🔥 Early Black Friday tech deals you can shop now

Happy Saturday to you, {{first_name | friend}}. Let’s see if your inner weekend tech whisperer knows this one. Your home Wi-Fi suddenly slows to a crawl, and everyone blames you. (Been there.)

🐌 But what’s the real reason your connection is crawling? Is it: A) Your router is overheating, B) Too many neighbors on the same Wi-Fi channel, C) A loose coax cable or D) Your modem needs a firmware update? Find the answer beeping its alien language at the end! 

🎄 My Christmas Cash Giveaway starts next week! If you call in and chat with me on the show, you could score up to $500 on the spot. Plus, every single day I’m surprising one lucky reader of this newsletter with a cash prize with a Golden Ticket up to $500. Want another way to win? Head over to WinFromKim.com and enter there, too. ’Tis the season for a little extra cheer and maybe some extra cash in your pocket! — Kim

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Black Friday is coming in hot, and I’ve rounded up 10 awesome gadgets that are on sale now and make great gifts. Holiday hero mode: ON. If you don’t want to save money on the best deals, scroll down to the Web Watercooler and find out when Prince William will give his kids phones.

Save $210! This robot vac and mop combo cleans the floors and rugs but also recognizes shoes, cords, socks and even dog poop. A game changer for anyone with kids, pets or a messy partner. My mom called hers “Rosie.” I miss hearing her say that.

“Alexa, start kids’ mode.” Amazon’s latest smart speaker includes a full year of Amazon Kids+ on the house. All with parental controls at your fingertips.

A solid laptop. Perfect for school, work, binge-watching and everything in between, thanks to its 15.6” touch screen and built-in Google AI. All for under $300.

Instant vibe shift. Control these smart strips with Alexa, Google Assistant or your phone. Perfect for holiday decorating or a gift for that teen in your life who is hard to get anything for. I scored big last year with this!

Your phone’s throne. Read this newsletter, follow recipes and take Zoom calls for under $10. You can finally stop propping it on a coffee mug. I am using mine right now!

Kids love this. This bundle comes with 90 sheets of premium 4x6 paper. Get it for fun, scrapbooking or anyone who still wants real photos.

Your new winter obsession. Drop in your blankets, bathrobes or PJs, and pull them out all warm and cozy. I love this especially on chilly mornings.

Jump-start your at-home fitness routine. Track your workouts, calories and progress. Plus, cordless mode means zero tangles or trips.

“Certified banger of a tool, I have one!” said Alex on our team who is not quick to throw a compliment. From shelves to furniture repairs, this set with 25 bits handles it all. Three torque settings get the job done fast. Great gift for sure! 

For any pet parent. Talk to your pup and even launch treats from your phone. Smart alerts help you catch mischief before your couch pays the price. I gave this to my Pilates instructor, and she loves, loves, loves it!

📵 No internet for you, young George: Prince William says 12-year-old Prince George might get a phone soon, but only one with zero internet. Just calls and texts. The decision’s already causing “tense” moments in the royal house. William says he’d rather keep the internet out than deal with what kids can stumble across online. Imagine being the future king and grounded from Roblox.

Code of love: I know this sounds unreal, but AI girlfriends are ending marriages. People are leaving their partners because the chatbot listens better. Like, actually filing for divorce because their significant other fell in love with a bot (paywall link). One woman walked out after her dude named his AI “sexy Latina baby girl.” Next up on Dr. Phil: Who’s the Daddy, You or GPT?

No more updates, pal: If you’re still on Windows 11 Home or Pro (version 23H2), security updates stopped, as of this week. Microsoft warned us, but now it’s official. You need to update for protection from bugs, hacks or whatever chaos the internet throws at you next. Head to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, hit “Download and install” if 25H2 pops up, and done.

💲 How much are you paying a month for your phone? Maybe you’re like me and you never really check your bill. It’s on autopay. Shocker. I bet you’re paying more than think. I was. If you’re over 50, get two unlimited lines for only $30 each line, and save another $25 when you use my link. It’s def worth looking at now while you’re thinking about it. Ralph, a reader, told me he’s saving $75/month or $900/year.*

Red light, green light: So this mom thinks her teens are out with a friend’s mom, right? Then her phone won’t stop buzzing. Turns out her Greenlight app, the one that tracks chores and allowances, is now tracking speeding (paywall link). The car’s going 30 over. She calls, and yep, the driver’s a kid with a learner’s permit. 

