Technology
Tech life upgrades smarter than the stuff on TikTok
Listen, I know there are folks on TikTok sharing good advice — but there’s a heck of a lot of bad advice there, too. Financial tips and tricks? Yeah, look elsewhere; 63% of it is misleading.
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It’s not surprising why. On a platform with just seconds to grab someone’s attention, creators have to make big promises to get views. Following that advice can bite you in some big ways — looking at you, get rich quick scheme.
Let’s skip the clickbait and hype. I’ve got 15 tech tips to improve life without downsides.
TECH SECURITY TO-DO: LOCK DOWN YOUR SMART STUFF
Best picture goes too: You might be tempted to change your TV’s picture mode to Game for sports. Don’t — that’s for video games. The best setting for football? Cinema or Movie. Sports mode is generally too bright, so the game looks washed out.
Before you accept the Terms and Conditions: Use Ctrl + F on your keyboard for Windows or Cmd + F on a Mac to do a quick search for buzzwords like “sell,” “partners” and “affiliates.” Pay attention to vague words and phrases like “may,” which could indicate they’re getting tricky with your info.
Get more done: Drag a window to the left or right edge to snap it in place on Windows. Shake a window to minimize all others you have open. On a Mac, hold the option key, hover over the green “expand” button at the top of a window and snap it to one side.
Planning your summer? Campsites at top-tier national parks book out months or even a year in advance. If you want to snag a cancellation, check out the website Campflare. It scans bookings at national parks, state parks and national forests every 45 seconds. Mmm, s’mores.
File cleanup: Let’s say you have separate PDFs that should all be in one PDF. In Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Combine Files to merge multiple PDFs into a single file. Don’t pay for Adobe? No sweat. Here’s a free site I like for editing PDFs.
Tuesday at 10 a.m.: Stop going back and forth through email or text to schedule a meeting. In Google Calendar, click Create > Appointment schedule and set your calendar for all the times you’re free. Hit Next, then you’ll get a link to share. Send that along, and your recipient can choose a time that works for you both. Nice.
Get an unknown call? Type the phone number into Google, Bing or Yahoo in quotation marks for a precise match. Results often include websites, forums or consumer complaint boards where that number may have been reported. While you’re at it, file a report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Think of it as community service.
THE SECRET TEXT CODE EVERY FAMILY NEEDS FOR CRISES OR DANGEROUS SITUATIONS
Decrypt the symbols: The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) tells you how to pronounce words, but it’s not easy to read for most people. Example: The French location of Finistère is phonetically pronounced as fɪnɪˈstɛər. Uh, what? On Wikipedia, hover over an IPA pronunciation to see how they’re said in plain English.
Flotsam and jetsam: You’re on the water and spot something floating in the distance. Report it to boatwatch.org. You can report anything found on a beach, coast or waterway, which can help with search-and-recovery efforts, accident investigations and cleanups.
Tech anger is real: Don’t chuck your computer out of the window because your username and password combination won’t work. First, double-check you didn’t add a space at the end. You won’t see it, but it’s a common cause for those “incorrect password” errors.
Clean up your documents: An easy way to keep things nice and organized is to have different sections start on their own page. Instead of hitting enter over and over, try this: In a Word or Google document, place your cursor before the place you want text to break, then hit Ctrl + Enter (Windows) or Cmd + Enter (Mac).
Photo Illustration hands typing on a computer keyboard. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
“I’ve been meaning to reply”: Like with email, you can mark a text as unread, which may make it easier for you to remember to respond. On iPhone, simply swipe right on a conversation to mark it as unread. On Android, hold down on a conversation, tap the three dots, then Mark it as unread.
Keyboard master: On a PC, press the Windows key + a number to launch or switch to the corresponding program on the taskbar. Yep, you can move programs around (just click, hold down and drag), so you can easily keep your browser in the first spot, for instance.
7 WAYS TO STOP PAYING SO MUCH ON STREAMING EVERY DANG MONTH
Stop, collaborate and listen: Use Spotify? Open one of your playlists, then click the three-dot menu. Select Collaborative Playlist. Now, pals you send it to can add songs to your playlist. Don’t blame me if you send it to someone with questionable taste in music.
The Spotify logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, on May 3, 2018. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo)
Make AI smarter: You want ChatGPT or Bard to write an email for you, but the tone’s all wrong. Just give clear instructions for what you want. Example: “You’re an expert on tenant laws. My landlord isn’t fixing the air conditioning. Write an email informing him he must take care of it within seven days.” Just remember, AI isn’t a lawyer — even if it can talk like one.
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: Meta trains its AI on your public posts
Plus, a photographer’s wild rescue from the snow thanks to a drone, a TikTok video about ghost kitchens goes viral, “The Simpsons” predicted the Apple Vision Pro, and 20 tech phrases that have disappeared.
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.
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Technology
Microsoft’s Edge Copilot update uses AI to pull information from across your tabs
Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.
In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.
You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.
Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
Technology
Apple’s $250M Siri settlement: Are you owed cash?
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If you bought a newer iPhone because Apple made Siri sound like it was about to become your personal artificial intelligence sidekick, you may want to pay attention.
Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over claims that it misled customers about new Apple Intelligence and Siri features. The case centers on the iPhone 16 launch and certain iPhone 15 models that were marketed as ready for Apple’s next wave of AI. The settlement still needs court approval, and Apple denies wrongdoing.
The lawsuit argues that Apple promoted a smarter, more personal Siri before those features were actually available. For some buyers, that was a big deal. A new iPhone can cost hundreds of dollars, and many people upgrade only when they think they are getting something meaningfully new.
