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Hey there, happy Saturday to you, friend. Your phone is a pocket supercomputer with face unlock, AI filters and chatbots that roast you back. But lurking under all that tech is something sneakier than spyware disguised as a Sudoku app. |
📍 I'm talking about the secret watermark hidden in almost every photo you've ever taken. Yes, even with GPS and location services turned off, your pictures can still be traced back to you. Here's how: Every smartphone camera sensor invisibly signs every photo you take like a serial number. |
What are these tiny marks called? A) Sensor fairy pixie dust artifacts, B) Dead pixel remapping science, C) Photo response non-uniformity or D) Lens diffraction symmetrical patterns. Take a guess. The answer's posing at the end. |
💪 Real results: I'm always searching for ways to help you stay sharp and strong. NativePath Collagen is a game changer for your joints, hair, skin and nails. Get 45% off today with my exclusive link. Your body will thank you! |
📻 Tune in this weekend! My national radio show is on 420+ stations nationwide. Find yours with our station locator map, or skip the commercials on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or in the Komando Community. — Kim |
📬 Was this forwarded to you? Be the first to know, not the last to hear. Sign up now. It's free! |
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TODAY'S DEEP DIVE |
Wrist tech regrets |
 | Image: Gemini |
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I got a new Apple Watch last October. My old one from 2020 had been sitting in a desk drawer for years. I'd stopped wearing it because I found myself obsessively checking my step count, heart rate and every other metric. I wondered if things might be different now that I'm no longer my mom's caregiver consumed by constant health crises. Maybe I could enjoy wearing one again. And I do. |
If your smartwatch is more than 3 years old, it's basically a fitness tracker with a landline. Batteries degrade. Sensors lose accuracy. And you're missing out on useful features like fall detection, sleep apnea monitoring and alerts that can detect an irregular heartbeat before you even notice something's wrong. |
Here are my smartwatch picks. |
Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($799). If you want the most accurate GPS and the longest battery life Apple offers, this is it. |
The good: The screen is massive and bright, even in sunlight. It has an Action button you can program to start a workout instantly or trigger an emergency SOS. The battery lasts two to three days. And it has fall and crash detection. The bad: The price. And if you have small wrists, it feels like a small computer.
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Apple Watch Series 11 (23% off, $330). Solid choice if you want the classic look and have an iPhone. |
The good: It detects sleep apnea and warns you that you're getting sick before you feel a sniffle. Fall detection is standard. It charges fast, 0% to 80% in about 30 minutes. And irregular heart rhythm notifications have caught AFib in people. The bad: You have to charge it every day.
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Samsung Galaxy Ring ($400). This is for you if you want the data but hate the watch. |
The good: It's a ring. No screen, no notifications, no distractions. It tracks your sleep, heart rate and skin temp from your finger. It's waterproof, and the battery lasts a full week. No monthly subscription fees like Oura that tracks over 50 health metrics, including sleep, activity, stress, heart health and women's health. The bad: No GPS, no fall detection, no emergency features.
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Garmin Venu 3 (22% off, $350). Best for the person who wants a digital coach. |
The good: The battery lasts 14 days. That's longer than most New Year's resolutions. It tells you whether to work out or take a break. It has fall detection and incident detection for outdoor activities like biking. The bad: It's kinda hard to learn.
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I wear the Apple Watch Series 11. I didn't want to drop $799 on the Ultra 3 in case I ended up shoving it back in a drawer like the last one. I might upgrade the next time I'm near an Apple Store. And if I do, I'll run a little giveaway, maybe you'll be the lucky winner of my barely used Series 11. |
⌚️ Still wearing an old smartwatch? Hit those links and buy a new one. Know someone who keeps asking if they really need to upgrade or wants to get healthy in the new year? Send this to them, especially because fall detection and accurate health tracking matter. |
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| | DEALS OF THE DAY | 💪 Smart gear that pulls its weight | Fitness goals need a little backup? I've got you. |
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📊 Track your progress: Smart scale (37% off, $22) | Body weight doesn't tell the whole story. See your muscle mass, BMI, metabolic stats and more. Syncs with Apple Health and Google Fit. Bonus: FSA- & HSA-eligible. |
|  | Image: RENPHO |
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🏃♀️ Go the extra mile: Build strength with an adjustable weighted vest (27% off, $27). Great for training, cardio or adding "oomph" to your daily walks. | Your portable gym: These fabric resistance bands (38% off, $13) stay put, even during squats and lunges. Tough enough to grow with you. | 🧤 Comfort counts: Sore hands slow you down? Breathable, cushioned workout gloves (17% off, $10) protect your palms. Bye-bye, calluses. | Outsmart takeout: This insulated lunch bag (30% off, $7) is just the right size for a full meal plus snacks. Saves money and calories. | 🏋️ Keep it going: Explore 30 more self-care faves on my storefront. | Prices, discounts and product availability are subject to change.
