Tag: Apple

🤖 Don’t replace it yet: Gadgets make old tech feel new

Inside: 10 add-ons give older TVs, laptops, cars and other tech modern features without a major upgrade.

Researchers tested 17,000 apps for secret eavesdropping. What they found instead should change your settings tonight.

It’s America’s most-argued tech question. You mention dog food once, and the ad shows up an hour later. Scientists tested 17,000 apps and found zero secret recordings. But one media firm bragged about “Active Listening” tech, Apple paid $95 million over Siri misfires, and 2,230 companies are quietly feeding Facebook your shopping habits. The way ads REALLY find you is creepier than a hot mic. Plus the 5-minute settings fix.

Microsoft just patched a record 570 security flaws, and AI is the reason there were so many

The largest security update in Microsoft’s history landed with almost no fanfare. Microsoft turned AI loose on its own code and found holes that had sat there for years. Apple is quietly doing the same thing to your Mac. Here’s the two-minute fix and the gap no patch will ever close.

The always-on gadgets quietly draining your power bill, and the $10 fix

Every blinking clock and standby light is on your electric bill. A $10 gadget stops it and doubles as a burglar deterrent while you travel.

Free AI strips the dog, the traffic and the coffee grinder out of your calls in real time

Krisp strips barking dogs, traffic and coffee shop noise out of your calls in real time, using AI that runs entirely on your device. Works with Zoom, Teams, Meet and Slack. Free tier covers about an hour of noise-free calls a day.

Foldable phones are finally going mainstream. Here’s what they are and who should buy one.

Samsung unveils its new folding lineup July 22, and Apple’s first folding iPhone lands this fall for north of $2,000. Here’s the plain-English guide to what a foldable is, who it’s for and who should wait.

You bought it. They can still switch it off.

Companies are quietly bricking gadgets you already paid for or locking the features behind a subscription. Here’s how to spot the problem and how to buy around it.

Your phone can translate a conversation in real time

Live translation quietly arrived in phones, earbuds and glasses. Talk to almost anyone, in almost any language. Here’s how to set it up before your next trip.

Your phone is a magic star map. Here’s how to use it tonight.

No telescope, no chart, no clue what you’re looking at? Doesn’t matter. The free app already in your pocket names every star you point it at, and one trick lets you see the stars beneath your feet. Plus, the farthest thing your eyes can ever reach.

This July 4, declare independence from the subscriptions draining your wallet

Fireworks are free. Those three streaming services you forgot you’re paying for are not. Here’s how to hunt down and cancel every sneaky recurring charge in under 15 minutes.

How to sweep your car and bags for hidden trackers

If you keep “running into” the same person or your gut says you’re being followed, you might be carrying a $30 tracker without knowing it. Here’s how to find it, what your phone misses and what to do before you touch it.

🚨 Last call! My top 15 Prime Day deals to grab before midnight

Prime Day wraps tonight. I rounded up 15 great finds across kitchen, tech and under-$15 bargains. I cut the clutter, so you can shop fast.

5 buttons you press every day that secretly do nothing

The close-door button. The crosswalk button. Your office thermostat. A whole lot of them are fakes, and they’ve been quietly playing you for years.

Give your sick computer a free AI checkup (without handing over your files)

Before you pay the Geek Squad $100 or panic-buy a laptop you don’t need, let AI read your computer’s own health report. Works on Windows and Mac. And it never touches your files.

Your credit card sends a fake number every time you tap. Here’s why that’s good news.

Tapping may feel less secure than the old swipe, but it’s actually the safest way to pay in person. Here’s the hidden trick your card pulls off in under a second and the one payment method you should quit today.

Smart travelers don’t leave home without these essentials. A few are less than $10.

The smartest travel gear I’ve packed lately, from anti-theft tools to tech that solves your biggest vacation headaches.

Google will permanently delete your account after 2 years of inactivity. Here’s the free 5-minute fix that protects everything.

Gmail. Google Drive. Google Photos. All of it gone after two years of no activity. And without a legacy contact set up, your family can’t access any of it if something happens to you. Here’s how to fix it today.

40 million Americans are paying for charges they never authorized on their phone bill. Here’s how to find them and get your money back.

It’s called cramming. Third-party companies slide $3 to $15 a month onto your phone bill, and the FTC says tens of millions of people pay it without knowing. You can get 90 days refunded tonight.

Bloomberg exposed the $11 billion ‘free’ app trap on your phone

Apps like Slotomania, High 5 Casino and Jackpot Party look like fun mobile games. They’re actually a regulatory loophole built to snare you. One player begged a company to delete his account. They gave him a billion free coins to keep him playing. Here’s what to do today.

Mother’s Day is almost here: 10 gifts she won’t return

Inside: The latest Alexa speaker, AirPods, summer-ready jewelry and more thoughtful picks that beat flowers.