Techish

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

Gift Guide: Splurge-worthy spends for dads, grads (and maybe yourself)

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Did you just win the lottery? Or maybe you've been saving up for that one special bit of new technology to make life feel all the more futuristic ... and just plain awesome. Also? When it comes to celebrating milestones — like I don't know, maybe graduating from college during a pandemic or fathering a human — sometimes you just have to go all out. This year is all about the upgrade and only the best will do! Gift dads, grads, and all the people you really, really love one of these incredible, splurge-worthy gadgets they will love for years to come. Yes, some of these picks ($74,000 robotic dog...) are a little over the top, but we can also dream, right?! Samsung Neo QLED ... Read more

GIFT GUIDE: Genius gadgets for deserving dads and grateful grads

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We have so much to celebrate! After living in the shadow of a worldwide pandemic for more than a year it’s time to ring in those big milestones for Dads and Grads alike. What better way to do it than with the very best gadgets, outdoor gear, subscriptions, and more? Here are my favorite picks, from the almost-free to the still totally-budget-worthy items sure to be a hit for years to come! Let’s start with the best new tech to help Dad get his grill on:  Traeger Ironwood 885  This is the coveted wood-pellet grill that lets you smoke, bake, roast, braise, BBQ, and GRILL — of course — all with one super-smart device. It’s packed with next-gen features like their “WiFIRE” ... 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

Tech That Makes Driving—for You and Your Kids—Safer

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The first time I drove a car with an advanced driver assistance system, I was humbled. It was a Volvo and I was test driving it in horrendous traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area. I turned on "adaptive cruise control," which keeps the car moving at a set speed while braking to prevent collisions. I also used "lane keep," where the car actually steers itself to stay in the lane. The traffic was stop-and-go but I didn't care because the car was handling it well—until traffic suddenly started moving, that is. My car sped up, trying to find the speed I'd set, at the very moment someone cut me off. My driver's reflexes kicked in and I hit the brakes. But by the time I did, the Volvo had ... Read more

#MothersDay GIFT GUIDE: What to buy for Mom for in 2021

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7LfuQ7CmXI&t=4s   Mother's Day is May 9th this year. I am a mom, and I love gadgets. Every mom I know not only likes gadgets, but relies on them every single day to keep her informed, connected, and entertained — not to mention sane! Here are a few of our favorite things for the big day and beyond!   Tribute Video Montage Tribute is a service that helps you create a video montage with everyone in your family sharing their love, admiration, and respect for mom. It simplifies the collaborative process — no need to track down family members for their videos, request different file formats, or email reminders. Just choose the occasion ... Read more

New Apple gadgets are here! Here’s what’s worth your money:

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After a year of incredible loss, Apple's going all-in on making sure we can find our keys. And wallets. And maybe even the family dog. At its first product unveiling of 2021 on Tuesday, Apple showed off an array of new, rainbow-colored, and more impressive/expensive gear including a Tile-tracking competitor called AirTag, new iPad Pros, refreshed iMacs, and more. Here's what's worth your money. iPad Pro If you've been contemplating the purchase of a new iPad, I would like to introduce you to Temptation! The new iPad Pro is here to separate you from your money with its M1 chip — the same one that's in the MacBook Air — and a 12-megapixel camera that tracks you as you move about ... Read more

These are the safety gadgets women need right now!

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When Sarah Everard was abducted and killed while walking home at night, the women of social media (and London, where she lived) exploded in anger. Authorities responded by telling women not to walk alone or go out at night and every woman felt the frustration of being told that attacks by men are our fault. We have all been there, heart pounding, clutching our keys, with the knowledge that, probably, keys will do nothing to stop anyone who is determined. What happened to Sarah is what we all fear every day. Let’s face it, talking on the phone, holding your keys, wearing sensible shoes, and avoiding walking at night are not that helpful—as self-protection goes. And if bad men in the world ... 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

How the latest fitness apps can hack human motivation (in a good way)

