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Friday, January 21st

The app of the day: MileIQ. For those who use their car for work, this app keeps track of your miles automatically to help you get every penny you can write off for taxes. Did you know for every mile you can deduct 58.5 cents on this year’s taxes. This app can save you money

Thursday, January 20th

Do you really need a 5G phone? You can’t avoid the hype of 5G. TV commercials in every break, news headlines, and your kids probably mention it every now and then. Do you necessarily need a 5G phone? What’s it for? They say it’s fast, but is the difference worth the extra money? I’m going to answer some of the most basic questions about this new network.

Wednesday, January 19th

The “best advice you ever received” on Facebook is wrong. Maybe you have seen the shared post about changing your voicemail if you’re ever lost so people calling will know your location. Is this really sound advice? What should you do instead?

Tuesday, January 18th

5G and airports. Verizon and AT&T are scheduled to turn on their 5G high speed data towers tomorrow. They were actually to be turned on earlier but the FAA says, the networks may affect airplanes approaching airports. I’m talking with an expert who will explain what is happening on what it means to you the next time you fly.

Monday, January 17th

Have your internet speeds at home gotten slower since Christmas? It’s quite common for Wi-Fi speeds to get slower right after the holidays. It may not have anything to do with your provider. It’s all the new devices that are now connected to your router. I’ll explain along with a couple of things you can do to speed things up.

Friday, January 14th

The app of the day: Wordle. No, not necessarily an app but it’s the game lots of people are playing. You may have seen friends sharing their results of green boxes on Facebook. I’m looking at what it is, how to play and how to make it an app on your phone.

Thursday, January 13th

Let’s have a go at looking at things smartphones made extinct. This week the iPhone turned 15 years old. Since then, many of the electronics we used to buy are no longer needed. Calculators, alarm clocks, etc. So today I’m pulling up an old Radio Shack ad to see electronics made extinct by the smartphone.

Wednesday, January 12th

The omicron variant and smartphones. Now that this new variant is taking hold I thought it’s a good idea to look at dirty smartphones that carry germs. You may not worry about it much, but kids share phones more often than their parents. I’m going to take a look at best practices at cleaning phones when kids come home from school or wherever they’ve been.

Tuesday, January 11th

Cyber criminals next trick? Mailing USB drives loaded with malware and keyloggers. The FBI is warning businesses about a tactic where bad guys pretend to be Best Buy or Amazon and send out flash drives with a gift card loaded onto them. It’s easy for someone to fall for this trick because, not only does it look legitimate, it also seems to be plausible that a company might send a thank-you gift card.

Monday, January 10th

How to spot a fake website. Sometimes it is almost impossible to recognize a fake website. Spoof sites are set up to look so much like the real thing to trick people into making purchases, downloading malware and giving up personal information. I’m going to show how real these sites can look and what to look for so as not to be tricked.

Friday, January 7th

This is a first. The App of the Day is a video game. I’ve never featured a game app before but this one is unique and I’ve found no one I’ve asked has ever tried it. It’s Angry Birds in augmented reality. Aim your camera at a flat surface and then the app places the game view on that surface.

Thursday, January 6th

Almost live from CES. Sadly, I decided to cancel my trip to CES due to Covid. But I’m following everything virtually. I’m looking at some of the most interesting and unique gadgets and tech being released this week. Some of these things may be on your Christmas list in December.

Wednesday, January 5th

Use your smartphone to find a new job.the great resignation continues with a record 4.5 million Americans quitting their jobs in November. Im looking at how to make money with your smartphone, whether that’s searching for a new job or starting an online business you run on your own.

Tuesday, January 4th

Amazon sold millions of Alexa devices over the holidays. Most peop;e on;y use them to play music, set timers, or get weather forecasts. Today I’m looking at a few things you can, and should do with your Alexa device. Things only power users know. And one will blow your mind.

Monday, January 3rd

Millions of smartphones will stop working this year. Older phones (iPhone 5 and older for example), will not be able to connect to cell towers after the wireless companies take the 3G networks down. It’ll start happening this month. Of course lots of our viewers have older phones. I’ll explain why this is happening, which phones are affected and what you need to do if you’re using an older phone.

Friday, December 31st

One last app of the year: Whisk. You may already have one or s everal cooking and recipes app, Whisk is different from all the others. Along with recipes and communities, Whisk makes it easy to ‘clip’ recipes from other apps and websites. See a recipe on TikTok or Pinterest, just share it to Whisk and all of the recipes you want to try are in one place.

