Gmail has a new "block sender" command that's much better than their "report spam" button. We've labeled hundreds of items as spam, only to see them come back the next day. We've tried using filters as well, but sometimes they filter out too much and you miss things you would have liked to see.
To use "block sender," click the "more" button next to a message's "reply" arrow; it's in the upper right corner of the message. Choose "block sender" from the list that drops down and from then on, messages from that sender will be blocked. (We didn't see this option on our Android phone at press time, but it should be there quite soon.)
Another good blocking idea is to create a free email account at Yahoo, AOL, Apple, or some other service you're not using. Then when a merchant asks for your email address and you're pretty sure they're going to bombard you with ads, give them that one; it's sort of like creating a dead letter office. Why would you not just dump them out forever? Because it could be a merchant or service that you might be interested in later. Joy uses AOL for that purpose and checks it every few weeks. By then it has a couple hundred mostly worthless messages. She marks them all for deletion, which you can do with one click, and then unchecks the delete boxes next to the few she might want to look at.
Upgrading your iPhone
You don't need a new iPhone 6 to get the latest Apple operating system for free. The new "iOS 9" works on the Apple 4 and 5 as well. To upgrade, tap "Settings," then "General," then "Software Update." Here are a few new features that impressed us.
• "Low Power Mode" saves your battery by turning off apps running in the background. Find it in "Settings." By the way, "Settings" has a new search box, making it easier to find stuff.
• Add a photo to your email by holding your finger on the message until a menu pops up. You can insert a photo or video there.
• Add your signature to an email. Hold your finger on an image and tap to get the "Markup" menu. Tap "signature" to draw one on the screen. (You might want to autograph your own photo, like a celebrity.) "Markup" has other useful tools as well. Draw a rough rectangle around something and tap to make it a perfect rectangle. Or draw a circle and tap to make it a perfect circle.
Amazon Fire
Joy lost her iPad Mini at the gym and has been using an old Amazon Fire tablet. The new, $50 Fire is better than the old one in many ways. One of the best changes they made was moving the power button.
The old Amazon Fire had the power button on the base of the unit. Dumb design: Every time Joy set it down on a stationary bike or treadmill's book mount, the Fire went out. The new one has the power button at the top. The demand is so great, they're out of them until late October.
A hit feature of the new Fire is what they call "Amazon Underground." This has over $10,000 worth of apps and games. You can unlock higher levels, get upgrades and even your character's life back (cause you know you're gonna die the first few times out), all for free. There are unlimited add-on packs and free game goodies that are normally costly.
At $50, the new Fire is $350 less expensive than the cheapest iPad Mini 4. It may not run all the apps an iPad will, but it's a great device for reading and movie-watching. The screen resolution isn't as great as the iPad's either, but even with our old Fire, we didn't notice the difference. Comes with a slot for an extra memory card. At Bob's insistence, Joy just ordered one.
Going Without Cable TV
Going without cable TV is getting easier and easier. Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, Showtime and HBO Now are obvious choices. But here are a couple we've overlooked:
• "CBS All Access." For $6 a month, it has all the most popular TV shows, such as Sixty Minutes, CSI and The Good Wife. It also has oldies like Star Trek and The Twilight Zone. For new shows, you can get the latest episode the day after it airs. Use your computer, tablet or phone to watch. Or use a late-model TV, which lets you connect a Roku player, a Google Chromecast, or an Amazon Fire Stick. Most TVs nowadays also let you go directly to these channels without connecting a stick, but we've had better results with the sticks, which cost $35-$50.
• "Sling TV" at $20 a month is more expensive than the new plug-in sticks but the crucial difference is you get sports channels. ESPN and ESPN2 are the main ones and you can add more for $5 a channel.
Internuts
• "18 Maps That Will Change How You See the World." One map shows countries with the most blondes. Another shows every city with more than 100,000 residents. Another shows the prevailing religion in each country. One map shows who is viewed as the greatest threat to world peace. Most countries chose us.
• "Meet the 13 Year-Old Who Invented a Low-Cost Braille Printer." Search on those words to find a Smithsonian magazine article about a kid who built a working Braille printer from a Lego Mindstorm set. It's not for sale yet but Intel has invested in producing it.
• "20 First Photos from the History of Photography."
• ViralNova.com has an article entitled "The Coolest Reactions Your Science Teacher Never Showed You." Watch a solid object floating on a gas. See gallium melt in the palm of someone's hand. Watch some explosive dirt.
Bob and Joy Schwabach can be reached by email at [email protected] and [email protected].
SundayMonday Business on 10/12/2015