Years ago, my mom put a sign on our door that said: “Back in 30 minutes, come on in.” The thieves loved it.

Of course, Mom could have avoided the robbery, including the theft of my class ring, by giving her handyman a code to get in. But smart locks weren’t a thing back then.

So I got excited when Nuki sent me their Smart Lock. It didn’t work with my condo’s deadbolt, but my techiest friend was happy to try it out. His door didn’t even have a deadbolt, but he bought one for $16. After installing it, inserting the Nuki was “a piece of cake,” he said. “You could do it.”

A smart lock is great for a family with kids, since it allows everyone to use a code instead of a key. It’s also helpful if you use a security camera to detect intruders, since the police could enter without having to break the door down. Or you could use the keypad to check on an elderly relative who needs help but isn’t answering her phone.

The code is protected with the same kind of encryption that banks use. The app detects when you leave, locking things up, and letting you in when you come back. The lock plus the keypad, for Android phones and iPhones, is $229 on Amazon. Or you can get the lock alone for $159. If you order before September 30, you get the premium version of the app, which normally costs $5.90 a month. With it, your guests don’t need a code. You can unlock the door remotely.

Though the Nuki received some negative reviews on Amazon, each reviewer appeared to be using the wrong kind of deadbolt, or had installed it incorrectly or was using one that was completely worn out, according to my techy friend. Nuki includes a compatibility checker in its setup instructions.

What about Nuki competitors? An Apple home key allows you to unlock the door by tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch to the lock. According to a ZDnet reviewer, it’s as easy as tapping a phone to a store register. But you need a compatible lock, such as the Level Lock Pro, and the tap-to-unlock feature only works with iPhones and Apple Watches. For Android owners, the Level Lock Pro offers NFC fobs, which can be programmed for guests or family members.

Both the Nuki and the Level Lock Pro supports a system called “Matter Over Thread,” meaning that the lock can be controlled by many devices, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings.

Kwikset is coming out with something similar this fall, the “Halo Select Plus.” It’s not as advanced as the $350 Level Lock Pro, but for Apple users, it has the same tap-to-unlock feature  and is expected to cost less.

Neat Windows Command

Ever want to see all your apps in one neat list in Windows 11? Just hold down the Windows key (looks like four squares), and tap the “R” key. When a search box comes up, type “Shell:appsfolder” without the quotes and hit enter. It’s a quick way to see everything you have, and quickly launch anything on the list. I saw some apps I’d forgotten about.

Reader Fights Back

The reader who never got the $94 that Gazelle promised him for his used iPhone is finally getting his money, according to a letter he received from the company. Whether it was my fiery comments in this column, the complaints he filed with the Better Business Bureau and two state agencies, or his angry posts on social media, we’ll never know.

Publishing Your Book

I love editing books and publishing them for free on Amazon’s “Kindle Direct Publishing” website, kdp.com. But I warn my friends that unless they’re a best-selling author, they won’t get many sales if they rely on people finding them through a key word search.

Amazon sells 32.8 million hardcover and paperback books and around 48.5 million ebooks. A new book is a needle in a haystack. When you search for something to read, Amazon suggests best-selling authors.

So I’m impressed when budding authors publicize their works on Facebook, send emails to friends and talk it up. With one pal, I participated in a question-and-answer session, where I played the role of a journalist and she played the role of a celebrity author. We took our show to a moms’ group, two book clubs and a women’s club. Her memoir was well received.

If you buy authors’ copies of your book on Amazon, you get a substantial discount, allowing you to make money reselling them. For example, if you price your books at $9.99, you can buy author’s copies for about $5 each and re-sell them on your own for whatever you want.

It pays to have both the inside and the book jacket professionally formatted so it looks like a book instead of a Word document. I use a guy I found on the British site, peopleperhour.com. He charges about $300, which I pass on to the author. Not only does he make the book look professional, he helps you navigate the kdp.com website. I’d give you his name, but he told me not to. He’s swamped. Fortunately, there are other formatters on the site.

Filed under: AI, apps, books, business, gadgets, security, Windows