{ FIRST } The winner of the Silhouette goodies from yeterday’s giveaway is … Lydia in Texas (the one who said she would gladly build a shelf for the Silhouette)! Lydia, email cwalsh@silhouetteamerica.com to claim your prizes! Congrats!

{ SECOND } My 1,000th blog post is coming up! What’s one of my most memorable blog posts ever for you? I would love to hear from you, and may even include your note in that 1,000th post. Email submissions@beckyhiggins.com and tell me which post you’re thinking of.

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{ TECH FRIDAY WITH KEVIN }

There was such an awesome response to my brother’s Tech Friday post last month. So we’re doing it again! I invited you to ask any tech-related question (via facebook + twitter) and you didn’t hold back. Today, Kevin is answering your questions. Because he’s seriously just such a nice guy.

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Q: Loved the answers about changing over to NO CABLE, but what about sports?? Are there channels for just certain sports/teams/etc or is that out like local channels? Olympics are included in local? I’d love to switch since we only use about 5 channels+sports PS: you 2 are super cool sis & bro team [Ada Fisher]

A: As I mentioned before, the one gap in my home entertainment system is live sports coverage. I’m not a huge sports nut, so it doesn’t bother me much. I do, however, like to watch significant events like World Cup, Wimbledon, etc. Those, fortunately, are covered by the big networks like ABC, which are in turn broadcast (in HD) via free airwaves. These are the channels that are picked up by purchasing an inexpensive receiver from Wal-mart or Target.

If you follow college basketball, you may have noticed something very interesting during this last “March Madness”… a free app that streamed all the tournament games directly to your iPad and iPhone. I watched a few games this way, and the quality was pretty amazing, especially over WiFi. I think going forward, this is how it should be done. Free live streaming (to any device).

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Q: My 2 kids and I each have iPhones or iPod Touches and share a computer with iTunes. Is there any way to have separate accounts in iTunes? Everyone is always spending everyone else’s money when they buy things. The kids get gift cards and can not keep it straight whose money is whose. That being said the kids like to share apps and music too. Is there a better way to mange all of this? [Tracey Romanofsky Edmonds]

A: First of all, if you have multiple people in your family using a single computer, I HIGHLY recommend that each user have their own computer account. That will A) ensure that each person can have their own wallpaper, settings, etc, and B) allow everyone to have their own iTunes libraries with their own payment/credit information.

As for sharing content (music, apps, etc), no problem. Check into “Home Sharing”. It allows you to share your purchased iTunes content on up to 5 computers at home or work… legally. Here’s a blog post with more information on Home Sharing.

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Q: I have an iPad and love it. I NEED an iPhone! Should I get one now and deal with not being able to surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time? Or should I wait for the next version of the phone, which hopefully has that capability? [Briana Thatcher]

A: As you know, CDMA (the network that Verizon users) has a serious drawback… it doesn’t allow you to use voice and data simultaneously. This is not the same on a GSM network (like AT&T). I consider this a serious drawback because I use that feature all the time on AT&T. Unfortunately, this will not be remedied on the iPhone until the iPhone itself works on their new 4G LTE network. So the question is, will the next iPhone run on the new network?

Apple, of course, doesn’t comment on unannounced products, so it’s left up to people like me to guess what their next move is. Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball, but if I was a bettin’ man, I would say that the next iPhone will NOT work on LTE. The fact is, LTE isn’t broad enough… yet. I am willing to bet that the next iPhone will have a slightly newer design (possibly a larger display), but will have both GSM and CDMA radios built-in, so it can be used on either network. My advice: buy your iPhone now.

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Q: Briana, I have had an iPhone thru Verizon since February, and I haven’t once missed being able to surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time. Not once. Go for it! [Annie LaPoint Mills]

A: See previous response. The great thing about technology is that we all use these devices differently. I certainly don’t expect everyone to use an iPhone just like me. That would be nuts. “Adapt and enjoy” is my motto.

