⚠️ Your browser is a big honkin’ target: Reading this on Chrome? Hackers are sending phishing links via email that infect your system with malware as soon as you click. A fix is coming soon, so restart your browser when you see the update icon near the URL bar. Sigh, just one more reason you need solid antivirus protection.
The $15 gadget that cuts your electricity bill
It’s only March, and we’re nearing 100 degrees in Phoenix. I’m already sweating, dreading my power bills. It got me thinking about the stuff in your house that’s sucking up electricity 24/7, even when it’s turned off.
Phantom power may not seem like a big deal, but those little energy leaks can add hundreds of dollars a year to your power bill. The fix? A smart plug. It’s one of the cheapest smart home upgrades you can make, and it starts saving you money the second you plug it in.
💡 Smart plug 101
These tiny devices go between your wall outlet and whatever you’re powering — a TV, lamp, fan, coffee maker, you name it. Connect it to your Wi-Fi, then you can control the power from your phone or with your voice, using Alexa or Google Assistant.
You can set timers, monitor energy usage or just kill power completely when you’re not using something. Sweet.
💸 Here’s how it saves you money
- Shuts off phantom load: Stops electronics from quietly draining power all night. Your TVs, microwave, game consoles, chargers and even that Keurig that only brews one cup a day are guilty.
- Scheduled shutdown: Automatically turns off items like heated blankets or air purifiers after bedtime or when you leave the house.
- Remote access: Forgot to turn something off? Don’t want to get your butt off the couch? Open the app and do it from anywhere.
- Energy monitoring: Some models show exactly how much electricity a device uses, so you know what’s worth unplugging.
🔌 Best budget smart plugs (all under $20)
I did the hard work to tell you which ones are best and for what purpose. These are Amazon’s Big Spring Sale prices. So get ’em now before the sale is over!
Kasa smart plug (2 for $14, 25% off): Plug it in, download the app and setup is basically done. Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Amazon Basics (2 for $14, 15% off): Super simple setup on this one, too. Good buy if you have Echos around the house.
EIGHTREE (4 for $20, 33% off): Sleek round design, and compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Tech how-to: Delete apps the right way
I just swiped through my apps and found, uh, six I’ve never used or haven’t opened in months. Yep, it even happens to me. You have grand plans to meditate, organize your to-dos, fix your pics, whatever, and you download an app for the job. But then, the romance ends.
Not for little eyes: Set maturity ratings on Netflix, so your kiddos don’t watch anything too adult. Open the app, select My Netflix > Menu (three-line icon) > Manage Profiles and pick your kid’s profile. Then, tap Viewing Restrictions > Maturity Rating and enter your password. Set the level you’d like.
😓 To-do list stress? Goblin.tools uses AI to estimate how long tasks take and breaks them into easy steps. Type in your to-do (like spring-cleaning the house) and hit Add (+). Rate how detailed you want the steps by clicking the 🌶 icon. Yup, it’s free.
Big Tech chooses the emails you see: That’s why (gasp) my newsletter and other stuff you want to see can get lost in junk or promotions. Try my email pick built around your privacy, StartMail. Hit this link for a free seven-day trial.
✨ Drag and drop like a boss: On your iPhone or iPad, no more copy and paste. Move text, images, files, links and photos between apps with just your finger. Press and hold on something, like a photo in Safari or a chunk of text in Notes, until it lifts slightly. Let go where you want it to land (like Mail, Messages or Files), and boom! There it is!
🔕 Notification overload? Android’s Notification Cooldown lowers the volume and mutes alerts for two minutes when too many come in at once. Go to Settings > Notifications. Under General, tap Notification Cooldown. It’s live on Google Pixels and coming to Android 16 soon, so save this.
💻 Such a turnoff: Try Windows’ “shade” shortcut to shut down your PC. Right-click on your desktop and go to New > Shortcut. In the location field, type: %windir%System32SlideToShutDown.exe. Click Next, name the shortcut and hit Finish. Double-click this shortcut to open a pull-down shade at the top of your screen. Drag it to the bottom to power off.
🗣️ Speak up, please: If you haven’t tried this yet, it’s slick. Otter’s AI bot already takes notes and summarizes meetings. Now, its Meeting Agent answers questions, drafts emails and schedules future meetings. Score. Use it on Zoom for free; coming soon to Teams and Google Meet.
Impress your boss: Download NetSuite’s free knowledge e-book, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.
No FaceTime or Skype? No problem. Try WhatsApp for Mac when you want to include Android pals, too. You can add eight people to a video call or 32 for audio-only. Hit this link for the Windows version.
🗑️ Trash your big files: Running out of space on Google Drive? On the web, click Storage on the left to see your files from largest to smallest. On the Google Drive app, go to Files and tap on Name under My Drive near the top left. Then tap Storage used to sort it by file size. Delete what you don’t need. Ah, space.
Vacation mode: If you’re on vacation for a week or more, hold your mail, so it doesn’t pile up. Log in or create a USPS account and verify your identity. On Amazon, go to Your Orders, find anything pending and click Reschedule. Choose a new date on the calendar and hit Confirm.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🧑🏼🎨 New AI image generator: Using ChatGPT’s 4o model, just type something like, “Draw a dog surfing a wave with sunglasses,” and boom, you’ve got an image in seconds. It’s rolling out to both free and paid users, so if you don’t see it yet, hang tight.
👋 Please go away: When you see an ad you don’t want to see again on Facebook, look in the top right corner of the ad itself. Find the three-dot icon and tap Hide Ad. If only it was that easy to get rid of annoying people.
☁️ Save on: Want to cut your cloud costs in half? See if your company qualifies to get Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure for 50% off now at Oracle.com/kim.
For your favorite person: On Android, you can make a contact Priority status. They’ll stay at the top of your messaging list, and you’ll get home screen notifications when they respond. Go to Settings > Notifications > Conversations to set it up.
📸 Zoom and crop: This shortcut makes cropping your iPhone photos easy. Pick an image, then zoom in with two fingers. You’ll see Crop pop up in the top right corner. Crop or adjust using the editing tools, then tap Done. Cutting out your ex has never been easier.