Some great apps you need to try

Today, by popular demand, I’m sharing some of my most-used apps and a few other great ones you might not know about. Most of these are free with in-app purchases.

Apps I use

  • OpenTable: Use it to book restaurant reservations. You can plan ahead or grab last-minute tables. (iPhone | Android)
  • AllTrails: Get walking, running, biking and hiking routes, and filter them by distance, views and dog friendliness. (iPhone | Android)
  • Instacart: Shop online and have your groceries delivered. Pro tip: Choose stores that say, “Online prices are the same as in-store prices.” (iPhone | Android)
  • Google Authenticator: It’s a more secure, time-based code to replace two-factor authentication and keep out hackers. (iPhone | Android)
  • Libby: Access thousands of e-books and audiobooks from your local library, all for free. (iPhone | Android)
  • Hallow: This Catholic app has Fr. Mike’s Bible in a Year, homilies, the rosary, daily prayers and reflections. (iPhone | Android)
  • Merlin Bird ID: Perfect for birdwatchers or nature lovers, this app provides instant identification with photos and bird sounds. (iPhone | Android)
  • Amazon: Get notifications when a delivery is coming and order right from your phone. You can also take a pic of what you’re looking for and search using your photo. (iPhone | Android)
  • NYT Games: I take 10 minutes a day to play Spelling Bee, Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. (iPhone | Android)
  • Virtual Keypad: It combines all your security systems in one app. I use it to control the alarms at my house in Phoenix, my studios and my home in Santa Barbara. (iPhone | Android)

5 more worth checking out

  • Too Good To Go: Buy surplus food from restaurants, cafes and bakeries at a discount. The other day, I picked up a loaded bag of bagels and rolls at Whole Foods for $3.99. (iPhone | Android)
  • Capo: My friend, Chris, raves about this iPhone app. It’s designed to help musicians learn songs more efficiently by slowing down tracks and providing chord detection. For Android, check out Chordify.
  • Oko: Winner of Apple’s 2024 Design Award, this AI-powered iPhone accessibility app helps individuals who are blind or have low vision safely navigate pedestrian crossings. For Android, try Lookout.
  • Crouton: This iPhone app lets you organize recipes from the web, books or handwritten notes from Grandma. For Android, check out Recipes Home.
  • Facetune: It’s what celebs use to touch up their pictures. Whiten your teeth and smooth your skin with zero Photoshop skills. (iPhone | Android)

And one more: MyRadar is Barry’s favorite weather app for hyper-local forecasts and notifications. (iPhone | Android)

😂 Speaking of … I meant to download a calendar app for my phone, but I downloaded a colander app. Now, my battery just keeps draining.

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This tool is 99% effective against malware

Too many cybercriminals are trying to worm their way into your system and steal from you. Even the most tech-savvy folks can be fooled. You don’t even need to click anything to download malware anymore.

That’s why you need powerful software to sniff out malicious files. I trust my sponsor, TotalAV. It’s simple to install and use, and it’s received the VB100 award for detecting more than 99% of malware samples for the last three years in a row. (Yeah, that’s a big deal.)

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New to Google Chrome: The memory-hogger just got an efficiency update. Click the three dots (upper right) > Settings > Performance. You’ll see Memory Saver, which pauses tabs you’re not using. Your options are Moderate, Balanced or Maximum, so start with Balanced.

🎞️ Coming to (paid) Google Workspace in the next few days: Google’s AI-powered Vids app pops out presentations with just a prompt. Describe what you want, drop in files or documents, and Gemini does the rest. The app adds stock footage, generates a script and provides an AI voiceover. Will it make presentations better? Sitting through a PowerPoint presentation is like a mix between a root canal and a colonoscopy … but without the luxury of anesthesia to take the edge off.

Tech how-to: Switch to a beta browser

Let me tell you a secret: I’m all about staying tech-ahead and not trailing behind, so I’m constantly tapping into apps, programs, hardware and more before they’re released to the public. You can do the same thing in one way, even if you’re not a Digital Goddess®.

