The Current-Sun Plus: Worst-performing stock, juice jacking, on my show this week | In partnership with Philmore Video Voicemail | | Hello on this Sunday, fellow sports fans! OK, I’m done pretending to care about football. I do hope I win $20 from Andrew, though. Let’s go, 49ers! Way back in 1967, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost $37,500. How much does 30 seconds of airtime cost in this year’s Super Bowl? Answer at the end! 💰 I’m a car gal. That’s part of why this new trend auto companies are latching onto makes me so mad. Read all about it below. Be sure to hit those share icons. Most people have no idea this crap is happening. — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 🤑 Talk about greedy 📉 Worst-performing stock of the year 🖁 Are folding phones ready? |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Carmakers are charging for a lifesaving feature Modern cars are basically computers on wheels, each with over 1,400 processors. The more complex our cars get, the more at risk we are. I’m not talking about theft; I’m talking about remote carjacking … or worse. Imagine this: Someone with enough skill and bad intentions could stop your car while you’re driving it. Want a car with all the bells and whistles? That’s gonna cost ya. Charging a subscription to go faster is one thing, but charging for an important safety feature? That’s shady. 🐴 Straight out of ‘The Godfather’ Some carmakers are now charging for “protection.” Automatic crash notifications, or ACN, use your car’s communication tools or a paired phone to notify emergency services in case of a crash. If you’re knocked unconscious or otherwise unable to make the call yourself, this is truly a lifesaving feature. While some manufacturers include ACN for free, others now charge as much as $100 annually for this feature — and if you don’t keep paying for it, you lose it. Despicable. Brands that offer ACN for free: Acura, Audi, BMW, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Polestar, Porsche and Volvo. Brands that offer ACN as a five-year (or more) free trial: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, some Jeep models, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes, Ram, Toyota and Volkswagen. Brands that charge for ACN before five years: Chrysler, Dodge, Infiniti, some Jeep models, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram, Subaru and Toyota. Next thing you know, there’ll be an upcharge to deploy your airbags. From the critical to the comical Paying extra for add-ons when you buy a car is nothing new, but these subscription costs will make you laugh, groan or roll your eyes. Audi wants you to cough up $260 annually for “dynamic lighting.” If you have to ask, it’s not worth it. BMW offers a dashcam function for $19 monthly or $430 for the vehicle's life. You can buy a pretty sweet dashcam that’s 15% off. Cadillac’s hands-free driving system goes for $25 a month. Mercedes charges $1,200 annually to get you from 0 to 60 mph one second faster. Porsche will help protect your vehicle from theft … for $280 annually. ✋ This is important info for anyone in the market for a new car or for someone who’s just purchased one. Use the handy share buttons below to pass this intel to your family and friends. |
DEALS OF THE DAY If you’d rather shop than watch football … Cleanup is so much easier with a microfiber mop that has a built-in spray bottle (40% off). Every cook needs good knives. This professional 12-piece knife block set is a good start (27% off). Silicone kitchen utensils don’t scrape your pots and pans (22% off). Love making soup, chili and everything else in a Dutch oven. This cast iron model is oven-safe up to 500 degrees (40% off). Grab an air fryer to make crispy food without the extra oil (22% off). |
WEB WATERCOOLER Hate your cable company now? Wait until you hear this: The cable giants are throwing a fit over the FCC's plan to ban early termination fees. Cable companies whine the fees are why they can offer us "discounts." Cut them, they warn, and prices will go up. 📉 Tusk-tusk, Musk: Tesla stock has plunged 24%, making it the S&P 500's worst performer of the year so far. Thanks to recalls and Elon Musk's antics (like, you know, the alleged drug use), investors are giving it the cold shoulder. Marked for skepticism: Starting Feb. 12, when you use OpenAI, it will add watermarks to DALL‑E 3 images to meet content authenticity standards. The tags will consist of both invisible metadata and a visible symbol. FYI, screenshots delete the metadata. Oops. Flip or flop? If you’ve ever wanted a foldable iPhone, Apple’s testing one out and hitting the same problems as everyone else — bulky when bent, easy to break and pricey, with that annoying display seam and finicky hinges. Don’t hold your breath. We won’t see it till 2025 … maybe. 🏡 It’s on the house: Want to sell your home faster? Send in the drones! A study shows drone photos can speed up sales by 68%. Bonus: Listings with videos get 403% more inquiries. 💲 If you put a Ring on it: Ring’s raising its Basic video doorbell subscription costs from $3.99 to $4.99 a month ($39.99 to $49.99 annually). Watch for the change starting on March 11. It’s always something, huh? More than ever, getting SimpliSafe* to protect your whole home is a smarter and cheaper choice. |
LISTEN UP | | Look your best on video calls Feeling ill or didn't manage to shower? Use these settings to always look your best on video calls. Play Now • 7:57 ▶ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES Fix your playlist: Crossfade makes songs transition from one into the next instead of ending abruptly, pausing and starting the next track. On Spotify, go to Settings > Playback > Crossfade. In Apple Music, head to Settings > Apple Music > Crossfade. Link(s) in bio: You can add up to five links to your Instagram bio. Just log in and enter your account settings. Choose Edit profile (top left corner, under your pic), then Add link. While you’re there, add me! 🔊 AI freebie: Meta’s open-source AI software creates audio from a text prompt. Think typing in "applause" and getting a custom, pro-quality audio clip. It’s called AudioCraft. Juice jacking: The FBI says with the right malicious code installed, public charging stations can steal data from phones and track them. PSA: This cheap device removes the risk. 🐖 Piggy bank breaker: Venmo has accounts for teens ages 13 to 17. The best part? Parental controls. You can keep an eye on where their money is going and how they’re spending it. |
MY TRUSTED ADVICE ❓ A new week means new convos with interesting folks on my national radio show. Catch it 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! Anastasia in Tehachapi, California, has over 52 tech implants in her body. She can call her daughter from her wrist and unlock her front door with her hand. Laurie in Augusta, Georgia, has a warning. Her cousin was drugged and robbed by thieves who managed to unlock his cellphone. Shirley in Littleton, Colorado, and her sister decided to take DNA tests through 23andMe. Now she’s worried she gave away too much. Plus, Ben's mixed up with his mom's Alexa notifications, Mellisa spots an Instagram money scam, Becca needs shared-document tips, Dianne takes on over 100 spam emails daily — and much more! |
SUNDAY TO-DO LIST Drink: My fave, a lemon drop martini. John in Santa Maria, California, asked for a recipe. Here you go. I skip the sugar on the rim — it doesn’t need it! Make: Your own pizza. These look amazing. I want No. 4. Explore: FAA aviation maps. So much cool stuff packed in for my fellow travel lovers and data geeks. Marvel: At the universe. NASA just discovered 425 clusters of newborn stars. ICYMI: On a recent Kim Komando Today video stream, we asked an online psychic who was going to win the Super Bowl. Now, only click if you want to know. Here’s her answer. |
WHAT THE TECH? After all those greasy snacks … |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: A 30-second Super Bowl LVIII commercial will set you back $7 million. Holy heck, that’s a lot of millions. You know what’s crazy? We’ll never see Super Bowl LIVE. Why? Because “E” isn’t a Roman numeral! You’re shaking your head, but I know you’re going to text that to someone … 📚 Another Sunday in the books! See you right back here tomorrow, same time, same place. And if you need a Monday pick-me-up, watch our live show at 10:30 a.m. Pacific (1:30 p.m. Eastern) on YouTube, Rumble or Facebook. FYI, I won’t be on the show; I’m getting a few stitches out of my cornea transplant. Wish me luck! — Kim |
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