A very happy Sunday, my friend! Here’s a fun piece of internet history for you. On this day in 2004, something big happened in the tech world. Was it … A.) The release of the iPod, B.) The launch of Facebook, C.) The first YouTube video was published or D.) That Amazon started selling TVs? Answer’s at the end! Btw, in 2004, I was the scoutmaster for my son’s Boy Scouts troop. Fun times!

🤓 Science has proven listening to my podcasts while exercising, running errands or getting things done will make you 80% smarter and 90% happier.

Find The Kim Komando Show on Apple and Spotify. There’s also our fun daily podcast, Kim Komando Today, on Apple, Google, YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. — Kim

Sensors in today's smartwatches can detect your heartbeat, track how you sleep and even monitor your blood oxygen levels. If Apple gets its way, your watch will be able to track your blood sugar, too (and possibly send reports about it to your doctor).

Ever wondered, "Just how accurate are these smartwatch readings?" You're far from alone, so I took a look. Smartwatches and fitness watches have some serious flaws you should know about.

Paging Dr. Watch

Turns out cramming a bunch of sensors into a tiny watch doesn't create the most legit results. Who knew? If you're seeing spikes or drops in readings for sleep states or blood oxygen levels, don't panic — it's happening to everyone.

• Sensors have problems with skin tone: Users have filed a lawsuit against Apple because its Watch blood oxygen sensors don't work correctly on dark skin. Yikes! Research, however, indicates this may be a problem with many blood oxygen sensors.
• Smartwatches don’t reach medical levels of accuracy: High-grade studies are limited, but this one for Garmin fitness watches found they couldn’t measure energy expenditure or blood oxygen levels with enough accuracy to make medical decisions.
• Step counters and calorie trackers are easily fooled: Smartwatches like the Apple Watch 6 and Fitbit Sense stink at measuring calories burned and can struggle to define steps walked. And don't get me started on how vague sleep tracking can be!

OK, so smartwatches are only helpful for estimates. But what can we do to make them better?

Take your health in stride

Here are a few figurative steps I think all smartwatch users should take while getting in their literal steps (plus a free play on words!).

• Size your watch for your wrist: Many accuracy problems are caused by loose-fitting watches that slip around on your arm. Buy one you can adjust.
• Focus more on heart rate than steps or calories: Your pulse is right there, so it's no surprise watches are more accurate about heart rate than almost anything else.
• Don’t stress over readings: Ironically, that stress will increase your heart rate and other vitals. Even worrying about sleep tracking can cause inadequate sleep (doctors call it “orthosomnia”). Don't think of readings as hard numbers but rather general brushstrokes about your health picture.
• Watch readings over time: Those bigger-picture charts and graphs are more helpful than going number by number.
• Visit a doctor if you’re worried: Don't waste time or energy obsessing over what your smartwatch tells you. If you've got a serious concern, make an appointment like a grown‑up.

My smartwatch picks

If you don’t have a smartwatch yet, here are a few good ones:

• The Apple Watch Series 9 is the latest and greatest, with all the bells and whistles.
• The Apple Watch SE is a more budget-friendly option.
• The Pixel Watch 2 is perfect for Google and Android fans.
• The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 pairs with your Galaxy phone.

🤣 Having a smartwatch is great. On one hand, you have something you can use to answer texts; on the other hand, you don't. (Was that a groan I heard?)

✅ Tomorrow’s top story in this free newsletter is about a tech millionaire who’s spending $2 million a year on science to keep his body from aging. He shared five must-dos to live your longest, healthiest life. You don’t want to miss it!

• Wi‑Fi smart weather station because he always wants to know
• Charging station for his tech since you always steal his
• Nice bag for all his toiletries
• A jerky bouquet (elk, buffalo and venison) sure beats flowers
• Fancy chocolates for his sweet tooth
• Put your face on a pair of boxers — so funny!

AI-pocalypse: OpenAI admits ChatGPT might, kinda, almost help with creating bioweapons. Its study, with 100 brainy participants, showed AI is just 9% better than humans when it comes to cooking up evil schemes. I don’t feel any better about that.

