Techish

Facebook now lets you delete messages in Facebook Messenger, but there’s a catch

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Today is a good day for people who have a habit of accidentally hitting "send." Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular social apps on the planet, but until today it never allowed you to remove a message in a way that prevented the other person or persons in the conversation from seeing it. Now, after hinting that such a feature was in the works, Facebook is finally rolling out the message delete feature to Facebook Messenger for everyone, but it's not quite as powerful as you might be thinking. Here's how it works: The feature works pretty much the same way whether you're using Messenger in a web browser or a mobile device, just substitute clicks for taps. First, to delete ... Read more

RECODE: What’s all this fuss about “digital detox” — and does it really work?

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This article appears on Recode.net: I'm sharing it here with you because it's a topic I've researched and written extensively about - and think it's incredibly valuable to have all of these resources in one place. If you haven't visited Recode.net recently - be sign up for their newsletter - and get the most important news from all over the news world delivered directly to your inbox! Too much tech can be bad for you. Here’s what happens when people are left to fighting their own devices. By Shirin Ghaffary Jan 28, 2019 I knew I had lost control when a good friend confronted me over coffee. In the 30 minutes we had been chatting, I had checked my phone about 11 times. I wasn’t ... Read more

Boom boxes, mix tapes and instant cameras as hot new tech? Yes, it’s actually 2019

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A whole lot has changed in the gadget world since Philips launched the first consumer VCR for $900 at CES in 1970. So why then, I wondered as I trekked through the seemingly endless halls packed with every gadget imaginable at this year's CES, were there so many boom boxes straight out of the '80s everywhere? Turns out some of the most popular new tech launching this year isn’t so new at all. LENOVO SMART ALARM CLOCK Sure, the smart screen trend shows no signs of slowing down, but rather than continually going for bigger, more feature-packed displays, Lenovo looked to the past for inspiration. The Lenovo Smart Clock is a total rethink of the classic alarm clock – you know, the ... Read more

You’ve got to see it to believe it: A Jetson’s-like smart home of future in Nevada

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(This story first ran in USA Today January 7th, 2019) On the eve of the world’s largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, construction giant KB Home unveiled the first full-scale prototype smart home of the future – and gave us the very first peek inside. The home, called Builder KB Home ProjeKt, sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Henderson, Nevada, a 15-minute drive south of The Strip. The 3,200-square-foot concept house is the first-of-its-kind marriage of smart home systems and Jetsons-like tech, built from the foundation-up with over 400 gadgets working (mostly) in harmony. A smart speaker that controls living room lighting or a video doorbell that streams a live feed from ... Read more

Stop Porch Pirates: 5 pro tips to make sure thieves don’t steal your stuff

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Thanks to modern technology, we can buy just about anything online and get it delivered to our doorstep in a snap. Not only has that been insanely convenient for us, but it’s also created a giant window of opportunity for so-called “porch pirates” too. According to a recent report, at least 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their porches, mailboxes, and stoops, and with UPS delivering an estimated 750 million packages during the holiday season there's plenty of opportunity for thieves to pad their pockets. Lucky for us though, there’s a there’s a slew of new high-tech sheriffs in town to put a stop to these pesky poachers. Package Guard Package Guard (pre-order $49.99) ... Read more

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

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

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

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

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

This magical robot vacuum empties its own dust-bin and I freaking love it.

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The newest Roomba robot vacuum can empty its own dustbin! The iRobot Roomba i7+ robot vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal  ($950) can learn, adapt and remember a home’s floor plan, which lets you clean specific rooms by name. You can control it from an app on your smartphone, set it to clean at certain times, or on a specific schedule. It also works with Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you can just tell it what to do using voice commands. The little robot empties whatever it picks up into the Clean Base, which also doubles as the charging dock. The base can hold up to 30 full bins — so you can go for months without worrying about lifting a finger. I have it at home with me ... Read more

HOW TO: Hack back to school routine-rage with Alexa!

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For busy parents, back to school means back to juggling schedules, long school supply lists, and competing priorities. Luckily, Amazon's Alexa can help parents get back into the routine during that back to school transition. Here are few things to try:  ●      Stay stocked on back to school essentials and last-minute household items with Dash Buttons for things Ziplocs and Bounty. Click the button when you’re running low, and the product will be delivered right to your front door. ●      Don’t forget about that upcoming field trip, permission slip, or fundraiser. Just say “Alexa, remind me that I’m chaperoning a field trip next Monday at 8 am.” ●      Set a custom Routine for you and ... Read more

FTC Warning: Protect your child’s personal information

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***Note: The Federal Trade Commission sent out this article to sites and blogs like ours and asked that we share it with our readers. Written By Colleen Tressler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC Many school forms require personal and sensitive information. Here are some tips for keeping your child’s personal information safe — from pre-school through college. Safeguard your child’s Social Security number (SSN). Don’t carry your child’s Social Security card with you, and don’t share it unless you know and trust the other party. Ask why it’s necessary and how it will be protected. Ask if you can use a different identifier, or use only the last four digits. Know your ... Read more

Teen Speak Decoded: What does “I’m finna dip” mean?

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If it feels like you need a translator to talk with your teenager, you’re not alone. Between all the shook’s, lit’s, fire’s, and fam’s I’ve overheard my own teen and her friends saying lately — I’m lost too.  Every generation has its own particular lingo that adults aren’t really supposed to understand. Think about how many words have meant “great,” throughout the years like aces, swell, keen, groovy, rad, bad. Nowadays, it’s “lit” or “fire.” For the most part, teens use slang as a way to create their own identity, fit into specific social groups, and express independence. “Language is a lot like fashion,” says Mary Kohn, an associate professor of English at Kansas State University who ... Read more

BACK TO SCHOOL: Helpful Tech-Life Hacks for Busy Families

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It’s been more than twenty years since I’ve gone to school, and yet every August without fail, I have classic back-to-school anxiety dreams: There’s a big test and I forgot to study. I can’t remember my locker combination. I’m in gym class — naked. Sound familiar? Turns out back to school season can be just as stressful for parents as it is for some students. A slew of recent surveys show parents are increasingly anxious about back to school shopping costs, getting kids ready and out the door on time, screen-time, busy schedules, homework, and bedtime, among many other nagging concerns. While new technology might be to blame for some of the stress — like kids playing Fortnite when ... Read more