I have a rule: If an email is going to take me longer than a minute to write, I pick up the phone instead.

For many things, using our voices is just faster and easier. That’s true for controlling your phone, too. Tap or click for genius commands to try with Siri or Google Assistant.

When writing or taking notes, dictating can be much easier than typing it all out. Tap or click for helpful tips for better dictation in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

These same time-saving principles can be applied to your TV. You can speak to search for movies, control the volume, pause, rewind, skip to the next episode, and more.

Some Amazon, Toshiba, and Insignia brand TVs come with Fire TV built-in. With the Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote, you can browse apps, movies and shows, check the weather and sports scores, launch content and more with your voice.

Privacy, security, the latest trends and the info you need to live your best digital life.

It’s as easy as pressing a button:

If you have a Fire TV Stick, it probably came bundled with an Alexa Voice Remote. You can also purchase the remote separately if you need one.

RELATED: 5 things you didn’t know your smart TV could do

Brands such as TCL, Sharp, RCA, and Sanyo manufacture TVs with Roku TV built-in. Some come with a voice remote, which you can purchase separately if you don’t have one. Tap or click here to grab one for about $20.

All you need to do is press a button and speak:

Worried about privacy? Yes, your smart TV is spying on you. Here’s how to stop it.

Google’s Chromecast dongle turns any TV into a smart one, complete with streaming features and voice control. The latest model comes with a Chromecast Voice Remote. If you have an older model, you may have difficulty finding the remote available for purchase by itself.

You don’t even need to say “Hey Google” to control your Chromecast with your voice:

Maintenance helps your tech last a lot longer. Are you making this big mistake that will kill your TV sooner?

Vizio’s smart remote has come bundled with sets produced in the last couple of years. You can also purchase directly from Vizio or pick up a compatible option for around $15 on Amazon.

The remote lets you browse content, switch inputs, change the volume, launch apps, check the weather, and more.

You can control your Samsung TV using Bixby, Alexa, or Google Assistant, depending on the model year.

To set up Bixby with your Samsung TV:

You’ll need an Amazon account to set up Alexa with your Samsung TV:

You’ll need a Google account to set up Google Assistant with your Samsung TV:

Male, 38 years old, married, two kids under five, watched a YouTube video about lawn care, visited a home improvement store in the last 10 days, listened to a podcast about lawns, earns $68,000 a year in a management position, and lives in a certain zip code. That’s how specific advertising can be today. In this episode, I sit down with advertising CTO Premesh Purayil from Freestar to learn how it works and how to opt out of the data tracking.

Check out my podcast, “Kim Komando Explains,” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name: “Komando.”

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

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