Techish

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

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

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

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

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

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

Samsung’s new tracker for your kids and pets and everything else you don’t want to lose

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Tracking your stuff is now part of the Samsung SmartThings suite of products. No extra points for the name, but the SmartThings Tracker seems pretty cool overall. It's a white square that you attach to objects like backpacks, wallets, dog collars, and it works over a much broader range than most other trackers on the market today. The tracker includes GPS with an LTE-M network so you can track items in real time via the SmartThings app for Android or iOS devices. The SmartThings Tracker will be available in the US starting September 14 for the price of $99. Since it's LTE-M - you'll have to have to pay a monthly fee too, but with caveats at launch: It comes with AT&T service ... Read more

What to expect from the big Apple event this Wednesday

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Apple's annual iPhone reveal event takes place on Wednesday, and that means we're in store for another round of smartphone updates as well as a few added treats. Apple has turned the end of summer into its personal product showcase for many years now, and as usual, the rumor mill is in full swing. Plenty of insider leaks are hinting at what Apple is preparing to unveil, and here's what you should expect: New iPhones The easiest prediction of the bunch is that Apple will indeed have new iPhones to show off. What's special about this year is that, since the iPhone X kind of threw a wrench in the cycle Apple had already established, we're actually likely to get all-new models rather than just ... Read more

How (and when) to get the most money for your old iPhone:

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It doesn’t matter if you have a still-shiny-new iPhone X or an ancient iPhone 5s — if you’re planning an upgrade to the latest and greatest as soon as Apple unveils them this week — you likely want to score the most money for it as humanly possible. There are a ton of ways now to get cash for your old iPhone. The sooner you sell it before Apple announces new phones on September 12th, the more money you’ll make. You’ll also get about 30% more money on average going through a buy-back site such as Gazelle and Nextworth, than from a wireless carrier’s trade-in program. Those two sites specifically also let you lock in a sales price, then hang onto to your old phone for a few weeks ... Read more

Alexa can tell you when the next big concert’s coming to town

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"Alexa, are there any good concerts coming to town?" "The Foo Fighters will be performing at the SAP Center in San Jose on September 12th. Would you like to buy tickets?" Alexa just got a new skill — telling you when concerts are coming to your area — even including the venue and dates. This is a new skill and even though she got it right for me the first time, others are saying she's a little behind. Gearbrain wrote last week that Alexa told them about a Foo Fighters concert on July 17th at Madison Square Garden in New York — more than seven weeks ago. Still, you can teach an old AI new tricks, and this is another one that might come in really handy (or hands-free...). What do you ... Read more

AS SEEN ON: Atlanta Tech Edge (NBC) In Case You Missed It (With Links To All Gadgets)

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In case you missed it, here's everything Jenn and Cara talked about on Atlanta Tech Edge: Top Tech-Life Hacks for Busy Families – Tested Save time, money, and sanity with some simple yet — genius — tips, tricks and quick-y hacks to solve all kinds of everyday issues around school, family, and even college concerns. Jennifer asked 1,000 parents for their best hacks to save money and reduce stress for throughout the school year. Here's what they said: #1. Slash costs of new gadgets: Don’t feel like you have to get the $1,000 gadget when $100 will do. Grab a great deal like this $124 8-inch Huawei MediaPad T3 tablet. What one mom said she liked about it  - aside from the price - ... Read more