Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

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

Insurers look at your home’s climate risk. You can see yours in 30 seconds. Plus, we help Kevin make his 100+ smart devices safer from AI risks with one router setting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bad news if Apple’s first foldable iPhone was on your Christmas list. It was gone within hours of going on sale, and the next delivery dates are in early 2027. Plus, we tell Melodie why those “free TV boxes” are pirated and risky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can’t find your readers? Your phone can read that tiny print out loud. There are two free apps that get the job done. Plus, we talk to Richard about how he used AI to prepare for his wife’s surgery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk’s flying supercar was a stunt, not a product. Hear why real flying cars are decades away. Plus, the strange key fob trick helps you find your car, and how AI can now tell where a photo was taken, no location data needed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta’s free Animated Drawings tool turns a masterpiece into a video that walks, waves, and jumps. Plus, we help Grandpa Keith use AI to turn his military stories into a children’s book for his grandkids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you used the CVS app or website before July 27th, you may be owed a payment from its data-sharing settlement. Plus, we talk about the FBI raiding a Cambodian scam compound, and a global crackdown that has seized $17 billion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you tell whether that viral video is real? Hear the three free ways to check before you share. Plus, we talked to Cathy about how my newsletter helped her spot a fake bank call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cellular carriers like T-Mobile are quietly raising customer bills by a dollar a line, and calling it a fee instead of a price hike. Hear how it works and how to try for a discount. Plus, we talk about Instagram Plus and Disney’s price hikes, and how you can get up to $200 back from Amazon Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop wasting time searching through hundreds of emails. Gemini can answer questions about your own inbox. Plus, Teresa’s email flooded with spam right after she tested a Wyze camera. We talk to her about why it may be a coincidence, and a trick that keeps your real inbox clean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pre-orders for Apple’s first foldable iPhone open today. My advice? If you're buying one, get AppleCare too. Plus, we help John decide between getting an iPhone Duo or the iPhone 18 Pro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your dog or cat can be the star of your jack-o’-lantern this year. I’ll share the prompt that creates a custom stencil from a photo. It’s pawsitively gourd-geous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some AI researchers are reportedly taking up smoking to signal their belief that AI will cure cancer. Plus, we talk to Ruth, a Los Angeles screenwriter, who explains how Hollywood writers like her are getting paid to train AI to replace them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices