Hi, Monday! I’m booting up your day with the latest tech tidbits, served fresh in your inbox. Let’s start the party with trivia. On this day in 1995, the 2.0 version of a hot, new web browser launched. Was it … A.) Netscape, B.) Internet Explorer, C.) Mosaic or D.) Opera? Answer’s at the end!

🔐 Support our sponsor to keep this newsletter free. Antivirus isn’t optional anymore. Skip the free junk and go with a company you can trust. With my link, you can get TotalAV on five devices for just $19 for the first year. You won’t find a lower price anywhere. Btw, if you buy, I don’t make any residuals or get kickbacks. — Kim

Our $1,000 phones, $300 watches and $100 earbuds add up. Get this: Americans are expected to spend $485.5 billion on consumer tech this year.

Don’t be that person who has to upgrade way too often because you don’t treat your tech investments right. I’m here to help you get the most out of your gadgets. It’ll be easy, promise.

1. You keep your phone plugged in all the time

The official word from phone manufacturers is to keep yours charged — but not fully. Ideally, it should range anywhere between 20% and 80%. Most new phones stop charging if you leave them plugged in, but once they drop down to a certain percentage, they’ll start the process again. You don’t want that. Get in the habit of unplugging your tech after it’s fully charged.

2. You wait too long to charge your laptop

If you let your battery run out of juice entirely, it kills it over the long term. A good rule of thumb is to keep your laptop battery charged to at least 40% most of the time. When you have a sec, test your laptop battery, especially if you never have.

3. You go with the cheapest option

The manufacturers of one-size-fits-all chargers and cables don’t want you to know their products often don’t have the proper voltage needed to work with your specific device.

Worse, lots of generic phone chargers don’t meet established safety and quality testing guidelines. ICYMI: Consumer Reports did a ton of testing, and this cheap Amazon cord works as well as the expensive USB‑C cords. Yup, it’s just me again, saving you money!

4. You’re careless

Today’s phones can generally resist dust and a bit of water. But leaving yours in a hot car or directly in the sun can cause the battery to leak or overheat — and corrupt your data.

Extreme cold temperatures are trouble, too. Lithium-ion batteries can stop discharging electricity in freezing temperatures. Say hello to shortened battery life, display problems and even glass cracking. The ideal temperature is 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Admit it, you’re a slob

Is your tech sparkling clean or covered in crumbs and smudges? It’s not just about cleanliness. Dust and dirt can damage your expensive electronics. My toolkit:

• Compressed air: This is especially useful when cleaning tight quarters and inside difficult-to-reach crevices. If you don’t like the waste of regular compressed air, try an electric air duster.
• Isopropyl alcohol: A good rule of thumb is that if you use it to clean your kitchen, it’s inappropriate for electronics.
• Cleaning wipes: Nice if you don’t want to mess with alcohol or water. I buy these all the time.
• Soft cloths: Don’t use paper towels or tissues that scratch and leave behind particles. If you have a 100% cotton cloth, that works, too. Here’s an affordable pack I’ve purchased a few times.

Pro tip: Take off your phone case and clean out all the junk there, too. Sorry, but it will be disgusting if it’s been a while.

👋 A friend bought a pre-owned iPhone from Germany. He had to spend all weekend deleting the contacts. But now it’s Hans‑free. (I know, sorry!)

Just like your computer or tablet, your smartphone can get a virus. Red flags include a spike in data usage, lots of popups and a batter that drains so much faster than normal.

Yeah, your phone has some safeguards to protect you, but the more help you can get, the better. There’s no reason not to be as safe as you can. My pick is the award-winning TotalAV.

TotalAV works with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. For just $19, you get all this and more across five devices:

• Real-time phishing protection: Instantly identify and block misleading websites trying to steal your personal information.
• Antivirus excellence: Detect, block and eliminate harmful malware threats and viruses in real time.

“Reasonable evidence”: A Florida judge used those words when he ruled in a case where a man, Stephan Banner, died. Tesla marketed its self-driving technology as safe — even though Elon Musk and Tesla’s engineers knew it didn’t work. Banner’s Tesla was on AutoPilot when a vehicle crashed into an 18-wheeler truck that then sheared off the Tesla’s roof and killed Banner. Wonder how Elon is going to post about this …

📺 Turn off your ad blocker — or else: YouTube is bringing out the big guns to push users into paying for its $13.99 monthly Premium service. Videos now play with a slight delay to detect ad blockers, and if you use one, your vids probably won’t play at all.

