Techish

Can you go a year without your smartphone for $100,000?

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New year, no phone? Cutting down on screen time likely tops many New Year’s resolutions lists, but do you think you could go a full year without a smartphone? It's a massive challenge, but you might have a real reason to consider doing so.  How does $100,000 sound? Would that be enough incentive to stop the mindless scrolling? That's how much beverage brand Vitaminwater is offering one lucky Luddite to go completely smartphone-free in 2019. Obviously you'll need to meet some criteria first, which is why they're asking you to share why you'd be a good candidate for the challenge in a post on social media. You'll need to post your plea on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags ... Read more

Here’s what we’re buying on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

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You might think that reviewing all the latest gadgets all year would make Black Friday boring for someone like me. Sure, I get to play with all of the most awesome gadgets and tech tools throughout the year, but I don't get to keep them. That means come Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I'm leaning over my laptop the same as you, fingers twitching, crediting cards itching to score huge deals on my favorite tech. Here's what I'm holding my breath to get this week, and how much it'll cost. Facebook Portal & Portal Plus One of the most controversial new gadgets (because ... it's Facebook) is also the best video-calling machine ever invented — and a look at the way landlines should evolve ... Read more

Is your gift secretly spying? Mozilla makes a naughty list of gadget gifts that aren’t secure:

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We already know the hottest holiday gadget gifts are cool but are they secure and trustworthy too? Mozilla — yep, the folks behind internet browser Firefox — just released a new report and shopping guide called *Privacy Not Included. The idea behind it is to help people shop for gifts based on price, performance, and on how well they protect privacy and security as well. In an email, Ashley Boyd, Mozilla VP of Advocacy explained that researchers reviewed 70 of the most popular gadget gifts across six categories: Toys & Games; Smart Home; Entertainment; Wearables; Health & Exercise; and Pets. For each product, Mozilla looked at a range of questions including Can it spy on you? Can ... Read more

HOW TO: Not get ripped off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday “Deals”

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TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOU NEVER OVERPAY: 1. SPOT THE REAL DEAL What’s actually good deal this time of year versus a bunch of hype? Small appliances — like instant pots — and smart home gadgets. Also, good deals: some HDTVs, video games, and game consoles also see aggressive pricing during Black Friday, or the days before and after it. 2. BROWSING BASICS Add a browser extension to your internet search engine — Safari, Firefox, Chrome — and let them scour the web faster than any human ever could for discounts, coupons, and deals to make sure you get the best prices — for real. Browser extensions: InvisibleHand, PriceBlink, The Camelizer, Honey 3. PRICE ALERTS Some sellers ... Read more

eBay’s 8-Days of Holiday Deals Starts Now

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eBay just shared their hottest holiday deals with us. I dug into the info and see a few things I want to make sure you know about:  Overall:  expect to find some jaw-dropping deals here with savings up to 80%. Bargains to watch include hot gadgets from Sonos, Bose, JBL speakers and headphones — plus coveted fashion from Adidas and Michael Kors, and more.  To snag  hard-to-find gift on your wish list before it’s sold out: Log-on to eBay, and start browsing the Shop Deals Central page. Find your must-have’s and add the best gifts to your watchlist. You can also  ‘save’ your search — then eBay Bends you an alert each time a seller lists exactly what you want. You can use ... Read more

How to use Facebook to make sure friends and family are safe

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With wildfires still raging out of control in California, this seems like as good a time as any for a little refresher on one of Facebook's most useful features: Crisis Response. Crisis Response is Facebook's way of helping you and your friends and family keep tabs on each other and confirm that you're safe after any major disaster or ongoing crisis. Here's how it works: First, Facebook activates a Safety Check alert when it identifies an event that could put lots of lives in danger. Everyone in the Safety Check area gets an alert and can mark themselves as okay with an "I'm Safe" button. You'll see "I'm Safe" alerts from friends on your Facebook news feed, but you can also ... Read more

How to follow any runner during Sunday’s New York City Marathon, including me!

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The annual New York City Marathon kicks off on Sunday, November 4th, and it's expected to be yet another world-class race. Last year, over 50,000 people completed the entire marathon, taking an average of four hours and 39 minutes to do so, and this year I'm throwing my hat into the ring. After many weeks of whipping myself into shape I'm ready to tackle the streets of NYC with tens of thousands of others, and even if you're not participating in the event (or even physically here in New York) you can follow along with me or any other racer you want to keep your eye on, right from your smartphone screen. All you have to do is download the official NYC Marathon app on either iOS or ... Read more

New phone scam targets Social Security recipients, so be alert!

