Ignore cranky reviews on Amazon about ’23 Moto G

A reader said that he wants to replace a 5-year-old Motorola phone with a later version. But new Motorolas often have worse reviews than old ones, though the new ones tend to cost less.

For example, I paid $170 for the 2021 Moto G Power on Amazon but it now goes for $270 to $400. Does that mean people prefer the old to the new? Has Motorola gone downhill?

The latest Moto G Power has 9% one-star reviews on Amazon, which is a lot. But it’s reasonably priced at $200 and has a relatively fast Snapdragon processor and the same great battery life as the older Moto G phones. It can go five days on a single charge. It also offers more years of security updates and a later Android system than the older models.

So I say ignore cranky phone comments on Amazon. You’re better off checking reviews on PCMag, TheVerge, Tom’s Guide, CNET and ExpertReviews.

The biggest complaint about the 2023 Moto G is that it lacks a dual SIM card and a wide-angle camera lens. But not everyone needs those features.

PAYING WITH MY PALM

I no longer need to bring a credit card, a phone or cash to Whole Foods. I can pay with my palm in the self-checkout area. Foreheads are not accepted.

Palm payment is part of “Amazon One” at 400 locations across the United States. These include Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go and the self-check-out areas of some Whole Foods stores.

Setup is easy. Start at the website One.Amazon.com and click “Create a free profile.” Once you’ve filled it out, they’ll send you a QR code by email. Next, take your phone to your local Whole Foods and tap the Amazon One option at a self checkout kiosk. It will prompt you to register the QR

code you received in an email. After that, you’ll be prompted to register your right palm, then your left. That completes setup. From then on, just wave a palm at the kiosk to pay.

Of course, I was all thumbs at first. The system kept telling me to raise or lower my hand. But by my second visit, I was a pro.

SHUT IT DOWN

Recently, a friend pushed the power button on her laptop, expecting it to shut down. “It’s still on,” I pointed out. That can wear out the battery.

Fortunately, you can change the power button so it does shut down. Here’s how: In Windows, type “Control Panel” in the search bar in the lower left of your screen. Now click “Hardware and Sound.” Under “Power Options,” choose “Change what the power buttons do.” Now select “shutdown” from the menu next to “When I press the power button.” That’s it. From now on, your power on button is also your power off button.

CRUMBS GALORE

I was amazed to see a heaping teaspoon of debris fall out of my computer keyboard when I turned it over and tapped. After each additional thud, I got even more crumbs. That’s bad. Crumbs are the death of keyboards. But if yours still doesn’t work after you shake it out, make sure it’s plugged in.

CUSTOMIZING YOUR ECHO SHOW

Some say that Alexa, the voice inside the Echo Show, talks too much. Fortunately, you can customize what you hear and see.

The Echo Show is a smart speaker with a screen, like a tiny TV. It offers videos, music with song lyrics, photo slideshows and more. To choose what shows you see or hear, swipe down from the top of the screen and choose “Settings.” Now tap “Home Content,” and toggle off anything you don’t want. I turned off “Finance,” “Photos of the Day,” and anything to do with sports. Instead, I see news, games, recipes, yoga poses, dog of the day, trivia questions, music recommendations, “Alexa Prize” and more. Alexa Prize is supposed to “discover AI chatbots,” but I haven’t seen any yet.

Some prefer to use the Echo Show only as a photo display, since it offers unlimited photo storage. To set it up, download the free Amazon photos app if you haven’t already, then upload your photos. To create a never-ending show, swipe down from the top of the screen, click “Settings,” tap “Clock & Photo Display” and choose your photos. Or select Amazon’s travel, art, Nature and seasonal options.

EXTENDING THE REACH OF WI-FI

If you can’t get the internet in every room of your home, you can use an Amazon Echo to extend its reach. The fifthgeneration Amazon Echo Dot and the fourth-generation Echo have the Eero mesh system built in, which will extend your Wi-Fi range by 1,000 square feet. According to ZDNet, Eero has some of the industry’s best Wi-Fi routers.

TEMU TIP

To return an item to Temu, the Chinese retailer, you must document your reasons with photos and use original packaging. Despite these obstacles, 20% of American adults say they have ordered on the site, according to CivicScience.com.

INTERNUTS

■ Go to bing.com/create to create a movie poster starring your dog. Start by adding a description. I typed: “Create a movie poster to look like the movie Blue, but use a poodle mix.” It turned out great.

■ Kotlikoff.net has an article on Social Security horror stories. For example, a widow was asked to return $300,000, though it was the administration’s own mistake from many years before.