Are you smarter than your piano? And other useful advice

By Richard M. Sherwin, Bob Plunkett, Jennifer Auspitz, Ted Mayo, Amy Eller, Richard Macias, Christine Eads and Susan Davis. (Read and listen to us on Mom Squad Show and Itunes, Tune-in Radio and Iheart Internet radio.)

(This edition includes special contributions from Gary M. Kaye of Tech50plus.com)

Learning the Piano… finally!

 I have been trying to learn the piano for ages. In twenty years I mastered a couple of cords and even with some basic learning guides and reading material I never could get past entry level or below. So when my 8 year old granddaughter asked if she could borrow my old Casio keyboard from the 1980s I was happy but jealous that she might learn to play before me.

I heard about an electric computer aided piano and an App from the One Smart Piano Company, that combined the latest in learning technology with some old time basic instruction and (hopefully) could transform this eternal amateur musician into a decent piano player in minutes. And guess what… it worked!

Using my Next Book Android Tablet (big screen) I was playing decent clips of music and chords in less than 15 minutes. My granddaughter, the show-off, could play full songs in five minutes and she was asking for more, stopping her Xbox to go up a level in instruction.  It could possibly replace pricy individual instruction.

We both found that the ONE Smart Piano, which we tried, and a smaller counterpart, The ONE Light,  provide a new way to learn piano that’s easier and faster than those from Casio or Yamaha, the previous industry leaders.

For me and my granddaughter, there were a few blips in connecting the piano to the tablets, but once connected, it worked better than “Learning the Piano” game software or PC programming that we’ve tried …because you are working on a real piano.

The ONE Smart Piano app is free to download and offers three different ways to easily learn songs within minutes: LED-guided sheet music, video lessons, and games. With LED-guided sheet music, a user can pick from thousands of songs ranging from classical to jazz to pop and more, and follow along with real-time LED lights to play through any song immediately. Video lessons cover piano instruction from the basics and are integrated with the LED lights so that you can follow along with the teacher on screen. With games, a user gets a score by hitting scrolling bars as the notes light up on the piano.

The ONE Smart Piano is offering a limited-time discount on Indiegogo, the fund raising web site, starting as low as $899 for full-size piano, and The ONE Light for $199. Both pianos are already in production, so backers can expect the products to be delivered to their door this month.

Acer races to big lead in Windows 10 All-in-one PCs.

 Many of our readers, viewers and listeners have commented on the seeming delay in Windows 10 computers at retail and or even online. Some Staples and Micro Centers are not guaranteeing that your new PC will be Windows 10 and you might have to upgrade from 8.1.1 at a later date.

One machine readily available is Acer’s newest 23.8-inch Aspire Z3-710 Series all-in-one desktop PCs with Windows 10. It is by far the best all-one-one unit we’ve tested this month. The newly enhanced PC feature capacitive 10-point multi-touch and a Full HD (1920×1080) LED backlit display.  Even though there Lenovo’s new model and HP’s (yet to be released model) have fine displays, Acer’s screen is cinema quality, and in, my opinion, better.

The new Aspire Z3-710 Series enables lifelike video calls thanks to the 1080p Full HD webcam. Stereo speakers with Acer True Harmony™ and Dolby Digital Plus™ Home Theater^® provide powerful audio, (we actually disabled our external speakers, the quality of the all in one was so clear). And we used the built-in dual digital microphones, which  sense the location of voices to ensure they are heard clearly, even in rooms with significant ambient noise.  So those of you who complain our radio quality is only adequate wait till your hear Mom Squad Radio and DFA on this Acer.

Frank Chang, Acer America director of desktop product management thinks it’s better, too. “We’re confident our customers will appreciate the superb audio and visual clarity that makes video-conferencing as well as movies and music very true to life.”

The screen tilts easily from 5 to 25 degrees with just two fingers, enabling people to perfectly position themselves within the video frame and ergonomically adjust the viewing angle for long conversations.

Significant power is packed into the slim 1.4-inch chassis that houses up to an Intel^® Core™ Ci5-4590T processor, up to 8GB of memory, a 1TB hard drive⁽¹⁾ and a DVD Super Multi optical drive.

