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Marc and Mario are in the studio.
Kathleen Dunleavy from Sprint will be a guest in the second hour of the show on "Marc's on a Quest for the Perfect CellPhone/Carrier."
Marc's just got his MacBook 2.16GHz White Apple Notebook and will give some first impressions.
Feature: The Surf Network
First guest is Ira Opper from The Surf Network, a video on demand (VOD) content site where TV shows and Movies can be bought and downloaded.
They will play from iTunes on a PC or Mac, and can be played on an IPod or viewed through Apple's iTV.
Prices start from $2.99 and they are DRM free! :) meaning you own the content and can used it on as many devices as you wish.
http://www.thesurfnetwork.com
Caller: Vicki on a Cellphone
Wants to know if there's an easy way to get rid of unwanted programs on her desktop.
Unfortunately, her cellphone connection is so bad we lose the call before Marc can give an answer.
Perhaps Vicki should stay tuned for Marc's Quest for the Perfect CellPhone/Carrier!
Caller: John in Los Feliz
Plays NeverWiner Nights on his PC and the screen freezes. John's PC sounds powerful enough - 3.5 GHz Pentium 'D,' ATi Card, and 1.5GB RAM.
Marc suggests doing a video card update, and downloading latest patch for the game as many game companies produce patches for problems that only become know once the program is used on different computers. Check the "Update" button in the program.
Problem for John is that he has no internet access :(
Caller: Vicki on a Cellphone is back!
Marc advises that there's no 'One Click" way to remove all unwanted programs.
Marc suggests removing unwanted "freebie" programs from Vicki's desktop by first going to the Start menu, then Programs, the find the unwanted program to see if it has an uninstaller. If there's no uninstaller, use Control Panel's "Add/Remove Programs" to remove it.
Vicki says that she cannot see or does not recognize the names of some of these unwanted programs in "Add/Remove Programs."
Marc suggests using an Uninstaller program to remove programs that are hard to find in "Add/Remove Programs."
http://www.ursoftware.com/
http://www.brothersoft.com/Utilities_System_Utilities_Your_Uninstaller_12867.html
Problem is it mean adding a program to remove a program!
Apple MacBook 13-inch White 2.16GHz
Marc got his White MacBook three days ago and had only played with it for a day. "Very impressed" is his first reaction, especially at the ease of set up and connection to the internet.
Apple MacBook 13-inch White 2.16GHz
Caller: Don
Gets a "Stop Error" message, also know as the Blue Screen of Death when running Norton Antivirus' Weekly Scan.
Marc's suggestion is to Back Up all data asap as there could be an issue with the Hard Disk Drive.
Don says the problem only happens when running Norton's weekly scan. He hasn't downloaded anything or added or deleted any programs recently.
Marc suggests running Norton in Safe Mode to see if that cures the problem.
Marc also suggests going to Panda Software and using their free on-line scan to see if there's a virus that's affecting Norton.
Caller: Paul in a Car in Whittier
Paul's computer turns off while he's playing Unreal Tournament
Paul has a custom built PC from PC Club built for gaming with 2 NVIDEA Video Cards.
Obvious things to check are virus infection and install latest drivers for video card and check for game patches.
Marc thinks the problem could be overheating and suggests a 500W power supply which should be enough for 2 video cards.
Caller: Dolly on a CellPhone
Desktop or Notebook? Mac or PC?
Dolly has the same cellphone/carrier as Vicki!
Very hard to hear her!
Marc likes the Mac. Although he's always been a PC user, and always will be a PC user, his first impression is very favorable, especially with the ease of set up.
One of Marc's friends recently to a MacBook on a tour of Europe and produced a really outstanding photo collection of the tour that his was able to send from the MacBook to show all the sights. Marc describes the MacBook as a "Work of Art."
Marc promises to have more detailed reviews of his MacBook in the next few weeks as he learns more about it.
Marc suggests Dolly should send him an email to Marc@KABC.com to get more info.
