Tech Refresh: Global chip shortage, hiding files, favorite phones over the year

April 30, 2021

Kim and the crew break down the latest tech news, including a global chip shortage that’s going to make getting your hands on electronics and appliances even more expensive. Plus, a 21-year-old Blockbuster rental came back to haunt a woman applying for a new driver’s license. The team reminiscences over the best cell phones from years past, and see if Ben can fool Mike and Allie in Brand New or Not True.

Tags: appliances, download, electronics, files, tech

Headed back to the office? Best way to keep an eye on your home from anywhere

You know the stress of being a parent. When the kids were young, you jumped at every sneeze, cough and wobbly step.

Now that they’re young adults or teenagers, there are different stresses. Are they driving while distracted by texts and social media messages? At home, are they safe? Are they being responsible for getting home on time from school, not raiding your liquor cabinet and staying out of trouble?

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White-hat hacker shows how easy it is to scam even a digital pro

Stephanie Carruthers makes her living breaking into phones, private accounts and more. But don’t worry — she’s doing it to help keep you safe. This IBM privacy expert and professional hacker shows Kim just how easy it is to get fooled by a digital criminal. Check out her tips for recognizing scams and keeping yourself secure online and offline.

10 surprising smart home devices you didn't know about

ID 129596703 © Nmedia | Dreamstime.com

For a long time, smart homes were more trendy than commonplace. Now, technology is taking over the home, making our lives easier than ever before.

You probably know about smart switches, lights and music players. Actually, there are a ton of other devices you may not have imagined could be digitized. For example, smart forks and frying pans can make your dinner routine a breeze.

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Comparison: SimpliSafe vs. ADT vs. Vivint

This is pretty cool. We wanted to do a visual comparison to show you how SimpliSafe is the better choice for home security, so we decided to look at two big-name competitors — ADT and Vivint.

You never know what’s going to happen when you compare a sponsor to its competitors, but we were thrilled with what we found.

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SimpliSafe's winter sweater sounds the alarm when people stand too close

Image courtesy of SimpliSafe

Sick of people standing too close to you? Here’s a great new way to enforce the six-foot social distancing rule: Sound a siren through your sweater!

That’s the idea behind SimpliSafe’s new sweater. The company that keeps your family safe and sound made its own festive garment this year, decked out in tech to inspire social distance.

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The workplace goes digital with virtual reality training

We’ve all had those uncomfortable situations at work. Maybe it’s a disagreement with a coworker or a tricky customer interaction — or even firing a long-time employee. Don’t you wish you could practice? Thanks to VR, AR and AI developer Talespin, you can.

Kim chats with Talespin CEO and co-founder Kyle Jackson about how the company is bringing workplace training to the digital age with its virtual human simulations.

Take the guesswork out of home security

It’s almost a new year, and that means you’re likely contemplating New Year’s resolutions. One of them should be to make improvements to your home security system.

Start 2021 off right and keep your family safe by adopting a security setup from our sponsor, SimpliSafe. It’s Kim’s pick for lots of reasons.

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How to watch ‘Die Hard’ and all your other favorite Christmas movies this season

It’s time to revive an important annual debate: Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? We could argue about this all day — but if you go to Netflix, you’ll discover a shocking lack of “Die Hard” to use as evidence. ‘Tis the season to be thankful, though: If you use ExpressVPN, you can access a Netflix library where “Die Hard” is actually available.

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Kim's pick for home security: Get a FREE HD camera

Do you feel 100% confident your home is safe from thieves and break-ins? What about disasters like a flood or fire?

Not being protected is a scary way to live. The good news is it’s easy and affordable to protect you, your home and your family 24/7. With SimpliSafe, you order everything you need online at SimpliSafeKim.com, install it in under an hour and activate the system. After that, your family is protected by professional security monitoring, all with no contracts.

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Watch your phone for 6 phony messages costing people money

If you’ve seen an influx of annoying texts on your smartphone recently, you’re not alone. Scammers are increasingly shifting to text messages as their preferred strategy — and they’ve got plenty of new tricks up their sleeves to hook unsuspecting victims.

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