Happy Friday, friend. Remember 2021, the year we all tried sourdough and Zoom backgrounds? Turns out, it was also a spicy year for tech. 

Take a guess which of these tech innovations was first introduced in 2021: A) The first foldable laptop, B) A smartphone with a built-in drone, C) A self-cleaning phone screen, or D) A wearable translator that works in real time. Keep your curiosity charged … the answer’s waiting for you at the bottom.  

💥 Don’t hoard the laughs and tech smarts. Hit forward to your friend who still uses a BlackBerry (I know they’re out there). — Kim

Zuckerberg might be onto something … and it’s not just world domination this time.

A listener wrote to me recently, and I haven’t stopped thinking about his story. This man has been married to his wife for 56 years. She now has dementia and no longer remembers him, their children or their lifetime of memories. So what did he do?

He trained an AI chatbot and named it “Chat Sally” – his wife’s name. And now, he talks to it all day long. “It’s like I have her back with me again,” he told me. “We talk just like we used to. I’m not alone anymore.”

This is the kind of story that hits you right in the feel circuits. It also makes you realize that maybe, just maybe, we’re underestimating what AI can actually do for people.

Your personal clone

According to a recent Wall Street Journal profile (paywall link), Mark Zuckerberg is going all in on AI. Not just robotic assistants that tell you the weather, but full-on “personal AI clones.” 

Think digital versions of yourself: They talk like you, respond like you, maybe even look like you if you squint. Hopefully, they show up to meetings for you. 

Sound futuristic? It is. But also very real. Meta has the data, the infrastructure and the motive. Zuck’s plan is to make AI personal, open and customizable. And in a world where loneliness is epidemic, that could mean something more than just a new tech toy. It could mean comfort.

Just like Chat Sally

Yes, privacy concerns abound. Meta isn’t exactly famous for sainthood in that department. But according to Zuck, your AI doesn’t exist unless you say so, and how it’s used is up to you.

Is it a little weird to talk to a bot programmed to sound like someone you love? Maybe. But if it brings comfort, sparks memory or helps fill a quiet, aching void, maybe this isn’t about replacing people.

Maybe it’s about remembering them.

We thought the future of AI was productivity. It might just be love, loss and conversations that never have to end. 

So, what do you think? Heartbreaking? Beautiful? A little (a lot) Black Mirror-y? I want to know. At the end when you rate this newsletter, drop a comment. I read every one.

💪 Want that summer bod? Let’s help you get there:

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🔥 Feel the burn: Amazon’s Memorial Day sale has more deals on summer favorites you’ll want to check out.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

⚠️ Use Apple AirPlay? Be careful. Researchers found security flaws that could let hackers take over compatible devices like speakers if they’re on the same Wi-Fi. They can control them remotely and possibly use mics to spy. Reminder: Keep your Apple gadgets updated, and turn off AirPlay when you’re not using it.

Long overdue: You may get a refund from Amazon for a really old order. The company “found” a ton of unprocessed returns, going as far back as 2018. Why now? There’s a potential class action lawsuit about missing refunds. Here’s the kicker: Some folks are getting refunds for items they never returned, while others are still waiting. Ouch.

🆕 Android 16 beta is here: It comes with a big design refresh called Material 3 Expressive. Think new customization options, bouncier animations and more. You can try it now if you’ve got a Pixel 6 to 9 or a Pixel Tablet. Just sign up on the Android beta site. FYI, it’s still a beta, so expect some bugs.

Don’t trust pop-ups: A Florida man got a message on his laptop that looked like it came from a cybersecurity company he uses. Then scammers called and said someone took out a gambling loan in his name. The fix? Deposit $38K through a Bitcoin ATM. Yeah, they got him. If someone phones demanding crypto, hang up.

🥳 Airbnb’s anti-party tech: This summer, they’re once again cracking down on high-risk bookings. The system looks at length of stay, how close you live to the rental and whether it’s last-minute. If you get flagged, you’ll be blocked and sent to a different listing. Don’t believe it? Last year, they stopped over 50,000 people.

Right place, right time: A man started having heart attack symptoms mid-flight, but luckily, a cardiologist was on board. Even better? The doctor had all the tools to help, including a pocket-size electrocardiogram to monitor abnormal heartbeats. He gave the man medication, stabilized him and saved his life. Wow.

🤖 Vader unhinged: Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader went rogue less than 90 minutes after launch. Built with James Earl Jones’ voice and Google’s Gemini AI, Vader now responds to player prompts, sometimes with profanities and slurs (paywall link). Epic rushed a “hotfix,” but let’s be real: The Dark Side has Wi-Fi now, and it’s unmoderated.

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Imagine waking up to an intruder in your home. Scary, right? A burglary happens every 30 seconds in the U.S., and homes without security systems are three times more likely to be targeted.

That’s why you need SimpliSafe.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Chrome, hit Ctrl + Shift + Del to instantly open the Clear Browsing Data panel.

Stay in the know: Spot a topic trending on X that ties into your business? Let your favorite AI bot help you craft a social media post to show your audience you’re paying attention. Just say, “Write a [platform] post about [trending topic] that fits my [business or brand topic].”

✂️ Snip that PDF: Using the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader? You can’t pull specific pages, but there’s a workaround. Go to Menu > Print, set the printer to Microsoft Print to PDF (PC) or Save as PDF (Mac). Choose Pages and type the page numbers you want (like 2 to 5). Click Print, then Save the file.

Hide new apps: To ease up on new apps crowding your iPad’s Home Screen, go to Settings > Home Screen & App Library > Newly Downloaded Apps and select App Library Only. Then, toggle on Show App Library in Dock. Next time you open the dock, you’ll see the App Library icon in the bottom-right corner.

Swipe for screenshots: On a Samsung Galaxy, there’s a quicker way to capture your screen without pressing buttons. Go to Settings > Advanced features > Motion and gestures > Palm swipe to capture. Turn it on, and now swiping your hand left or right across the screen will take a screenshot instantly.

⛽ Find cheaper gas: Hitting the road for the holiday weekend? Don’t get burned at the pump. The free GasBuddy app (iOS, Android) shows you the cheapest stations nearby, so you can fill up without emptying your wallet.

Ever wanted to tan and binge Bridgerton at the same time? Meet the Sylvox Cinema Pro, the solar flare of smart TVs with Helio QLED tech and 5,000 nits of brightness. 

The 65” IP55 waterproof outdoor TV has a rustproof metal body that resists scratches and extreme temps, but we’ll see what the Arizona sun or Florida hurricanes think about that. 

It comes with Google TV and Dolby Atmos for audio crispier than your skin after you fall asleep to that “Are you still watching?” Netflix pop-up outside. 

Want to watch the game under the stars with this 120Hz powerhouse? It’ll cost ya. Listed at a cool $4,999, the Sylvox Cinema Pro is expected to start cramming into Amazon delivery trucks on May 31, 2025. 

The answer: B) A smartphone with a built-in drone. Vivo, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, filed a patent for a smartphone design featuring a detachable mini-drone equipped with a camera that could fly independently to capture photos and videos from various angles. Rumor is we might see it next year.

🍎 I was thinking that if Apple ever made a drone, they should call it iSoar. (You can steal that one from me!)

That’s all for today’s edition of the #1 tech newsletter in the United States! I’ll see you back again tomorrow with some of the best cheap tech more than worth the moola. I hope that you connect to even more greatness today! 🌟🔗 — Kim

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