💔 Guard your heart: “Pig-butchering scams” (aka cybercriminals faking love to lead you to a crypto “slaughter”) now come packaged and ready for sale in DIY dark web kits. The kits themselves push "DeFi savings opportunities.” Repeat after me: No mixing crypto and love.

🛑 Drone danger: Snap is grounding its selfie drones — their lithium-ion batteries can light on fire. If you've got one, stop using it, take out the battery and don't even think about charging it. Then, get a full refund.

Tech’s best friend: Amazon's latest AI chatbot is named after a Welsh corgi that once roamed its offices. "Rufus," currently in beta, can fetch answers, dig up recommendations and sniff out the best deals.

🤖 We're waiting: Tim Cook is hinting Apple will soon be in the AI game alongside the likes of Google and OpenAI. I expect Apple's grand entrance to happen at its annual WWDC in June. I swear, if it’s just Siri …

Privacy, please: Laura in Austin asked me why she got this message from our sponsor, Incogni: “We found multiple records that might belong to you. Please identify and select the ones that best match your profile.” That’s a great thing — they’ve uncovered more ways data brokers are selling your personal info. Get 60% off Incogni using promo code KIM60 if you want to remove your info from data-broker sites, too. It’s amazing.

📺 Curated content: To remember what you want to watch later, queue up content using your favorite streaming service's watchlist or playlist feature. On Netflix, select a title, then Add to My List. Easy‑peasy!

Another good use for ChatGPT? Cover letters. Use your existing cover letter template, then provide the link to the job you’re applying for. The bot will customize things faster than you can. Just read it several times before sending it out! Time saved.

🚘 ‘Cause most schools don’t teach driver’s ed anymore: Put a tracker in the car, teach your kids about distracted driving, and sign them up for B.R.A.K.E.S. It’s a free, three-hour, in-person defensive driving course for teens founded by drag racer Doug Herbert after his two young sons died in a crash.

Safety first: Look at the file extension after downloading a PDF online. You’re looking for .pdf. If the filename ends with .exe, delete it — it’s likely malware.

Finding and canceling all your subscriptions is a major pain. Rocket Money is an app that does it for you. It hunts down subscription services and makes it super easy to cancel the ones you don’t use. I did it and saved $456.76.

It only takes a few minutes and you’ll finally get rid of that nagging feeling that you need to cancel all the stuff you’re not using.

Save yourself time and trouble and use Rocket Money. It’s worth it.

❓ Every week on my national radio show, I talk with interesting folks and those who could use a little help with something digital. Catch these convos on a station near you, get the show’s podcast on Apple, or join the Komando Community with a 30-day free trial on me!

• Bryan in Los Angeles wants to live forever. He made his fortune in tech and now spends $2 million yearly to stay as youthful as possible. (Psst, I’m sharing his tips for everyday folks tomorrow in the newsletter!)
• Tommy in Richmond, Virginia, is a hacker who’s exploited over 10,000 companies, including Yahoo and Uber — and even the U.S. government. Now he’s earning bank as a good guy hacker.
• Randy in Eugene, Oregon, has a viral YouTube video with over 700,000 views. But can it make him any money?

Plus, Lise worries about AI taking over, Patrick seeks an opinion on passcodes versus passkeys, Matt ponders using work apps on his iPhone and much more!

Eat: Homemade black forest truffles. OK, not gonna make these, but I sure want one.

Drink: For all my tea peeps, a London Fog is a latte for us! I also love these Tea Drops.

Laugh: The craziest listings on Zillow, all in one place for easy browsing.

Study: I’m listening to Fr. Mike’s Bible in a Year podcast. It’s excellent, and I bet you’ll like it, too.

Follow me: I’m on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and everywhere else!

Oh, to be a photon that always travels light.

Answer: Facebook was launched on Feb. 4, 2004. Back then, you had to have a .edu email address to access it. They hit a million users just 10 months after Zuck launched Facebook from his dorm room at Harvard.

For Valentine's Day, I made a chart of past relationships. It has an ex‑axis and a why‑axis. (I know you’re going to share that one.)

Enjoy your Sunday! Be sure to forward this email to a few folks. Together, we can make this world a better, safer tech place. See you tomorrow morning with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim