Influencers bought and sold

🦉 Don’t be such a dodo: New tech trend. Bird-watchers are trading iPhones for new binoculars that are waterproof and come with a mount. That way, you can snap photos and videos while you watch. No more “I swear it was right there!” moments. Check them out on Amazon ($130).

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What Lenovo laptops got for repairability, according to PIRG’s annual report, considered an F rating. The catch? They only submitted one model, so they were slapped with a failing grade for not providing enough data. Other brands sent in nine or 10 models. I guess they didn’t read the terms and conditions.

🔐 Locked up, they won’t let me in: Phone thieves are permanently locking users out of their iCloud accounts via Apple’s security features (paywall link). Armed with passcodes, they reset recovery keys, making account access impossible. Welcome to iHell: where you’re stuck screaming your mother’s maiden name when your memories are in the cloud.

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🍎 Minute details matter: Rick Shearman’s Apple Watch’s SOS feature saved his life after he was swept almost a mile out to sea. He used the emergency feature while treading water. The rescue team scooped him up before it turned into a “Find My Body” sort of mission. PSA: Swim parallel to shore and float, don’t fight.

🔞 Google Messages now blurs unwanted nudes: If someone’s about to send you a spicy pic, you’ll get a heads-up and the option to view it or block the sender. Accidentally sending one? You’ll get a reminder like, “Are you sure you want to send this?” FYI, it’s on by default for kids, but you can double-check under Settings > Protection and Safety.

⚠️ Hackers are changing tactics: Talk to your IT department about this. And if you are the IT department, pay attention. New research shows 30% of cyberattacks are suddenly now coming through network edge devices. That means instead of using flashy malware or phishing email, they’re slipping in through VPNs, firewalls and routers. How? People keep using outdated gear and weak passwords and skipping security updates. Stop that now.

🚭 Parents, watch out for smart vapes! They look like colorful gadgets that play music, run games, take calls and send social media notifications. But they’re actually vapes … with up to 30,000 puffs, and some even give you points for every hit. Yep, it’s nicotine, sweet flavors and gaming all rolled into one. It’s kind of like a Tamagotchi, except instead of you keeping it alive, it’s killing you.