Helping My Dad Untangle His Tech

Plus smarter Amazon shopping, a rental car fail and one way to put your phone down

Hello and welcome to my first newsletter of 2026!

This is what I call the shoulder season in tech… it’s the time when most companies hold off on their big announcements until CES in Las Vegas, which kicks off Sunday.

For the uninitiated, CES used to stand for the Consumer Electronics Show, but that’s no longer the case. It’s now just CES to reflect the shift from purely gadgets to a broader range of categories - health tech, AI, wearables, car tech, data, security, and much more.

It’s one of my biggest weeks of the year, and I look forward to bringing you all the neat things I discover there. If you can believe it, I’ve been covering the show for more than 15 years now, and it’s a wild experience. Endless rows of exhibitors spread across not only the convention center but nearly every hotel on the strip. There’s no way to see it all, but I do my best to check out as much as I can. You also get to see (and try to catch up with) about every single person you’ve ever met in the tech world, which is also fun.

So stay tuned for that…

Helping My Dad Untangle His Tech

Last week, I took some time off to celebrate the holidays with my family in New Jersey. It turned out to be quite the trip for the kids because it snowed not once, but twice. Yes, I know you can see snow in California, but we don’t get to the mountains very often, so my kids were absolutely loving it.

It brought back so many memories for me. Waking up early in the morning, looking out the window to see if it snowed. Mostly hoping for a snow day and no school, but also to play in the snow and make a little extra cash shoveling the neighbors’ sidewalks.

I stayed at my dad’s house, and it turned into a real lesson in what the average consumer faces when it comes to their technology.

The first thing I noticed was that my dad recently switched to T-Mobile 5G wireless home internet. I did a quick speed test to see how solid the coverage was, and I was actually pretty impressed. When you do it the right way, placing the receiver near a window, it pulls in a cellular signal and turns it into a Wi-Fi signal that’s broadcast throughout the house.

The problem was the signal didn’t really reach the entire home. The TV was buffering constantly. Thankfully, I had anticipated this and brought my old Eero system with me. Setting it up was super easy. Not only was the Wi-Fi signal stronger, but overall performance was noticeably better.

Since he previously had Eero, I reused the same Wi-Fi network name so all his gadgets would automatically reconnect. Explaining this to my dad, though, was surprisingly confusing. He couldn’t understand the difference between the Wi-Fi network name and the actual internet connection that feeds it. He kept saying, “I canceled my old internet. How do I have it back?” which definitely gave me a good laugh.

Next up was his TV. He has an LG TV with built-in smart software, and he was using that interface. The remote is also this strange pointer-style remote that floats around the screen, which I’m not a fan of. So I immediately ordered a new Amazon Fire TV Stick, which arrived the next day.

I plugged it in, cleaned up the mess of old, unused cables behind the TV, streamlined everything to a soundbar, and suddenly the whole setup was faster, simpler, and controlled by one remote. My dad says he likes this one way better than the old setup.

Problem number two solved.

Then came the logins and passwords. Logging into all his streaming apps was tricky because his passwords are a mix of old passwords, words, numbers, and things he’s used for years. I reminded him that I set him up with Bitwarden a long time ago, but the real issue was that he had three password managers competing with each other: Bitwarden, Apple Passwords, and Google Passwords.

Every time you tapped into a login, all three would pop up almost at the same time, asking to save, fill, or generate a password. That’s incredibly confusing for the average person.

I had to go in and turn off autofill from Apple and Google, which, especially with Google, was not easy. Then I worked through his most important logins, tested them, reset forgotten passwords, and created new, stronger passwords for his key services.

I’m telling you all this because if it feels tough and tedious for me to organize technology, that’s a sign there are real barriers in the way of this stuff working smoothly. I truly get it. I understand how frustrating and confusing this can be.

My main takeaway is this: you need an organized system from the start. Take the extra time to create a strong password and save it. Take the extra time to set up two-factor authentication. Take the extra time to be mindful of what you’re setting up as you do it, because you think you’ll remember later, and you never do. Write things down. Keep notes. Have a process.

It’s a new year, and it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate the apps, products, and services you’re using. Take the time to clean things up.