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💻 So long, farewell: The latest version of Windows 11 (24H2) isn’t just routine updates; it also removes some apps, including WordPad, Paint 3D and Tips. To update, go to Settings > Windows Update and enable Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available. FYI, support for Windows 10 ends on Nov. 14, 2025.

🩻 I hope it can’t see me naked: Amazon’s Prime Video X-Ray tool is in beta testing. AI creates spoiler-free summaries of a TV episode or season you’ve missed or need a refresher on. For now, it’s only on Fire TV devices. Where was this when I was watching “Succession”?

Netflix and bookmark: Now you can send a scene that made you LOL to someone right from your phone. On the Netflix app, tap the new Moments button at the bottom, and the scene will be saved in your My Netflix tab. Share them with your friends through text, email or social media.

Splitting up the holiday cooking this year? A shared note-taking app like Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote or Evernote makes it a cinch to remember who’s preparing what. This is even easier if everyone already has, say, a Google or Microsoft account. You can also try a dedicated shopping list app like Any List, Out of Milk and OurGroceries.

🤑 Work for or volunteer at a nonprofit? Score free or discounted Microsoft 365, aka Office and all the Copilot AI tools. Hit this page to see if you qualify. To apply for a grant, have your legal identifier, physical address and contact info on hand.

Iconic: It’s easy to adjust the icon size on your computer. On Windows, right-click on the desktop, choose View, and select from Large icons, Medium icons or Small icons. On a Mac, click on your desktop to ensure you’re in the Finder. From the menu bar, go to View and choose Show View Options. A window will pop up where you can adjust the icon size using the slider provided. Sweet!

New to Google Calendar: Dark mode. Click the Settings cog > Appearance and choose from Light, Dark or Device default. If you don’t see it yet, be patient; the update is rolling out.

🎀 Now, where did I leave that? Bookmarks in Google Chrome are searchable. Click in the address bar at the top, enter @bookmarks, then type as much as you remember about the name of the page to look for it.

Switch to the web: You can access lots of phone apps on the web, like on your laptop or desktop, instead of directly on your device. It’s nice to have a bigger screen to look at stuff and a bigger keyboard to type out posts and comments. Try it with Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

📚 If you read on a Kindle: Install the Kindle app on your phone, too. It syncs directly with your reading progress on your e-reader, so you can get through a few pages even when your Kindle isn’t with you. Use these links for iPhone and Android.

😸 The purr-fect translator? Computer scientists have developed MeowTalk, an AI app that can apparently tell you what your cat is saying. The free app records your feline’s meows and gives you phrases like “I’m annoyed” or “Feed me!” You can then rate how accurate it is, helping to refine the model. Will it work? Well, with over a billion meows analyzed … you’ve gotta be kitten me!

Free video editing software: We’re talking 4K editing, color correction and visual effects. And the basic version is free! Whether you’re a YouTuber or indie filmmaker, cut, tweak and polish footage like a pro — no degree required. Get more info about DaVinci Resolve on my site.

🔦 Search works: You’re in Microsoft Word and, for the life of you, you can’t remember how to insert a table. Don’t waste time digging through the menus. Tap the search bar at the top and type in “table” or whatever you’re looking for. It’ll pop right up. This trick works in Excel, too.

If I could turn back time: Look up your first-ever post on Facebook. Open your profile on the web, click the Filters button above your own posts and then Go to. You can browse back to the month and year you signed up. Delete these posts if they’re too cringey, OK?

A screenshot that scrolls: This is great when you need a record of something that goes off the screen of your phone, like a web article or document. On Android, press the power + volume-down buttons together, then, on the screen, tap Capture more (Pixel) or the down arrows (Galaxy). On an iPhone, hold down on the power + volume-up buttons, tap the thumbnail that pops up, then tap Full Page.