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WHY IPHONE USERS ARE THE NEW PRIME SCAM TARGETS
U.S. buyers of certain iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro models may qualify for payments if a judge approves Apple’s proposed settlement. (Getty Images)
What Apple is accused of promising
Apple introduced Apple Intelligence in June 2024 and promoted it as a major step forward for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A key part of that pitch was a more personalized Siri that could understand context, work across apps and help with everyday tasks in a more useful way.
The lawsuit claims Apple’s marketing made consumers believe those advanced Siri features would arrive with the iPhone 16 or soon after. Instead, buyers received phones that had some Apple Intelligence tools, but not the full Siri overhaul that many expected.
That gap is the heart of the case. Plaintiffs say customers bought or upgraded devices based on AI features that were not ready. Apple says it has rolled out many Apple Intelligence features and settled the case, so it can stay focused on its products.
How much money could iPhone owners get?
The proposed settlement creates a $250 million fund. Eligible customers who file approved claims are expected to receive at least $25 per eligible device. That amount could rise to as much as $95 per device, depending on how many people file claims and other settlement factors.
That means this will not be a huge payday for most people. Still, if you bought one of the covered phones, it may be worth watching for a claim notice. A few minutes of paperwork could put some money back in your pocket.
Which iPhones may qualify?
The proposed settlement covers U.S. buyers who purchased any iPhone 16 model, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.
Covered iPhone 16 models include the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16e. The settlement also includes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but not every iPhone 15 model.
The key details are the device model, the purchase date and whether the phone was bought in the United States.
HOW YOU CAN GET A SLICE OF APPLE’S $250M IPHONE SETTLEMENT
Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle claims it misled customers about Apple Intelligence and Siri features on newer iPhones. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)
How will you file a claim?
You do not need to do anything immediately. The settlement still needs a judge’s approval. Once the claims process opens, eligible customers are expected to receive a notice by email or mail with instructions on how to file through a settlement website.
That notice matters because scammers love moments like this. A real settlement notice should not ask for your Apple ID password, bank login or payment to claim your money. If you receive a message about this settlement, do not click blindly. Go slowly, check the sender and look for the official settlement administrator details once they are available.
Why this case matters beyond one Siri feature
This case hits a bigger nerve. Tech companies are racing to sell AI as the next must-have feature. That creates a problem for shoppers. You are often asked to buy now based on what a company says will arrive later.
That can be frustrating when the feature is the reason you upgraded. A smarter Siri sounds useful. A phone that can understand your personal context, search across apps and help with daily tasks could save time. But if those tools are delayed, limited or missing, the value of the upgrade changes.
This settlement also sends a message about AI marketing. Companies can talk about future features, but consumers need clear timing and plain explanations. “Coming soon” can mean very different things when you are spending $800, $1,000 or more.
We reached out to Apple for comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.
FIRST 15 THINGS TO DO OR TRY FIRST WHEN YOU GET A NEW IPHONE
Apple denies wrongdoing but agreed to settle claims tied to its marketing of Apple Intelligence and Siri features. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)
What this means to you
If you bought a covered iPhone during the settlement period, keep an eye on your email and regular mail. You may qualify for a payment if the court approves the deal.
You should also keep your receipt or proof of purchase if you have it. Your Apple purchase history, carrier account or retailer receipt may help if the claim process asks for details.
More broadly, this is a reminder to treat AI features like any other big tech promise. Before you upgrade, ask one simple question: Can the feature do what is being advertised today, or is the company asking me to wait?
That question can save you from buying a device for a future feature that may arrive much later than expected.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Apple has built its brand on making technology feel polished, personal and easy to use. That is why this Siri settlement hits a nerve. People were buying phones they use every day for texts, photos, directions, reminders and everything in between. Many expected AI to make those everyday tasks easier, which is why the delay felt frustrating. The proposed payout may be modest, but the bigger issue is trust. When a company sells AI as a reason to upgrade, customers deserve to know what actually works now and what is still coming later.
Would you still buy a new phone for promised AI features, or would you wait until they actually show up? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Technology
Instagram hits the copy button again with new disappearing Instants photos
Instagram is once again cribbing from competitors like Snapchat and BeReal with a new photo-sharing format it calls “Instants,” which are ephemeral photos that you can’t edit and that you can only share with your close friends or followers that follow you back. Instants are available globally beginning on Wednesday as a feature in the inbox in the Instagram app and as a separate app that’s now in testing in select countries.
To access Instants from the Instagram app, go to your DM inbox and look in the bottom-right corner for an icon or a stack of photos. After you post a photo, your friends can emoji react to it and send a reply to your DMs, but after they see it, the photo disappears for them. Instants also disappear after 24 hours, and they can’t be captured in screenshots or screen recordings.
However, your Instants will remain in an archive for you for up to a year, and you can reshare them as a recap to your Instagram Stories if you’d like. You can also undo sending an Instant right after you post it or delete it from your archive.
The Instants mobile app, which popped up in Italy and Spain in April, gives you “immediate access to the camera” and only requires an Instagram account, Instagram says. “Instants you share on the separate app will show up for friends on Instagram and vice versa. We’re trying this separate app out to see how our community uses it, and we’ll continue to evolve it as we learn more.”
Instagram, in its testing, has seen that people “tend to use Instants to share much more casual, much more authentic moments about their day,” according to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri. “And we know that this type of sharing of personal moments with friends is a core part of what makes Instagram Instagram, but we also know that a lot of people don’t really share a lot to their profile grids anymore.”
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