Feeling the sting of sky-high cloud costs: Here’s a smart move — switch to Oracle. Companies are saving up to 50% on their cloud bills without sacrificing performance. Want to see how much you could save? Check it out for yourself.
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The number of customer service agents Klarna said AI could replace. Plot twist: The buy-now-pay-later company is hiring again (paywall link). Turns out cutting costs tanked service quality, and surprise, people still like talking to actual humans. They want new hires to be remote students or folks from rural areas.
🖨️ Low on ink? Before you print, change the color to #010101. It looks black, but it’s really 99% gray. In Google Docs, highlight your words, click the text color tool, and pick Add a custom color (+). Type in the number and hit OK. FYI, thin fonts like Courier New or Garamond save even more ink.
Free up space on Fire Stick: These little guys don’t have much storage, so they can slow down pretty fast. To improve performance, try removing apps you haven’t used in a while. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Sort by App Size, pick an app, hit Uninstall and Confirm.
☁️ Your cloud library: Ever rented a movie digitally, only to find the DVD buried in your closet? Libib helps you catalog all your physical media like movies, music, books and games. Just scan the barcode and the app (iOS, Android) fills in the info. Their free plan lets you track up to 5,000 items in the cloud.
Kiddos under 13? Here’s how to create an Apple ID for them. Apple may ask for your credit card or state ID to confirm you’re an adult. Head to Settings > Family > Add Member > Create Child Account > Continue. Double-check their name and birthday. Changing it later is tricky.
📨 Size matters: Want to make that email bigger and shrink your inbox? If you’re on Gmail or Google Chat with an Android tablet, you can. Google just added draggable dividers. Grab the gray bar between your inbox and message view, then slide it left or right to adjust the layout.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Use Google Voice to get a free business number — keep your personal line private but still answer on your phone.
Recover copied items: Ever copied a link or some text and wished you could get it back later? On Windows, turn on Clipboard History to save your most recently copied items. Go to Settings > System > Clipboard and toggle it On. Next time you need something, just press Windows key + V to view and paste.
🔌 DIY energy assessments: Before calling a pro, check for indoor air leaks yourself. You could save 10%-20% a year on energy bills just by plugging gaps around your home. Here’s a two-pack of caulk trim (12% off) to stop your money from slipping through the cracks.
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Save links with Quick Note: Browsing a website on your iPad and spot something you want to remember? While you’re on the page, swipe diagonally from the bottom-right corner to open a Quick Note. Tap Add Link in the top-left corner, then hit Done. Later, open the Notes app, tap the link and pick up where you left off.
🗑️ Trashing your tech? Don’t just toss it. Check out Earth911’s recycling database. They’ve got over 100,000 places to drop off over 350 kinds of materials, from old laptops to regular paper and plastic. Type it in the search bar and plug in your ZIP code. Boom, you’ll see where to go.
On the grid: Turning on the grid on your phone’s camera helps you line up your shot. Using the rule of thirds, it splits your screen into nine boxes. On iPhone, go to Settings > Camera and toggle on Grid. For Android, open your Camera app > Settings (gear icon) > switch Grid lines on.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Copy-paste a suspicious email in your favorite AI chatbot and ask, “Is this legit or a scam? Explain why.” AI can point out red flags.
💼 Job seeker paranoia is real: New AI tools make it easier than ever for recruiters who are just scammers to look legit on LinkedIn and video interviews. Spot the fakes: Verify the company, check their official site for the position and watch for emails with odd time zones (paywall link).
🔎 I spy a virus: If your connection’s dragging, a virus might be the culprit. I trust and recommend TotalAV. It’s just $19 a year to protect up to five devices on Windows, Mac, Android and more. That’s total peace of mind for your phone, laptop and tablet.
🤐 Mute yourself: When you call customer service and hear, “This call may be recorded,” it’s not just while you’re talking with a rep. They can hear everything, even when you’re on hold. So hit that mute button next time you want to vent your frustrations.
🎸 Be brief, be wrong: A new study shows that telling AI to “be concise” makes it hallucinate more. Yup, your polite little prompt for brevity might be the exact thing making ChatGPT write, “Elvis is still alive, trust me.”
⌨️ Shrink your iPad keyboard: Hate how the keyboard takes up half the screen in apps like Messages? You can make it smaller. Just place two fingers on the keyboard and pinch inward. It’ll turn into a smaller, floating keyboard you can drag anywhere. Want it back to full size? Pinch outward with two fingers.
🖨️ Print with your voice: Got a 3rd-gen Echo or newer? You can link it to your printer. Make sure both are on the same Wi-Fi network and say, “Alexa, discover my printer.” In the Alexa app, it’s Add (+) > Device > Printer to set it up manually. This only works on some models. Click here to see what’s compatible.
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