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Disney+ Ends Free Trials - Just in Time for ‘Hamilton’

Charlotte Henry ·

It appears that free trials of Disney+ are no longer available. As The Verge noted, that has ended just before Hamilton arrives on the streaming service.

It’s not clear when Disney removed the ability to try out Disney Plus for free, but the timing does sense, given that Disney is just weeks away from releasing what might be the single most anticipated title on the service yet: the recording of the Broadway production of Hamilton, set to debut on the service on July 3rd. Without a free trial, anyone who wants to watch Hamilton when it’s out will have to pay for at least one month of Disney Plus (which costs $6.99, or $12.99 for the more prominently advertised bundle that also includes Hulu and ESPN Plus) — customers that Disney is presumably hoping will turn into long term subscriptions.

TMO Deals

UVSHIELD+ 360 Degree Phone Sanitizer Box: $49.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the The intelliARMOR UVShield+, a device that allows for a full 360° UV-C sanitization process for your smartphone and other small objects. It also features raised nubs on the inner tray’s base to allow full coverage sanitation for your device. The UVShield+ is $49.99 through our deal.

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Keep an Eye Out: Mozilla VPN to Launch in Near Future

Andrew Orr ·

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, announced Thursday that its Mozilla VPN product is launching in the next few weeks.

We are working hard to make the official product, the Mozilla VPN, available in selected regions this year. We will continue to offer the Mozilla VPN at the current pricing model for a limited time, which allows you to protect up to five devices on Windows, Android, and iOS at $4.99/month.

You can sign up to join the waiting list here.

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Phil Schiller Speaks Out on ‘Hey’ Email Controversy

Andrew Orr ·

A controversy over the past few days has been about an email app called Hey that was initially approved by the App Store review team, then rejected later. Phil Schiller spoke about the issue in an interview.

One way that Hey could have gone, Schiller says, is to offer a free or paid version of the app with basic email reading features on the App Store then separately offered an upgraded email service that worked with the Hey app on iOS on its own website. Schiller gives one more example: an RSS app that reads any feed, but also reads an upgraded feed that could be charged for on a separate site. In both cases, the apps would have functionality when downloaded on the store.

My opinion is that Apple could stand to reduce its cut from 30% down to 15-18%. But we definitely don’t need other proposals, like downloading apps from outside the App Store like you can on the Mac.

Cool Stuff Found

Watch the Apple Watch Eject Water in Slow Motion

Andrew Orr ·

The Slo Mo Guys uploaded a video on YouTube today where you can watch the Apple Watch eject water in slow motion. It’s filmed at 1,000 frames per second as well as 2,000 frames per second using a Phantom Flex 4K camera. The Apple Watch is submerged in a bath tub and then shows an alert to use the device’s built-in water ejection feature. We see the Watch eject the water from the speaker, turning off and on again about 10 times to remove every drop of water that gets settled back in.

FROST SUMMITS Gives You a Self-Heating Battery And Solar Charging
Cool Stuff Found

FROST SUMMITS Gives You a Self-Heating Battery And Solar Charging

Andrew Orr ·

A product I recently found on Indiegogo is called FROST SUMMITS. It’s a portable solar charger and power bank to keep you connected in extreme outdoor environments. There are three products: SUMMITS 7 solar charger that can charge a GoPro in 90 minutes; FROST 5000 power bank that can charge even at -58°F; and the BOX CONNECT app to pair each device with your smartphone. The campaign on Indiegogo has been fully funded, with estimated shipping dates of November 2020. There are different campaign levels for the products but the cheapest one is US$45 for the FROST 5000.

TMO Deals

Foldable Wireless LED Desk Lamp: $29.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a foldable, wireless LED desk lamp. It’s a 250 Lumen lamp with a 135-degree foldable design and 3 brightness levels so you can adjust it to your needs. It also uses simple touch controls for changing the settings. This device is $29.99 through our deal.

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‘Bundlore’ Adware Targets Macs With Updated Safari Extensions

Andrew Orr ·

A report from Sophos today reveals a wave of adware belonging to the Bundlore family that targets macOS. Bundlore is one of the most common bundlware installers for macOS, accounting for almost 7% of attacks detected by Sophos.

This installer carried a total of seven “potentially unwanted applications” (PUAs)—including three that targeted the Safari web browser for the injection of ads, hijacking of download links, and redirecting of search queries for the purpose of stealing users’ clicks to generate income. The injected content in at least one case was used for malvertising—popping up a malicious ad that prompted the download of a fake Adobe Flash update.

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John Sculley Stepped Down as Apple CEO on This Day in 1993 After AAPL Stock Collapse

Charlotte Henry ·

On June 18 1993 John Sculley’s 10-year run as Apple CEO came to an end. As Cult of Mac recalls, it followed AAPL stock collapsing from $4.33 a share in 1992 to 73 cents a share in 1993.

A few things led to Sculley’s departure. He wanted to move back to the East Coast, and considered taking the role of CEO at IBM. He was also heavily involved in politics, supporting Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. From the perspective of Apple’s board, he was too involved with the Newton, at a time when Apple was facing increased competition from rivals. After Sculley stepped down, the Apple CEO role was handed over to Michael Spindler, formerly the company’s COO. Sculley remained Apple chairman until October 1993, departing with a golden parachute of around $10 million.

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Apple Moving iPhone SE Production to India to Avoid Import Tax

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple looks set to move the manufacture of the 2020 iPhone SE to India in order to avoid heavy import taxes. Such a move has been rumored for a while. AppleInsider has a good round-up of the situation.

Apple’s manufacturing partner for the 2020 iPhone SE is Wistron, according to a report on Thursday morning by The Information. Apple’s other main manufacturing partner Foxconn also has a presence in the country, but it does not appear that they are involved in iPhone SE assembly in India. The news of iPhone SE assembly in India comes two weeks after an initiative by the India government to increase manufacturing in the region. Following the loosening of factory device taxation, Apple is reportedly seeking to shift roughly a fifth of existing China-based output to India, which could equate to $40 billion in local manufacturing revenues over the next five years, and could make Apple India’s largest exporter in the process.

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Colin Kaepernick Joins Medium Board of Directors

Charlotte Henry ·

Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL star who started ‘taking the knee’ protest against racisms, has joined the board of blogging platform Medium. Boss Evan Williams made the announcement Thursday, saying Mr. Kaepernick will contribute to its publications.

Kaepernick Publishing’s mission is to uplift and elevate voices for Black and Brown communities, something that has been desperately needed in the publishing space. Through this partnership, Colin will be publishing across Medium’s platform, including a collaboration with Medium’s editorial team leading Level and Momentum. He will be sharing his thoughts on anti-Black racism in our society, and Medium and Kaepernick Publishing will co-publish thought-provoking feature stories from diverse writers of color.