🤑 Last call: Best 15 Prime Day picks

In partnership with 

Sign up for free 14-day now!

🤯 WOW! Americans spent $9.1 billion online during last October’s two-day Prime sale. That’s about $3.2 million a minute. Here’s the part Amazon doesn’t shout about: The product page has a Price history tool that shows up to 365 days of pricing. So you can see in seconds if that “deal” is real or a fake markdown.

The Short Version: The sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PT Wednesday, and these 15 picks are worth your money. Links below.

📖 Read time: 2 minutes

This is it. Prime Big Deal Days wrap up now. Two-day sales are built for one thing: panic buying. (Guilty.) So I went through the deals and kept only the stuff that saves you time, money or a headache. Most of it costs less than lunch.

FYI, prices change fast. If one jumps, check that Price history chart before you hit Buy.

Amazon Echo Spot (50% off, $55): Alarms, weather, smart lights and your shopping list, all without touching your phone.

Laptop power bank (29% off, $96): TSA-friendly with built-in retractable cables. No more digging for the one cord you swear you packed.

Retractable car charger (23% off, $16): Four ways to charge from one plug. Backseat peace treaty, signed.

Digital TV antenna (24% off, $17): Free TV never left. Stick it anywhere for local channels in HD and 4K. Zero monthly bill.

LED night-lights (45% off, $7 for two): Forget fumbling for light switches. On at dusk, off at sunrise. Your shins will thank you at 2 a.m.

Wyze bulb cam (20% off, $40): Screw it in like a light bulb, and you’ve got a 2K camera that works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Zero wiring.

Hidden camera detector (20% off, $24): I sweep every Airbnb and hotel room with this before I unpack. It sniffs out pinhole lenses, bugs and GPS trackers in minutes.

She’s Birdie 3.0 (25% off, $23): Clips to your keys or purse. Pull the pin, and it blasts 130 decibels with a flashing strobe.

Security roller stamp (15% off, $13): Identity thieves hate it. A few swipes hide names, addresses and account numbers before they hit the trash.

Laptop camera covers (20% off, $6 for two): The cheapest upgrade you’ll make all year. Only 0.023 inches thick, so your laptop still closes flat.

Mold stain remover (23% off, $17): Thick gel dissolves mildew on grout and washer seals. No scrubbing.

Carpet sweeper (38% off, $25): Roll it over rugs to scoop up crumbs. No cord, no battery.

Microfiber car towels (18% off, $13): Soak up water fast with zero scratches or streaks.

WeatherMAX doormat (48% off, $14): Takes heavy foot traffic without sliding or bunching, and it’s low enough to clear the door.

Silverware organizer (20% off, $16): Adjusts to fit your drawer. You’ll find that one good spoon the first time.

I taught my son the definition of bargain. He said, “Thanks, Mom, that means a great deal.”

🗣️ Text/post this stat: Amazon has a Price history tool that shows a full year of prices, so you can spot a fake “deal” in seconds. More tricks like this at GetKim.com.

📩 Send this to someone who has 15 items sitting in their Amazon cart.

Share this now:

Paul loves the convenience of a digital driver’s license, but he’s worried about what happens if AI or a hacker gets to it. We break down the risks and how he can protect himself.

Hit the link below, so you’re in the know. 👇

▶️ Watch on YouTube →

I don’t carry a wallet. Here’s why.

🎣 Still available? Nope: A text asks if your Facebook Marketplace item is still for sale. It even shows a screenshot of the listing with your name as the seller. It’s fake. Scammers pair AI with stolen name and phone number lists to blast these out by the thousands. Reply once, and you’ve confirmed your number works, which makes it worth more to crooks. Don’t answer, and never click the link. Check your listings inside the Facebook app itself. What scam do cats always fall for? Fishing links.

Ballot by chatbot: Voters are asking ChatGPT to decode midterm candidates and ballot measures. Handy, until the answer decides your property taxes, school funding or who runs city hall. More voters are using chatbots this way, even though the tools can be biased or flat-out wrong. Use the bot to translate the ballot fine print and legal oatmeal, then check your official ballot guide before it votes by proxy. 

🧠 Mind reading arrives: Imagine lying inside an MRI while a computer redraws the pizza in your head, exact slices and all. That’s Brain-IT, trained on brain scans from eight people who viewed 70,000+ images. It can reconstruct what you’re seeing in about an hour and could someday help paralyzed patients communicate. I’d like rules before my daydreams get a privacy policy. Besides, my brain is already a web browser: 21 tabs open, five frozen and no clue where the music is coming from.

