Fri-yay is upon us, friend! Let’s flash back to before we all used iPhones and Androids. What’s the bestselling non-Apple, non-Android phone of all time? Is it the … A.) BlackBerry Curve, B.) Motorola Razr V3, C.) Nokia 1100 or D.) Samsung SGH‑E250? Put on your thinking cap, and you’ll find the answer at the end!

🏆 I’m so close: Help me reach 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Hit this link, then pat yourself on the back for supporting a small business. Wahoo! — Kim

I’m a cheapskate. There, I said it. I go digging for ways to save money in my tech life, and I’m happy to pass them along to you, too.

1. Use a tool to find coupons: Searching online leads to codes that don’t work or, worse, malware-infected sites. I like Honey. It runs in the background to look for deals on what you’re already buying. CamelCamelCamel will alert you if there’s a price drop on something you’re eyeing on Amazon.

2. Try free versions of expensive software: Unless you absolutely need Microsoft 365, don’t waste your money. I’ve recommended LibreOffice, the free, open-source office software suite, for years, and it just got a major update. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux.

3. Check your phone provider perks: T-Mobile includes free Netflix, Apple TV+ and Hulu (with ads). Verizon customers get the Disney bundle, Walmart+, Paramount+, Apple One, Netflix and Max.

4. Get something for nothing: Open Facebook or Nextdoor and search for “buy nothing” and your town or city name. Pick the one closest to you. Voila, you’ve just found a group of folks who give things away for free. You can offload stuff you no longer need and pick up a thing or two. Freecycle is another good option.

5. Use one of my favorite Amazon tricks: If there’s something I want but am not ready to buy, I add it to my cart, then click Save for later. Every now and then, scroll that list. When an item goes on sale, you’ll see it there.

6. Cancel what you’re not using: I use Rocket Money* for that. It’s an app that quickly finds all your recurring subscriptions and lets you easily cancel those you no longer want. The first time I logged in, it saved me $360! Why Barry had three paid weather apps, I’ll never know.

7. Trade your email for discounts: Brands email special deals to their newsletter subscribers. If there’s a brand you love, go to their website. Trust me, they want you to sign up, so the forms will be front and center.

8. Get paid to play: Apps like Swagbucks let you take surveys, play games, watch videos and scan grocery receipts to earn rewards. You can cash ‘em out for gift cards starting at just $1 or save up to $250 to receive that amount of cash in PayPal deposits. There’s also a $10 welcome bonus. Download on Android or iOS.

9. Shop refurbished or open-box items: Amazon Warehouse is an excellent source for video games, appliances, power tools, cameras, school supplies and electronics. You can use your Prime benefits for free shipping, and there’s a good return policy. Just check the item’s condition so you know what you’re getting. Apple sells refurbished gear, too.

🤣 What do you call a cheap wig? A small-price toupee. (You laughed!)

AI is revolutionizing the world at an unprecedented speed, transforming how businesses operate. It’s not too late to use it to take your business to the next level, but investing in the right technology is expensive, and choosing the right solutions can feel overwhelming.

The pros at Oracle can bring AI to your company the easy way. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure uses NVIDIA GPUs, the gold standard in processing power. Let them worry about updates and maintenance so you can focus on what you’re best at.

You can’t spell “crypto” without “C‑R‑Y”: The FBI created a fake cryptocurrency to nail pump-and-dump fraudsters. That’s where they inflate a crypto’s price with phony trades, convince others to buy, then cash out before the crash. The FBI set up a slick website, and shady companies took the bait. Now, 18 people and companies face fraud and market manipulation charges. But there are thousands more out there.

🚨 Fidelity Investments got hacked: No details yet on what personal data was leaked from 77,000 customers, but Fidelity says funds weren’t accessed. Hackers got in using two newly created customer accounts. I’ll bet you $10 that the number of customers affected is much, much higher. Change your passwords.

📉 Watch the kiddos: Roblox stock dropped 9% after claims surfaced that the online game platform is a “pedophile hellscape.” Kids are being exposed to grooming, p*rn, violence and abusive language. Games kids can join include "Escape to Epstein Island" and "Run from Diddy Simulator." Awful.

