With the CoPilot Live app, an iPhone becomes a GPS navigation device.
Q: Could you direct me to an app for my iPhone that provides voice-guided navigation?
A: So you want directions for directions, is that it? Well, you've got several great choi-ces, including a free app from MapQuest and a $3 app called CoPilot Live. Also available are apps from Garmin and TomTom, the longtime leaders in GPS devices. TomTom's iPhone app is $60, while Garmin offers two apps, StreetPilot onDemand and StreetPilot onBoard. The first costs just $1 but requires an annual subscription, while the latter carries a one-time price of $50.
CoPilot Live, the TomTom app and Garmin's StreetPilot onBoard all store maps on your phone, so they're available even when you stray outside your wireless coverage area. For turn-by-turn voice directions, however, you need a wireless signal to determine your location.
Mobile navigation apps also take advantage of your wireless data service to offer integrated features such as traffic alerts and help finding local restaurants, hotels and gas stations.
Garmin and TomTom don't have apps for Android phones (although Garmin offers an Android phone-GPS device called the Garminfone). There's an Android version of CoPilot Live, and Android users can use Google Navigation, a free online turn-by-turn service featuring Google Maps.
Q: Every time I click on Internet video clips, the volume is too high. Is there a way to change the default setting?
A: Online videos, radio stations and music services provide volume adjusters, but the default volume level is set on the computer itself. To change that, just click on the speaker icon on the right side of the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You'll see a slider that you can move up or down. You also should be able to use your keyboard to adjust the settings. Many newer keyboards, in fact, include a volume dial.
If the sound is always too loud when you open an Internet video, turn the level down on the computer. Just be aware that the computer setting also determines the maximum volume at which you can listen. By the way, you may find that using the keyboard is easier than clicking and dragging a volume bar on a website.
Q: My home office was networked with a Comcast modem and a 5-year-old Belkin router connecting multiple computers and printers, and it worked just fine. It was only when we attempted to install a Roku box to watch movies on TV that we realized our router's signal did not reach our family room, which is 60 feet and four walls away. When we bought a new smart HDTV, we found ourselves up against the same issue, so we bought the most powerful router Belkin makes, the N750 Dual Band, which we were told has superior range and speed. Well, guess what: The signal is fast and does reach our family room, but the connection fails within a few minutes. Any ideas about what could be the problem?
A: Without visiting your house, it's hard to tell why the old router didn't reach the family room, but the symptom you describe for the new router could indicate that another wireless device such as a cordless phone is interfering with your wireless signal. The best way to solve that problem is by changing the channel used by router. You also might want to go to Belkin's website and see if there's a firmware update for the router. Such updates often fix little bugs that can cause dropped or slow connections.
Q: I just got an HP OfficeJet printer to go with my HP Pavilion computer. My problem - which HP doesn't seem able to solve - is that when I print an e-mail in Windows Live Mail, the text on the page is about 1/64 of an inch high. For someone whose eyes aren't the best, this makes reading difficult. Is there a way to fix that?
A: But of course. The problem is that Windows Live Mail doesn't have its own print engine. Instead, it uses the one in the Internet Explorer browser. Why? Go ask Microsoft. In any case, here's how you can change the text size of printed e-mails: Open Internet Explorer, go to the View menu and click "Text size." You can then choose from five sizes: Largest, Larger, Medium, Smaller and Smallest. You'll have to print out e-mails to see how these actually look.
You will notice that enlarging the text size in Internet Explorer also increases the size of text on Web pages. But with your eyesight, that too could be a blessing.
This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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