🛑 Do not drive this

🤯 WOW! You pay for “unlimited,” but your hotspot may have a hard ceiling. On one popular premium plan, data drops to 600 Kbps after 30GB. That’s slower than a 2009 flip phone loading a weather map. And some plans slap a speed cap on your phone data, too.

The Short Version: Unlimited means no cutoff and no overage fees, not full speed forever. Steps below to steer clear of the slow lane.

📖 Read time: 2 minutes

Hey, Pete, thanks for writing in. And yes, I go Komando, too. (Somebody has to.) Buc-ee’s rocks? I’ve never been, but I’ve heard a Buc-ee’s general manager can make up to $275,000 a year, no college degree required. That’s a lot of Beaver Nuggets.

Now, your question. “Unlimited” means your carrier won’t cut you off or hit you with overage fees. It does not mean full speed all the time.

Then there’s a hotspot. It often gets its own, much smaller limit. On one popular premium plan, hotspot gets 30GB, then drops to 600 Kbps on most of the network. That’s practically dial-up. 

Some plans also squeeze video down to 480p, so that movie in the sleeper looks like it was filmed on a potato.

Good news for a long-haul guy like you. Out in the country, where one tower serves a handful of people, deprioritization barely matters. You feel the slowdown at a packed stadium or in a big city at rush hour.

Think of unlimited as an all-you-can-eat buffet. You can keep eating. They control how fast the plates come out.

FYI, Consumer Cellular sponsors my show and this newsletter. They buy airtime, they don’t buy my opinion. And yes, I use them myself.

Here’s why it’s worth a look, Pete. Consumer Cellular runs on AT&T’s network, so you get big-network coverage without the big-network bill. Your hotspot pulls from your plan’s data, with no separate hotspot fee. And if you’re 50 or better, one line of Unlimited is $35 a month with AutoPay.

Don’t take my word for it. 

My inbox is filling up with listeners who made the switch and are saving real money. Ralph saves $75 a month. That’s $900 a year. Janet saves $65 a month, or $780 a year. And Xavier? He saves $85 a month. That’s $1,020 a year back in his pocket. (Xavier, I expect a thank-you card.) 

Add up just these three, and that’s $2,700 a year they were handing to their old carrier. Your savings will vary, but that’s what I call a better plan.

✅ Right now, get $100 off any Consumer Cellular Unlimited plan. No contract, so if it doesn’t fit your route, you’re free to go. It’s definitely worth checking out. I bet you’ll save money, too!

📩 Send this to someone who hasn’t check their cell phone bill for years.

Share this now:

🛑 Porsche and Subaru “Do Not Drive”: Everyone loves a new car until the manufacturer says the wheels might fly off. Porsche and Subaru gave “Do Not Drive” warnings: Porsche for certain 2024 911 GT3 and Turbo S models, plus the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and Spyder RS, and Subaru for certain 2026 Crosstrek and Forester models. Owner letters come out Dec. 15 and 16. Ford’s recall letters for 102,159 trucks go out this week. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls. Wheel-y important stuff. 

✈️ Thumbs reroute everyone: So one United passenger’s text became everyone’s scheduling problem. The plane returned to Las Vegas and went into lockdown after a flight attendant spotted him allegedly texting that he would “hijack the aircraft.” Them’s fighting words in the air. Whether it was a joke remains unclear, but explaining your sense of humor to airport security sounds like the worst possible open mic. I can barely tolerate someone reclining into my lunch, this would be so annoying.

🪢 Check that dog toy rope: I have this same rope toy, which made my stomach drop reading this woman’s warning. She says her dog died after swallowing fibers from a pet item bought from Amazon marketed for aggressive chewers. Those strands don’t easily break down in the stomach and can cause dangerous blockages. After she posted on TikTok, other owners shared similar experiences. If yours starts unraveling, take it away and call your vet promptly if your dog swallowed any.

📍 Plate expectations: Picture sitting in a police car while an officer clicks through photos of your license plate from your driving vacation. That happened to one woman last year while driving from New Orleans toward Florida. She was told her travel looked suspicious, then questioned why a particular city she drove through was missing from the tracking system. A whiskey-museum pamphlet helped explain her visit. I’d rather my souvenirs stayed useless, thanks, instead of becoming roadside evidence. Unbelievable.

🩻 AI spots cancer clues early: My mom died from pancreatic cancer so this hits home for me. A normal CT scan could have pancreatic cancer clues sitting there for over a year. AI tech called REDMOD reviewed old scans and flagged warning signs an average of 475 days before diagnosis. But hold the robot parade: Real-world trials still have to prove it helps patients. I have hope. More ordinary days with the people you love. That’s the only spec that matters.

