| Plus: $52K from Facebook, iPhone's new storage hog, impressive (free) AI tool  In partnership with Oracle | | A very happy Sunday, friend. I hope you're inside and staying warm as winter ice and snowstorms hit two-thirds of the United States. My hometown, Phoenix, hit a record 79 degrees the other day. When it comes to the best weather apps, there's AccuWeather, The Weather Channel and WeatherBug, and if you're a real weather nerd, check out the NOAA Radar & Weather Forecast app. I bet you never noticed this before. Apple's weather app for iPhone has a tiny white dot in the colored temperature range bar for the day. That dot shows you the current temperature relative to the day's forecast high and low temps. Amazing. OK, on to more smarts to keep you tech-ahead and never left tech‑behind! — Kim 📬 Was this email forwarded? Sign up here for free | TODAY'S TOP STORY Tech on tap  The big CES 2025 event kicks off tomorrow in Las Vegas with over 100,000 attendees. I've got the inside scoop on what's hot this year. TVs are always big LG's hoping to steal the show with its Zero Connect box. No cables — it wirelessly transmits 4K video at 144Hz. Plus, LG will introduce its Dynamic QNED Color Solution system, better HDR and sound optimization, and a Magic Remote, a voice-controlled and gesture-enabled universal remote that doubles as a mouse for your TV. (Smart — the LG remote is horrible now.) They'll also unveil the UltraGear GX9, a bendable 45-inch monitor with a 5K2K resolution (5120x2160) and a 21:9 aspect ratio. Samsung's new 83-inch S95F QD-OLED TV is its largest yet. And Samsung's The Premiere 8K projector is coming — think HDR support and a stunning 4500 ISO lumens brightness. Too bad there are no 8K shows yet. Hisense will show off a laser projector, and Panasonic's back in the TV business here, so they'll have a few products, too. Smarter homes Samsung's Bespoke $4,999 refrigerators have built-in cameras to monitor your groceries and automatically order replacements through Instacart. Plus, a 32-inch screen on the fridge streams live TV and movies. New smart ovens use AI to suggest recipes based on what's in your fridge. You can see the food cooking remotely through your phone. GE's stand mixer has AI weight sensors that automatically adjust your mixing speed and time based on the consistency of your batter or dough. Cooks should love this! Kohler's new AI bath-filling system lets you control the water temperature and fill level using your phone or voice assistant. Just say, "Fill the tub for a relaxing soak," and it does the rest. Moen's system lets you control every faucet, showerhead and irrigation system in your home through an app. It also sends potential leak alerts. I could really use this now, as my pool is leaking. Argh. Tech meets the road Honda is debuting its futuristic 0 Series EVs and a joint project with Sony called the Afeela, which is basically a theater on wheels. Imagine watching Netflix while your car drives you home. Hyundai is showing off its Holographic Windshield Display, and XPeng will debut its Land Aircraft Carrier, a six-wheeled EV that doubles as a launchpad for a two-seat flying car … not for me. Volkswagen offshoot Scout Motors is loading its EVs with a built-in satellite connection — that's smart. AI is the star of the show Nvidia will unveil its RTX 5090 GPU with 32GB of GDDR7 memory. Translation? Unbelievable graphics and lightning-fast performance. AMD's RDNA 4 graphics cards promise better ray tracing and AI features. Whether you're into gaming or just love powerful tech, these are the cards to watch. Look for AI gadgets like smart planters, new robotic vacuums, smart locks, Wi‑Fi 7 routers and a slew of satellite communication devices to keep you connected in remote areas. AI laptops will be shown, including Lenovo's next ThinkBook Plus with a rollable display. Of course, there will be new AI-powered smart glasses, rings and earbuds that help with health tracking by offering real-time feedback. And more — much more! 🥳 Know someone who loves new tech? Use the icons below to instantly share this story with a friend or on social media. | | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH |  | Think ahead with AI for your business AI is changing the game, and small to large businesses are transforming at lightning speed. But here's the good news: It's not too late to get in on the action and take your business to the next level. That's where Oracle comes in. - Simple AI integration: Oracle makes it easy to bring AI into your business — no headaches, no fuss.
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You know AI is the future — now's your chance to cut your cloud bill in half with Oracle. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain. Can Oracle cut your company's cloud bill in half? → Please support our sponsors! | MY TRUSTED ADVICE 🎙️ Every weekend on my award-winning national radio show heard on over 420 stations, I talk with interesting folks like you. Catch these convos on a station near you, or find my weekend show as a podcast in your favorite podcast player. - Lynn in Phoenix got a shady pop-up on her laptop, locking her out. The next thing she knew, she was out $8,200.
- Rosemary in Naples, Florida, went through a TSA checkpoint that used facial recognition tech. Now she wants her photo removed from the system.
- Brad in Orlando plans to give his 13-year-old a phone but wants to make sure she's not into any mischief online.