Period app payday: Your period log may have traveled farther than you did. If you entered health information in Flo from Nov. 1, 2016, through Feb. 28, 2019, you may be eligible for part of a $59.5M settlement. The claim says tracking tools let Google, Meta and Flurry view in-app data without consent. Google is paying $48M, Flo $8M and Flurry $3.5M. All deny wrongdoing, which is what you do after you pay millions for alleged wrongdoing. File your claim here by Oct. 15. 

🥬 Checkout checks out: I knew self-checkout was a productivity gamble the third time a machine accused me of stealing cilantro and I had to call over an associate to enter their little code. Retailers are pulling back after years of theft, scanning mistakes and time lost. Staffed lanes and longer wait times may return while stores make up their mind. We did unpaid checkout work for speed but ended up with suspicious scales, higher costs and a blinking help light.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Park, open Google Maps and tap the blue dot > Save parking. A “P” pin marks the spot, and the app walks you back when you’re done shopping. Works on iPhone and Android. It remembers where the car is. Why you walked into the store is still on you.

🕵️ Your internet company is a snitch: Every site, every device in your house, all time-stamped. Since Congress scrapped privacy rules in 2017, providers don’t need your permission to share and sell your data. I use NordVPN, so all they see is a scrambled tunnel. One click, 10 devices. Save up to 76% plus 4 extra months.*

Wow, widgets: In iOS 27, a widget can fill almost your whole home screen. Press and hold an empty spot, tap the paintbrush icon > Add Widget, pick an app like Calendar and choose the extra-large size. Put it after your main page, enter edit mode again > Edit Pages and drag it over. All your appointments, one swipe away. Now even your phone knows you forgot the dentist.

📺 Get the picture you paid for: Your Fire TV can check whether you’re getting the 4K you were promised. Open Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio/Video Diagnostics to see the detected resolution, HDR and sound formats. Only seeing 1080p? Check your TV’s input settings. You might need to turn on Enhanced HDMI or swap the cable. My TV made a New Year’s resolution: 4K. It’s October. We’re still at 1080p.

Google says this is when flights are cheapest: Domestic fares tend to be lowest around 39 days before departure. Going international? You’re looking at 89 days ahead. Thanksgiving’s sweet spot is 34 days before, while Christmas is 56 days. Turn on price alerts in Google Flights to watch for changes. I had an airfare joke, but it didn’t land.

🎬 All that effort, barely a view: Instagram’s free Edits app is adding an AI coach to explain why your Reels flopped. Tap the chat button at the bottom right of the home page and ask “What should I improve?” It looks through your stats and suggests opening lines, audio and more based on what your audience likes. Rolling out on iOS and Android.

Be on the show! Got a question only I can answer? Spill it here. You might end up on the air with me. 

I always admired Amelia Earhart, who vanished over the Pacific in 1937, when she was 39 years old and most of the way around the world. Nearly nine decades later, the latest clue to her whereabouts is a suspiciously airplane-shaped something that may be only a coconut tree.

It’s called the “Taraia Object,” a shape spotted in satellite photos of Nikumaroro’s lagoon. 

On Oct. 10, a 17-person, $500,000 expedition backed by Purdue, the same school that helped buy Amelia her Lockheed Electra, will head out from Kiribati to settle the mystery. Sonar and magnetometers scan first. Then a hydraulic dredge gets involved. Basically archaeological surgery on something that might belong in a Home Depot garden center.

Full disclosure: Most experts say the object is vegetation. Even the man who first spotted it, in a 2021 forum post, has since walked it back. The crew is going anyway.

You can read more about it here. Click the “Info for Journalists” button for the latest updates.

🎓 What you learned today: Chatbots are creeping into the voting booth, AI can reconstruct images from brain scans, Flo users may get money, self-checkout is losing favor and Amelia Earhart’s latest clue. Not bad for one email. Your camera roll is probably a digital junk drawer full of screenshots, blurry selfies and 14 versions of the same photo. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to clean up the clutter. Check your inbox.

⚡ The answer: B) Zap Trap. I like it. Harold Kopp’s first plug-in surge protector used a tiny component called a metal oxide varistor, or MOV, to absorb excess voltage before it could toast your TV, stereo or whatever other expensive rectangle you loved in the 1970s. 

It was simple, smart and wildly useful. At one point, an order came in for 1 million units. When Radio Shack copied the design, Kopp sued for patent infringement, won and collected royalties. 

Here’s a quick test to see if your surge protector is actually protecting you.

I was gonna tell a joke about electricity, but I forgot Watt it was.

🔒 Free for 14 days, private forever: If somebody in your house drives, walks home from school or lives alone, try HeyPolo. Your teen picks exact spot, general area or private mode. Mom gets one-tap SOS. Nobody gets to buy your location. Start your free 14-day trial now.* 

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, Rick Pettigrew/Archaeological Legacy Institute

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.