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!
From Kim's Newsletters:
Weather check shortcut: Planning a trip and opening a weather app separately? You’re taking the scenic route, and not in the fun way. Open Apple Maps on iPhone, zoom in on your destination, then press and hold the live weather button at the top left. A local forecast pops up. Tap it again for the full forecast.
Audi Loaner Cameras: Some Audi dealers are putting Lytx DriveCam systems inside loaners, AI cameras originally built to babysit semitruck drivers. One lens watches the road, the other watches you, tracking everything from phone use and drowsiness to whether you’re wearing your seat belt. It can log GPS, capture audio around driving events and store up to 400 hours of footage in the cloud.
Fake safety alert: Scammers have discovered the one email subject Americans might actually open: product recall. Fake recall texts and emails are rising, usually pretending an item you bought is unsafe and offering a fast refund. The hook is the link, where they want your card number, bank info or login. If you never asked for money back and it arrives gift-wrapped in urgency, it’s bait. Check CPSC.gov or the maker’s site.
🪦 Is your tech expired? That old phone or tablet may still work, but its security updates could be long gone. Before logging into banking or personal apps, search your device at end of life date to check its support status. If the end is near, try Amazon Trade-In. Better than letting it collect dust or dealing with Marketplace strangers.
Gemini rides shotgun: I already argue with Google Maps like it’s a passenger, so this feels right up my alley. Google’s giving Maps a big Gemini AI upgrade, turning search into more of a conversation. You can ask for a rainy-day date spot, a place good for picky kids or what reviewers liked. It’ll summarize photos and reviews, too. Useful? Absolutely. Slightly nosy? Also yes. Next update, it’ll ask if I’m doing OK while I emotionally spiral trying to parallel park.
Visit Kim Komando's website and subscribe to her newsletter here →
Photo: Lytx.