The unit has  fast 802.11ac wireless,⁽²⁾ three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports as well as HDMI-in for attaching a gaming console. The most frequently accessed ports and SD card reader are positioned on the side where they are easy to access. A cable management hole is integrated into the base to keep cables tidy in back.

Integrated Acer BluelightShield™ and Acer flicker-less technologies decrease eye strain by reducing blue light emissions and eliminating screen flicker via a stable power supply.

We were particularly impressed by the fact that the Blue tooth mouse and keyboard, were operational from that start with no extra install procedures and that Windows 10 (see its own review) made all the functions of this PC even easier and better.

Our minor beefs are that the keyboard seems to be designed for light handed individuals so these old hockey fingers were a little too heavy for the keyboard. We also thought the packaging, while safe was so tight we were worried we’d never get the unit out of the box. But the 23.8-inch Aspire Z3-710 Series Priced from $749 and up is our favorite feature laden Windows 10 machine by far.

Verizon makes cars go HUM

 Verizon Telematics announced the commercial availability of hum, an aftermarket vehicle technology and subscription service that enables drivers on the road to make their car smarter through a simple solution regardless of their wireless service provider.

Originally dubbed Verizon Vehicle, hum provides subscribers with a self-installed solution that helps predict potential issues, prevents breakdowns and offers protection when problems do arise. At the simple press of a button, drivers receive diagnostic information, pinpoint roadside assistance and live consultation with ASE-certified mechanics and emergency personnel on-demand.

According to Andrés Irlando, CEO at Verizon Telematics. “This service equips drivers on the road today with the same level of information about their vehicles that fitness wearables deliver about our health. Simply put, hum democratizes the safety and convenience of vehicle connectivity.”

The company’s first direct-to-consumer offering – hum is compatible with more than 150 million passenger vehicles on the road today.

How hum works

Subscribers simply install hum through an onboard diagnostic (OBD) reader that is plugged into the vehicle’s OBD port, and a Bluetooth-enabled device that is clipped to the visor. A smartphone app allows subscribers to monitor their vehicle health, contact help, and manage maintenance needs, even when they are not behind the wheel.

Digital Family Advisor did use the first iteration of this technology a few years ago and found it compelling but encountered too many issues. Sources tell DFA, that this version addresses all those issues and some other safety issues first disclosed by industry experts.

Through GPS-based technology, hum helps accurately dispatch advanced roadside assistance, alerts emergency personnel of a car’s location if a crash is detected, and assists authorities in locating a vehicle that has been reported stolen.

Two year subscription plans start at $14.99 per month plus taxes, fees and equipment for the first vehicle (including the hardware, valued at $120) with the option to add other vehicles for less. For more information and to purchase hum, visit hum.com.

CREATING A MOSQUITO FREE ZONE

 I am a mosquito magnet. If there is one within 20 miles, it will find me and invite all its friends to a nice buffet on me. But I go in and out all day, walking the dog and errands and hate hate hate spraying myself with chemicals every time I leave the house. And I have never been able to sit out on my deck in the summer time. So when I tried these Thermacell remedies, and they seemed to work, I couldn’t be happier.

 Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern

The Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern is a new durable, water-resistant repellent Camp Lantern that provides bright light and repels mosquitoes. With a heavy-duty rubberized base, 50 hours of use at its highest setting, and the ability to keep biting mosquitoes, black flies and “no see-ums” at bay, this lantern makes camping more enjoyable. The Camp Lantern offers multiple features:

• Effective within a 15 x15-foot area, the size of an average patio or deck
• Easy to use – no candle or open flame
• Comfortable: No smelly lotions, sprays, or oils
• Convenient: Attractive size, portable, lightweight
• Quiet: Silent operation
• Dual-function: Repellent and light features can be used together or separately
• Ideal for backyards, decks, picnics, barbecues, camping, and outdoor parties
• Mosquito repellent operates on a single butane cartridge (included)
• The butane warms an insect repellent mat that releases allethrin
• Allethrin is a synthetic copy of a natural repellent found in pyrethrum flowers, a member of the chrysanthemum family
• 4 LED lights have “low” and “high” illumination settings; lights operate on 4 AA batteries (not included)
• Decorative design for patio and backyard entertaining
• Contains: 1 reusable Mosquito Repellent Patio Lantern, 1 butane cartridge (lasts up to 12 hours), 3 insect repellent mats (lasts up to 4 hours each)
• Refills sold separately

