Welcome to your Friday, friend. You hear a “tech tip” so often, today we’re coming for one of those sacred goats.

Which of these commonly believed tech facts is actually a myth: A) You should fully drain your phone battery before charging it, B) Airplane mode saves battery life, C) Private browsing prevents websites from tracking you or D) More megapixels always mean better photo quality. Find the answer at the end!

📬 Tap the star and favorite this newsletter. Because I can’t fight tech myths unless we show up in your inbox, not your spam folder. — Kim

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, AI is changing everything. And now it’s coming for video. This is the future, and it’s so fun to play around with these new tools.

Forget editing software, green screens or even a camera. Now your keyboard is the director, the producer and creative partner. All you need to do is type what you want to see, and AI will turn it into a slick, high-def video.

Right now, two big players are Sora from OpenAI and Veo from Google, and yes, you can try them both today. Don’t miss watching my video test at the end.

Sora: OpenAI’s text-to-video powerhouse

Sora is now live inside ChatGPT, and it’s jaw-dropping. You type in a description like, “a golden retriever puppy playing at the beach with a tennis ball,” and Sora spits out a crisp, AI-generated video in seconds. No need for footage, no need for editing.

Here’s the breakdown:

Veo: Google’s take on AI filmmaking

Google’s Veo lets you create cinematic 1080p videos up to 60 seconds long with realistic movement, lighting and transitions, just from a sentence. Want your cat running across a rooftop in Paris at sunset? Done.

You can get access through Google’s Gemini plans:

The test

I prompted each AI video platform with this: “Show me a golden retriever puppy playing on the beach with a tennis ball.”

Watch the side-by-side videos now, so you can see the results firsthand of my puppy Bella (Veo on the left, Sora on the right).

I think Sora nailed the up-close details but missed the mark on the physics of the ball bouncing. Veo is a bit better on the action shots but loses some ground to Sora on the details.

The bottom line? AI video tools are real, they’re insanely fun to use, and you don’t have to wait to try them. Just type your vision and watch it come to life. Or glitch out violently. Either way, you’re entertained.

🤖 Humanoids at your doorstep: Amazon’s testing humanoid robots that might literally leap out of delivery vans. The company’s building a “humanoid park” to train these robot couriers to drop packages while dodging pets, toddlers and possibly your Ring camera judgment. Humans may still drive the vans, for now.

🪥 No floss can fix stupid: A top U.S. dental marketing firm accidentally exposed 8.8 million appointment records and 2.7 million patient profiles online: names, emails, birth dates, billing info, all just sitting in the open. Hackers didn’t even have to lift a finger. Be sure to keep an eye on your Explanation of Benefit records.

The pirate said, “Can I buy an I?”: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are hitting streaming for the first time, just one day after episodes air. Hulu and Peacock snagged multiyear deals for new and old episodes. Sony and CBS are still in a legal slap fight about it, but the real winner here is your Roku.

📅 RIP, Samsung accounts: Samsung says inactive accounts will get deleted starting July 31. If you haven’t logged in for two years, it’s over: data gone, account gone, possibly your Galaxy brain, too. Exceptions made if you bought something or used reward points. Congrats on ghosting Samsung so hard they took it personally.

Lot cop unleashed: Walmart’s testing a security robot in its parking lots. It has wheels, cameras and apparently a dude behind the mic, whispering “Yo, what you say?” to shoppers. Is it surveillance? Art? Cyberpunk cosplay? Either way, the vibes are dystopian. Next up: R2-D2 with a gun.

🧠 ChatGPT update: OpenAI finally rolled out a memory feature for the free version. Now the chatbot can remember things you’ve told it and tailor replies to match. Say you’re dairy-free? Expect vegan recipes. Heads up though: It’s a light version, so only recent convos stick. You can turn it off under Settings > Personalization > Memory.

😔 Titan submersible update: It’s been almost two years since the tragedy that killed all five onboard. Now, investigators are revealing some chilling finds from the ocean floor. In a new documentary, they say they found part of the OceanGate founder’s sleeve, with a pen, business cards and Titanic stickers still inside. Watch a preview. So sad.

Businesses are transforming at lightning speed with AI. The good news? It’s not too late to jump in and take yours to the next level. That’s where Oracle comes in.

✅ Easy AI integration – No hassle, no headaches. Nvidia GPUs ensure top performance.
✅ Cost-effective – More power, lower cost than competitors.
✅ Scalable – Grows with your business and Oracle handles the updates.

AI is the future — get ahead now!

⛰️ Hitting the trails (or just the backyard)? Start here.

☀️ Soak up the sun: These handy UV detection stickers ($20) tell you when it’s time to reapply sunscreen. Neat.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

🛑 Did you know Big Tech reads your emails? Yeah, seriously. But not StartMail. It’s private, secure and even has disposable addresses. Try it free for seven days and get 60% off your first year!*

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Mute annoying people on Instagram instead of unfollowing to save drama. Below their profile, tap Following > Mute.

Disable Microsoft ads: Windows loves promoting its own services. To turn it off, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows permissions > General, and toggle off all five options. Then go to Settings > System > Notifications > Additional settings, and untick Get tips and suggestions when using Windows.

🍏 Clean up your iPad apps: Swipe all the way right to open the App Library. Tap the search bar at the top to see an A–Z list of every app on your device. Long-press any app and select Delete App to clear out the ones you don’t use anymore. FYI: Some system apps can’t be removed.

🤖 Make your own music: Udio lets you mess around with song-making using AI. Just describe what you want, like the style and instruments, then move on to the lyrics. You can outline verses and even choose how long the song should be. FYI: The free plan lets you create three full tracks per day.

Ditch the copy-paste: The free Chrome extension Add to Sheets lets you send info from any website straight into a Google Sheet. Planning a trip? Just right-click on location details, booking links or prices to drop them right into a column. Pretty slick.

Imagine stopping for a quick breather and taking in the view on Mars, because the Curiosity rover just did.

The latest image from NASA’s tireless Martian team member showcases Mount Sharp’s rugged slopes and the faint outline of Gale Crater’s rim off in the distance. It’s hauntingly beautiful, achingly quiet and, frankly, kind of looks like Sedona and Moab. Suddenly my last hike feels wildly underwhelming.

Think about how bonkers this whole situation is: A robot is photographing a planet 140 million miles away, and it’s making us think about a lake that hasn’t existed in billions of years.

Answer: A) You should fully drain your phone battery before charging it.

Nope! That advice hasn’t been relevant since flip phones and frosted tips. Today’s lithium-ion batteries last longer when you keep them above 20%, so no need to martyr your device daily for a “better” charge. Actually, regularly running your phone to 0% can wear out the battery faster.

The sweet spot? Keep it between 20% and 80% most of the time. What is the liquid inside the iPhone’s battery called? Apple juice! (Yeah, you’re gonna steal that one from me.)

📬 This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S., helping you be the smartest person in your group chat. Tomorrow? We’re talking genius buys and gadgets, Build-a-Baby fever and self-healing concrete. Catch you tomorrow with more ways to outsmart Big Tech! 💡 — Kim

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