Welcome to a tech-fantastic Friday, friend! Let’s start with one of those it’s-not-just-you facts. Ever feel a weird tickle or pulsing from your phone? "Phantom phone vibration syndrome" is real, and it’s caused by the constant anticipation of notifications. Our brains get so used to the buzz that we sometimes "feel" it when there’s no message.

👠 Another letter from our reader mail: “Kim, I love your show and newsletter. I want to buy your shoes, preferably red pumps. I would cherish them forever. I wear a size 12 men’s. Your fan, Samuel.” That’s sweet, but the answer is 100% nope. They keep me on my toes! — Kim

Still turning to Google for answers? How we search online is changing faster than I’ve ever seen in tech.

Google still processes a massive 8.5 billion daily searches, but AI is coming in hot. As of July, 1.5 billion people globally were using AI chatbots, and that market is projected to hit $455 million in revenue by 2027.

So, which is better for finding information: AI or Google? Spoiler: It depends.

Battle of the bots

Online searches typically come in three flavors: Navigation, information and exploration. Let’s start there.

🔗 Navigation: These simple searches to find a website are the top queries on Google. Think "wordle," "youtube" and "yahoo mail."

Ol' reliable Google is the best tool to find your answer here. It's rare it won't give you what you need as a top result, quickly. Just scroll past the ads (marked with “sponsored”) and go to the first organic result.

📜 Information: These searches are a little more detailed and have one specific answer. The most popular information queries on Google are things like "NFL scores," "weather" and "what time is it."

For real-time info like sports scores, AI chatbots are hit or miss. Many turn up outdated information. Google aces sports scores every time.

🚀 Exploration: These are the meatiest searches and include things that don't always have a single answer. Think "what is TikTok" and "things to do in Austin."

AI bots are best suited for these kinds of queries. They'll spit out multipart answers and include a bunch of links in case you want to learn more. Some even include images and links to explainer videos on YouTube.

Google will give you all those same links, but they won't be tied up in a pretty package.

New-school tools

If you’re new to the wide world of AI search, start here. (I’m leaving out ChatGPT since we’ve talked about that one so much. Click here if you missed it.)

🍑 How will we know when artificial intelligence becomes self-aware? It starts to think its bot is too big.

You’re gonna love these!

🚨 Banking app scam alert: A new phishing attack is tricking people into installing an "updated" (read: bogus) banking app. Scammers contact you via email, SMS or voice call. Download their app, log in, and now they have your password. Stay safe: Only update apps via the App Store or Google Play. If you need your bank’s app, go to their website for a direct link.

Satellite puns never land: Starting this fall, certain smartphones can access Verizon’s emergency messaging and location sharing via satellite for free. So far, it’s confirmed for the Google Pixel 9 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold. Next year, customers can send text messages via satellite, too. FYI: The Apple iPhone 14 and later models already have this feature.

🧯 Need a light? A third Tesla Cybertruck in less than a month burst into flames. This time, the EV hit a fire hydrant, apparently damaging the battery pack and sparking a fire.

Better luck this time: Google is relaunching its AI photo tool. They pulled it in February after users posted pics of Nazi soldiers depicted as Black or Asian, along with a female pope. For now, it’s exclusive to paid Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise subscribers.

⚕️ Don't give up: Fight Health Insurance is a new, free AI tool that can help you appeal health insurance claim denials. The chatbot scans your denial letter and generates an appeal letter you can edit. Unlike ChatGPT and others, this one is specifically finetuned for health insurance rejections. If you use it, triple-check the text before sending it off to your insurer.

Dropped your phone in water? Forget the bowl of rice. The collective internet is going bonkers over this video. It uses low sound frequencies to literally pull the liquid out of speakers. Caveats: It won't help with water trapped in the USB port or SIM card slot, and you’ll need to turn your phone on for this to work. Let it dry out for 24 hours before you try.

💣 Sounds expensive: By 2050, a new generation of tanks could replace those made during the Cold War. The plan is to outfit existing models with AI integration and Tesla-inspired tech. Think hybrid electric engines, autoloaders, self-launching drones and jammers to stop incoming missiles. Hopefully, they don’t have the Tesla fart-sounding horn.

“My phone died. Can I use yours?” It’s a trick spreading quickly across the country. Someone who's clearly frazzled asks if they can call a friend on your phone to pick them up because their car won't start. You unlock your device, hand it over and that person runs away with it.

Hiring the right talent is key to your business success, but the process can be such a headache. LinkedIn is here to change that.

With millions of active job seekers, LinkedIn offers an unparalleled pool of skilled professionals eager for new opportunities. We've used LinkedIn's tools to build the team behind this newsletter and our other projects.

Why LinkedIn?

💵 A dollar here, a dollar there: Seems like every subscription is more expensive than when I signed up. I use the Rocket Money* app to check for increases. They’ll even cancel for you if it’s not worth the money anymore.

Take notes for me: Google Meet can do that now. It’ll autogenerate a Google Doc with meeting notes and then attach it to the calendar invite. Look for it across Google Workspace (the paid work version) by Sept. 10.

🔒 Lock it up: Having people over this weekend? Lock your computer. Call me paranoid, but you never know who’ll get curious. For Windows: Hit the Windows key + L. On a Mac, use Ctrl + Cmd + Q.

Need a trustworthy hand with any of your tech? Use the Komando Community Q&A Forum, staffed by my team of IT geniuses (and sometimes me!). Try it free for 30 days on me.

📸 You look fabulous, dahling: The flash on most cameras and phones makes harsh shadows. Bright idea: Diffuse the light through something like a white plastic shopping bag for a softer look. Just don’t cover the lens!

Can you guess ‘em all? 😂

🥳 Win a new iPhone 16 (up to $1,500 value). I’ve been getting questions about this contest. 1.) Yes, each entry includes getting this free newsletter. 2.) You can enter to win. Don’t worry, you won’t get two issues of my newsletter unless you enter with a different email address than the one you use already. 3.) Yes, you can share the link on social media so your family and friends have a chance to win, too. The entry form is at WinFromKim.com. Good luck, and hurry — the contest ends soon!

This is your friendly reminder! Listen to my national radio show this weekend. I have so much good intel to share, and my jokes are on point most of the time. Find the station nearest to you using our super-duper station locator map or catch it as a podcast to listen to whenever and wherever you want.

🩵 Appreciate you and all your support, my friend. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a topic that gets me all fired up: Elder fraud. It’s awful what these scammers do! See you then with another issue of the very best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim