Techish

Are apps charging your credit card and you don’t know it?

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Over a year ago, I signed up for a free trial for online fitness site NEOU. I canceled my account before the trial was up, but the company charged my credit card $50 anyway, signing me up for the annual plan at the new member’s price. I noticed the charge, complained, and they quickly refunded my money. A year later, though, the company charged me again. Again, I complained, and again, I got an apology and a full refund. I write about technology, so I probably sign up for more free trials than most people and systematically cancel them. But, still, I am frequently hit with unwanted charges to my credit card. This happens so often that I wondered if free trials are a scam designed to ... Read more

Is Amazon Prime Day worth it? And, how do you snag the best sales?

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Amazon Prime Day is almost here. It starts at 12 AM PT on Monday, June 21, and concludes at 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, June 22.  In 2015, Amazon launched Prime Day to commemorate its 20th anniversary. Typical of the site’s penchant for taking over the world, Prime Day has taken just six years to rival what was previously the only day of the year – Black Friday – when people went insane over a sale. I never thought there was a deal worth braving an angry crowd for, so Black Friday never held much appeal for me. But is Prime Day worth it? Given that you don’t have to get up at dawn, wait in line, or get into fisticuffs to participate, it’s pretty easy to say that that Prime Day is worth it. ... Read more

Amazon Sidewalk shares your Internet connection with neighbors. Here’s how to turn it off.

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Amazon is using our Ring doorbells and Echo smart speakers, among other smart home devices, to make a new kind of wireless network called Sidewalk. It automatically shares a slice of your home network with your neighbors’ devices, unless you OPT out of that function. Not everyone loves that idea. Nor do "all the people" like the idea of Amazon opting everyone "in." On Tuesday, June 8th, Amazon switched Sidewalk on — for everyone. If you don't love the idea of sharing your personal WiFi with everyone else around you, you have to opt-out of this new feature. We show you how below. But first, why, what, and WTF? Here's what it does: Sidewalk is a low-power, low-bandwidth, ... Read more

Five Super Easy Ways to Tell if That Link is Legit or a Scam

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You got an email – or a text – from your bank, Fedex, the IRS, or someone you tend to pay attention to when they send emails. So, wondering where your shipment is or attempting to resolve a financial issue, you click on the link in that message, log into your account, and … oops. You just fell for a phishing attack. A scammer has your login credentials. Phishing is a clever scam designed to trick you into giving important login credentials to a thief who wants to use those credentials to rob you. It is the most common form of internet crime, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, with 241,342 known victims in 2020. This type of scam is most often done via email but is ... Read more

USA TODAY: Robocalls making you crazy? Here are 5 ways to stop them on your smartphone:

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***** THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY RAN IN USA TODAY***** Remember back in the day when your phone rang, and you would answer it? Robocallers have ruined that. Now we stare suspiciously at every call and send unknown numbers, even when it looks local, straight to voicemail. And for good reason! So far, in 2021, scammers have made 22 billion calls nationwide. That's roughly 67 calls to every man, woman, and child in America. Answering calls from an unknown number invites a scammer – and in many cases, actual criminals – into your life. Here are the five most straightforward ways to block robocalls and eventually get them to – mostly, hopefully, fingers crossed – stop calling us for ... Read more

Ready to travel? Take this tech along for the ride:

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***This story first posted to USA Today*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hS4AzdqLCY After more than a year stuck at home — and thanks to the just-relaxed mask mandates for the fully vaccinated — some 37-million people plan to travel over Memorial Day. If all goes well, summer vacation season could be off to a banner start, and life might finally start resembling something closer to "normal." But the sudden freedom to travel again doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing. Airfares are on the rise, rental cars are in short supply, and hotel room rates are skyrocketing. Even finding an available — and affordable — vacation home or campsite near many popular destinations in the U.S. ... Read more

Check out these cool tech tools for our post-pandemic world

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As many states reopen businesses shuttered by Covid-19, everyone’s trying to figure out ‘what now?’ How do we go back to work safely? And what’s in store for all those places depending on our post-pandemic, in-person return to survive — like restaurants, bars, movie theaters, sport, and entertainment venues? The whole “new normal” means new worries for many small-to-medium-sized businesses in America. Just under a quarter (22%) closed for good as of February this year according to a recent report from Facebook. What's more, a study by economists at the Federal Reserve shows Covid-19 led to the permanent closure of some 200,000 more establishments in the U.S. than in a normal year. So the ... Read more

Ten Apps That Put Money in Your Pocket

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How often do you pay full price when you shop because finding a deal is too time-consuming? Do you shop online and leave the "discount code" section of the checkout interview blank because you don't have a code? And how much cash do you get back when you shop? If you aren't bragging right now about the deals you get, the fun you have watching the price drop in your shopping cart, or the hundreds of dollars you net in cashback rewards, you are leaving money out there that could be yours. You don't have to devote your weekends to coupon clipping or schooling up on savvy shopping tips for this. You just need to download an app or two and let it do the work for you. People are claiming ... Read more