⚠️ Drive a Honda? They’re recalling 1.7 million vehicles, including 2022‑2025 Acura Integras, Honda Civics, CR‑Vs and HR‑Vs. Watch for sticky steering, difficulty turning and strange noises. Call 1‑888‑234‑2138 for info on a free fix.

Green Day is going all out: To celebrate their “Dookie” album’s 30th anniversary, the California punk rock band has released “demastered” versions of their songs played on some hilariously inconvenient formats, including “Pulling Teeth” on a toothbrush, “Chump” on a Teddy Ruxpin and “Welcome to Paradise” on a Game Boy cartridge. The promo vid is amazing.

💰 More cash for your old phone: iPhones retain their value much longer than models from Samsung, Google or OnePlus. Demand’s higher too. iPhone folks sell or trade in their phones 41% of the time, compared to just 17% of Android owners. Sadly, 30% of Android folks just end up tossing their old phones.

Microsoft's latest update is a mess: During installation, Windows 11 24H2 creates a 9GB temporary cache folder that can’t be deleted. Tools like Disk Cleanup don’t do anything. Microsoft is working on a patch. I’ll let you know when it rolls out.

☝🏻 Hope it doesn't malfunction: Researchers have developed a human-like robotic finger capable of performing routine physical exams. The "bioinspired soft finger" uses tech sensors to feel around for abnormal lumps, take your pulse and even venture into — ahem — those other places for diagnostics. Bums away!

Save money and space with one thing that does many things.

• This pen ($10) is also a stylus, leveler, ruler, and a flathead and Phillips-head screwdriver.
• Kitchen tongs (10% off now) you can also use as a whisk and spatula.
• A hammer ($22) that packs in pliers, a serrated knife, a saw, a wire cutter, a prying claw, a nail file, a bottle opener, and flathead and Phillips-head screwdrivers.
• The 8-in-1 kitchen stack ($12) includes a funnel, juicer, grater, egg cracker, shredder, can opener, egg separator and measuring cup.
• A flashlight ($24) that’s also a seatbelt cutter, a window breaker, a red flashing emergency light, a power bank and an alarm.

🙉 Tech on a budget: Raycons have studio-quality sound and a whopping 32 hours of battery life, and they fit comfortably in every ear with precise fittings. I bought a pair for Barry last week. He loves how they sound, and I love how easily they pair with all his tech. Go to BuyRaycon.com/kim right now for up to 50% off.*

When you get stuck in Reply All hell: Instead of muting every single email that comes through, mute the entire thread. In Gmail, for example, look at the toolbar at the top of the email. Click the three dots, then Mute. Ah, sweet silence.

😴 Enable this on your Apple Watch: Sleep apnea is seriously dangerous, and the Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2 can spot the signs. Open the Health app on your iPhone, search for "breathing disturbances," then tap Set up. Follow the directions on screen and you’re good to go.

Enter your “Pa$$word!”: I’ve done this for years — abbreviate a sentence into a password. So, “I ate three peanut butter sandwiches today!” could become “I83pbsammies2day!” Whatever you do, just promise me you won’t use “123456” or “password1.”

📱 Gloom and doomscrolling: In case you didn’t know, doomscrolling is when you get caught in a cycle of viewing negative posts on social media. You can set time limits for certain apps, but those are easy to bypass. I have a phone-addicted friend who has her husband hide her phone after 8 p.m. Weird but it works!

Ever wonder what I do when I’m not on the air or writing this newsletter? Drop by and follow me on Instagram. That’s where I post the fun stuff, like my $500 photo shoot.

This all-concrete one-bedroom, one-bath home sits on 2.5 acres in the California desert, and it’s priced at $1,450,000. Yeah, I think it looks like a World War II pillbox bunker, too.

The answer: C.) Nokia 1100. It sold more than 250 million units. Dang. The little tank debuted in 2003, and you probably remember it as simple, affordable, reliable and almost impossible to break.

🤣 Back in the day, my Nokia fell out of my hand and landed on my car, so I took it to Best Buy, but they said they don’t fix cars.

That’s another issue of The Current done and dusted. Grab your custom referral link below and share it with a friend. When one person signs up, I’ll send you my new e‑book loaded with 50 smart AI prompts for free. See you back here tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim