{"id":6649,"date":"2024-03-12T14:34:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T14:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=6649"},"modified":"2024-03-12T14:34:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T14:34:44","slug":"3-12-2024-whats-the-deal-with-wi-fi-7-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2024\/03\/12\/3-12-2024-whats-the-deal-with-wi-fi-7-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3\/12\/2024: What’s the deal with Wi-Fi 7?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Wi-Fi 7 explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: The failed Android-on-Windows experiment, how to read any podcast, and a unique speaker for less<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Jared Newman<\/div>
|<\/div>
March 12, 2024<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Hey folks! This week, I’m excited to feature a special guest column from veteran tech journalist and friend of the newsletter Dwight Silverman.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwight previously spent three decades covering personal technology for the Houston Chronicle, where he still pens a great weekly column<\/a>. For Advisorator, he’s previously written about luxurious portable power banks<\/a> and using your laptop as a desktop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week’s column is all about why you should care about Wi-Fi 7, even if you don’t need it right now. Take it away, Dwight!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting for Wi-Fi 7<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Dwight Silverman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Unless you\u2019re a specific kind of geek, shopping for a new home router is never fun, and it\u2019s especially challenging when there\u2019s a new generation of Wi-Fi routers to think about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re in one of those epochs now with the arrival of Wi-Fi 7, more technically known as 802.11be. This new standard adds new features designed for signal stability, reliability and, yes, more speed. The first Wi-Fi 7 models arrived in early 2023, and we\u2019re starting to see a lot more models hit the market this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even if you\u2019re an early adopter, that doesn\u2019t mean you should take the leap now. Depending on your internet needs and the complexity of your setup, Wi-Fi 7 is either a godsend or overkill, but for most folks, it\u2019s likely the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Read the full column<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dwight’s full’s column on Wi-Fi 7 is exclusively for paid subscribers. Sign up for a free trial to read it along with every past issue of the newsletter<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Need to know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No more Android on Windows:<\/strong> Microsoft is giving up on the “Windows Subsystem for Android,” which allowed Windows 11 users to install Android apps through Amazon’s storefront. Those who’ve already installed Amazon’s Appstore can still use their apps and add new ones, but they’ll no longer be supported after March 5, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used the Windows System to get a proper Channels DVR<\/a> player app on my laptop and desktop, but didn’t find much use for it otherwise. Amazon’s app selection is just too limited compared to the Google Play Store, and I’m surprised no one ever found a dependable way to get the latter up and running. Getting Android apps installed was also a hassle\u2014you had to first install Amazon’s Appstore through the Microsoft Store\u2014and loading times were often slow. While I wish Microsoft had found a way to salvage the project, it’s clearly not a priority as the company goes all in on AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tidal’s audio upgrade:<\/strong> Tidal will soon discontinue its “HiFi Plus” streaming music tier in favor of a single, $11 per month package that includes high-resolution tracks and Dolby Atmos spatial audio. (There will be a $9 per month upgrade for DJs who want to integrate the service.) Family and Student plans will remain available for $17 per month and $5 per month, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price change puts Tidal on par with Apple Music and Amazon Music, both of which offer high-resolution and spatial audio at no extra charge. Still missing from the party is Spotify, which announced a HiFi tier three years ago, and then never launched it<\/a>. I’ve updated my streaming music comparison chart accordingly, found at the bottom of my guide to spending less on streaming music<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tip of the moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Read a podcast:<\/strong> Apple launched iOS 17.4 last week, and you’ll find its most useful new feature inside the Podcasts app: While playing any podcast, just tap the speech bubble at the bottom-left corner. This brings up full transcript, and you can tap anywhere in the text to hear that part of the audio. You can also search the full text of the podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of these transcripts are automatically generated by Apple, through creators can also upload their own<\/a>. As Macrumors notes<\/a>, some older podcast episodes may not have transcripts yet, but they should be added over time as Apple works through back catalogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only Android-compatible podcast app I’m aware of with transcript support is Snipd<\/a>, but it requires a paid subscription. This seems like something Google should tackle with YouTube Music’s podcast support<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Further reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n