Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

20 Google Beam units are heading to USO locations around the world so deployed troops can see their loved ones in life-sized form before the holidays. Plus, drones are the new fireworks. 17x Guinness World Record holder Sky Elements tells us how it’s done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Signature mismatches were the top reason mail ballots were rejected in 2024. Most states let you track yours online. Plus, we talk to Pamela about her fight against a data center planned on land that was promised as a park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Electric vehicle sales are slumping, but battery makers are busier than ever. I’ll explain why. Plus, we talk to Stanley about how he ended up with a $418 EV charging bill instead of a $22 one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your phone sorts your pictures by face. You just have to tell it who’s who. I’ll show you how. Plus, we help Renee digitize her family’s photos after wildfires force her to evacuate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The company said it would never build a touchscreen laptop. Now it has. Plus, we talk about three Apple Watch tricks and the viral trend of wearing your watch on your ankle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends and family don’t have to miss out on Halloween. Newer iPhones have a dual camera trick and Android lets you flip the camera during video calls. Plus, we’ll talk about how to turn your pet into a pumpkin stencil with AI, make your house look haunted, and meet a 3,156 pound pumpkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midterm voters in 13 states will decide on AI data center measures. Blocking them is like refusing telephone poles in the 1920s. Plus, we talk about my visit to a data center and how the FCC may allow AI political robocalls to your cellphone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your forgotten old logins still have your password. I’ll tell you how to find and delete them. Plus, we talk about how an AI startup built a zombie shooting video game set in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in one weekend, and Character. AI filed for bankruptcy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple's first foldable phone is going viral for its cracked screens. Thankfully it's not every phone. Plus, we talk about Apple's new smart home display and the Homepod mini 2, and how a thief stole dozens of empty Mac mini boxes. A heist for nothing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You pay $139 a year for Prime, and most people only use the free shipping and video. Several perks may be going unused, like free Grubhub Plus, cheaper gas, a free Kindle book every month, and more. Plus, we help Michael figure out his mystery refund texts. Sounds phishy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than three out of four New York crosswalk buttons do nothing. From elevator-door close switches to swiping apps closed, plenty of buttons are fake placebos. Plus, we help James figure out when it's worth paying for AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can’t find your car? There are three key fob hacks that sound fake but work. Plus, we talk about Google’s top emojis and Gen Alpha slang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before buying an AI-powered smart toy this Christmas, think twice. Kid chats from a toy sold on Amazon were reportedly leaked online, including profiles of American children. Plus, we help Nancy surprise her sons with Bitcoin as a holiday gift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan’s kids think a Tesla would be safer than her driving. The catch is in the name: Full Self-Driving, Supervised, and supervised means you, the driver. Hear what you should shop for instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scammers are spoofing the FBI’s real number and real agents’ names. There's one giveaway that tells you it's fake. Plus, Ralph at WTOP and I talk about why AI agents go rogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuck in a phone setting? Gemini can see your screen and walk you through it for free. Plus, a strange, pulsing sound in her ear led Mary to ask ChatGPT about the cause. Her doctor found it was a 90% blocked artery and it could’ve caused a stroke. Mary shares her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A class action claims Samsung TVs capture your screen twice a second and sell the data to advertisers. Turning it off takes 15 clicks. Plus, we talk about Dallas putting AI cameras on garbage trucks to spy on your lawn and noise cameras mailing tickets to loud cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Volunteers have mapped millions of graves, and you can search them from home. Michelle found her baby sister’s resting place nearly 30 years after she first went looking. We talked to her about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon's first Kindle arrived 19 years ago. We break down how popular they are today. Plus, we help Susan self-publish her first book safely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your robot vacuum doesn’t just clean. It builds a map of your house that probably lives in the cloud. Hear which settings turn it off. Plus, a robot hand that crawls like the Addams Family’s Thing, and why you might buy your next robot at a car dealership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tally the robot answers shoppers' questions at Ralph's and Kroger. Plus, TikToker Frankie Lapenna duked it out with a 6-foot machine in the ring. And humanoids outran Usain Bolt, then crashed into a wall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three hikers used AI to plan a Mount Shasta climb and ended up needing a rescue. I explain what to ask a chatbot instead and why to call a ranger. On the bright side, AI is great at planning vacations. We help Jo use her chatbot to organize a family’s cruise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australia and Britain have passed laws keeping children under 16 off major social media apps. California and about 30 other states are considering the same. Plus, we tell Crystal how to stop a group chat that fires off 500 messages a day on her 12-year-old daughter’s phone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta’s Muse AI reportedly keeps a page on every person in a user’s life, including where they live, work, and how close they are. Plus we talked to Kalie about how AI pieced together her daughters’ personal information from her family's posts online. Her story hit 6 million views on X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The nation’s largest brokerage built its own site for “private exclusives” that only Compass clients can see. Plus, a Flock camera reportedly and wrongly linked Amadeus’s car to a 100 mph case. He was detained. A Wendy’s receipt is the only thing that saved his life. We talk to him about the scary encounter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices