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From Apple Pay to a smartphone-linked slow cooker: Mario's top 3 things to know in tech

This week on my top 3: pay for things in a whole new way, sending hilarious animated e-cards to your friends and family, and cooking a soup from your smartphone.Apple Pay Launches MondaySome people use a smartphone case that doubles as their wallet, but starting tomorrow iPhone 6 and 6 plus owners can ditch the plastic cards for Apple Pay—provided they’re shopping at the right stores!Starting

This week on my top 3: pay for things in a whole new way, sending hilarious animated e-cards to your friends and family, and cooking a soup from your smartphone.

Apple Pay Launches Monday

Some people use a smartphone case that doubles as their wallet, but starting tomorrow iPhone 6 and 6 plus owners can ditch the plastic cards for Apple Pay—provided they’re shopping at the right stores!

Starting tomorrow, Apple Pay will be activated at more than 220,000 stores across the nation, at major retailers like Macy’s, Whole Foods, McDonalds, Staples, and Sports Authority. Some of the larger banks like American Express, MasterCard, Bank of America and Chase are ready for you to link up your credit and debit cards to Apple Pay tomorrow, and more than 500 others will join them soon.

I love that this means an end to the era of your credit card numbers being swiped by a nefarious employee or ATM machine—your actual card data is never transferred by Apple Pay, so once the purchase is done nobody can copy your credit card details or make additional, unauthorized, transactions! And, yes if your phone is stolen, thieves won't easily be able to just use it to pay for things.

JibJab Messages

The hilarious founders of JibJab, that funny e-card site where you can put the faces of your friends, family and even your own image on silly holiday-and-occasion-themed animated e-cards, have a new app out called JibJab Messages. This is an awesome new way for Apple iOS users to create hilarious animated GIFs. It’s easy to use and can send your silly messages to friends via text, Facebook, Twitter and more!

Crock-Pot® smart slow cooker with WeMo

It’s that time of the year when soups, chili and stew really hit the spot! I love to cook, but I am always on the go. Thanks to “smart home” appliances, it’s easier than ever to cook with limited time.

The Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker with WeMo, is unique because I can control it with my Apple or Android device. I adjust the temperature, change the cooking time, check in on the status of my meal, or even turn the unit off. I can cook my soup on high for a couple of hours, and then adjust it to low so it’s ready but not overcooked when I get home. And because it’s all wireless, I can use the app wherever I am—now that is smart!