Plus: eBay scam alert, viral Instagram post (don’t share it), Docs sneaky trick | In partnership with Oracle NetSuite | | 🌟 Hello on a bright and shiny Thursday, friend! Let’s start with a little throwback trivia. What was the most downloaded app of the 2010s? Was it … A.) Twitter, B.) Skype, C.) Facebook or D.) Candy Crush? Before you peek at the answer at the end, say your best guess out loud right now. Are you ghosting me? Stop that! Don’t miss out on the security alerts, tips and fun I post on social media. If you’re not following me already, hit these links for Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook, and say, “I go Komando!” Yeah, I know what that means. 😉 — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE ⌚ Not-so-smart smartwatches 📦 eBay sellers getting ripped off 👋 Gen Z workers, fired |
TODAY'S TOP STORY How accurate is your smartwatch? Sensors in today's smartwatches can detect your heartbeat, track how you sleep and even monitor blood oxygen levels. We’re not far from your watch tracking your blood sugar ... and possibly sending reports about it to your doctor. Ever wondered, "Just how accurate are these smartwatch readings?" You're not the only one, so I took a look. Smartwatches and fitness watches have some serious flaws you should know about. Paging Dr. Watch! Emergency! Turns out that cramming a bunch of sensors into a tiny watch doesn't create the most legitimate results. Who knew? If you're seeing spikes or drops in readings for sleep states or blood oxygen levels, don't panic — it happens to everyone. Sensors have problems with skin tone: A lawsuit filed against Apple says its Watch blood oxygen sensors don't work correctly on dark skin. Yikes! Research, however, indicates this may be a problem with many blood oxygen sensors. Smartwatches don’t reach medical levels of accuracy: High-grade studies are limited, but this one for Garmin fitness watches found they couldn’t measure energy expenditure or blood oxygen levels with enough accuracy to make medical decisions. Step counters and calorie trackers are easily fooled: Smartwatches stink at measuring calories burned and can struggle to define steps walked. And don't get me started on how vague sleep tracking can be! OK, so smartwatches are only helpful for estimates. But what can we do to make them better? Take your health in stride Here are a few figurative steps I think all smartwatch users should take while getting in their literal steps (plus, a free play on words!). Size your watch for your wrist: Many accuracy problems are caused by loose-fitting watches that slip around on your arm. Buy one with straps you can adjust. Focus more on heart rate than steps or calories: Your pulse is right there, so it's no surprise watches are more accurate about heart rate than almost anything else. Don’t stress over readings: Ironically, that stress will increase your heart rate and other vitals. Even worrying about sleep tracking can cause inadequate sleep (doctors call it “orthosomnia”). Don't think of readings as hard numbers but rather general brushstrokes about your health picture. Watch readings over time: Those bigger-picture charts and graphs are more helpful than going number by number. Visit a doctor if you’re worried: Don't waste time or energy obsessing over what your smartwatch tells you. If you've got a serious concern, make an appointment like a grown‑up. ‘Kim, which watch should I buy?’ This is one case where splurging on newer tech is actually better; the big-name smartwatches get more accurate with each new model. Here are the heavy hitters: Use an iPhone? The Apple Watch Series 10 has all the bells and whistles, including ECG, fall detection and heart tracking. For a cheaper option, the 2nd-gen Apple Watch SE is under $200 right now. In the Google-sphere? The Pixel Watch 3 is Google’s fancy-schmancy version — and way more affordable than Apple’s. For something more fitness-focused, a Fitbit is the way to go. If your phone’s a Samsung: You might as well get the watch that “talks” to your phone best — the Galaxy Watch 7 is Samsung’s latest and greatest. In it for health and wellness? I hear great things about WHOOP. ⌚ Having a smartwatch is really great. On one hand, you have something you can use to answer texts and stuff; on the other hand, you don't. |
DEALS OF THE DAY Good stuff you’ll use all the time From smart gadgets to handy accessories, these deals were too good not to share. Portable phone charger: Never get caught with a dead battery again. (Under $25) Wireless hand massager: Three levels of compression, combined with soothing heat, make this the perfect remedy for tired hands after hours at the computer. (Under $70; cheaper than a massage!) Magnetic phone mount: Good for when your car doesn’t have a decent spot built in. (Under $15) LED night-lights: This six-pack has dusk-to-dawn sensors so they auto-illuminate dark places in your house. (Under $10) 3-in-1 Apple charging station: Charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods in one spot. (57% off!) Wi-Fi extender/booster: No more dead zones when you plug in this puppy! (Under $25) Power strip: This one has six outlets and three USB ports, so no more fighting for an outlet. (Under $12) |
