(Best of) Free TV antenna tips, smarter scam protection & better home Wi-Fi (195, October 10, 2026)

iPhone Duo preorders are selling out: Apple’s first foldable iPhone starts at $2,000, with some deliveries reportedly slipping into January. Rich recommends waiting for reviews, especially given the expensive repair costs. AI agents can do more than answer questions: Rich compares Meta Muse, ChatGPT Dots, Grok Bot, Gemini Spark and OpenClaw, explaining how they can navigate websites, use apps and complete tasks on your behalf. Rich puts his AI agent to work: His ChatGPT agent, Glitchy, tracks expenses, manages calendar events, organizes travel plans, checks flights and flags important emails. Rich says these tools are powerful but warns users to be careful about the permissions they grant. Jack in Anaheim can’t turn off his Roku’s talking voice: Rich explains how to find the Screen Reader setting under Settings > Accessibility or try pressing the remote’s star button four times quickly. The issue wasn’t resolved on air, and Rich suggests checking the Sony TV’s accessibility settings or restarting the Roku; or toggling the Screen Reader setting on and off again if disabling it doesn’t stop the voice narration. Apple HomeView brings Siri to your smart home: Apple’s $299 smart home display features a 7-inch touchscreen, FaceTime, smart home controls and personalized information for family members. Rich questions the price compared with Google Nest and Amazon Echo Show devices. Susie in West Covina needs simpler phones: For her mother, Rich suggests Lively’s Jitterbug, RAZ Memory Cell Phone or an internet-based home phone using Ooma, magicJack or Pinwheel. For Susie’s outdated Moto G Stylus running Android 11, he recommends a Pixel 10a or Pixel 11 for longer software support. Cleta in Brea can’t access Facebook notifications: After a Facebook update moved the notification bell, Rich recommends enabling Touch Sensitivity in Samsung’s display settings or waiting for another Facebook app update to fix the issue. Mint Mobile celebrates 10 years with $10 unlimited service: New customers can get six months of unlimited service for $60 upfront, plus taxes and fees. After the promotion, the standard annual-plan rate is $30 monthly. Mint runs on T-Mobile’s network but doesn’t support cellular Apple Watches. David in Wisconsin asks what he’s missing by switching from Verizon to Visible: Rich explains that prepaid carriers can save customers $20 to $40 a month, but premium postpaid plans may offer faster hotspot speeds and better customer support. Rich is sticking with Verizon because he regularly uploads large video files on the road and needs maximum hotspot performance. ChatGPT can now see your Chrome tabs: Rich explains how ChatGPT can compare products and hotels across open tabs, summarize articles and answer questions about YouTube videos without copying and pasting information. Julie in Riverside asks if an antenna works with Roku: Rich explains that an antenna connects directly to the TV, not a Roku stick. For a more integrated experience, devices like Tablo and HDHomeRun can bring over-the-air channels into Roku through their apps. Phillip Shoemaker, founding director of Apple’s App Store Review team and author of Unbreakable, will share how he was SIM-swapped despite a career fighting fraud, and the simple steps consumers can take to better protect their digital lives. Ed in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania wants to email a 5 GB video: Rich recommends uploading it to a cloud service and sharing a link instead. Options include Proton Drive, Wormhole, Google Drive and pCloud. Wormhole supports transfers up to 10 GB without an account, but files expire after 24 hours. Roku audio descriptions may explain the mystery voice: Listener Greg suggests checking whether Audio Description is enabled in the TV or streaming app’s accessibility settings. Steve in Fullerton asks about Google Assistant switching to Gemini: Rich explains that Gemini understands natural language and handles complex questions better, but some basic commands may

Rich explains why he’s finally sold on AI agents after using ChatGPT Dots to order pizza, check in for a flight, research trips and handle everyday tasks.

Snapdragon focuses on AI: Qualcomm’s new chips aim to run more AI directly on phones, improving speed and reducing reliance on the cloud.