Read more at:  http://www.thermacell.com/mosquito-repellent/lanterns/patio-lantern#KImPiGHfSRwMlXWa.99

 Mosquito Repellent Appliance for Outdoor Use

The Mosquito Repellent Appliance in olive is good for camping, hunting, fishing, and outdoors around the house.

• Effectively repels mosquitoes, black flies, and other biting insects
• Virtually odor free
• Creates a 15 x 15-foot zone of bug-free comfort
• Has no open flames
• No scented lotions, sprays, or oils
• Compact, easy-to-carry size
• Weighs 0.7 lbs.
• Operates on a single butane cartridge (included)
• Quiet on/off turn dial
• Includes: 1 reusable Mosquito Repellent Appliance, 1 Butane Cartridge (lasts up to 12 hours), 3 insect repellent mats (each lasts up to 4 hours)
• Mosquito Repellent Refills sold separately
• Holster with Clip, Holster with Strap and Buckle, All Purpose Swivel Light, and other accessories sold separately

Read more at http://www.thermacell.com/mosquito-repellent/appliances/mosquito-repellent-appliance-in-olive#LAcrw46ejIlZqywO.99

Epson’s New Projectors

The leading home projector company has added two models to its award-winning lineup of Home Cinema projectors, offering varied capabilities designed to make it easier than ever to enjoy a big-screen experience in today’s living rooms. The Home Cinema 1040 and Home Cinema 1440 are versatile projectors featuring advanced image quality technology, built-in sound and convenient setup tools for flexible placement.

Epson Home Cinema 1040 Featuring 3,000 lumens of color brightness and 3,000 lumens of white brightness, the Home Cinema 1040 brings the big-screen home at an affordable price point. $799 MSRP. DFA thoroughly enjoyed the last version of this device and this new and improved version, is supposed to be clearer and sharper. Wow!

Epson Home Cinema 1440 One of the brightest home projectors available on the market, the Home Cinema 1440 delivers 4,400 lumens of color brightness and 4,400 lumens of white brightness. Users can also enjoy exceptional image quality with Farouja DCDi Cinema^®, an advanced video enhancement technology, and Split Screen capabilities to project two different videos or still images simultaneously. $1,699 MSRP.

Smartphone – Motorola  – Moto G (3rd generation)

Okay, the kid has to have a smartphone.  Doesn’t mean it has to break the bank.  Some reviewers have described the Moto G as the best value priced smartphone on the market.  It has almost all the features you’d expect from a flagship phone except the price.  It’s unlocked so you can sign your student up for whichever carrier and plan makes the most sense for both of you.  Prices start at about $180.

 Plantronics Back Beats Beat the Sound Barrier

We tried doing our workout the other day fumbling with our wired head phones connected to our Smart Phone. Then we tried our Tablet to see our progress and to hear our tunes. Not a pretty site, so we tried the Plantronics Back Beat Pro.

Most reporters and office workers are familiar with Plantronics dictation headphones and operator head gear, but I never thought I could do a sweaty messy run or exercise routine with a Plantronics brand on it. Well this company has come a long way. These stylish yet unbelievably easy to use headphones with sound as almost good as Bose, were terrific

Whatever your workout, the flexible, sweat-proof Plantronics BackBeat FIT wireless stereo headphones keep pace with you. Its powerful audio lets you clearly hear your music while its safety-oriented design lets you hear your surroundings and be seen at night. The reversible armband secures your smartphone while you’re moving and stores your headphones when you’re done – making it your perfect workout partner.

If you like your headphones in a comfortable ear bud style, try Plantronics’ Backbeat Go 2 Wireless Earbuds – Incredibly small, amazingly light and with Bluetooth® technology lets you connect to your smartphone or tablet for music, movies, and calls.

