Get off my PC

Try this on your Kindle: If you ever find yourself wondering, “Who’s that character again?” use the X-Ray tool. It provides a quick overview of characters, terms and even locations mentioned in the book so you’re never lost within a complex plot. Just hold down on the word(s) you want to know about.

It’ll be included with iPadOS 18. Yep, iPads have never come with a calculator app, though Macs and iPhones have had them since they launched. iPad owners have made do (third-party apps, Spotlight, Google), but the MacGyvering ends now. 

The USB rechargeable kind is so much better. No flame, no lighter fluid to mess with and no burnt fingers!

⛔ Ring, ring: Is your smartphone safe to use? This free site tells you if yours is cut off from important updates.

AI prompt upgrade: Imagine you want to market your company or pet project. Ask ChatGPT (or your favorite bot) to generate a blog or social media post to share. You’ll get a better answer if you simply preface it with, “You’re a marketing expert.“

No more “password1”: Move random characters at the beginning or end of your password into the password itself. Ideas: Replace the letter “O” with a zero, like this: k0mand0_scholar. Or sub in a character for a letter it resembles (e.g., f@nt@syFormer).

Ding-ding-ding! Sign up for text and email alerts from your bank. I do, and, yes, it’s a bit annoying to approve purchases I’ve made, but it’s also notified me a few times someone got their hands on my card. In your banking app, go into Settings and look for Alerts or Notifications.

More life out of your dying phone: On an iPhone, enable Low Power mode. Open Settings, scroll and tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. On Android, it’s called Battery Saver. Open Settings, then tap Battery > Battery Saver and turn it on.