These hidden features make multitasking easier than ever. Try this today!
🔌 Belkin bricks tech: Say goodbye to 27 models of its Wemo smart home devices, including some sold as recently as 2023. After January 2026, they’ll lose app access, Alexa integrations and cloud features. Warranty users might get partial refunds. Everyone else? Straight to e-waste. Your “smart” hardware’s about to get real dumb.
41%
That’s how much Prime Day sales may have dipped this year, ouch. But a softer showing doesn’t mean there weren’t great deals. Shoppers are just choosier these days (recession brain is real). Essentials won, splurges lost, and flashy new features couldn’t quite save the cart.
A free upgrade could be hidden in your TV: NextGen TV broadcasts have more vibrant colors, a higher resolution, better-quality surround sound and interactive features. Newer TVs from Sony, Hisense, Samsung and TCL have NextGen tuners built in, but you probably didn’t know it. See if your TV has NextGen here and which channels are available in your area!
🧠 Viral trend, real brain damage: Talk to your kids about TikTok’s risky new “Dusting Challenge.” This brain stunt features teens inhaling computer duster spray for what they think is a quick high. What they’re actually getting: seizures, suffocation and possible brain damage.
👩🏼⚖️ Siri’s no-show sparks suit: Apple is getting sued by shareholders for hyping Siri’s AI glow-up before it was anywhere near ready. The suit claims Apple pushed phantom features to boost stock prices, then quietly delayed everything till 2026. Siri can’t read your screen yet, but it might need to read legal briefs soon.
Google Home update: Some nine new features are here. You can now watch Nest Cam footage picture-in-picture on Google TV, and Gemini has more smart home controls. Automations take fewer steps, and you can skip through video by double-tapping. FYI: Most features are in public preview. Join here.
Look under the hood: In Chrome, type chrome://flags in the address bar and hit Enter to unlock a hidden menu of beta features. Scroll through and enable what catches your eye. Remember, these are experiments, so proceed with a little caution.
Too good to be true: Hackers are tricking people into downloading “premium AI tools” that are actually malware. Some freeze your PC. Others steal logins. One claims it’s helping humanitarian causes. Classic hacker gaslight. If an AI app offers unicorn features for free, it’s probably there to eat your bank account.
🗣️ Claude found its voice: Claude Free just leveled up with two new features: voice mode and web search. Now you can talk to Claude like it’s your AI roommate: Ask it to summarize your day, fetch docs, even send emails. And yes, it finally joined the “can Google stuff” club. Bonus: All this without paying a cent; well, you are paying with your data.
👇 Android app shortcuts: Long-pressing certain apps gives you quick access to the features you use most. For example, Google Maps shows your favorite locations like Home or Work. Gmail lets you compose a new message or switch accounts. And Instagram? You can post something new or hop straight into your DMs.
Swipe for screenshots: On a Samsung Galaxy, there’s a quicker way to capture your screen without pressing buttons. Go to Settings > Advanced features > Motion and gestures > Palm swipe to capture. Turn it on, and now swiping your hand left or right across the screen will take a screenshot instantly.
🍏 Apple’s new accessibility features: Later this year, iOS 19 and macOS 16 will get a Magnifier for Mac, App Store labels and Braille Access. WatchOS 12 will add Live Captions, and VisionOS will offer better zoom for blind folks. More interesting? They’re working on a brain implant to control your iPhone with neural signals (paywall link).
🎭 Deepfakes just got sneakier: It’s getting harder to figure out if that person is real or not. A good way to spot them used to be skin color changes that matched a heartbeat. Bad news: New AI can mimic those. How can you tell? The person’s facial features are too perfect, or they worked at CGI Fridays.
🔐 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.
🍎 Bad apples: Apple just got a reality check from the National Advertising Division, which told them to cut it with the “available now” marketing for Apple Intelligence. Most of the shiny AI features they hyped aren’t ready. Apple Intelligence is like that friend who says, “I’m on my way” while still in the shower.
Using Windows 11? Last week’s update added a weird empty folder called “inetpub” that popped up on the system drive. If you thought it was useless and deleted it, think again. It’s not malware. It’s just Windows being Windows. It’s tied to a security fix. To bring it back: Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off > check Internet Information Services > hit OK.
$200 a month
What you’ll pay for Anthropic’s new Claude “Max” subscription tier. It’s made for people who use Claude a lot and run into rate limits. You’ll get up to 20x more usage than the Pro plan, plus early access to new features. And yeah, the timing’s no coincidence. It’s clearly a move to compete with OpenAI’s $200/month tier.
🧠 ChatGPT got a memory upgrade: It can now remember your old conversations to give you more personalized replies. Two new features dropped: one for saved memories (stuff you ask it to remember) and one for chat history (info you’ve mentioned before). Want it off? Go to Settings > Personalization > Memory. FYI: It’s for Pro users now, Plus users later.