The P2i military-grade nano-coating protects the earbuds against sweat, moisture, and spills.Inline controls make it easy to take calls, skip tracks, adjust volume, and activate Siri, Google Now, or Cortana voice-controlled smartphone assistants. Compact design easily slips into your pocket and tangle free cable keeps things simple. Three sizes of cushioned eartips and stabilizers make the fit custom and comfortable for active use and all day wearing. DeepSleep mode puts buds into hibernation when away from the phone, extending battery readiness up to six months. One of our favorite features is the charging case. Just 20 minutes connected to the charging case adds another hour of listening time.

Motorola Surround headphones

To listen to music on that smartphone, Motorola makes a set of headphones designed to match with the Moto G.  The Moto Surround wireless earbuds.  The phones have HD sound, will play music for up to twelve hours on a charge.  They are sweat and water resistant and come with a form fitting collar which vibrates when there’s an incoming call, even if the earbuds aren’t in the ear.  Price $70.

But maybe the best Blue Tooth phones are the two models currently made by Plantronics

 Bluetooth Speaker – Jam Platinum Wireless Pocket Speaker

For those times when it’s just fine to crank up the tunes, the Jam Platinum provides a huge sound in a small, extremely attractive package.  It has two passive radiators.  By suspending the speakers, it generates a bass that is unexpectedly rich, and the sound quality is solid across the spectrum. The Jam Platinum has voice prompts so you know when it’s connected or powering down.  It provides up to eight hours of play on a change. Price is $80.

 Some More Fall release Computers

Lenovo Flex 3 – 11  

The Flex can be used as a tablet, a laptop, a stand, or a tent.  It has a 11.6″ touchscreen HD display, and is equipped with a 64 GB drive, and is powered by an Intel Celeron chip.   The Windows 10 version should be ready next month. Price is $379.

Asus Zenbook UX 305FA  – 13”

This is a sleek Ultrabook laptop with a host of features and a surprisingly affordable price.  It has a 13.3″ screen in a slim aluminum chassis.  It comes with a host of ports including 3 USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot.  It uses Intel’s Core M chip which is a low power draw but relatively high performance chip.  You can get a touchscreen as an option.   The Windows 10 version will be ready in November. Price begins at $699.

Lenovo  Z51 – 15″

This is a value priced big screen laptop that’s packed with a lot of features for the price.  The base model comes with an Intel Core i3 processor.  a 15.6″ diagonal screen and 500 GB of hard drive storage.  You can upgrade processor and storage.  It has a range of connections including 2 USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, VGA and HDMI outputs, an an Ethernet jack.  It has one feature that’s becoming a rarity on multimedia machine, a DVD±RW drive.  Prices begin at $499 and head north from there. The Windows 10 version is delayed.

Asus Chromebook Flip C100PA 

This compact convertible packs a lot into a small package.  It runs on Google’s Chrome OS and really needs cloud connectivity.  Onboard storage is limited, either 16 or 32 GB, but it comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive cloud storage.  It has a 10″ touch screen that operates in tablet, laptop, stand, or tent mode.  We’ve seen it priced at $249.

As we always remind you: Please Backup your Content!

Seagate Backup Plus Slim

External Memory

To keep your precious documents, pictures, music, and videos safe from harm, we strongly recommend backing them all up onto a  portable external drive.  By keeping the drive up to date and storing it separately from the computer, you’ve got an insurance policy to protect against mishaps.

The My Passport Ultra from Western Digital comes in sizes up to 3 TB at a price of $160 and 2 TB for $100.  The Seagate Backup Plus Slim  comes in sizes up to 2 TB for $90 and includes 200 GB of cloud storage.  Both are reliable, sturdy, and lightweight, and both are big enough to store just about everything a four year college degree may require.

 Running out Memory?

San Disk Storing Streaming Everywhere

 We finally purchased an Apple product because the FaceTime App is still much better than Skpye or Oovoo at video chatting and just plain talking between smart phones and Tablets, but alas, we ran out of memory on the IPad Mini 2.

