Category: Tech Trikes

None of us want to think about what we will do in an emergency. In fact, just thinking about how we would react and what would happen in a crisis is troubling.

But the last thing we want to consider is the possibility of something bad happening, unfortunately it is a little different from reality. Bad things happen, which is why it makes sense to at least be prepared.

From an early age we all learn to dial 9-1-1 for emergency services, but there are other options with smartphones. The truth is that as long as you have your phone with you, help is not that far away.

b safe

One of the better personal safety apps available is bSafe, which is free for both iOS and Android. This allows you to create a personal security network, which will provide a variety of security features.

With bSafe, your network of friends will be able to see your location on the map, while you have the opportunity to send an alarm signal when you are in danger. The app will provide a live video stream of what’s happening around you, and everything will be recorded in case evidence is needed for the police.

Another great feature is that BeeSafe can be activated by voice if you are unable to access your phone, and it will even be a fake phone call if you need that kind of assistance.

If there’s a drawback with the app, it’s that any friends and family you designate as guardians will also need to download bSafe and create a profile. But if they do, this app is one of the best in terms of security features, of which there are many.

Life360 Family & Friends Locator

If you’re looking for an app that lets you know where your loved ones are, this is a great option. It also lets you set up place alerts that will notify you when someone arrives at a specific location, as well as a chance to check the location of a family member.

The free version of the app allows you to specify two locations for alerts and view location history for two days. There are several paid versions that offer even more, such as the real-time location of friends and family on a private map and the ability to share photos or text messages via secure private chat.

You’ll also be able to view past location history for people in your circle and get information every time you drive, and the app can help you track down a lost or stolen phone. It’s a pleasant app to look at, and even though not packed with features, it still offers enough for many people’s needs.

Partner: Personal Security (Apple)

When it comes to personal safety, few people will care more about you than your family and friends. That’s the approach mates take, letting them essentially be your security team.

Thanks to this app, you choose the people you want to be your companions before starting your journey. Once on the way, you can edit your travel time and add a destination as well.

From there your teammates will be able to track your progress, chat with you on the go, and even get live updates on your status. If things go awry, the app will immediately contact your peers or the appropriate authorities before anything bad happens.

People have a love/hate relationship with messaging read receipts. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re those little alerts at the bottom of messages that indicate they’ve been viewed or read by the other party.

When read receipt is on, people will be notified when they have read the messages they send you. Conversely, if it’s on their behalf, you’ll be notified when they read your text.

Some people like these notifications because they give a sense of immediate and immediate connection to others. Others hate them because they seem intrusive.

It depends on how you look at them.
The common denominator is that read receipts force people to respond quickly and depending on whether you see this as a good or a bad thing.

Either way, it certainly has worthwhile uses for keeping virtual conversations flowing. Parents can also use read receipts to keep tabs on their kids and rest assured that every message sent is seen and hopefully answered.

Here’s how to turn on (or off) read receipts so you know if your text messages are being viewed on iMessage, Android, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

iOS iMessage for iPhone, Mac, and iPads

Apple gadget users are most likely familiar with iMessage, the default text messaging app for iPhones. Read receipts have always been a feature from iMessage to iMessage text messages (indicated by the blue color of the text bubble) and it lets a sender know if a text message has been read.

(Here’s a fun fact: Green text bubbles in iMessage mean they were sent from non-iPhones and don’t support read receipts.)

To turn read receipts on or off for all your text messages (meaning senders won’t be notified when you read their iMessages, go to Settings >> Messages then toggle “Send read receipts” on or off .

Starting with iOS 10, they can also be enabled or disabled depending on the contact you’re receiving text messages from.

To enable read receipts for a particular sender, launch your Messages app and then open an iMessage thread with the desired contact. Now, tap the little “i” icon in the top-right corner of the thread and then toggle “Send read receipts” on or off.

Facebook Messenger
Read receipts is turned on by default in Facebook Messenger and there is currently no way to turn it off within the app. This means you and your friends will always know if a message has been viewed or not.

Keep in mind that there are some ways to secretly read Facebook Messenger messages without triggering read receipts.

One is through the same Airplane Mode trick. With this method, the recipient can simply turn off the gadget’s Wi-Fi and cellular connection, read all received messages, and then force-quit the Messenger app.

iPhone users can also try this trick to read Messenger messages without activating read receipts. This can be accomplished by reading incoming messages through notifications on the lock screen or notification center.