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Phone scammers will target just about anyone they think they can exploit, and the government is now warning that Social Security recipients are their newest target. This scary scam works a lot like those in the past, with anonymous callers claiming to be employees of the U.S. government, but shortly after you pick up the phone things take a dark turn. According to the FTC, callers use "spoofed" phone numbers that show up on your caller ID as the official number of the Social Security Administration. The callers identify themselves as Social Security workers and ask you to verify your Social Security number in order to talk about your benefits. If you hand it over, they'll use it to steal ... Read more

Everything you need to know from today’s Apple event

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It was less than two months ago that Apple revealed the latest updates to its iPhone lineup but Tim Cook took the stage in New York City at a special event today to talk about a bunch of other big product updates coming out way in just a week's time. Here's everything you need to know! iPad Pro An all-new iPad Pro is about to land, and it totally does away with the iconic home button. Like the iPhone X and others, the new iPad uses Face ID for security, locking down your device until it sees your face. With no home button, the bezels around the screen are also smaller on both the smaller and larger iPad Pro models. As always, you can expect more power and faster graphics for ... Read more

iPhone XS vs iPhone XR: Who wins, and why?

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When Apple announced that there would be not one, not two, but three all-new iPhones this year it caused quite a stir. The iPhone XS Max is the big outlier, with a massive 6.5-inch screen that makes the phone a bit too much for most people, but the iPhone XS and XR are so similar on the outside, how could you ever possibly choose? I'll help. Power Both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR are powered by Apple's all-new A12 Bionic chip, which means they're both very fast. Both have the latest Bluetooth compatibility and both phones run iOS 12 right out of the box. So, it's a draw, right? Not so fast. The iPhone XR's only shortcoming is that it comes with 3GB of RAM compared to the 4GB in the ... Read more

12 Things you may not know about Bird Scooters (and why I love them)!

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I love the Bird electric scooter rental service. There are dozens of them in and around my neighborhood in Oakland, California, and they just make getting around so much easier. The influx of scooters by companies such as Bird, Lime, and others, are causing quite a bit of controversy in major cities, especially along the coasts. Some people think they're an eyesore — as though some electric scooters lining the sidewalk is somehow worse than anything else a big city has to offer — while others think they're inherently unsafe or annoying to deal with when driving or walking. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about them, at least at first. I didn't think they were bad, but I also ... Read more

Have an iPhone? Make sure you know this trick for finding apps, settings, EVERYTHING!

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There are so many little tips and tricks for fast use of the iPhone, many of us forget that not everyone knows them (ahem, I'm talking you husband of mine...). Here's a real gem called "Swipe to Search" Want to find an app, contact, old text, something in your settings, or really anything on your iPhone? Swipe down, and type whatever it is you're searching for in the Search bar. Here's how Apple tells (and shows) you how to it: (wait for it...) Trying to find a contact, email, or nearby restaurant? Quickly find what you’re looking for from the Home screen on your device. Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen. Tap the Search field, then enter what you're looking ... Read more

Is your iPhone safe from hackers and prying eyes? 7 settings to check now!

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Apple’s latest mobile software, iOS 12, tightens up security and privacy issues on iPhones. To get the most out of the updates though, you might have tweak a setting or two. Here’s how to take full advantage of the latest bug-fixes and make sure you’re keeping your device as safe as you can from hackers and prying eyes. #1. Take Advantage of Stronger Passcodes Apple didn’t change the default lock screen from a four-digit code to six digit one just to mess with you. The longer your device passcode is, the harder it is to hack. Hackers often use software to cycle through every possible passcode combination — known as a brute-force attack — and since a four-digit passcode has just 10,000 ... Read more

How to kick your smartphone addiction once and for all

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My 17-year old daughter is infinitely better at all things tech than I am. Even disconnecting from it. While I was on a work trip last year, she created a "no-phone zone." When she comes home from track practice, she switches her phone into "do not disturb" mode and sticks it in a drawer right by the front door. Out of sight, out of mind, for pretty much the entire school night from now on, she told me, and it’s already working wonders. She said it’s helped her concentrate on her homework more, focus on what she needs to get done every night, and best of all, reclaimed more of her precious time. Now, could I do the same thing, she challenged? I made it less than an hour. "I just ... Read more

5 Ways to Make Your Old iPhone Feel Like New Again

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Apple’s newest phones are out, more expensive than ever, and selling like crazy to early buyers eager to get their hands on the latest, greatest handset. Yes, even if they had to camp out for a week or sell a kidney to do it. But what about those of us who love the phone we have and want it to keep working like new? Smartphones are famous for working great for a year, then sputtering out right about the time the latest launch. Some people think it’s a conspiracy by the phone makers, but experts say you really just have to know how to keep them running right. “There are very simple steps that you can take to make it new again,” says Matt Zieminski, lead tech engineer at Puls, a company ... Read more

HOW TO: Check If Your Facebook Account Was Breached (And better secure it for the future either way…)

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Reposted from: The Wall Street Journal: It’s time to check up on your Facebook settings again but this time, it’s more about security than privacy: The company announced Friday the discovery of a security vulnerability that may have affected nearly 50 million accounts. Attackers were able to steal the digital keys—also known as access tokens—that keep people logged in because of an issue with Facebook’s “view as” feature. This tool, now disabled, let people see what their profile page looks like to others. Facebook Inc. said it has yet to determine whether anyone’s information was misused or accessed, but the company reset the access tokens for the 50 million people affected—plus ... Read more