Techish

JOLLY HOLIDAYS! GIFT GUIDES 2017

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I've tested more than 1,000 gadgets, tech toys and tool this year. I've now made my list and checked it twice - of what stuff I;ll spend my very own hard earned money on, so that I can help you find the best gifts for everyone on your list too. No BS. No financial incentives. Just straight-up good advice from someone with a bajillion years of experience and an eye for a bargain. Keep this site bookmarked for the best gift guides and hot holiday giveaways of the year! Also - be sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear about it all first! JOLLY HOLIDAYS! ... Read more

THE BEST: Fun (and frightening) apps to celebrate Halloween!

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The scariest part of Halloween these days might just be how much we’re all spending on it. American’s are shelling out more than nine billion dollars for all the costumes, candy, decorations and parties this year, according to the National Retail Federation. If the high cost of it all gives you the creeps, these apps deliver big fun for free. SPOOKY SELFIES My new favorite app for not too gross and slightly sexy Halloween selfies is the free Photo Lab app (iOS and Android). I've been playing around with it all morning and wow, it's packed with photo fun generating - awesomeness. It has more than 800 awesome effects for your photos, and it's super simple to use. There's No need for ... Read more

KGO RADIO/APP HAPPY: Apps to send gifts on demand, even without an address:

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Hey! Today is Ronn Owens Birthday. So, for this week's app round-up - a bunch of simple tech tools to send him gifts on demand! Drizzly (iOS, Android) Let’s start with an app helps get the party started right. Drizzly delivers beer, wine, liquor and all the extras needed for a fun party or special occasion, within an hour. Sending a gift is just as easy as ordering something for yourself—so you never have to show up for a party empty handed again. Use the app to pay and tip the delivery guy— no cash needed. Minimum order is $20, and delivery is $5. Drizzle’s available in a growing list of cities across the United States and is even showing up in Canada, so a good time can be gifted ... Read more

I just broadcast live from INSIDE Facebook 3D Spaces: it was like working in the future.

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I just broadcast LIVE from inside Facebook's just revealed 3D Spaces feature, and it was much cooler than I ever expected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCFS22mVAM Facebook just launched '3D Posts,' which lets you play with VR objects in Facebook News Feed and bring it into your own virtual reality space. It's the first step in being able to exchange objects, ideas, scenes, photos, and experiences across virtual spaces. If if you don't have a VR headset, you can interact with it like a 360 video, just by clicking on it in your own Facebook feed. Go to my Facebook feed to see several examples -- like the heart, and happy face. Now – who cares about this?  The most obvious ... Read more

APPS OF THE WEEK: Interior design help at your finger tips and talking pets.

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Every week we pull six apps to share with KGO Radio and the Ronn Owens show. Sometime, they're apps we love, or just love to talk about because they're newsy, controversial, or just plain wacky. Here are six of our favorites this week, for a variety of reasons. 1.SeeClickFix I was cycling this past weekend with a friend along in the Oakland hills and came across a place where someone had dumped a bunch of old furniture and trash along Skyline. She showed me the SeeClickFix app. It’s a free app – and they have them specific to San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, Oakland – most neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area. Whenever you see a non-emergency issue in your neighborhood you can type it ... Read more

The iPhone 8 reviews are in, and they’re… confusing?!

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The smartphone in your pocket is on its last leg and you've been waiting all year for the next wave of iPhones to launch so you can make a much needed upgrade. The iPhone 8 finally hits stores tomorrow, and the reviews are in. So, what's the verdict? It's great! ...wait, no... it sucks! Wait... it's actually really good! Hmmm... okay, this is getting confusing. Who to believe?  The New York Times calls the iPhone 8 "a worthy refinement," the Wall Street Journal says it's "not the upgrade you're looking for," the Verge says it's "the default option," while Engadget calls them "great choices." Confused yet? Most of my friends are and they've been calling me like crazy asking what I ... Read more

What’s wrong with my phone’s battery? Why are smartphones so dumb? Google says…Funny you should ask:

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Okay Google, you had me at, "Why doesn't my phone understand me?" Google teased its new Pixel 2 smartphone launch today (October 4) with a bunch of things people "google" about their phones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etmUU1bs41s Okay, seriously, if Google's next smartphone addresses even just a few of the "Funny you should ask" questions it raises here with the new Pixel 2 on October 4, it very well might give Apple and Samsung a run for their money. After all, the most successful gadgets are the ones that fix common problems, so it's exciting to see a company at least dialed-in to that approach (even if it is just marketing for now). So - can and will they deliver? What do ... Read more

Apple’s new iPhone X and all the big news from today

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Update: The iPhone X is the best phone "almost" on the market today. It seems like it's taken everything all the other players have done - namely Samsung and LG - and done it better. So, imagine a phone that's the best of the iPhone and all the others in one new handset. That's what this X phone promises. But - the starting price is $999, which feels like a lot of folks making these devices are out of touch with the people using them. Today marks the start of a whole new level of iPhone-Envy and I for one - am green with it. Details: Yep, there's a new iPhone - no it's not the "Ex" - it's the 10. Here's everything that happened today at Apple's new spaceship-like ... Read more

How to make the most money selling your old iPhone

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__kQ_WKv9fs&t=12s The next-generation iPhones are almost here, and when Apple takes the stage on  Tuesday to show them off to the world, you better have a plan. I’m not talking about a sneaky blueprint for snagging the first spot in line on iPhone launch day, I’m talking about how to get the most cash when confronting all the tricky buyback, trade-in or sell-on-the street options. I searched high and low for the best prices on iPhone trade-ins, comparing the likes of eBay, Amazon, Gazelle, Swappa, NextWorth and even Apple itself, and I’ve got my plan in place (spoiler alert: it’s eBay). So buckle up as I run down your options and next steps so you can snag ... Read more

All the leaks, rumors, and awesome gossip ahead of the iPhone 8 (X) reveal

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I'm not saying these are true ... but the last several years we've pretty much been spot-on with what's going to happen at the big Apple events before Tim Cook takes the stage. Here's a list of the big stuff that's probably going down during Apple's big reveal on Tuesday.  New phones are reportedly the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus Over the weekend, a leak of the upcoming HomePod firmware was distributed for developers - either leaked maliciously or accidentally - we don't know. It apparently including references to the iPhone X, the new $1,000 high end phone that will likely launch alongside two new versions of Apple’s current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, renamed the ... Read more

T-Mobile is giving you Netflix for free, here’s how it works

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Every wireless carrier is constantly rolling out little perks and freebies to try to get you to switch over to their service — or in some cases to not leave the service you already have with them — but T-Mobile just did something that could seriously change the game. The company just announced that everyone who subscribes to a T-Mobile ONE family plan will get Netflix for free. T-Mobile's ONE family plans are priced according to the number of lines you need, so two lines of service will cost you $60 per line per month, three lines are $47 per line per month, and four lines are $40 per line per month. The plans come with unlimited talk, text, and data, so there's really nothing else to ... Read more

Common fixes for printer problems: wireless connectivity issues

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Wireless connectivity issues - part of our printer problem-solving series:  Most of the time  connection woes come down to your computer and your printer not being on the same page (pun intended). Get the basics out of the way first: restart both your printer and computer, and update your drivers. The best way to do this is:  On a Mac, click the apple logo in the upper left hand corner and click “System Preferences.” Choose the “Printers and Scanners” icon. Make sure your printer appears on the list and has a little green dot next to it. If it doesn’t appear at all, check to see that your WiFi is on, and that your computer and your printer are using the same WiFi address. If ... Read more

Back-to-School confessions of a bag addicted Mom

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Hi. My name is Christina. I’m a bag addict. I haven’t bought a bag in three weeks. Back to school is a hard time for me. I have great excuses for buying bags. My kids need backpacks. Even if they don’t want them, they need them. Even if the three options I bought them last year are still in perfect working order, I can find a reason to buy another. (Did I mention, they need them?) Especially since there are some amazing sales going on right now. I mean, what reason could there possibly be to not buy a new backpack when they are 80 percent off?! The question for me, today, is not "do I buy a bag," but rather, which bag should I get next? Upgrade her style My daughter has been ... Read more

Dear Apple: Here’s what I want to see at your September 12th New iPhone Event:

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Dear Apple, I've been to every iPhone event you've held for the past ten years. I've covered it for CNN, the Today Show, ABC, Yahoo, Time, USA Today, and many, many others. My large and loyal social media crowd will be there with me too - like they always are. We will ooohhh and ahhhh over everything you announce. But when the dust settles on this event, will we, the people who actually spend a small fortune on your devices be any better off? Let's have a chat here about all of that for a few minutes.  New iPhone 8:  We already know that you're going to unveil a new iPhone. We're not sure what you'll call it, but we're pretty sure it you're going to give us a ... Read more

This $1 iPhone plan is the best deal around!

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 Virgin Mobile is now letting you bring your own iPhone to it's $1-a-year subscription offer. I actually broke the news on TV earlier this week and it's true - this is a super sweet deal. Why? Because it's time to stop over-paying for kids phones already … and your own for that matter. Virgin's $1 plan comes with unlimited talk, text and data. You also become part of Virgin’s Inner Circle. That means you get access to perks and discounts on flights, hotels, WINE (yes, I'm saying that loudly) and more. If you're on the fence, don't wait too long to decide: the sub-Sprint carrier is only offering the deal for "a short period of time." Virgin Mobile's "Inner Circle" SIM for ... Read more