As for my dad, so far I haven’t gotten that dreaded phone call that starts with, “Hey, I can’t do this anymore,” like I used to. And that’s a very good thing.

How I Cleaned Up Amazon Search Results

Also at my dad’s house, I did some cooking in his kitchen and realized that once you get to a certain age, you apparently don’t care about expiration dates. That’s another story. I also discovered that his cutting boards were literally from when I was a kid. No Danish dish cloths. No instant-read thermometer.

Amazon Unsponor can highlight sponsored search results or hide them completely

I wanted to order him some new supplies… But while I was searching Amazon for them, it really hit me that so many of the top results are sponsored listings. I wanted to see more of the organic search results without all the ads clouding things up.

A standard ad blocker like Ghostery doesn’t really handle this. So I went digging through Chrome extensions to see if there was a way to block sponsored product results on Amazon and, sure enough, there is. It’s a Chrome extension called Amazon Unsponsor.

Once you install it, you can choose to either gray out sponsored results or hide them completely. I opted to hide them entirely, and browsing Amazon instantly became a lot easier.

When a Reservation Isn’t Really a Reservation

I hate complaining, but I have to share my car rental story.

I’ve been a customer of this company that rhymes with shirts for about 15 years, and I’m one of those people who rents all the time. Usually, it’s seamless. I walk to the rental area, glance at the digital board, see my name, and head straight to my car.

This time was different.

We arrived at the airport super early after a red-eye, and my name was nowhere to be found on the board. That was the first red flag. I walked over to the customer service desk and was told that although I had a reservation, they didn’t actually have my car.

If you’re familiar with Seinfeld, you already know how this goes.

We went round and round about why my car wasn’t there, and eventually they offered me a minivan. I said fine, I’ll take the minivan, but obviously not at the price I was paying for the full-size SUV I reserved. I booked that SUV because I knew I’d be hauling a lot of people and luggage, and driving in the snow.

That’s when they told me it didn’t work that way. The minivan, they said, was actually more expensive than the SUV I had reserved.

That logic made zero sense to me, because I wasn’t walking up to the counter and renting a car on the spot. I had a reservation.

Long story short, after more back-and-forth, they offered me a measly $100 off, handed me the keys to a dirty minivan, and sent me on my way. Yes, it slid all over the place in the snow.

And to be clear, I understand that rental car companies don’t always have the exact car you reserved. There was literally a Seinfeld episode about this 20 years ago. What really bothered me was how it was handled by both the desk agent and manager. No accommodation. No acknowledgment that I’d been a loyal customer for more than a decade. No sense that they cared at all.

That’s what lost my business.

Needless to say, I won’t be renting from them again, which honestly bums me out because I’ve loved their service for years.

AI Comes to Rental Car Inspections

One interesting thing about my car rental experience was getting to see an AI damage scanner firsthand.

When you exit the rental facility, you actually drive through this massive scanner that takes photos of the car from every angle. The company behind it is called UVeye, and on its website they describe it as an MRI for cars.

When you return the vehicle, you drive through another scanner. The AI system then compares the images from when you picked up the car to when you dropped it off and can automatically bill you for any damage.

At the end of the rental, they send you a report with before-and-after photos and a short summary showing what the system found.

I think this is both good and bad. The good part is that if there was already damage on the car, hopefully it gets documented before you ever leave the lot. The bad part is that it’s probably going to be much harder to dispute damage claims in the future.

Either way, my advice stays the same. Take full-resolution photos of all four sides of the car yourself before you drive off. Just to be safe.

The One Feature I Love on Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

On my flight, I brought the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which I’ve been testing, and I came away really impressed. They’re extremely comfortable and sound very good, especially for in-ear earbuds.

I didn’t miss my AirPods as much as I thought. One downside: the case is significantly larger.

There’s one feature on these earbuds that I absolutely love. When they connect over Bluetooth, they announce the device they’re connected to. That might not matter to everyone, but for me, it’s a big deal. As you can imagine, I’ve got a lot of devices lying around. When I put these earbuds in and hear exactly what they’re connected to, I know I’m on the right device.