Sorry, Dave, but I’m afraid I can’t do that: Good news for ChatGPT junkies. Now, you can use the ChatGPT Voice feature for free in the official app. Download for iPhone or Android, and click the Headphones icon to start talking. PSA: I gave you these links because there are a lot of fake AI apps out there.

📖 Nooks and crannies: Here's a name you probably haven't heard in a while. Barnes & Noble is retiring some of the older models of its Nook e‑readers. You'll still be able to use it, but you won't be able to access your Nook account or buy new books. Good time to upgrade to a Kindle.

💊 Oh, my gerd: The FDA is (finally) taking action against annoying prescription drug ads. TV drug ads must list potential side effects "in a clear, conspicuous and neutral manner." The ads can't speed up the list of side effects and can't play distracting footage of people frolicking through a field while describing severe diarrhea.

Real eyes realize real lies: The Cambridge Dictionary, keeper of the world’s official English language, crowned “hallucinate” its 2023 Word of the Year. It expanded its medical definition of the word to account for AI hallucinations — aka when ChatGPT or other AI chatbots spit out a bunch of false information.

Calling all beta testers: If you’re part of Microsoft's Windows Insider program, you’ll soon get the new Copilot AI assistant tool on Windows 10. Copilot can draft emails, create images, write code and do other tasks for you. Wonder what Cortana and Clippy think of it.

Actress Nudy Dench: Dame Judi Dench got a call from her daughter while getting in the bathtub, answered it … and only realized she’d bared it all on FaceTime when she saw the look on her daughter’s face — and a surprised male friend — on the phone’s screen. Awkward.

Not clickbait, I promise. I was making this mistake, too. Back in the day, I turned off all my home security alerts because they were annoying — bad move. What you want to do is adjust your camera’s sensitivity (or upgrade to better cams) if yours are always going off accidentally.

You can usually find controls to adjust motion sensitivity in your security system app. Systems go by different names, so I’ll cover the steps for two.

Adjust your camera sensitivity with SimpliSafe

• Open the SimpliSafe app and tap Cameras at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap the gear icon at the top right of the screen.
• Choose the camera you would like to change.
• Choose Motion Detection and make your adjustments to the sensitivity.

Adjust your camera sensitivity with Ring

• Open the Ring app and tap the gear icon for a camera.
• Tap Motion Settings > Motion Sensitivity. Adjust the slider.

✅ Now, let me tell you something. If your security cams don’t have this setting, you’re probably missing out on a lot of other features, too. Upgrade, anyone? Right now, my sponsor, SimpliSafe,* is having a 60% off sale. It’s a great, affordable security system.

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!"

👉 Get my podcasts today!

Hide-and-seek: You’re shopping online for your kiddo and they walk in. Quick! Hide your open browser windows. On a PC: Windows key + M. (Use Windows key + Shift + M to reopen.) On a Mac: Cmd + Option + H + M. Phew, no Santa spoilers.

🖊️ Write any checks? Use a pen (4-pack for $10) with specially formulated ink that gets trapped in paper, helping to prevent criminal check washing and other document alteration.

See prices all over: Did you know some online retailers change prices depending on where you live — down to the ZIP code? Pro tip: Use a VPN and choose a server in a different area. If the price is cheaper, order and ship it to your address! Don’t have a VPN? Get an extra 3 months of my pick, ExpressVPN, free!

🔎 FYI, Google users: There’s a search box where you can type what you want to do in normal, everyday language. Sure beats digging around tool menus. In Sheets, you can type Remove column, or, in a Doc, try Who last edited this? Handy!

“Hmm, fresh fish? I’m in.”

The answer: B.) Internet Explorer. On Nov. 27, 1995, Microsoft released IE 2.0, starting a browser war with Netscape Navigator. Microsoft promoted IE with promises of privacy and encryption.

😂 How come everyone's forgotten about Internet Explorer? Because Chrome takes up all your memory. (Nerd humor for sure right there!)

Thanks for being here, friend. Show some love to today’s sponsor, TotalAV. It’s a no-brainer if your phone, laptop and computer aren’t protected. See you bright and early tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim