🚨 Hackers impersonating cops

I hope your Saturday is off to a lovely start, {{first_name | friend}}. Ever tried sending a selfie from a concert, only for your phone to load like it’s on dial-up? It’s not just you. Airports, stadiums, parades are kind of the Bermuda Triangle for mobile data.  

🐌 So why does your phone crawl to a stop uploading photos or streaming video when you’re surrounded by a crowd? A) Overloaded airwaves on the local radio frequency spectrum, B) Local cell tower’s computer processor overheating from the sheer number of data requests, C) Too much signal bounce on reflective objects, or D) Carriers prioritizing calls and text over data. Take your pick, the answer is buffering at the end. I know all you engineers and nerds are debating this one in your head!

📻 Listen up! My 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, Amazon Music, iHeart or in the Komando Community.

🎟️ Remember to check the Golden Ticket section below. One lucky reader gets a $100, $200 or $500 Amazon gift card every day, and it could be you. 

Don’t keep all the good stuff to yourself. Forward this newsletter to someone still blaming “bad karma” for their slow signal. Let’s fix that. — Kim

📬 Was this forwarded to you? Be the first to know, not the last to hear. Sign up now. It’s free!

Let’s face it. We buy presents we think the person will like, but we also don’t want to go in debt. Check out these great gifts at great prices I put together for you to make holiday and Christmas giving easier.

If you’d rather wait to panic shop next week, scroll down to the Web Watercooler section to learn how hackers tricked Big Tech.

Outsmart porch pirates: The Blink security combo (66% off, $48) gets you a video doorbell and an outdoor cam for extra coverage. Everything installs without wiring, works with Alexa and lasts up to two years on AAAs.

Salon power at home: Meet Wavytalk’s hair dryer (40% off, $30). It’s lightweight and comes with three attachments to suit any hairstyle. The ionic tech helps tame frizz and static while boosting shine.

Go-anywhere backup: This solar power bank (35% off, $26) fast-charges your phone even when you’re miles from an outlet. Juice up to three gadgets at once, and it has two flashlights for emergencies.

Stream machine: Roku’s 4K streaming stick (40% off, $30) turns even old TVs into smart ones in less than a minute. Setup is easy for even non-techy folks. All your favorite apps and tons of free live channels, too.

Wearable relief: Wrap a heating pad (33% off, $40) around your shoulders, back, waist or wherever you feel sore. Warms up quickly and has multiple heat settings. Perfect after hunching over a desk all day.

Click with comfort: A rechargeable ergonomic mouse (38% off, $25) keeps your hand relaxed during long office days. The adjustable DPI lets you choose how fast the cursor zips around the screen.

More than a hat: This Bluetooth beanie (25% off, $15) looks like a normal cap. But it’s got built-in speakers and a mic for calls. Connect it to your phone and jam out to tunes for up to 23 hours on a single charge.

Fuzzy favorites: These memory foam slippers (44% off, $20) for women are soft enough for lounging but durable for quick trips to the porch. Feet stay toasty without feeling like they’re in a sauna.

Handy helper: Give that DIYer in your life a magnetic wristband (39% off, $9). It holds screws, nails, drill bits and any other little things they usually drop or lose. Projects just got less frustrating.

Prep to perfection: Stop eyeballing ingredients with a digital food scale (20% off, $8) that measures up to 11 lbs. Plus, it switches between grams, ounces and even milk volume with one button.

🎧 Not less than $25, but way less than AirPods: I’ve tested more audio gear than I can count, and I keep coming back to Raycon’s Everyday Earbuds. Comfortable fit, great sound, simple to use. Raycon is offering up to 20% off sitewide right now. Perfect for gifting or upgrading. Order before Dec. 15th in time for Christmas delivery.

🎄 Ready to wrap up the rest?

🚨 All it takes: This should make you sit up a little straighter. Hackers are using fake police emails and forged emergency requests to get tech companies to hand over your name, address, phone number and email in minutes. A member of a hacking group claims it’s worked on Apple, Amazon and dozens more, up to 500 times. The loophole? “Emergency” law enforcement requests that skip verification. Often, the weakest link in tech security is people trying to be helpful. Be careful of any sketchy email or phone calls.

Electric mood: The FDA approved the first at-home brain stimulation device to treat depression, as an alternative or add-on to medication. How’s it work? It gently zaps your brain (yes, actually), stimulating regions involved in mood regulation. So far, 58% of patients saw remission after 10 weeks. It’s designed for moderate to severe depression and costs $500 to $800, with insurance talks underway. More than 55,000 people already use it overseas. Coming to us in 2026.

Blast from the past: This one feels good. After losing her home in the Palisades Fire, Ricki Lake made peace with losing her photos forever, until an artist randomly found them at a flea market. A $20 box (paywall link). Old family pictures. Her kids as babies. One Instagram post later, they found their way back to her. My question? Who’s out there selling someone else’s family pictures? 

