WhatsApp offers features you may not have explored
A couple of months ago I started using the free app WhatsApp for sharing pictures and making free phone calls. Now millions of people are angry with the messenger app, turning instead to Signal or Telegram.
Switching from WhatsApp to Telegram is like switching from sugar to corn syrup. Telegram has been criticized in the past as a haven for foreign terrorists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists. It has blocked many of those channels. It was recently used for hacking into Facebook accounts. And it’s not that private. Telegram allows businesses to collect data on you so they can send you ads.
But what’s so bad about WhatsApp, anyway? I don’t care that it’s owned by Facebook. Starting in May, businesses will be able to collect data on you so they can send you messages. But that’s OK with me. That’s how WhatsApp can sustain itself and develop new features without charging me. I don’t expect people to work for me for free.
WhatsApp may have features you have not explored yet. For instance, it allows you to email your text conversations, along with any pictures or videos involved. Just tap the three dots in the upper right corner, choose “more” and “export chat.” I read on the web that this is also available in Signal, but it didn’t work for me. As with Signal, WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, so no one can read them but you.
An alternative is Beeper, for $10 a month. It merges 15 chat apps into one, so you don’t have to sign in to each separately. These include WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Slack, Twitter, Discord, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. Apple’s iMessage is officially for iPhone/iPad only. But if you’re techy, you can use a free app called AirMessage to get iMessages on
your Android phone. But it only works if you use a Mac as a server.
SWITCH GAME
I could hardly wait for my 10 year-old friend to arrive so I could show her my new Nintendo Switch gaming machine. But she prefers talking about the olden days while we watch old movies together. Is the new generation sick of video games or is she just a well-brought-up child?
I thought she’d change her mind when she saw the Ring Fit Adventure game, but we never got past the setup screens before she was bored to tears. I’ll have to wait for a visit from one of my nieces or nephews.
If I take my Switch on the road, it would be handy to have the $39 Genki ShadowCast, which is coming out in April. ShadowCast works with a Switch or a PlayStation 5 to display your game on a TV, desktop computer or laptop. That way you don’t have to lug around a bulky docking station. The ShadowCast is about the size of a thumb drive. It records your games and streams them out for others to watch. You could go pro and sell tickets.
Unfortunately, ShadowCast is still a project on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. But it has raised nearly $2 million, af- ter requesting $30,000.
RIPPING CDS
I’m moving to a condo a few blocks away — my first-ever real estate purchase. It’s a bit smaller than my current digs, so I’m transferring CDs to digital files to save space. Here’s my recent discovery: Windows Media Player stinks compared with Ashampoo Burning Studio.
For some unknown reason, Windows Media Player keeps getting stuck before it finishes ripping the songs off a CD. I thought at first the drive had overheated, but even after cooling off, it gets stuck again. Ashampoo’s Burning Studio works like a charm and has loads of extra features. For example, I can continue working on something else and watch the progress meter in my task bar so I know when it’s time to insert another CD. There’s a 10day free trial, or you can use the free version, Ashampoo Burning Studio Free.
I gave away my vinyl collection because my record player bit the dust. But I saved “The Best of Pete Fountain, Vol. 2.” I can’t find it on CD or streaming services. So I’m going to use kingtet.com, which charges $35 an album to digitize. The owner says customers can’t believe how good their vinyl records sound when he’s done digitizing them.
APP HAPPY
GolfNow is a free app for iPhone or Android that makes it easy to reserve a golf course. My brother-in-law swears by it. Courses that were previously impossible to reserve are child’s play with the app. You can arrange to split the cost of a round with friends before arriving at the course. Or just book it yourself. If you prefer, skip the app and book a course on the website, golfnow.com.
Afterpay is a free app for Android and iPhone that lets you buy something in four installments with no interest charges or fees. You get a choice of 48,000 retailers.
Kayak is a free app for finding and purchasing hotel stays, flights, rental cars, etc. Scroll down on the home page and tap “Flight tracker” to see arrivals or departures, even if you don’t know the flight number. Just type in the airport you want. If you tap the three lines in the upper left, then “Explore,” it shows you a map with prices for flights to various destinations.