AI gets more useful and more concerning: Rich says to use AI and understand it, but question its answers rather than blindly trusting it. AI can provide emotional support: Caller Bonnie used ChatGPT to help process the loss of her dog, while Bridget Todd explained why emotional connections with AI are becoming more common. Meta Muse is a personal AI assistant: Rich likes Meta’s new Muse app, which can connect to email, calendars, reminders and tasks to help get things done. iPhone 18 Pro is great, but not a must-upgrade: Better battery life, cooler operation and a variable-aperture camera stand out, but recent iPhone owners can probably wait. Siri finally gets much smarter: Siri can privately index messages, emails, photos and other personal information so you can ask questions about your own life. Spectrum Mobile could save a caller $1,500: Rich says the free-year offer could be worthwhile, but check Verizon coverage where you live and work before switching. Watch for government impersonation scams: If someone claiming to be with the government or law enforcement demands immediate payment, hang up and independently verify the claim. Restart first when an app stops working: A caller with Gmail trouble was reminded that a simple phone restart should be the first troubleshooting step. Stop Samsung Wi-Fi from turning itself back on: Disable "Turn Wi-Fi on automatically" under Intelligent Wi-Fi if you want full control over the connection. Facebook lockout workaround: If normal account recovery fails, a paid Meta support plan may provide access to a real person who can help. How the Apple Store was created: Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson shared how he and Steve Jobs built the stores around service, hands-on experiences and the Genius Bar. You can completely turn off Siri: iOS 27 adds an option under Settings > Siri to disable Siri entirely. You can't remove data from the dark web: After a breach, focus on protecting yourself by limiting shared personal information and freezing your credit when appropriate. Amazon Prime Big Deal Days are October 6 and 7: Add items you want to your cart ahead of time so it's easier to spot real price drops. Fix missing email on an iPhone: Go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts and try reconnecting, or remove and re-add the affected account. Apple Watch finally shows steps on the watch face: Series 12 and Ultra 4 can display near-real-time step counts without a third-party app. Portable hotspots won't work at sea: Cellular hotspots need a cellular signal, so they won't replace cruise ship Wi-Fi when you're offshore. AirPods microphone acting up? Clean them first: Carefully clean the earbuds and microphone areas before assuming the hardware needs replacing. Chrome pop-ups may come from rogue extensions: Remove extensions you don't recognize, check notification permissions and clear browser data. Skip questionable streaming black boxes: Rich recommends legitimate streaming services over devices that can bring legal, privacy, security and reliability concerns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple launches the $2,000 iPhone Duo, its first foldable with a 5.4-inch outer screen, 7.6-inch inner display, MagSafe and Apple Pencil support. iPhone Duo software could be its biggest advantage, with apps optimized for the foldable screen instead of simply being stretched larger. IDScan confirms a major driver’s license breach, prompting Rich to recommend free credit freezes with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Political spam texts are best filtered, not answered, since replying can confirm your number is active and lead to even more messages. iPhone 18 Pro gets a $100 price hike, starting at $1,200 with variable aperture photography, improved cooling and longer battery life. A cellular Apple Watch can help after a fall, with fall detection and the ability to call for help even when your iPhone isn’t nearby. Smart TVs can become “dumb” TVs, simply by leaving them offline and using an Apple TV, Roku or Fire TV for streaming. Infinite Fi’s $49 unlimited internet claim doesn’t add up, because any hotspot still needs cellular, satellite or another real internet connection. Rich recommends Mayday on Apple TV for family movie night, calling the Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh movie a fun crowd-pleaser. Flaky Windows Wi-Fi may be a driver issue, so update Windows, reconnect to your network and make sure an old router isn’t still broadcasting. Consent phishing can bypass passwords and 2FA, by tricking you into granting a malicious app legitimate access to your account. Changing your password may not stop consent phishing, so also check connected apps and revoke anything you don’t recognize. Tablo and ZapperBox make antenna TV easier, with options for watching or recording free over-the-air channels. Brian Tong calls iPhone Duo an impressive first-gen foldable, but says its price, weight and thickness remain real compromises. AirPods 5 may be Apple’s sleeper upgrade, bringing noise cancellation to the open-fit design for $149. An AI researcher quit Anthropic over safety concerns, warning that future self-improving systems could become difficult for humans to control. NormalTools.com is a handy free utility site, with nearly 200 browser-based tools for PDFs, images, QR codes, calculations and more. Apple Watch Series 12 improves health tracking, with more frequent measurements, a readiness score and new sound recognition alerts. Apple Watch Live Rewind can show what was just said, using an opt-in feature that displays a transcript of roughly the last 15 seconds. NordVPN says people remain the cybersecurity weak link, as AI makes phishing scams cheaper, faster and more convincing. Privacy.com can help stop unwanted free-trial renewals, by using virtual cards that can be limited or shut off after signup. Lance Ulanoff says Duo’s matte display helps hide the crease, making it much less noticeable during normal use. Apple Pencil support makes Duo more tablet-like, especially for drawing, writing and creative apps such as Procreate. Pixel’s Now Playing identifies songs automatically, displaying nearby music on the lock screen without requiring a search. Ooma cut one listener’s landline bill from $127 to about $20 a month, while letting him keep the same longtime phone number. Libby offers free audiobooks and ebooks with a library card, although popular titles may have waitlists and borrowing deadlines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.