T hursday, December 30th

The app of the year; Bandcamp. Spotify and Apple have algorithms to suggest music you may like, but they rarely suggest music from bands and artists you’ve never heard before. Bandcamp helps you discover independent artists you’ll never find on popular streaming apps. It also supports those bands that haven’t been able to do live performances in the past two years. 100% of the music you purchase on Bandcamp goes to the artist. Spotify and such only pay a fraction of a penny per play.

Wednesday, December 29th

The app of the year, “What3Words”. This is an amazing app that has literally saved lives. Imagine one of your children is lost somewhere and can’t describe where they are. This app helps locate them by sharing 3 simple words. It isn’t a tracker, the creators divided the entire globe in 3×3 meter squares and gave each one a 3 word combination.

Tuesday, December 28th

The app of the year: Radio Garden. This app got as much feedback from viewers as almost any other story all year so I think it’s worth mentioning again. Radio Garden is a free app that tunes in to hundreds of thousands of radio stations from around the world. A funk station in France, classic rock in Britain, a jazz station in Italy and a disco station in South Africa. Just spin the globe to spin the dial.

Monday, December 27th

All this week I’m going to look at my top apps of 2021. These are the most useful, creative, and interesting apps from this year and the apps I’ve been asked about more than any others. They are certainly worth mentioning. Todays app of the year is “Heard That” that helps anyone, especially those with some degree of hearing loss, to hear anyone clearly, even in a noisy space.

Friday, December 24th

Merry Christmas! Since a few stations run the stories a day behind, I’m staying away from Christmas in the package. But you can change up the intro to mention it. The App of the Day: Balance. This is one of Google’s apps of the year. It’s another meditation app to help calm anxiety and helps you fall asleep. It’s also free.

Thursday, December 23rd

You hear about last minute gifts, these are last second gifts. For when someone hands you a gift you did not expect and you do not have anything for them. Or on Christmas morning when you realize you might need just one more gift for someone.

Wednesday, December 22nd

Why you should open some gifts before Christmas. If you’re giving someone a gaming system, phone, tablet or any gadget that connects to the internet, you should activate it before they open it. Every year millions of those tech gadgets won’t work Christmas morning. I’ll explain.

Tuesday, December 21st

What to do with all those amazon boxes? For the millions of people who do most of their Christmas shopping online, amazon boxes are all over the house. Before you throw them away, consider using them to donate items you no longer use. Give Back Box is a program and charity that provides free whipping for people who want to fill those boxes with things they no longer want and ship them to organizations that help people who need help celebrating the holidays. I’ll show you how it works.

Monday, December 20th

grown up Christmas stockings. Has it been years or decades since adults in your family got anything good in a Christmas stocking? For teenagers and anyone older, these small-enough-to-fit-in-a-stocking gadgets make for cool and useful Christmas gifts. And they’re still available.

Friday, December 17th

The app of the day “Fakespot”. Ever wonder if the Reviews you see on amazon are fake or real? WhileAmazon says it makes an effort to delete fake reviews it is still a huge problem for shoppers. This app of the day may prevent you from buying garbage products. It’s an app for iPhones, android devices and the web.

Thursday, December 16th

Tech gifts for the person who (almost) literally has everything. They’ve got doorbells, game systems, big TV, projector, kitchen gadgets and anything else you can think of. I’ve rounded up a few random but totally impressive gift ideas that may be the best thing they get this year.

Wednesday, December 15th

Having trouble finding that unique toy your kids are asking for? It’s not too late to get something different. I’ve rounded up some tech toys that’ll make them forget about what they’re NOT getting.

Tuesday, December 14th

The most unusual earphones you’ve ever seen. Do you know someone on your list who’s still using wired headphones? Bluetooth earbuds will be music to their ears. I’m trying to explain the difference in apple AirPods models, the best earbuds, best budget friendly, and a brand new set of earphones built into sunglasses.

Money, December 13th

Gifts for preserving family memories. Old films and VHS tapes won’t last forever. These gadget gift ideas will not only save those special moments but make great gifts. I’m looking at a gadget for films and one for videotapes.

Friday, December 10th

White elephant tech gifts. Tired of seeing the same old $25 and under gifts for the company or small group white elephant gifts? Call them dirty Santa, white elephant or yankee swap, whatever you call them these tech gadgets will be picked over and over again.

Thursday, December 9th

Don’t let Alexa spoil Christmas Day . Thought I’d take a day away from Christmas gift ideas after hearing that Alexa keeps announcing what gifts are being delivered, letting some little kids know what they’re getting Christmas morning. I’ll show you how to turn a feature off and muzzle Alexa’s knack of spoiling surprises.