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This article and video originally appeared in USA Today 2021 https://youtu.be/9kyVtwP8Kwc More than 50% of Americans made the same New Year's resolution this year – to “do more exercise and improve their fitness” – according to a recent poll by international data and analytics group YouGov. By the second week of February though some 80% of us give up, and go right back to bad habits and old excuses. My longtime go-to: “Tomorrow, I’ll exercise tomorrow.” Sound familiar? Yeah, it did for me too until I spent the last few months trying out more than 20 different fitness apps and gadgets. I used each one at least three times, adoring some, abhorring others. Within the first week, some clear ... Read more

Far-out, futuristic, and just plain fanstastical new tech from CES 2021:

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A robot that loads my dishwasher and brings me wine? Yes please! A $3,000 doggy door that makes Fido’s every wish its instant command? Buying it (just as soon as I win the lottery)! Flying cars? Can’t buckle in soon enough. Oh sure, there’s an amazing array of fringe, far-out, and just plain fantastical new tech we’re all talking about during this year's all-digital CES. But when it comes to the winner for most memorable — the jaw-dropping and OMG-inspiring — rise to the top every time. Here are the unforgettables from CES 2021. Mojo Vision’s Bionic Contacts While the rest of the tech world gets closer to getting smart glasses right (see Vuzix here), Mojo Vision sees a future where AR ... Read more

The CES tech you have to see to believe (trust me, it’s a must-look)!

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CES is full of serious solutions to real-world problems. Probably. I didn’t look for those. I haunted the virtual aisles of the Consumer Electronics Show looking for weird. And why not? It’s been a strange year. As a culture, our taste for strange has grown exponentially since the last CES. And you know what? I found it.  Amid the folding laptops, bending phone screens, driverless cars, flying cars, and drones that will -- sooner than anyone expected -- deliver our packages right to our doors, I found the products that made me say, “Seriously?” And then, “Okay, I want that.” From a bandaid that will make men first shave, down there, and then be better in bed to a pair of glasses that ... Read more

Early Hands-On With Top Tech @CES Gadgets 2021

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https://youtu.be/JFMuh59c9fc Every year we see our fair share of fringe, futuristic, and just plain fantastical gadgets. We'll post about the most amazing of the 2,000-some gadgets we've seen so far tomorrow. But first, here are a handful of the best gadgets we've actually gotten to go hands-on with ourselves during this big event. One of the best new gadgets we’ll actually buy this year is a just-unveiled Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2. The 2-in-1 device has the world’s first QLED display on a Chromebook. QLED is the same advanced tech Samsung uses in its best TVs. The sound is sweeter, the battery life is longer, and the price is lower. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is expected out in the ... 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

Here are Apple’s top apps of 2020

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Apple is out with what it calls the best apps of the worst year 2020. Between working remotely, learning from home, and general lack of things to do during the pandemic, many of us were on our devices more than ever before. (I have strong words for whoever invented the shame-filled screen time report.) This year also brought some apps into the limelight. Zoom became not just a household name, but a verb. Many of Apple's top apps of the year have to do with connecting with others or keeping ourselves busy when so many activities aren't possible. The top iPhone app of the year was Wakeout!, an app that includes exercises for all ability levels. Zoom has to be one of the top apps — ... Read more

Gadgets and gear to help you take a SAFE road trip during a pandemic:

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***This story originally ran/aired in USA Today.*** Seven months into this global pandemic, my husband traded his big, white professional-videographer production van for a bigger, taller, and more adventuresome shade of “pebble gray” Sprinter van. Since so much of his on-location production is shuttered right now, and we both work from home anyway, why not just hit the road? We can explore off-beaten paths and reconnect with one another – while remaining safe in our self-contained, extremely COVID-cautious little bubble. Vandemonium We’re not the only ones thinking this way. RV and van sales and rentals alike have surged since early summer, with no signs of slowing down. Van rental ... Read more