Free Amazon Prime benefits you're probably missing (#5 will SHOCK you)

No it won't, that's just hyperbole. I'm sorry. PLUS: $10 Mandalorian phone charger and why I'm calling BS on the FBI.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.

Quick poll, compadres:

As Deal Secrets nears its two-year anniversary, I’m thinking about what comes next. I’ve yet to see a resource (in newsletter form, anyway) designed to help older users discover, navigate, and troubleshoot modern technology. Meanwhile, the deal space is getting mighty crowded, with lots of folks delivering great content across lots of platforms (including TikTok and YouTube). Some of it, quite frankly, surpasses my own.

My goal has always been to help people, so I’m contemplating how best to do that going forward. Has Deal Secrets run its course? Maybe. I often feel I’m repeating myself, if not sharing information you already have. And, honestly, it takes a fair chunk of time to write this thing each week, on top of an already full week of writing. It generates very little revenue (save for your very generous, much appreciated coffee donations), so, yeah — contemplating.

Quick hits

This is the way (to charge your phone).

⚡ If you like The Mandalorian (or know someone who does), grab this Star Wars The Mandalorian light-up wireless charging pad for just $10 at GameStop. (Ideally your local store will have it in stock, otherwise you’ll have to pay shipping.) Reg. price: $25. It supports fast charging and comes with an 18-watt AC adapter, the latter rarely included with charging pads at this price. (So even if you don’t like The Mandalorian, it’s a great deal.)

⌨️ Price mistake? The Apple Keyboard for iPad is currently $49 at Walmart, down from $159. It’s compatible with various iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models (make sure yours is on the list before ordering), and it doubles as a cover.

REVIEW: I’m surprised how much I like the ESR HaloLock Geo Wallet Stand

If you’ve been with me a while, you know I’m a longtime fan and user of Phone Loops (previously known as Ninja Loops, much better name). But recently they’ve almost doubled in price, and I think they’re a little thicker than before, because they keep my phone case from fitting snugly. That said, I never thought I’d give them up.

I’m about to give them up. The new ESR HaloLock Geo Wallet Stand ($39.99, shipping May 8) is an iPhone MagSafe accessory I like way more than I thought I would. It clamps onto the back of your phone (or MagSafe-compatible phone case) using very strong magnets and provides four useful functions.

First, there’s a finger loop that makes it much easier to use the phone one-handed. (It’s a decent alternative to my beloved Phone Loop.) Second, there’s a pocket that can hold 1-3 cards. Even if you carry just one, it won’t accidentally slide out: A little internal spring system keeps it securely loaded. There’s also a little slot in the bottom for pushing the card(s) out, something you inexplicably won’t find in Apple’s $59 (!) iPhone Leather Wallet.

Speaking of which, Apple’s wallet employs a rudimentary version of Find My, meaning whenever it separates from your phone, it records the location. But you can’t actively track it like you can an AirTag. If your wallet comes loose and then someone walks off with it, good luck finding it.

The HaloLock Geo, however, incorporates “full” Find My; it’s like an AirTag in wallet form. It runs on a rechargeable battery ESR says is good for up to three months; the problem is that you have to keep track of the proprietary USB charging cable. Still, a wallet you can track in real time? Love it. (And think about it: an AirTag all by itself is $29.)

Finally, the wallet is also a sturdy fold-out stand for your phone. I’m amazed at how often I use this, and how much I like keeping my phone propped up — rather than flat — on my desk. I also like being able to rotate it 90 degrees to watch movies hands-free.

Yes, it definitely adds some bulk to my pocket, but not so much that I mind it. Sometimes I’ll separate the phone and wallet and stick the latter in my back pocket (which still feels “naked” after literally decades of carrying a proper wallet).

My real issue is there’s no way to keep cash in this thing, unless you drop down to two cards and jam a few folded bills between them. But I’d be forever worried about them falling out whenever I remove a card. Even though I rarely use cash anymore, sometimes you need it for a tip or donation. I wish this had a place for a few bucks. I’d also like to see colors other than black and brown.

Those complaints aside, I’m quite happy with it. I especially like that it let me switch to a clear case (like this one, currently just $6 when you clip the 20%-off coupon and then apply promo code UNEUUCVT at checkout) so I could actually see the sides and back of my phone (hey, it’s red, who knew?). The Phone Loop required an opaque case so I wouldn’t have to see the ugly strap ends inside.

Given the premium build quality of the HaloLock Geo and its built-in Find My capabilities, I’m surprised it isn’t priced at $50-60. At $40, it gets an enthusiastic recommendation from yours truly. Rick’s Rating: A-

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Wring more value out of your Amazon Prime membership

Amazon Prime isn’t cheap — the annual price is now a hefty $149 — but, man, does it come with a lot of perks. For starters, because Amazon sells pretty much everything at a discount and can deliver most of it in a day or two, you save considerable time and money by not having to schlep around to a bunch of stores. Honestly, I suspect I save $149 annually just on gas alone.

