A very fine Monday to you, friend. We’re starting this tech party with trivia. How long did it take for Amazon to have its first profitable quarter after launching in 1995? Was it … A.) 1 year, B.) 3 years, C.) 6 years or D.) 9 years? You’ll find the answer at the end!

Come say hi! I stream the Kim Komando Today podcast live at 10:30 a.m. Pacific (1:30 p.m. Eastern) on weekdays. Pop over to YouTube, Rumble or Facebook and drop a comment. I read them during the show.

And heads-up! I’m taking calls for my show today at 12 p.m. Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). I’d love to chat with YOU! Call me during that time at 1‑888‑825‑5254, and we'll talk the tech talk to solve whatever ails you!

It’s a busy day ‘round these parts. Let’s get down to business! — Kim

I bought an Apple Watch years ago. I thought, “This is it! Finally, a watch I’ll wear.” That lasted maybe a week. Hey, smartwatches aren’t for everyone, but if you have one — or if there’s a kid or someone older in your life — they can do a heck of a lot.

Not all the best features are enabled by default, though. Let’s fix that.

Fall detection

While, yeah, everyone could use this, it’s especially nice if you care for an older relative (or maybe you’re the clumsy one — no shaming here!).

If the wearer takes a spill, a prompt appears on the watch screen to call emergency services if a phone isn’t within reach. If the watch detects no movement for more than 30 seconds, an alarm sounds and emergency services are called. This saves lives, folks.

Stressing about being stressed?

Look no further than the Google Pixel Watch. A temperature sensor and electrodermal activity sensor continuously measure the electrical currents on the surface of your skin to track stress levels. Get too out of sorts, and you'll get a notification to breathe and try a mindfulness exercise.

The kids are all right

Not ready to get the kids a smartphone? The Apple Watch with a family setup might be your way forward. Basically, you get an Apple Watch and pair it to your phone, giving you the ability to safeguard what functions your kid uses.

They can call and text straight from the watch, plus you can see where they are with the Find My app — and even get an alert if your child doesn’t arrive somewhere at a specific time, like school or sports practice.

Which Apple Watch is the best? I like this Apple Watch for kids. It’s also a super-affordable watch for adults and 24% off right now — that hardly ever happens.

For everyone: Medical ID is a must

Medical ID lists blood type, medical conditions, emergency contacts and even allergies (great feature if you or someone you love has anaphylaxis). That means if you can’t communicate in an emergency, your information still can be accessed on your watch without a passcode.

Here are the steps to get that done. Even if you don’t have a smartwatch, I highly suggest you do it on your phone — and I show you how.

❤️ It doesn’t stop there. Scroll to No. 5. I’ll teach you how to take an EKG/ECG heart reading on your watch. Neat!

🤣 How do you know if someone owns an Apple Watch? Don't worry, they’ll tell you.

🚧 Don’t be alarmed: The Google sign-in page is getting a redesign starting this week. Expect a “more modern look” with rounded edges, lighter colors and a square layout. Take a good look now — everyone will have it by March 4.

Gen Alpha takes over: Twins Koti and Haven Garza are huge on TikTok for their makeup routines. They have 4.8 million followers! Like other skincare influencers, they lather their faces in bronzer and antiaging serum. The kicker? They’re only 7 years old. I showed Andrew their TikToks on a Kim Komando Today video stream the other day.

It’s a wrap: Tyler Perry stopped his $800 million Atlanta studio build after seeing OpenAI’s text-to-video tool Sora. He would’ve added 12 soundstages to his 330-acre property. Perry says he’s shocked he “would no longer have to travel to locations. If [he] wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text.”

Times are a-changin’: Digital publication Vice is laying off all its writers, killing the once incredibly popular site. Buzzfeed is doing yet another round of layoffs, too. I said it a year and a half ago: Web traffic and websites as we know them are dying.

Fixing broken Windows is a pane in the glass: If you’re on a version of Windows that’s reaching end-of-life (aka no more security updates), Microsoft will automatically update your system to Windows 11 23H2. Bad news if you were hoping to avoid the new AI, Copilot. You can always turn it off.

A cyclist, a gate and a pickup truck: Not the start of a joke. Those are all things Waymo cars have hit. Google’s robo taxis are getting the stink eye as they try to expand service in California. I still haven’t been in one!

Wonder how long it took to come up with the name: Elon Musk says he’s launching an email service to rival Gmail called XMail. No details yet. Would you use it? Tell me on, well, X.

When you just don’t know how … to finish a sentence, Google’s experimental tool baked into Chrome can help. “Help me write” is AI that can help you fill out forms, write messages or complete online reviews. Steps here to turn it on.

Did you know Google deletes accounts that have been inactive for at least two years? The good news is that all you need to do is sign in to save that old account you rarely use.

Once you’re logged in, consider whether it makes sense to download everything associated with that account so you can retire it. Here’s how:

That’s it! Go do it before it’s too late.

On a job hunt? Search engine evaluation can be a side hustle or a full-time gig. Companies find out how well their websites work by hiring evaluators to give them feedback. An excellent place to start looking for evaluator jobs is LinkedIn.

Where is that? You know you sent someone a pic but can’t find it. On iPhone, open Messages, tap a convo then the person’s profile photo or group name. Scroll to Photos > See All. On Android, open Messages, then tap the search bar at the top.

📘 Free e‑books galore: Project Gutenberg has 70,000 e‑books free for the taking (it’s legal, yes). Don’t have a Kindle or e‑reader? Put one on your phone and read instead of scrolling the news. Here’s "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."

📏 Marketing yourself on social? Length matters. On Facebook, mobile cuts you off at 150 characters, so keep your posts short. On X, 70 to 100 characters perform best. On LinkedIn, go long if necessary, but the first 25 words are most important.

💲 One man’s trash: Microsoft's Trade-in Program turns old gadgets into green. Head to its site, pick what you’ve got (laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, whatever), and receive up to $500. Amazon has the same program, so check to see which offers you more moolah.

Sure, it’s nice to see who is at the door or when you get a package — but for true home security, you need more than that. SimpliSafe makes it easy. Take a quick quiz to find your perfect system, then install it all yourself in a few minutes. Or SimpliSafe offers professional installation services, too!

Cameras are important, but there’s so much more:

Keep yourself and your family safe with whole-home security. There’s no reason to live in fear.

Be your selfie!

The answer: C.) 6 years. When Amazon reported its first profitable quarter in the last stretch of 2001, it made $5 million on over $1 billion in revenue. In 2023, Amazon generated $574.8 billion in net sales. I think they’re onto something … I bought a boomerang on Amazon only because of their 100% return policy. (Haha, I crack myself up sometimes!)

🔧 Got a burning tech question or stuck in a gadget glitch? The Komando Community Q&A Forum is here to help! Join me, my team of tech gurus and a community full of curious minds, all ready to lend a hand. Grab your 30-day free pass here. Your support fuels our passion. Thank you! — Kim