Laden...
August 14, 2023 |
In partnership with IDrive |
Itโs a magnificent Monday! Let's see if you know the answer to this question. What percentage of Americans routinely spies on their partnersโ phones and checks their text messages? Make your best guess now, and you'll find the answer at the end. Welcome to another thrilling edition of the best tech newsletter in the USA! Buckle up, because we've got an exciting lineup of news and updates to dive into. Letโs get started! โ Kim ๐ซ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itโs free!) IN THIS ISSUE๐น Dashcam pros and cons๐ค Warning to all โSwiftiesโ๐ฅท Safest and most dangerous U.S. cities |
TODAY'S TOP STORYDashcams: Lifesaver or expensive toy?I've said it for years. The police have them for a great reason and you should, too โ cameras that record what happens in front of your car, behind your car and in your car. It's not just in case of an accident. Road rage incidents are on the rise, especially those involving guns. Imagine if this happened to you. An Oklahoma City driver laid on his horn when an SUV started drifting into his lane. Things escalated quickly. The SUV swerved to block the man pressing on his horn. The SUV driver then pulled a gun and shot the other driver. Thankfully, the victim made a full recovery, and his dashboard camera recorded it all. Police quickly identified and arrested the gunman in the SUV, and justice was served. Dashcams can undoubtedly save lives, but does everybody need one? The Wall Street Journal (paywall link) wrote about the pros and cons of dashcams, and we've got more details. Plus, we did the research and present you with our recommendations for the best devices. The goodLet's start with the obvious: The ability to record footage. If you're in an accident and not at fault, it's easier to prove if you have it all on tape. It also helps to record criminal activity. Better dashcams can automatically detect crashes and send out an emergency response on your behalf. Others make a beeping noise if you stray from your lane, making them a nice upgrade for older cars. Newer cameras have motion detectors and monitor the interior of your car. They'll detect a break-in and sound an alarm to scare away burglars. And, once again, theyโll record the whole thing. The badPrivacy is concern No. 1 since the devices store footage on the manufacturer's cloud. It's sometimes unclear what companies do with your footage. Pay attention to your user agreement and opt out of anything you can, like third-party sharing. Cheap dashcams are easy to install โ if you don't mind a dangling cord. You might need a professional's help to install it in the fuse box. The good news is only a few models can be hardwired. On a budget? There's a chance you'll have to pay extra to store footage on the cloud or access info from your smartphone. The last downside? Judges can now request dashcam footage, which could be used against you in court. It's great when someone else is at fault, but โฆ Our expert dashcam recommendationsIf you've decided adding a dashboard camera is right for you, check these out. Theyโre the top-of-the-line options. This is one time in life you don't want to cheap out. Nextbase 622GW ($346): It features intuitive controls and shoots in stunning 4K video. It also comes with Alexa, image stabilization (when roads are bumpy) and night vision all built in.Nexar Pro ($249.95): This slick dual camera records video inside and outside your car. It has GPS data tracking and will alert you if someone tries to break into your vehicle. It records in HD even at night and auto-records short clips if you slam on your brakes or collide with something.Thinkware X1000 ($299.99): If you're looking for a no-nonsense setup, this cam has you covered. It has a 3.5-inch touch screen, night vision, front and rear cams, and it records in 2K.All of these check our important boxes. You want a dashcam that comes with the mount, records in high-def (at least 1080p), has night vision, an app you can use to check footage, a wide-angle lens and built-in GPS. ๐ง Did you see that vid of two French cheese trucks crashing? Da brie everywhere. (Did I just see you shaking your head?) |
DEAL OF THE DAY
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WEB WATERCOOLERHackers are gonna hack: Two security researchers watched over 100 hours of hackers hacking, thanks to some honeypot Windows computers. In a little over four days, over 190,000,000 attacks took place from installing malware, manipulating passwords and watching p*rn. Maybe the hackers were in a country like Iran, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, where watching that stuff is banned โฆ ๐ซ Bad blood: California mom Lisa Turner thought she hit the jackpot with $1,200 Taylor Swift tickets on Craigslist for her daughter and friends. But guess what? Too good to be true. Those tickets, delivered via Apple Wallet, were fakes. Be careful, Swifties! Inkling of trouble: HP all-in-one printer users are complaining if the ink runs out, the whole thing stops working โ no faxing, no scanning, nada. Itโs likely to force you into buying cartridges. No surprise: HP is now facing a class-action lawsuit. So shady. Iโll keep you posted when you can apply for your cut. ๐ฎ Roblox interviews in Roblox: Want to work for Roblox? You don't just apply โ you have to play the game. (As if cover letters weren't enough โฆ) Roblox is huge. About 225 million people play Roblox every month, and 2.5 million are playing as you read this. Blockheads, unite! Take a pause, Tesla fans: A fatal crash in Virginia with a Tesla Model Y has the NHTSA's attention. They're checking if the car's tech played a role, and it's not the first time. Three dozen similar investigations are underway. Please, do not trust the full self-driving mode. It's a computer, and you know what they do from time to time โ crash. ๐ Toyota recall alert: Got a 2022 or 2023 Toyota Tundra or Tundra Hybrid? Potential fuel leaks could cause fires. No bueno. The fix? Dealers will add protective materials and a clamp at no charge for now, with a complete fix on the way. Itโs not p*rn, just X: You might want to tell your wife or hubby youโre paying for X (formerly Twitter) Premium. One guy joked on X he was sleeping on the couch after he got a message from his wife saying, โUm, what is X Premium for $8/mo on the Chase card?โ Busted. Pedophiles are using kid apps: The App Danger Project used AI to pinpoint apps that arenโt safe for kids. What they found: 182 risky apps across Appleโs App Store and the Google Play store. Wonder if your kid should be using a certain app? Search for it here. |
