May 15 tech news roundup: Win on eBay, Google beta test, AI video giveaways
Every day in my email newsletter, The Current Tech News, I share the news you need to know. Like what you read? Get it in your inbox.
Win at eBay: New study analyzed 25 million transactions. When bidding, best to use a round percentage of the asking price. Say a seller wants $34. You’ll win the bid at $17 or 50% more often than had you bid $18 or 53%.
Have an idea for an app? Here's why you should go for it
Have an idea for an app? Go for it. Seriously. Apple says 90% of its developers are small, with fewer than 1 million downloads and less than $1 million a year in revenue. And as a group, their revenue grew by 87% in the U.S. over the last couple of years.
Revive your old PC or Mac with this free download
Many computer users feel the need to keep their devices up to date with the latest hardware. After all, if you don’t have the latest components or accessories, your laptop or desktop computer might not be compatible. Tap or click here for seven laptop maintenance steps you should do regularly to keep yours happy.
All the best FREE Harvard classes you can take online
Wouldn’t it be fun to tell people that you went to Harvard? Take a class online, and you can.
Score. Dozens of classes are available through edX at no cost. Just make an account and you’re good to go. Note: A verified certificate of completion will cost you. Be prepared to pony up at least $99. Totally not necessary if you’re doing it to learn something new.
Space "trashsteroids" coming in hot
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s space junk hurtling toward your house! More than 170 million pieces of space junk are floating above us: Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites, old Chinese rocket boosters, dead Soviet satellites and a whole host of NASA shrapnel.
Fun site turns your kid's or grandkid's drawings into animated characters
Is there anything more charming than a child’s drawing? You’d be hard-pressed to find it. What if we told you there’s an incredibly easy way to bring your child or grandchild’s latest masterpiece to life?
Animated Drawings by Meta AI Research utilizes the power of automation to do just that. All you have to do is upload any drawing, creating short animations featuring your child’s favorite artistic designs.
5 ways you're killing your laptop’s battery without realizing it
Computers get faster and more advanced daily, but that doesn’t mean you should constantly upgrade. Here are essential laptop maintenance tips that’ll keep your rig running smoothly for a long time.
Batteries aren’t meant to last forever. The one in your laptop has a limited lifecycle, just like any other. You don’t want it dying when you’re in the middle of some big project, do you?
Being a VIP has privileges
Hang out with the cool kids and me at the Komando Community. I’ll give you 30 days to try it for free! For starters, whenever you have a tech question, just head to the Q&A Forum to get expert, easy-to-understand help and product recommendations from me or my team of IT geniuses, John and Jeremy. No more frustrating Google searches or buying junk tech for you!
Cities and states that pay the most for IT and cybersecurity jobs
When I say I host a national tech radio show, you can imagine the questions I get. “Can you help me get my PC to turn on?” “Why is my phone doing this weird thing?” Sorry, my friends. I’m here for all your digital lifestyle questions, but leave the IT work to those pros.
Tackle your to-do lists with these 5 great apps
Adulting is hard. When you were a child, the most important thing you had to remember was when is rectangle pizza day for school lunch. Tap or click here for a helpful scheduling app.
But when you get older, you have meetings, doctor appointments, kids to pick up from daycare and much more to remember. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. With the help of technology, you can always have a digital to-do list in your hand.