Turn it on by going to your iPhone’s Settings >> Notifications >> Select Messenger and make sure “Allow notifications” is turned on. Next, set the Alert Style to Banner or Alert. To read Facebook Messenger notifications, set your app’s notification alert style to banner or alert. To read Messenger messages on the lock screen, toggle “Show on lock screen” to ON.

WhatsApp
Facebook’s other messaging property WhatsApp also has read receipt notifications. However unlike Facebook Messenger, this setting can be turned off.

To turn off WhatsApp read receipts, go to Settings >> Accounts >> Privacy on the app and then uncheck “Read receipts”. Please note that this will not turn off read receipts for your WhatsApp group chats, nor will it turn off play receipts for WhatsApp voice messages.

Note: The Airplane Mode trick also works for WhatsApp Read Receipts.

Bonus: Android Message Delivery Reports

Currently, Android users don’t have an iOS iMessage Read Receipt equivalent unless they download third-party messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp, as mentioned above.

The most an Android user can do is to turn on Delivery Reports on the Android Messages app. All this setting notifies a text message sender whenever a text was successfully delivered (but cannot tell if a message was read).

To turn on Delivery Reports on Android, go to your Messages app, tap the Menu icon (three vertical dots), choose Settings >> Text Messages, then turn Delivery Reports on or off.

Have you taken a look at your cellphone bill lately? If you’re like many of us, maybe not. Instead you set it to pay automatically and forget about it.

In some ways this is understandable. After all, it’s not like you’re not going to pay the bill and as long as your plan offers every feature you need, it’s easy to keep it all out of sight and out of mind.

But if you take a moment to look at your bill you can see that it is much more than you think. Also, you’ll probably be quite confused as to why, exactly, it’s so high.

Not every plan is expensive
When it comes to cellular service, there are a few big names that attract the most attention. This is because they generally provide the most stability and network range, both of which are important.

But as painful as it may be, what is true for most of life applies to cellphones: We get what we pay for. If you go with the cheapest phone on the cheapest plan, you’re unlikely to be too thrilled with the results.

Fortunately, even the most expensive carriers offer cheaper options, and while they may not be offered at the same price point as those sold by fewer carriers, they do offer top quality at a more affordable rate. Huh.

It depends on what features you want
Everyone uses their phones and devices for different purposes, and knowing what’s yours will help determine what’s best suited for you. Do you need a certain number of minutes or text messages? What about burning a decent amount of data?

Unlike other major carriers, T-Mobile doesn’t offer plans that provide data sharing. Which will have to be purchased separately for each phone of the plan.

As for plans, the T-Mobile One Unlimited plan costs $75 for the first line, with the price going up to $130 for two lines. The more lines you add, the lower the per-line price you pay, and there are great bargains for new customers who want to install four lines.

Along with unlimited data usage, T-Mobile says their Basic plan normally streams video at DVD quality and while there’s no extra charge to turn your phone into a mobile hot spot, speeds are limited to 3G. . T-Mobile is offering free Netflix to customers who have two or more lines.

Now, for something more you can get things like HD-quality video streaming and 10 gigabytes per month 4G mobile hot spot usage. And it’s important to note that when data is unlimited, T-Mobile can slow things down after using 50GB.

However, it is quite low, and most are unlikely to reach that number. T-Mobile also offers a $5 per line discount for every month you sign up for Autopay and gives you the ability to text and use data in 140 countries.

To see more on T-Mobile’s wireless plans, tap or click here.

AT&T

At long last in the phone game, AT&T has updated its plans in large part due to its acquisition of Time Warner. Now more TV content is offered by carriers, and thus people will need more data.

Looking at their plans, AT&T’s new Unlimited & More option is $80 for a single smartphone line. You can add lines to the plan and as you do, the per-phone price drops, two for $145, three for $165 and four for $180.

Making things even less expensive if you sign up for automatic payments and paperless billing, AT&T offers a $10 monthly discount for one line and $20 for two or more lines.

It’ll only cost $5 more per month if you already have AT&T and switch to the new plan, which may seem like nothing to celebrate until you realize that you don’t have to get the most out of your money. For what else are you getting.

Along with regular cellphone content, you’ll get access to 30 channels of live TV. Video streaming is now limited to standard-definition quality — if you want HD-quality video, you’ll want to look into the Unlimited and More premium plan, which is $90 per month and has the same increases (and discounts) as regular Unlimited. Is. More planning.

These are some of his plans. There are others, some of which are even cheaper for fewer options or pricier with more, and it really comes down to what you really need.

To see more on AT&T’s wireless plans, tap or click here.

Verizon

Generally the most expensive, Verizon recently changed its plans to add a third one that offers unlimited data.

