Make Your iPhone Read the Screen Aloud

Make Your iPhone Read the Screen Aloud

Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader can describe buttons, messages, webpages, notifications, and other content displayed on your iPhone. It is an essential accessibility tool for people who are blind or have low vision, but it is also useful for developers, caregivers, and anyone interested in accessible technology.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 6, 2026

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Imagine needing to check a message, open an app, or read a webpage without relying on the iPhone’s display. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use VoiceOver. on Your iPhone

VoiceOver speaks the name and status of items as you move around the screen.

VoiceOver is not simply a read-aloud command. 

It changes how the touchscreen responds so you can find, select, and activate controls using audio feedback and specialized gestures. 

A single tap identifies an item, while a double-tap activates the selected item.

The feature is built into the iPhone and does not require a separate app or subscription. 

Apple also provides a practice area where you can learn VoiceOver gestures without accidentally opening apps or changing settings.

New OneDrive Photos App Makes Finding Old Pictures Much Easier

New OneDrive Photos App Makes Finding Old Pictures Much Easier

Microsoft is introducing a dedicated OneDrive Photos app experience that helps users organize, rediscover, and manage pictures stored locally and in the cloud. If your photo collection has become a maze of folders, screenshots, and backups, this new tool could save you a surprising amount of time.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 5, 2026

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Most of us take thousands of photos every year, then spend far too much time searching for the one image we actually need.

A vacation picture from three summers ago. A photo of a receipt for an expense report. A screenshot containing important information. 

The files are usually there somewhere, but finding them can be frustrating.

Here's a Cool Tip: Try the New Windows 11 OneDrive Photos App.

OneDrive Photos is a dedicated photo-focused experience that has recently started appearing on some Windows 11 systems. 

The app provides a gallery-style experience for browsing, organizing, and revisiting photos stored on a PC and in OneDrive cloud storage. 

Availability currently may vary by account, device, and rollout status.

Send Money With X Money

Send Money With X Money

 

X Money turns the social app into a practical wallet that pays interest and moves cash between users without leaving the platform. Eligible U.S. subscribers can hold balances, earn competitive yields, and spend with a branded Visa card.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 4, 2026

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Switching between banking apps, payment apps, and your social feed adds friction every time you need to split a bill or move money. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Check for the Money tab in your X app and set up the account if it appears.

X has started embedding these functions directly into the platform many people already open dozens of times a day.

Eligible U.S. users can now hold dollars, earn interest, send funds to other X handles, and spend with a physical or virtual Visa card without jumping apps.

Turn Words into Visuals Instantly in Google Docs with Gemini

Turn Words into Visuals Instantly in Google Docs with Gemini

Creating custom graphics, diagrams, and infographics no longer requires switching between separate design tools and text editors. Google Docs now lets you generate and edit high-quality visuals right inside your document using Gemini.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 3, 2026

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Writing a comprehensive document often hits a wall when it comes to visual presentation. 

You finish drafting a project proposal or research report, only to realize that readers need charts, process diagrams, or engaging infographics to digest the information quickly. 

Up until now, that meant opening graphic design software, building a graphic from scratch, exporting it as an image file, and pasting it into your document.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Gemini in Google Docs to build custom diagrams and edit graphics without leaving your document.

Google is changing the normal workflow by integrating visual creation and editing tools directly into Google Docs powered by Gemini. 

Instead of leaving your document, you can ask Gemini to analyze your text and create a matching diagram or infographic on the spot. 

If the graphic is not quite right, you can tweak its style or aspect ratio using simple chat commands.

Transform Everyday Clips with Google Photos Video Remix

Transform Everyday Clips with Google Photos Video Remix

Google Photos now lets you restyle short video clips instantly using generative artificial intelligence. You can adjust lighting, swap out plain backgrounds, and apply artistic effects without needing complex editing software.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 2, 2026

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Capturing video on a mobile phone takes a single tap, but making that footage look clean and exciting usually requires desktop software or complicated mobile editing tools. 

Most people leave raw video clips sitting in their photo library because fine-tuning lighting, cropping scenes, or replacing boring backgrounds takes too much time.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Video Remix inside Google Photos to instantly change lighting, swap video backgrounds, and apply artistic styles to short clips.

Google is addressing this hassle by adding artificial intelligence directly into the media library. 

Powered by Google's Gemini Omni AI model, the new Video Remix feature allows smartphone users to apply stylized treatments, replace environments, and fix lighting in seconds.