Feature: Marc's tried a new game Bioshock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock
it's not for kids!
Feature: Kathleen Dunleavy from Sprint
http://www2.sprint.com/mr/news_dtl.do?id=14140
Marc has the Palm Treo 755p with Sprint service and is very impressed.
Marc says the Treo 755p is smaller than his previous Treo, and has a more 'tactile' feel - meaning it's not as easy to drop!
Marc is also very impressed with the Treo's reception using Sprint. He says he now gets 4 bars of signal strength at home and office, where before, he got only one, or none.
Kathleen explains that Sprint's use of the Treo's WiMAX chip is producing faster download speeds, enabling live streaming of video content such as Sprint TV, also known as Power View.
Marc notes that at $199 with a 2-year Sprint Contract, the Treo 755p is a serious alternative to the Apple iPhone.
Caller: Al in Van Nuys
Al's been a Sprint customer for 6 years, but suddenly has no or poor service in areas where Sprint reception was previously fine. He hasn't changed phones, so the problem is probably at the Sprint end.
Kathleen suggests that Al emails her with his cellphone number and address, and she will look into the problem. Kathleen does not mind giving out her email address on air for anyone with Sprint issues. Outstanding customer service! kathleen.dunleavy@sprint.com
Feature: DVD Release - Dexter on Showtime
One of Marc's favorite shows is coming to DVD on August 21, 2007
It's a show about a charming blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department, who has an obsession with meting his own twisted brand of justice: stalking and murdering the guilty.
http://www.sho.com/site/dexter/home.do
Not for kids!
Kathleen's a Law and Order re-run fan!
Marc also notes that Ugly Betty's First Season is about to be released on DVD. Marc doesn't get the whole Ugly Betty thing!
Caller: Bob in San Diego
Bob's been a Sprint customer for over 10 years, and has had the Treo 755p since May. Loves it , but has a gripe - When using Yahoo! Mail he cannot delete multiple emails and has to delete them individually.
(Note by editor: Apple's iPhone has the same irritating problem!)
Kathleen says that Yahoo! is constantly working to improve the platform, and says she will contact Sprint/Yahoo! to see what can be done about this.
Caller: Mark in Santa Ana
Wants to know if Sprint's Data Connections. Is Sprint blocking ports to prevent the use of VOIP?
What's VOIP? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VoIP
Kathleen says that despite rumors, there's no port blocking! If the technology is supported on the Treo then Skype should work.
Feature: Buy Of The Week
Despite recent "issues" with Dell and their "support," Marc reckons that Dell's Desktop Smart Value Section has some outstanding deals for starter computers, including a Mini Tower with XP and a 19-inch monitor for $399.00.
http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/desktops?~ck=anav&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19
Caller: Steve in Canoga Park
Steve's a baby boomer and wants a phone that just makes calls, he can't handle all the technology!
"Wow!" says Marc - "A cellphone that just makes calls?!"
Great idea for technology challenged baby boomers.
Kathleen Dunleavy from Sprint says that Sprint has standard phones with bigger buttons that are easier (for some) to use.
Kathleen also suggests that you can increase the font size on your cellphone's display to make it more user friendly.
Kathleen also suggested that getting a pre-paid phone such as one from Virgin or Boost will result in a more simplified straightforward phone. Note both Boost and Virgin use Sprint's network.
Caller: Stan in Culver City
Has a problem with his color monitor. He's using a Gateway 510 and says that sometimes vertical black lines appear on his screen.
Marc's advice is to first make sure that all the cables/connections are secure. If that doesn't solve the problem, then the problem could either be the computer's video card, or the monitor itself. Easiest way to check this is to use another monitor and see if the problem continues, in which case, it's most likely the video card that's going bad.
Finale:
Go to Sprint.com for more information about Sprint's WiMAX enabled phones, and tune in next week when Marc will have more to relate on his experiences with his Apple MacBook.
Note: There's some confusion whether next week's show will start at 9:00am or 10:00am (PST).