10 Online/Cyber Scams You Need to Know About Right Now!

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A plague is terrorizing the nation. No. Not that one. A cyber plague! The cyber plague is a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but its target is your wealth and identity, not your health. For scammers, the pandemic is a perfect storm of opportunity. Entire workforces went from working on company networks – protected by security pros – to working from home. People are home, constantly online, already scared, and often slipping into debt. Then came stimulus checks. Next came vaccines. And then more stimulus checks. It has been a rough year for law-abiding citizens. But it has been a gold rush for scammers, hackers, and cybercriminals. Scammers reach you through any means available to ... Read more

HOW TO: Make Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri into Your Personal Assistant

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If you watched any science fiction when you were a kid, you probably expected that, by now, you would have a robot assistant and appliances to do all the work for you. You know what? If you have a computer, an Amazon Echo or Google Home, and a cell phone, you do have a personal assistant, and it will do a lot of the work for you. This is when you need it, too, right? After a year of working from home while trying to manage kids and be a homeschool teacher, you need some help. Here are seven tips for making the technology you already have -- do your work for you. 1.      Use Reminders How can you focus on your own work if you need to remind your kids to go to class, get someone to ... Read more

This gear is as good as the expensive stuff but is a fraction of the price!

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If you live on a normal person’s budget, a phone that costs $1000, a pair of easy-to-lose headphones, or a speaker you can take to the beach might seem completely out of the question. But you don’t have to pay as much money as you think for the tech you love. All you have to do is separate fashion and marketing from specs and features and buy the technology you really want, not the name brand you think you want. Honestly? You don’t even have to do that because I did it for you. If you're hankering for AirPods, a new smartphone, smartwatch, or smarter-home, I totally get it. Money is tight, but we still all want all the things. And there is a secret in the gadget world that I’m about to ... Read more

Ten tech-ish tips you’ll wish you knew about yesterday!

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Are you sure you know everything your phone, computer, and apps can do? I’ll be you don’t. Because they all change so fast that no single human can keep up. Here are ten useful tech tips that will do everything from search Google better to turn your phone into a scanner. 1.      Find your stimulus check online Is there a second economic stimulus payment? Should you have gotten it? Has it gone awry? When will I get it? The answers to these questions – and many more -- are a click away. Just go to irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. You can read up on what the government is doing and how it’s going or just get right to the point and click that big, “Get My Payment” button. Then click ... Read more

HOW TO: Use a Zoom filter (but not get stuck as a cat!)

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Sometimes the bloopers are the best part of the show. If you haven’t seen the best #zoomfail of all time yet — click here first. So what happened? An attorney accidentally showed up as a cat in a virtual hearing in Texas. The lawyer said he was using his secretary's computer, and she has a young daughter — which may have led to the mishap. Now — check out how to do it yourself — but not get stuck as a cat! (Or a potato - yep that happened too!) Pro tip: Don't get carried away with the filters - some bosses say it makes them crazy! That said - you show me your best filters and I’ll show you mine! ... Read more

HOW TO: Help senior friends and family set up their new tech

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All that tech you wrapped and put under the tree seemed like such a terrific idea when you were shopping. A Roku! A new phone! A sweet new laptop! You killed the gift-giving. But now that the presents are opened and everyone is playing with their toys, you are starting to feel like the new guy on the tech support helpline. Answering the first question from Papa was fun. Helping Nana get her new tablet set up was rewarding. But the millionth question? You are seriously considering charging by the minute. Maybe the gift you forgot was an unlimited subscription to online tech support for everyone born before 1993? Because you know what? That’s a thing. Teaching people to use technology when ... Read more

Shipping Deadlines For Holidays 2020

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We’ve reached the final few days before the holidays, and in the interest of getting gifts delivered on time — and not paying handsomely for shipping — you should be wrapping up your shopping as soon as you can. Thankfully, several retailers are making those shopping duties cheap and easy by offering free and fast shipping. It wouldn’t be the holidays without a little stress, but you can avoid at least some of it by finishing up your shopping before the window for on-time delivery comes to a close. We’ve also listed the delivery windows for FedEx, UPS, and the USPS in case you are shipping packages yourself. AMAZON As is always the case, you’ll get your gifts faster if you have an ... Read more

HOW TO: Use Your Phone to Stop the Spread of COVID-19

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At a recent doctor’s appointment, the check-in nurse asked me if I had been exposed to anyone who had tested positive for Covid-19. I said no. But it felt like a lie. How could I know the answer to that with any certainty? What if the person who sat too close to me at the vet last week was sick? What if I inadvertently stood next to someone in the grocery store who had been exposed? And what about all those people who run past me when I take my morning walk? Many of them are breathing hard and not wearing masks. I don’t know that they aren’t spewing virus droplets all over me. It turns out I could know. It’s easy to know. All I have to do is download an app or turn on the ... Read more