Verizon’s Go Unlimited plan starts at $80 per month for a single phone. With this you’ll get DVD-quality streaming while your hot spot usage is limited to 600 kilobits per second.

If you want a little more, another $10 per month will get you Verizon’s Unlimited Unlimited plan.

Google has evolved into much more than a search site. Gmail started out as an invite-only experiment, and has now enrolled over a billion active users. Today, a Google Account will give you unlimited power, storage, and versatility. You can automatically access Drive, Documents, Calendar, YouTube, Google+, and more.

But that is just scratching the surface. Google has more free features that you’ll love to use. Tap or click here for 20 incredibly useful Google products and services you didn’t know about.

Still, most Google users are not aware of the full extent of its powers. To fully appreciate the (free) faculties at your fingertips, let’s dive into some of this service’s overlooked capabilities. We’ll be focusing mostly on Google Docs, but we’ll also look at some fun extras from elsewhere in the Googleverse.

1. Go Beyond Text Documents
Google Docs is much more than just a word processor; It’s a whole suite of programs that have become more powerful over the years in development.

The elephant in the room is this: Microsoft Office has long been the standard for a basic desktop workflow. Microsoft Office is not free, and some would argue that it is overpriced. Google Docs has almost all of these essential features—word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software—for free, and you can access your files from almost any computer, from anywhere.

To be clear: Google Docs doesn’t offer a superior desktop experience to Microsoft Office, but this free virtual program is a fierce competitor. Many users love its simple, malleable interface. Cloud-based programs are what make Chromebooks so practical and affordable. Any place with a WiFi signal can become your office, and you don’t need to save a kilobyte on your laptop’s hard drive.

There are many practical reasons to get yourself a Chromebook. One is to use a dedicated Chromebook to take care of your finances. This way, hackers do not have access to your online accounts. want to know more? Tap or click here for the best Chromebooks under $200.

2. Dictate Google Docs

It may sound dramatic, but it’s true: dictating your computer is one of the most underrated powers of the modern age. Part of the reason is medical; Years of typing can exacerbate arthritis. People with visual impairments or missing limbs have difficulty using keyboards. Voice recognition software has empowered countless people to write their thoughts.

Meanwhile, some people express themselves best through speaking. Dictation is slow and uncluttered, yet you’ll do a surprisingly well job if you take the time to speak clearly and don’t rush. You can add basic punctuation by saying “period,” “comma,” “exclamation point,” “question mark,” “new line,” or “new paragraph.” If you want to use voice typing a lot, it’s wise to brush up on some of its more advanced capabilities with Google’s voice-command guide.

Google Docs will take dictation as long as you have a microphone connected to your computer and you are using the Chrome browser. Go to the Tools menu and select “Voice Typing” to get started. Your browser may ask for permission to use your mic.

3. Collaborate with Others
Working in Google Docs doesn’t mean you have to fly alone. It offers some powerful collaboration options that let you share documents. Check out the “Share” option and you can either invite people directly or get a shareable link for your document. You can specify whether collaborators can only read, comment on a document, or if they can even edit it.

To help keep track of changes, you can go to the File menu and select “Version History.” From here, you can choose the name of the version you’re working on or view the history to see who did what and when. Collaboration is great for working teams, but you can also use it in your personal life. You can bring the whole family together to plan a birthday party or work on a holiday dinner menu via Google Docs.

4. Translate Entire Document

“Universal translation” has long been the realm of science fiction. Google has shown an intense interest in languages ​​since its inception, and Google Translate is the most powerful mainstream translation technology in use today.

However, even if you used Google for basic phrases, instantly translating an entire document is a staggering ability. Go to the Tools menu, select “Translate Document” and choose which language you want. Google will create the translation in a separate document. Just keep in mind that machine translation is not perfect and some languages ​​translate more fluently than others.

Every week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products, and all things digital.

Sometimes picking the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job.

This week, I received questions about viral pop-ups, Google smartwatches, photo forensics, and more.

Do you have any question you want to ask me?

kill robocalls
Q: I am very impressed by dacoits. Can I do something to stop annoying calls?

A: I’m just going to say this: Robocalls are an invention of lazy cowards. Lazy, because robocalls are very easy to generate. Coward, because no one can tell the recorded voice.

It’s hard to believe, but old-fashioned telemarketers look almost as cute and noble as robbers, especially now that we’re entering election season.

So how do you stop them from happening at all?

stay away from people searches
Q: Is it possible to remove your personal information from people search sites? It’s just scary.

A: People-search sites can be more annoying than your Facebook or Instagram account.

