Techish

THESE ARE THE BEST GADGETS OF 2020 – PERIOD

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The hardest part of curating this list every year is narrowing it down! These are all gadgets I've tried myself, bought, and recommend to my family and friends (that's you) as well. Let me know if I left any of your favorites off of this list! Also, if you click on a link below to buy an item, Techish might receive a (very) small affiliate commission. This is no way affects what we recommend. 1.) Lume Cube LED Light: $69.95     BUY IT HERE For Zoom calls, kick your ring light up a notch with this video conference lighting kit from Lume Cube. The kit includes a panel mini-LED light with both brightness and color temperature adjustability, as well as an additional softening diffuser ... Read more

HOW TO: Get a PlayStation 5 before 2021

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You want to get your hands on the latest Xbox or Playstation 5? Yep, you and the rest of the world! It's no surprise really, since the last time each company updates its consoles was several lifetimes ago in tech-years. (November 2013 was the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One – the predecessors to the newest consoles.) Every major retailer – and several you've never heard of – continue to update stock on their websites, and even send re-stock alerts through their apps. Still, within a matter of seconds, these hottest new consoles keep selling out. Here are some top tips to scoring one this year, but as you'll see, it's best not to get your hopes up unless you want to sell ... Read more

Techish word of the week: “Finsta”

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Today’s word of the week is “finsta.” Have you heard of this one before, parents? It’s one you probably want to know, because most teens have them. A finsta is a fake Instagram account. It’s separate from a public account, kept private except for a close circle of friends, and kids usually use a nickname or pseudonym for them. Most of what’s shared on a “finsta” account is the usual teenage stuff: Personal thoughts, a touch of angst, maybe a photo or two that parents/college entry boards/future bosses/etc., might not approve of – and typically it’s no big deal. Some adults have them too, to keep their personal lives more private as well. My daughter’s always had one and we’ve always ... Read more

CYBER MONDAY BEST: Buy these gadgets now (right after I buy them of course).

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You've waited patiently, now's the time to hit that checkout button online. According to Adobe Analytics, Cyber Monday remains the king of online shopping days and will become the largest online sales day in history with between $10.8B and $12.7B spent online, representing between 15% and 35% YoY growth.    Later today, Adobe predicts that the four “golden hours of retail” (7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Pacific) will bring in a massive 29% of the day’s revenue (at least $3.1B) as shoppers hit buy before deals run out; at least $13 million will be spent per minute during the peak hour (8:00 – 9:00 pm PT). ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS:  Cyber Monday discounts: Even with discounts starting much ... Read more

ONLINE SHOPPING? Watch out for these SCAMS!

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When you’re online shopping on Cyber Monday, it’s easy to get carried away in the excitement and potentially fall for a scam. EMAIL SCAMS Look out for links and attachments in emails or popups that could contain malware that steals your credit card information. For example, if you get an email that says it’s from a retailer with a promotion or "free offer" that looks skeptical or too good to be true, NEVER click on the link. Visit the retailer’s website directly by typing its name in your browser. Make sure the URL (web address) starts with "https" and that there are no other misspellings in the company name. Also, double-check that the company has a phone number to call if there are ... Read more

These are the hottest gadgets for the holidays according to science (and tech).

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Cue Michael Scott, because it's happening. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, that is. The massive sales are no longer confined to one day each. Now we're seeing week-long, or even month-long, deals. An insane amount of data from Adobe Analytics show people spent nearly $60 billion shopping online from November 1-23. That's 32% more than the same time last year. Adobe also found expedited shipping, standard shipping, and curbside/in-store pickup are all up — big time. Here's what everyone's buying: So what are the hot products leading into the holidays? When it comes to toys, the big sellers are Lego sets, hoverboards, Baby Alive, and Star Wars products. The top video games ... Read more

Simple tech tools to make your holidays feel “almost” normal!

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Everything really is different heading into this Holiday Season. But that doesn't mean it has to suck. Here are 11 simple tech tools to make your holidays feel “almost” normal. 1. FILL YOUR HOME WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC Piping music into every room of your home used to cost thousands of dollars, but not anymore! The GED LED+ Speaker bulb (on sale for around $25 on Amazon right now) is a bright light with an onboard Bluetooth speaker built-in. Just screw the bulb into any lamp or light fixture, pair it with Bluetooth on your mobile device, and just like that, you get all your favorite tunes in any room you want. You can pair up to ten bulbs and don’t need any extra apps, wires, or ... Read more

Techish word of the week: “Friluftsliv”

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Our Techish word of the week may have you doing a double — or even triple take — to read it, but it likely describes a new way of life for you and yours. The word is "friluftsliv." Rolls off the tongue, right? You pronounce it "free-lufts-liv." Translated from Norwegian, it means open-air or outdoor living. This isn't just for the lucky ones who live in warm climates either. Friluftsliv means spending more time outside no matter what — rain, snow, clouds, or sunny skies. The concept originated in Scandinavia, but it's pretty commonplace in areas like Alaska (where Jennifer grew up and waves to us from Prudhoe Bay in the photo above) and the Pacific Northwest (where I live). It may ... Read more

Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2020: Insider Tips & Tricks

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Nothing is normal this year, but Holiday shopping is like upside-down-dramatically different. Black Friday sales started in October and most “doorbuster” deals are happening online already too.  Here are some insider tips to save time, money, and stress — while finding the very best deals on the year’s top gadgets. #1. SHOP EARLY AND SHOP ONLINE! Shop early and shop online — that’s the big mantra for true savings this year — as retailers big and small are posting huge deals already.  Amazon kicked off its Black Friday Deals Week TODAY (Friday, November 20)! Target's "Deal Days" span the entire month of November and BestBuy’s rolling out a bunch of deep discounts available online ... Read more

Mood-boosting gadgets to help you survive until 2021

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It has been a long, long year. The doom scrolling, the isolation, the election madness, and the fear have been brutal. But the end of 2020 is in sight. Maybe next year won’t be such an apocalypse? Maybe 2021 will be all kittens, hope scrolling, and sunshine? We can only hope. What we can do is try every possible mood booster available to order online. And, while you’re at it, load the holiday gift basket with gear that will help your friends and family go into 2021 in a good mood? I rounded up some fun, functional, mood boosters you can order on Amazon. Nothing here will break the bank. But it will improve the mood. Prices on these gadgets are subject to change, this is what they were at ... Read more

Techish Word of the Week: “Clout”

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You may chase it, but can you ever catch it? We're talking about "clout," our Techish word of the week. It's the special form of fame that primarily lives through likes, follows, and subscribers on social media. Clout means influence, power, or social capital. It lies somewhere between respect and popularity, but people often use it in a derogatory way to talk about someone trying to become social media famous. You may have heard your teen talking about someone "chasing clout," or call someone a "clout chaser." That's not a compliment. ... Read more

HOW TO: Zoom-free ways to connect with family even when you’re far apart

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A year ago most of us had never heard of Zoom, and no one would have been able to coerce any of us into a video gym class or Sunday dinner over Zoom. But here we are. “Brady Bunch boxes” has become a term we toss casually into conversation, and everyone has a preferred brand of webcam. By next year, Zoom Fatigue will make into the Merck Manual as a real health condition. Zoom pushback has already started. Another Zoom call after a day of school or work on Zoom? No one has it in them anymore. It’s great to see everyone. But sitting in front of a screen to chat is often boring, hard to pay attention to, and exhausting. There are other ways to connect with the people you love. Because you ... Read more

AAA Holiday Travel Forecast: No “home for the holidays” this year.

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No more sitting in traffic for hours or waiting in a mile-long airport security line. The Thanksgiving travel rush will likely be more of a bust this year. AAA is forecasting a steep drop-off in travel for the upcoming holiday season. No surprise here: COVID is to blame. AAA Travel says the combination of health concerns and high unemployment means fewer Americans traveling to have turkey with family and friends. Not to mention, many states, cities, and counties are increasing their restrictions amid a rise in cases. Just how big of a drop will we see? AAA says there will likely be at least a 10% drop in travel — that would be the biggest one-year decrease since 2008. That 10% includes ... Read more

HOW TO: Unsend an email

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Ever had an email fail? Typos, reply-all gaffes, or accidentally sent a note about your awful boss... TO your awful boss? Now there's a way to undo some emails — before it's too late (on Gmail at least). Gmail has an "Unsend" feature. It's both on the app and the desktop version. Here's how it works on a desktop: First, click on the "Settings" button in the upper right corner. That will bring up the "Quick settings" menu. From there, click "See all settings." Next, scroll down on the "Settings" page to "Undo Send." Bingo! Change the time to 30 seconds, then scroll to the bottom of the page and save your changes. The next time you send an email, this bar will pop ... Read more

JENN TIPS: How to find Black Friday deals during the pandemic

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Everything is different in 2020 and that includes Holiday Shopping. Remember Black Friday — those miles-long lines and crowds turning check out counters into mosh-pits? This year the big sales have already started, people are shopping much earlier than normal — and spending a record amount on tech, toys, and “guilt-gifts.” The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) predicts people will spend the lionshare of their entire holiday budgets on gadgets this year. In its annual report, the CTA says Americans will shell out some $135 billion on smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, stem-toys, TV's, smart home devices, and wearables. FILL EVERY ROOM WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC! This is one of my ... Read more

Techish Word of the Week: “Gleefreshing”

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Do you have a brighter outlook opening social media for the first (or 27th) time today, compared to a week ago? You aren't the only one, and it's inspired a whole new word. Welcome to gleefreshing. It's the opposite — and much happier sibling of — doomscrolling. Whether you use that word or not, you've likely been doomscrolling for weeks. It's opening up Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or endless news pages with a sense of dread — but doing it anyway. You might be scrolling for minutes on end, only finding negative posts, friends arguing, or another depressing update from news sources. But you just. can't. stop. That's doomscrolling. Gleefreshing, on the other hand, is the act of ... Read more