On Computers

When a new dentist said I needed a crown, I was suspicious. But should I have been? “You’re not being paranoid at all,” said TheRealRealTalk, an artificially-intelligent chatbot available at Poe.com. “Your Spidey-sense is tingling for a good reason! Here’s the deal: New practice owners often have massive loans to pay off, and suddenly everyone needs crowns. Funny how that works, right?” The new dentist wanted to rush the surgery because she was going on pregnancy leave a few days later and claimed I could have a cracked tooth in a few weeks. But I decided against it. A week later I asked for X-rays to be emailed to me so I could use them to get a second opinion. […]

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Filed under: AI, Apple, gadgets, iPhone, security, TV | Comments Off on ASKING AI FOR DENTAL ADVICE

Which is better, Android or iPhone? Whatever team you’re on, you’re unlikely to switch. Unless your family is on the other side. An Android-loving grandfather said he switched after his son-in-law couldn’t send video of his child, born seconds before. “He said the video wasn’t sending and he figured out it was me,” the reader wrote. “When he deleted me from the group, it sent, and every iPhone got it.”  There would have been no compatibility issue if everyone had been using the free WhatsApp. So I asked Granddad why he didn’t suggest it, since he’d used it to send texts to his friends in Haiti. He said he didn’t want to make everyone else use a different app just […]

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Filed under: AI, Android, Apple, games, Google, health, inventions, iPhone, news | Comments Off on ANDROID VERSUS IPHONE

“I pay Apple 99 cents a month for iCloud storage. What are the bad outcomes if I exceed the 50-gigabyte limit?” a reader asked. Nothing bad. There’s a 30-day grace period. Then you can decide whether you want to pay $3 a month for 200 GB of storage space or transfer your excess iCloud files to your computer or elsewhere. To transfer them to your computer, go to iCloud.com, click one of your photos or videos, and hold down the “Ctrl” key in Windows (or the “Cmd” key on the Mac). Now tap the “A” key to select all. Then click the download icon. Alternatively, you could upload your iCloud files to a different cloud service. For example, Amazon Prime […]

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Filed under: AI, Apple, cloud computing, Internuts, robots, storage, trends, Uncategorized | Comments Off on RUNNING OUT OF ROOM

The Tick Talk 5, a $150 kid watch, makes me feel like Dick Tracey every time I tap my wrist. It’s a blast. Children will love the Mom icon. Tap it to ring her up immediately. Another icon launches a video call. There’s also a calculator, stopwatch, calendar and a wildly generous step counter. With the Tick Talk app, parents can send holiday e-cards to the watch wearer. For the watch face, I chose a cheery blue elephant in a jaunty hat and sunglasses. He nods and smiles, then shows his eyes.  I love the podcasts and music, though they cause the battery to drain quickly. I don’t mind popping the watch on its wireless charger, as often as necessary, […]

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Filed under: analytics, Apple, apps, art, gadgets, health, Internuts, kids | Comments Off on KID WATCH

I just had a fascinating conversation with Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher. Instead of just texting him, I talked to him on the phone. It’s the latest feature from the free app, Character.ai. There have already been 80 million calls to characters from the past and present in dozens of languages. The average number of daily calls is 1.25 million. To start, open the app, tap a name and tap the phone icon. The app will say “Listening,” because it’s waiting for you to start speaking. I started by shooting the breeze with Aristotle, then asked about his differences with Plato. Plato, he said, believed we could achieve justice through wealth distribution. Aristotle believed we could attain it by cultivating […]

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Filed under: AI, anti-virus, Apple, apps, games, troubleshooting, virus | Comments Off on TALKING TO CELEBRITIES THROUGH AI

My used phone sold almost as soon as I listed it, thanks to eBay’s new artificial intelligence tool. AI makes it easy to get rid of your stuff. EBay’s AI will write your item’s description for you, though you can also add your own words, like I did. But it suggested I start the bidding at $38, a price so low it scared me. So I upped it to $95, with a higher “buy it now” price. Later, I  discovered you can toggle off the auction switch and just use your set price. EBay suggested $143 for the “buy it now” price, which included my unlocked Pixel 6a phone, a $25 ruggedized Otterbox case, and the Pixel’s original box and […]

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Filed under: AI, Apple, business, iPad, iPhone | Comments Off on EBAY GOES AI

Alexa, the voice inside the Echo smart speaker, has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Did you know she makes a good soundbar? A soundbar connects to a TV to make programs easier to hear. Instead, you can use Alexa. Put her next to you on the sofa and say: “Alexa, connect.” She’ll take it from there– if your TV has Bluetooth. You’ll know in a minute if it doesn’t, because Alexa will tell you she can’t connect. Another Alexa trick is remembering where you put things. You can say: “Alexa, remember that I put my glasses on the kitchen counter.” Then, instead of searching for them, say: “Alexa, what did I ask you to remember?” Unfortunately, when I […]

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Filed under: Amazon, Apple, gadgets, Internuts, iPad | Comments Off on ALEXA MAKES A GOOD SOUNDBAR, MEMORY AID AND NAG

I rarely carry a physical wallet. I prefer the digital kind, such as the new Apple Wallet. With this month’s update to iOS 15, iPhone’s latest operating system, Apple Wallet will store your driver’s license, car keys, boarding passes, tickets, vaccination card and any other form of ID. When you show your digitized driver’s license, it will automatically conceal your home address if you wish. To digitize any document to store in Apple Wallet or elsewhere, tap your phone’s camera app and snap a picture. I store mine using Google’s free app, “Stack” for Android. It makes documents quick to find. No more wasting time rummaging through Google Drive for my driver’s license . Eight U.S. states accept digitized ID […]

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Filed under: Apple, gadgets, Gmail, Internuts, mouse, robots, text messaging, Windows | Comments Off on STORING IDS ON YOUR PHONE

You probably know about “Street View” in Google Maps. But did you know that you can see inside the buildings your friends are in, if they’ve turned on “Location Sharing?”  While at home on the East Coast, my friends could see inside my Chicago hotel room, alongside a map pinpointing my exact address.  They could even see my room’s wallpaper and pillows. When I moved to the other side of the room, they saw the couch. When I was at a Cubs game, they could see the seats. At an art museum, they could see the painting I was looking at. But they couldn’t see me in any of the pictures. These interior shots, like Google’s “street view,” were taken […]

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Filed under: Amazon, Apple, Google, Internuts, maps | Comments Off on GOOGLE MAPS LETS YOUR FRIENDS SEE INSIDE THE BUILDINGS YOU’RE IN

Amazon Halo, the new Fitbit-type wearable I wrote about it last time, is even weirder than I thought. But I like it.  Halo’s voice analysis can pinpoint my moods to the very second, telling me when I sound delighted, amused, shy, and so on. (I’ve yet to sound angry even once in over three weeks.) For example, it said I was  “miserable” at 11:10 a.m., but “happy” exactly two seconds later. If you want to improve your tone, the app has video challenges for that. For instance, a four-time martial arts champion and yoga expert guides you in warm-ups for powerful public speaking. You can turn off the mike if you don’t want your tone analyzed. Speech samples are processed […]

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Filed under: Amazon, Apple, books, education, health, Internuts, iPhone, kids | Comments Off on A SECOND LOOK AT AMAZON HALO WEARABLE