Most of us have a drawer full of old gadgets lying around. Letting them pile up and collect dust isn’t just a waste of money but also a missed opportunity. You’d be surprised by how many useful things your old phone is capable of. In this Komando DIY, we’ve got four things you can do with your old smartphones after you upgrade.
True or false: you should plug in your phone before bed
Many tech myths are floating around, like more bars on your phone means better service. Type *3001#12345#* into your dialer and press the call button to access “Field Mode” to get details about local networks and cell towers. Tap or click to learn what the test results mean.
Some people shut down their computers every day to lessen their wear and tear. Here’s the definitive guide to how often you should reboot your computer and the correct way to do it.
What about your smartphone’s battery’s performance? It will decline over time, but you don’t want to speed up the process. Let’s end the debate on whether charging overnight will do that.
What manufacturers say
Your battery’s lifespan isn’t just based on when it was assembled. There are many other factors, including extreme temperature fluctuations and your charging habits. The lithium-ion batteries in our phones chemically age and hold less charge over time. That’s why your old phone doesn’t stay charged for as long.
So, does charging overnight make a big difference?
Apple says that when your iPhone “remain(s) at full charge for prolonged periods of time, battery health can be affected.”
Android phone manufacturers, including Samsung, say the same. “Do not leave your phone connected to the charger for long periods of time or overnight.” Huawei says, “Keeping your battery level as close to the middle (30% to 70%) as possible can effectively prolong the battery life.”
The official word is to keep your phone charged — but not fully charged.
Your battery will automatically stop charging when it’s full, but in some cases, once it drops to 99%, it will need more energy to get back to 100. This constant cycle eats away at your battery’s lifespan. Most phones come with charging regulation options baked in for this reason.
Big Tech Tracking: Use this privacy-oriented map when you don’t want Google or Apple tracking you.
Government Emergency Relief: See if you qualify for $50 off your internet broadband bill.
Amazon Echo warning: Think twice before enabling Alexa skills
Thanks to smart speakers, you can get daily news briefings, set a timer and order dog food without lifting a finger. Just say the words and it’s done.
No matter how careful you are, you give up some privacy when using a phone, tablet, smart speaker or laptop. They can sometimes listen to you without you even knowing it. Tap or click here to keep Big Tech from listening in on your private conversations.
5 simple ways to speed up your smartphone
Long gone are the days of upgrading your phone every year, at least for most of us. It’s expensive and just plain overkill when today’s smartphones last much longer than that.
If you’re keeping yours for the long haul, that means you need to treat it better, too. Are you making any of these common mistakes that can kill your phone a lot faster?
Auto recall: Ford recalls Rangers, F-150s and Super Duty trucks
If you’re a Ford fan, watch out. The automaker found a critical safety issue in models sent to the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Now, it’s recalling 80,000 vehicles to ensure you’re not in danger when you drive.
Car recalls are more common than you might think. Manufacturers sometimes discover massive threats that could put you at risk only after they’ve sold hundreds of models. Tap or click here to be the first to know when there is a product recall.
10 surprising smart home devices you didn't know about
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.
10 must-have products under $10
We’re living in strange times. Not only are many of us working from home right now, but a lot of kids are doing their schoolwork from home, too.
The overlapping of school, work and home life can make it tough to get organized. Most of us have notebooks, pens, schoolbooks, office supplies and computers or tablets strewn across our homes as we try to navigate life during a pandemic. Working from home? Tap or click here for tips for managing remote employees.
Face masks: New standards for choosing an effective mask
The pandemic has brought many changes to our lives, and most of us are adapting as needed. By now, wearing face masks is the standard when in public.
Though they may feel like a chore, masks do help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tap or click here to see how to more comfortably wear a mask without compromising safety.
How to download your photos from Facebook
There are several reasons why you might want to download your Facebook photos. You may simply want a backup, or perhaps you want to create a photo book or share them through another platform. You may also want to preserve them if you are planning on leaving Facebook and deleting your account. Ready to back up your Facebook adventures? Here’s how to save your photos for posterity.
How to delete your Facebook and Twitter accounts for good
Social media sites were created to keep us connected, but you may find yourself wanting to disconnect for good. Figuring out how to delete your account isn’t easy if you’re not sure where to start. In this Komando DIY, we will show you how to delete your Facebook and Twitter accounts right from your phone.
Preorders begin for SpaceX's satellite internet service but read the fine print
When not trying to land reusable rockets onto a launchpad, Elon Musk’s SpaceX company stays busy with other exciting projects. Tap or click here to find out how to take a SpaceX trip into space. One currently on the drawing board is to provide millions of people with high-speed internet through Starlink.
Comparison: SimpliSafe vs. ADT vs. Vivint
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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.
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.
What the Biden presidency could mean for the tech world
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For quite a while, U.S. lawmakers have questioned whether Big Tech companies are too involved (or not enough) in curbing misinformation. Others have accused the big four: Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook, of antitrust behavior. This has led to several ongoing court cases brought on by federal and state law enforcement.
How to stop your smart TV from spying on you
Not only is your smart TV gobbling up your viewing data, but it also may be gathering information about your home. Can you minimize your smart TV’s snooping activities? Our advice: Turn off its tracking features. I’ll tell you how.
Here's how to order an FDA-approved COVID test on Amazon
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Vaccines for COVID-19 are being administered across the U.S., but infections are still at an all-time high. To make matters worse, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the vaccine to rip people off. Tap or click here for four ways scammers are out to get you.
SimpliSafe's winter sweater sounds the alarm when people stand too close
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.
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
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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.
How to watch ‘Die Hard’ and all your other favorite Christmas movies this season
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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.