This year, save time, privacy, and money with these 10 tech upgrades.

With the right knowledge, today's technology can simplify your life.

Enter to win a pair of $329 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses without making a purchase.

Rewritten sentence: By providing specific constraints, you can improve the quality of the AI results. This technique is known as priming. Examples include limiting the response length, requesting the output in a specific format, and providing a list of requirements.

Sweet. Let’s keep going with 10 more tips and tricks.

Undoing actions isn't limited to Word documents.

Accidentally deleting an email, closing a browser tab, or moving a file? No problem! Use Ctrl + Z on a PC (Cmd + Z on a Mac) to undo changes in most apps. It's a superpower that will save you time and frustration.

2. Screenshots for the win

Taking a screenshot can save time and frustration when you need to capture a recipe, directions, or an error message. On a PC, press Windows key + Shift + S. On a Mac, press Cmd + Shift + 4.

3. Use your voice more

Discover the amazing capabilities of your phone by simply speaking to your assistant. For instance, say "Hey Siri, open Instagram" or "Google Assistant, open Spotify." Your assistant can also make calls, set reminders, take photos, convert measurements, turn on the flashlight, and even flip a coin. The possibilities are endless.

Rewritten sentence: Can you please provide me with the new version of the sentence?

4. Because you never have a pen

You can capture a photo with your phone's camera, then copy, search, or translate the text. For iPhone, open the image in Photos, tap and hold the text, and choose an option. For Android, open a photo in Google Photos, tap on the Lens icon, select the text, and choose the action you want to take.

5. Bring your old laptop back to life

You can install ChromeOS Flex, a cloud-based operating system that offers impressive performance despite its basic interface. To run ChromeOS Flex, your PC must meet these minimum requirements: an x64 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a USB port for installation.

6. Calling back a random number?

To hide your phone number when making calls, follow these steps: on an iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID and toggle it off. On Android, go to Hide Number.

7. Instant podcasts about anything

NotebookLM from Google allows you to upload audio files, notes, documents, and other items, search them, find citations from your own documents, or create a podcast that you can listen to. Impressive, I was told by Reader Bob, who used it to create training modules for his employees after hearing about it on my show.

8. Track the kids

Both Apple AirTags (for iOS) and Tile trackers (for Android) allow you to monitor your children. Simply attach a tracker to their backpack, shoelaces, or belt loop. A helpful tip is to give your child's tracker a unique name, such as "Buzz Lightyear," when in a public place like a Disney park. This way, if someone receives a "Tracker Nearby" alert, your child's name will not appear.

9. Every mail has its day

Organizing emails has become easier with the option to schedule their delivery in Apple Mail and Gmail.

10. Stop getting lured in at the grocery store

Access a rotating library of popular magazines for free with an Amazon Prime account. Now you can read the latest weird royal rumors without paying for the magazine.

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