Posted on August 30th, 2021 by Joy Schwabach
What if smiling at your phone triggered a slew of actions? It can do that in Android 12, coming in September. To try it out now, do a web search on “Android beta,” then click to enroll. The list of eligible phones includes the Pixel 3 on up, as well as OnePlus, Xiaomi and a few others, but not Samsung, Motorola, or LG. I tried smiling, opening my mouth, and looking right and left to trigger an action. The first few times were OK, then my phone went berserk. Just looking at it set off a mad dash through flashing menus. I could barely tap fast enough to regain normalcy. Despite the facial fiasco, I’m enjoying Android 12. For starters, […]
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Filed under: Android, gadgets, Google, music, wearables, Windows | Comments Off on TRYING OUT ANDROID 12
Posted on August 23rd, 2021 by Joy Schwabach
A friend and I have a continual tussle over whose phone is better. Motorola’s or Google’s. He thinks his Motorola is best because it can go three days on a single battery charge and works great. Tracfone has them starting at $20. But TheVerge.com, a leading tech site, agrees with me that Pixel phones are best. Pixel phones get updates from Google as soon as they occur, just as iPhones get them from Apple. Plus, they have great cameras without the staggering price of iPhones and Samsungs. Last year’s Pixel 4a is $349, not much more than the $300 Moto G Stylus, but there’s a big but. The big but is that every Android phone I’ve seen except a Pixel […]
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Filed under: gadgets, Internuts, phones, Windows | Comments Off on THE BEST PHONE
Posted on August 16th, 2021 by Joy Schwabach
A sales rep at T-Mobile tried to talk my friend out of buying a case and a screen protector for her new smartphone. “Just get one or the other,” he said. Wrong! A modern phone’s Gorilla Glass is unlikely to crack. But it can get scratches. According to a scientist on Quora.com, it’s not your keys that cause trouble. Ninety-five percent of scratches are due to quartz. Yes, quartz. An ingredient in sand. Our surroundings have a lot of dust and sand particles. “When you see dust on your phone screen,” he says, “you try to clean it by rubbing it on your shirt, etc. When you do that, you put a scratch on your smartphone.” You need a screen […]
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Filed under: apps, education, gadgets, Gmail | Comments Off on SAVE YOUR SCREEN
Posted on August 9th, 2021 by Joy Schwabach
I’ve never used a meat thermometer, so when I got one for review, I turned to my grilling friends for help. They love it. Compared to the typical thermometer on Amazon, the new Thermapen One is a a bit of wizardry. It tells you the temperature in one second. That way, you’re not standing over a hot grill getting yourself cooked while waiting for a reading. It can test just about anything, including food from a microwave, oven, stovetop, deep fryer, refrigerator or freezer. Some use it to test the temperature of their bath before they step in. My friend started off by using it to test Impossible Burgers. The directions say to cook them for two minutes per side […]
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Filed under: apps, cheap calls, gadgets, health, Internet, phones, tech support | Comments Off on FROM GRILLS TO BATHTUBS
Posted on August 2nd, 2021 by Joy Schwabach
Alexa has a new trick. You can change her voice to NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal or actress Melissa McCarthy for $5 per voice. Both of them can tell a joke or a personal story, play music, give you the latest weather, and set a timer or alarm, among other things. When I said, “Hey Melissa tell me a story,” she told me about nearly knocking Michelle Obama over by accident. When I asked her to set an alarm for me, she said: “I’m sometimes alarming myself, but I get what you’re asking for.” Shaq recalled the time his father made him help a homeless man get an apartment and a job. They’re friends to this day. Start by […]
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Filed under: Amazon, batteries, Internuts, monitors, robots, video, Windows | Comments Off on ALEXA’S NEW CELEBRITY VOICES