All deals shown were accurate at the time of publication. |
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WEB WATERCOOLER |
😵💫 Productivity in a pouch: This is wild. Forget ping-pong tables and free kombucha. Tech startups have a new office perk: nicotine pouches (paywall link). For real. Palantir installed vending machines stocked with free ones. Austin startup founder Alex Cohen noticed his engineers had Zyn tins and thought, "They're productive, maybe there's something here." He bought some as a joke, then got addicted. Now his company has a "nic fridge" as a perk. Yea, these pouches can hook people, raise blood pressure and potentially increase heart attack and stroke risk. |
Hands-on: Mercedes wants you to open your car like a Jedi. Their new patent uses infrared palm scans to verify you by your vein pattern. It's apparently super secure, doesn't drain EV batteries and resists spoofing better than faces or fingerprints. Plus, it can adjust your seat and temp on entry. No keys, no fobs, only your circulatory system and a wave. Next up: controlling acceleration by your eye dilation. |
💲 Paying over $100/month for your phone? You're getting ripped off. If you're 50+, you can cut that bill in half right now. Use my exclusive link to get 2 lines for $30 each, plus your 2nd month FREE. Same coverage, same networks, zero contracts, zero BS. Stop overpaying, and see how much you'll save. Reader Alice told me she's saving $75 a month.* |
Shady tabs ahead: Listen up, if you've got any of these popular Chrome and Edge extensions, Speedtest Pro, Clean Master or Infinity New Tab, they were secretly spying on you. Hackers ran them for years before slipping in malware updates. 4.3 million users got hit with spyware, data theft, even ransomware. It's all due to ShadyPanda, a Chinese group that played the long game. Moral: If you don't remember downloading it, uninstall it. |
As AI lay generating: As of Jan. 1, thousands of 1930s-era works hit the public domain: Faulkner, Nancy Drew, the Marx Brothers, Betty Boop and other classics, as well as some sound recordings from 1925. You know what that means? They're legally remixable. Brace yourself for some AI slop. |
🏆 A first for Tesla: A Tesla Model 3 owner completed the first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive across America. David Moss drove 2,732 miles from Los Angeles to Myrtle Beach in two days and 20 hours with zero human interventions using FSD v14.2. That includes parking at 30 Supercharger stops. Elon Musk's reaction? "Cool." Back in 2016, he promised this would happen by 2017. Eight plus years late, but finally delivered. Remember, before you say "Tesla" backward, make sure everyone's ready. All set? |
| | | Real results. Real power. | I'm always searching for ways to help you stay sharp, strong, and feeling your best. NativePath Collagen is a game-changer for joints, skin, and confidence. | Bonnie says: | "I'm 73 and someone thought I was in my 40's. I've been taking NativePath for a few months. My knees used to ache, but this helps a lot. I really notice when I skip it. Two scoops in my morning coffee. It's made a huge difference in my skin, hair, and nails. I never leave reviews, but this one is a must." | Thanks Bonnie! NativePath Collagen helps support your body, the engine behind it all. | 👉 Get 45% off NativePath Collagen today. Try it today! You'll love it! → | These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary. |
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DEVICE ADVICE |
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: USB cables only fit one way, but there's a trick to get it right the first time. The USB logo always faces up when the port is horizontal. Look for the logo, insert confidently and stop doing the USB flip dance. |
🛡️ Don't browse naked in 2026: If you got a new laptop or are revamping an old one, don't skip this important step. Hackers are using AI to write code that slips past free and older antivirus software. You need a layer of protection that moves faster than they do. Webroot scans in seconds, blocks real-time threats and won't slow down your computer. My readers get 75% off Webroot Essentials today.* |
Secret Windows setting eating your RAM: Microsoft has a feature called "Delivery Optimization" that downloads updates and apps faster by pulling them from other PCs on your network or online. Problem is, it's not actually optimized and can slow down your system. Turn it off under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization. |
