I’m excited to share the wonderful suggestions.
Perhaps this listing will introduce you to a brand new favourite tech factor — try a genius hack for a failed TV distant and closed captioning for reside on-line movies.
Or possibly you’ll take a second to understand a marvel like your cellphone digital camera that’s already a part of your life.
(These submissions have been frivolously edited.)
Tatum Hunter, Washington Publish Assist Desk reporter:
Can’t cease debating what to call a baby, pet or cactus? Take a look at the BabyName app. (iOS and Google Play for Android)
You and a companion or buddy will every see a sequence of names recommended by the app. Swipe proper to say “possibly” or left for “no” — identical to a courting app.
Should you each swipe proper on a reputation, will probably be saved to a listing that the 2 of you possibly can overview collectively. Hopefully this makes for fewer fights through which it’s important to clarify that “Olivia” was the identify of your highschool bully.
Heather Kelly and I used the app to call a nearly-dead plant in The Washington Publish’s San Francisco workplace. World, meet Landon, the leafy inexperienced man.
2. The cellphone digital camera for every thing
Anne Schwarz in Los Angeles:
After all I prefer to take photographs and movies of my pets, however I take advantage of my cellphone digital camera for a lot extra.
It exhibits me issues in locations I can’t attain, like the highest shelf of the grocery retailer, underneath the couch or the label on the again of a heavy piece of apparatus.
It will probably zoom into the tremendous print of a tiny battery that I would like to switch. It will probably present the vet how my cat’s stitches are therapeutic with no need to take him in. And my favourite factor: It will probably deposit a examine for me!
3. Creepy however helpful AI in Google Images
Heather Kelly, Washington Publish Assist Desk reporter:
Google Images face detection is so deeply useful and satisfying, the corporate ought to use it as advertising for all AI. I can click on on my dad’s face and it’ll present me footage of him as a child. It’s that good.
I KNOW I’m simply coaching Google’s AI to construct a digital panopticon. I don’t need to care.
Google Images basically has been an enormous assist for organizing my years of scattered photographs. It’s one place to place them and it does the work for me.
4. Learn alongside to weekly worship service
Sandy Brown in Gold Canyon, Ariz.:
Closed captioning in Home windows 11 permits me to learn the spoken phrases in my on-line worship service.
It’s essential to me. I’ve a listening to loss vital sufficient to put on listening to aids, am 83 years outdated, principally homebound and nonetheless want a reside worship service on Sunday. I additionally use it to reinforce reside information video.
(Maintain studying beneath for directions to activate this characteristic.)
5. A easy hack for annoyed sofa potatoes
Danielle Abril, Washington Publish Assist Desk reporter:
I’ve a soundbar speaker for my TV that blocks the spot on the TV for receiving indicators from my distant management. For 2 years, each time I needed to alter the channel, pause or no matter, I’d arise from my sofa to ensure my distant management might beam to the TV.
Lastly I purchased a nifty plug-in repeater that ended my tiny TV annoyance. One a part of the system sits near the sign receiver on my TV. The opposite piece sits on a spot the place I can simply level my TV distant.
Tada! No extra standing up each time I have to pause or flip up the amount.
6. Voice management for a medical system
Monica Cohen in Worcester, Mass.:
My father or mother simply had knee alternative surgical procedure and is utilizing a cooler pump to ice the brand new knee. The pump doesn’t have an on/off change. It’s important to plug and unplug it.
We obtained a related electrical plug from Kasa with a voice controller characteristic. You may simply inform Alexa to show the pump on.
7. Nest. And YouTube TV. And the child cam. And …
Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Publish expertise columnist: (He couldn’t choose only one expertise that he loves. I attempted.)
I really like the best way an iPhone will robotically fill in a two-factor authentication code texted to my cellphone. I really like that Dashlane sorts in bank card particulars for me. I really like Nanit, my household’s child digital camera. I really like that YouTube TV lets me watch TV on any display screen with none drama.
I really like that my Nest thermostat makes me be ok with serving to save vitality. I really like Adobe Lightroom for picture modifying and spend an excessive amount of cash on it.
8. Apple Pay for public transportation
Patti Colevas in Stanford, Calif.:
Utilizing Apple Pay for the subway in New York AND ALL THE BUSES is astonishing and transformative. It removes so many limitations.
It additionally labored nice for the subway in Singapore. I feel all public transit ought to change to this. (Washington D.C. Metro take word!!!)
9. Splitwise to skip cash drama with mates
Naomi Nix, Washington Publish expertise reporter:
On a four-day journey with mates within the Shenandoah Valley space, all of us paid for various issues — meals, gasoline, the Airbnb home and extra. We arrange a “group” within the Splitwise app, every individual put in what they paid for, and the app calculated who owed what.
You may click on the Settle Up button and robotically pay your folks via PayPal or Venmo. This was simpler than maintaining observe of our bills in a spreadsheet and it was higher than passive aggressively avoiding conversations about cash altogether.
Learn extra about Splitwise: One of the best cost apps for privateness and low charges
Honorable mentions from Tech Buddy readers: The Merlin app for figuring out birds in your space, Libby for borrowing e-books and audiobooks out of your public library, the NPR One app, Strava, on-line tax submitting software program, Shazam and the humble phone.
Would you like that closed captioning in reside movies really useful by Tech Buddy reader Sandy Brown?
Your PC should be working the “22H2” model of Home windows 11 software program. (It’s the Home windows 11 up to date within the second half of 2022.)
To examine the model of Home windows in your PC: Open the Settings app that appears like a gear icon. Scroll right down to About. Within the subsequent display screen, peek on the Home windows specs.
If you might want to set up the most recent model, return to the Settings menu and choose Home windows Replace. (When you have a pc out of your employer, you won’t have the ability to replace Home windows by yourself.)
To activate the closed caption characteristic for those who’re utilizing the 22H2 model of Home windows 11:
Go to the Settings app → Accessibility → Captions. Flip the digital change to activate Stay captions.
Learn extra from Chris Velazco: What’s new and helpful within the up to date Home windows 11
And listed below are directions from Microsoft on updating Home windows and methods to activate reside captions.
