Talk Directly to Your Inbox with Gmail Live on Mobile

Talk Directly to Your Inbox with Gmail Live on Mobile

Finding specific details buried inside sprawling email threads usually requires tedious scrolling and pinching on small mobile screens. Gmail Live introduces a conversational voice interface that reads your inbox context and delivers spoken answers alongside direct source citations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 25, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

 

You are walking through an airport terminal carrying luggage, or standing in line grabbing morning coffee, when an urgent question pops into your head: 

Which gate did that connecting flight move to, or what time is that vendor proposal due? 

Opening your mobile email client and typing keywords into a tiny search bar is slow, awkward, and frustrating when you only have one free hand.

Google is addressing that friction directly by rolling out Gmail Live to mobile devices. 

Instead of forcing you to hunt through dozens of multi-threaded conversations, the mobile app now lets you talk back and forth with an AI voice agent that understands your actual inbox contents.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Tap the Live icon in the Gmail search bar to ask spoken questions and hear instant answers drawn directly from your email threads.

Google Chrome's New AI Protection Helps Stop Online Scams

Google Chrome's New AI Protection Helps Stop Online Scams

Google Chrome is getting smarter about detecting online scams, including fake virus warnings and dangerous instructions hidden on websites. Learn how its improved AI-powered protection works and the simple setting that can help you browse more safely.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 24, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

You're browsing the web when a frightening warning appears. 

Your computer is infected, your browser needs an urgent update, or you must run a special command to fix a problem.

It looks convincing. 

But is it real?

Google Chrome is strengthening its defenses against these increasingly sophisticated online scams, and artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role.

Google made several improvements to Chrome's scam detection, including suspicious website warnings, expanded Gemini AI analysis, and protection against a deceptive technique called ClickFix.

These improvements help Chrome recognize potential threats before you fall for a scam.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn on Chrome's Enhanced Protection to help protect yourself against the latest online scams.

Play 200+ Free Online Games

Play 200+ Free Online Games

Looking for a fun break without downloading another app? Arkadium offers more than 200 online games, including Solitaire, Mahjong, crosswords, Sudoku and arcade favorites, that you can play directly in your web browser.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 23, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

Remember when taking a break from work meant opening Solitaire or Minesweeper on your computer?

Those simple games offered a few minutes of entertainment without much effort. No complicated setup, expensive gaming console or lengthy instructions.

Fortunately, that kind of casual gaming is still around, and there's much more to choose from.

Arkadium brings together more than 200 online games, including familiar card games, daily crosswords, word puzzles, Mahjong and arcade favorites.

You can play directly in your web browser, whether you're using a computer, tablet or compatible smartphone. No software installation is required.

And while Arkadium offers optional paid features, you can enjoy a wide selection of games for free.

Here's a Cool Tip: Visit Arkadium.com and discover hundreds of games you can play right in your browser!

Make iPhone Reminders Smarter With iOS 27

Make iPhone Reminders Smarter With iOS 27

Your iPhone can do more than remind you about appointments and deadlines. With iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence, Reminders can understand everyday instructions, suggest tasks from emails and webpages, and help organize your to-do lists.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 22, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

How often have you read an email, noticed something you needed to do, and promptly forgotten about it?

Maybe it's a bill to pay, an appointment to schedule, or something you promised to pick up at the store.

Apple's built-in Reminders app can help keep those little obligations from slipping through the cracks.

With iOS 27, Reminders offers a more intelligent way to create tasks. 

On supported iPhones, Apple Intelligence can interpret a simple description and fill in reminder details automatically.

The app also includes AI-powered suggestions, automatic organization, and quick ways to capture tasks without interrupting what you're doing.

Some of those capabilities arrived in iOS 26, but together they make Reminders a more useful productivity tool.

Here's a Cool Tip: Use Apple Intelligence to create reminders with everyday language and keep your tasks organized with less effort.

Write Like a Renaissance Master With Michelangelus

Write Like a Renaissance Master With Michelangelus

A little Renaissance history just arrived for your font collection. Michelangelus is a new serif typeface inspired by Michelangelo’s handwriting and works, giving documents, presentations, invitations, and creative projects a distinctive connection to the Renaissance.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 21, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

Imagine putting a little Michelangelo into your next Word document or PowerPoint presentation.

Michelangelus is a new serif typeface inspired by the work and handwritten manuscripts of Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti. 

The font was commissioned by the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the organization responsible for St. Peter’s Basilica, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the basilica’s consecration. 

It was created by Studiogusto, an independent creative agency from Italy and Germany.

This is not simply Michelangelo’s handwriting scanned and converted into a computer font. 

