Practical Geek podcast

We look at standing desks, including two office workers who've come up with their own cheap solution to an often expensive proposition. We visit a village in B.C. that bought a drone and wrap up with another instalment of You Can't Get It in Canada. Barry Link hosts.

In this episode, I discuss what I've learned from months of using Netgear Arlo and D-Link cameras in my home. My conclusion: although they can be fun and useful, you might not want or need a camera at all. Listen to find out why. Also, another segment of You Can't Get It in Canada.

Amazon Prime Video is no replacement for the loss of Shomi in the online video streaming space in Canada. But maybe that's not the point of the service.

Are you prepared for Black Friday? What about your holiday tech shopping list? Guests Tyler Orton and Brittany Whitmore parse out Black Friday with me and provide advice for tech consumers about what to expect this week, whether Black Friday is worth it for tech and what products you should avoid. You can save big on PC peripherals on Black Friday, and 4K TVs are now reasonably priced. Gaming consoles should also see competitive pricing as could devices like the Surface Pro. But give up on buying the new Nintendo NES Classic. And be wary about jumping into still developing product categories like drones and VR or declining markets like tablets. Barry Link hosts.

The Google Chromecast has been my champion for months as the best budget streamer for Canadians. If all you want is to put Netflix or YouTube on your TV, this was the device to get. But now Roku has introduced the Express, which is $5 cheaper than the Chromecast. And it includes a remote. Is it enough to unseat the Chromecast? Let’s find out.

We talk to two people who keep old devices running long after they’ve been rendered obsolete by new products and abandoned by their makers. Why do they that? Because sometimes, upgrading to a new device is the wrong thing to do. We meet an iPod Classic fan and a devotee of BlackBerry's abandoned Playbook. And we have our What I’m Playing segment, the teen edition.

What would you do if all the technology you rely upon in your daily life suddenly stopped working? We talk to Patrick Blennerhassett, whose latest novel examines that scenario and what it means for our increasing dependency on technology. Then we talk with Stream Queen Cayley Dobie about the death of streaming service Shomi and what it means for Canadian streaming service fans.

Roku and VMedia have partnered to provide what looks like Canada's first straightforward and legal live TV streaming package online. It's basically a skinny cable package available through a Roku streamer with no contracts or subscriptions to a cable service. It's a big development for cord cutters in Canada, so I tested it out to see if it's worth it for you.

This episode is the second part of our two-part series on cord cutting in Canada in the second half of 2016. We discuss my suggestions for the devices, apps and services you should consider when cutting the cord. But first we talk with an old friend of the show about how he just cut the cord and why.

As thousands more Canadians consider cutting the cord, we present part 1 of our fall update to the cord cutting scene in Canada. We once again talk to Sean Whitehead, owner of Kutko Canada, about the devices and services he recommends, the current state of Netflix, what he thinks about new American offerings like SlingTV and CBS All Access and whether unblocking services still have value.

September here in Canada means back to school – otherwise known to students as the death of summer– and that means back to school shopping. When I was an elementary school student, school tech meant HB pencils and lined notebooks. Now pencils are digital devices for writing on sheets of smart glass, and notebooks are powerful PCs. In this episode we’ll give you a few ideas for back to school tech shopping, whether you have students in Grade 2 or second year university or maybe you’re a student yourself. And to help out I’ve asked Sandra Thomas the travel and lifestyles editor from the Vancouver Courier to give us a list of 10 items to consider for back to school tech shopping.

This bonus episode comes courtesy of our sister Business in Vancouver podcast, which recently did a segment on virtual reality, augmented reality, Microsoft's Hololens and how the holodeck has landed in Vancouver. Host Tyler Orton then dragged me out from behind the recording desk to weigh in on the topic, and we ended up discoursing on Pokemon Go.

Recently I jumped from Windows Phone, my long preferred but failing platform of choice. Which way did I go? First, find out which way you should go if you're considering switching from one phone platform to another or even jumping into smartphones for the first time. I recruited tech journalist Romila Barryman to speak for Android and Geek executive producer Tim Shoults to speak for IOS. They debated hardware, software, cameras, updates and security in a bid for my choice. Who won? Find out! Plus our new bonus feature: What I'm Playing.

Tech can make your travel easier -- if you do it right. Vancouver Courier travel editor Sandra Thomas joins me to share her favourite travel apps and services and to offer tips on how to hit the road with tech safely and efficiently this summer and to save money while doing so. From HipMunk to dealing with phone chargers and thefts, we've got a tip you can use.

My annual subscription for Groove Music is due next week and I'm thinking of switching services before it expires and renews. Multimedia reporter Romila Barryman of Business in Vancouver drops in to help me decide between Spotify, Google Play Music and Apple Music as possible replacements. First, we have to get by my unusual taste in music.

Can you survive watching Netflix now that the streaming giant has cracked down effectively on VPNs and unblocking services? We're here to help you with five tips on making that adjustment. Wait and see. Accept Netflix for what it is. Consider Shomi and CraveTV. Go outside. But don't steal if you can help it. Guests Tyler Orton and Romila Barryman help host Barry Link with the details.

Now that Netflix is clamping down on border hopping, cord cutters are focusing on the other streaming services available in Canada. We talked to Marni Shulman, Shomi’s head of content and programming, via Skype a few weeks back and covered a range of topics, but one thing that stuck out was her belief that we’re in a “golden age of content” and that no one streaming service can possibly offer everything you want to see. We talked about Shomi’s focus on human curation, whether it has any plans for original content, the effect, if any, of the CRTC on their service, and whether a certain show about a guy in a tall building will make its way to Canadian screens. We also covered common criticisms of Shomi, including a smaller catalogue compared to Netflix and the fact that it’s still expanding to various device platforms.

Tyler Orton of Business in Vancouver drops in to talk about Apple's latest product developments. We conclude it's best to wait for the next iPhone this fall but consider the smaller iPad Pro for serious work thanks to its boost in memory. We also wonder why anyone would buy an Apple Watch when the smart tie might be just around the corner.

March saw the debut of mandated "skinny" packages from Canada's cable TV providers, thanks to a mandate from the CRTC. At first glance, the packages, which must include certain channels -- including the Canadian broadcast networks and community and educational channels -- look like a bargain when compared to the expensive packages otherwise offered by TV service providers. But do they stand up to scrutiny? That's what Tyler Orton and Glen Korstrom, both from Business and Vancouver, and I grapple with in this episode. Do the skinny packages provide less bang for the buck for each channel? Would they tempt subscribers to downgrade from their current monthly package? Are they tempting to cord cutters looking for the convenience of traditional TV? Listen and find out for our recommendations.

What are the top streaming devices for cord cutters in Canada? Tyler Orton answer that question with a roundup of streaming devices for you to consider. We look at devices you might already have in your home, from your smart TV to gaming consoles, and then we discuss our recommendations for dedicated streaming devices: the Google Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV.