🦀Issue 17: Crabbing, Curiosity & Consumer Tech: This Week at Camp Techish
We’ve been part podcast studio, part summer camp, and part startup war room—proof that when the right people come together in the right place, big ideas (and owl pellets) fly.🦉🐎🎮
This week, Techish HQ transformed into a hub of play, planning, and pure magic. Scott and his family came to visit from Austin, turning our 10-acre slice of nature heaven into a cross between a tech think tank and a kid-powered wilderness adventure.
Between crabbing, horseback rides, cooking up the perfect paella, and investigating owl puke like it was CSI-Seattle, we also sketched out some seriously exciting next steps for Techish—new ways to partner with media outlets and brands, fresh podcast and broadcast formats, and the guiding question behind every story we’re building:
How do we help people live smarter, with tech that actually improves real life?
That spirit runs deep in the Techishly Jenn podcast, and it’s what we’re doubling down on through the end of 2025. We are crazy-excited to bring this to you around the end of July/beginning of August, just in time for Back To School greatness.
Got questions? A pitch? Story ideas? Want to tell me what you love/hate about these newsletters? Be sure to send me a message!
Inside this week’s newsletter:
Prime Day 2025: What We Bought, What Everyone Bought—And How We Dodged the Scams
Digital Detox - how to activate Landline Mode on your smartphone (and why you need to do this — right now!)
How a new app called Buddy keeps you connected even when cell service disappears
Hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 (new Joy-Cons = game-changer!)
The genius of JisuLife’s Ultra2 fan for beating the summer heat
Our bearded buddy, Jack Dorsey, built a messaging app in a weekend—is it a WhatsApp killer?
More fun with Nex Playground, the smart family gaming console that always gets everyone moving (so perfect for rainy days)!
Plus: we took VR headsets into the wild—did they hold up in nature? You might be surprised.
🚌 Plus: Our VW ID. Buzz Review Drops Next Week
We’ve been driving the retro-futuristic electric bus through the Pacific Northwest, and it’s everything you hoped it would be—plus a built-in bottle opener.
Spoiler: it's weird, wonderful, and packed with joy.
1. Prime Day 2025: What We Bought, What Everyone Bought—And How We Dodged the Scams
I finally pulled the trigger on a new laptop—and I wasn’t alone. Shoppers spent $7.9 billion in a single day, with parents stocking up on dorm gear, kids’ clothes, and enough appliances to outfit a second kitchen. But while the deals flew fast, so did the scams. Fraudsters posed as Amazon reps, cloned fake sites, and spammed shoppers with phishing texts like it was their full-time job.
We tracked what people actually bought, how the scams worked, and the one trick that saved a reader from losing $2K.
👉 Read the full breakdown
👉 Scam survival guide here
2. Digital Detox: How to Activate Landline Mode on Your Smartphone
Turning your smartphone into a “landline” might sound like a TikTok joke—but it’s actually the easiest way to unplug without ditching your device entirely. I walk you through exactly how to do it (on both iPhone and Android), why search interest in “landline mode” just hit an all-time high, and how it might actually help you reset your brain this summer.
📴 Step-by-step guide to going low-tech
3. BUDDY: The Offline Friend Tracker That Could Actually Save Lives
Picture this: You’re at a music festival. No signal. Your kid wanders off. Your friend’s phone dies. Buddy is the app that lets you track people—even without Wi-Fi, cell towers, or signal of any kind. People already use it at Burning Man, stadium events, and massive protests—and it’s now getting a major public launch. We used it to track down the Baldwin’s when they wandered off looking for owls, eagles, and a stray octopus or two. Works as advertised!
📍 Why it matters: AirTags won’t help you when the network crashes. Buddy will.
4. Nintendo Switch 2: The Pros, Cons & Where to Find One Before It Sells Out Again
The new Switch 2 is finally here—and yes, it’s legit. Magnetic Joy-Cons, 4K graphics when docked, and double the built-in storage. But it’s not all sunshine and Mario Kart. Battery life takes a hit, and they’re charging $10 for a tutorial game. Still, if your old console is barely hanging on, this one’s a worthy upgrade.
🎮 Watch our full review + how to actually get one — coming this week to Techish.com.
5. This Tiny Fan Is Smarter Than Half the Gadgets in My House
The JisuLife’s Ultra2 fan cools you down with jet-engine wind speeds, charges your phone, and runs for 25 hours. It’s light, quiet, and way more powerful than anything else in your bag. From backcountry hikes to kid-chasing at the park, it’s become my go-to summer sidekick.
BUY IT NOW ($74.99 when I hit “publish” today)
Use it once and you’ll never buy a cheap gas station fan again.
6. Jack Dorsey Built a Bluetooth Messaging App in a Weekend—Is It for Real People?
Yes, that Jack Dorsey—the Twitter and Square guy—launched a new app called BitChat. It doesn’t use phone numbers, Wi-Fi, or the cloud. It’s encrypted, off-the-grid, and designed for people who want to message in dead zones or ditch surveillance.
👀 Is it revolutionary or just a crypto bro flex? CNBC breaks down who this is actually for with a full explainer here.
7. Nex Playground: The Family Console That Gets Everyone Off the Couch
This thing is like a Nintendo Wii crossed with a Peloton. It’s camera-powered, motion-sensitive, and designed to get kids (and adults) moving—especially on rainy days. We've been testing it with real families, and spoiler: it's one of the only gaming consoles where parents ask to take a turn.
BUY IT NOW ($199, 20% when we posted this)
8. CALL OUT: Budding Tech Reviewers
Want to Contribute to Techish? Do you test gadgets like your air fryer is part of NASA's flight program? Do your kids “accidentally” durability test your tech by launching it down the stairs? Do you have strong feelings about which electric toothbrush actually gets the job done?
We want to hear from you.
At Techish, we only feature real people and real reviews. No marketing fluff, no fake Amazon-style copy, and definitely no thinly veiled commercials pretending to be journalism. We’re building a smarter, more honest kind of tech coverage—and we need more testers, parents, skeptics, and curious humans to help us do it right.
Why this, why now?
Because your opinion actually matters. You get early access to cool stuff, help shape smarter tech choices for others, and—yes—you’ll get to keep some of the gear we send your way. Plus, you become part of the Techishly Jenn inner circle: smart, kind, skeptical-but-hopeful humans who just want tech that works in real life.
Interested?
📩 Send us a message with that little orange button👇.