Hello to a wonderful Wednesday! Let’s start with trivia. Billionaire Warren Buffett said artificial intelligence (AI) will change everything and likened it to the development of the atomic bomb. Is this following sentence true or false? He lives in the same home he purchased in 1958. Answer’s at the end!

Now, I had a blast putting this newsletter together. Warning: Massive tech-know is ahead! — Kim

Set a reminder for Monday, Sept. 18. That's when iOS 17 is dropping — and it's the one thing Apple just announced at its big Wonderlust fall release event that won’t cost you anything.

I've been on the beta version for months and wrote up my favorite new features for the Daily Mail. Today, let's take a closer look at the latest hardware dropping this fall. 

The phones

The 15 and 15 Plus are essentially the iPhone 14 Pro, with bigger batteries, screens and fun new colors. Yes, I like the pink one.

The star of the show is the iPhone Pro Max, with a 6.7-inch display (soon, we won't be able to fit these things in our pockets), titanium case and a processor Apple says can challenge some high-end PCs. Yes, Apple sometimes overstates its performance, but there's no doubt this thing is fast.

The watches

The $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a big screen that’s bright enough to view in full sunlight, with 72 hours of battery life and a titanium case. Say what you want about Apple, but it has the best smartwatch out there.

That model and the $399 Series 9 both get "double tap," a new gesture where you tap together your pointer finger and thumb to do things like answer calls. Pretty sweet.

RIP, Apple Lightning connector

All four new iPhones and the new Apple Watch models will charge with a USB-C cable. Rejoice! Now you can plug in at a friend's house if they have an Android. I'm all for getting every device in my house charging on the same kind of cord.

Bummer: No more details on the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, aside from stating it's on track to launch in 2024.

Bottom line if you need a new phone

Listen, the iPhone 15 is a slick device. The specs are impressive — especially on the Pro and Pro Max — but there's no good reason to upgrade if you're using a 12 or newer. Get your money's worth.

If you're still on an iPhone 8 … it's time to upgrade. Go all out if you can afford it, but the iPhone 13 or 14 are great phones at better prices. Only drop that $1,200 on the iPhone 15 if you're the tech nerd who must have the latest and greatest. Ahem, that would be me. And, by the way, I don't get freebies from Apple. I pay for my gear.

CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, CMOs: Cisco’s Talos global threat intelligence team found C-level executives are the big, new target for data extortion — where a hacker or scammer steals personal or confidential info for blackmail. Incidents involving C-suite positions are up 25%. Pro tip: Never access confidential docs from public Wi-Fi. You never know who’s lurking.

Take that, China! Geologists have unearthed the world's largest lithium deposit on the Nevada/Oregon border. The McDermitt Caldera holds a staggering 88 billion pounds of lithium, valued at $1.5 trillion. China currently refines 90% of the world's mined lithium, which powers everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.

Pediatricians have little patients: After 17 doctor’s visits and no answers, Courtney put all her young son’s symptoms and medical test results into ChatGPT. This time, AI was right, calling out “tethered cord syndrome,” which started to explain his headaches, leg weakness and more. Little Alex is now recovering from surgery. It’s up to us to advocate for those we love.

Vend-tastic: A gal named Emily posted a TikTok vid about something I’ve never seen — a vending machine in her Airbnb. No surprise, the video went viral and reactions are mixed. There are two camps: “Best idea ever” and “No way I’m paying $5 for cookies.” Me? I think it’s genius.

Let’s bust a movie: Disney’s giving us a special gift for its 100-year anniversary — the chance to shell out $1,500 for 100 special-edition Blu-rays and digital codes to stream them. Or, you know, you could pay for nine years of Disney+ without ads. Speaking of … What did Master Yoda say when he first saw himself on Blu-ray? HDMI.

The Black Hornet: Nope, not a new Marvel character. It's the U.S. military's new 4.8-by-6.6-inch drone. It weighs nearly an ounce and streams video for about 25 minutes on a single charge. Coolest part: It's small enough to access areas people or bigger drones can't. But you cannot buy one unless you're "qualified."

