Deal: Pick up a 1-year subscription to Backblaze Unlimited Backup for 50% off (today only)

Finding the right cloud storage service for you can be quite the hassle at times. Some services are convenient, but end up costing you a pretty penny. Also, many services out there limit you on storage space, forcing you to upgrade to a higher plan. With that said, if you’re looking for a quality, unlimited online cloud storage service that won’t break the bank, look no further. Right now, the AA Deals Store is selling a 1-year subscription to Backblaze Unlimited Backup for a massive 50% off, but for today only!

Backblaze will allow you to access all of your files from all of your devices, instantly. It will also back up all of your photos, movies, music and documents automatically, so there’s no need to sync your files manually. Backblaze will also let you retain your deleted files for 30 days after deletion, and you can even back up files from USB Firewall and Thunderbolt drives.

If you’re interested, the Android Authority Deals Store is selling a 1-year subscription to the service for only $24.99, which is 50% off the normal price. And remember, this deal is for today only, so you better hurry! Head to the link below for more information.

• Buy now from the AA Deals Store for just $24.99

Disney’s bringing its own streaming service to the UK

Disney doesn’t need any help distributing its content in the UK. Despite recently inking a new deal with Sky, the company has decided to strike out on its own with a new, standalone streaming service called “DisneyLife.” It’ll launch in November on Android and iOS — with Airplay and Chromecast support — and set you back £9.99 per month, in return for thousands of Disney Channel TV episodes and hundreds of Disney-related albums, books and movies. According to the Financial Times, that includes the entire Pixar collection and many Disney classics including The Jungle Book and Snow White.

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer a smattering of Disney films, but they tend to be older releases that cycle out periodically. To gain access to a larger library, many subscribe to Sky or Now TV, or simply purchase their favourite movies individually. DisneyLife could be an attractive alternative, especially if it offers extras like the Frozen soundtrack. What you won’t find, however, is any Marvel or Star Wars films. A missed opportunity? Perhaps, although we suspect those are selling pretty well on DVD and Blu-ray at the moment.

Via: Financial Times

Source: DisneyLife

Dyson says vacuum makers are cheating efficiency tests, VW style

As far as Dyson is concerned, Volkswagen isn’t the only company that should be taken to task over shady efficiency testing. The company’s just launched legal proceedings against Bosch in the Netherlands and Siemens in Germany, claiming its competitors are slapping misleadingly high energy efficiency ratings on their vacuum cleaners. Siemen’s Q8.0 and Bosch’s GL80/In’Genius ProPerform models both sport AAAA ratings, based on power consumption measurements of 750W. But according to Dyson’s internal tests, this figure can jump to more than 1600W — the maximum EU regulations allow for vacuum cleaners — in real-world conditions. Chugging that much electricity would supposedly land those products in E/F rating territory, far from the AAAA label advertised.

Apparently, this is because both machines have sensors that send the motors into overdrive when they’re actually sucking up dust. In this way, Dyson claims Siemens and Bosch are capitalizing on “flawed” European regulations that allow vacuum cleaners to be tested while empty, and deceiving consumers with stellar ratings that can only be achieved in perfect lab conditions. BSH Group, which is responsible for both home appliance brands being targeted, is obviously unhappy with Dyson’s accusations.

“We do not understand these assertions by Dyson and we strenuously reject them.

All Bosch & Siemens vacuum cleaners are measured in compliance with European energy regulations. Appliance performance at home is consistent with laboratory performance – and any suggestion to the contrary is grossly misleading.”

The statement from BSH goes on to praise its own commitment to “stringent testing,” and even calls Dyson out for not being as transparent with its energy ratings and performance metrics. While Dyson has begun legal proceedings against Bosch and Siemens specifically, it’s all part of a broader agenda the company has been pushing for some time. Even before the newest rating system for vacuum cleaners was brought in last year, Dyson instigated a judicial review with the European Court, the outcome of which is due before the end of this year. According to the legal challenge, the rating standard fails in two areas: it doesn’t recognize real-world performance, and the energy label doesn’t take into account the environmental impact of replacement bags and filters. James Dyson himself also argued that German competitors had too much say in the drafting of European regulations, allowing them to devise tests that would yield favorable energy ratings.

It’s in Dyson’s interests to shape the rating system as it sees fit, of course, giving its energy-efficient products greater exposure. And what better time to make the grand gesture of legal action, when efficiency ratings are a hot topic in the aftermath of the Volkswagen emissions scandal? (Coincidentally, Bosch is also implicated in that mess, having supplied software to VW for use in testing.) James Dyson used the uproar against VW as an opportunity to criticize the “murky world on regulations,” and this campaign against Bosch and Siemens appears to be an extension of that. Commenting on the vacuum cleaner situation, he said:

“Bosch has installed control electronics into some of its machines to wrongfully increase energy consumption when in use – to cheat the EU energy label. Their behaviour is akin to that seen in the Volkswagen scandal. It seems that industry is rife with manufacturers engineering to find their way around tests, rather than engineering better, more efficient technology. This behaviour is seriously misleading customers.”

While there’s no arguing that efficiency standards should actually mean something, the question remains: do consumers actually look at the energy rating of a vacuum cleaner before buying it, and do they even care? Dyson certainly does — especially when it’s calling out competitors to benefit its own image.

Via: The Telegraph

Barnes & Noble unveils a waterproof Nook e-reader

If you’re Barnes & Noble, how do you make an e-reader that stands out when Amazon’s Kindle all but dominates the market? By making it usable in the bath, that’s how. The at times struggling bookseller has unveiled the Nook GlowLight Plus, whose centerpiece is a waterproof and dustproof aluminum body — you won’t have to panic if it gets wet. This is also the first E Ink-based Nook to support profiles (handy in a literary family), and its 300DPI screen is twice as sharp as what you saw in the original GlowLight. The Plus probably won’t get you to switch readers if you’re a Kindle loyalist, but the $130 price is about right if you’re a newcomer or want to trade up from one of the earlier Nooks.

Source: Barnes & Noble, BusinessWire