Wednesday, December 8th

Christmas gifts for the businessman or woman on your list. I’m looking at a few gadgets that’ll not only be welcomed, but very very helpful for someone who works from home, in the office or on the road.

Tuesday, December 7th

Christmas gift ideas for the family. Outdoor movie theater. These are the products I have been asked about more than any other this year. Movie projectors and movie projector screens. I’m taking a look at a few of the best options and things you should consider before buying, plus a really cool chair for the kids while you watch the flick under the stars.

Monday, December 6th

Practical gift ideas. The great thing about practical gifts is they’re generally things they wouldn’t buy for themselves. I’m looking at a few 8smaller tech gadgets someone on your list didn’t know they needed.

Friday, December 3rd

The App of the Day: Ada. I’ve mentioned this app before but not for over a year. It’s an app that just might save you a trip to the doctor’s office. Ada was developed by doctors to keep otherwise healthy people out of the doctor’s office. It uses AI to determine if the symptoms you have are a reason to schedule an appointment. As colds and flu are going around and worries about COVID 19, this is an app to try if you’re not feeling well.

Thursday, December 2nd

Common online payment Christmas scams and how to avoid them. When shoppers have money ready to spend, the scammers up their game to grab some of it. I’m looking at some scams people should beware, how to identify them and how to protect yourself.

Wednesday, December 1st

Gift ideas for dads. The great thing about giving dad one of these gifts is that the whole family gets to use them at some point. Still, some very cool gadgets he’d probably never buy for himself.

Tuesday, November 30th

One of last years most popular gadgets is all sold out online. Try to buy an Amazon Alexa device and it likely won’t be delivered until next year. Another option is a Google Nest Hub. Is it even better than Alexa? I’m comparing the two to help you decide if it’s a good option for you.

Monday, November 29th

Gift ideas. Nanoleaf lights. Lights that could be artwork hanging on your wall. These lights catch your eye as they sync with music and sound and touch. Control,them with your phone and routines.

Friday, November, 26th

The app of the day, Rent the Runway. Holiday parties are here. If you have social events on the calendar you’re maybe already thinking about what to wear. My daughter and her friends are crazy about this app that allows you to rent outfits. They don’t want to wear the same thing to multiple parties and they’re all learning how this app can give them something different to wear for each party they go to.

Thursday, November 25th

Happy Thanksgiving. Before you shop, make a gift list. Better yet let the people you buy for make and share their own list. Today I’m looking at a couple of tech shortcuts to create shopping wish lists in google docs so everyone can see what everyone wants.

Wednesday, November 24th

I’m looking at an app that’s perfect for thanksgiving. Share the Meal encourages people to, as they sit down for their thanksgiving meal, they share a meal with someone around the world. Share the meal takes small donations to feed the world in some of the most impoverished countries. And the app makes it very easy. This story can certainly run today or on thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 23rd

I’ll be doing the light keeper story today.

One bulb can kill a strand. If you’ve ever draped lights around a Christmas tree or just plugged in a pre-lit tree to find not all of the lights turn on, you know what I’m talking about. One bulb prevents all the bulbs from lighting up. I’m testing a gadget to help you identify that one bad bulb. Does it work? We’ll find out if this gadget can save the Christmas spirit.

Monday, November 22nd

Update: having a problem creating a problem with the Christmas lights. I haven’t been able to get the lightkeeper to work but I want to make sure I fairly. So, I’ll be doing a story today about gadget gift ideas for the home entertainer.

Friday, November 19th

The App of the Day: “SuperCook”. Many people look forward to the holidays because they love to cook. You may still use great grandma’s recipe for green bean casserole but looking to find something new for the family get together. This app helps you find something to cook or bake without need ing a trip to the grocery store. Tell the app what you already have and it’ll show recipes that only require those ingredients.

Thursday, November 18th

Smart online shopping to save money. It’s super easy to shop only at amazon and you can typically find, if not the best price, something pretty close to it. Don’t forget about the other ways to shop and find the best deals. I’m looking at ways to search the whole internet for the best price, cash back and discount codes.

Wednesday, November 17th

Safe shopping. Black Friday sales have already begun online (at least that’s what Amazon says). Before you start adding things to your cart, there are a few things you should keep in mind to save money and protect yourself. I’m looking at a few ways to make sure you’re getting the best deal, and the one thing you do not want to do that puts your bank account information at risk

Tuesday, November 16th

Christmas gadget gift ideas. These are for anyone you know who spends hours each day in front of a computer. Whether they’re zooming or working on spreadsheets and reports these gadgets will make every day a little better.

Monday, November 15th

An answer to a viewer email asking about the differences between the Roku, Amazon FireStick, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast. They’re all similar but I’m looking at some of the differences to help you decide which is right for you and the person on your gift list.

Friday, November 12th

The app of the day: Recipe Keeper. It takes planning to prepare meals for the holidays and we all run across recipes on the internet that we’d like to try. Maybe you see something on Pinterest or a link from Facebook, or in an own;one magazine on the computer. Or even in a family cookbook that’s been passed down for years. Recipe Keeper let’s you save all of those recipes, no matter where you find them in one app.

Thursday, November 11th

Gift ideas for the home. We’re exactly 2 weeks from, thanksgiving and the real start of the holiday shopping season. I’ll be doing gift idea stories off and on from now thru Christmas. Today I’m looking at tech gadgets for the home. A robot vacuum cleaner, a garden that sits on your desk, and a litter box that cleans itself after the cat goes potty.

Wednesday, November 10th

How to protect your purchases from porch pirates. Christmas shopping is in full swing and thieves are as busy as those amazon workers. Don’t leave deliveries on your front porch for very long. But what if you’re at work? I’ll take a look at a few options to keep your packages safe.

Tuesday, November 9th

How to make an extra $1,000 for Christmas. Who wouldn’t like to have an extra thousand bucks for Christmas? It’s possible even if you get started now. I’m looking at a few ways to earn an extra grand between now and the middle of December.

Monday, November 8th

The good side of TikTok. The social media app is mostly criticized for spreading dumb and dangerous stunts, but over the past few days there are positives. A hand sign to subtly send a message that you need help that spread on TikTok that reportedly saved a young girl from harm, and then at the Travis Scott concert, recording countless videos of the tragedy that is being used by police to determine exactly what happened.

Friday, November 5th

The App of the Day: Endel. Time to fall back this weekend and for a few days some people will have trouble getting to sleep on time. There are lots of sleep apps in the app stores and I’m looking at a unique one called Endel. This app builds sleep sounds based on your circadian rhythm. Is a one-of-a-kind app that creates sounds that are tailored especially for you. What’s more, there are many ways to use the app to help you fall asleep fast.

Thursday, November 4th

Tech gadgets you should buy right now. We all know about the shipping problems but the chip shortage make these Christmas gifts nearly impossible to find. I’m looking at some tech gadgets that, if you want one in December you shouldn’t wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Wednesday, November 3rd

Kids and their phones. A new report shows kids are looking at screens 8 hours a day. That’s double what it was in 2020 and does not include time spent on a computer doing homework. I’m interviewing a researcher and author of the book “How to Break up With Your Phone, and why you should”. She’ll give insight on the effects of staring at a screen half the day.

Tuesday, November 2nd

We all know the importance of good passwords but about 66% of Americans use the same one for every account they have. Why do people use bad passwords for everything? Good, safe passwords are hard to remember. Today I’m giving a secret to creating a separate password for every account you have that’s impossible for a bad guy to guess and for you to forget. Seriously.

Monday, November 1st

What is the metaverse? The word has been mentioned a lot in the past week after Facebook changed its company name to “Meta”. I’m going to try to explain what it is to help you figure out if it’s something you’ll care about.

Friday, October 29th

The app of the day. Bluebird. How many times do you sit down to work on a project only to get distracted by notifications, website browsing and social media? Happens every day doesn’t it? Bluebird is an app that simply keeps you on track and focused on the task that needs to be finished at a certain time. I think it works.

Thursday, October 28th

Want to hear something scary? Someone could be watching you and posting live video on the internet? While it’s unlikely you’re going to be targeted, it does happen. How? Bad guys gain control of your WiFi router using poor security and many (if not most) people have a router with poor security. Today I’m going to look at some examples of what happens when a hacker compromises a router and accesses security cameras, and the one thing you can do to prevent it, or at least make it next to impossible.

Wednesday, October 27th

What parents need to know about YouTube. YouTube is appearing before Senators regarding how it protects children on the platform. What are the concerns? How do pedophiles or other bad guys use YouTube to groom kids? YouTube has taken steps to protect kids but parents may unknowingly present their children as a target of those bad guys. Is it safe to upload videos of your kids to YouTube?

Tuesday, October 26th

What’s the scariest part of Halloween for parents? Letting their kids roam neighborhoods. Maybe most parents try to keep kids from trick-or-treating at houses they do not know, but lots of folks don’t know a lot of their neighbors. I’m working on a story about how to keep kids safe. Two apps that parents may want on their phones. One shows where known sex offenders live.

