Techish

Don’t fall for these COVID19 Scams

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The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping the globe, affecting just about every industry you can imagine. Many legitimate businesses are falling on hard times, but scammers? Oh, scammers are loving every second of it, exploiting our fears and anxieties in the hopes of cashing in.  Their tactics are frightening. With so many of us working from home, our personal computers lack some of the protections that offices with full-time IT staff have by default. Now more than ever, we have to be picky about what we click, the sites we visit, and who we trust online.  “The Cure” The Scam: A COVID-19 cure has been discovered, and wouldn’t you know it, you can order it online!  How It Works: Emails ... Read more

Free “Corona Consults” with a doctor and other tech tools you should know about right now:

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Meaningful connection is everything right now, whether for critical health information or just to ease a little stress. Here are seven new tech tools that need to be on your radar.  HealthTap  This telehealth site is offering a free virtual "COVID consult" with a U.S. based, board-certified doctor for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms including cough, runny nose or fever. Sign up and connect with a doctor in less than a minute to get the answers and care you need immediately. GetSetup  This new site (free for now) teaches seniors fundamental tech-based life skills including filling prescriptions online, setting up online banking and bill pay, and enrolling ... Read more

HANDS-ON: Facebook rolls out standalone Messenger desktop app for Mac, Windows: How it compares

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHCq0QyKP6o Video calls are an absolute lifeline for most of us stuck at home in social-distancing limbo right now. Instead of heading out the door to work or school, even the most non-tech-savvy among us are firing-up chat apps like Zoom, Hangouts, and Skype on computers and mobile devices. We’re using them for everything from collaborating with colleagues and connecting with classmates to celebrating birthdays, baby showers, and even weddings.  Which is great, until it’s not.  The FBI is warning people about trolls hijacking public video teleconferences in progress – mainly classes, church services, town ... Read more

Coronavirus: The role of tech from telemedicine to Star Trek-like devices

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Police in China are using Robocop-style helmets embedded with AI to spot someone with a fever from 16 feet away. A restaurant in L.A. has been checking people’s temperatures at the door with an infrared non-contact thermometer. And a hotel near Texas Medical Center in Houston just deployed germ-zapping robots to sanitize guest rooms and common areas. In the war against the spread of the coronavirus, tech gadgets and telemedicine services are getting fast-tracked to the front lines. High-tech help ready and waiting It’s been a whirlwind few months for Dr. Samir Qamar. I first met the family practice physician and health tech CEO this past January at CES, ... Read more

HOW TO: Break up with your phone a little

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The average American spends around four hours a day on their smartphone, according to the latest string of surveys. That’s more than a month and a half of time each year —  glued to our screens.  So much for all of our “no time” to exercise, cook more meals at home, or spend more time with friends and family excuses. Seriously, Imagine what you could do with just getting half of that time back. Isn’t it ironic that we’re a nation of people who covet freedom, yet so easily and willingly give it up for our devices? To put it another way: In just six years, a single tech device has gone from obsolete to an object people would be willing to give up food, sleep, and sex for, according to a ... Read more

CES 2020: This magic wand “prints” makeup on your face, and I LOVE it

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_7WXHJE8qM https://youtu.be/xtrW2H-_MzQ P & G OPTE DEVICE This is quite possibly the coolest beauty gadget I’ve ever seen. It’s P&G Ventures Opte device. It’s like an inkjet makeup printer for your skin. It uses a tiny HD camera with blue LED lights to help it hunt down tiny dark spots that your human eye might miss. Once it finds a blemish, scar, whatever you want to cover, the Opte uses 120 thermal inkjet nozzles to dispense a precise amount of tinted serum with mineral pigments — to instantly camouflage imperfections. The idea is that instead of smearing makeup all over your face, you’re using next-gen technology to put a precise, ... Read more

CES 2020: Make tech less annoying by putting it in your underwear and other wild ideas

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*This story originally aired/ran in USA Today 01/07/2020* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPiM_sqtfY In the age of oversharing, the last thing I want is a smart, connected sensor on my skivvies. I mean, I’m already worried about my smart home speakers, connected TV and mobile devices eavesdropping on my every word. Can’t my privates be the one thing I keep ... private? Not if Myant’s new Skiin wearables take off. The high-tech textile company is showing off a new line of connected apparel – underwear, bras, shirts and sleep masks – at CES this week in Las Vegas. Company president and founder Tony Chahine gave us an exclusive look ahead of the show. “The whole point is that tech should ... Read more

CES DAY TWO: Finally, someone reinvented the wheel

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Back here on day two, yes, I've seen 8K TV’s in every shape and size and yes, they are amazing. But unless you're a bazillionaire, you won't buy one this year.  Or next. Or maybe even the next year after that. They cost an insane amount of money and there's no real content for them yet. Let's talk about what you will buy. There are smarter home-everything's, a huge run on new wellness gadgets, and new tech fixing old problems. Jetson's Level Laundry Day: Let’s start with a good ole’ washer and dryer reimagined for a Jetson’s level laundry day: LG’s TurboWash 360ºFront-Load Washer/Dryer Pair with its ThinQ AI Platform — using artificial intelligence to detect fabric types in each ... Read more