Can someone get too emotionally attached to AI? This ChatGPT breakup sparked an online backlash.

Watch now before everyone else is talking about it. 👇

▶️ Watch on YouTube →

Your robot vacuum doesn’t simply clean. It builds a map of your house that probably lives in the cloud. Hear which settings turn it off. Plus, a robot hand that crawls like the Addams Family’s Thing and why you might buy your next robot at a car dealership.

Listen on Komando.com →

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Waiting for something to go on sale? Share the product link with ChatGPT and ask, “Check this price every morning and tell me when it drops below $50.” You can also manage the task under Scheduled in the sidebar. It checks while you’re away and can notify you by phone or email. One less reason to keep refreshing.

🚨 Old iPhone? Update it now: Apple fixed a serious flaw hackers are exploiting. A nasty file could let them run code on your device. Don’t put this off. If you have an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or iPad 7th gen, install iOS 18.7.11 or iPadOS 18.7.11 now. Open Settings > General > Software Update. On iOS 27? Update, too.

💥 Your backup will fail. Hard drives, laptops and external drives all die eventually. When they do, photos, tax docs and memories go with them. Professional recovery runs $300 to $3,000, if it works at all. That’s why I use Carbonite. It backs everything up automatically in the background, and one click brings it all back. Get 60% off right now. That’s only $37.99 a year with my link. Don’t wait until it’s too late.* 

💻 Apple’s fastest MacBook just landed: Apple says its 14-inch laptop with a M6 chip has the world’s fastest CPU core, with up to 30% faster graphics and 25% faster AI. There’s up to 24 hours of battery life, too, and fast charging gets you to 50% in 30 minutes. It starts at $1,999. Preorders open today.

🌧️ Google Translate finally gets your slang: Ever type an idiom into Google Translate and get word salad back? “It’s raining cats and dogs” used to come out as gibberish. Now Gemini explains what you mean. Open the Google Translate app, type a phrase, then tap Understand for the meaning or Ask to learn how locals say it. Try “break a leg” or “that’s the GOAT.” Your Spanish teacher would be proud.

🗑️ A cleaner desktop in 10 seconds: The Recycle Bin doesn’t have to stay on your Windows desktop. Open Settings > Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings and uncheck Recycle Bin. It hides the icon without changing where deleted files go. Now the wallpaper can have its moment. Assuming those 10 screenshots aren’t still in the way. 😉

Be on the show! Your story could help millions. Whether tech saved you, stumped you or cost you money, tell me all about it here. I’ll read it. 

Mosquitoes are moving into new neighborhoods, spreading disease and acting like flying vampires. Now AI is out for blood.

Mosqitter builds traps that catfish female mosquitoes, the only ones that bite. Fake skin heat, fake human scent and, on the $1,999 model, fake breath. Lights out, bloodsucker.

Its 5,000-plus traps worldwide are getting AI that IDs the species and predicts disease risk. The home model is $199. Your citronella candle just got fired.

Check it out here. If life is a game, mosquitoes aren’t bugs. They’re features.

🎓 What you learned today: Unlimited phone plans can slow your data, license plate cameras track your road trips, cargo thieves are stealing millions in tech shipments, AI may spot pancreatic cancer clues earlier and older iPhones need an urgent security update. Not bad for one email. Ding-dong ditch has turned into door-kicking. Teens are booting front doors, filming it and running. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you how to protect your home and make sure your camera records.

💳 The answer: B) Yes, Apple itself warns about it. Your phone’s magnets can mess with credit cards, hotel key cards, security badges and anything else relying on magnetic stripes or embedded chips.

Apple specifically says not to place sensitive items between your iPhone and a MagSafe charger because the magnets can interfere with them. Your phone is smart but not “trusted around hotel keys” smart.

Lock it down: Pop your cards out before you charge. Keep hotel key cards away from your phone (they scramble easily). And if a card suddenly won’t swipe, ask your bank for a free replacement.

What’s the difference between a pessimist and a magnet? A magnet has a positive side. (I heard that groan from 40,000 feet. I’m writing this on an 11-hour flight from London home to Phoenix, and it’s been a breeze thanks to a fantastic British Airways flight attendant and Starlink Wi-Fi. Crappy airplane Wi-Fi, I won’t miss you.)

Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily

🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.

Photo credit(s): ChatGPT/Kim Komando, SNOWCLAD, NETGEAR, Mosqitter

Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.