Happy Thursday, tech know-how seekers. Here’s some pre-Amazon Prime trivia for ya. In 2004, an escaped convict nicknamed the “Rooftop Robber,” or simply “Roofman,” hid for six months in which shuttered tech superstore: A.) CompUSA, B.) RadioShack, C.) Circuit City or D.) Fry’s Electronics? Answer’s at the end!

🤗 Welcome back, Yahoo and AOL friends. Still digging into the why, but the great Big Tech email servers there decided our newsletters should be blocked from your inbox for the past three days. So frustrating. Glad to have you back, and you can catch up on the issues you missed here. I appreciate every single one of you who reached out to let me know. — Kim

Here’s a shocker you need to know. Replacing the battery in an electric vehicle can set you back up to $50,000. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s more than a brand-new Tesla Model 3. I’m not beating up Tesla; all EV carmakers hope you don’t figure this out.

OK, how long do EV batteries last?

Hmm, 10 years? 20? Nope. According to a Daily Mail investigation, the average EV battery lasts about eight years. After that, there's no hard-and-fast rule for knowing how much time you have left.

Many EVs lose up to 12% of their charge capacity by the sixth year, and some lose even more. Case in point: By the time a Nissan Leaf reaches eight years old, it may have lost up to 20% of its battery life — 99 miles per charge versus the 124 per-charge miles you got while it was new.

Why so pricey?

EV batteries use high-demand metals like nickel, cobalt, lithium and manganese, which are also used in phone and laptop batteries. Plus, you need a specialist to replace them. Most car companies only let you get a replacement at one of their dealerships.

EV batteries typically come with eight-year warranties — but beyond that, to replace it, you’re looking at $16,000 minimum.

If you’re considering an EV or already have one:

• Charge at home. When you can, use a home-based, mains-connected charger (e.g., a wall outlet) compared to a high-speed charger.
• Weather makes a big difference. EVs operate best between 77 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Colder temps slow down EV batteries. Frigid weather also reduces their charging capacity over time.

Buying a used EV

Most EV battery warranties cover the first eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Make sure you know exactly how much time is left on the EV battery’s warranty and how much it’ll cost to replace it.

🤣 Now, before you say "Tesla" backward, make sure everyone's ready. Alset? (Oh, tough crowd today!)

If your favorite purse is a jacket, the transition to summer is bittersweet. Where to put your stuff? Enter the phone case wallet. Oh, and I always keep a $20 bill behind my phone case for emergencies. Do this and thank me later!

Best for iPhones: Smartish makes iPhone wallet cases that hold and hide three cards and cash with a spring-loaded door. Their iPhone  15 case costs $24.99.

Best for Samsung Galaxy phones: This handsome faux leather case ($18.99 for the S22) hides its built-in wallet, which has two vertical card slots behind a magnetic flap and an additional card pocket. Pick the right size for your Galaxy model!

Best universal phone case wallet: If you have a hard plastic case or prefer a caseless phone (brave!), go for an adhesive phone wallet. This clever model attaches with super-strong 3M adhesive and expands to hold five cards. Right now, it’s 25% off ($14.99).

🚫 Cyber sweep: The U.S. Justice Department seized four web domains used by Russian hackers to create over 40,000 fake websites. The phonies were copycats of sites like Amazon, Netflix and Bank of America, and they were used to steal a million users’ credentials and 500,000 credit card numbers. Always — always — double-check the URL.

College grads, beware: Scammers are targeting recent alumni with fake job offers, claiming a dean or professor recommended them. They’re after student IDs and banking info, with some even persuading grads into handing over money for “home office equipment.” Major red flag: Interviews are conducted solely via text or email.

🕵️ Cold-case breakthrough: In Telfair County, Georgia, a fisherman stumbled upon critical evidence from the 2015 Craigslist murder of an elderly couple. He first pulled up a .22-caliber rifle, then discovered driver's licenses and credit cards belonging to the victims. This find has revitalized the investigation, with more clues headed to the crime lab.

😞 Hard lesson: A 77-year-old woman in Troy, Michigan, was duped out of $80,000 after being told she’d won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. Millions of dollars and three cars could all be hers ... after she paid the “taxes” upfront. Her bank warned her it was a scam, but she still wired the money. Sigh.

Game night is getting real: Soon, you’ll be able to bet real money on arcade games like Skee-Ball and Hot Shots basketball. Using the Dave & Buster's app, loyalty members can wager between $5 and $10. How is this legal, you ask? Since these are "skill-based" games, not "games of chance," they bypass the usual gambling licenses and regulations.

I’d hang up: New to the Google Phone app: Audio emojis. During a call, you can select from six sound effects, including clapping, laughing and farting, which play for you and the other person. On the bright side, there's a cooldown period, so no endless loop of fart sounds.

Move over, New York Times: LinkedIn added puzzle games to its app and desktop site. You can pick from three options: Pinpoint (word association), Crossclimb (trivia and wordplay) and Queens (sudoku without the numbers). Give ‘em a whirl — they're free.

💻 That’s cray-cray: The U.S. government is auctioning off a decommissioned Cheyenne supercomputer. This 145,152-core rig was once used for scientific research and ranked as the 20th most powerful in the world in 2016. The current bid at the time I wrote this was $100,000, and the auction closes on May 5, if you’re in the market. But beware: There are issues with its cooling system.

Your desktop is a mess: Create a new folder with a name like “Clean up” or the date. Drop everything in there. When you have 5 minutes to spare, go through that folder. It’s kind of like that junk drawer in your kitchen ...

Attention, shopper: Liquidation.com hawks packages and undelivered goods from Amazon, Target, Walmart and the Home Depot. You can filter by brand or retailer. Shop carefully — there are no returns.

YouTube trick: There might be a good reason you need a solid screenshot of a single frame of a YouTube video. Now, it’s easy to do. Pause the video, right-click on it and select Copy video frame. Sweet! Just paste it into a chat, image editor or document.

Germ buster: Since I know it’s been too long, grab a sanitizing wipe and give your computer mouse, remote control and car keyfob a cleanup. Bonus points if you clean the front door knob. Yeah, mine was gross, too!

No more typos: Step 1: Ask Grammarly or ChatGPT to find mistakes and typos. Step 2: Read it out loud. This helps you hear mistakes you might not see. Works like a charm.

Every day, we're on a mission to boost your digital life to the max. We're out there digging through the internet, chatting with tech geniuses across the globe, and discovering all those sneaky tech tips and tricks just for you.

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It’s all downhill from here.

The answer: C.) Circuit City, or the shell of one, was the hideout for Jeffrey Manchester, an escaped convict in North Carolina. He spent six months in the empty store before being nabbed by cops. He’s still in jail, by the way. But if he escapes again, check the nearest Best Buy!

Speaking of … What do you call employees at a Best Buy store in Athens, Greece? The Greek Squad!

☀️ I’ll see you back in your inbox tomorrow. Be sure to follow me on social media — you know, in case Yahoo and AOL decide my newsletters are spam again. I’m on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and everywhere else. Thank you for letting me in your inbox. You’re swell! — Kim