It’s a terrific tech Tuesday, friend! Today, a little device know-how to get us started. When you’re crunched for time and your phone’s battery is running low, charge it in Airplane mode. This shuts off wireless radios, reducing your phone's power consumption and allowing it to charge about 20% quicker. Smartphone batteries can lose up to 20% of their capacity when exposed to temps above 95 F. Drop it like it’s hot!

🙏🏻 I need your help. Do me a huge favor and reply to this email with whatever you want. Heck, I'll take a blank email. Why? This one gesture tells your email provider and Big Tech you want my messages in your inbox, not your junk folder. Now, on with the tech know‑how! — Kim

If you have an internet connection, companies are racing to gather every bit of data they can on what you might buy — and they’re getting increasingly sophisticated about it.

How do they do it? Let’s dive into how retail tracking works and, more importantly, what you can do about it.

The tactics are relentless

🩵 Loyalty programs aren’t just about rewards; they’re about data. Every purchase, every preference and every visit is tracked — all for a discount.

📲 Mobile apps dive deeper. Enable location tracking, and retailers know exactly when you're in their store, creating "coincidental" coupons tailored to your movements.

📶 Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth beacons are silent observers. Connect to free in-store Wi‑Fi, and you’re exchanging privacy for convenience. Bluetooth beacons go further, mapping your path throughout the store, step by step.

💸 Point-of-sale systems log every transaction. Your purchase history is stored and linked to your email address or phone number — valuable information that companies use to market directly to you.

🎦 Surveillance cameras do more than prevent theft. AI-powered cameras analyze your behavior and habits, transforming your every move into actionable data for retailers.

Take back your (purchasing) power

Tracking may feel inevitable, but there are effective ways to reclaim your privacy.

• Uninstall retail apps and limit loyalty cards. Can’t part with them? At least disable location permissions. Your favorite stores don’t need to know where you are every second.
• Switch off Bluetooth when you're not using it. Those sneaky location-tracking beacons can’t track what they can’t find.
• Use a VPN. This hides your IP address from retailers — and don’t forget to install it on your phone! My choice is ExpressVPN.*

Opt out of targeted ads

Most major retailers allow you to opt out of targeted ads, but the Digital Advertising Alliance has an opt-out tool to manage your preferences across multiple platforms.

You can also turn off ad personalization on both Android and iPhone devices. Keep in mind that for Android, though, your steps may vary based on your make and model.

For Android:

1. Go to the Settings app, scroll down and select Google.
2. Under Manage your Google Account, go to the Data & privacy tab.
3. Scroll down to Ad settings and tap on it.
4. Toggle off Ad personalization to stop Google from using your data to personalize ads.

For iPhone:

1. Launch the Settings app, scroll down and tap on Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll to the bottom and choose Apple Advertising.
3. Toggle off Personalized Ads to stop Apple from using your data for ad personalization.

🏁 And here you thought all you had to worry about was finding a good parking spot. Btw, if you always lose your car, your maps apps can keep track of where you parked.

I have no reservations about recommending these sweet gadgets to make your hotel, cruise and family stays a little easier.

• Portable power strip for when the one plug is across the room.
• Mini portable water flosser so you don’t leave your good dental hygiene habits at home.
• Be sure to BYODL (Bring Your Own Door Lock).
• White noise machine so you’ll sleep like a baby … even if there’s a non-sleeping baby.
• Electronics organizer to keep all your gear sorted.

🚨 ICYMI: There’s a scary flaw in Google Chrome that could let hackers steal your passwords, credit card autofill info and lots more. Protect yourself: Go to Settings > About Chrome, download the latest patch and hit Relaunch. You want to be on version 128.0.6613.85.

Vampires keep their money in a blood bank: This is unbelievable. A dumb Kansas bank CEO got 24 years in prison after falling for a massive crypto scam. He blew through his money and his daughter’s college fund, and then he ordered $47 million in bank funds to be transferred to a secret crypto wallet, thinking he’d get rich. No word on if or when the bank’s customers will get their money.

