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August 9, 2023 |
In partnership with Daily Tech Update |
Hey, hey, Wednesday! Alice asked, βHow long should I stay with Windows 10? Has Windows 11 gotten all the bugs out?β Youβre good to go. At this point, itβs really just preference. You will need to update by October 2025, so might as well get used to it now. β Quick tip: Thereβs an easy way to open a web link in a new browser tab: Click it with your mouseβs scroll button. Thatβs it. Bonus tip: Click an open tab with that same button to close it instantly. Share that with someone and youβll look super smart. β Kim π« First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itβs free!) IN THIS ISSUEπ Turbocharge your browsingπ§ Apple Music upgradeβ¨οΈ Scroll with the spacebar |
TODAY'S TECH HACKFeeling sluggish? Might be your background appsNothing is more frustrating than having to wait (and wait and wait) for pages to load. Sometimes, it's a momentary glitch, but more often than not, a sluggish browsing experience means something is amiss behind the scenes. It might be apps running in the background that eat up a ton of resources and slow your entire system. Let's take a look at the usual suspects. Syncing with the cloud: Constantly transferring files (especially large ones) can suck up a lot of resources and, yes, slow your speed. π οΈ The fix: Customize your cloud settings to prioritize what kinds of documents are worth backing up and which aren't. You might be surprised what you're automatically syncing. You can also set your backups to happen overnight. CPU and RAM hogs: Sometimes, your system runs background apps that can tax your device's CPU and RAM. That, in turn, can affect the internet and browsing speed. We're talking video-editing software, virtual machines and other resource-sucking applications. π οΈ The fix: If youβre on a Mac, check the Activity Monitor and turn off any CPU-sucking apps. On a PC, check Task Manager. Get in-depth steps here. Streaming issues: Ah, the ol' stop, start, stop, start. Streaming taxes your bandwidth like (almost) nothing else. π οΈ The fix: Make sure you arenβt streaming in more than one window. Change your video settings to a lower resolution to free up some bandwidth. Still choppy? Consider downloading your movie or show instead. I wish you speedy browsing! (P.S. While looking into your bandwidth issues, make sure you also know all the signs your phone or computer is infected with a virus or keylogger.) Iβll leave you with these wise words: βThe main problem with the internet is that there is no way to validate most facts.β β Abraham Lincoln, 1865. |
DEAL OF THE DAY
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YOU SHOULD KNOWWhatsUp: Metaβs WhatsApp has a handy, new video-calling feature: Document, photo and even shopping cart sharing. Look for the Share icon and display a specific app or your entire phone. Good for business calls? No, but I can see some smart uses, like helping an older relative with a tech issue. β Add a latte: Target is luring people into using curbside order pick-up with caffeine β and I bet itβs going to work. At more than 1,700 locations, you can add a Starbucks drink to your order. Yep, you stay in the car, and someone will bring out your toilet paper and a frappuccino. About time: Apple Music just introduced a killer feature Spotifyβs had for years: The Discovery Station. Think of this as curated music the algorithm predicts youβll like based on what you listen to most. To try it: Open Apple Music > Listen now > Stations for You > Discovery Station. Itβs not just you: Reddit is full of people complaining the YouTube TV app for iOS and iPadOS keeps freezing. If the loading icon is driving you up the wall, you're not alone. YouTube says it knows things are busted, and it's working on a fix. ποΈ AR shopping: Walmartβs augmented reality (AR) app lets you (digitally) place furniture in your home. Now, itβs even more useful β you can add multiple products (there are over 7,000 to choose from) and get recs for what works well together. Try it now in the Walmart app for iPhone. Sorry, Android folks β itβs not ready for you yet. |
ποΈ Stay tech-savvy in just 2 minutes!I turn tech complexity into simplicity with my Daily Tech Update podcast. Iβll give you the top tech news and a useful digital life hack, all in under two minutes. It's the perfect match for your daily routine β no tech expertise required. |
TECH LIFE UPGRADESSpaced out: You can navigate websites with just your keyboard. I like this when Iβm reading something long. Tap the spacebar to scroll down and spacebar + Shift to scroll back up. Speaking of space, Iβm reading a book about anti-gravity. Itβs impossible to put down. π Respectfully, shut up: Youβre in a meeting and your phone rings. Instead of hitting βIgnore,β press the volume down button to mute the ringer. Bonus: The person calling wonβt get immediately sent to voicemail and think youβre ignoring them. Storage saver: Use Excel often? Save big files as .XLSB format instead of .XLS. The file size will shrink up to 75%. Yep, size matters. π Forgot the charger?: No worries if youβre at a hotel and all you have is a USB cable and not the wall adapter. Most hotel TVs have a USB plugin you can use. More ways to use a hotel and Airbnb TV here. Listen carefully: As one smart reader pointed out, hearing your written words out loud makes it easier to spot mistakes or sentences that sound off. Itβs easy to correct errors subconsciously when you read your own work. Solution: Paste it into Google Translate and hit the speaker icon. |
The smartest way to start your dayOK, thatβs AFTER youβve read this newsletter. But youβre here so youβre doing that! π¦·π₯π½ While youβre brushing your teeth, cooking eggs or, uh, using the bathroom, update yourself with my Daily Tech Update podcast. In just 60 seconds, Iβll catch you up on the big tech news story of the day. Use the link below to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. |
ASK ME YOUR QUESTIONSI need a UPS for my router
β Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602β381β8200 ext. 290. |
FREEBIE OF THE DAYScore free product samplesTheFreeSite.com links to offers and freebies for consumer products like snacks, over-the-counter medicines and office supplies. Offers are active only for a limited time, so try to catch the ones you want before they disappear. Membership to TheFreeSite.com is, indeed, free. |
BYTES OF HUMOR: LOADING LAUGHSWhy do Adam and Eve use Android? βοΈ Another issue in the books. See you in your inbox bright and early with tomorrowβs tech news! Subscribe here if you haven't already. Iβm sharing important stuff this week. β Kim |
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