๐๏ธ Your 2-minute tech genius boostWhile you're brushing your teeth, waiting for your toast or sipping your first coffee of the day, I deliver the top tech news story and a digital life hack, all within two minutes. No rambling, no fluff โ just straight-to-the-point tech talk. |
TRENDINGTop 10 safest and more dangerous citiesBefore you bite on a headline about this online, let me give you the whole story. MoneyGeek analyzed FBI crime stats from 2021 (the latest available) to see which U.S. cities are the safest and least safe. Now, keep in mind, this data is two years old. Additionally, the FBI had just switched platforms in 2021, and not everyone knew how to submit data correctly. Further, not every city and town provided 12 months of info. Without further ado โฆThe list was determined using the crime cost per capita, violent crime rate, property crime rate, cost of crime and population. Here are the top 10 most dangerous cities, according to the study: Pine Bluff, ArkansasMonroe, LouisianaHouma, LouisianaWilmington, DelawareTexarkana, TexasPetersburg, VirginiaSaginaw, MichiganYoungstown, OhioFlint, MichiganSalisbury, North CarolinaThe safest cities and towns? Study says: Yorktown, New YorkMason, OhioAndover, MassachusettsSouthlake, TexasArlington, MassachusettsPrinceton, New JerseyHampden Township, PennsylvaniaCarmel Hamlet, New YorkNeedham, MassachusettsGreenwich, ConnecticutCheck where you live (or want to live)Start with your local police or sheriffโs office site. Many agencies publish crime states and maps on their websites. You can often search by ZIP code.The FBI tracks crime at city and state levels. Click a state to explore.๐ Back in the day, excessive use of commas was considered a serious crime. It usually resulted in a long sentence. |
DEVICE ADVICEScan it and youโre inInstead of giving out your Wi-Fi password, post a QR code guests can scan with their phones. Itโs a secure shortcut with your password hidden inside. QIFI.org is a free online QR code generator for Wi-Fi access that works with Apple and Android. You need three pieces of info to use it: Look at the back of your modem for the SSID. It might be shown as โWi-Fi Network Name (SSID).โ Itโll be about a dozen numbers and letters; type those where it says SSID on QIFIโs Code Generator page.Choose your secure network type; the site defaults to WPA/WPA2/WPA3, but you may have WEP. (Really bad news if you do โ get a new router.) If you donโt know, ask your internet provider or your homeโs resident geek.And, lastly, type in your routerโs security key password.โ Print your unique code, and all you and your guests will need to do is scan it to join the network. Smart idea to use at your home or if you run a coffee shop or another biz with Wi-Fi access! ๐ More tech smarts: My Tech Hacks email is packed with great tidbits like this. Get it each afternoon to up your game. Itโs free! |
Computers donโt last and phones breakLosing everything on your devices is heartbreaking. Think about all you would miss. Donโt leave it to chance! Take the time to back them up the right way. My pick is IDrive. Itโs safe, fast and easy. You can back up all your devices โ iPhone, Android, Mac, PC โ to one account and access your stuff from anywhere. When you use my name, Kim, at checkout, you get 90% off your first year. What a deal. Save 90% now! โ |
BY THE NUMBERS$130K The sticker price of the fancy new Cadillac Escalade EV IQ. Itโs got a 55-inch infotainment system and all the bells and whistles โ but GM just confirmed you canโt use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Letโs see how well that goes for sales โฆ I wonโt buy a new car without Apple CarPlay. 25% Spam call rate in Oklahoma, the highest in the U.S. Hiya reports the average Oklahoman gets 12 spam calls per month. Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri are also in the top five. $245B The amount Americans have lost on sports betting since 2018. Thatโs when laws loosened and legal gambling hit more states. Adults over 21 can now gamble in 34 states and D.C. Whatโs the difference between an online casino and a brick-and-mortar casino? Online, no one sees you cry when you lose. |
WHAT THE TECH?A horse walks into a bar. โHey,โ says the barman. โYes, please,โ says the horse. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ...The answer: 51% of Americans admit to spying on their partnerโs phone. I get calls on my show all the time from people who are worried about their phones spying on them. I mean, come on, your vacuum cleaner has been collecting dirt on you for years. ๐ Hey, you! Copy your unique referral link below, then paste it into an email, text, social media post, DM, Nextdoor post or whatever you want. The more people sign up, the more points you earn toward sweet prizes like an iPad. Letโs do this! Stay awesome! โ Kim |
Komando Referral ProgramShare this newsletter โ Earn prizes!Step 1: Copy your unique referral link:https://www.komando.com/friends/?referralCode=0rvmdp6&refSource=copy Step 2: Share your link!Post it on social media, send it in a text or paste it into an email to a pal. If they sign up using that link, you get the credit! |
How'd we do?What did you think of today's issue? ๐ Fantastic๐ Just OK๐ Waste of time |
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Photo credit(s): ยฉ Piman Khrutmuang | Dreamstime.com, Tripadvisor.com, ยฉ Sabrina Gordon | Dreamstime.com |
Laden...
Laden...
ยฉ 2024