The designers deliberately chose not to imitate his handwriting exactly. 

Instead, they studied his manuscripts and translated aspects of his writing into a contemporary typeface.

Even better, you can download and install Michelangelus right now. 

Microsoft Design also plans to distribute the font through Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, at the end of 2026.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Download Michelangelus now and give your next project some Renaissance personality.

MapQuest Now Shows Where Flock Surveillance Cameras Are

MapQuest Now Shows Where Flock Surveillance Cameras Are

MapQuest has a surprising new feature that shows where Flock license plate readers and other roadside surveillance cameras have been reported. Here's how to turn on its Surveillance Layer and discover what may be watching the roads around you.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 20, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

Remember MapQuest?

Long before smartphones made turn-by-turn navigation commonplace, MapQuest helped drivers find their destinations with printed driving directions.

Now the longtime mapping service has a surprising new feature.

It can show you where certain roadside surveillance cameras are located.

The feature displays known or reported locations of automated license plate readers, including devices manufactured by Flock Safety.

These cameras are used by law enforcement agencies and other organizations to capture license plate information and help identify vehicles.

But their growing presence has also sparked questions about privacy, data collection, and how vehicle location information is used.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn on MapQuest's Surveillance Layer to discover reported license plate cameras near you.

One Copilot to Rule Them All: Microsoft Combines Its Apps

One Copilot to Rule Them All: Microsoft Combines Its Apps

Confused by Microsoft's collection of similarly named Copilot apps? Microsoft is consolidating its Copilot experiences into one updated app that can handle personal, work, and school accounts and, for eligible users, create Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 19, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

If you've ever looked at Microsoft's assortment of Copilot apps and wondered which one you were supposed to open, Microsoft has apparently heard you.

The company is consolidating existing Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot app installations into a single Microsoft Copilot application experience. 

The updated app can support personal, work, and school accounts while connecting Copilot with Microsoft 365 apps, files, and content.

One clarification is important. Microsoft isn't renaming the entire Microsoft 365 service. 

The Microsoft 365 (Office) app and the standalone Copilot app are now being brought together under the unified name Microsoft Copilot.

There's another benefit hiding behind that name change. 

Eligible users can use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents inside Microsoft Copilot to create actual documents, workbooks, and presentations simply by describing what they need.

For most existing users, the transition should not require much work. 

Most updates happen automatically, and web users are automatically redirected to the updated Copilot experience.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use the new unified Copilot as your starting point for chat, files, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Take Control of Facebook: Meet Your Algorithm

Take Control of Facebook: Meet Your Algorithm

Tired of Facebook guessing wrong about what you want to see? Your Algorithm lets you describe your interests in plain English and watch your Feed and Reels respond right away.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor 

October 18, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

Your Facebook Feed has always learned from what you click, not what you actually want. 

You watch one video about sourdough and suddenly you are a bread influencer. You like a cousin's baby photo and now you see parenting groups.

Facebook is changing that approach. 

On October 13, 2026, Meta announced Your Algorithm, a set of AI tools that let you tell Facebook directly what you want more of and less of, in your own words.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Talk to your Feed and tell it what you really want to see.

Combine Carts Across Stores Using Google's New Universal Cart

Combine Carts Across Stores Using Google's New Universal Cart

Juggling dozens of browser tabs and forgotten online carts across different websites creates digital clutter and missed savings. Google's new Universal Cart unites your items from multiple retailers into a single shared shopping hub inside Google Search and the Gemini app.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 17, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

Online shopping often turns into a messy browser session with twenty open tabs, three separate retail logins, and screenshots scattered across your phone gallery. 

You put a pair of running shoes in one store cart, household supplies in another, and completely lose track of discount codes before you finish buying.

Google is tackling that digital sprawl by adding cross-retailer checkout and tracking directly inside its ecosystem. 

Instead of visiting store sites individually, shoppers can now gather products across brands into one persistent cart.

Here's a Cool Tip: Combine products from competing retailers into Google's Universal Cart to track price drops, compare card perks, and check out without tab overload.

Find Fascinating Websites You Never Knew Existed

Find Fascinating Websites You Never Knew Existed

Cloudhiker introduces you to unusual websites that a human has reviewed and selected. Explore a favorite subject, save useful discoveries, and take a more interesting break from your usual feeds.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 16, 2026

Subscribe | Read the Newsletter Version

You open your browser for a quick break and visit the same familiar sites. 

There is plenty to read, but very little feels unexpected.

Cloudhiker gives that routine a welcome detour, introducing you to websites you might never think to search for.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Cloudhiker to discover interesting websites beyond your everyday browsing routine.