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Q: I have an Epson 1400 printer. The ink doesn’t want to dry on the photos. Is there a smaller photo printer I should try? [Marsha Alford]

A: I really like Epson for photo printing. I have the 2200, and love it. I haven’t heard of ink “not drying” on photos before, so it begs the question… what kind of paper are you using? I know it sounds crazy, but there is a real science to how ink embeds itself in the fibers of paper. Some people say it’s crazy to buy Epson-brand paper just because you have an Epson-brand printer. The fact is, paper is scientifically designed to accept ink in a certain way.

I gave up on printing smaller prints (4×6, 5×7, etc) at home because it’s too expensive in the long-run (and I don’t do it often enough), but if you’re looking for a good small-format photo printer, check out the Epson Artisan 50 Inkjet Printer. It will run you about $150.

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Q: What is the best way to transfer/copy PSE 6 to an EHD? Is it possible to do that? [Joanne Nickla Teliszewski]

A: I’m assuming you want to run the application from the external hard drive. The first thing you want to do is remove the version installed on your primary (internal) hard drive. That will clean it off. After that’s done, you want to reinstall the application from the original install disc. During the installation, it will ask where you want the app installed. Point the installer to the external hard drive, and you’re set to go. One thing you should know: by running the app from an external hard drive, you will likely run into some performance issues. Nothing major, but don’t be surprised if you find that it runs just a tad slower than normal.

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Q: I would like to know how David & Becky did the TV/picture screens that are in their kitchen. Maybe you can explain. [Jeanette Campbell Matheson]

A: It’s a lot easier than you think (don’t tell Becky I said that!). The simple part is finding and mounting the screens. In David & Becky’s case, they hung two screens top and bottom. The coolest multi-screen display I’ve seen was 4 screens wide by 8 screens high, each of them mounted right next to each other. Pure awesomeness! I digress. Once the screens are hung, you need something to drive them. In D&B’s case, their screens have a built-in SD slot that has a series of photos preloaded on them. The software in the TVs themselves reads the photos from the cards, and displays them like a screensaver. If you wanted to go one step further, you could add an Apple TV to each of the screens. That would just give you more functionality.

[Becky interjecting] I’m sorry my brother is the one who had to finally answer this question that many of you have had! I’ve been meaning to make a video of our kitchen digital photo display.

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Q: Does Kevin have any recommendations for iPad apps? Esp. for editing pictures, but any would be cool! [Nancy Wongsotaroeno]

A: Here’s a blog post that shows some of my favorite iPad apps.

As for image editing, check out ArtStudio for iPad. I also really like Camera+ for iPhone. You can, of course, use this on an iPad, but I’ve also been told that an iPad version is coming out soon. That would really be awesome.

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Q: I have TOO many photos in my iPhoto library of our main desktop Mac at home (about 22K photos and growing)! I want to weed through them, assigning key words and also delete the photos I don’t need. I would love the ability to do this while mobile (I travel a lot for work). If I got an iPad with the iPhoto app, could i put part of my main iPhoto library on it while on travel, then work on whittling down and organizing the photos in certain events, then sync it back up to the main Mac when I got home? If not, how would you recommend accomplishing this? THANK YOU! P.S. my whole work life is PC/Windows based, so I’d have to buy whatever equipment you recommend. Thanks again!! [Carol Macha]

A: Let me get this straight… you want to start tagging 22,000+ photos? That is serious ambition! I don’t even know you, and I’m proud of you.

I’m faced with a similar challenge. My solution is to cut my losses and do the best I can going forward. That doesn’t work for all, and it sounds like it won’t work for you. I wish I had better news for you on the prospect of taking photos on the go, tagging them and then returning them to a more permanent storage (while retaining the tags). iPhoto is a great photo management system, but it has its limitations, and this is one of them. As the iPad is becoming more popular, maybe this is an opportunity for Apple… portable management. Sounds like a good idea to me!

