Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

The number is staggering. Americans have had to deal with almost 3 and a half billion robocalls in the month of April alone. The unwanted calls are becoming more frequent and the scams are getting harder to detect. Listen to more on the latest scam in this Consumer Tech Update podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

YouTube is under fire again, this time for promoting cheating in school! It seems the site finally took down hundreds of videos that were steering our kids to sites that would offer to do their work for them! More details in this Consumer Tech Update. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you had believed the tech news chatter over the last two months, you might think that Apple was on the verge of collapse because of poor iPhone X sales. But as it turns out, America’s best-knows investor wasn’t buying it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re still chatting on your cell phone with it directly against your ear then listen up! There’s a new warning out of Great Britain that over the last two decades, incidents of a specific malignant type of brain tumor has doubled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number one complaint is weak signals inside homes and offices. Follow these tips for the fastest and least expensive ways to get a stronger in-home signal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The thing about Smartphones is that they’ve gotten very expensive. Apple and Samsung profits have gone up and sales have done very well, but consumers are getting fed up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every quarter, publicly traded companies report how much money they’ve made. Big Tech is made up of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. Here are seven stunning facts about these companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two of the largest cellular carriers are merging into one company. That's good news for investors but bad news for consumers. Both companies have been in desperate financial waters but are making a comeback. What does the future hold? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each quarter when the time comes to report on business earnings, we take a step back and marvel at Amazon. First quarter sales are typically the lowest across the board, but not for this retail giant. Sales are astounding! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building on the success of the Amazon Echo and Alexa, there’s now a kids’ version called the Echo Dot Kids Edition. But for parents, the question is: Do you really think it’s a good idea to put one of these in your child’s room? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next time you park your car think about this: Everything someone needs to steal your vehicle in less than two minutes is for sale on Amazon and eBay. They can find the two most common and inexpensive electronic devices they’ll need. Do you know what they are? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Researchers in England say that one-quarter of kids under the age of six now carry smartphones. Let's assume the same is happening in the U.S. Guess what are the top reasons parents give a smartphone to their child. Here's what parents need to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We allow technology into our lives based on its promise to brings us closer together. In reality, it has done just the opposite and in many cases with disastrous results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon has dramatically changed our lives, there is no doubt about that. But the question is: Exactly how has it changed us? Amazon Prime now has one hundred million members. Yet Amazon employees make an average of $14 per hour. How come? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We don’t know what happened to the IRS online tax filing website because they’re not saying much about it besides comforting the nation that it wasn’t a hack. Here’s what we do know: The underlying computer systems are running on software written in the 1960s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook’s lawyers had hoped since Zuckerberg’s disastrous appearance before Congress, that things would begin cooling off. Instead, Facebook’s real problems are only just beginning. A company executive from Cambridge Analytica came forward saying that much more data theft is about to be revealed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are three major reasons to shop online. There’s unparalleled convenience, choices and, usually, prices are lower because, if you’re buying out of state, there are no sales taxes. But the United States Supreme Court hears a case today that could wipe away the sales tax advantage and fifty years of past court rulings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a happy thought: If Zuckerberg hasn't figured it out yet, and all too often narcissists don't, at least it's clear to everyone else: There will never be a "President Mark Zuckerberg." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HomePod is Apple's much-publicized competition to Amazon's best seller, the Amazon Echo. Since its very recent introduction, HomePod sales have been nothing less than dismal. The word is out that it's real trouble. But here's why you might want to buy one anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Mark Zuckerberg's congressional hearing is over, so is our long national nightmare. Or is it? There are no winners after two days in front of Congress but this much is clear: Zuckerberg answered "I don't know" too many times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day one of the two-day marathon Congressional hearings with Facebook's CEO is over. Another is about to begin. The big question is: How did Mark Zuckerberg do? Surprisingly enough, Zuckerberg is very uncertain about how his own company operates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're about to experience the greatest media circus on Earth, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to testify before a skeptical Congress. Can he say or do anything to repair the damage? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that as a Facebook user, you have a certain monetary value? Facebook makes its money by selling advertising and, of course, all sorts of data about you. So, if you have a cash value to them, what is it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's tempting to write off this week's shooting at YouTube headquarters as just another random workplace shooting. The reality is, it was far worse and more dangerous. YouTube is trying to keep a lid on it but the emerging picture reveals a frighteningly different kind of anger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg held a rare news conference. He usually doesn't expose himself to reporters' questions because no one can control what reporters may ask, and quite frankly, hasn't really had to, until now. And wait until you hear what he has to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re like most adults, you assume that young people never experience boredom. Which shows just how disconnected you may be. Let's call generation Z the people born between 1998 to 2010 who have never lived without internet, smartphones and constant connectivity. Yet, they're bored. But why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t need me to tell you that Americans are angry. Whether they’re Liberal or Conservative, there’s one place where they all come together: They’re angry with Big Tech – especially Facebook. Millions would love to launch a boycott. Except, there’s one tiny problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest revelation about Facebook sounds more like a plot from a low-budget, direct-to-video, Hollywood flop with a supervillain and a plan to take over the world. In a nutshell, as long as Facebook continues to grow, it doesn't matter what harm comes from bad guys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you work for big tech or not, the sky really is falling and it won't be a soft landing. The Tiangong One is coming to Earth. The Chinese space station isn't the first to fall out of orbit and disintegrate, either! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The closest analogy that describes all of social media right now is this: Looking out across the social media horizon, there’s nothing but warehouse fires: So many blazing so hot that the firefighters don’t know where to begin. And whatever they try, nothing works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well it’s another day with yet another revelation about how Facebook intrudes in our lives. Not only have they sold all your personal information to Cambridge Analytica, and anyone else offering them cash; They’re also quietly labeling every user a liberal or conservative, whether you tell them or not. How are they doing it and are they right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was only ten months ago that Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, ditched his standard gray T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers for a business suit and tie, and headed off on a road trip across America. With his wife and baby in tow, he visited small towns, family farms, black churches, and struggling factories. What was his purpose? Meanwhile the board at Facebook has been selling your information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber recently published videos of passengers riding in self-driving cars. None of them were paying attention or noticed anything outside the car. Now with the accident in Tempe, Arizona, one of those Uber cars struck and killed a pedestrian as she was pushing her bicycle across the street. The so-called safety driver wasn’t paying attention! This fatal accident should be a wake-up call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook is at a crossroads. Its survival as the “king of social media” is, for the first time, in question. Yet, its management doesn’t get it. Can Facebook overcome this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of business, there are the three major hallmarks of good management: Fairness; Transparency; and Responsibility to the public. Now, consider America’s biggest tech companies. Do any of them have even one of these traits? Let’s take a quick look at some of the most recent examples of misbehavior by Big Tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook's management doesn't seem to understand why daily use on the site is continually falling. It may be because of all of the false promises Facebook has made about fixing problems like fake news and conspiracy videos. Facebook would do well to remember the fall of Myspace and what happened to Nokia and Blackberry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your smartphone can give away more information than you think Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