WEB WATERCOOLER 🚨 eBay scam alert: People are buying high-ticket items on eBay, filing returns, then sending back thank-you cards instead of products. Sellers report the scam (with proof, but the return label is on a tiny envelope) and get stuck in an endless appeals process. Find another place to sell your expensive stuff. 🧬 Book ‘em, Danno: A 65-year-old Massachusetts suspect was arrested for a 1988 crime after police collected his spit from the sidewalk. They matched his saliva to DNA found under the victim’s fingernails, a bloody T-shirt and a cigarette left at the crime scene. The victim was a 25-year-old Boston woman with a toddler at home. This Zoom feature isn’t even remotely funny: Zoom’s new AI companion takes notes, summarizes meetings and even tells you who talked most. Click the magic wand icon below the main video window to use it. You can ask it for a quick update or to pull out action items from the discussion, too. Fine print: Available for paid plans only. Six in 10 companies are firing Gen Z workers — often, just months after hiring them fresh out of college. They claim Gen Zers are struggling with communication, professionalism and motivation. Their ex-bosses also say they constantly need direction and have trouble showing up to work. 👋 Don’t fall for this: There’s a new viral post making the rounds on Facebook, Instagram and other Meta platforms. The post says if you don’t copy the post and share it, you’re fine with Meta using your info and photos. Reality check: It’s fake and won’t do diddly-squat. Make your account private; Meta AI (supposedly) only pulls from public posts. 💸 The next big thing? Former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are working on an AI-powered device. Details are scarce (of course!), but they say it’ll handle advanced tasks like booking travel and identifying plants from photos, with more power than the average smartphone and fewer disruptions than a standard phone. The nerve: After boarding the plane for a flight to Miami, there was a mechanical issue, so passengers left the plane to stretch their legs. When one guy returned, someone told him a blonde woman stopped at his seat, unplugged his charger and put it in her bag. He confronted her, camera in hand. Here’s the vid. |
TECH LIFE UPGRADES 📊 Secret you need to know: If you use Google Docs or Microsoft OneDrive, you can go back in time to see earlier versions of your work (or someone else’s). In Google Docs, head to File > Version History > See Version History. In OneDrive, it’s under File > Info > Version History. Bonus tip: If you want to know who does what in real time in a Google Doc, turn on the Track Changes option. Alexa, enough already: Set up commands that do more on your Amazon Echo. In the Alexa app, tap More (bottom right corner) > Routines. Tap the + (plus sign), then choose your trigger (time of day or command) and what happens. For “go to bed,” you could include shutting off the lights, starting your white noise and locking your smart doorknob. Sweet! 🧼 Your photos are a mess: Find what you want with AI-powered albums. On a Mac, open Apple Photos and choose File > New Smart Album. Pick what you want (like photos of the beach) and it’ll pull in pics that match. In Google Photos for the web, go to Albums > Create Album. Here, you can choose the people and/or pets you want to include. You can’t see me: An SSID is your network’s unique identifier. Hide it so randos don’t see your Wi‑Fi network when they’re scanning for nearby options. To do this, go into your router’s settings, look for Wireless Settings, and tap Disable SSID broadcast. “Kim, how the heck do I access the settings?” Go to No. 1 here. 🎉 Many retail websites don’t have static pricing: Depending on the time or day of the week, you might beat the algorithm and score a better deal. Your best bet for a bargain is early in the week or at off-peak hours (think late at night or early in the morning). Whoa, this tip alone is worth the price of this newsletter. Oh, wait — it’s free! |
LISTEN UP Israel's powerful non-lethal cyber weapon Israel has introduced a new kind of weapon in its conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. It’s not what you’d expect. Play now (6:54) → | |
| | |
BY THE NUMBERS 18 years Paying the neighbor’s electricity bill. A guy in Vacaville, California, has lived alone in the same apartment complex since 2006. The entire time, he wondered why the heck his power bill was so high. Turns out he was paying for the apartment next door, too. What a dope. Every 13 miles How often Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode requires human intervention. In a 1,000-mile test, drivers had to intervene to prevent dangerous behavior more than 75 times. The good: Self-driving mode breaks for pedestrians and lets oncoming cars through. The bad: It also runs red lights and drives into oncoming traffic. Just say no. 3,600-year-old cheese Found buried with Bronze Age mummies in northwestern China. It took researchers a decade of DNA analysis to determine the substance was, in fact, the world’s oldest cheese. Un‑brie‑lievable. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: C.) Facebook. The others were popular for sure, but Facebook was king of the social media castle, with 4.5 billion downloads. 😂 Facebook is set to release its own mail client. Email will be flagged as “Mark has read.” (You don’t even have to give me credit when you share that one.) Be sure to get NetSuite’s “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning” for FREE! Don’t miss out! I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA. Until then, stay your awesome self. — Kim |
Komando Referral Program Refer one person That's all you need to get my latest eBook, "50 Smart Ways to Use AI," a $9.95 value — yours for FREE! 1️⃣ Copy your link: https://referrer.komando.com/8818309c/3 2️⃣ Share your link on social media, through email, in a text — your call! 3️⃣ Kick back and relax! When someone uses your link to sign up for my newsletter, I'll send my new eBook to your email address. CLICK TO SHARE → Or copy and paste this link to others:
https://referrer.komando.com/8818309c/3 | In "50 Smart Ways to Use AI," Kim shares helpful prompts for today's most common AI chatbots. Whether you're tackling spreadsheets, planning rainy-day activities or developing a wellness plan, let AI handle the heavy lifting for you! | |
|
|
|
|
