We use more energy in the summer, so our bills go up. But times are changing, and there are more ways to save than ever. Here are five ways tech can lower your energy bills this summer. Use the extra money to take that vacation, finally!

Have an Amazon Echo at home? With Drop In, you can pop in on your speaker or one owned by a friend or family member who gives you access. It’s an excellent way to say hello without picking up the phone.

To enable Drop In:

• Open the Alexa app and tap Devices.
• Select Echo & Alexa, then select the device you want to use.
• Tap the settings icon in the top right corner, then choose Communications.
• Tap the toggle to enable Drop In and other communications.
• Tap Drop In to customize who can Drop In. You can select My Household to limit this to only devices on your account.

You can now use the Alexa app to pop into your Echo devices. In the app, tap Communicate at the bottom of the screen, then Drop In. Choose the device you want from the list.

🔈 Want more Echo tricks? Here are four other smart uses.

If you learned something new or found this helpful, consider subscribing to the Komando Community. Your support makes our work possible. Try it free here!

Intelligent hackers can break into your device, steal everything and vanish without a trace. Sometimes, they leave malware and viruses behind. But how can you tell if they've broken in?

What are you interested in? Let us know so we can help deliver the tips, tricks and articles you care about. Follow the button below to update your preferences. It takes less than a minute!

Big Tech is supposed to safely handle our personal online data, but now they’re getting into the political game. I don’t want to be any part of that, and neither should you. That’s why I trust and use ExpressVPN.

These Big Tech companies match your internet activity to your identity or location by using your public IP address, but with ExpressVPN, no one can see your IP address — no one.

AI chatbot ChatGPT is making headlines across the tech world. It can write essays, solve engineering problems and even give life advice. As you can imagine, people are scared about artificial intelligence stealing their jobs or helping students and employees cheat. You can take advantage of this fantastic tool, however. Here are some ways to make money with ChatGPT.

Screen protectors are a small investment to protect a much larger one. If you drop your phone (or something drops onto it), these thin sheets of plastic and glass sacrifice themselves to save your precious display. There are many screen protectors to choose from, so which one is right for you? We'll list some of our favorites, along with installation tips.

Over on my Instagram page, I share photos of my life. I keep my profile private, but I'll add you!

Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app helps identify over 6,000 birds. It knows their songs, too. Chirp, chirp. Get a closer look into how to understand what birds are saying.