YouTube's new "plan" to combat conspiracy theories is to fact check videos using various third party links. The problem is that those links are going to potentially unreliable sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Royal Academy of Engineering study on internet health devices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most valuable thing that a business owns is its brand reputation. Simply put, it’s the foundation: What people think of the company. So, who’s on top? And who's not? The brands that I’m going to tell you about are not necessarily the ones doing the most business. They’re the ones we respect and admire the most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 years ago the promise of the internet was grand: nothing less than the free exchange of ideas and information. Now we have a whole generation of people who have never lived without it. So How are they doing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook has seen its fair share of bad news lately. Between fake election news and surveys on whether to let pedophiles use the site, it seems users are done with it. Now, a new study shows just how much support Facebook is losing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know that old saying, "Bad news travels fast?" Well as it turns out, fake news travels even faster. And no, it’s not the Russians' fault. What if the problem is us? Here's what researchers at MIT found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the history of business, there’s never been anything like Amazon. The closest you can come is probably Sears. They revolutionized retail a hundred years ago. Back then, Sears called itself "The World’s largest Store." But it's Amazon that's uniquely poised to become the world’s largest business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers in Rhode island are looking to raise a little extra revenue by taxing internet porn. If you haven't heard this story yet, you can hear it now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven't heard this Facebook story, about its bizarre and dysfunctional staff, and its apparent catering to pedophiles, then you have to listen to this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re using a new smartphone, it’s operating on a 4G LTE network. It’s about ten times faster than old 3G systems from five years ago. And now, both Verizon and AT&T are ready to roll out the fifth generation network known as 5G technology. Here's what lies ahead in the technology and how it can affect you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millions of people look to Uber or Lyft to get them home after a night of partying. The bad news is, sexual predators have discovered how easy it is to pose as an Uber or Lyft driver and take advantage of women. Do we need to think twice before getting into a seemingly trustworthy driver’s car? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, America’s tech giants and their celebrity CEOs have literally basked in a warm glow of consumer trust and satisfaction. But the days of trust are gone. And Big Tech is in big trouble. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The meteoric rise of Ring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices