke even when I went from a Droid to an Iphone 4 last year, but did even better this time around: upgrade to the Iphone 4S was $199, and my Iphone 4 sold for $350 on Ebay.
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flibmeister
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11/07/11 12:21am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Ipad 3G Questions
What about storage? I don't think we will use more than the 16GB but I don't want to be caught short if new things come out that take more storage. We won't put our photos on it and will use our laptop for documents. Thanks, Linda
I thought 16GB would be fine, too, especially for my wife, who has about 4GB of music, but no photos, videos, documents, or apps with on-board data storage. She uses her Ipad only for music, email, web surfing, and games. LOTS of games.
But, the other day she tried to update some apps and got the low memory message, so had to remove some apps to make the necessary space. Not a big deal-- but if I had it to do over again, I'd have gotten her the 32GB version.
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flibmeister
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11/06/11 03:02pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Ipad 3G Questions
Any app that has to constantly pull data will need a network connection of some sort, of course. But a lot of people (RV'ers in particular) already have one, in the form of a Mifi or similar device, so the 3G Ipad seems like overkill.
Which it is-- unless you want integrated GPS. In that case, you need to spring for the 3G model anyway, even if the 3G is never activated.
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flibmeister
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11/06/11 01:16pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Ipad 3G Questions
Are there any specific apps one can use the GPS without cellular or wifi service?
All of the aviation moving map apps. I would imagine most marine moving map apps carry their data onboard, too, although I have no experience with those.
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flibmeister
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11/05/11 09:59pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Ipad 3G Questions
A less obvious advantage of the 3G model is that, unlike the wifi-only model, it comes with integrated GPS. While add-on GPS units (both wired and Bluetooth) are available for the wifi-only model, adding one brings the total cost to close to what a 3G model costs to begin with (plus, you have the additional hardware to deal with). For those interested in using GPS apps with the Ipad, it's probably best to buy a 3G model, even if you never activate the 3G.
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flibmeister
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11/05/11 11:52am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Day Night Shade Tension
I was dreading restringing one of our shades, too-- then I found Jacque at the link below. Stopped by her house in the rig, she came in and removed the shade, restrung it, and reinstalled it thirty minutes later. Best forty bucks I ever spent! If you ship her your shade via UPS, she'll restring it and have it on it's way back to you the same day.
rvblindco.com
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flibmeister
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10/31/11 12:01pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: DirectTv RF remote
A lot of people have RF capable Direct remotes and don't know it. Easy way to tell, look at the back of the remote-- if there's an FCC sticker on it, it's an RF capable remote.
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flibmeister
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10/26/11 10:01am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Honda Odyssey - which years are okay to tow
Fred's right, Honda sanctions towing only on 2004's and older. However, I did some extensive research on towing post-2004 models prior to purchasing my '09 a couple of years ago, and could find no first-person reports of problems, from either owners or dealers. After talking to several owners with extensive experience pulling post-2004 models, all of whom reported no problems whatsoever, I went ahead and bought the '09. I've been towing it without incident ever since.
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flibmeister
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10/03/11 03:29pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 24' E450 Class C and 2000 Honda Odyssey?
OP: We have a 29' Bigfoot Class C on the E450 chassis and purchased a new 2009 Honda Odyssey as a tow car, for the same reason you did-- we needed a van that could handle the wheelchair lift. We have a Pride Mobility Silverstar lift, Blue Ox base plate, SMI Stay-and-Play braking system, and a Blue Ox Aventa LX (10,000 lb capacity) tow bar.
There's no getting around the fact that the Ody makes for a heavy tow car-- but we live in the west, and even with the mountains, we find it satisfactory. On long steep grades, where the Bigfoot used to max out at 45mph, it now maxes out at 35 mph. Braking on the Bigfoot is definitely affected by the weight of the Ody-- we can feel the SMI doing it's job, and wouldn't consider traveling without it.
As others have said, you'll be pushing the published numerical limits in some areas, but the only one that gives me pause is the Class III hitch. Although we've towed for over 6000 trouble-free miles so far, I plan to take my rig to a good towing and welding shop for an inspection and evaluation before the next trip. My understanding is that they can add some extra support to the hitch to provide some piece of mind.
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flibmeister
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09/20/11 10:06am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Tow vehicle keys
This may not apply to all tow hitches, but I have a Demco Commander tow bar, and it isn't always easy to get the pins out that attach the tow bar to the toad, even when I try to release the triggers on the sides of the tow bar. I've ended up using a hammer to drive the pins out. Any suggestions?
Get in the tow car, start the engine, put it in neutral, all brakes off (you want the car to be able to move a little). Then, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left, then all the way to the right, then back to center.
Nine times out of ten, you'll find that the pins are now loose enough to come out. On that tenth time, you'll have to get out the hammer.
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flibmeister
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09/19/11 03:34am |
Dinghy Towing
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