Monday, October 25th

Digital Halloween decorations. Sure, pumpkins and scarecrows and spooky characters are fine but many people are stepping up their Halloween decorations and using digital decorations. What are those and how easy/difficult are they to set up? Im going to show how to set up a creepy scene in your windows and doors.

Friday, October 22nd

The app of the day, Writey. When was the last time you wrote a letter? Or just wrote in cursive? The digital world we live in has made handwriting a lost art. Whitely is an iPad app for kids learning to write cursive and adults who want to re-learn how to write with good penmanship.

Thursday October 21st

It’s cybersecurity awareness month and as millions of people are falling for scams and attacks, I’m going to look at some of the most common scams that target, not only seniors but young people. I’ll have examples and what to watch out for.

Wednesday, October 20th

Story change update: the AirTag is not working so I cannot show it being used to stalk someone. So, I’m going to have to diagnose the problem tonight.

Instead, today I’ll show a new feature in iOS 15 that I just discovered that is huge. It allows you to take a photo of something and turn it into searchable text. I was blown away. I’ll show you how it works and when you may want to use it.

Apple air tags and security. Apple says it’s air tags are meant to keep track of things, but some groups are concerned that abusive spouses, stalkers, and parents involved in custody disputes can use them for nefarious purposes. I’m looking at how these can be used for bad reasons and how to protect yourself from being followed.

Tuesday, October 19th

How to track your kids on Halloween. Depending on how old your children are, they might be roaming free with their friends on Halloween. You can track them with their phones and Apple’s “Find My” app. A better choice might be an Apple AirTag. I’m taking a look at how these things work and why they may be more effective than a Tile Tracker.

Monday, October 18th

Google’s “in case of death feature”. What happens to your digital life when you die? Can anyone access your email, google account, Facebook, etc? Not without all of your usernames and passwords. I’m looking at a Google Gmail feature that shares those digital items with loved ones. How does it do that? How does google find out your dead and when to send the information? I’ll show you how this works and where to find it.

Friday, October 15th

The app of the day, Crowdfire. This is a productivity app for people who use social media for business. Posting to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media is a little overwhelming if you try to stay in front of people. And to help you find things to tweet and retweet. Crowdfire allows you to handle the many of social media heavy lifting and gives the regular twitter user something to tweet about.

Thursday, October 14th

How many times have you seen something incredible and couldn’t get your phone out fast enough to record video? There is a little known feature on iPhones that let you open the camera and start recording by placing your finger on the screen. You can also zoom in and out without removing your finger. I’ll show you this trick only power iPhone users know and explain the one drawback.

Wednesday, October 13th

A tailgate necessity and a gadget to keep the lights on. Noisy gas-powered generators are no longer need to keep a TV, fridge or anything else running when there’s a power outage or just no electricity available. I’m testing portable rechargeable generators that even run on solar power. Take to a ballgame, camping or keep one in a storage room for when the power goes out.

Tuesday, October 12th

Creating an backyard theater requires a projector. I’m looking at a few of the best options and what you need to know about those cheap projectors you see on amazon. What’s most important? Lumens? Color? 4K? And how do you get the movie playing?

Monday, October 11th

How to Create your own outdoor movie theater. Now that the weather is cooling off I thought I’d spend a couple of days looking at how to bring a movie experience to your backyard. Since the pandemic began the sales of projectors and movie screens have surged. What do you need? Today I’m looking at one of the most important items, the movie screen. I’ve ordered 2 styles and will compare the picture, and how easy/difficult it is to set them up. Tomorrow I’ll look at the top projectors.

Friday, October 8th

The app of the day. Noted. As more people are working from home and having online meetings, taking notes is more important than ever. Noted is a simple app that, with one tap of the screen records a meeting, lecture or anything else and then stores it as a dictations. It’s even better on an Apple Watch.

Thursday, October 7th

Enough with The Facebook for today. Sometimes old tech is better than old tech. Everyone is streaming movies and TV shows but if you really want a movie experience you need to kick it old school. I’m looking at why DVDs are light years ahead of streaming when it comes to picture and sound quality. And why a second Netflix subscription may be necessary.

Wednesday, October 6th

For all of the talk about Facebook pushing negative content to everyone’s news feed, Instagram and its impact on teenagers has been lost in the weeds. I’m talking to a podcaster/mommy blogger about why Instagram is bad for some teenagers. Body shaming is one thing but we talk about why Instagram’s algorithm pushes content from depressed teens to other depressed teens and what parents need to know if their teenager suffers from any level of depression.