I think every Bluetooth device should do this, or at least give you the option to turn it on or off.

If you’re looking for really strong active noise cancellation in a much smaller form factor than Bose’s traditional over-the-ear headphones, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are a great option, especially if you’re on Android.

Restoring Old Family Photos With AI

Also at my dad’s house, I was using AI to restore some old photos. I know I’ve mentioned this in the newsletter before, but I now have a great prompt that really helps bring pictures back to life. I can’t take credit for writing it. It was actually written by ChatGPT, but it does a good job.

I spent some time restoring old family photos, and the results were pretty incredible. The trick is to take a photo of the original picture, trying to avoid glare, then upload it to Google Gemini or ChatGPT. Use the prompt below and let the AI do its thing.

The results won’t be perfect every time, but when it works, it’s kind of amazing. I recommend trying both AIs and comparing the results since each one handles restoration a little differently.

Prompt:

Restore and enhance this photo as if it were captured today with a high-end modern camera. Improve overall sharpness and fine detail without changing the subject’s identity or features. Enhance colors to look natural and vibrant, not oversaturated. Correct white balance and gently increase contrast and dynamic range. Reduce noise, fix blur or softness, and refine edges for a crisp, realistic look. Preserve authentic skin tones and textures, avoiding artificial smoothing or stylization. The final image should feel clean, high-resolution, and true to the original scene, just clearer and more lifelike.

Related: I also spotted this bad boy in my dad’s basement. An old VHSC camcorder. Going home really is like opening a little time capsule from your childhood.

My Year-End Tech Recap on TV

On TV this week, I presented my annual year-end segment. In it, I took a look back at all the technologies, places, and gadgets I covered throughout 2025. And if there was one theme that stood out, it was exactly what you’d expect: artificial intelligence.

Tech Tidbits

Samsung is bringing Google Photos to its TV screens. It will launch on 2026 models first, with some older TVs getting the feature later. My bigger question is this: why isn’t there a Google Photos app on every smart TV and streaming platform? Google, stop gatekeeping.

The U.S. government and General Motors have teamed up on a new road trip app to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. It’s called Explore 250 (iOS, Android), and it helps you plan road trips that hit some of the most iconic destinations across the country.

Amazon Prime settlement checks are going out, so don’t be surprised if one shows up in your mailbox or inbox. The payments are automatic and can be up to $51.

Samsung is launching a new budget smartphone priced at just $200. I haven’t tested it yet, but the specs look solid for the price, and it comes with six years of security updates, which is almost unheard of in this category. It’s called the Galaxy A17.

When Your Phone Needs a Time-Out

Do people even do New Year’s resolutions anymore? I haven’t heard much about them this year. Either way, screen time is still very much part of the conversation.

I spotted this phone jail at Target for five bucks. You put your phone inside, lock it up, and that’s that. It’s a pretty effective way to keep yourself off your screen.

Another option is using apps like Opal or BePresent, which help you be more intentional about how often you reach for your phone.

When Rich on Tech Weekly Hit Broadcast TV

Before I go, KTLA surprised me by airing my Rich on Tech Weekly show over the air during the holiday break, filling time when news programming was light. It was a fun surprise and reached a much broader audience.

Almost immediately, I started getting messages from viewers saying things like, “I can’t believe you have a new TV show.” I had to smile, because we’ve actually been doing this weekly show for a while now. The difference is that it normally lives on KTLA+, and airing it on broadcast TV introduced it to even more viewers.

So just a quick heads-up. If you want to watch a longer, more in-depth version of my segments, you can download the free KTLA+ app on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TVs, and Amazon Fire TV, no matter where you live.

Just look for Rich on Tech Weekly. We have a lot of fun with it, and I’m really proud of what we’re making.

See You on the Radio

That’s going to do it. Have a fantastic first week of the year.

I’ll be live on the radio Saturday at 11 a.m. Pacific on KFI AM 640. You can tune in live or catch the repeat on 710 WOR Sunday night at 5 p.m. Pacific.

You can also stream the show on iHeartRadio or subscribe to the podcast and listen anytime.

Rich