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Amazon Prime Video Will Return to the App Store Soon

Andrew Orr ·

Amazon Prime Video was removed from the App Store today due to some kind of technical issue. But it will return soon.

Amazon Prime Video is currently unavailable in the App Store across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Amazon had updated the iOS version of the app shortly before it was removed from the App Store, but it is unclear why the app was pulled or whether this is a temporary move.

Update: MacRumors has been informed this was a technical issue and the app should be back up shortly.

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Private Social Network MeWe Reaches 6 Million Members

Andrew Orr ·

Private social network MeWe has reached six million members in 2019 and was named the Best Entrepreneurial Company for this year.

MeWe expects over 100 million members by the end of 2020, having achieved 405% growth in 2018 and growing twice as fast on a daily basis in 2019. 60% of MeWe’s traffic is international and 35% of members are active—exceeding industry standards.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t used MeWe since I reviewed it. But I’ll gladly promote alternatives to Facebook, especially if privacy is the number one focus.

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Microsoft says Iranian 'Phosphorus' Group Tried to Hack U.S. Presidential Campaign

Andrew Orr ·

In a blog post today Microsoft says that Iranian hackers attacked a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and prominent Iranians living outside Iran.

Four accounts were compromised as a result of these attempts; these four accounts were not associated with the U.S. presidential campaign or current and former U.S. government officials. Microsoft has notified the customers related to these investigations and threats and has worked as requested with those whose accounts were compromised to secure them.

No word yet on what time President Trump asked Iran to interfere with our elections.

TMO Deals

The Complete Cartoon Animator 4 PRO for Mac Bundle: $199

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the The Complete Cartoon Animator 4 PRO for Mac Bundle. It includes Cartoon Animator 4 PRO for Mac, 2D Facial Mocap Suite, and the Cartoon Animator 4 Training 3-in-1 Bundle. The first app is an animation app, while the second is motion-capture software that lets you use your own face to animate a cartoon face. The training bundle includes 55 lectures and 6 hours of training content. You get this package through our deal for $199.

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TikTok Bans Political Ads in U.S. and EU

Charlotte Henry ·

Short video sharing app TikTok said Friday it will not allow political ads in the U.S. and EU, The Next Web reported. It already had a similar policy in India.

This is quite a different approach as compared to US-based tech platforms such as Gooogle, Facebook, and Twitter. All of them allow paid political ads but with transparency programs that allow people to see who paid for the ad. While we won’t see some hilarious attempts from politicians to connect with youth trough ironically funny videos, we might still see a lot of political content around. In this year’s assembly elections in India, the platform made a significant impact in making the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi more popular.

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Things Apple Can Learn From the Microsoft Surface

Charlotte Henry ·

Microsoft unveiled new products this, including an updated, dual-screen, Microsoft Surface. Over at iMore, Rene Ritchie made some suggestions about what Apple could learn from the product.

Apple’s reportedly been kicking around foldable projects since back in the days of iPhone 4 but hasn’t found anything they’d be happy turning into a shipping product yet. For them, the technology just isn’t mature enough yet. And that’s ok. That’s Apple. There were years of Windows Mobile and a decade of Tablet PC before we got the iPhone and iPad, and Microsoft Spot before we got the Apple Watch. Apple wants to learn from this before they do that. But for us nerds, this is still super interesting. Now, what Microsoft showed off weren’t technically foldables. They were more like… hingeables?

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One Year Later: Bloomberg Hasn't Retracted its iCloud Spy Chip Story

Andrew Orr ·

This story doesn’t need me piling on, but I think it’s astounding that a media organization with integrity, gravitas, etc. etc. still hasn’t retracted its debunked theory one year later. And the journalists who wrote the story are now in charge of Bloomberg‘s cybersecurity division. If by some miracle we learn that there really are spy chips I will most certainly apologize. But with zero evidence, I think that probability is low.

There’s been a lot of smoke, but no firings. Quite the opposite. It’s been a year since Bloomberg Businessweek published an extensively debunked story claiming that companies including Apple and Amazon had been hacked. Yet since then, all of Bloomberg‘s few responses and actions have only doubled down on how this publication lacks credibility on the topic.

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IMF Calls on Policymakers to Address Digital Currencies

Andrew Orr ·

Economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are calling on policymakers around the world to address the “notable risks” of privately-issued digital currencies, otherwise known as stablecoins. Facebook’s Libra is one such example. Should central banks issue their own digital currencies?

The two economists suggest that stablecoins could undermine financial stability, and that stablecoin users risk losing their money: “Whether stablecoins are indeed stable is questionable.” It depends on the safety and availability of the underlying assets, and whether they are “protected from other creditors if the stablecoin provider goes bankrupt.”

One of the worries is that technology companies don’t have the same consumer protection rules as banks do. I look forward to seeing how this will play out. I certainly trust banks more than I do Facebook.

Cool Stuff Found

The iPhone 11 Glows Thanks to its Glass Back

Andrew Orr ·

Someone noticed that their iPhone 11 glows when you turn on the flashlight. The latest models have a special matte glass material on the back. While the iPhone 8 and later have had a glass back, it wasn’t matte and so didn’t produce this effect (Or at least, this is the first time I’ve seen this).

When you turn the flash light on, the iPhone 11 glass back glows. Not sure if the iPhone XR did this too, but I thought the effect was pretty cool.

You can watch it in action on YouTube here.

TMO Deals

Securely Store and Access Your Files with E2E Encrypted Cloud Storage: $99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a 1-year subscription to MEGA Cloud Storage PRO, a cloud storage platform using end-to-end encryption. The service encrypts what you upload before you upload it—and, you control the keys. You can store, access or share your files from within your web browser, or through dedicated Android, iOS, or Windows Phone apps. Our deal has three levels of storage, starting with 1TB at $99 per year.

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Amazon Planning $800 Million Data Centre in Argentina

Charlotte Henry ·

Amazon is planning a new cloud data center in Argentina, according to a Bloomberg News report. It will invest $800 million in the project over 10 years.

The Seattle-based company is preparing to invest about $800 million in the project … will reap considerable tax benefits by locating the data center in the Bahia Blanca-Coronel Rosales districts of the province of Buenos Aires, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. Amazon’s decision to put part of its cloud infrastructure in South America’s second-largest economy is a big win for the Argentine government, which is keen to diversify the economy into digital services, nanotechnology, aerospace and more. Earlier this year, the national congress unanimously passed a law creating incentives for tech companies to set up shop there.