Tuesday, October 5th

Did you know if you like a post on Facebook you’re more likely to see similar posts in your newsfeed? You probably did. But did you know if you respond with the angry emoji you’re even more likely to see posts that make you angry? Facebook has its algorithm set up to push angry or negative content to the top of your newsfeed. I’m talking to a social media professor today about why Facebook plays this game and whether it affects society as a whole. It’s very interesting.

Monday, October 4th

UPDATE 2: I will have this story ready to go by 5 PM ET. If you’dWSW` like to use it today

UPDATE: well, I have to do something on Facebook and Instagram being down. At this point, since we have no idea why or for how long, I plan to go out and talk to people about what it’s like to not have Facebook to look at. I’ll have the Instagram story below tomorrow unless this whole FB, Insta outage continues.

Instagram and the negative impact on teenagers. New reports, and Facebook’s on research shows Instagram is responsible for making teenage boys and girls to feel bad about themselves and is especially damaging to teens who are already depressed. I’m talking to a mom/podcaster/journalist and writer about what parents need to know about Instagram and why certain postings are harmful.

Friday, October 1st

The App of the Day: Blinkist. Ask most people and they’ll say they’d like to read more books but they just don’t have the time. Blinkist is a cool app that boils down an entire book into just 15 minutes. Blinkist helps people read more non-fiction titles. No novels. It’s good for people who’d like to learn something new, get motivated and learn from some of the world’s greatest minds.

Thursday, September 30th

Is this the end of business cards as we know them? I guess we’ve all had our ways of sharing contact information with someone we just met. If it isn’t an old-fashioned business card, it’s entering a phone number into our phone and texting them. Then you have to enter their name, email etc to our contacts. I’ve found a better way. Linq is a one-business card system that fits in a wallet or on your wrist. They tap the Linq and all of your contact information is added to their Contacts app. I’ve been trying out Linq to see if it works. It does, it’s pretty cool too.

Wednesday, September 29th

Employee tracking software. if you’ve been working from home or remotely your boss has probably been wondering just what all you’ve been doing besides work. When quarantine began last year, companies making employee tracking software saw a huge spike in business. I’m looking at three pieces of software that can be installed on an employee’s computer and phone to track what they’re doing on the internet, if they’re away from the desk, if they are where they say they are.

If you do polls, this would be a good opportunity to see how people feel about it. Is it fair for a company to track their employee’s work hours and habits or is it an invasion of privacy?

Tuesday, September 28th

The state of streaming. About a year ago the number of people dropping cable or satellite surged as many TV viewers switched to streaming. Saving money was the #1 reason but how is that working out now? Most services have raised prices. One service disappeared and now YouTube TV notifies subscribers it’ll drop 14 channels this week. I think it’d be a good idea to review what all has happened and where streaming is headed next.

Monday, September 27th

Update: I’m going to do the story below later this week. The FCC announced today an update to the broadband benefit program. I’ve covered the EBB program before that pays eligible families $50/mo to pay for broadband internet. Today the program announced that 19 million families that qualify have not taken advantage of the program. This affects many of our viewers. I’ll explain and show how to take advantage of the free program.

Is your employer tracking you as you work from home? Remote working sounds good, but bosses are keeping an eye on if you’re actually working or spending time watching Netflix or YouTube videos. Many Companies are using software installed on a worker’s desktop and laptop computers to track their time. I’m looking at 2 programs they use and how to find out if you’re being watched.

Friday, September 24th

Phont.o. What in the world is Phonto? If you like editing your photos, it’s an app you’ll be glad you know about. This app allows you to easily add captions, text bubbles and personalized graphics to any picture you take so you can post to social media or use in any other way. If you see someone else post a photo with a witty caption and wonder, “how did they do that?”, you’ll know after seeing our story.

Thursday, September 23rd

Please note: in the web story of the Gabby Petito story yesterday, 9-22. A quote in the web story was incorrectly cited as coming from “Laundrie” when it should be attributed to “Ajaeb”. I’ve made the correction but if you copy and pasted my web story yesterday, please edit the web version.

Today, I’ve changed the story if you saw the pitch below. Smishing, what is it and how does this new scam work? Well, it isn’t exactly a new scam but the Federal Trade Commission, BBB and AARP are warning people that in the past few months, Smishing attacks have surged. I have some examples delivered to my phone. I’ll show you what to watch out for, what happens when you click, and what to do instead.

