Welcome to your tech smarts Saturday, friend. Let’s start with a little brain teaser. What was the first item ever sold on Amazon? Was it a … A.) Book, B.) CD, C.) Toaster or D.) VHS tape? 👇 You’ll find the answer at the end and a hint in today’s Device Advice, too!

Privacy secret weapon: This newsletter is free to you, thanks to Incogni. They find all the sketchy people-search and data-broker sites where your personal information is listed and get it removed for you. It’s a game changer. Now, let’s get you tech-ahead! — Kim

Reading this on a 6-year-old iPhone 11? It’s well past the average smartphone lifespan of 2.5 years … and I’m impressed you’ve hung onto it this long. Btw, Apple typically provides iOS updates for five to six years after a model’s release. 

Upgrading your laptop or smartphone is inevitable. But wait before you throw out that clunky computer. Even when a piece of tech starts showing its age, you can give it a new lease on life.

Make room for vacation photos

Most modern phones don’t have memory card slots. Expand your cloud storage to offload photos, videos and other files to free up space. Use the option built to work with your phone.

• Android friends, Google One upgrades start at $2 for 100GB.
• For iPhone, iCloud+ pricing starts at $1 for 50GB.

Pro tip: If you and the family all use iPhones, share an iCloud+ account to save some money. I do this with Barry and Ian.

Playing the oldies

Want to get Spotify or Apple Music streaming around the house? You don’t have to invest in a set of pricey wireless speakers if you’re still rocking the older wired kind.

Add a Bluetooth adapter (like this Esinkin model), and those old speakers can play anything right from your phone or computer.

Wi-Fi from anywhere

Blast internet dead zones with a Wi-Fi extender like the Netgear EX6400. Way cheaper than buying a whole new router or mesh system, so if you’re having connectivity issues, it’s a good place to start.

Increase your TV’s IQ

You can bring any TV into the streaming age as long as it has an HDMI port. Try a Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick or Apple TV 4K to make your old box streaming-ready.

Work your workstation

Your laptop might not be speedy, but upgrading your workstation has real benefits. 

• A comfortable keyboard speeds up your typing.
• A larger monitor is easy on the eyes and gives you more screen workspace.
• An ergonomic laptop stand eases strain on your neck.

PC performance booster

Feeling ambitious? Computers that freeze up and are generally slow-moving can benefit from a RAM upgrade. Tons of guides online can help you with this one, but know that it’s a little tricky, so pros only. 

The simple explanation: Open up your computer, and swap out the current RAM sticks for new ones that are faster and offer more capacity. Hello, performance boost.

✅ Head to my site for steps to upgrade the storage on gaming consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox.

😂 How do you make a holy computer? You upgrade the hell out of it! (I know, I had to!)

🖥️ Windows 11 update: Microsoft dropped an optional update packed with 38 changes. What’s new? Live captions and real-time translation for over 44 languages on Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel CPUs, plus a fix for random blue screen crashes. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates > Download and install.

No vacancy: Next time you book a hotel, scroll past the random sites you’ve never heard of that pop up first in your search (paywall link). They’re resellers that slap on hundreds in extra fees. Some even look like the real hotel site, so double-check the URL. If you’ve been duped, click here to file an FTC complaint.

🛒 Aisle see you: I want to try this! Instacart will pay you to video store shelves while you shop. It’s called Store View. This is just the start. Their Caper Carts will one day update stock levels every hour with built-in cameras.

00Heaven: Meet the big guns producing the next Bond film. Amazon picked Amy Pascal from Spider-Man and David Heyman, who’s behind Harry Potter. This’ll be the first time the Broccoli family won’t take charge since Amazon MGM got the rights from them. Who do you want as the next Bond girl? Sorry, I’m way too busy.

👶 Birth rates are declining: If you’re wondering why no one’s settling down anymore, here’s a stat for you: Over half of 18- to 34-year-olds in the U.S. aren’t in a steady relationship. Blame tech. Folks are spending more time on social media, video games and TV than hanging out with each other. Can’t date if you’re glued to a screen! 

Microsoft Excel World Championship: Yup, it’s a real thing. Contestants get a data-loaded spreadsheet and create formulas to solve challenges and rack up points. Want in? Sign up here. For the rest of us, Microsoft’s pushing Copilot in Excel, so you can just tell it what to do and ask for pre-written formulas.

💅 Feel like a spy: Put a smart NFC chip (paywall link) under your manicure. It’s a neat party trick to share social media links, send texts or open apps with just your finger. Here’s one on Amazon, but they don’t always work smoothly. Fun but could use a bit more … polish (I know you laughed).

🥳 Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has everything for epic family fun.

• Keep little ones busy with a foldable playpen (20% off) that’s easy to store. Grandparents, you need one!
• When playtime’s over, toss all the toys in a sturdy toy box (15% off).
• Kiddos’ first camera (20% off) reminds me of an old-school Polaroid.
• The Amazon Fire Kids tablet (26% off) has built-in controls to keep ’em safe.
• Level up your gaming setup with an LG 27-inch monitor (40% off).
• This gaming keyboard (42% off) has fun, colorful LED keys.
• Hear every detail of the action with a new gaming headset (43% off).
• Rock out anywhere with a portable Bluetooth speaker (20% off).
• Timber! A block stacking game (15% off) is a summer must.
• OK, I kinda want this floating basketball game (15% off) for the pool.

🐶 Fetch and chase: When your pets get the zoomies, toss a glow-in-the-dark bouncy ball (41% off). Your cat would probably prefer a laser (24% off).

🎉 You’re invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S. I’m talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I can’t fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast. 

Need a new book? If you have Amazon Prime, grab two free e-books from their monthly First Reads selections. It’s early access to popular new books. Sweet!

I’m sexy and I mow it: The Segway Navimow i105N is a wireless robot lawn mower that can zip around your yard and dodge obstacles (and dog poop). It’s pretty quiet at just 58 decibels. Think a humming refrigerator. The downside: It costs $999.

🚨 50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale.* Get all the gear to lock down your home. You’ll sleep better at night.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Save time in Microsoft Word with Quick Parts. It stores things like text, graphics or whole paragraphs to use them again in future docs. Just highlight it and go to Insert > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.

I do this every day: Two scoops of collagen* into your coffee, tea or smoothie. It’s an easy way to strengthen your joints and get extra protein. Bonus: It smoothes wrinkles, too.

The answer: A) Book. In 1995, Amazon’s first sale was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies, a book about artificial intelligence. Fitting, right?

📚 Fun facts you can drop in your next chat:

• Amazon launched from Jeff Bezos’ garage in Bellevue, Washington. His desk? A door on four two-by-fours.
• The original name for Amazon was Cadabra … until Bezos realized it sounded too much like “cadaver.” 😬

Before you go: Incogni has removed my info from hundreds of different data-broker and people-search sites. I’ve tried doing this myself over the years, and I was happy if I got to a dozen. Incogni offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Use my link for 60% off.

Tomorrow, I’ll uncover some Google Maps secret sights in the best newsletter in the USA. But today, I want you to go out there and tech the world by storm. You got this! — Kim

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