It breaks my heart to hear about lonely seniors. Perhaps a robot would help.

The “ElliQ” is smaller than a desk lamp but inspires great testimonials. Some say it’s better than a dog. “She keeps me on my toes,” said one 69-year-old man. “It’s like I’m living with somebody.” Besides playing music and showing you photos on its companion tablet, it records your health vitals and remembers how you felt yesterday before asking you how you feel today. In an emergency, it will call your closest contact.

One senior said that the ElliQ got her to exercise and feel appreciated. Others said they started laughing more, because the robot is funny. It engages you in trivia games, displays inspirational quotes and will call or text your contacts, chat with you and offer medication reminders. In a video clip I saw at the company website, ElliQ.com, it asked a senior to join it for coffee, then suggested a virtual cafe in outer space. That was a little too weird for me, but the senior was obviously enjoying it.

This robot is initially cheaper than the kind that walks around the floor with you, such as Amazon’s $1600 Astro. The ElliQ costs $250 upfront, but there’s a $50 monthly charge if you pay annually, or $60 if you choose month-to-month. Some seniors get it for free through a partnership with Area Agencies on Aging. When you click to buy, you’ll be prompted to find out if you’re eligible. It has a lifetime warranty.

Office 9 for Less

Recently, I mentioned that Office 9 from Ashampoo is great for those don’t want to connect to the internet when they work on documents, spreadsheets and slideshows. At press time, it cost $45.50, but the monthly sale was over by the time readers got to it. Fortunately, it’s $45.50 again from November 21 to November 27.

Alternatively, you can go to Ashampoo.com and click the little magnifying glass at the top of the page. Then type “Office 9” to find it. When you click “Try it free for 30 days,” you should get the $45.50 offer at the end of the trial.

Getting Connected

When a friend couldn’t get a cellular connection, I suggested tapping “Settings” and searching for “Reset options,” then choosing “Reset Mobile Network Settings.” It worked. But if it doesn’t work for you, try turning “airplane mode” on and off. If that doesn’t work, try taking your phone out of its case. Search on “Dealing with Bad Cellphone Reception?” to get more tips from CNET.

Gabb Away

Two years ago, I gave a 10 year-old girl my old Jitterbug flip phone. I had gotten it for review and it still had free calls. She fell in love with it, decorating it with stickers. It became her lifeline to parents and friends.

When the phone contract finally ran out, she got an iPhone and quickly became addicted to it, which disrupted her sleep. The new Gabb Phone 3 Pro might have prevented that.

Its service, starting at $25 a month, has only essential smartphone apps, such as calendar, camera and unlimited calling and texting– no social media. It lets parents manage their teen’s contacts, eliminating messages from strangers, as well as spam calls and risky links. A music feature offers kids a streaming library of clean songs from every genre and era. When the child is out and about, parents can check their location through a free app. The app also lets parents set up safe zones so they’ll be alerted if their kid ventures too far.

Some might call this “helicopter parenting,” but I wouldn’t. According to a Hoover Institution report, the sudden rise in teenage anxiety, depression and suicide happened around 2013, when teenage adoption of cellphones passed the 50 percent mark. Today, over 90 percent of teens between 12 and 17 own a phone.

The Gabb Phone 3 Pro is $199 from Gabb.com.

Math Solver

Google now offers help with complex equations. Just type “Math Solver” into a Google search bar. On the Math Solver page is a handy calculator, making it easy to input square roots and other symbols. They also list examples of the the kind of equations you might need help with, with step-by-step guidance.

Sending Photos by Text

On a recent vacation, my sister didn’t get the photos I sent her by text from my Android phone. It turned out she needed to change from “SMS” texts to “MMS” texts.

To do that, go into Settings on your iPhone, tap Messages and  turn on “MMS.” But if you run into trouble sending pictures from iPhone to Android or vice versa, use the free app WhatsApp. It works great.

Even the Smart Get Duped

An esteemed judge I know said he was nearly the victim of an outrageous hoax. He thought he was receiving a call from his son about a car accident, an arrest, and a need for quick cash. He even got out his credit card, then thought it over and called his son instead. Sure enough, it was a con.

Map Tip

Google Maps now shows you which electric vehicle charging stations are out of order. About 25 percent of US chargers aren’t functioning. To start, type “electric charging stations” in the search bar.

Filed under: kids, math, phones, robots, word processing