Technology

5 secrets to shopping smarter on Amazon

Published

2 months ago

September 28, 2023

Online shopping and e-commerce have revolutionized the way we shop and live. They have transformed the landscape of many neighborhoods, both big and small, leaving many malls empty and abandoned. Yet, online shopping is not all doom and gloom.

It has also brought us many benefits and conveniences. However, sometimes shopping online can feel like a puzzle. With so many products and choices, finding what you want can be a challenge.

That’s why Amazon has introduced some new features to help you search and discover the best items for you. These features are designed to make your online shopping experience easier and more enjoyable.

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1. Snap, search and find

Imagine needing a specific home appliance part, yet the exact name escapes your mind. Trust me, it happens at the worst times. Well, one of Amazon’s new shopping features called Amazon Lens allows a picture to be snapped and uploaded for a search.

Simply open the Amazon app
Tap the camera icon in the Amazon search bar
Capture a photo of the elusive piece
Tap Search and let the visual search algorithms do their work
After snapping the picture and viewing the search bar with the uploaded image, there’s a new option to add additional text. This “+ Add text” new feature allows typing in any extra information or descriptors that can help refine the search results. It’s an add-on to help narrow down the hunt for the right product. However, its effectiveness will rely on the clarity of the image and the efficiency of the algorithms in action.

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You can search for items on Amazon by simply snapping a picture of the exact item you are looking for. (CyberGuy.com)

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2. Augmented reality shopping

When buying items for the home, visualizing them in the actual space ahead of spending money can make a world of difference. Amazon’s “View in Your Room” feature uses augmented reality to help see how a product will look and fit in a specific space, aiding in making more informed decisions.

Not every product has this feature enabled. You can check if a product has this feature by looking for the “View in Your Room” button under the product image in the Amazon shopping app or on the desktop web browser. If you don’t see this button, it means that the product does not support this feature. Here’s how to embark on this virtual venture:

Go to the search bar in the Amazon app and conduct a search for the item you are looking to purchase
Then click on the item or product
Next, click the “View in Your Room” button under the product image on the mobile product detail page
Then you will be asked to point your phone at the floor
Move your phone around and then click tap to place.

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Screenshot of the "View in Your Room" feature.

Amazon has a “View in Your Room” feature that allows you to shop with augmented reality. (CyberGuy.com)

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It seamlessly places the products in your home through the phone’s screen, offering a glance at how these items will mesh with the existing surroundings. It’s as simple as a click, and the products can be virtually moved from one surface to another for a comprehensive evaluation. However, the visual representation might not always be perfect, and users should be prepared for potential discrepancies

3. Riding the waves of sales trends

Amazon is now displaying Sales Trend data on search results and product detail pages, indicating a product’s recent popularity. It shows a broad estimate of the number of customers who recently purchased a product on Amazon. It is updated at least daily and does not include returns and cancellations. While, this information can be helpful, you should remember that popularity does not always equate to quality or suitability for individual needs.

Note that this feature is not available on all products. At the time of publishing, Sales Trend data is only displayed for certain categories such as health and personal care, home and sports. It also requires a minimum number of customers to have recently purchased a particular product, usually at least 50 in the last month. Therefore, some products may not show sales trend data, even if they belong to the eligible categories.

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Amazon has “Sales Trends” which allows you to see a product’s popularity. (CyberGuy.com)

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4. Shortcut shopping with ‘Find-on-Amazon’

If you ever come across a product online and want to find it on Amazon? The Find-on-Amazon feature has got that covered. For a shortcut search experience, when a product is spotted anywhere online, simply tap the “Share” button, choose the Amazon Shopping app, and click “Find products on Amazon.”

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Screenshot of of someone searching for an item on Amazon from another online store.

You can search for products from other sites on Amazon by tapping the “Share” button. (CyberGuy.com)

This handy tool will take you straight to the Amazon Shopping app, displaying similar products available on Amazon making it easier to find, compare and decide. It’s a convenient feature, minimizing the hassle and time spent searching for products. However, it’s worth noting that finding an exact match might not always be guaranteed, as it depends on the product’s availability and listing on Amazon. Also, remember to always use price comparison tools to make sure you are getting the best deal.

5. Regret-free reordering

For frequently purchased items, Amazon is aiming to make the reordering process more straightforward. The platform will highlight previously purchased items in search results, making them easier to find and reorder. It’s a useful feature as long as the tracking and history functions work seamlessly. Keep an eye on Amazon’s fluid pricing when reordering to make sure the cost did not unnecessarily get jacked up.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Amazon, the world’s big tech retail giant, wants our money. With more convenient shopping features they are likely to win over more from our wallets by making it easier to shop. Don’t let convenience overshadow good prices. Keep Amazon on their toes by price comparing before you hit the “Place Order” button.

Pro tip: Most items are returnable within 30 days outside of holiday periods. Set price trackers in case the amount goes down after your purchase. A picture for a search? A virtual view of products in the living room? It definitely makes the online shopping process much easier. Sure, there might be a few kinks to iron out.