Friends and strangers may pay a company to learn personal information about you, and this information is almost always collected in a fair and legal manner.

So what if you don’t want people to peep into your business? Requesting a deletion can be tricky and even tedious, but there are several ways to scavenge your dossier from their database.

Stop Dangerous Pop-ups
Q: The video pop-up window drives me crazy when I’m viewing a site. can i stop them?

A: Most media companies now use ads to be displayed on the actual website; It hovers there for a moment, and then disappears, allowing you to continue reviewing the content.

An actual pop-up window can interrupt the flow of your browsing, especially videos.

Even worse, these pop-ups may be designed to infect your computer with malware, which makes them more than just unpleasant – they are actively trying to harm your network.

apple watch competitor
Q: Apple has a watch. Will Google ever have a watch?

A: For the past few years, Google has been developing its own wearable interface, the Google Pixel.

Google Hardware is moving fast with its home virtual assistant and the ultra-affordable Pixelbooks. Unconfirmed rumors are rife, but I think the new Google Watch will give Apple a run for its money.

It was only a matter of time.

pinpoint photo data
Q: I definitely need to know where and when a particular photo was taken. Is this possible?

A: When you dig into a digital photo’s metadata, you can find a whole lot of story hidden out there: the size of the file, the number of pixels, when it was created, and even more about the camera. Information too.

Many pictures will tell you where in the world the picture was shot. All this embedded information says a lot about a simple jpg, especially when the photo is freely circulated over the internet.

Once you start mastering “EXIF” files, you can understand even more about images and their origins.

This information can be beneficial if you want to track the origin of an image, and they can also leave the photographer vulnerable as cybercriminals are also adept at analyzing this kind of data.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call my national radio show and click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. Click here for my free podcast, from buying advice to digital life issues.

The images contain a wealth of hidden, useful data, including the date and time the image was captured, time zone, type of smartphone used, and geographic location, including longitude and latitude.

There are many reasons for recovering image data, such as the need to collect evidence for an upcoming trial, to help prevent loss of data, to modify its information, and to know the copyright holder of the image.

To uncover the hidden data of any photo, forensic tools can be used. Forensic tools can detect simple metadata or perform more advanced tasks, such as determining whether a photograph was altered.

One of the ways to retrieve hidden image data is by looking at its EXIF ​​file.

What exactly is an EXIF ​​file?
EXIF, short for Interchangeable Image File Format, is a code snippet that contains the identifying information of your image saved to your device.

Depending on where the image is uploaded, EXIF ​​file data may be automatically retained or deleted. Forensic tools can quickly analyze the original image file.

A lot of image data can be manipulated, such as description, author, and “date modified” information.

Many photographers may do this for the webmaster to preserve the originality of their work or to reduce site load, as EXIF ​​file information can take up considerable storage space.

Which forensic tools are reliable to use?
There are many reputable image forensics tools that will help with compatibility, from basic to advanced, depending on the operating system used, camera manufacturer, image file type, and more.

1. AnalogXif
AnalogExif is a metadata editor available for both Apple and Windows, allowing users to modify EXIF ​​data for JPEG and TIFF image files.

Other features include the ability to auto-fill exposure numbers and copy metadata from another file, an excellent feature for batch jobs where lots of images are involved.

2. JPEG and PNG Stripper
JPEG & PNG Stripper is a tool to isolate, edit and remove junk metadata for JPEG and PNG files. Simply launch the program, drag your photos onto its window and it will do the rest. This editor also allows modifying the ‘taken date’ data with a few exceptions if you wish.

Overall, JPEG & PNG Stripper is a simple and quick program to use for keeping your photo metadata in order. Note: This software is limited to photos containing data only under “Microsoft Windows Properties”. It is not suitable for photos taken from iPhone or Android.

3. ExifTool
ExifTool is one of the more well rounded command line EXIF ​​editors, ExifTool allows users to read, write and edit meta information, supporting over 10 different file formats from 15+ digital camera manufacturers does. It is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.

Have a question about photos, image metadata and digital forensics? Kim has your answer! Click here to send Kim a question she can use and answer it on her radio show. The Kim Komando Show is broadcast on over 450 stations. Click here to know show times in your area.

Wow, this year’s summer season is definitely intense! Wherever you are, you’re probably feeling the heat.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the dry heat of the deserts of Arizona, where it’s scorching, or the sweltering heat almost everywhere, you’re going to be sweating the most.

But did you know that your gadgets and electronics are also affected by the summer heat? From their batteries to their internal circuits, a huge increase in temperature could mean bad news. The hotter it gets, the worse it is for your phone.