Telegram’s founder says he has “nothing to hide”: French authorities arrested him for criminal activities on the anonymous chat app — like people videoing themselves killing cats with kitchen utensils and pedophiles sharing explicit images of kids. The CEO says the app shouldn’t be held responsible for the horrible content, citing freedom of speech. Ahem, that’s not free speech, jerkface.

Forget EVs: Plug-in hybrids are winning popularity contests, with sales in the U.S. almost doubling since 2019. Most folks are hesitant to go all-electric, so the gas engine adds some security. In many cases, they're cheaper than purely electric or gas models, too (paywall link).

👮 AI on patrol: Cops are using AI chatbots like Draft One to write crime reports, turning 45 minutes of work into an 8-second task. An Oklahoma officer says the first draft was 100% accurate when he tried. Cool, but let’s hope it’s just a starting place. If cops testify in court, they can't say, "The AI wrote that, not me."

I got a kick out of this: Football player Travis Kelce’s dad is banned for life on X. He posted (on Facebook!) about the hypocrisy of arms dealers in Yemen selling weapons on the platform when all he really did was follow sports reporters. X hasn’t given him a clear reason — just a generic Terms of Service violation.

I’d rather watch a movie at home: Apple is rethinking its movie strategy after a string of box-office flops. The new plan: Limited theatrical runs before streaming on Apple TV+. Take “Napoleon,” which cost $200 million to make but grossed $221 million. “The Instigators,” streaming this month, pulled in about 50,000 new subs.

🙏 Holy shroud: A blood analysis of the Shroud of Turin might back the biblical story of Jesus' crucifixion. An engineer used modern tech on samples from the 1970s and found signs of organ failure, trauma, disease and radiation. The blood contained earthen materials typically found in Jerusalem. Isn’t this amazing?!

Job scammers are everywhere: I keep reading horror stories from folks conned out of info and money for a job that never existed. Pro tip: If someone emails, find them on LinkedIn and send a message confirming the position. FYI, you can post a real job for free right now on LinkedIn.*

All right, there’s no club, but there is a better option. Join over 37,000 companies that have upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle. Manage your financials, inventory, HR, e‑commerce and more, all in one spot. No more getting lost in an endless sea of spreadsheets and docs.

Whether your business does a few hundred thousand dollars a year or a few hundred million, who wouldn’t love less paperwork, more insights and higher revenues? It’s time for you to make a move.

Stop running your business on gut feelings. Let the data speak to you. Take a sec and check out what NetSuite can do for you now.

“Alexa, change your voice.” If you have multiple Amazon Echo speakers, Alexa will ask which one to change, then she can preview some voices for you. The British accent makes Alexa feel fancy.

🛰️ Bound to happen, lunar or later: Starlink’s new plan to stop scalpers from buying their cheaper satellites and hawking them elsewhere? An "outside region fee." If you buy a satellite internet kit (standard or mini) from one region and activate it in another, expect an extra charge of up to $300.

Math counts: Next time you need to do a simple calculation, type it directly into your browser's address bar and hit Enter. It even works for percentages, like "What is 40% of 50?" or whatever numbers you need.

Wait, it’s how much? It seems like every subscription has ticked up a buck or two. Check for increases with the app I use — Rocket Money.* They make it easy to say goodbye if it’s not worth the cash anymore.

💻 Don’t throw your computer out the Windows: Resetting your PC to its factory-fresh state for better performance (without losing your files) is possible! Open Settings and choose System > Recovery > Reset PC. Just make sure you choose the Keep my files option (you've got everything backed up anyway, right?).

I’ll never look at a Chipotle burrito the same …

Boost your phone's audio instantly: Need to amplify your phone's sound without a speaker? Place your phone in a dry glass or ceramic bowl with the speaker facing downward. The curved surface will naturally amplify the sound, making it louder and clearer — perfect for impromptu music sessions or hands-free calls when you need a quick volume boost.

⏰ Did you hear about the boy who ate his alarm clock? Apparently, it was really time-consuming. (Ahem, that was bad. I’ll try better tomorrow!)

Don’t you feel tech-smarter? Appreciate you letting me in your inbox. I’ll see you tomorrow with more where that came from. Hit the ratings below and let me know what you learned today! — Kim