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Q: Another iTunes question. We have the similar situation like Tracy. (too many “iToys”?) How do we manage all these different devices? Two kids have iPod Touches, my husband & I have iPod Nanos & iPads. The kids each have an iTunes account for their iPods. Since we just purchased Apple TVs (thanks for sending us over the edge!) we are looking at purchasing more movies on iTunes now. Can we sync all of our different devices with my account without any problems for the purpose of loading movies onto their iPods? Thanks for helping with the techie stuff! [Susan Loveland]

A: The more “iToys” and iTunes accounts you have, the more complicated it can get. See the previous response for some tips. Another idea is to just have one main iTunes account that everything is purchased through. That way, it’s easy to manage and track. As long as you’re using Home Sharing, you will still be able to share your purchased content with up to 5 computers (and countless devices), enabling everyone in your family to enjoy.

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Q: Ack! Another question. I’m trying to use HandBrake to get a DVD that we have into iTunes. When I select source and then the DVD, it says that I need VLC. So I downloaded VLC, opened the movie using it, and now I don’t know the rest of the process to follow. What now? Do you have an easy tutorial on the process I’m supposed to be using (but can’t figure out)? Thanks so much! [Susan Loveland]

A: VLC, in this case, is used for nothing more than a resource app that HandBrake uses to decode/encode. In other words, you need to install it, but you really never need to run it.

For a complete tutorial on how to use HandBrake (and why), check out this blog post.

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Q: Is there an app for radio for the ipod touch that doesn’t require internet signal? [Ellie Lundstrom]

A: The only way to listen to the radio (whether it be old-fashioned with an antenna or new-age over the Internet) is to have some way of delivering that content to you. In the case of Internet radio, you HAVE to have an Internet connection, otherwise it won’t have a way of reaching your device.

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Q: We’ve noticed our internet download speeds have slowed down. We have many things pulling from our wifi (iPod touch, Color Nook, printer, 2 laptops, DSi, BlackBerry, etc.). We have a Motorola Surfboard Wireless Cable Modem Gateway, model SBG900. Would a new modem/router combo improve speeds? If so, what do you recommend? [Kristine Dreffs]

A: The first thing I would do is test your modem/router to ensure it’s working properly. I’ve actually seen the wireless portion of modern routers go bad over time, while the wired portion works just fine. The first thing you need to do is plug a computer directly into the router with a network cable. Once you can get online, go to www.speedtest.net to test your actual Internet speed. If this matches what you think you should be getting from your ISP (give about a 10% allowance for network overhead), then your router is working fine. At that point, there may be an issue with the wireless location or antennas.

If you’re still looking for a new router, I highly recommend the Apple Base Station (works for both Macs and PCs. They are a little more expensive than other wireless routers, but when you look at the features, I think you’ll find it’s worth the cost. Linksys is another brand to look at.

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Q: Love the photos! I have a question…how do you print pics from your phone? I was without a camera for two weeks and used my phone for POTD. Help! [Betsy]

A: Great question! Check out this blog post here for a solution.

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Q: On Becky’s blog post about BYU, she said that she is using your instagram for many POTDs. How do you print those? Because they are not a 4×6. I have the same program and love the features and would love to use those pictures! [Kirsten Travis Davies]

A: One of the characteristics of Instagram is its square aspect ratio. When you print a 4” wide Instagram shot, it will print at 4×4”, not a standard 4×6”. If you send that photo to be printed at Costco or another printing facility, the photo would likely come back as a 4×6”, but with a 1” border on the top and bottom. This is because they won’t be using custom paper to print your photo. What does that mean for you? A little more work. You will need to manually chop off the excess.

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Q: After remodeling our master bathroom we have had one area of wall and ceiling that constantly “peel”…what do you suggest? [Vicki Maloney]

A: Personally, I would replace the sheetrock with LED displays. That way, when you want to change your wallpaper, it’s just a matter of a click, click and save.