Make Your Drive Quieter and Smarter With New Waze AI Features

Make Your Drive Quieter and Smarter With New Waze AI Features

Waze is adding powerful Gemini AI capabilities to customize your commute, minimize interruptions, and improve route accuracy. Learn how to activate these new features for a calmer, smarter driving experience.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 18, 2026

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Driving through city traffic is stressful enough without your navigation app talking over your favorite playlist or missing your preferred shortcut. 

We all have specific driving habits, and a single navigation approach often falls short. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Upgrade Your Daily Commute with the Newest Gemini Features in Waze.

Waze is addressing these common frustrations by rolling out a suite of intelligent updates designed to adapt to how you actually drive and ride.

Play Thousands of Classic Games in Your Web Browser

Play Thousands of Classic Games in Your Web Browser

ArcadeSpace.org lets you explore thousands of classic video games through a browser-based emulator, without downloading separate emulation software. Search for an old favorite, start playing, and rediscover an earlier generation of game design.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 17, 2026

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Playing an old video game often requires more work than people expect.

You may need to find an emulator, configure its controls, locate compatible game files, and determine which settings work with your computer. That is a lot of preparation when you simply want to revisit a game you remember.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Turn your Browser into a Retro Arcade with ArcadeSpace.org.

ArcadeSpace.org organizes classic games by platform and category, then runs supported titles through an emulator inside your web browser. 

Arcade Space says its catalog includes thousands of games that can be accessed without installing a separate emulator.

The site is particularly appealing to casual players who want to sample older games without building a dedicated retro gaming system.

Simplify an iPhone with Assistive Access

Simplify an iPhone with Assistive Access

Assistive Access replaces the standard iPhone interface with larger controls, selected apps, and fewer onscreen choices. A family member or trusted supporter can customize the experience around the needs of the person using the phone.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 16, 2026

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An iPhone can be difficult to use when its Home Screen is crowded with apps, buttons are hard to identify, or too many choices appear at once.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create a Simpler, More Focused iPhone.

Assistive Access offers a different approach. Instead of expecting someone to adapt to the standard iPhone interface, it lets a trusted supporter simplify the phone around that person’s needs.

The user can see a small selection of essential apps, larger buttons, recognizable contact photos, and fewer distractions. Calling and messaging can also be limited to trusted contacts.

Assistive Access is designed primarily for people with cognitive disabilities. 

It is not simply a larger Home Screen or a general-purpose “senior mode,” although some older adults may benefit when cognitive load is a concern. 

Apple introduced the feature with iOS 17 and continues to document it for iOS 26.

Windows 11's New Point-in-Time Restore Can Save Hours of Recovery

Windows 11's New Point-in-Time Restore Can Save Hours of Recovery

Windows 11's new Point-in-Time Restore feature can help you recover from bad updates, driver problems, and software mistakes without rebuilding an entire PC. If something breaks, you may be able to roll back to a previous working state in minutes instead of spending hours troubleshooting.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 15, 2026

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One bad driver update or software installation can turn a perfectly good PC into a troubleshooting project.

For years, Windows users have relied on backups, system images, or the aging System Restore feature when something went wrong. 

Here's a Cool Tip: Update Windows with the July 2026 Update for Point-in-Time Restore.

Microsoft is now introducing a more modern recovery approach called Point-in-Time Restore, a built-in Windows 11 capability designed to help users recover from software problems more quickly.

Point-in-Time Restore can restore apps, settings, and local user files captured in an available restore point. 

The goal is simple: reduce downtime and help users recover from problems without resorting to a full reinstall.

GPT Live Makes ChatGPT Voice Feel More Natural

GPT Live Makes ChatGPT Voice Feel More Natural

GPT Live makes talking with ChatGPT feel less like issuing voice commands and more like having a flowing conversation. It listens while it speaks, handles interruptions more naturally, and can draw on search and reasoning tools without ending the conversation.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 14, 2026

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Have you ever paused while talking to ChatGPT, only to have it assume you were finished and start answering?

That awkward rhythm has long separated AI voice assistants from real conversations. 

Most voice systems wait for silence, process what you said, and then respond. 

Even ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode primarily worked through distinct conversational turns.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Switch ChatGPT Voice to Live for more natural conversations.

GPT Live changes that pattern.

