Brian August, creator of the 110 Stories iPhone App joins the Mario Armstrong Show.

Bruce Edward Walker is managing editor of InfoTech & Telecom News for the Heartland Institute.

As many of you already may know I’m currently on vacation and have taken a tech-detox (meaning no tech use during my time off). However, the hurricane is way too serious of an issue that I had to break my detox, only to get this post out to you!

So here are my quick 11 tips to help you use tech to prepare for the hurricane:

1. Power up all your phones & go to your wireless store and buy a battery extender for your phone.

2. If you are really worried about losing cell coverage you could also buy a pre-paid phone that uses a different network than your cellphone carrier.

3. Use text messaging! Remember, if voice calls arent going thru, use text messages instead of voice calls, that will help keep the stress down on cell towers and help more urgent calls get through.

4. If cellphone service is down don’t assume the Internet is down. Send people emails and talk to your family now about maybe using skype to communicate with each other.

5. Raise any electronics (receivers, surge protectors etc…) off the floor, flooding could be a major damage factor.

6. Speaking of surge protectors, if it’s starts lightning I’d suggest unplugging all major components, desktop computers, even the cable connection to your DVR if you have one, this will help prevent any electrical surges your equipment may get hit with.

7. Update your music & download those podcasts :-)
If your like me you’re also preparing to have a bit of entertainment, so sync those mp3 playlists and download any podcasts you want to listen to or watch.

8. Invest in a self-powered Weather receiver! My favorite is by Eton. It’s water resistant, gets am/fm radio & audio from your local tv channels. It has a usb port to charge devices, has a crank arm to generate power if batteries run down & a pretty powerful light & siren for emergencies.

9. Charge all laptops! These can become handy-dandy DVD players :-)

10. Use apps! Apps can help you track Hurricane Irene to helping you prepare your To-Do list. Apps like Hurricane HD lets you track storms, with moving radar and satellite imagery from the National Hurricane center, there’s also the great Weatherbug and Weather Channel apps and iMapStorm and for those who want weather radio on their phone take a peek at iMap Weather Radio app11. Ohhh & don’t forget to buy/use a car charger for your phone if you lose power in the home! FEMA has also recently developed an Android app. The FEMA App contains preparedness information for different types of disasters, an interactive checklist for emergency kits, a section to plan emergency meeting locations and information on how to stay safe and recover after a disaster.

Hope these quick tips help you in some way!

What did I miss? Please add your suggestions and tips in the comments for others to see and LIKE / TWEET this out to get the word out.

Mark Grace, Vice President — Consumer Business at Absolute Software talks with Mario about LoJack for Laptops.

Calling all Baltimore area small businesses and entrepreneurs. We are shooting a video web series called “CUBED: 1 business, 1 problem, 1 solution”. The idea is to help you solve a major business problem that you are currently facing. We are really looking for companies that are facing technology challenges and issues. Your business will receive some tremendous exposure and of course a solution that will help your business. The show is set to air this fall on the very popular American Express OPEN Forum website.

Fill out the short form below for your chance to get a business makeover!

Xavier Williams, AT&T senior vice president, public sector and healthcare calls in to the Mario Armstrong show.