💲 What is your phone bill actually costing you? Be honest with me, it’s on auto-pay and you haven’t looked at the line items since 2019. I was shocked. If you’re paying over a hundred bucks a month, you’re officially overspending. Over 50 years old? You can grab two unlimited lines for only $30 each (this is a real deal!) plus get your second month free when you use my exclusive link. Reader Ralph is already saving $75 a month, that’s $900 back in his pocket every year. Check it out right now and stop giving away money!* 

📻 Bad podcast host: The Washington Post rolled out AI-generated, personalized podcasts this week: Pick your topics, pick your host, press play. Cool in theory, but problems showed up within 48 hours. The AI made up or messed up quotes and slipped commentary into straight news. The standards editor called the errors “frustrating,” which means this is bad. The worry isn’t tech, it’s that the Post’s own journalism got warped and pushed out at scale, with no human brake pedal.

Smarter speaker shopping: If you’ve got an Echo Show, a Shopping Essentials dashboard tracks deliveries, suggests refills, watches prices and can automatically buy things for you when they get cheap enough. You can tell it, “Buy this if it drops below $300.” It’ll suggest last-minute add-ons before your box leaves the warehouse. Peak convenience or the end of personal restraint. Probably both.

🛒 Cart by chatbot: Ever stared into your fridge at 6:12 p.m. wondering if string cheese and mustard counts as dinner? Same. OpenAI and Instacart built full grocery shopping into ChatGPT. You ask what’s for dinner, it builds a list, fills your cart and checks out, all in one chat. It used to be your kid sneaking Lucky Charms in the cart. Now it’s your chatbot upselling truffle salt. And yes, OpenAI gets a cut.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In the dark without your phone? Don’t forget your Apple Watch has a flashlight, too. Press the side button to open Control Center, then tap the flashlight icon. Bonus tip: Swipe left or right to change modes. There’s white, flashing white or red.

Add a pit stop in Google Maps: Need to grab coffee on the way? Open Maps, type in your destination and tap Directions. At the bottom of the screen, hit Add stops and enter your extra location. It should slot right into your route, then tap Start. FYI, you can rearrange stops by dragging the two lines next to each one.

🤔 ChatGPT still gets things wrong: If an answer sounds off, prompt, “Are you sure about that?” The bot will usually explain in more detail or correct itself. Not convinced? Try “Confirm this info is true by searching the web as of December 2025.” Now check those article links it gives you to see if they’re from legit sources.

Never miss a thing on Android: Waiting on an important text? You can have your camera flash or screen light up in a custom color when a notification comes in. Go to Settings > Notifications > Flash Notification and toggle on Camera flash or Screen flash (or both). Apply it on all apps or specific ones.

🖥️ Organize your Start Menu: Windows puts a whole lotta junk under your Pinned apps, but you can remove it easily. Right-click anything you don’t need (like Disney+ or Xbox) and select Unpin from Start. To add your favorites, right-click and choose Pin to Start. Drag the apps around to organize them or put them in groups.

🥛 I try to drink enough water: I really do, but most days, I fall short. I’ve even ended up in the ER because I was dehydrated. That’s why I’ve been adding NativeHydrate from NativePath to my water bottle. It’s packed with essential electrolytes (no sugar, just 5 calories), and it helps my body stay hydrated. Right now, you can get 44% off plus free shipping and bonus gifts.*

My award-winning radio show airs this weekend. With over 420 stations, find your closest one by using our super-duper station locator map, or listen commercial-free on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart or in the Komando Community. 

❗ Next week is the last one for my Kim’s Christmas Cash Giveaway. If my producers love your call and you make it on the show, you could get a $100, $200 or $500 Amazon gift card. Book an appointment to speak with me today, and you could be the next person getting cash on the air!

Quick favor: Love the show? I need you to tell your local station! Hit their “Contact Us” page or send a social media shout-out. Your 30 seconds keeps the tech talk coming to your city. TY!

🚨 Held at gunpoint for an e-bike: Justin from Las Vegas wanted to get an e-bike for his son off FB Marketplace. Both he and his son show up to buy it, and they’re held at gunpoint for the cash. Hear the absolutely crazy call.

📺 Don’t just listen! Catch the show on my YouTube channel. It’s like our own corner of the internet, but you get to see my expression when someone asks a truly crazy question. Click here to watch, subscribe and learn!

Or search for “Kim Komando” wherever you get your podcasts.

Tesla dropped an Optimus update, and yes, the robot can now run. Sort of. Optimus V2.5 moves faster and has a more human-like gait. 

The new 22-degrees-of-freedom hand is tendon-driven, human-size, and all the motors are in the forearm: a real flex.

Still, it runs like someone who absolutely didn’t plan on starting their New Year’s resolution of doing more cardio but got peer pressured into it anyway. Compared to Musk’s earlier versions that moved like a coatrack on a rocky boat, this is a real upgrade.

The answer: A) Overloaded airwaves on the local radio frequency spectrum. Thousands of phones trying to tap into the exact same slice of invisible real estate. Think of it like everyone yelling into walkie-talkies on the same channel at once. Your phone isn’t broken. It’s standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 15,000 others screaming, “Upload already!” Don’t be mad at 5G, it’s doing its best.

🎼 Speaking of, I once took Ian to a classical music concert. He didn’t like it. I agreed, there was too much sax and violins.

This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the U.S. Tomorrow, I’m diving into how your phone became a full-time snitch, selling your location, habits and secrets like it’s running an Etsy shop for spies.

✋ Do something today that your future self will high-five you for, from the cloud. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Gemini, @XRoboHub via X

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.