As with all IPads and IPhones, there’s not much storage and Apple Cloud is a giant rip-off.

The saving grace was the SanDisk Flash Drive iXpand™ lets you free up memory on your mobile devices and instantly expand storage by up to 128GB. It connects directly to the iPhone/iPad Lightning port and to computers via the USB connector for seamless sharing. It took us about two minutes to get our extra videos, pictures, documents and music onto the IXpand and we saved money time and effort in expanding the use of our IPad.

Another San Disk innovation is San Disk’s Wireless Media Drive. It  does all of the above wirelessly. It streams up to 5 different HD movies simultaneously. Adds up to 8 hours of continuous streaming on a single charge and you can add more memory to your devices Apple, Windows, Android by using the SD card slot to instantly share photos or expand storage capacity. No accessories or Internet access needed and when on a plane, train, or bus your partner can share the content too.

Lexar’s massive  256 GB Jump drive is tiny

Lexar’s JumpDrive model  S75 USB 3.0 drive features a retractable connector with an easy-to-use thumb slide, comes in a range of colors, and is available in capacities from 16GB-256GB. Priced from $10 to $60, these jump drives are performing faster and easier than most of the competition. So if you are moving or storing your valuable videos, pictures, music or complicated documents, you’ll not spend hours doing it.

Calling all adventure seekers and adrenaline junkies! Now you can make the most of your adventures in the great outdoors by leveraging the power and performance of Lexar High-Performance 633x microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I cards. So whether you’re shooting the action with your sports camcorder or an aerial camera, you can quickly capture, play back, and transfer a large amount of the highest quality 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video—making it easy to preserve more than 15 hours of your greatest moments and then relive the action. Available in 16-128GB capacities. The pro version full size SD cards are available in 32GB and 64GB capacities.

If you want something bigger there’s the 1TB Kensington Data Traveler USB 3.0 drive.  But that will set you back a whopping $772.74.

Eagle Creek AfarComputer Backpack

We are consistently impressed at the quality and durability of Eagle Creek’s product line.  This computer backpack is no exception.  If has a padded compartment that will fit a 17″ laptop.  It has internal pockets to store other electronics and accessories.  It comes with three outside mesh pockets to make it easy to grab a water bottle on the go and it has ergonomically designed straps to comfortably distribute the weight.  We’ve seen it priced as low as $77.00.

Epson Expression Home XP-420Printer

The paperless world hasn’t quite made it to most campuses, where many papers still need to be on hard copy. The XP-420 Small-in-One printer enables wireless printing from virtually anywhere, with or without a network – even from an iPad, iPhone, tablet or smartphone. Setup and navigation are easy with a hi-res, 2.5″ color LCD.  The XP-420 will scan, copy, and print.  It has a 100-sheet paper capacity and individual inks which means reloading paper less often and replacing only the color cartridge that’s empty.  Price is $60.

 NewerTech NuGreen LED Desk Lamp

This desk lamp is easy on the eyes and easy on the environment.  The NuGreen lamp with its flexible neck adds focused energy efficient cool white light to the desktop workspace. Featuring 50 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), NuGreen produces light similar to natural daylight, making it perfect for dorm rooms, apartments, and bedrooms. Using only 3.6 watts total power, the NuGreen saves both money and the environment. The LEDs last up to 45,000 use hours, up to 22 times longer than traditional bulbs and can be recycled. The LED lights don’t emit any heat and the lamp turns on with a finger tip touch to the red ring power indicator.  Available for $49 .

Impecca PowerIt 16,500mAh Portable Jump Start Power Pack

From car to smartphone, this one device will handle most power needs.   With this brick sized power pack, your student can keep a single power supply that will jump start the car or charge any USB device.  The PowerIt can be charged from the wall, or from a car’s 12 volt output.  The Powerkit comes with a set of jacks that will fit many laptops.  It has four different output settings 5v for USB, 12v along with battery clips for the car, and 16v and 19v for laptops.  Price $160.

