💻 KnowTechie's Weekly Download: Issue #13
🎮 Meta Quest 3, New Fitbit Charge 6, Disney is cracking down on password sharing, and a whole lot more
Kevin Raposo
September 30, 2023
Presented by
Harness the Power of AI
AI’s been here. Now learn where it’s going. The AI Boot Camp from Columbia University serves as an introduction for those just entering tech, and builds on that foundation with specialized AI skills.
This learning experience is perfect for those looking to upskill and set themselves apart. Upon completion, you will be prepared to lead AI conversations — and initiatives — to bring about key results for organizations.
No previous programming skills are required to apply.
Why choose the AI Boot Camp?
Lead the way in all things AI: Learn how to leverage AI and machine learning to automate, solve problems, and drive results. No previous programming experience required.
Showcase AI skills to employers: Build a portfolio through challenges and team-based projects. Gain access to a network of 250+ employers
Explore funding options: Find payment plans and other financial resources to meet your needs.
Welcome to KnowTechie’s Weekly Download. We know life gets busy, so we've compiled the most important tech stories you might have missed this week. So grab a coffee, and let’s get started! If this email was forwarded to you, click here to subscribe to the newsletter. Missed an issue? Here's an archive of past newsletters.
Happy Saturday! As you can see, we secured our first ad placement through Beehiiv’s amazing new ad product. For those who don’t know, Beehiiv is the platform I use to write this newsletter.
Anyways, Beehiiv’s new ad thing connects you with advertisers and helps them promote their products or services in your newsletter. That means it puts some extra money in your pocket. Plus, it’s one less thing you need to worry about.
Have you thought about starting your own newsletter? There’s money to be made here. If you want to give it a shot, give Beehiiv a try. It’s free. You literally have nothing to lose.
@here 📢
If you want to help, contribute, or suggest a tool or tip, we’re all ears. Feel free to reply. If you have any questions about anything, reach out. Seriously. If you want to ask a question, talk shop - anything - let’s chop it up
Here’s what we’ll be tackling today:
🔨 Tech Tips
📰 News
🔎 Top finds this week
💻 Weekly Gear
🎴Trivia
|
💡 Quick Tech Tip 💡
If you’re just as bad as I am with email follow-ups, then you’re going to get a kick out of this.
FollowUpThen is a tool I found in another newsletter, and after trying it out for myself, I was sold.
FollowUpThen is an email reminder system that works with any email service. Users can set reminders by forwarding an email to addresses like "tomorrow@" or "3hours@" at followupthen.com.
The tool has additional features such as setting reminders only if there's no reply and sending reminders via SMS.
It's free for up to 50 reminders per month, with an option to upgrade for unlimited reminders.
How to Set Up Follow-Up Reminders using FollowUpThen
Sign Up:
Visit the FollowUpThen website and create an account.
Set a Reminder:
Forward any email to an address at followupthen.com, e.g., "[email protected]," where the prefix denotes when you want to be reminded.
Advanced Reminders (Optional):
Include "-r" in the address (e.g., "[email protected]") to get a reminder only if no reply is received.
Include "-sms" in the address (e.g., "[email protected]") to receive reminders via SMS.
CC or BCC for Shared Reminders:
CC a FollowUpThen address in an email to share the reminder with all recipients.
BCC a FollowUpThen address to keep the reminder private to you.
Utilize:
Continue to send emails to FollowUpThen addresses as needed. Receive reminders and ensure timely follow-ups on your emails.
If you like how-to’s like these, we have a whole bunch of them here:
🔗 Top stories of the week 🔗
Apple almost made Bing their baby in 2020. But they decided to pass. Why? Google's deep pockets and Bing's not-so-impressive rep.
Our Two Cents: Apple chose user happiness over playing boss. But hey, with Bing stepping up its game and Apple geeking out on AI, the tech tango could get interesting.
Amazon just pulled a tech rabbit out of its hat with over 14 new devices! From wall-mountable Echo Hubs to Disney-themed kiddie speakers, it's a gadget fiesta. Alexa's got a makeover, too - she's now chattier and smarter. Fire TV Stick has Wi-Fi 6E, and Eero routers are flaunting Wi-Fi 7.
Our Two Cents: Amazon's throwing everything but the kitchen sink into their product lineup. But the real star? Alexa. She's gone from being a glorified timer to your own personal Disney character. Now, if only she could make me a sandwich...
Headlines worth checking out
Meta’s AI smart glasses collection can live stream video — but they’re missing a big feature
Norton steps up to the plate and introduces secure web browser
Some iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models are defective out of the box
Facebook and Instagram will soon get a slew of AI-powered creator tools
Kia and Hyundai Blame TikTok and Instagram For Their Cars Getting Stolen
|
📝 KnowTechie Trivia
(Last week’s answer below)
This week’s trivia has two questions. One is moderately difficult, and the other is somewhat easier. Can you answer both correctly?
What was the first item sold on Ebay in 1995? |
Last week’s answers
Which company first introduced the concept of "edge-to-edge" display in smartphones?
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Apple (23)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Samsung (0)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Xiaomi (12)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Huawei (0)
Correct Answer: Xiaomi. I honestly couldn’t answer this on my first try, and I had originally chosen Huawei or Samsung as the answer, but Xiaomi makes sense too.
What significant change did Apple make to its iPhone 7 model that has been followed in subsequent models?
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Addition of a second camera lens (1)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Introduction of facial recognition technology (23)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Removal of the home button (33)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack (22)
Correct Answer: Getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack is the correct answer. However, when it came to the timeframe, saying goodbye to the home button seemed like a pretty solid guess, but it turned out to be a miss.
🎧 Weekly Gear
Meta Quest 3
Meta announced the latest addition to their VR lineup, the Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
Meta says the new Quest 3 is the world’s first mass-market mixed-reality headset. It offers a spectrum of experiences, from playing a virtual piano on your coffee table to opening a portal to another dimension right in your living room.
With preorders open and shipping beginning on October 10, the Meta Quest 3 VR headset is poised to make a significant impact on the VR market.
Preorder Offer: Preorder now and get Asguard’s Wrath 2 for FREE. The 512GB storage version comes with Asguard’s Wrath 2 and six months of Quest Plus, the headset’s Game Pass-like game subscription.
READ MORE: How to preorder the Meta Quest 3
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here.
🛠️ Tools of the week ⚒️
TaskMagic: This app is a virtual assistant that can perform boring internet tasks for you. It learns by recording your actions, saving you time.
Voicestars: A tool to create AI covers of popular songs. Select an AI voice, upload your track and generate the perfect AI cover.
summate.io: A tool for personalized digest summaries of your subscribed content.
Spotify’s AI Voice Translation Pilot: Listen to your favorite podcasters in your native language
Guidde・Magically create video documentation with AI
🚨 Deals
HyperX’s best-selling headset is down to an unbelievable $20
Verizon: Get a Galaxy S22 free with myPlan – no trade-in required
Verizon offer gets you a free iPhone 15 Pro with iPhone trade-in
This Verizon offer gets you a free iPhone 14. No trade-in req’d
Quick, score a pair of Bose 700 headphones for $79 off, now $299
Alright, I am wrapping this up. See you guys next week.
If you have any thoughts on this week’s newsletter, please reply or leave a note in the comments. I read every email and comment.
Did you enjoy this week's newsletter? |
Subscribe to keep reading
This content is free, but you must be subscribed to KnowTechie's Weekly Download to continue reading.