Loading...
July 2, 2023 |
In partnership with SimpliSafe |
Itβs Sunday! Letβs go back in time for todayβs trivia question. How does the computing power of a modern smartphone compare to the guidance computer aboard the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar module? Is a smartphone β¦ about as powerful, 100 times more powerful, 10,000 times more powerful or 120,000 times more powerful? Answerβs at the end, friends. πΊπΈ Amazon is running a huge Fourth of July sale. Hereβs the page with the deals. What I do is look at my past orders and see if anything there is on sale. Every Sunday, I share a few must-reads to make your tech life safer and easier. And you have to see todayβs video! β Kim π« First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itβs free!) IN THIS ISSUEπ± Screen time out of control? β¬οΈ Search engine showdownποΈ History of the Rickroll |
KIM'S COLUMNDigital detox: How to put down your phoneEvery week, I write two special features for major news sites like the Daily Mail, New York Post, USA Today and more. They donβt publish on their sites until next week, but because you get my free newsletters, youβre in the know first! The idea of a digital detox is nothing new. Heck, the phrase βdigital detoxβ brings up a whopping 67 million Google Search results. And yet most of us don't take enough time away from our devices. My challenge: Cut your screen time in half for one week. Youβll thank me later. Check the damageYour smartphone tracks how much time you spend staring at your screen and which apps take up the most time. It's eye-opening if you haven't seen yours before or it's been a while. On an iPhone: Open Settings > Screen Time > See All Activity.On an Android: Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.You'll see a graph of your activity, daily average time spent on your phone, your most popular apps and even how many times you unlocked your phone. Now that could be embarrassing. First things first: NotificationsThe buzzes, chimes and dings our phones make are Pavlovian. A simple way to cut down on how many times you pick up your phone: Set it to Do Not Disturb mode. Donβt worry β you can still receive notifications from contacts of your choosing. On iPhone: Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.Tap People and make sure Allow Notifications from is checked.Tap Add People and choose from your list of contacts.Tap Done when you're finished.If you use an Android, take these steps: Go to Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb.You'll see a heading indicating things that can interrupt this mode. Select People.From here, add people whose messages or calls will get through when Do Not Disturb is enabled.By the way, putting your smartphone in your back pocket does not make you a smart *ss. β Thatβs just the beginning of your digital detox. There are more steps to take I couldnβt fit here. Head to my site to get the rest. |
DEAL OF THE DAY
|
π§ Want great content on the go?Sound like a tech pro, even if you're not one. Try my award-winning, daily podcast. Search for my last name with "K" wherever you get your podcasts and "Go Komando!" |
MY TRUSTED ADVICEποΈ Another week and another round of great callers to my national radio show. This week, I spoke with: Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, host of the HerMoney podcast and financial editor of NBCβs βTodayβ show. We talked about whether automating finances is really such a smart idea.Shreya Datta, a tech exec and a super-smart woman β¦ who fell for a scammer. She shared how she lost $450,000.Randy from Tennessee, an IT pro laid off from the public school system due to budget cuts. He needs help finding a new gig.This week, I also helped Jeff pick a video camera to record his kidsβ sports, Jake and his wife find a baby monitor with a more extended range, Steve get his mom clear FM and AM radio stations at home, Bruce learn a shared calendar set up with his wife, Dave select a smartwatch for his brother with atrial fibrillation, and Robert choose the best text-to-speech software for animation. π Itβs easy to get my answers to these folks, along with the other callers. Find me on your local radio station or listen now in the Komando Community. If you donβt mind waiting for shows to appear, get the podcast, Kim Komando Today. π€ Need my help? Leave me a note here. I read them all! |
When thereβs an intruder, every second countsThatβs why Iβm so excited to tell you about the latest innovation from SimpliSafe Home Security: 24/7 Live Guard Protection and the new Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera. With a Fast Protect Monitoring plan, if an intruder breaks into your home, SimpliSafe monitoring agents can actually see, speak to and deter them through the camera, warning them theyβre being recorded and police are on their way. Right now, get 20% off any SimpliSafe system when you sign up for Fast Protect Monitoring. This huge offer is only available for a limited time. |
DIY SECURITY TIPSearch engine showdownMost people stick with the default search engine in their preferred browser. And most of the time, that search engine is Google. Want to branch out? Hereβs a look at how four major options stack up. Google: With a 93% market share, it's the most popular search engine. It's generally easy to find what you're looking for, though scammers have learned how to get their ads and sites to the top of the results. Unfortunately, Google isn't known for protecting your privacy. Expect a good amount of tracking and targeting. DuckDuckGo: Known for prioritizing user privacy, DuckDuckGo processes almost 98 million searches a day. There's no targeted advertising and search results aren't based on your history. Startpage: Dubbed "the world's most private search engine," Startpage uses Google's abilities, minus the tracking. It feels like you're on Google, but you don't have to worry about anyone tracking and selling your data to the highest bidder. Bing: Microsoft has beefed up Bing with AI capabilities. The new Bing gives you an improved version of the familiar search experience, providing more relevant results for things like sports scores, stock prices and weather, along with a new sidebar that displays more comprehensive answers. β Want a deeper look at the pros and cons? Head to my site! |
THE INTERNETβS NOT ALL BADEver been Rickrolled?Itβs the ultimate internet bait-and-switch: Someone sends you a link (say, an important article you really need to read!), you click the link, and you hear, βNever gonna give you up/ Never gonna let you down!β Howβd Rick Astleyβs 1987 song become synonymous with good-natured internet trolling? Did the guy know he had a hit on his hands? (Spoiler: Nope.) And who invented the Rickrolling meme? πΊ These questions and others are answered in this fun video. Seriously, itβs worth a watch. My favorite viewer comment: βHe lived long enough to see himself become a legend. That is a blessing.β Right?! |
WHAT THE TECH?βHoney, I know the GPS said to continue straight, but β¦β |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ...π The answer: Modern smartphones have about 120,000 times the processing power of the computer that landed on the moon in 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, while Michael Collins orbited overhead in the command module. Buzz Aldrin is a man who demands respect. I saw him speak a while ago and he said, βIβm the second man to ever walk on the moon ... Neil before me.β π Hey, if you want people to leave you alone, wear this shirt that says, βIβve put myself in Airplane mode.β Order yours now in my Etsy store. Thanks for all you do to support me and the team behind the radio show, podcasts, newsletters and website. We wouldnβt be here without you! β Kim |
How'd we do?What did you think of today's issue? π Fantasticπ Just OKπ Waste of time |
π« Was this forwarded to you? Sign up free here. π§ Ready to hear more? Check out my podcasts. ποΈ Want to listen to my show? Find your local radio station. π Thinking about upgrading? Try the Komando Community free for 30 days. β Got a question (or comment) for Kim? Ask away here. π² Looking to advertise in this newsletter? Email us. |
Photo credit(s): Dreamstime.com, Amazon.com |
Loading...
Loading...