Introduced by OpenAI on July 8, 2026, GPT Live uses a full-duplex audio architecture. 

In plain English, it can listen and speak at the same time. 

That allows it to handle interruptions, brief pauses, corrections, and quick follow-up questions more naturally.

Stop Losing Your Place in Large Excel Spreadsheets

Stop Losing Your Place in Large Excel Spreadsheets

Microsoft Excel's Focus Cell feature highlights your active row and column, making large spreadsheets easier to read and navigate. If you regularly enter data, review reports, or analyze tables, this simple tool can help reduce mistakes and improve accuracy.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 13, 2026

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If you've ever worked in a spreadsheet with hundreds or thousands of rows, you've probably lost track of where you are. 

One misplaced click can leave you reading the wrong row, updating the wrong record, or comparing the wrong numbers.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn on Focus Cell Before Working with Large Spreadsheets.

Instead of forcing your eyes to trace across a busy worksheet, Excel highlights both the active row and the active column, making your current position much easier to follow.

It is a small addition, but for anyone who spends time in large spreadsheets, it can make everyday work noticeably easier.

Throwback: How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Paint

How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Paint

Make Microsoft Paint easier on your eyes with Dark Mode! In just a few clicks, you can switch Paint’s bright interface to a sleek dark theme that's perfect for working at night and reducing eye strain. Learn how to enable this hidden productivity boost in Windows 11.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 8, 2026 (Originally published September 6, 2023)

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Do you find yourself squinting at your screen at night while using Microsoft Paint? 

If so, you're not alone. 

The light-colored interface can be harsh on the eyes, especially in low-light conditions.

Here's a Cool Tip:  Set MS Paint to the New Dark Mode in Windows 11

Master Your Investments With the New Google Finance App and AI Tools

Master Your Investments With the New Google Finance App and AI Tools

Google Finance is rolling out powerful portfolio tracking tools and a brand new Android app. Discover how custom AI briefings and smart insights can help you make better financial decisions.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 7, 2026

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Keeping track of multiple investments across different platforms often leads to frustration. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Automate Your Morning Market Research With The New Google Finance.

Google Finance recently updated its platform to solve the problem by consolidating your financial data and introducing smart analysis tools. 

With a new dedicated Android app and AI research features moving out of beta, managing your money is now much simpler. 

Whether you need a daily crypto briefing or a breakdown of your asset allocation, these updates offer significant value.

The New LinkedIn Features That Can Help You Get Found Faster

The New LinkedIn Features That Can Help You Get Found Faster

LinkedIn has quietly evolved from a digital résumé into a powerful platform for networking, content creation, professional visibility, and career growth. New AI-powered search, enhanced analytics, video tools, and verification features could help job seekers and professionals stand out in a crowded market.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 6, 2026

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If you think of LinkedIn as little more than an online résumé, you may be surprised by how much the platform has changed over the past year.

Here's a Cool Tip: Use LinkedIn's New AI Search to Find Better Opportunities.

LinkedIn has been adding new AI-powered discovery tools, deeper content analytics, video enhancements, creator features, and expanded verification options. 

These updates are designed to help professionals find better opportunities, build credibility, and better understand what content is driving engagement. 

LinkedIn continues to expand conversational AI search, content analytics, video experiences, creator tools, and verification capabilities.

Whether you're searching for a new job, growing a business, building a personal brand, or recruiting talent, these updates may help you work smarter and increase your visibility.

Use Digg’s AI News Radar to Spot Tech Trends Faster

Use Digg’s AI News Radar to Spot Tech Trends Faster

Digg is back again, but this version is less Reddit rival and more AI-powered news radar. It can help busy readers spot fast-moving tech and AI stories by scanning public signals from across the web.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 5, 2026

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Your tech feed can feel noisy, repetitive, and late. 

By the time a major AI story reaches a standard news app, it may already have bounced across X, GitHub, newsletters, podcasts, and private Slack channels.

That is the problem Digg is trying to solve with its latest reboot. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Digg as an Early-Warning Radar.

Digg has shifted away from its short-lived Reddit-style relaunch and toward an AI-focused news aggregator built around public discussion signals, rankings, and story clusters. 

The current Digg Tech page shows Today’s Highlights, ranked tech stories, and, live-feed style indicators, video signals.