It’s Tuesday! Let’s kick things off with something amazing! At Lincoln Center in NYC, a new program lets the deaf or hearing impaired wear haptic suits to enjoy music. A DJ controls the music’s vibrations on the suit’s sensors, along with the frequency and intensity. How much do you think a haptic suit costs? Is it … $6,999, $9,999 or $12,999? The answer’s at the end, along with a video you won’t want to miss.

😎 We have a lot to cover today. Let’s get going with making you tech smarter! — Kim

When I read this story, I was amazed and frightened. The tech is phenomenal — but it can be misused. When TikTokker Mia Dio’s boyfriend Billy started acting strangely, she did some digging. She paid only $4 for voice-cloning software, uploaded Billy’s voice and trained it to talk like him.

Then she called his best friend, Jake. The result? A viral video with 2.6 million views in which the AI “Billy” asks Jake what Billy did the night before, and Jake recounts Billy making out with a girl at a bar before crashing on the couch. 

Here’s the twist: It was a prank, and Mia dreamt it all up.

If anyone says they lost their voice …

Despite the whole thing being a con, super-cheap AI software is powerful and available to anyone.

🛑 Here’s a rundown of some popular scams so you can spot this crap before you get taken and your money stolen.

• The summer camp call: There’s been a gas leak and they need to evacuate immediately. The camp counselor wants you to pay for a hotel for your child.
• The charity call: A voice you’ve definitely heard on TV called you, looking for cash to help disaster victims. What’s your credit card number?
• The neighbor call: She’s saying your dog was hit by a car and she took him to the vet. You’ll pay the bill now, right?
• The auto parts call: Your trusty mechanic calls with bad news — do not drive your car. There’s been a major recall and you need to buy the parts.
• The family call: It’s someone you know and they’re in jail, selling an heirloom or diagnosed with a terminal illness. You’ll help out, won’t you?

OK, spot the red flags

There’s a sense of fear and urgency. Someone you love (or you) is in trouble and needs help. The caller asks you to move quickly. They’re practically begging you to hand over money, payment details, gift cards or private info to scam you. 

These are just examples. There are thousands more where these came from. These scams are going to hit you and those you know with a real force. But you’re prepared!

👃 You can sniff this out in one step: Say “I’ll call you right back!” and hang up. Call that person back yourself. Ask if they just called you. I bet they’ll say no.

*cue Yakov Smirnoff voice* In the 1990s, you search internet. In the 2020s, internet search you. (🪆 You read that with a Russian accent, didn’t you?)

Amazon bought Ring for $1.2 billion. Google paid $3.2 billion for Nest. Wish you'd gotten in early? RYSE is a tech company going after a booming market — smart shades. Their public $1/share offering is closing next week.

Did you know the “Shark Tank” sharks said "No, thanks" to Ring? The 10% stake they offered to the sharks went from $700,000 to $10 million. RYSE pitched on the Canadian version of the show, “Dragons' Den,” and got two offers.

They just secured their first retail deal, and you can invest in their company before their product stocks the shelves of over 100 Best Buy stores.

🛫 Ticket to scam: Posting photos of yourself smiling with your boarding pass on social media is a dumb move. Boarding passes display your full legal name, ticket number and passenger name record. That six-digit code plus your last name gives anyone access to your booking info online (think email, phone number, address), and they can even change or cancel your flight. Plus, everyone on social will know you’re on vacay … including thieves.

Google will remove your photos tomorrow: Check your Album Archive for any old pics you shared with Picasa, Blogger or Google Hangouts. If you spot memories, download them now. Google is wiping out all of them tomorrow, July 19. Worry not — your Google Photos are safe.

Isn’t he busy enough? Elon Musk started another company: xAI. He wants to build a super-smart AI that can solve math and science conundrums and “understand” the universe. I’ll believe it once self-driving Teslas don’t crash. I have more Musk musings below.

🎧 I can hear now: I got a free replacement for my $200 AirPods Pro made before October 2020. To check if yours are eligible, enter your serial number (it’s in your Bluetooth settings) here to see the manufacture date. If you hear crackling or static, or the noise cancellation is crappy, fill out this form. 

Better than folding: Apple’s new patent for a rollable electronic display might be the first sign of big changes coming to iPhones. Samsung, Motorola and LG are working on roll-up phones, too. Can we consider the Apple version a … fruit roll-up?

Sew this hole up: Meta’s Threads app was downloaded over 100 million times since its rollout. But another app called Threads, a Slack alternative, had 1 million downloads in a few days. Normally, they’d see less than 10. Make sure you’re downloading the right app. I tried Meta’s version and thought it was lame.

Cool beans: Through the end of the month, Dunkin’ Rewards members can snag a free medium cold brew at Dunkin’. Sign up in the app or on the web.

📺 Come with me to China … where sellers use crazy mafia-type tactics to become top sellers on Amazon. It goes way beyond fake reviews. They destroy their competitors in ways that are hard to believe unless you see this expose. When I saw this, I knew you’d want to see it, too. Watch it here now.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

👉 Get my podcasts today!

When was the last time you saw a drive-in movie? They’re huge right now. Google searches for “drive-in movies open near me” are up 129%. Hey, it’s a lot easier to sneak in your own snacks …

The folks over at Nationwide Vehicle Contracts paged through reviews, ticket prices, amenities and more to find the top drive-ins to visit this summer in the U.S. 

And the top 10 are …

• Solano 2 Drive-in Theater in Concord, California
• Joy Lan Drive-in in Dade City, Florida (tied for 2nd)
• Star Drive-in in Monte Vista, Colorado (tied for 2nd)
• Portville Drive-in Theater in Portville, New York (tied for 2nd)
• Wes-Mer Drive-in in Mercedes, Texas
• South Drive-in in Dodge City, Kansas
• Showboat Drive-in in Hockley, Texas
• Stone Drive-in in Mountain View, Arkansas
• Misquamicut Drive-In Theater in Westerly, Rhode Island
• Silver Moon Drive-in in Lakeland, Florida (tied for 10th)
• Skowhegan Drive-in in Skowhegan, Maine (tied for 10th)

🎥 Live near one? Go visit and let me know if it’s awesome! Speaking of … Now that the Titanic movie is over 25 years old, Leo has completely lost interest in it.

Spammers get your email addresses in a lot of ways, but the most common? Buying up contact lists from the online apps and services you use. Gmail users, here’s how to see who sold you out:

• When you go to sign up for an app or any online service with your email address, put a plus sign and a unique identifier after your username, before the @. 
• It will look like this, minus the brackets: [username]+[app name]@gmail[.]com

💡 Gmail disregards anything after the plus symbol but still delivers mail. If you then receive a spam email addressed to that sender, you can easily see which app is the one that sold you out.

✅ It’s your big week, tech stars: Our Current Life Hacks newsletter goes live this week! Make sure you’re on the list to get it.

😋 If you don’t like tacos, I’m nacho type!

💃 The answer: A full haptic suit starts at around $12,999. I just love when tech can help a person with a disability. Check out this video of how the deaf and hearing impaired can enjoy music!

🤗 Another solid day in the books. Thanks for being here! Be sure to rate this newsletter to let us know how we’re doing. Stay awesome! — Kim