Telltale Signs Your iPhone Is Overheating
Your smartphone may start working when the temperature rises.

According to Apple, iPhones work best when the ambient temperature is 32º to 95º F. Anything above or below this limit and your iPhone will start to change its behavior to protect itself.

A clear sign in this “overheat” warning that will prevent you from using your iPhone until it cools down.

Other telltale signs are the performance hit as your iPhone tries to protect its internal components from heat damage.

There’s also this unfortunate side effect of using your iPhone in hot conditions: it can permanently shorten its battery life.

Apple also said that the appropriate temperature range for storing an iPhone is between -4º to 113º F. For this reason, never store your iPhone inside your car as the temperature inside a parked car can exceed this limit.

Leaving your phone in a hot car or in the sun accelerates chemical reactions that cause the battery to lose its capacity. This means the battery will hold less charge each time it is exposed to high temperatures.

how to cool your smartphone
Cooling down your phone can be a lot harder than you think. What if you work outside and you’re in the heat and direct sunlight all day? We all use our smartphones to call and text coworkers.

No matter where you are when your smartphone is heating up, there are a few ways to cool it down. Some of these are common sense solutions. Others are secret tips to cool down your phone so you can get back to using it.

With how fast technology is developing, it seems we have at least some patience with the slightest delay or wait time. Whether we’re trying to download a file or try to open a program, if it takes too long, our frustration reaches its full potential in record time.

While it’s important to remember the good old days of downloading songs on Napster and waiting for a video to buffer as long as possible before starting to play, there are ways to accommodate this new level of impatience that we’ve achieved over the years. have done. If your computer is running slow and preventing you from working at lightning speed, there are some quick and easy solutions.

But first, let’s talk about why you might have this problem in the first place.

Why is my computer so slow?
When you open your brand new computer, it is clean. It doesn’t have a year’s worth of saved files, dozens of downloaded programs, and a cluttered desktop.

On top of that, when you “close” a program on it, it may not actually close. do not believe me? Open your Task Manager to see all the programs currently running on your computer. This is more than likely to happen than you expected.

Of course, there is a possibility that your computer is not to blame for the lack of speed. If your Internet connection is slow, you may want to consider looking into the quality of your router or the specifics of your high-speed Internet plan. But if that’s not the problem, and your computer is to blame, try the following methods to put things back on par.

When in doubt, check out the obvious
Take a moment to really take a look at the exterior of your computer. Are all the wires and wires tangled? Make sure they are all securely plugged in correctly. Is your computer dirty? Give it some time to wipe down (be sure to take it off first) and clean off any dust or dirt. It may sound silly, but it’s entirely possible that something very small is causing a big problem.

reboot time
If you’re looking for a quick fix, a simple restart may be your answer. In many cases, restarting your computer can solve some basic underlying problems. Whether you have background processes running that are slowing things down or need important system updates, closing everything can get you back up to speed.

lose junk
By using free software like CCleaner, you can quickly find all the programs and files that are slowing things down. Decide which ones to clean and voila! If you’ve had your computer for a while, you’ve probably gotten a great deal of “junk” and this move alone should have a big impact on your PC’s performance.

Another digital junk drawer to deal with is your desktop. The more cluttered your desktop is, the harder your system will have to load icons and folders every time your desktop refreshes.

Finally, if your device storage is reaching full capacity, it may be time to clean up the house. Move all of your photos and videos to Google Photos, Amazon Photos, or one of the many other options available.

Assess your programs and settings
Take a look at your programs and decide if there are any that can be removed. One or more of these unused programs may be the culprit. While you’re at it, take a quick look at your scene settings to see if there’s anything you can do without. Do you really need your computer to operate at the highest resolution? Or what about that animated screensaver? Working too hard to keep your computer looking cool will destroy its ability to perform well.

defragmenting
Taking the time to defragment your hard drive is another surefire way to increase your speed. This process consolidates all the free space created on your hard drive as you accumulate files and folders. Essentially, the defragmentation process makes it easier for your hard drive to think faster.

get rid of malware
Make sure you have a good anti-virus program installed and use it to scan for malware. You’ll be doing your computer and yourself a huge favor if you set it to update automatically and remove identified problems.

make necessary repairs
There are many activities that can lead to errors in your Windows system files without your knowledge. Although it may take a few extra minutes to make repairs, it’s worth taking the time to fix them. If you’re using Windows 10, just type the command in your Ask Me Anything taskbar, type “sfc /scannow” (put a space between the C and /) and click Command Prompt if there’s a problem. Then you will be notified. Stable. If so, reboot your computer and you’re good to go!