Mevio Tech

We may have come a long way from the days of alcohol swabs and screen squeegees for cleaning keyboards and CRT screens, but one of the main problems with cleaning solutions for electronic gear has remained daunting. A little spritz on your notebook screen and it immediately starts dripping down toward the hinges and keyboard. Antec has a new product that solves that, and several other issues with typical cleaners.

The product we tested was the Antec 3X Strength Spray. The kit included a large spray bottle for office or home, a smaller (TSA-ready) bottle for traveling, and a microfiber cloth. The packaging promised a “unique non-drip formula” that adheres to the screen to prevent damage, and “triple cleaning power that cleans, disinfects and protects devices” all in one application. It’s free of alcohol and ammonia so it’s okay for a wide range of surfaces and devices, including monitors, laptops, tablets, smartphones, mice, game controllers and – no kidding – even eyeglasses and kitchen appliances. It boasts 99.9% anti-bacterial action if you’re a germaphobe (or share your gear with one), and ensures an anti-static surface with every use.

We gave it a whirl on a the screen and track pad of a vintage MacBook Pro, and, lo and behold, it really didn’t drip. On first pass with the included microfiber cloth, I thought that the solution was going to be too thick to wipe off (or to clean the entire screen), but after a couple more thorough wipes, it cleaned the entire surface with no streaks.

I can’t attest to the ant-bacterial effects, but I haven’t come down with anything yet. I’ll have to get back to you after I find out whether the TSA lets me through their checkpoint at SFO with the little cleaner bottle. I can say that the product doesn’t drip and cleans well. That in itself is a vast improvement over anything else I’ve used.

More information is on the Antec Website.

Keep it clean, people

Shelly Palmer reports on plans for an Intel-powered smart phone, a delay for the PS4, and Ford’s new SYNC AppLink on this episode of Shelly Palmer Daily.

From the Ford Website:

Use your voice to control some of your favorite mobile apps while driving. Available on select models, SYNC® AppLink™138ii is a program that lets you use select apps such as Pandora®138 internet radio from your supported smartphone with voice commands and buttons on your steering wheel. SYNC AppLink is available on 2011/2012 Fiesta and 2012 Mustang, Fusion, Expedition, Super Duty and F-150.

Here are the apps that are currently available.

• PANDORA Internet radio for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone
• Slacker Personal Radio for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone
• Stitcher Smart Radio for Android and iPhone
• Orangatame’s OpenBeak app for Twitter (BlackBerry only)
• iHeartRadio (BlackBerry only)

More applications are being created through Ford’s SYNC developer network.

TuneIn Radio will apparently also be coming soon, with some 50,000 live streams from AM, FM and HD as well as Internet Radio stations included, along with more than one million on-demand programs.

If you have one of the Ford models mentioned above, you can download the SYNC AppLink-capable apps to your smart phone from the iTunes Store or BlackBerry or Android Marketplace.

Announcements were made this week at CES in Las Vegas.

Cali Lewis is back with a brand new show about doing whatever, whenever. On this episode of My Mobile Life, she shows us how to stream live video from an iOS or Android device.

The main advantage to livestreaming as compared to uploading a video for people to watch is the immediacy and the possibility for feedback. The ability to cover an event or simply express your thoughts live, in the moment, with reaction from others, brings a completely distinct dimension to video on the Web. Fortunately, the capability is also extremely accessible to anyone with an iOS or Android device. Here are the three apps Cali recommends.

Ustream.TV – This app offers the most complete experience. It includes the ability to chat, take viewer polls and enhance video for low-light situations. It also connects to Twitter and Facebook.

Justin.TV – Also includes connections to other services and low-light feature, though Cali wasn’t nuts about the quality compared to Ustream.

Qik.com – The zoom feature at Qik is nice, but there’s no ability to chat and nothing to help in low-light conditions.

If you’re going to try livestreaming, remember that you’re going to need lots of bandwidth, so a 4G connection is good if it’s available to you. Wifi is even better if that’s an option. Cali also advises that you stay in one place, if that’s possible, since moving from tower to tower will cause signal drops. She also suggests a handy device called the QuikPod to move the lens back from you without getting your arm in the shot.

Here are links to the apps.

Ustream.tv (iOS)
Ustream.tv (Android)
Justin.tv (iOS)
Justin.tv (Android)
Qik.com (iOS)
Qik.com (Android)

Stay tuned to Mevio Tech for more episodes of My Mobile Life!

Shelly Palmer reports on a boycott of GoDaddy in opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act on this edition of the Shelly Palmer Daily Report.

The domain registrar publicly announced their disagreement with the bill on Thursday, after as many as 70,000 domain names were moved by their owners in prior days, including high profile sites such as Wikipedia and Imgur.

We have observed a spike in domain name transfers, which are running above normal rates and which we attribute to GoDaddy’s prior support for SOPA, which was reversed. GoDaddy opposes SOPA because the legislation has not fulfilled its basic requirement to build a consensus among stake-holders in the technology and Internet communities.

- GoDaddy CEO Warren Adelman

The Stop Online Piracy Act (or “SOPA” – also known as H.R. 3261) would expand the ability of law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Opponents of the bill say that it will kill the Internet, infringing on First Amendment Rights and allowing the U.S. Government to censor sites. Under the proposed legislation, the Attorney General of the United States could require Internet service providers, ad networks, and payment processors to shut down sites suspected of infringement. The Attorney General could also order search engines to stop displaying links to the such sites.

More information on opponents’ concerns can be found at http://americancensorship.org.