I use Siri to send texts, put my phone on Do Not Disturb before I record, set meetings and lots more. One time I don’t use it? In an emergency. Luckily, emergencies are few and far between in my life (knock on wood), but I wouldn’t risk it.

Researchers asked voice assistants questions related to cardiac arrest emergencies. Yep, it was a complete disaster. You might think a quick “Hey, Siri” would pull up the instructions quickly and clearly, but that’s absolutely the worst thing to do. 

Click here to read full story.

Remember screaming, “Dinner’s ready!” Or maybe you had a fancy built-in intercom system in your house? Those clunky old systems feel outdated today, but man, were they handy.

Good news: You have access to the future world version if you own any smart speakers. It’s super easy to set up. Let me show you how.

Click here to read full story.

Using an app exposes you to tracking, but it’s particularly dangerous with certain ones. TikTok has been banned from government and military devices in the U.S., and there’s been a push for its Chinese owners to sell their shares in the company. And that’s not all. Watch out for these other Chinese apps.

It’s not just apps you have to worry about. The threat may be closer to home than you think.

Click here to read full story.

Who says Alexa is only helpful on your kitchen counter? She’s a smart cookie, and chances are, there’s more you could be doing with her.

Did you know that Alexa can improve home security and check in on elderly relatives? Tap or click here for five clever ways to use your Echo and Alexa.

Click here to read full story.

In the world of smart speakers and virtual assistants, Alexa is the reigning champion. Nearly 70% of all smart speaker owners have an Amazon Echo device, and that number is only projected to grow as more Alexa-compatible devices are released.

Why is Alexa so popular? Compared to virtual assistants like Google and Siri, Alexa works with far more gadgets, features significantly more commands and Amazon Echos are pretty inexpensive. Tap or click here to see how the most popular smart speakers compare with one another.

Click here to read full story.

Most of us don’t give a second thought to the router that manages our home internet. We assume it’s working fine, just like the day we installed it, which is why hackers can break into your network and wreak havoc without you even realizing it.

It may have happened already. Tap or click here for a free test to see if your router has been hacked. Remember, every device in your network as at stake.

Click here to read full story.

Do you have a smart speaker in your home? The chances are pretty high that you do, considering about one-third of American homes use them. And even if you don’t have one yet, there’s a good chance you’ll get one for Christmas this year.

Smart speakers, like the Amazon Echo and Google Nest, are popular for a reason. They not only entertain the kids with trivia, tell you the day’s headlines and keep track of your schedule, but they also act as the central hub for controlling your other smart devices too.

Click here to read full story.

Alexa is already smart, but Amazon engineers want to take it even further. They’re tweaking the voice assistant’s algorithm to predict what users will say before they have a chance to speak.

Soon, Alexa may even be able to guess items you want to order before you’ve thought of it. Tap or click here for even more clever uses for your Amazon Echo.

Click here to read full story.

Are you looking to upgrade your current Echo smart speaker, or make the jump to other Alexa-enabled devices? Here’s the current list of Echo devices available now.

Echo smart speakers
	Echo Flex	Echo Dot (3rd Gen)	Echo Dot (4th Gen)	Echo Dot with clock (4th Gen)	Echo (4th Gen)	Echo Studio
Speakers	0.6″ mini speaker	1.6″ speaker	1.6″ front-firing speaker	1.6″ front-firing speaker	3.0″ woofer and dual front-firing 0.8″ tweeters	1.0″ tweeter, three 2.0″ mid-range speakers, and 5.3″ woofer
Line in/out	3.5 mm line out	3.5 mm line out	3.5 mm line out	3.5 mm line out	3.5 mm line in/out	3.5 mm or mini-optical Toslink line in
Dolby technology	No	No	No	No	Dolby audio	Dolby Atmos
Built-in Zigbee smart home hub*	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
LED display	No	No	No	Yes	No	No

*Zigbee is a wireless protocol that allows Amazon Echo devices to communicate with otherwise incompatible smart home tech.

Click here to read full story.

When it comes to smart assistants, we tend to hear about Alexa more often than other options on the market. But while Alexa can admittedly do some pretty cool things, so can other smart assistants.

Take Google Assistant, for instance. We got a little taste of Google Assistant during a Super Bowl commercial that had everyone in their feelings last year. It depicted the bittersweet story of a man using Google Assistant to come to terms with the loss of his wife, Loretta.

Click here to read full story.

Millions of homes have at least one smart speaker, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only are they great for listening to music and getting weather and news updates, but you can also control all the smart devices in your home with your voice. Super convenient!

But there is one major downside: the impact they have on your privacy. After all, smart speakers are always listening for the wake word. One company got creative and came up with a tool that jams the Amazon Echo. Tap or click here to see how Alexagate can ease your fears.

Click here to read full story.

It’s no secret that smart speakers are always listening. How else would they be able to pick up on the wake word and know when you’re asking a question? There literally is no other way.

Listening is one thing, but recording and storing conversations is something completely different. You might be shocked at how many times smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa accidentally record your conversations, often because it “hears” the wrong wake word. Tap or click here to find out how to stop it from happening.

Click here to read full story.

Today’s tech is loaded with features most of us never use. Why? Simply stated, there’s no real user manual.

Maybe no one ever told you that you could unsend an email. Yes, really. But you need to set up the feature before you need to use it.

Click here to read full story.

The widespread adoption of smart home products is one of the biggest recent developments in the tech industry. In fact, during CES 2020, a sizable portion of the convention was dedicated to smart home and internet-of-things products, as well as the voice assistants that make it all possible.

Because of how popular these products have become, voice assistants are still going strong. Manufacturers continue to push valuable updates that add new interactive features and make life indoors even more convenient. Tap or click here to see how Alexa can now be used as an intercom system in your house.

Click here to read full story.

Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products and all things digital.

Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about work from home tools, changing ringtones, identifying anonymous phone numbers and more.

Click here to read full story.

You want all the devices in your home to be safe. For those that connect to the internet and have the ability to listen to your conversations, you need a little extra security.

We’re talking specifically about smart speakers. Tap or click here to adjust the security settings on another IoT device. Smart speakers can be incredibly useful, but also a giant liability for you and your loved ones.

Click here to read full story.

We’ve been warning for years that Alexa is listening to everything that’s happening in your home.

It’s even storing recorded audio of what you’re saying. Tap or click here to listen to your Alexa recordings. But the thing is, Alexa isn’t the only culprit. Most smart speakers actually do this — a lot.

Click here to read full story.

Did you know cybercriminals can speak to you through smart speakers, turn off lights or even mess with your thermostat? Click or tap here for the story of a couple who’s smart home was invaded by a hacker.

But those are small pranks. Imagine the damage hackers could do if they could disable smart locks or garage door openers. These systems are designed to be much harder to hack, but a newly discovered, low-tech solution could make it easy for anyone to enter your smart home without your knowledge.

Click here to read full story.

Have you started making holiday plans yet? Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away, after all.

The holiday season doesn’t just mean it’s time to get together with family and friends. It’s also shopping season, which gets real serious on Black Friday. Crooks are always out in full force this time of year too. Tap or click here to learn about some Black Friday scams to watch out for.

Click here to read full story.

If your smartphone or tablet is acting strange, your first thought might be that it’s been infected with a virus. If that’s the case, you need to find out for sure and get rid of it. Tap or click here to learn 4 signs your Android device has a virus and what to do about it.

If it’s not infected, something else is causing the problem. It could be something less devious than a virus, like a glitch built into the gadget itself.

Click here to read full story.