My Motorola-loving friend just got a new Samsung. Why? He wanted the latest security updates. He also wanted a faster processer and the latest operating system. But it’s not perfect.

Compared to his old Moto G Power, the new Samsung A54 seemed to have a shorter battery life and lacks the headset jack needed for a wired headset, which he finds superior to the wireless kind. Also, he had to download the free Google phone app, which screens calls, after discovering that the Samsung app was letting in spam. I told him he should have stuck with his Motorola. But he disagrees and so do the experts at ZDNET.

ZDNET calls the Samsung A54 “the best phone under $500.” Amazon was selling it for $325 when I looked, and Tracfone customers can get it for $300, along with unlimited calls, unlimited text and two gigabytes of data for $20 a month.

Experts say you should replace your phone when it stops getting security updates, or  hackers could get in. Unfortunately, many phones stop getting updates after two or three years. But iPhones get them for seven, and Google’s Pixel 8 gets them for eight.

If you never use the internet on your phone, never download apps or attachments, and never click on links, you’re fine, however. An app developer on Quora.com, the question-and-answer site, says he’s still using 14-year-old phones, but only for testing the apps he makes.

“Gabbing” Again

A reader wrote: “Thanks for the excellent description of the Gabb phone. Although you touted it for the teenage crowd, it would be an excellent choice at the opposite age end. My wife wants to have nothing to do with technology. As an octogenarian, she needs only to call, take pictures, and on rare occasions, foray into Facebook. The Gabb phone seems excellent for her. It could be invaluable for other elderly people as well — and invaluable for care givers to know what and where their loved one is about!”

AI in Online Education

When a cousin needed a course for her master’s in financial engineering, she got it online. Everybody’s doing that now, especially since there’s an AI “Xpert” to help.

The Xpert is available at edX.org, a site which brings together free courses from prestigious universities all around the world. You only pay if you want credit, and then it’s only $149 per course. I used Xpert to help me comb through 4000 offerings to find Harvard’s “Masters of World Literature,” “Icelandic Sagas” from the University of Iceland and a nutrition course from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Most people prefer the in-person college experience, but I think this is a big time-and-money saver. You can always make friends in the chat windows.

Edx’s Xpert also offers free online tutoring. That’s especially helpful in their tech courses and AI “boot camps,” which are intense, but short workshops. For full degrees, Maryville University in Montana offers a huge variety of tech subjects. I also saw a master’s degree program in artificial intelligence from the University of Texas. According to US News and World Report, the acceptance of online degrees has risen dramatically.

Edx.org calls its system “free to degree.” Take as many courses as you like for free before deciding to go for credit. You’ll see all the answers to the quizzes after you take them, but you won’t get the full range of class activities that paying students do.

CoPilot Coming to Windows 10

Microsoft’s new AI tool, “CoPilot” was supposed to roll out to Windows 11 users in September, but it’s a slow roll. Windows 10 users will wait even longer unless they sign up for the free “Windows Insiders Program.”

To join it, type “Windows Update Settings” in the search bar on the lower left of your screen. Then click on “Windows Insider Program” at the bottom of the list on the left and follow the prompts. Then wait for CoPilot.

Using an Echo as a Bluetooth Speaker

Say you’re listening to something on your phone, and you want to hear it coming out of your Amazon Echo smart speaker. Just open the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone and tap “see all” to find the devices are available. Next tap your Echo device. That’s it. You’re connected.

Add Your Email to the Lock Screen

To avoid problems after losing a phone, you could put your contact info in the phone’s “Emergency” section. But what if the person who picks it up doesn’t tap the word “Emergency?” One solution is to put your email address right on the lock screen. If you’re iffy about that, make up a new email at AOL, Gmail or Yahoo.

On my Google Pixel 6a, I tapped Settings,” then “Wallpaper,” then “Lock screen,” then “Add text on lock screen.” Look up “add text to lock screen,” to find out how to do it on your phone. I tried three different suggestions to find one that worked.

Internuts

• Rideguru.com lets you calculate the cost of an Uber, Lyft, taxi or limo ride in advance. When I looked, a ride from an airport was $14 on Uber and $25 by taxi.
• “No Meat Athlete, the Sauce System.” Do a search on those words to find a simple way to bring variety to meals. Just change the sauce.

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