Welcome to your Thursday edition, friend. So you want to make money with YouTube. What’s the best time to post your video masterpiece to give it the best chance of going viral? Is it … 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m. or 7 p.m.? You’ll find the answer at the bottom of this email!

👉 Do your part to keep this newsletter free to you. Today’s sponsor, Babbel, can help you finally learn that second (or third) language you always wanted to speak. On to the tech smarts! — Kim

I got a nice note from Gary in San Antonio, Texas, the other day. To answer your questions, Gary: Yes, Komando is my real last name — and yep, I definitely can help you choose a smart speaker.

Gary asked about Amazon Echo devices, in particular. Even though I use an iPhone, I also went with an Echo over the Apple HomePod. They’re a lot more affordable and easy to use, and I already have an Amazon account. You probably do, too.

The trickiest part is narrowing down what to buy because there are a lot of options. I’ve got your back.

The best Echo for everyone, in one handy list

Checks all the boxes for under $100: The latest Echo Show 8, released in 2023, is a good midrange option that won’t break the bank. It uses spatial audio (nerd speak for “sounds extra good”), has a camera for video calls and features an 8-inch adaptive color display to cycle through family photos — when you’re not using it for smart-home hub tasks or streaming your fave shows.

A TV alternative: The Echo Show 15, with a 15-inch screen, built-in Fire TV display and included remote, is the top-of-the-line option. Great for the kitchen, so you can watch food shows or ask Alexa for meal-planning inspiration, recipe lists or delivery services. It’s also the most pricy, at nearly $280.

Got kids? The Echo Show 5 Kids (there’s an optional bundle with smart lamp Echo Glow, too) offers kids-focused Alexa services. Think “Alexa, help me with my homework!” It also has parental controls like time limits, language filters and activity reviews.

For kids, sans screens: The Echo Pop Kids ($50) has roughly the same features as the Echo Show 5 Kids, but without the display. Bonus: Alexa’s voice can sound like one of their favorite Disney characters, including Olaf, Mickey or Dory.

‘What if all I really care about is listening to music?’

You have options here, too, depending on how much you want to spend, your desired audio quality and even your space.

Premium full-room sound: Ideal for the largest rooms, the new Echo is your best option for sound quality, and it’s around $100. You can connect it to other devices like your smart TV for a movie theater-like experience.

Half the price, better sound: The 5th-gen Echo Dot is about $50 and reminds me of the three bears of sound quality — not as good as the newest Echo, but better than the Echo Pop below. It’s better for slightly larger rooms.

Small space, full sound: The new Echo Pop is a compact speaker ideal for bedrooms. At $40, it’s the most affordable option, especially if you plan to buy a few for around the house.

🤗 Need help deciding what model or version of tech to buy? I’m your gal. Drop me a note here or reply to this email with what you want to see. And if you know anyone who’s been noodling on an Echo, share this list!

🐦Why don’t pigeons echo? A coo sticks. (Yes, you can steal that one from me!)

Mother’s Day is coming up quickly — Sunday, May 12. I’m sharing a series of slam-dunk gifts for all the moms in your life. Today: Gifts for the mom who loves to read.

• If Mom uses a Kindle or other e‑reader or tablet, this comfy pillow stand (12% off, $21.99) is a total game‑changer.
• Pair it with this remote, which lets her turn the page while cuddled under a blankie. It’s a whopping 67% off.
• For physical book lovers, grab a rechargeable book light with three color temps and dimming. It’s only $9.99.
• These lovely bookplate stickers (gold foil!) will help her keep track of her personal library ($6.99 for 60).
• A little tabletop bookshelf to help her organize the stack of books by her bed. This one is 18% off ($26.99).

🖋️ It's happening: The Senate passed the bill forcing TikTok’s Communist China parent company, ByteDance, to sell or face a ban. And while President Biden has signed off on it, there’s a catch: The ban isn’t rolling out until after the 2024 election. The legislation gives ByteDance nine months to sell with a possible three-month extension. Bet they’ll go down to the wire.

