KL Techs

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While it's true that hand-writing helps you retain more of what you're studying, it's also true that the convenience of a phone or computer just can't be beaten. Taking your study materials with you wherever you are and having digital access to them can be a major benefit, whether you're preparing for a test in school or memorizing points before a big work presentation. Here are my favorite study apps to help do exactly that. For flashcards: Anki Credit: Anki Anki , which can be downloaded and accessed across all kinds of devices from MacBooks to Android phones, is my top pick for for a flashcard app—it actually hews close to the Leitner system , the best way to use real-life flashcards. Unlike other apps, this one doesn't always show you every card in your deck. ...

In a livestream today, OpenAI finally announced the launch of its GPT-4.5 model, but with a twist: For now, using it requires a $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. That’s because the new large language model, or LLM, is still technically in a “research preview” state. This is all apparently shorthand for “please pay us for the privilege of being a beta tester.” Jokes aside, the company is promising GPT-4.5 provides more “natural conversation,” and performs better when it comes to programming, pattern recognition, writing, and “solving practical problems.” Note that GPT-4.5 isn’t intended as a reasoning model, meaning it won’t have the self-correcting or deep research capabilities of OpenAI o1 , o3-mini , or the upcoming full version of o3. In a leaked document , the company said it’s not considering GPT-4.5 a “frontier” model, but it is OpenAI’s largest LLM yet, which should make it ideal ...

Pixel users will soon get an extra layer of protection against malicious calls and texts, as Google's AI-powered, real-time scam detection is rolling out widely next month . The Gemini Nano feature, which is coming to both Google Messages and Phone by Google, runs in the background and will alert you mid-call if it identifies "conversation patterns commonly associated with scammers." You'll hear a beep at the beginning of possible scam calls to indicate that the conversation is being monitored, with subsequent beeps sounding every few minutes. You'll also see an on-screen prompt when suspicious activity has been detected, with options to "End call" or mark "Not a scam." For messages, possible scam texts will be automatically moved to your Spam & blocked folder. Google says that the feature works on-device only and will not save or record any call or message content. Google rolled out live threat detection for spotting malicious apps on ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. We’ve all been there: You find the perfect product, the chair or skin cream that will solve all your problems through the liberal application of capitalism—but it doesn’t fit into your budget . You have three choices: You can spend the next few months (years?) saving diligently toward the glorious day when you can afford to pull the trigger; you can put that purchase on a credit card and deal with the interest charges —or you can find a dupe. Dupes—short for “duplicates”—are having their moment. While knockoffs are nothing new, as anyone who has ever bought a “designer” handbag on the streets of New York City can attest, dupes are a little different. Knockoffs are trying to fool people that they’re the name-brand product, but dupes are their own thing—they’re not pretending to be the expensive item, they just replicate its look and function at a lower price p...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I am always down to try a new social app (a face I have made so , so clear), especially when it involves sharing photos. And the trendy photo-sharing app of the the moment is Yope (available on iOS and Android ). Launched in September 2024, it currently has 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. I am not a part of Gen Z, but as of today, I am one of the millions of people who used the app this month. It's fun and all, but I'm not sure I'll make it into that 800,000+ cohort of daily users. Here's why, and what you need to know about Yope. So, what's Yope? The easiest way to describe Yope is to say it's kind of like a private Instagram crossed with a group chat. (I have never understood the appeal of having a private Instagram account, so I likewise don't see the appeal of posting to an app designed to hide your content f...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There are many options these days for smart products to keep our lives organized, like the Skylight Calendar and the Hearth Display , but they often come at a high price and with subscription fees. If you're looking for a cheaper smart display option that is subscription-free, consider the 2021 Amazon Echo Show 15 , which is $179.99 (originally $279.99) on Woot, its lowest price yet, according to price-tracking tools . The device itself is new but it comes without a remote —but it's not completely necessary, since it's a touchscreen. (Remember, Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship.) Echo Show 15 Full HD 15.6" smart display with Alexa and Fire TV built in...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR) are the metrics that most wearables' "recovery" numbers are based on. I wore five devices to bed for two weeks to see how their readings compared. Those devices were an Apple Watch Series 10 , a Fitbit Charge 6 , a Garmin Forerunner 265S , an Oura Ring 4 , and a Whoop 4.0 . Why these five? Well, they're the major brands that people tend to gravitate toward when they want to track sleep, and for each I chose the best (in my opinion) of each company's current offerings. I had most of them on hand due to testing them for recent or upcoming reviews. The Apple Watch Series 10 is the one our Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt crowned the best Apple Watch for most people . The Charge 6 is Fitbit's standout no-nonsense fitness tracker (sorry to Fitbit smartwatch lovers, but there are better smartwatches out there .) The fourth-generation Oura ring is the...

AI is everywhere these days , but when you see an article online from what has historically been a trusted source, it’s reasonable to think an AI wasn’t involved. At major newsrooms across the country, though, that reality is increasingly becoming less clear cut. While not every use of AI in the newsroom is as blatant as an AI just drafting a post onto a blank page (although that happens too ,) it’s important to know just how the sausage is being made when it comes to the information that’s shaping your worldviews. Here are just a few news outlets that have started openly using AI in their processes, so you can stay informed about where exactly the information you’re reading is coming from. The New York Times Earlier this week, Semafor published an article about new AI tools that New York Times management is reportedly encouraging staffers to try. While the publication’s legal arm is currently embroiled in a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft fo...

When Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday , there was a lot of focus on the price tag ($599 is cheap for a new iPhone, but not that cheap), the lack of MagSafe support, and Apple's decision to finally kill off the Home button . But there's an interesting discussion surrounding the 16e's processor: the A18. At first glance, it seems like the same chip as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus . The phones also have the A18, which makes it sound like the iPhone 16e offers the same performance as its more expensive sibling devices, for at least $200 less. The thing is, these aren't the same chips: The A18 in the iPhone 16e is "binned." What is a "binned" chip? "Binned" chips don't just apply to Apple products. All computer chip makers can bin their chips. It has to do with the manufacturing process : Chips are extremely complicated products, and they don't all come out exactly the same. Samples are tested for quality assurance purp...