Got a better way to shop to save money and find a needle in the haystack of online retailers? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Microsoft Paint’s OpenAI-powered “Cocreator” image generator is here

Published

1 hour ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

Microsoft Paint’s OpenAI-powered “Cocreator” image generator is here

Microsoft is officially launching its Cocreator image-generating AI feature within the Paint app for Windows 11. The new integrated text-to-image generator, powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 model, was previously available only to Windows Insiders. As Windows Central points out, the new Cocreator button in Microsoft Paint has now been widely released, giving all users the ability to enter a description of something they’re visualizing and get three generated images to choose between.

As powerful and capable as Copilot is, it’s also kind of overwhelming. Microsoft has pushed Copilot onto countless offerings, from Windows 10 to Microsoft 365 services, and it’s starting to feel like an AI Kool-Aid Man bursting onto the scene. But Cocreator and Paint feel deliberate and like they intuitively belong together, another step toward a future where image generators are the new clip art.

Technology

Clever tech hacks for less stress this holiday, from Amazon spoilers to family pics

Published

1 hour ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

Clever tech hacks for less stress this holiday, from Amazon spoilers to family pics

Gift shopping, scammers, cooking the prime rib just right … There’s too much to worry about this time of year. Before you dive headfirst into the festive frenzy, I’ve got tech tips that’ll sprinkle a little magic on your celebrations.

As my holiday thanks to my loyal readers, I’m giving away an iPhone. Yep, you can win a new iPhone 15 (valued at $799). Enter to win now!

Cook up a storm with a digital cookbook

Picture this: All your go-to holiday recipes are neatly corralled in one digital cookbook. No more frantic shuffling, clicking through a million tabs or misplaced ingredient lists.

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If your recipes are printed or handwritten, snap a pic with your tablet. Add all the pics to one folder (or try the Notes app if you’re on an iPad) for easy swiping between them. Cooking from recipes you found online? Save the PDF versions and toss them in one spot. No iPad? Use your phone!

Bonus: An inexpensive cookbook holder will keep your tablet out of the mess of flour, stock and butter in the kitchen. (This one is gorgeous if you have a bit more to spend.)

Do cards the easier way

I’m giving you permission to go digital with holiday cards this year. Canva, Adobe Express, Paperless Post and Mailchimp are solid options. You can choose a template, whip up a greeting and send it off in just a few minutes — no trip to the post office required.

Unwrapping a gift (Cyberguy.com)

Spoiler-proof Amazon

Before you start buying holiday gifts in a frenzy, make sure your Amazon account is set up the right way.

Hide and seek: Archive any orders you don’t want someone else to see. On a computer, hover your cursor over Account & Lists and click on Orders. Find the order you want to hide and click View order details, then Archive Order. Click Archive Order again to confirm.
Banish the browser: Remove items from your browsing history to avoid revealing your gift ideas. Hover your cursor over Account & Lists and click on Browsing History. For each item that you want to hide, tap Remove from view.

Stop arguing about when to leave

The classic holiday battle: When should you leave the house to get to your destination on time and avoid traffic? Stop guessing and let traffic-predicting algorithms make your drive easier.

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You can get a pretty accurate traffic forecast for a future date based on what the conditions are like on that day and time. Then you can fine-tune your departure time to find the ideal time to hit the road.

Here’s how to set a planned time and date for a trip in Google Maps:

Open Google Maps and tap on the Search here field.
Enter a destination and select it from the results.
Tap Directions and then tap the three-dots button to the right of the Your location field.
Tap Set depart or arrive time.
Select Depart at and enter a date and time, then tap Done. You’ll get various route options and details such as time and distance.
Select a route and tap Start.

Steps are here to find out the best time to leave based on when you want to arrive — and steps to do both in Apple Maps.

Google Maps. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Say ‘Cheese!’ to better group pics

Remember the days of designating one unlucky soul to be the photographer? You know, the family friend or someone’s random date. Upgrade to your smartphone camera’s timer.

On iPhone: Open your Camera app and tap the up-facing arrow at the top of the screen. Scroll right to the option that looks like a clock, then tap it. Select a 3- or 10-second delay.
On Android: In the Camera app, select Timer and turn it on. Choose from a delay of 2, 5 or 10 seconds.

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If someone insists on taking the pic, ask them to use burst mode. All they have to do is hold down on the shutter button to capture a ton of photos at once. Better chance you’ll get everyone smiling!

Smile! But do it the right way. Here’s how to look better in pics.

Remove the screen temptation

It’s not the weekend to be glued to your phone, scrolling headlines or social media. Need a little help disconnecting?

On iPhone: Open Settings > Screen Time.
On Android: Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing.

Rather than a blanket screen time limit, be strategic and limit the stuff that sucks you in. Maybe you set a 10-minute limit on Instagram, for example.

If you set your phone to Do Not Disturb, all good — just make sure you get the calls you want.

Keep your tech-know going

My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today.” It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.

PODCAST PICK: Selfie-related deaths, TikTok Jesus scam & expired tech in your house

Plus, Gary Larock needed a kidney, so his family turned to Facebook. A stranger saw the post and stepped in with a life-changing decision. Apple is opening up to Android messaging, and the Feds want to monitor your car. Also, affordable home mesh Wi-Fi systems.

Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”

Sound like a tech pro, even if you’re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. Listen on 425+ radio stations or get the podcast. And join over 400,000 people who get her free 5-minute daily email newsletter.

Technology

GM wants you to know that it’s also unhappy with the slow pace of its EV business

Published

7 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Press Room

GM wants you to know that it’s also unhappy with the slow pace of its EV business

General Motors is dealing with a lot right now: a slowing EV business, delays in battery manufacturing, a safety crisis with its robotaxi unit, Cruise, and financial headwinds from the monthslong autoworker strike. On top of it all, its stock price is still struggling to get back to where it was this summer before the strike started.

With all that in mind, GM CEO Mary Barra hopped on a call with investors early Wednesday to address these compounding challenges and assure them that they have a number of fixes in mind. Costs will be reined in, factories will be delayed, and stock buybacks will recirculate cash to shareholders. It’s a crucial moment for GM, which is locked in a tight race with Ford, Tesla, and others to develop EVs and roll out autonomous driving safely and profitably.

Costs will be reined in, factories will be delayed, and stock buybacks will recirculate cash to shareholders

Barra said she is “disappointed” with the slow pace of its Ultium battery development, which is supposed to underpin the company’s forthcoming lineup of EVs. She is “not satisfied” with GM’s low stock price. And the Cruise “incident,” in which a driverless vehicle drug a pedestrian 20 feet after she was struck in a hit-and-run, is now under independent review, but the robotaxi company will be smaller and slower going forward.

“We will be very transparent with what our go-forward plan is,” Barra said. “But I think there’s been some concern about when that comes.”

Cruise, in particular, was under the microscope. The company has paused all robotaxi operations in the aftermath of the incident in San Francisco in October. Two top executives, CEO Kyle Vogt and chief product officer Dan Kan, have resigned, and the company has said that layoffs will be coming.

In the call, GM offered more details on Cruise’s uncertain future. The company hired two outside law firms to review Cruise’s safety protocols as well as determine whether Cruise purposefully withheld video footage from the California DMV of its driverless vehicle dragging the hit-and-run victim to the side of the road. The company issued a voluntary recall of all 950 Cruise vehicles earlier this month to update the software to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Photo by Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images

GM has lost $8.2 billion on Cruise since 2017 but expects to lose much less going forward. The automaker didn’t share specific cash reductions, but chief financial officer Paul Jacobson said it would likely amount to “hundreds of millions” of dollars.

“We are projecting to have a little bit of a narrower scope as we focus in on safety and scaling up in a much narrower view,” Jacobson said.

But unlike some of its competitors, GM is not pulling out completely from the autonomous vehicle business. “We’re going to be very deliberate about how we go forward,” Barra said, adding that when Cruise restarts its operations, it will be in only one city. The company also will need to “build trust” with local leaders and first responders, Barra said, in a nod to complaints from San Francisco officials that Cruise’s vehicles obstructed city operations.

“There’s been a lot of uncertainty in our industry and frankly, we didn’t execute well this year”

On the Ultium battery delays, Barra was blunt in her assessment. “There’s been a lot of uncertainty in our industry and frankly, we didn’t execute well this year, as it relates to demonstrating our EV capability and the capability of Ultium because of the module manufacturing automation equipment issues that we had,” she said. “So I’m disappointed in that. I think that has created some concern.”

Recently, GM said it would delay production of its upcoming slate of electric pickup trucks at its plant in Michigan’s Orion Township by “a few months.” Barra assured investors that the issues with Ultium manufacturing were being resolved.

“Our module production issue is not really related to Ultium,” she added. “As I’ve said before, it is really an automation manufacturing issue.”

Barra said that while EV growth has slowed, demand is still heading in the right direction, noting that US car buyers were on track to purchase 1 million EVs this year for the first time.

“There’s really no reason that EV demand won’t be higher in the years ahead,” she said. “Consideration is rising, the policy environment is favorable. The public charging infrastructure is growing and customer choice is expanding.”

She also acknowledged that the recent contracts with the United Auto Workers union are spooking investors because of their associated costs. GM estimates that the new contracts will result in added labor costs of around $500 per vehicle in 2024 and $575 on average over the life of the contract. The company also expects to raise battery costs by about $3 per kilowatt-hour, but it still expects to achieve “mid-single digit profitability” on its EV business by 2025.

GM expects to reduce net costs by $2 billion through 2024, which includes lower salaries, lowering marketing expenses, and additional overhead reductions. And tellingly, Barra also managed to slip in some praise for the company’s internal combustion engine vehicles, which continue to generate profits for the company at a time when costs are rising across the board.

“Our strong ICE business that frankly has gotten stronger, and we still believe there’s growth there,” Barra said.

GM has said it expects to go completely carbon neutral by 2040.