LinkedIn’s AI upgrade: Instead of guessing job titles or drowning in filters, LinkedIn lets you (if you’re paying for Premium) search in plain English. Meaning you can do stuff like “find fintech founders in Austin, Texas” or “find social media managers open to work.” Maybe this update can make the average LinkedIn person speak like a human. I’m looking at you, “thought leaders.”

🙏🏻 This is phenomenal: Brad Smith has ALS and can’t move or speak, but he watches his kid’s soccer games and snaps photos only by thinking, thanks to a Neuralink brain chip + a custom Insta360 camera setup. It tracks his gaze and pans around like he’s behind the camera himself. Sounds like sci-fi, but it’s a real story out of Gilbert, Arizona. Is someone cutting onions around here?

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Chrome, you can get the weather in a snap. Type “weather” in the address bar to see a quick forecast (no need to press Enter). Want another location? Try “weather [state name].” Beats opening an app.

Pick your favorite calling app: With iOS 26, you don’t have to stick with the regular phone app anymore. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Calling and choose something like WhatsApp or FaceTime instead. Bonus: Set your default email, messages and browser while you’re there.

🖥️ Turn off lock screen ads: On Windows 11, you might see ads pop up when your computer’s locked. To get rid of them, open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Lock screen status. Tap the drop-down menu and choose None.

Kid addicted to Fortnite? Log in to their account on the Epic Games portal, go to Parental Controls and set a PIN. You can cap playtime, manage who they chat with and require the PIN before any purchases go through on Epic. Note: They’ll still be able to buy V-Bucks on Xbox and PlayStation.

💸 Save big on tech: Why pay full price for your gadgets when you can find deals on Amazon Renewed? It’s where big brands sell open-box, pre-owned and refurbished gear like MacBooks for a lot less. Everything’s tested, inspected and looks practically new. And yes, you get a 90-day guarantee, so if it doesn’t work, you can send it back.

Here’s the truth about free Wi-Fi: A hacker with about a 10-year-old’s tech smarts sitting two tables away can grab all your info. I could show you how to do it in about five minutes. Seriously, it’s like handing over your phone unlocked. ExpressVPN wraps your connection in encrypted protection and hides everything you do. It’s one click, and suddenly you’re not an easy target. Get 4 extra months when you sign up.*

☕ My cup runneth over. There’s so much going on that I can’t fit it in this newsletter. You can find it all on my award-winning show this week. Find your local station here.

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💰 Make money with AI? You don’t need a PhD to get in. I asked Brook Hansen, a 20-year data worker, how someone can get a job in AI without knowing a single line of code. Listen to the convo here.

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Feeling overworked lately? You’re not alone because apparently Santa’s elves assembling the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas trucks have been working doubles and triples. 

Coke designed its new holiday ad by stitching over 70,000 clips from Sora, Veo 3 and Luma in 30 days. Coke calls it innovation. Critics call it a slopfest. Wheels vanish, truck bodies morph, and one scene makes it look like Santa’s convoy is about to drive through a crowd (check it out now at 0:50). 

One of the video’s top comments nails it: “Nothing says Christmas quite like Dad got fired because AI replaced him to do animation.” Ouch.

🥵 The answer: A) Your router is overheating. Yep, your innocent-looking little router is a computer in a box. Placing it out in the open (yes, even if it messes with your aesthetic) can prevent overheating and speed your internet without buying a single thing.

I, too, slow to a crawl when I’m overheated. You know, if you apply enough heat and pressure to Kid Rock, he turns into Neil Diamond. Yea, that was bad. I know it.

📻 Pump up the volume! My award-winning national radio show is airing all weekend across the USA. With over 420 stations strong, find your closest one by using our super-duper station locator map, or listen commercial-free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or in the Komando Community. 

Tomorrow, the $48 charge that almost became a $70K car loan. One tiny bill, full-blown identity scam. It’s such a crazy story. This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States. 

⏳ Feeling slow and laggy? You probably have too many background processes running. Be mindful of your mental RAM. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Amazon, Coca-Cola

Companies noted with an asterisk (*) sponsor my national radio show. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

This newsletter and its content are intended for informational purposes only. They are provided without warranty of any kind. You shouldn’t construe anything provided here as legal, health, medical, technical, tax, investment, financial or any other kind of advice.

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