✌️ Gestures, activate: You can control a Google Nest Hub via gestures — useful if your hands are covered in soap or flour. To enable it, open the Google Home app > tap the gear icon (top right) > tap Quick Gestures on the hub page.
Did Santa bring you a smart gadget? Here’s how to make the most of it
Unwrapping a new gadget is a thrill, but what comes next? If you’ve received a smart speaker, fitness tracker, tablet or any other high-tech gift, I’ll show you how to go beyond the basics.
Feeling jealous? I have links for you, too, in case there’s a gift card burning a hole in your pocket.
Smart speakers: Make them work for you
Your new Amazon Echo or Google Nest smart speaker isn’t just for playing music.
- Create custom routines: Use voice commands to automate your day. Saying “Good morning” could trigger your speaker to turn on lights, read you the weather and play your favorite podcast.
- Add skills or actions: Browse your speaker’s app store for extras, like games, guided meditations or even cooking timers that sync with recipes.
- Control your smart home: Link it to other devices like thermostats, lights or security cameras. Say goodbye to manually turning things on or off.
- Insider tips: Ask, “What’s on my calendar?” to get a quick rundown of your day. Enable voice purchasing (with a PIN to prevent accidents) to order essentials you need all the time.
Fitness trackers: Dive into the data
A Fitbit, Apple Watch or Garmin can do way more than count steps.
- Sleep optimization: Use sleep data to adjust your bedtime or nighttime habits. Most trackers offer insights into your REM cycles and tips to improve your sleep quality.
- Stress management: Look for built-in mindfulness tools and guided breathing exercises.
- Set micro goals: Instead of only 10,000 steps, track smaller, meaningful milestones, like active minutes or calories burned during a workout.
- Gotcha moment: If your tracker isn’t syncing with your phone, check if the app needs permissions for Bluetooth or background activity. It’s a common issue that’s easy to fix.
Tablets: Turn it into a productivity powerhouse
Today’s tablets are more powerful than some computers. Use yours like one!
- Note-taking apps: Transform your tablet into a digital notebook. For taking handwritten notes, pair it with a stylus like the Apple Pencil or a $20 version that works with iPads. This model ($20) works with Android tablets.
- Remote work setup: Apps like Zoom, Slack and Microsoft Teams can transform your new tablet into a portable workstation. Add a Bluetooth keyboard for a full setup. This one for iPads is way more affordable than the Apple version. Here’s one for Android.
- Creative tools: Dive into photo editing with apps like Lightroom, or sketch your next masterpiece using Procreate.
Pro tip: On iPads, enable Sidecar to turn your tablet into a second monitor for your Mac — perfect for multitasking.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Sweet trick: Use a smart speaker as an intercom
Remember screaming, “Dinner’s ready!” Or maybe you had a fancy built-in intercom system in your house? Those clunky old systems feel outdated today, but man, were they handy.
Good news: You have access to the future world version if you own any smart speakers. It’s super easy to set up. Let me show you how.
Tesla driver deception, data-stealing printers & autonomous rental car delivery
Plus, want to win the big lotto jackpot? I’ll show you how to do it from your couch. I also speak with a man who believes his ex has hacked his Google Nest. Be alert to a new package delivery scam, and find out the most mispronounced tech words.
Tech pro tip: How to prioritize devices on your Wi-Fi
We’ve all blamed our internet speed for YouTube buffering. But guess what? The main culprit is often the army of gadgets hogging your Wi-Fi.
It might be your spouse streaming three sports games at the same time, your kid downloading a new video game or your roommate binge-watching their favorite show.
Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook are always listening unless you change these settings
I use my voice to get a lot done. Siri sets meetings for me, silences my phone and lots more. An Amazon Echo can help find your phone, lock the front door and drop in to chat with loved ones.
What’s the downside of always-on devices that listen for commands? Nearly all voice-activated technology uses microphones that listen for “wake words.” That means they are, technically, always listening.
Home intercom 2.0: If you have Google Nest speakers all around the house, you can send a message to everyone at once. Mobilize your family by saying, “Hey, Google, broadcast …” and then your message. The car will be leaving in 5 minutes, kids.
15 tech tricks you’ll wish you knew sooner
Most gadgets don’t come with a user manual that spells out every feature. We learn them by doing, when someone spills the beans or asking, “How’d you do that?”
For example, no one thinks to dive into a new router’s settings. The more connected devices you have, the more critical is this step. Tap or click here for a few essential steps to ensure your files, data, and network are safe from hackers and snoops.
If your video doorbell is dying unexpectedly, this might be the reason why
Rushing to the front door to see who’s knocking is so 2010. Nowadays, people use doorbells with built-in video cameras. Ringing the doorbell now alerts you to their presence, and you can instantly see who it is. Tap or click here for three things you didn’t know you could do with a video doorbell.
4 essential ways to keep hackers out of your smart home security cameras
Setting up smart security cameras in your home can be a boon for keeping your family and belongings safe, but doing so can also open up a whole new can of worms.
As frustrating as it may be, utilizing a security camera in your home could allow easy access for hackers to spy on you. Ironically, the equipment you use to keep your family safe can be misused this way, but that’s the world we live in. Tap or click to see how hackers can hijack your smart home with lasers.
Security tip: How to choose and install cameras that upload right to the cloud
Picture this: You’re sleeping soundly in your bed one night. Suddenly, shattering glass jerks you awake. If a burglar’s combing through your home and snatching up your valuables, your mind’s probably racing 100 miles per hour.
5 hidden Google Nest Cam settings you need to use
Having a personal butler at your front door is convenient, especially if you are worried about safety and security. But few can afford to employ an Alfred or a Belvedere. As an alternative, many have been turning to Google Nest’s smart cameras and doorbells.
Giving or getting a smart speaker for Christmas? Change these settings
Do you have a smart speaker in your home? The chances are pretty high that you do, considering about one-third of American homes use them. And even if you don’t have one yet, there’s a good chance you’ll get one for Christmas this year.
10 smart speaker pro tips: Find your phone, better sleep and more
Smart speakers like the Google Nest, Google Home and Google Mini are fun devices that can act as amazing hubs for other smart tech you keep around your home. But they have many cool functions beyond that.
Google Assistant speakers can do things you might not be aware of but you’d love to use if you only knew how. And the devices are getting new abilities all the time. Tap or click here to learn about functions coming to Google Assistant that you’ll love.
Scary sextortion scam is on the rise - and hackers have a new target
Sextortion campaigns are nothing new, but their effects can be terrifying for the unprepared. Just the idea that someone is watching your intimate moments is nothing short of bone-chilling, which is why its the perfect threat for money-hungry hackers and fraudsters to use on victims.
4 clever ways smart tech can make your home safer
Smart homes make you feel like you’re living in the future. You can turn lights on or off with just your voice, and see who’s ringing your doorbell without getting off your couch — but are you using every function your smart home has to offer?