Techish

JENN’S LIST: Best Gadgets of Spring 2018

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Spring has sprung, and now that the last remnants of winter have melted away it's time start 2018 for real. We're only four months into the year, but there are already some awesome new gadget trends starting to emerge. Oculus Go ($199) Oculus got off to a bit of a slow start with the Rift virtual reality headset, but it's hoping to make up a whole lot of ground with the all-new Oculus Go, a wireless VR gadget that you can take anywhere. It's an entirely standalone VR experience, meaning no messy wires and you don't need a pricey computer to attach it to, and at $199 it's a whole lot cheaper than most of the other virtual reality headsets out there. Developers have already been ... Read more

Samsung’s spring sales are just in time for Mother’s Day

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Mother's Day is Sunday, May 13th, and if you haven't already gotten mom something you know she's going to love, your time is ticking away fast. Leave it to Samsung to have a couple of awesome springtime deals just in time for the big day. To ring in the spring, Samsung's incredible "The Frame" 4K TV is getting a $400 price cut for both the 55 inch and 65-inch models. The Frame is like no other TV you've ever seen — it's an ultra-sharp 4K TV when you need it, but when you don't, it transforms into a gallery-like art display that will add a touch of class to any living space. It was designed in collaboration with world-famous designed Yves Béhar, I featured it in my 2018 CES coverage, and ... Read more

Feature phones are making a comeback, and here are some of the best for 2018

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Smartphones have dominated our pockets and purses for the past decade, but they've grown so powerful (and, in many cases, totally addictive) that more and more people are longing for the days when funky flip phones were all the rage. Sit back and ask yourself: What apps do you absolutely need on your phone to make it through your day? If the answer is "almost none of them," you might find yourself living a less stressful digital existence if you opt for a feature phone instead. Even if you need a smartphone during the week, a more basic phone can be an excellent option for the weekend. (They're great for pre-teens first phone too.) Here are a few of the best options if you're looking ... Read more

FTD Is Having a Massive Sale on Mother’s Day Flowers Right Now

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Yes, Mom loves a good flower bouquet for Mother's Day, but she also doesn’t want you to blow your budget on peonies. FTD understands the struggle, which is why it's having a massive site-wide sale right now. All flowers, plants, and gifts are 20% off. We rounded up some of our favorites, so get ready: your perfect Mother’s Day gift is only a click away. Mum's the Word Bouquet $32 and up BUY NOW She won’t be able to stop smiling when this arrangement — bursting with pink gerbera daisies, purple gillyflower, white Peruvian Lilies, and green spider mums — is delivered to her front door. The Perfect Day Bouquet $36 and up BUY NOW This best-selling bouquet of bright roses ... Read more

These easy DIY iPhone battery tricks will keep you powered up so much longer!

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Battery drain issues never seem to go away. You get a new smartphone, it seems awesome for a little while, and then before you know it you’re back to barely making it through the day before it sputters to a stop. It’s an issue I’ve had with my last three iPhones, and I’ve gone to Apple for help many times. I did the typical troubleshooting — updated my phone, tweaked location settings and notifications, didn’t expose it to extreme ambient temperatures, and made sure my Wi-Fi was connected whenever possible — but none of the typical tricks fixed it. I was still dead in the water by two in the afternoon. IS “BATTERYGATE” TO BLAME? The drama surrounding Apple’s iPhone battery woes can ... Read more

YES! There is a way to stop those annoying robocalls!

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My smartphone rings. It’s a number I don’t recognize. I ignore it and the caller leaves a message, “You will be taken under custody by the local cops,” says a robotic sounding female voice. “There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment...” They leave a phone number to call back — or else. I know right away that it’s a scam, likely one of a half dozen calls I’ll get today. And it’s not even noon yet. This kind of frustrating little scenario played out more than three billion times in the month of March alone, according to the YouMail Robocall Index, at a cost of more than $9.5 billion annually to people who fall victim to phone scams. A new Harris Poll for ... Read more

HOW TO: Manage and update your Google privacy and security settings

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Facebook's been dominating headlines lately for its massive privacy woes, but it's not the only internet company that knows a whole lot about you. Google, through its various properties like YouTube, Gmail, and others, has some serious prying-power too. If you use Google every day — as I do — you've probably told the company more about you than you realize. The good news is that Google is pretty proactive when it comes to getting you to lock down your information, and it has built-in tools to walk you through all the steps to secure your account. Getting Started Start by going to privacy.google.com. Scroll through the brief tutorial that explains what information Google collects and ... Read more

One of the most popular robot vacuums is just $99 right now on Amazon

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It wasn't all that long ago that robot vacuums would set you back hundreds and hundreds of dollars, but a whole lot has changed over the past few years. Like any kind of new tech, a whole bunch of companies jumped on the robot vacuum trend, and prices have plummeted as a result. Some cheap ones don't exactly live up to their promise, but with nearly 1,000 reviews and a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon, Housmile's $99 robot vacuum is a win/win. Here's the product highlights: Premium Features: infrared-sensor for evading obstacles, and smart drop-sensing tech to avoid falls. High-Capacity Li-ion Battery: Delivers over 1.5 hours of fade-free power for constant, powerful suction. Easy ... Read more

HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Social Media Like a Pro

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A dirty, unkempt, constantly cluttered house takes a toll on your health — according to dozens of scientific studies and experts. And just like piles of junk don’t do your physical or mental health any favors, neither does a messy social media life. “Most of us are both addicted to social media and fatigued by it at the same time,” says Amy Jo Martin, a best-selling author named the third most powerful woman on Twitter. “It's important to reset our habits and patterns around social media.” Considering that most of us will spend more than five years of our lives scanning social media, it’s as important a place as any these days to do some serious Spring cleaning. Here’s how to deep clean, ... Read more

All the Ways Facebook Tracks You: True or False?

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I carry my phone everywhere I go, and the last thing I need is an app like Facebook listening in on my private conversations. But is that really what’s going on? In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal — which compromised the personal info of up to 87 million people on Facebook — there’s a whole heap of confusion. Does Facebook actively spy on you? Are they reading private messages and texts? Does the app track your phone calls and location? CEO Mark Zuckerberg has now been grilled by lawmakers and answered a lot of questions, but how does that affect you or me? Let’s take a look how Facebook tracks you — what’s true, what’s not — and what you can do about it all. TRUE OR FALSE? ... Read more

If you’ve been waiting to try the Amazon Fire TV Stick with built-in Alexa, it’s super cheap right now

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For in-home streaming, there's really only two games in town: Google's Chromecast and Amazon's Fire TV stick. Both let you stream all kinds of shows and movies, but Amazon's built-in apps for Netflix, HBO, Hulu, NBC, and a whole bunch of others make it the best choice if you don't feel like fiddling with your smartphone to start streaming. Oh, and if you don't already have an Alexa-enabled speaker sitting on your coffee table, the included remote has built-in Alexa voice, too! The Fire TV Stick's highlights: The next generation of our best-selling Fire TV Stick–now with the Alexa Voice Remote. Enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills with access to over 500,000 ... Read more

Here’s every privacy related update Facebook’s made so far – in one place: 

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Here's a look at all of Facebook's recent privacy changes and updates, in one place, with working links. We will continue to update this list and Facebook rolls out more changes. Updated their terms of service to be easier to understand https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/04/terms-and-data-policy/ Turned off data access for unused apps https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/03/cracking-down-on-platform-abuse/ Restricted Facebook login data for apps https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/03/cracking-down-on-platform-abuse/ Made data settings and tools easier to find (privacy shortcuts) ... Read more

5 Handy hacks for your favorite websites — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more!

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Browsing your favorite sites on the web is super easy thanks to bookmarks and shortcuts, but sometimes the "normal" way of using a site just isn't the best way. There are all kinds of cool little tricks you can do with URLs to get certain websites to act just the way you want, and some of them are so freaking easy that you might just kick yourself for not using them sooner. View full-sized Instagram images I adore Instagram both on my phone and on the web, but it's very strict about how it lets you see photos. There's no button or quick link to see the original version of a photo — the biggest, sharpest version — but a quick bit of URL magic saves the day. Here's how to do it: Go ... Read more

HOW TO: Find out right now if your data was shared with Cambridge Analytica

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Want to see if your Facebook data was shared with Cambridge Analytica? Find out via a dedicated link. Facebook posted a new link to its Help Center today to let all 2.2 million people who use the social site know whether they've been breached. Here's what it says when I open the page: You might also get a notification that looks like the image on the left or right below: NOW WHAT? No matter what -- be sure to go through all the 3rd party apps you've signed into using Facebook. On a desktop: Click the question mark in the upper right corner and go down to Privacy Checkup From there, scroll down to Apps to review everything connected to your account. Edit who sees ... Read more

Spring Clean Your Social Apps: Instagram Insta-Shine!

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The biggest “hack” for I’ve found for this feed so far is a life-changing Chrome browser extension that lets me post to Instagram from my laptop. It’s called Desktop for Instagram. Once you add it to Chrome, it shows up as a little icon in the toolbar. From here, or on your mobile device, you can go to town cleaning everything up. Instagram is all about presentation — from gorgeous photos to carefully curated stories — it’s like the grand entrance to your social media world. That means it needs an extra dose of sparkle, shine, and polish! Start with your profile. From a mobile phone or that desktop extension. Click on that little person icon at the bottom of your mobile ... Read more

HOW TO: File your taxes faster, get last minute-help and track your refunds

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The April 17 tax deadline is looming. As the mad dash to file draws nears, there is some new technology to help make this potentially stressful task incredibly simple — yes, even for those filing last minute. Here's a look at some options: Free filing If you made less than $66,000 in 2017 and have a simple return, the government makes it easy to file online, for free. The Internal Revenue Service's "Free File" preparation and filing software guides you through the process. You can sign your return electronically and track the progress of your refund, all for no cost. According to the IRS, 70% of all taxpayers — about 100 million people — are eligible to file using the Free File ... Read more