CES 2020 DAY ONE: These are the gadgets you’ll want to buy this year

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If you caught me on TV this morning - here's what I was likely talking about (updated 1/07/2020) While the rest of the world is just getting over their holiday hangover, every gadget-loving tech enthusiast on the planet is glued to what’s going down in Las Vegas right now. The world’s largest consumer electronics show — CES — is underway and while flying cars,  8K rolling TV's, curvy laptops, and crazy-futuristic-everything get a ton of buzz, the tech we need and use the most — are getting significant upgrades too: SAMSUNG'S SWANKY NEW GALAXY CHROMEBOOK Samsung just unveiled its swanky new Galaxy Chromebook. The aluminum body is less than half an inch thick, and weighs just over ... Read more

What to do if your package didn’t arrive on time:

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Special from: Michael Bonebright, consumer analyst with DealNews.com What to do if part of your order was not included, but the shipment claims its complete Amazon orders are typically shipped from different fulfillment centers, which is why you'll often receive multiple packages from the same order. What's more, delivery services may mark your packages as "delivered" up to 48 hours prior to their actual arrival. If you still haven't received your entire order after that 48-hour window has passed, you should contact Amazon customer service to request a replacement item or a refund. What to do if your packages arrive late for Christmas – or year-round To qualify for guaranteed delivery ... Read more

Tech that pays you back (in saved money, time and sanity)!

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https://youtu.be/TS3xnKYziTY Sometimes you have to spend money to save money down the road, and that’s especially true with many smart tech upgrades. Here are some of my favorite tech buys that can actually pay for themselves -- by letting you keep more of your hard-earned money in the long run -- or by creating more “me” time right now. Smart thermostats There’s a “smart” version of just about every appliance these days, but some are downright genius for saving you serious cash. Smart thermostats from well-known brands like Nest, Honeywell (Lyric T5 $150) and Ecobee ($199) can save you time, money, and worry. Google’s $169 Nest Thermostat E (or $249 for the newest version of the ... Read more

How to keep pesky ‘Porch Pirates’ from pilfering your holiday packages

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In the next few weeks holiday shoppers in the United States are expected to spend a whopping $136 billion for all kinds of great gifts online. That means more packages will sit out on doorsteps and front porches than ever before, tempting pesky “Porch Pirates” to strike. If you haven’t had a delivery stolen yet, odds are pretty high you will. More than half of online shoppers reported at least one missing package in the last six months according to research analytics firm Clutch. But surveys also show there are ways to slow the thieves down that don’t cost a fortune or require a whole lot of work on your part. Here are the simplest ways to protect yourself — and your precious holiday buys ... Read more

These are the Black Friday, Cyber Monday shopping secrets retailers don’t want you to know

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https://youtu.be/OvztNWwBNcI I would rather lick a dirty sidewalk than camp out all night for “doorbuster deal” on Black Friday. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic and totally gross — have you heard what’s on the sidewalks in my area?! — but you get the point. Holidays are for precious family time, not for combat couponing with sales-rabid, sharp-elbowed strangers. Is there any way to get in on doorbuster deals without the chaos of the holiday crowds? This year, more than ever, the answer is an emphatic “yes,” according to several people “on the inside.” We spoke with current and former employees of Target, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and even eBay, to get a handful of holiday shopping secrets ... Read more

People Share Rules for Screens and Sleep

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THIS POST IS SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM DR. DELANEY RUSTON, MD, FILMMAKER OF SCREENAGERS. Read more of these articles on Dr. Ruston’s site: Tech Talk Tuesdays Recently a group of eighth-graders was discussing Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER, and a few of them told the teacher how surprised they were to learn in the film that almost 40% of youth and teens with mobile devices in their room report that they wake up and check it at least once a night. *I like to keep stats to a minimum in my films, and I was happy these teens got the significance of this recent data. A new study from a survey of 12,000 teens in the U.K. who were asked about their social media use and sleep found that teens who use ... Read more

WIRED WELL: New tech gadgets get senior moment and the results will make you cry (in a good way).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp1yQzH6KAY ***This story and video originally ran/aired on USA Today. It's reposted here with permission.*** Brooklyn resident Marilyn Stone* isn’t your typical early tech adopter. She’s 95 years old, can’t see or hear very well anymore, and grew up in a time when the hottest new gadgets around were toaster ovens and zippers. Today? She’s not sure what she would do without her Amazon Echo smart speaker. “Alexa has been a miracle,” the spirited senior tells me over the phone, “I ask ‘what is the weather,’ and get an answer. Alexa turns on my lights, tells me what time it is, and when to take my pills.” Stone is now one of the 16.7 ... Read more

Worried your kids are addicted to screens? Help is here.

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https://youtu.be/qga2yuPYVd4 My daughter is off to college, yet I still have some of the same worries about her tech use as my friends with kids in middle school: Is she safe? Is she on social media too much? Does she put her smartphone down long enough to have meaningful connection and communication in real life? Tech-centric worry is the new norm and makes up a lot of what we parents are talking about these days: Safety, screen-time, device distraction, and making sure our kids get the right balance of necessary tech tools — along with real-life skills — to succeed. How do we handle modern technology the “right” way, especially when so many of us are overwhelmed by it all ... Read more