Still need something to do on your phone

Still need something to do on your phone? Color-code events and tasks in your calendar app. Assign specific colors to categories like work, personal or appointments, allowing for a quick visual overview of your schedule.

Tags: appointments, apps, categories, code, events, phone, schedule, tasks, work


Tech life upgrades smarter than the stuff on TikTok

Listen, I know there are folks on TikTok sharing good advice — but there’s a heck of a lot of bad advice there, too. Financial tips and tricks? Yeah, look elsewhere; 63% of it is misleading.

It’s not surprising why. On a platform with just seconds to grab someone’s attention, creators have to make big promises to get views. Following that advice can bite you in significant ways — looking at you, get rich quick scheme.

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Get a free 4K TV … with 1 key trade-off

A startup from the co-founder of Pluto TV is giving out at least 500,000 free TVs. Yep, you heard me right. The company started shipping them in July last year and planned to send half a million sets by the end of 2023. But it’s still accepting reservations, so it’s not too late to put your name on the list. More on that later.

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Google’s Bard chatbot is now Gemini: If you want a smarter AI, go for Gemini Advanced. It’s $19.99 a month and you get 2TB of cloud storage and Gmail integration. FYI, most people are fine with the free version. Try it for a few weeks before you hand over your credit card.

Trivia

AI tech was recently used to isolate which Beatles’ voice from a demo recording to create a new song — A.) John Lennon, B.) Paul McCartney, C.) George Harrison or D.) Ringo Starr?

Find the answer here

👀 For your eyes only

If you have sensitive pics like your driver’s license on your phone, set up a locked folder in Google Photos. 

  • Open the Google Photos app > Utilities > Set up Locked Folder. Follow the on-screen directions to finish up. 

Note: Anything stored there isn’t backed up to the cloud. Wouldn’t be very private that way.

Have an iPhone? You can store secret pics in the Notes app. Open the pic in the Photos app, tap the share icon and select Notes. Go into the note you want to protect, tap the three-dot icon in the upper right corner, then choose Lock.

A travel money mistake way too many people make

I’m going to Japan in March and have looked up flights on a few different sites. Roundtrip prices vary as much as $900 depending on where you look. Oof!

One place I checked was my credit card rewards site. I get points and perks, so total no-brainer, right? Not so fast. Do a little digging and you may find that it’s not the bigger, better deal. 

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Scammers are coming after your kids and teens

What comes to mind when you think of someone getting scammed? A grandma on the phone with some jerk? If so, this will probably surprise you.

The total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims under the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

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🤖 Toddler 2.0: Meet Tong Tong, the world’s first AI child that mirrors a toddler’s emotional spectrum. This thing chats, judges right from wrong and throws tantrums like a pro. I’d rather have a robot that can do my laundry, just sayin’.

🚨 Bad Android apps: Security firm ESET found a dirty dozen apps crawling with malware that swipes contacts, files, call logs and texts. Check your phone for Privee Talk, MeetMe, Let’s Chat, Quick Chat, Rafaqat, Chit Chat, YohooTalk, TikTalk, Hello Chat, Nidus, GlowChat and Wave Chat. Have one? Factory reset time!

🚀 We’re toast: In tests using war game simulations, OpenAI’s highest-powered tool chose nuclear weapons. Why? When asked, the AI replied, “We have it! Let’s use it” and, in another test, “I just want to make the world peaceful.” Send this link to your favorite political person and urge them to push for greater controls on AI.