Plus: Hezbollah walkie-talkies, phone charger fire, smartphone theft | In partnership with Firstleaf | | Hello and happy Thursday, my techy friend. Some out-of-this-world trivia to get us going. What human-made object is the farthest from Earth right now? Is it … A.) The International Space Station, B.) The Hubble Space Telescope, C.) Voyager 1 or D.) The Mars Rover? Make your best guess and you’ll find the answer at the end! Picking wine is hard. That’s why I default to the same bottle of chardonnay. With Firstleaf, tell ‘em if you prefer wine, red or a combo, and you’ll get over 50% off six bottles of hand-selected quality wines delivered right to your door. I love this site! More on this limited-time deal below! — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 💸 Save your money 🤳 Kids on Snapchat? Warn them 🔧 How-to: Scan with your phone |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Whoa, look! Shiny thing! Shiny, new things sure have their appeal — take the brand-new Apple iPhone 16. But are the newest flagship phones and laptops worth the extra premium you pay to get them? Most of the time, and for most people, no. There are a few good reasons why. If you’re tempted by a new smartphone that costs more than a mortgage payment, keep reading. I’ll help you figure out what’s right for you. Remember this time last year? Everything from Apple revolved around how amazing the iPhone 15 was. And while the iPhone 16 is now grabbing everyone’s attention, the iPhone 15 hasn't suddenly become a dud. It’s all a gimmick, and Google, Samsung and every other device maker pulls the same marketing trick. The iPhone 15 is on sale, starting at $100 less than the iPhone 16. And get this: It still runs the same iOS 18 software. You do miss out on some of the Apple Intelligence (AI) features, but I bet there’s a side of you that might consider this a blessing … Rule of thumb: Go one generation back Nearly new is often the way to go with phones, tablets, laptops and other tech. I don’t mean used (though I’ll get to that below) but, rather, the generation. For most folks, the previous version (or two) works just as well as the bright and shiny new ones. And remember, retailers want to sell the latest and greatest, so devices that have just been replaced get the biggest discounts. Be honest with yourself about what you really need. For some, it’s the fastest possible speeds and cutting-edge features. That’s why I bought the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Plus, a Digital Goddess can’t be sporting old tech! Barry wants to trade up from his iPhone 14 Pro Max to my iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s still a great, fast, top-of-the-line phone. But Ian’s iPhone 13 is starting to show its age. How to buy the right tech for you It’s hard to navigate all the marketing speak and selling points. That’s why it’s good you have me! Know end-of-life dates so you don’t buy junk. There are way more unsupported programs and devices than I can list here. For a full list of tech in its twilight years, head to endoflife.date. It’s a fast and easy way to check your everyday gear. Go for 8GB of RAM minimum for phones and laptops. That's the thinking space your devices need to run today’s apps without slowing to a crawl. And for all of you saying that’s too low, I said minimum! Storage space is less important now that we're all streaming and uploading to the cloud. Don’t go lower than 256GB on a phone or 512GB on a desktop or laptop. Steer clear of super-cheap devices. Secondhand, newer alternatives are your best bet when money is tight. Amazon Refurbished is a solid place to look since you can return used tech that’s not up to snuff. Try comparison tools. Manufacturers use these to show you how one device differs from another. Apple has a cool iPhone comparison chart here. Don't get roped in by buzzwords; look at the raw specs instead. Something is only as "innovative" or "groundbreaking" as its specs say it is. Final word of wisdom: Protect your tech the right way. Put a case on your new phone or you’ll regret it. Yeah, I speak from experience. Now, use the icons below to share this intel with your peeps. |
World-class wines: Over 50% off
When it comes to wine, I’m a creature of habit. I stick to the same bottles because I don’t like getting stuck with something I won’t drink. That’s why I was so excited to find Firstleaf. Firstleaf is a personalized wine club that makes it easy to find new wines at great prices. For your first box, choose from three options: All white, all red or an assortment of both. As a chardonnay lover, I went with all-white and loved ‘em all. Here’s what makes Firstleaf different from all the other wine clubs: Satisfaction guarantee: If you’re not happy with any of the wines, they’ll credit you for the bottle. Quality: They try hundreds of wines from five continents and 12 countries; only 2% make it into the club. Value: Save up to 60% off retail prices by eliminating the middleman. Personalization: Adjust which wines you receive and rate them to get personalized recommendations. Flexibility: Customize your subscription frequency at any time. Variety: Wide selection of quality wines, no matter what you like to drink. Get six bottles of red, white or mixed wines for only $44.95 with free, fast shipping! → Must be 21 and over to buy. Does not ship to Utah, Rhode Island or Mississippi. |