Make WhatsApp Calls From Any Web Browser

Make WhatsApp Calls From Any Web Browser

WhatsApp is adding voice and video calls directly to WhatsApp Web, eliminating the need to install the desktop app. The browser experience also includes group calls, screen sharing, reactions, call history, and favorite contacts.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

August 1, 2026

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You may already use WhatsApp Web to answer messages from a full-size keyboard. 

Until now, joining a WhatsApp call often meant reaching for your phone or installing the desktop application.

That limitation is disappearing.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Turn your browser into a WhatsApp calling station.

WhatsApp recently announced that users can now make and receive voice and video calls directly through WhatsApp Web. The browser version supports individual and group calls without requiring a desktop app.

The company says the feature is rolling out gradually, so it may not appear in every account immediately.

Make Mesmerizing Marbled Art in Your Browser

Make Mesmerizing Marbled Art in Your Browser

Paint Toys Marbling turns your web browser into a virtual tray of floating ink. Drop colors onto the canvas, drag a digital comb through them, and save the resulting artwork without installing an app or creating an account.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 31, 2026

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Traditional paper marbling can produce beautiful patterns, but it also requires paint, water, trays, paper, and a workspace you do not mind getting messy.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create colorful marbled artwork without making a mess.

Paint Toys Marbling recreates the most satisfying parts of that process inside a web browser. 

You add drops of virtual ink to a simulated water surface and then pull a comb through the colors to form waves, feathers, curls, and flowing bands.

There is no complicated toolbar to learn. The intentionally simple interface encourages you to click, drag, experiment, clear the canvas, and try again.

Why You Should Install iOS 26.6 Now

Why You Should Install iOS 26.6 Now

iOS 26.6 may not deliver a collection of flashy new tools, but it includes important security fixes and system improvements. The update also optimizes Spotlight search in preparation for iOS 27.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 30, 2026

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Not every worthwhile iPhone update changes the Home Screen or adds a feature you can immediately try.

Some updates work quietly in the background, repairing security weaknesses, fixing software problems, and preparing your device for what comes next. 

That is exactly what Apple is doing with iOS 26.6.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Update to iOS 26.6 Now to Protect Your iPhone and Prepare Spotlight for iOS 27.

iOS 26.6 includes bug fixes, security updates, and an optimization of the Spotlight index in preparation for iOS 27.

Windows 11 Screen Tint Makes Bright Screens Easier on the Eyes

Windows 11 Screen Tint Makes Bright Screens Easier on the Eyes

Bright screens are not always a brightness problem. Sometimes the intensity of modern apps, websites, and documents is what leaves your eyes feeling tired after a long day.

Windows 11's new Screen Tint accessibility feature offers another way to improve screen comfort by applying a customizable color overlay across the entire display. Availability may vary depending on your Windows version and rollout status.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 29, 2026

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After eight hours of email, spreadsheets, Teams meetings, web browsing, and document editing, many people reach for the brightness controls. 

The problem is that brightness is not always what's causing the discomfort.

Here's a Cool Tip: Customize your screen's comfort level with Screen Tint.

Microsoft's new Screen Tint feature for Windows 11 takes a different approach. Instead of simply dimming the display, it adds a customizable color overlay designed to make bright screens feel less visually intense during long work sessions. 

The feature is intended to help users who experience eye fatigue, light sensitivity, or general visual discomfort from bright displays.

Screen Tint joins other Windows accessibility tools designed to make computing more comfortable, but it fills a unique gap between Night Light and Color Filters.

Lockout Backup: Access Your Google Account With a Selfie Video

Lockout Backup: Access Your Google Account With a Selfie Video

Google launched a selfie video verification method to help users regain access to locked accounts when standard recovery devices are unavailable. By recording guided head movements, account owners can store an encrypted facial verification baseline to verify their identity in emergency situations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 28, 2026

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Getting locked out of a primary digital account can stall an entire workday or disrupt personal travel plans. 

Passwords can be forgotten, smartphones can be misplaced during travel, and secondary authentication hardware isn't always within reach. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Set up Google selfie Video Verification.

Google recently introduced a modern backup option designed to resolve account access emergencies: selfie video verification.

This backup mechanism provides a secure alternative when primary devices, passkeys, or recovery codes aren't available. 

Rather than relying solely on static phone numbers or secondary email addresses, users can record a short video of their face while moving their head in guided directions.