If you have a Ring doorbell, check your PayPal account: Amazon’s Ring is coughing up a $5.6 million settlement. A May 2023 FTC complaint accused the doorbell cam giant of skimping on security, which allowed hackers and Ring’s own employees to access private video feeds and accounts. If you filled out a claim, you have 30 days to collect it.

Fake ads are taking over Facebook: A Broward County, Florida, family found strangers at their front door, claiming they paid a $250 deposit to rent a car parked in the driveway. It turns out crooks had secretly snapped pics and posted them on Facebook Marketplace. After they turned the renters away, someone came back and vandalized the car. Ridiculous.

🧩 Wordle worries: An NYC therapist is calling out Wordle, owned by the New York Times, for messing with players' mental health. She says it’s so addictive, some of her patients can’t finish their daily tasks at work. Others are sweating bullets over being judged for low scores or slow playtimes. If you’re taking it that seriously, stop playing.

Get off my PC: The latest Windows 11 update crams ads for apps into the "recommended" section of the Start Menu. Yes, it’s on by default. I've got the fix: Go into Settings and select Personalization > Start. Then, toggle off "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more."

Here VR: Apple is cutting production on the augmented reality Vision Pro headset. An analyst says Apple only expects to sell half of its original estimate of 700,000 to 800,000 units this year. Here’s hoping this flop leads to a cheaper model or at least a price drop. Not many people can spend $3,500.

💄 Maybe it can put my makeup on for pics: Adobe just teased a few flashy new Photoshop features. Advanced Generative Fill lets you select an area and write something like, "Clear shallow water." It does just that, adding it in for you. The demo is sweet, and our designer says the beta version worked great.

Wouldn’t want to be a cyclist in SF: A Waymo self-driving taxi was caught on video making a risky move in San Francisco — overtaking unicyclists and scooters by swerving into the wrong lane. It veered from the right-hand lane into oncoming traffic to pass the group. Waymo’s excuse? It switched lanes because it was the "safer" thing to do. Really now?

AI prompt upgrade: Imagine you want to market your company or pet project. Ask ChatGPT (or your favorite bot) to generate a blog or social media post to share. You’ll get a better answer if you simply preface it with, "You're a marketing expert."

⛔ Ring, ring: Is your smartphone safe to use? This free site tells you if yours is cut off from important updates.

I don’t use old-school lighters anymore: The USB rechargeable kind is so much better. No flame, no lighter fluid to mess with and no burnt fingers!

Pump you up: You don’t need a fancy watch to measure your heart rate. For iPhone, the Cardiio: Heart Rate Monitor app is a good choice. It works with iPads, too. For Android, Heart Rate Monitor is similarly easy to use. Cover the back camera, stay still and you’ll get a reading.

Try this on your Kindle: If you ever find yourself wondering, "Who's that character again?" use the X-Ray tool. It provides a quick overview of characters, terms and even locations mentioned in the book so you're never lost within a complex plot. Just hold down on the word(s) you want to know about.

How much time do you waste scrolling through junk on your phone? Yeah, me, too. Why not put that time to use and learn a new language? Babbel’s lessons are taught by real language teachers, not AI. You’ll learn real-life phrases — not textbook talk.

You can start speaking Italian, German, French, Spanish or another language in as little as three weeks of daily lessons. It’s totally beginner-friendly and you’ll see progress fast. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes a day, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming bilingual (or more!).

If you sign up using the link below, you'll get 60% off for being a Current subscriber. Sweet!

Oh, that’s just Mummy getting some extra rest.

The answer: OK … I tricked you. It takes YouTube up to two hours to fully optimize a video. That means Monday through Friday, you’ll want to post between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. is best. Now you know!

🪰 Speaking of YouTube ... I saw this in the comments. “I asked my daughter if she’d seen my newspaper. She told me that newspapers are old-school. She said that people use tablets nowadays and handed me her iPad. That fly didn’t stand a chance.” Oh, dear.

Before you leave, do this: Look down. Find your unique referral code. Share that code with your family, friends, group or community. They sign up for my free newsletter = You win prizes! I’ll see you back here tomorrow with an important warning about your money. Until then, never stop being your wonderful self! — Kim