WEB WATERCOOLER War in the Middle East: Yesterday, Israel detonated thousands of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah fighters. The devices were booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence and delivered to Lebanon as part of Hezbollah’s emergency communications system. This was just a day after Israeli forces detonated thousands of pagers used by the group. I’m digging deep to learn how this worked and will let you know what I find out. 🔥 Don’t buy off-brand or cheap accessories: A 16-year-old girl was watching a movie at a friend’s house when she heard a sizzle and looked down to see her sweatshirt on fire. Her portable phone charger had exploded. Thankfully, the girls are OK, and firefighters arrived in time to put out the flames. Smartphone thieves listen to steal drums: Police are warning about a rise in expensive cellphone thefts from front porches. Don’t be next: Track your package closely and request a signature upon delivery. If you’re not home, send it somewhere else, get a video doorbell, post a “You’re being recorded” sign or install a porch lockbox. Heads-up, job seekers: Over 75% of recruiters prefer AI headshots over real ones … but only when they don’t know the photo is AI-generated. Most say they’re put off by AI pics, but they’re not so great at spotting them. On average, recruiters detected AI headshots only 39.5% of the time. Moral of this story: If your real headshots stink, try an AI version. Speaking of AI photos: Snapchat’s My Selfie feature creates neat AI-generated pics of you. The catch (there’s always a catch): If you use it, you’re giving Snap permission to use your face in ads and sponsored content, and you won’t get paid for it. No, thanks. To disable this, go to your profile photo > tap the Settings cog > toggle off See My Selfie in Ads. 🏈 No more Mr. Dice guy: Online betting is legal in 30 states, and athletes know that better than anyone. Auburn Tigers QB Payton Thorne says he’s been getting random payment requests from people who lost money on bets after his team loses. He’s not the only one. Never gamble more than you’re willing to lose. Calling all nerds: I say that lovingly. Hasbro’s CEO says they’ve started using AI in game development for Dungeons & Dragons. The role-playing game is all about creativity, and already, players are using chatbots to dream up campaigns, characters and story ideas. Soon, that’ll be baked in. Imagine: A fantasy world made just for you! 🍕 It’s all about the delivery: About 75% of resumes never get seen by a human, but who could ignore one attached to a hot pizza? Pizza Hut’s newest contest allows winners to get their resume printed on a pizza box and delivered to their dream employer. To enter, go to the Reszames site and get a slice of the action! |
DEALS OF THE DAY Stuff I use a lot and like 🤔 I’m not sure what this list says about me other than I like exercise, good food, nice smells, white teeth and no peach fuzz. I wear this weighted vest when I walk to burn more calories and increase bone density. Order one that’s 10% of your body weight. I love to make a pot of soup and freeze it in this silicone container. I have lunch for the whole week. This large aromatherapy candle makes my house smell so good. This tooth whitener and polisher kit is like going to the dentist to get your teeth cleaned. I use these $2 blades to shape my eyebrows and get rid of the fuzz on my face, along with those hairs that pop up out of nowhere. |
TECH LIFE UPGRADES My favorite way to scan on iPhone: Use the Notes app. Pro tip: Choose the option to Scan Documents instead of Take Photo or Video. This keeps your phone from putting a duplicate copy in your Photos app. Less clutter that way! I can’t leave you out, Android pals: Scan with Google Drive. Hit the plus sign in the bottom right > Scan. Follow the on-screen instructions, then save it to your account. So easy. 🏪 Groceries are so expensive: Flipp compares prices so you don't have to. Type in what you're looking for and your address, city or ZIP code to find sales near you. At least eggs aren’t $8 a dozen anymore. Talk to the hand: You can use Alexa without vocal controls or needing to touch the screen if you have an Echo Show. Open your Alexa app and tap More > Settings. Select Device Options and tap Gestures. Now, just lift your hand to stop a timer. Everyone should have an antenna: This is a no-brainer if you're a sports fan and your favorite games are on local channels. Here’s a solid option that includes a DVR, and this one gets the job done on a budget. Try this site to see what channels you can get at home. |
KIM KOMANDO TODAY | | AI will watch everything you do Are you behaving badly? Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison predicts AI will soon keep you in line. In other news: MoviePass fraud exposed, Snapchat uses your face for ads, and the story behind the viral "Hawk Tuah" girl. Play now (45:28) → |
| | |
BY THE NUMBERS 9.9 miles New world record for how far a Wi‑Fi signal can reach. The testing happened in Joshua Tree National Park, which is ideal, given how little interference there is. I know what you’re thinking: “I can’t get decent Wi‑Fi in my house!” 47% of Gen Z Wishes TikTok didn’t exist. Half think the same about X (yeah, I still think of it as Twitter). The average time per day spent on social media? Four hours. You can’t convince me it’s anything other than addiction. $1 million-plus invested Into an old cruise ship purchased on Craigslist. A tech entrepreneur spent 15 years restoring the 293-foot vessel. It was built in Germany in 1955, inspired “The Love Boat” and was in the 1963 Bond movie “From Russia with Love.” After they decided to sell the slice of history, it mysteriously took on water and was decommissioned. Weird, right? |
WHAT THE TECH? Heads-up: PayPal changed its logo. If you see this one in your inbox or on their website, it’s not a scam. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: C.) Voyager 1. NASA launched the craft in 1977 to study the outer planets, but it has traveled far beyond its initial destination. Voyager 1 is over 14 billion miles from Earth and still transmitting data from interstellar space. 🍇 It’s wine o’clock somewhere. Up your game with Firstleaf and save over 50% on six bottles of great wine. Pick your preference (red, white or a mix) and they’ll send ‘em right to your house. Love this: If you’re not happy with any of them, they’ll credit you for it. I’ll drink to that. My mother passed away three years ago today. If you’re so inclined, please say a prayer. Thank you for that. See you right back here tomorrow with hot and fresh news, tips and advice with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim |
Komando Referral Program Share this newsletter → Earn prizes! Step 1: Copy your unique referral link: https://join.komando.com/8818309c/ Step 2: Share your link! Post it on social media, send it in a text or paste it into an email to a pal. If they sign up using that link, you get the credit!
|
|
|
|
