Look up subsequent time you’re exterior and guess the place the airplane above you is headed. Los Angeles? New York? Paris? Ask Siri this phrase, “What flights are overhead?” You’ll see the provider, flight quantity, and altitude in seconds.
I really like sharing easy digital life suggestions that make issues simpler. Bonus: Most are good for impressing your loved ones and buddies. Here are five more useful tech tricks to test.
For you Windows customers, do that subsequent time you may have many applications open. Click on the highest bar of 1 window, maintain it down, and shake your mouse. This shake will reduce all different open home windows immediately. Shake it once more to revive them. Tap or click on for hidden features to try now on your Windows PC or Mac.
On the usefulness scale, your cellphone’s sensible assistant is excessive — if you already know the proper instructions. Here are 5 I exploit on a regular basis.
1. Turn on the flashlight
When it’s darkish, and also you’re making an attempt to learn a menu or make your manner down a darkish hallway, you don’t need to fumble together with your cellphone to seek out the flashlight.
Simply say, “Turn on the flashlight.” It works for each Siri and Google Assistant. Just say the wake identify first to ensure they’re listening.
Fun reality: If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you possibly can say “Lumos.” It references the spell Harry and his buddies use to gentle up their wands. Say “Nox” to show the sunshine off.
2. Add to my calendar
It’s simple to make spur-of-the-moment plans whenever you’re speaking to somebody. Then, when the time for the appointment strikes, you neglect about it.
Instead of losing a minute or two coming into in particulars manually, inform Siri or Google Assistant what your plan is, together with a date and time. For instance, you could possibly say, “Hey Siri, set up a lunch meeting with Bob tomorrow at 1 p.m.” You may be extra particular, like, “Hey Google, add an event called Birthday Dinner on Sunday at 4 p.m.”
If you may have a number of calendars, specify which one or else it’ll fall into your default calendar.
Siri routinely connects to Apple’s Calendar app. If you utilize the Google Calendar, although, you’ll have so as to add it to Apple’s default app. Here’s how to get the two apps to play nicely together.
3. Set a timer
You’re nearly to set a timer for tonight’s dinner. Then, you hear a loud thud from the opposite room, and one of many children begins yelling for you. With a single sentence to your sensible assistant, you possibly can put a pin in your present process earlier than operating off to place out a fireplace elsewhere.
To set a timer, inform Siri or Google Assistant, “Set a timer for 10 minutes” or nonetheless lengthy you want. If you say, “Set a timer for 20 minutes called chicken,” this begins a brand new timer with the label “chicken.”
Amazon Alexa-enabled units may also assist out round the home with timers, fast math, and different belongings you’d usually whip out your cellphone for. Tap or click here to make Alexa set up reminders, timers, and alarms.
4. Silence my cellphone
Imagine you’re at church. The pastor is sharing an emotional story. It’s so impactful there’s not a dry eye in the home. Situations like this may be flat-out humiliating. Silence your cellphone earlier than you go right into a church, begin a gathering, or sit down for a job interview.
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An simple strategy to do it’s together with your voice. Say “Siri, silence my phone” or “Google Assistant, silence my phone.”
Speaking of distractions, what number of buzzes and beeps emit out of your cellphone each single day? Tap or click here for a quick and easy way to stop phone notifications for good.
5. That wasn’t for you
Big Tech corporations will inform you their units should not at all times listening — they’re simply listening for the wake phrase. I don’t see the distinction.
Often, you’ll by accident set off your assistant with a phrase that sounds comparable. If you say one thing that sounds much like “Siri” or “Hey Google,” it could perk its metaphorical ears. This will be a difficulty in case your assistant is ready as much as file all the things you say to it.
I just lately went by my Amazon Alexa recordings. I discovered a number of voice clips that didn’t contain Alexa in any respect — together with some personal discussions about shopping for actual property. Tap or click here to find out everything Amazon knows about you.
Luckily, Siri and Google Assistant each make distinctive noises after they’ve been activated. If you need to cease Google Assistant from recording the remainder of your dialog, say, “That wasn’t for you.” This additionally deletes no matter it simply recorded out of your historical past.
You may also inform Siri, “That wasn’t for you,” when it activates accidentally. However, Apple hasn’t formally stated whether or not this phrase wipes your earlier recording from its reminiscence. Tap or click here to stop all your smart devices from listening to you and recording what you say.
Bonus Tip: An unbelievable story about hackers hitting up a hospital for ransomware
Ransomware hackers just lately hit a hospital, and all the things from the cardiac machines to IV pumps stopped working. Doctors and nurses had to make use of pen and paper. There have been no digital affected person information. But what occurred when the hackers came upon it was a hospital will undoubtedly shock you.
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Learn about all the newest know-how on The Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio discuss present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on at present’s digital way of life, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and information hacks. For her each day suggestions, free newsletters, and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.