💻 Can't find a folder on Mac? It happens to all of us when you know a folder's name but not where you left it. Instead of searching, open Finder and press Command + Shift + G. That brings up a window called Go to Folder. Start typing the folder name, like "Projects," and macOS will take you straight there. Saved you some clicks. |
Move multiple apps at once: On your iPhone, you can drop several apps into a folder without dragging them one by one. Long-press the first app and start to drag it. While holding it, tap the other apps you want with another finger to create a stack. Then open the folder with your free hand and drop the whole bundle in. |
🔚 Is your tech still supported? Your phone or tablet might be too old. Visit endoflife.date and search your device to see if it's been discontinued or lost manufacturer support. No updates usually means no security fixes, so it might be time to retire it. Hey, that's one way to justify an upgrade. |
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🎙️ CLICK. LISTEN. WATCH. 🎬 |
👋 The holidays are over. Busy, huh? Time to get your digital life in order. Listen to my award-winning radio show, airing this weekend on over 420 stations. Find yours via my handy station finder. Prefer streaming? Listen commercial-free on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart or in the Komando Community. |
😱 Tell me your wildest tech problems. Like maybe you got scammed, you're starting an online business or have fallen in love with a chatbot. Whatever it is, book an appointment to speak with me here, and you could get your answer on air. |
Love the show? Tell your local station! Hit their "Contact Us" page or send a social media shout-out. Your 30 seconds keeps the tech talk coming to your city. TY! |
💰 $80,000 richer: One of the best calls I've had recently came from a listener named Stacy. He casually told me he's made $80,000 renting the vacant land he covered with gravel behind his house with the Neighbor app. Wow. Hear it now. |
Don't just listen! Check the show out on my YouTube channel. You get to see how I react to all the stories and calls. So fun. Click here to watch and subscribe. |
👇 Or use the links below to listen on your schedule. |
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WHAT THE TECH? |
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 | Image: @zeonsunlight via X |
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🥋 Everybody was kung fu fighting |
A humanoid robot was set to mirror its CEO's movements in real time to prove it wasn't AI slop or even CGI. We're talking full-body motion capture, zero lag, zero forgiveness. The human showed off some punches and kicks. The robot copied. |
Then the human spun, kicked and the bot followed. Ouch. The bot even showed empathy by hunching over. You'd think after doing that to his creator's nuts, he'd bolt. |
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LOGGING OUT … |
🦞 I've got something great for you tomorrow. I'm talking about seafood crime going digital. Lobsters vanish, GPS ghosts, and someone's scam email snatches tons of crustaceans. |
The answer: C) Photo response non-uniformity. Think of it as your camera's accidental autograph, a microscopic pattern baked into the sensor during manufacturing. Every pixel responds to light a little differently, and together, they create a digital fingerprint unique to your device. |
Forensics teams and AI-powered tools (hi, Big Tech 👋) can match that fingerprint to your exact phone, even if you've scrubbed all metadata. It's not magic, it's physics. Speaking of which, the frequency of all my bad jokes hertz.
✨ Don't miss this: If you want to start 2026 feeling your best, NativePath Collagen is the way to do it. It helps support your body's engine, from your knees to your nails. Use this link to save 45% right now. |
🎮 Life's like a video game. Save your progress, take breaks and remember every expert was once a noob. — Kim |
📣 Don't keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here) |
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HOW'D WE DO?What did you think of today's issue? |
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Photo credit(s): Gemini, RENPHO, @zeonsunlight via X |
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein. |
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