Keeping up with the times: Gen Z says tracking is totally normal (Fortune, paywall link). They track friends using Apple’s Find My, the Life360 app and other ways. No one their age seems to think it’s an invasion of privacy. I know married couples who won’t use Find My with each other.

🐶 Adopt, don’t shop: Sony is donating its ERS-1000 Aibo robot dogs to medical facilities and nursing homes. Genius to give a little puppy love to those who can’t interact with real animals. Aside from the lack of fur, these robo doggies are so realistic, owners hold real funerals for them when they stop getting software updates.

While you're brushing your teeth, waiting for your toast or sipping your first coffee of the day, I deliver the top tech news story and a digital life hack, all within two minutes. No rambling, no fluff — just straight-to-the-point tech talk.

👉 Get my Daily Tech Update podcast today!

Be on the lookout for face-scanning tech next time you fly. Airports in Los Angeles, Detroit, Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas and a few other cities use facial recognition to speed up the security process. Worth it or invasive? Depends on who you ask.

Hurry up and wait

That’s the name of the game when it comes to travel. Wait times are out of control, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says facial-recognition tech will make the process much more efficient.

You’ll insert your driver’s license or passport into a card reader. A camera will compare your face to the one on your ID. An agent approves once the screen is done and you’re on your merry way. Many airports in Europe already use this technology.

🛑 What happens if that database is breached?

You’d better believe it’s going to be a prime target for hackers, but I’m all for convenience. (I hate lines, too.)

That’s why I have the TSA app on my phone. With it, you can check real-time security wait times, get tips on what you can and can't bring on board, check delay info, and even report security issues. It’s available for Android and Apple.

🙃 Nerd joke alert: A photon is going through airport security. The TSA agent asks if he has any luggage. The photon says, “No, I’m traveling light.”

Remember when everyone complained TV stations were turning up the volume during commercials? In reality, they never did, but it sure seemed like they did. Why? Because the commercial’s audio was mixed to emphasize the voice track so you could hear dialog over the background.

When streaming, all of the audio, sound effects, music and voices are squished down into one soundtrack to fit available bandwidth — that is, your internet speed. The result is that you can’t understand a thing.

Caption this

The short fix is to follow Gen Zers, millennials, Gen Xers and boomers: Turn on closed captioning and watch the screen while listening to what's being said.

No matter what device you’re using or who makes it, you can turn on captioning in your phone’s accessibility settings. These features are designed to help people with disabilities use technology more easily (and people like me understand Scottish accents when I watch “Outlander”).

• On your device, look in the Accessibility settings and find Live Captions.
• Turn it on. You’ll see the text written out in the center of your device’s screen whenever speech is detected.

🔍 There are a bunch of other great features hiding in that menu. Try these on your iPhone or Android.

Every week on my national radio show, I talk to interesting folks doing amazing things in tech, everyday people who could use a hand, and I share some of my best tips and tricks.

Missed it? All is not lost! Just tune in to my podcast, Kim Komando Today.

This week on the podcast, I cover why you need to be careful with QR codes — clever new scams are spreading fast. Also, how much is $1,000 in Apple shares from 1998 worth today? (Hint: It’s a lot.) Plus, a heartwarming Facebook story, fun ChatGPT-powered tools, video game speed runs and how to upgrade your browser.

You could say his plan was tree-umphant!

🏡 The answer: Yup. Warren Buffett lives in a five-bedroom, 6,750-square-foot house in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1958 for $31,500.

True story: I sat next to Mr. Buffett at a luncheon when I was voted one of Fortune’s 100 Most Influential Women in America. He showed me his flip phone, and I said, “They let you in here with that phone?” He smiled and said, “I still use a fax machine, too. And you know why? No one can hack me!” True, very true.

Phew, that was a jam-packed newsletter, eh? Now, do me a solid and tell three folks to get my free newsletter, too. Just share your referral code below on your social media, LinkedIn, Nextdoor — wherever. Remember, I’m giving a $1,200 Windows or Apple device to the person with the most referrals. Every reader counts! — Kim