Hardware

Laptop or desktop computers and any components within.

Why did the remote for my Roku have trouble connecting after replacing the batteries?

Episode 981

Tom from Warren, OH

Tom bought the Roku 3 so he can "cut the cord". Leo says that the Roku is a great option. The new thing is that it has a remote control that has a built in headphone jack so he can watch TV and not bother others. Tom says he uses it all the time but it recently had trouble connecting after the batteries died. He had to reset it and put it into "enhanced pairing mode" in order to get it done.

Leo Discovers Bug in Philips Hue LED Lightbulbs

Episode 981

Philips Hue

Leo has several Philips Hue RGB WiFi enabled light bulbs, which are cool because they can be set to not only provide accurate lighting conditions, but to mimmick light from any picture as well. The other night, however, Leo discovered a bug - when there's a power outage, it wipes out the programming and turns all the lights on full! He had left the lights on and turned them off with his iPhone app.

What's the best mic for recording audio on my smartphone?

Episode 980

Jerry from Plymouth Lake, CT

Jerry is making instructional videos and wants the audio to come through his bluetooth headset while recording it so he can do wirelessly. Leo says that the Bluetooth earpiece profile is only phone quality and that's not what he'll want to record quality audio. Leo advises recording to the iPhone via a lapel mic that's plugged into it. Or, he could try a Wireless system like Audio Technica. It would work great as long as he doesn't get a lot of RF interference.

Could I text with an iPod?

Episode 980

Pamela from Studio City, CA
iPod Touch

Pamela has a flip phone and her dad has an iPhone 4S. She tries to text, but it doesn't work right. Texts come out in gibberish. Leo says it's odd that the flipphone is messed up because SMS is good on all platforms. So that doesn't make any sense. Pam can use the iPod Touch if she has Wi-Fi access to do it. It only will work through Apple's iMessage, also. Pam can get other apps like What'sApp, Google Chat, or Skype, which all would handle messaging.

What's the best webcam that can also be used for security?

Episode 980

Richard from San Diego, CA
DropCam

Richard wants to set up a webcam for both security and showing customers the manufacturing process at his Inflatables plant. People don't believe things are made anymore in the US and he wants to change all that. Leo says that's a great idea, and recommends DropCam. It's what he uses at The TWiT Brickhouse Studios. It also has DVR capability so he can go back in time to see what's happened.

Can a Chromebook run Java?

Lynette from Azusa, CA

Episode 980

Lynette watched all of the speeches at Google I/O this week, and thought all the talk of the Google environment was interesting. She was thinking about getting a Chromebook but doesn't know if it'll run Java because she loves playing games online. Leo says she'd have to hack the Chromebook to get Java on it, and Leo doesn't advise that. She should just look at a regular laptop.

Dick DeBartolo, The Giz Wiz

Episode 979

Dickie D says that with summer coming, that means grilling season is right around the corner. And a clean bbq is a happy bbq. That's what his gadget is this week with the Grillbot. It's like a Roomba for your BBQ. Press a button to set the amount of time you want it clean and place it on a hot or cold grill. A built in alarm tells you if the grill is too hot for the device. A mini-LCD screen lets you to choose a light or deep clean. Three motors power three wire brushes.