 Kensington Wordlock Laptop Lock

We’d all like to believe that a college campus is a place where your son or daughter and their belongings are safe.  But that’s not always the case.  A laptop lock is an inexpensive way to protect their precious computer and all of the important data, documents, and memories that are stored there.  Almost every laptop these days is made with a slot for a Kensington lock.  The wordlock uses letters instead of numbers or a key, which offers more combinations.  We’ve seen it priced as low as $21.

Garmin Nuvi 58LMTNavigation Device

Your student may not know where he or she is headed in life, but at least they won’t get lost on the road getting there. Or if you’ve saved money on your car and didn’t include a built in GPS, the Garmin Navi comes with free lifetime maps and traffic avoidance.  It has a 5.0-inch dual-orientation display. It offers free lifetime map updates and traffic avoidance. Price is $180

Asus S1 Mobile LED Projector Pocket Projector

This little projector has the potential to make your student the most popular kid in the dorm.  It’s a pocket size projector that throws a bright 200 lumen beam creating a 41″ diagonal  picture at a distance of 3 feet.  It has enough on board battery power to run for 3 hours and can be used as a power bank to charge other devices like a smartphone.  It has a built-in speaker and both HDMI and USB inputs, making it capable of running movies from a laptop, or even a smartphone.  We’ve seen it priced at $297 and up.

Acer’s Chromebase Touchscreen

ACER Backs up its very public and private support of Google’s Chrome operating System with a Touchscreen fully HD All-in -One desktop machine. Here’s our run through:

Unboxing and setting up the unit took 5 minutes from start to finish. Acer delivers all the goodies that far surpassed my expectations. The Chrome Base has all of the great Google apps available to it including games, productivity, maps, etc. Besides the amazing chrome OS I’ve also used a USB drive to boot Linux and was so happy with the results. It was fast smooth and had no issues setting it up just the way I wanted it.

The cost of the unit, amazing speed, chrome apps and fun hacks make this a must have product for those looking for a web driven desktop. I’m a heavy power user and I found that this chrome desktop can deliver virtually anything you may need. I’ve had all the business Google apps open, YouTube, games, email and more open and never once felt it slow down. Wall mounting the unit is also very easy the back plate comes off with 4 screws and can easily be mounted with any vesa complaint mount.

At first glance, you immediately notice two things; the display looks great and the peripherals look and feel a little less than major league. However, they can easily be replaced with nicer units such as a wireless mouse and keyboard that fit the quality of the unit. Another perk I was looking forward to is the free 100GB Google Drive space upgrade that come included with the unit. Now Acer has it promoted on their site in a manner which may lead you to believe that it is indefinite but it’s free for 2 years.

It also fails to correctly explain how to expand your Google drive correctly. The given URL for the expansion in the “Getting Started” manual takes you to the chrome web browser download not to a place to redeem the expansion.  This will also impact the resale value of the unit since the license can only be used once. You will also want to make sure that when you do set it up you do so on your main account. The touch screen is not necessary in most situations but it’s great to have for games, photoshop and pictures. The multi-touch is very responsive and is very accurate, but the screen is a finger print magnet so get ready to clean it often.

If you’ve never used a computer or just want something simple this may be for you. If you’ve never used a chrome book and are worried you won’t get to use your fav programs,  here are just a couple of things it can do; run MS Office, virtually any android app, work offline, use photoshop, Linux, or remote into another computer. I’d recommend this unit to anyone looking for a super-fast web-based computer that can deliver business class services, simple kiosk model, for students or just as a family friendly computer. Due to its reasonable price this is definitely a great tech present for just about anyone.

Whats under the hood

• NVIDIA Tegra K1 Quad-core 2.10 GHz
• 21.5″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
• NVIDIA Kepler GPU with Shared Memory
• 4 GB, DDR3 SDRAM
• 16 GB Flash Memory
• 2 usb 2.0 and 1 usb 3.0
• HDMI, Network port, SD card slot, Headphone jack
• Kingston Security Lock
• Built in Webcam
• $479 touchscreen $379 without touchscreen

Pros: Sleek beautiful display, very fast web browsing, Vesa Compliant, all the great google apps, 2 Year 100GB Google drive storage, excellent audio quality.

Cons: Cheap peripherals