Then, of course, there’s Prime Video, home to a pretty mammoth library of movies and TV shows — including exclusives like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Outlaws (hugely underrated gem), and The Boys (which I dislike but everyone else loves). When you consider that Netflix costs as much as $20/month ($240 annually), Prime Video feels like quite the deal. (Amortized out, a Prime subscription costs $12.42/month.)

Those are the obvious, best-known perks, but what else does a Prime subscription get you? Here are some of the least-known benefits:

Unlimited (ish) ad-free streaming music: Prime Music used to be limited to about 2 million tracks, but now it includes 100 million (!) — the same massive library accessible to those who pay for Amazon Music ($9/month if you have Prime, $11 if you don’t). The difference is that you can’t stream everything you want on-demand; it’s more of a Pandora-like experience. Nevertheless, that’s an awful lot of ad-free music that’s not costing you anything extra.

Ad-free podcasts: Love Smartless but hate the lengthy ad breaks? Dump your current podcast app in favor of Amazon Music, where you can listen to selected shows (Smartless included) ad-free.

Thursday Night Football: Stream it free as part of your Prime subscription. In fact, Prime is the only place to stream these NFL games, making this a pretty good perk for football fans.

No-rush shipping rewards: This is easy to overlook, especially if you shop via the Amazon mobile app, but if you’re not in a hurry to receive your item(s), you can often score a “digital credit” by selecting a slower shipping method at checkout. For example, on Thursday I placed an order that could have been delivered Friday or Saturday, but by opting for Monday, I received $3 to use toward a digital purchase: movie rental, e-book, etc.

Amazon sometimes offers discounts when you pay with Venmo.

Pay with Venmo, save money: Do you use Venmo? Link it to your Amazon account and you may see discounts at checkout if you make it your payment method.

What do you think? Is Prime still worth it at $149 per year? Any other “hidden” perks I should have mentioned?

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Do you really need to worry about malware threats at public USB charging stations? Ugh, no

Danger level: Pretty close to zero, despite all those “FBI warning” headlines you’ve been reading.

I am deeply irritated right now. Yesterday one of my favorite newsletters shared a story with this headline: “FBI warns against using USB chargers at airports, what to use instead.”

Wait, what? News to me, and I’m pretty tuned into tech news. Turns out this story made the rounds several weeks ago; the newsletter was just now sharing it. After some digging to bear out what I suspected to be true, I’m left with this conclusion: This is why people hate the media. Because this story isn’t just woefully incomplete, it’s largely inaccurate.

Allow me to clarify.

The undated FBI bulletin had this to say: “Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels, or shopping centers. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices that access these ports. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.”

That’s it. No information about the “ways” being used, the specific phones at risk, or what constitutes a “charging station.” No reported instances of compromised public USB ports, either.

Nearly every major media outlet ran a similar “FBI warns consumers of malware threat” story, and I couldn’t find a single one that addressed any of these questions. (Only The Guardian went beyond the key talking points, but not nearly enough.)

This reminds me so much of bad health-news reporting (“Coffee is good for you!" “Coffee will kill you!”), where you get an entire story devoted to “new research” that’s based on a single, limited-scope study that’s far too small to be of any value — and no mention of who funded that study.

I call b.s.

First things first: Right now, this is all theoretical. I’ve found no reported cases of this “juice jacking,” of malware creeping onto a mobile phone by way of a public charging station. In fact, according to an earlier FCC report, it’s only “technically possible.”

How? Again, it’s not really clear. Let’s use an airport as an example: If you’re plugging into a USB port that’s built into a seat bench or workstation kiosk at your gate, that’s a “dumb terminal” — it merely delivers power. There’s no core software behind it that a hacker could compromise.

From what I can tell, the risk would more likely come from the USB equivalent of an ATM card skimmer: A malware-equipped dongle that’s plugged into the charging port. If you were to plug your phone into such a thing, it’s possible it could end up with a virus.

But only if it’s an Android phone. See, iPhone malware is virtually non-existent, and even if hackers did develop a rogue app for iOS, they couldn’t install it on your phone via a charging station — not unless you expressly gave permission (“share data” or “trust this device”) upon plugging it in. Only jailbroken iPhones are at risk, but it seems unlikely hackers would even bother with this attack vector given the tiny percentage of jailbroken phones.

So these charging ports are safe?

I’m not saying it’s impossible a public USB port could be compromised in this way, merely that it’s extremely unlikely and not worth your time worrying about. Honestly the bigger risk is connecting your laptop (or Android phone; again, iPhones are safer here) to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. If you do that often, considering installing a VPN.

That said, there are two ways to thwart the “bad actors” the FBI says are lurking in airports: Plug your phone into an AC outlet instead or use the mobile charger you wisely remembered to pack. Both options effectively bypass all those dangerous USB ports.

Oh, also, never open a link you don’t recognize, be it in a text message or email. That’s how they get ya.

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