Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s. We are on many of the same radio stations across America. She does for her listeners and newsletter subscribers exactly what I endeavor to do: Give you useful information to keep you up to date on the latest in cars, only she does it with technology and there is nobody who does it better. Not sure how she puts out a top-notch newsletter seven days a week, but she does.
With her permission, I comb her newsletters each week and curate a list of her tips and advice that I think you'll find relevant and interesting. Here's what I have for you this week!
Tech Tips & Interesting Finds From This Week’s Komando Newsletters:
Security needs security: I sent out a special alert about this yesterday because it’s important. Your home security company got robbed, and now the thieves could know enough about you to sound legitimate. Brinks Home said on Monday that hackers took 4.9 million customer records, then posted 41 gigabytes of files when no ransom was paid. Door sensors weren’t hit, but your inbox might be. If you’ve used Brinks, keep an eye out for polished messages about expired monitoring or account verification. Ignore any links and call the company directly.
3-second tech genius: No bars? Don’t stand on the porch waving your phone at the sky. Swipe down, flip on airplane mode, count to 10, flip it off. Your phone lets go of that faraway tower and grabs the closest strong one. Racing a dead battery? Leave airplane mode ON while charging. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and background apps take five, so the battery fills faster. One button, two rescues. Easy.
A bushel and a wait: Got an Apple product on your wish list? Do not buy it now. Apple is expected to unveil five products next month, including the iPhone 18 Pro, the Pro Max and its first foldable, rumored to be the iPhone Ultra, plus Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. New models push old prices down and move trade-in values fast. Buy today and you’re paying the impatience tax. Don’t.
Accidental checkout shakedown: Did Amazon charge you extra this week? A glitch briefly stripped free shipping from Prime orders. Amazon blames a software error it says has been fixed, but do a quick 60-second check: Open Your Orders, scan this week’s receipts, and if you got dinged, hit up chat support for a refund. You pay real money for that perk. Make them honor it.
Apple quietly raised trade-in values: Most iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches fetch more toward your next purchase, conveniently timed before September’s iPhone 18 launch parade. Do this now: Check your model’s trade-in price on Apple’s site, then compare it to your carrier’s offer. That old phone in the junk drawer is money. Don’t let it depreciate in the dark.
Uber meets Orwell: That ride waiting in your driveway could be a police plate scanner. Internal decks show Flock Safety pitched gig companies on mounting mobile cameras to Uber and Lyft cars, creating a roaming surveillance fleet. Yep. They wanted to turn everyday rideshare drivers into a fleet of spies. The plan could capture cars near homes, schools and grocery stores for searchable police databases, without riders or neighbors agreeing. Call me crazy, but routine errands shouldn’t become a private espionage network.
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