Techish

These easy DIY iPhone battery tricks will keep you powered up so much longer!

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Battery drain issues never seem to go away. You get a new smartphone, it seems awesome for a little while, and then before you know it you’re back to barely making it through the day before it sputters to a stop. It’s an issue I’ve had with my last three iPhones, and I’ve gone to Apple for help many times. I did the typical troubleshooting — updated my phone, tweaked location settings and notifications, didn’t expose it to extreme ambient temperatures, and made sure my Wi-Fi was connected whenever possible — but none of the typical tricks fixed it. I was still dead in the water by two in the afternoon. IS “BATTERYGATE” TO BLAME? The drama surrounding Apple’s iPhone battery woes can ... Read more

YES! There is a way to stop those annoying robocalls!

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My smartphone rings. It’s a number I don’t recognize. I ignore it and the caller leaves a message, “You will be taken under custody by the local cops,” says a robotic sounding female voice. “There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment...” They leave a phone number to call back — or else. I know right away that it’s a scam, likely one of a half dozen calls I’ll get today. And it’s not even noon yet. This kind of frustrating little scenario played out more than three billion times in the month of March alone, according to the YouMail Robocall Index, at a cost of more than $9.5 billion annually to people who fall victim to phone scams. A new Harris Poll for ... Read more

HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Social Media Like a Pro

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A dirty, unkempt, constantly cluttered house takes a toll on your health — according to dozens of scientific studies and experts. And just like piles of junk don’t do your physical or mental health any favors, neither does a messy social media life. “Most of us are both addicted to social media and fatigued by it at the same time,” says Amy Jo Martin, a best-selling author named the third most powerful woman on Twitter. “It's important to reset our habits and patterns around social media.” Considering that most of us will spend more than five years of our lives scanning social media, it’s as important a place as any these days to do some serious Spring cleaning. Here’s how to deep clean, ... Read more

Here’s every privacy related update Facebook’s made so far – in one place: 

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Here's a look at all of Facebook's recent privacy changes and updates, in one place, with working links. We will continue to update this list and Facebook rolls out more changes. Updated their terms of service to be easier to understand https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/04/terms-and-data-policy/ Turned off data access for unused apps https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/03/cracking-down-on-platform-abuse/ Restricted Facebook login data for apps https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/03/cracking-down-on-platform-abuse/ Made data settings and tools easier to find (privacy shortcuts) ... Read more

HOW TO: Find out right now if your data was shared with Cambridge Analytica

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Want to see if your Facebook data was shared with Cambridge Analytica? Find out via a dedicated link. Facebook posted a new link to its Help Center today to let all 2.2 million people who use the social site know whether they've been breached. Here's what it says when I open the page: You might also get a notification that looks like the image on the left or right below: NOW WHAT? No matter what -- be sure to go through all the 3rd party apps you've signed into using Facebook. On a desktop: Click the question mark in the upper right corner and go down to Privacy Checkup From there, scroll down to Apps to review everything connected to your account. Edit who sees ... Read more

HOW TO: File your taxes faster, get last minute-help and track your refunds

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The April 17 tax deadline is looming. As the mad dash to file draws nears, there is some new technology to help make this potentially stressful task incredibly simple — yes, even for those filing last minute. Here's a look at some options: Free filing If you made less than $66,000 in 2017 and have a simple return, the government makes it easy to file online, for free. The Internal Revenue Service's "Free File" preparation and filing software guides you through the process. You can sign your return electronically and track the progress of your refund, all for no cost. According to the IRS, 70% of all taxpayers — about 100 million people — are eligible to file using the Free File ... Read more

Amazon (and Alexa) know a whole lot about you. Here’s how to download and delete that info.

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 It's not just Facebook and Google that have loads of our personal data. There's also Amazon. The company isn’t only the most popular Internet retailer in the country but it also dishes up content (via Amazon Prime Video, Audible and the Kindle library); runs a successful cloud platform for businesses (Amazon Web Services); sells devices like tablets, Kindle e-readers, set-top boxes and streaming sticks; and lets you access a personal assistant via Alexa-powered speakers and screens. It took the Cambridge Analytica scandal – the unauthorized access of Facebook user data from as many as 87 million accounts — to shine a bright spotlight on how much personal data we’re (over)sharing, and ... Read more

Why Apple’s new iPad is going to be this year’s must-have school gadget

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Even though it's only Spring, and most kids (and parents) are thinking more about Spring Break than the next school year, it's already clear that Apple's newly-announced iPad will be the year's must-have gadget for school. Apple held a special, education-focused event in Chicago to announce the launch of the new tablet, and everything they said should be music to the ears of parents and teachers too. Here's what you need to know: What is it? An all-new 9.7-inch iPad. What's so special about it? Glad you asked! Well, for starters, it's more powerful than the previous model and it has full support for the Apple Pencil stylus, which up until now was reserved for the incredibly ... Read more

These awesome apps will help you save tons of money on Spring Break

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I have a major case of cabin fever this year — and I live in Northern California. I really can't imagine what folks in snowy states are going through right about now. (Well, I can imagine it, because I grew up in Alaska...) As spring fever takes its hold, dreams of sandy beaches, sunny skies, and sweet umbrella drinks are now fueling my favorite procrastination activity: Spring Break planning! But money's tight this year, so here are the five apps I'm taking on my trip to have a blast and still save a ton of cash. Hopper Hopper's an airfare forecasting app that predicts when to book your flight for the best available price. After you select your dates and destination, Hopper's ... Read more

Three ways everyday tech habits are hurting your body, and how to fix them!

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Americans now spend more than five hours a day hunched over, reading emails, sending texts or checking social media sites, and it’s turning into a real pain in the neck. No really, there’s actually a condition called “tech neck,” and there’s a good chance you — or someone in your family — have it. According to a recent study by Imagine MD, a direct primary care medical company based in Chicago, “tech neck,” is one of the most frequently Googled conditions in the United States these days, right behind “texting thumb,” and “cellphone elbow.”  Sure, the terms might sound funny, but these new tech-related conditions can be serious and painful. Here are the top three — and what to do about ... Read more

HOW TO: Use Micro-Investing Apps like Acorns, Stash, and Robinhood without losing money or your sanity

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgJn5bT_5uk A host of new micro-investing apps including Robinhood, Acorns, and Stash, make it easier than ever to invest on the go — with zero experience and little more than pocket-change to pony-up. Is that a good thing in a fluctuating market? It all depends — on who you ask, what you’re after — and even how addicted you are to your smartphone. THE BACKSTORY I decided to try out a few of these apps after my 26-year old stepson sent me an automated text from stock brokerage app, Robinhood, which lets you buy and sell individual stocks for $0 a trade. ‘Sign up now, and get a free stock,’ the text read. So, I did. I downloaded the app on my iPhone, ... Read more

HOW TO: Use peer-to-peer payment apps without getting ripped off

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI8DiGuOygw If you’re like more than half of American these days, you’re likely using a peer-to-peer payment platform like Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, to name a few, to send someone cash with the tap of an app. I’ve used them to split the bill at dinner, pay my mom back for an impromptu clothes shopping spree, and divvy-up class project costs for kids. It saves the hassle of stopping off at an ATM every time you go out, the risk of walking around with a wad of cash in your wallet, or eyerolls of telling someone, “the check’s in the mail.” The use of these apps is growing. Nearly 60% of people in the U.S. use them, and that number rises close to 80% for young ... Read more

How do people get sucked into #Fake News? Play this new game to find out.

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I've seen so much truly fake news (as opposed to actual, journalism-based news that certain people like now point to and call "fake news") on lately. Even though we think we're doing a better job getting the word out about what's fact versus fiction, a new online game called BAD NEWS shows you exactly how the fake news game gets played (along with so many people we went to high school with....). The term FAKE NEWS. We've heard that phrase so much across the internet over the past year that it's almost become meaningless.But how do you actually determine the difference between information that's accurate and totally false? Well, good news: there's now a game for it. Bad News is an ... Read more

HOW TO: Find out if your password’s been hacked (and what to do about it)

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A new service makes it easier to know if old passwords you've used have been made public in a data breach. Just click on the Pwned Passwords tool, type in one of your passwords and it tells you whether hackers have gotten ahold of it -- and what to do about it. One of my old passwords (that I thought was BRILLIANT) now shows up as being leaked in a data breach. If you click on the little Pwned icon -  - in the left hand the screen where you check you passwords, you can find out if your email's been hacked too (which could be how they got ahold of your password in the first place). I've been hacked at least six times in various breaches including Yahoo, Tumblr, and Dropbox. If you ... Read more

High Tech Flu Fighters!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFVvd74nxlM NOTE: An edited version of this story originally ran in USA Today print and online: 2/19/18. Can the latest gadgets and apps help save us from this year’s killer flu? As one of the worst influenza outbreaks on record sweeps across America like a deadly virus from the movie Outbreak, that’s a question hundreds of scientists, inventors, and health officials are working feverishly to answer. While a handful of futuristic fixes are most certainly in the works — like a flu breathalyzer, far UVC flu-bug zapping light, and next-gen take home lab in a box — they’re not available yet. The good news? There are still a handful of high-tech flu-fighters ... Read more

NYT Wired Well Revisit: An Uber for Doctor Housecalls

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Note: I wrote this story for the New York Times a few years ago. It ran in print and online in 2015. Given that the flu season is out of control in most states right now, I'm revisiting this idea of modern-day house calls, and thought you might like to do the same. - Jennifer New smartphone apps can deliver doctors to your doorstep. Heal is a smartphone app similar to the on-demand car service Uber, but instead of a car, a doctor shows up at your door. Users download the app and then type in a few details such as address and the reason for the visit. After adding a credit card and a request for a family doctor or a pediatrician, the physician arrives in 20 to 60 minutes for a flat fee of ... Read more