Plus, Kathleen narrates audiobooks, Lena has a cyberstalker, Marie needs a temp phone for her small biz, Rick asks if game apps that pay money are for real and so much more! 📆 Let's talk about anything digital in your life, whether it's family matters or your business. Make an appointment to speak with me right here. |
KIM KOMANDO TODAY How to get cheap flights with expert Clark Howard I sat down with my pal, money-saving guru Clark Howard. He spilled top-secret strategies to land the cheapest flights imaginable. The airlines don't want you to know these tricks. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | WEB WATERCOOLER 💸 $50K Facebook payout: A Georgia lawyer's Facebook account got hacked and used to share child porn. Meta deleted the account, along with all his family photos, so he sued. When they missed the deadline to respond, the guy hired a private investigator to track down a Meta bank account. Bam, a judge awarded him $52,325.89. I wonder how many others will follow suit. iPhone storage hog: Apple Intelligence is eating up nearly double the storage space it did at launch. In September 2024, it needed 4GB. Four months later, it's at 7GB. Why the bloat? Updates and code-heavy features like Image Playground, which creates pictures from prompts. Siri's major AI overhaul will make it worse. 🚀 Harder, better, faster, stronger: SpaceX is prepping for another Starship rocket test flight, this time loaded with 10 Starlink simulators. They're dummy models of the V3 satellites, which promise 10 times faster download speeds and 24 times faster uploads than the older gen. Power up: Ford extended its free at-home EV charger promo through March 31. New 2024 or 2025 Mustang Mach‑E, F‑150 Lightning and E‑Transit vehicles qualify. The catch: If your electrical panel needs an upgrade to support the system, you foot the bill. 📜 Unlocking secrets: AI is decoding ancient texts like burnt Roman scrolls and fragile tablets. A model called Ithaca filled in the blanks with 62% accuracy, compared to 25% for human researchers. Time to learn what ancient folks were Babyloning about. We're No. 1, sadly: The U.S. is the leading nation for using AI to create sexually explicit images. In 2024 alone, Americans visited deepfake sites 59.7 million times to upload pics to and create fake nudes, namely of people they know and celebrities. India and Japan came in second and third, respectively. ⚱️ Missing an urn? A family in Kansas City found one sitting in the back of an Uber, and the driver sent them off with it. Now, they're looking for its rightful owner. There's no label, serial number, or writing on the bottom or inside of the lid. See it here on their Facebook page. | DEALS OF THE DAY Stuck at a desk all day? 💻 Upgrade your workspace for a new year of getting stuff done. - A memory foam seat cushion ($45) helps with booty and back pain. You can use it in cars and airplanes, too. Click the coupon box for 30% off!
- Pair the seat cushion with a foot stand ($39) for extra relief. Ahh.
- If you use a laptop, this stand (15% off, $17) is your posture's new BFF. Plus, it helps your computer's ventilation so it lasts longer.
- A room divider is nice for more privacy or hiding all your junk on video meetings.
- Quick! Name something more annoying than a cord you need falling behind your desk. You can't, huh? A magnetic cord holder (25% off) stops that from happening.
🤑 Amazon Outlet is like the sale aisle at Target. It's where they list all the super-cheap overstock and clearance items. I like the under-$10 section. | TECH LIFE UPGRADES 🤖 AI tool of the day: Google's NotebookLM lets you upload audio files, notes, documents or anything else, then search them, find citations (from your own docs) or produce a snazzy podcast you can listen to. It's impressive. Reader Bob told me after he heard about it on my show, he used it to create training modules for his employees. A note in my inbox this week: "Are password managers safe to use? What if someone gets in?" You're smart to ask, and it's the reason you need to be picky about what you trust. My pick, NordPass,* has military-grade encryption, so no one is getting in when they shouldn't be. It only takes a minute: Time to update all your devices. There are too many scary bugs out there to skip security patches. On a Windows PC, head to Settings > Windows Update. On a Mac, go to General > Software Update. Using an Android? Tap to Settings > System > Software. And for iPhones, you'll find updates under Settings > General > Software Update. Use YouTube Premium? Buy through an iPhone or iPad, and it's $18.99 per month. On the YouTube website, it's $13.99 monthly. Yeah, cancel through your phone and buy it again. 💻 Kids having tech tantrums? You're not alone. A 12-week study points to three winning strategies: 1.) Tell kids how much screen time they have, 2.) Involve kids in activities inspired by their favorite shows, and 3.) Let kids decide on the duration of their screen time. Been there, done that. Good luck! I order supplements online: They're more affordable that way and I never run out. On my daily list: Collagen. Hit this link for 45% off NativePath.* Their collagen mixes into coffee and smoothies, and it's great for your joints and recovery. Apple Music trick: Instead of the fullscreen program, try the mini player on your Mac. With Apple Music open, hit Window > Switch to Mini Player. Want it to show all the time? Go to Music > Settings > Advanced and check the box to keep it as the top window. 🚀 Elevate your Current subscription! Get exclusive access to my members-only Q&A Forum for tech help, and enjoy ad-free shows, free e-book downloads and first access to something very special coming soon (ahem, tech classes). Try a 30-day free trial, then it's just $3.75 a month. | UNTIL NEXT TIME ... More free, please: You loved yesterday's freebie, so let's keep 'em coming. Power your goals this year with free tools vetted by my team. - Documents: LibreOffice's full suite is totally free.
- Audio editing: Audacity is perfect for podcasts, music or just cleaning up sound.
- Photos: Pixlr is easier than Photoshop, and Adobe Express has solid AI tools.
- Video editing: DaVinci Resolve for pro-level editing without the price tag.
Remember when air was free at the gas station? Now it's $1.50. It's called inflation. (I know you smiled.) 👋 Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow bright and early with a banking warning you can't afford to miss. Until then, stay your wonderful self. — Kim | Help us spread the word! SHARE → Or copy and share your personalized link: https://referrer.komando.com/69cb7d0c/3 | How'd we do? What did you think of today's issue? | | |
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