The end of business cards and “text me your number”. Sharing contact information, whether for business or personal reasons isn’t all that difficult but it could be easier. I’m looking at a new business card that uses NFC technology to instantly send someone all of your information (or what you want to share) by just tapping their phone onto a plastic card, a button or bracelet. This is called a “Linq” and I’ll show you how it works and why it may be the last business card you’ll ever need.

Wednesday, September 22nd

My interview came through but very late yesterday. I’m talking with a former investigator who used social media to gather clues. amateur investigators on TikTok submitting all kinds of theories and tips on the disappearance of Gabby Petito. They are camping out at the home of Daniel’s parent’s home and sharing photos and videos from the couple’s Instagram posts. Is there a role for these amateur Sherlocks? Do investigators see their posts and photos and theories? And how unusual is it for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to leave posts up after a crime is committed?

Tuesday, September 21st

The story on social media and they Gabby investigation isn’t going to happen today. I’ll effort it for tomorrow. I’ll need to stick with the iOS 15 story for today.

I am efforting a story on the amateur investigators on TikTok submitting all kinds of theories and tips on the disappearance of Gabby Petito. They are camping out at the home of Daniel’s parent’s home and sharing photos and videos from the couple’s Instagram posts. I am waiting on a response from one of the many criminal investigators I’ve contacted this morning. I’ll update this page as soon as I find out whether the interview can happen. If it doesn’t, I’ll do the story below.

iOS 15 is available for download and when our viewers do, they’re going to be hit with many new features they’ll like, and dislike. I’m taking a look at one of the best features (focus mode) and the one people may not like (address bar at the bottom of the screen). I’ll show how to use them and how to change them.

Monday, September 20th

How to improve your chances at getting an iPhone this week. Hours after pre-orders began Apple posted to its website that due to demand, anyone now ordering should expect their phone to arrive sometime in October. If you just have to get one of the new iPhone 13’s this week, I’m looking at a few ways to guarantee (almost) you’ll find one. And one thing everyone needs to do when buying a new phone.

Friday, September 17th

Ever wonder what you’d look like with a tattoo? Ever think about another tattoo? The App of the Day, Ink Hunter, will show you. Using your smartphone’s camera and a wide variety of tattoo designs, simply aim your camera where you want the tattoo and see what it’ll look like. It’s very accurate and you can re-size the tattoo as needed. Before getting inked, this app may save you from getting something you’ll always regret.

Thursday, September 16th

Stupid (and dangerous) TikTok challenges and what parents need to know about them. This is going to be a ‘side-bar’ type story since some of you are covering this locally. I’m hoping to talk with a family psychologist about the idiotic things kids are doing and seeing while viewing TikTok. What do you say to them? How do you spot what’s coming up in their TikTok feeds?

Wednesday, September 15th

I’ll be doing the story on the FBI warning about sextortion complaints surging since the first of the year. What to watch for, how these things work, how to protect your kids, and what to do if you or they have been targeted. By the way, this is a problem that largely goes unreported as victims are too embarrassed to report it and kids are to ashamed to tell anyone.

Tuesday, September 14th

Back on track on a backup computer until I’m able to fix the one I’ve got. #engineerskills. Today is the Apple iPhone event. Lots of people are interested in what it’s going to be and what it can do. I’ll be watching the keynote and will have everything you’ll want to know about the new iPhone 13, 12s or whatever they decide to call it. by the way, the piece isn’t dated. I don’t mention when the announcement was made and the story will work for the next couple of days.

Monday, September 13th

UPDATE:

I am having serious computer problems that I’ve been dealing with all morning. I won’t be able to get the sextortion story done on time. This rarely happens and I’ve been pulling my hair out all morning trying different solutions.

I am putting a story in the folders today for a story that I ran a little over a year ago. How to set up Alexa as a whole-house intercom. It’s still relevant and useful today and not dated.

I do apologize. I’m usually pretty good at finding and resolving computer problems but not this time. It’ll be fixed by tomorrow I’m sure.

story pitch: By now most people have at least one Alexa device in their home and we all use them to play music, get the weather, answer a trivial question. I’m going to show you how to make Alexa even more helpful by setting up a whole house intercom.

Again, sorry

Jamey

A huge spike in sextortion attempts. The FBI is warning people of a huge increase in the number of complaints of sextortion. The FBI says people have lost a total of $8 million to sextortion scams since the first of the year. I’m taking a look at how to spot these scams and what to do.

Friday, September 10th

The App of the Day: Shazam. Wait, I know you know about this music identifying app and you’ve probably used it to find the name and artist of any song playing in the background. But there are things you don’t know Shazam can do and it might change how (and how often) you use this app. Plus, how to quickly open Shazam to name a tune before the music stops.

