Shira Ovide

New York

Writer of The Tech Friend newsletter

Education: Haverford College; Columbia Journalism School

Shira Ovide writes The Tech Friend newsletter. Sign up here. She is the strategy editor for Help Desk, The Washington Post's team of journalists who focus on the impact of our digital lives and empower us to corral technology to serve our needs. Before joining The Post in October 2022, Ovide wrote the On Tech newsletter for the New York Times. She has also been a technology columnist at Bloomberg Opinion and wrote about technology, finance and the media industry for the Wall Street Journal. Ovide lives in New York.
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Latest from Shira Ovide

Apple’s no-good week was great for the company and bad for you

Apple was on the wrong end of fights over the Apple Watch and apps. The company still came out ahead.

January 18, 2024

4 easy upgrades to your digital life

Update the software on your WiFi router. Pick a slower delivery speed. Or try a visual search feature. Then declare victory!

January 16, 2024

Most tech gadgets are trash. Here’s how to find one you’ll love.

Our gadget nerd gives three rules for deciding which technology products might make your life better and what will wind up in your junk drawer.

January 12, 2024

Amazon’s AI-written product reviews aren’t as bad as you think

The artificial intelligence digests can be handy — if you read them with a savvy eye.

January 9, 2024

AI gadgets will be hot in 2024. You don’t need one.

There’s an artificial intelligence clothes pin that costs $700, plus a subscription. But there’s a shred of promise in the madness.

January 5, 2024

Trying to break a phone habit in 2024? Skip the life hacks.

Time-management expert Oliver Burkeman doesn’t do New Year’s resolutions. But he wants us to understand why our phones are so alluring.

January 2, 2024

I hated electric scooters. I was wrong.

Our snap judgments about new technology — from scooters to TikTok to ChatGPT — are often about feelings more than facts.

December 22, 2023

How Discord became a perfect conduit for a leak of government secrets

New reporting about Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking America’s secrets, shows Discord’s unique role in the case.

December 15, 2023

Want to help a business you love? Don’t pay with a credit card.

Your favorite rewards card is probably costing a fortune to the businesses where you shop. Here’s how payment fees stack up.

December 8, 2023

If Netflix won’t stop suggesting Christmas movies, you can fix it

When streaming recommendations “for you” aren’t right for you at all, here’s how to press the do-over buttons.

December 5, 2023