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Wondering if off brand mp3 players are 'safe' to use? [more inside]
posted by konaStFr at 3:45 AM - 10 answers

I'm looking for a new go-to news app, ideally that I can read desktop (PC) and via app (Android). Some qualifications inside for what I want. [more inside]
posted by fennario at 7:34 AM - 11 answers

I have about 275 .wav files, recordings of conversations, that I would like to convert to text. [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 7:46 PM - 9 answers

Laptop recommendation for a teenager who's getting in to animation. [more inside]
posted by saladin at 6:52 AM - 8 answers

I recently stopped using my Android phone and switched to a mostly "dumb" phone (Punkt MP02) for the typical reasons (reclaim attention, privacy, etc.). I'm not sure I'll stick with it, but while I do: what's the best way to use car transportation services if I'm out late at night, or in a new city, without a phone that can run an app? [more inside]
posted by mistersix at 9:21 PM - 18 answers

In the inspection for our house, the inspector said that to be up to new local code, we need smoke (and CO) detectors that are BOTH: a. interconnected and b. have a 10-year sealed battery. Does anybody actually make these? [more inside]
posted by General Malaise at 5:27 PM - 12 answers

Long story short my GF deleted the Jam WiFi app from her Android phone thinking she could reinstall it later. However, it turns out that Jam discontinued support for their wifi products, so the app is no longer available from the usual app stores. Is there a SAFE place from which she can download the app without also downloading malware/adware into her phone? Or are her Jam Wifi speakers pretty much just paperweights now?
posted by gtrwolf at 6:49 PM - 3 answers

Something's going on with my elderly mom's iPhone's Find My Phone settings—I set it up so I can track her location, and then a few months later it somehow turns off the permission. When I'm with her physically I set it up again, and then the same thing happens a few months later. My mom swears she didn't change any settings, and she indeed does want me to be able to track her. I'm not with her now; how can I troubleshoot this from afar? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:38 PM - 8 answers

How to rename a text thread where only I can see the name (in Google Messages)??? [more inside]
posted by saladin at 4:57 PM - 2 answers

As asked in this previous question, I'm trying to set up my mother's iDevices. It keeps asking me to enter the Passcode for a device that doesn't exist. [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 4:08 PM - 11 answers

More than idle curiosity prompted my question. Increasingly, I worry that my continuing to capitalize "Internet" will mark me out as A Old, to my professional disadvantage. I would still hyphenate "e-mail" if I thought I could get away with it, so I'm too much of a fuddy-duddy to trust my own judgment. [more inside]
posted by Lemkin at 7:00 AM - 30 answers

I walk into my kitchen. I pull my iPhone from my pocket. I plug it into a... thing. It plays my podcast or music over a speaker and charges my phone. It's an iPod dock like it's 2012 but it's for my iPhone. Bluetooth is not involved. My phone's microphone is not involved. My thermostat is not involved. Cables are not involved other than the power cord that goes from the wall to the thing. The phone sits on its lil' USB C throne and sound flows out and electricity flows in. What is this thing? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:34 PM - 15 answers

I'm working on an ethnography project with a nonprofit organization that involves interviewing community members about potentially sensitive information. I'd like to use a free AI-transcription service to do the bulk of the transcription so I can focus on making corrections and other aspects of the work. Looking at services available, I'm guessing that most would save my recordings/transcripts for their own data mining purposes, which I don't want. Is there a free or low-cost (<$100 USD) one time payment service that will guarantee not to keep my files?
posted by Summers at 3:32 PM - 3 answers

Misplaced my phone three months ago. Bought a new one, same model. Took new one to Verizon and they were able to transfer almost all of my info from old [more inside]
posted by Czjewel at 8:43 AM - 9 answers

I have a very peculiar and frustrating experience. I recently moved a few days ago, about an hour away from my old home, in another state, to a new state/town. For some reason, my iPhone keeps thinking I'm at my old home, when I'm obviously nowhere close to it. This is causing me great stress. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 9:53 AM - 9 answers

My 83 year old mother has endless frustrations with her iphone and iPad. She lives several hours flight away and I do not see her much. On Monday she is going to FedEx me her iPhone 11, iPhone 7, and iPad (I don’t know the model yet) in the hopes that I can set them up for her in a way that she better understands them. [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 7:53 AM - 8 answers

I'm a disabled person who uses DoorDash a fair bit because it's hard for me to get out of the house. Every now and then, say every fourth or fifth delivery, the driver gets really lost trying to find my apartment. I'm curious about why this might be. [more inside]
posted by Well I never at 5:27 PM - 25 answers

One of my neighbors (probably downstairs, but we aren't sure) has decided that quiet I am the source of the noises the worms apparently make in their head. So I get visits from security when I'm in bed or reading a book, and twice now, I've had a nasty note taped to my door. This fucker is going down. I need a tiny motion-activated camera so that the next time a note appears, I have them on camera. Suggestions? More cheaper, more better. Thank you!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 3:01 PM - 6 answers

has anyone w/ ATT postpaid switched phone numbers but been able to continue to have access to your call logs/history from your old number? Forgive the sort of highly specific nature of this question but... [more inside]
posted by elgee at 11:55 AM - 2 answers

My building just started offering fiber internet connections at a pretty good price compared to what I'm paying now. Is/how is fiber better than cable? [more inside]
posted by pdb at 9:09 PM - 22 answers