Thursday, September 9th

With job benefits ending soon many people are going to be looking for work. While there are plenty of opportunities everywhere, good or great jobs can be found online. I’m looking at two apps/places to go to find great opportunities to work remotely for some of the largest companies in the world and small businesses.

Wednesday, September 8th

If you have an iPhone it’s going to be worth less next week than it’s worth today. Anytime Apple unveils a new phone, older iPhones depreciates $150 or more. While you may want to hold on to your iPhone X, 11 or 12, it makes more economical sense to buy a new phone every year. I’m doing the math to show how much your iPhone will be worth next week and, how much you’re paying for that phone every day.

Tuesday, September 7th

Lots of people are looking for a new job or even a new career. But how do you search for a job without your boss finding out? LinkedIn is perhaps the best way to connect with companies looking for new employees. Your boss is on there too right? I’ll take a look at how to use LinkedIn to find a new job AND keep your boss and co-workers from finding out.

Monday, September 6th

Netflix secret codes. In ten years of What the Tech, no story has received more interest as this one. I’m looking at secret codes to help you see every movie and TV show on Netflix. As you’re probably aware, when you’re browsing Netflix, you’ll only see shows and movies it thinks you’re going to like. If you know these secret codes and how to use them, you’ll be able to see everything Netflix has to offer.

Friday, September 3rd

The App of the Day: Down Dog. One of the things that makes any workout boring is monotony. Following workout routines in an app or by watching YouTube videos is the same old exercise after another. Down Dog is a yoga app that gives you a different routine every time. It’s recommended by physicians to patients experiencing stress and in need of physical exercise.

Thursday, September 2nd

Have you noticed a change to the number of robocalls you’re getting? It’s been a month since the new technology called STIR/SHAKEN went into effect. It’s supposed to limit the number of robocalls coming from local numbers. Is it working? I’ll explain why robocalls should be easier to identify before answering the phone and what to do when you get one.

Wednesday, September 1st

Driver Licenses and IDs on iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has confirmed that two states will soon allow people to store their DL’s on their devices to use at airports. It’s coming to GA and a couple of other states and others will be added soon. How is it going to work? Is it a good idea?

Tuesday, August 31st

This is the start of college football season with games beginning Thursday. Don’t watch the big games with the wrong TV settings. Most people’ s TVs are set up for to be displayed in the store but those are not the best settings for sports watching. I’ll show you which settings to change and why you should never use the “Game” settings to watch games.

Monday, August 30th

This page didn’t update earlier. I’ll hold the footballs story for later this week.

Cell towers are down across Louisiana due to the hurricane and I watched a local newscast from there this morning and no one could figure out why text messages would go through but phone calls couldn’t. Well, I’m explaining this and an app people are using on the coast to connect and help other people.

Friday, August 27th

The App of the Day: Fontmaker. This is a keyboard app that suddenly became the #4 most downloaded app in Apple’s App Store. It allows you to send messages, texts, and create Facebook and Instagram stories using your own handwriting. BUT, there’s something everyone downloading it should know: It can cost you a small fortune if you’re not careful.

Thursday, August 26th

Would you show a perfect stranger your address and a photo of your home? Chances are, you’re doing that right now. Google is sharing photos of practically every house in the world. Anyone can see your address and your house (even the back door and the cars you drive). I’ll show you how to remove photos of your home from Google Street View and why you may want to.

Wednesday, August 25th

As students get back together with their friends they’re likely sharing secrets of shortcuts they’ve discovered on their phone. One such secret is how to hide apps on their iPhone. If you’re keeping the kids from using Snapchat, TikTok or another app, they may have them on their phone but they’ve hidden the icon. So when you check their phone, you won’t see it. Tricky kids. I’ll show you how they’re doing it and what you need to do to see all the apps they’ve got on their phone.

Tuesday, August 24th

Well, I got my second COVID shot yesterday and feel terrible today. Splitting headache, can’t keep my eyes open. I’m going to try to re-work a package from last summer about YouTube videos where people who are studying, set up a camera and record themselves. Sounds boring (and it is if you’re watching for entertainment value) but these students’ videos are getting millions of views from other students looking for a “study buddy”. I’ll re-work this to freshen it up.

Monday, August 23rd

More and more we hear of restaurants, venues and other businesses requiring proof of a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination. I think I need to do something else on how to store your vaccine card on your phone. You can take a photo, which is what a lot of people are doing, but there’s another way that looks more legitimate and will likely be accepted. I’ll show you how to do it on an iPhone and Android device.