Hulu’s reworked iPhone app helps you find favorite shows
Hulu knows that you sometimes want to plow through a TV series on your smartphone instead of a bigger screen, and it’s making that easier through a freshly redesigned iOS app. The new version gives you an “all-new” iPhone interface that helps you find your favorite shows considerably faster. If you can’t help but watch South Park, it’ll be near the top. This is also a big upgrade for parents, as Kid’s Lock is finally available on the iPhone — you won’t have to worry about Junior leaving the children’s hub to watch Wolf of Wall Street. These updates are arguably overdue, but they’ll certainly be welcome in those moments when you can’t catch up at home.
Via: iMore
Source: App Store
Nanoparticle-based windows could switch colors on demand
One day, you might not need special bulbs to give your room’s lighting a different hue — you’d just tell the windows themselves to change. Rice University researchers have discovered that you can change the colors transmitted through glass by sending a voltage through pairs of gold and silver nanoparticles, which you frequently find in stained glass windows. Jolt a window one way and you’d get a bright red; reverse the voltage and you’d get blue. All you’re really doing is forming or removing chemical bridges between the particles.
The technology is still far from production, so don’t expect to renovate your home just yet. However, you only need tiny amounts of the precious metals to achieve dramatic effects. As such, you might well find yourself upgrading to color-shifting smart windows around the whole home, not just in one or two prime locations.
[Image credit: Craig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Rice University, Science Advances
Apple Gifts Retail Employees With Apple Music Subscription
Apple last week provided all of its employees with urBeats earphones from the Beats by Dr. Dre product lineup as part of an annual holiday gift, and today iTunes chief Eddy Cue told Apple employees they would also receive a free nine-month subscription to Apple Music.
Cue shared the news in a video message that went out to employees this morning. Employees will receive an Apple Music promo code later this month, which will allow them to activate their free subscriptions.
Valued at $90, the Apple Music subscription paired with the urBeats headphones makes Apple’s 2015 gift to its employees one of the most generous the company has offered in recent years. Apple’s holiday gifts go out to all of its employees around the world, encompassing Cupertino, satellite offices, and each of its retail locations.
In addition to being a nice perk for employees, offering an Apple Music subscription to all of its employees will have benefits for Apple, as it will allow retail workers to familiarize themselves with the service so they can better explain and recommend it to customers.
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MacKeeper Exposes Data on 13 Million Customers
Anti-virus company MacKeeper is making headlines today for its lax security on a customer database that contained 13 million customer records complete with names, email addresses, usernames, password hashes, phone numbers, IP address, and system information.
As shared in a reddit post, Chris Vickery (via Forbes) was able to download the records simply by entering an IP address, with no username or password required to access the data, a major security oversight on MacKeeper’s part.
MacKeeper was also using MD5 hashes for passwords, a weak algorithm that’s easily bypassed using an MD5 cracking tool. As Vickery says, MacKeeper (and parent company Kromtech) “appears to have no respect for the privacy of its users’ data or the integrity of their information.”
Vickery did not share details on the exploit and immediately contacted Kromtech about the oversight. Using Vickery’s information, Kromtech secured the database after several hours, and nobody with malicious intent was reportedly able to get ahold of customer details. With the exploit fixed, Vickery explained how he accessed the data.
Here are some details (now that it’s secured): The search engine at Shodan.io had indexed their IPs as running publicly accessible MongoDB instances (as some have already guessed). I had never even heard of MacKeeper or Kromtech until last night. I just happened upon it after being bored and doing a random “port:27017” search on Shodan.
For those unfamiliar with MacKeeper, it is Mac software that purports to optimize a Mac and keep it secure from viruses and malware, tricking people into a purchase with unrealistic claims. Earlier this month, a class action lawsuit led to a $2 million settlement that will see MacKeeper providing refunds to customers who purchased the software and would like their money back.
Though MacKeeper says Vickery was the only person to access the information, MacKeeper customers should still change their passwords and passwords on sites that used the same password as the MacKeeper password.
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Samsung offers 1 year of free Netflix with the purchase of a Galaxy Tab S2
Samsung earlier announced a new promotion for fans of Samsung tablets and Netflix enthusiasts. Those who purchase a Galaxy Tab S2–one of the best tablets for Android–will get one year of free Netflix after submitting a Offer Claim Form to Samsung.
Samsung began the new promotion on December 13 and said that it will last through the day after Christmas, December 26. But don’t worry, you don’t have to claim your offer during that time period. The Korean tech giant is giving purchasers until January 31 of 2016 to redeem the offer.
It’s definitely not worth going out and buying a new Galaxy Tab S2 just for a free year of Netflix. But if you planned on buying one anyway, it’s worth taking advantage of this free incentive, especially as we get closer and closer to Daredevil: Season 2 and another season of The Walking Dead next fall.
To fill out a Offer Claim Form, be sure to head over to the link below. Anyone plan on snagging this deal?
[Samsung]
Come comment on this article: Samsung offers 1 year of free Netflix with the purchase of a Galaxy Tab S2
Samsung officially takes the Apple Patent case to the Supreme Court
Today Samsung filed a 219-page appeal requesting that the Supreme Court rule on the legitimacy of Apple’s patent infringement case. Samsung already paid a settlement amount, but they are still disputing the ruling, which initially awarded Apple $930 million in damages. Although the Korean company whittled this amount down considerably in later court dates before paying $548 million earlier this month, they believe that the ruling sets a precedent that discourages innovation and competition while at the same time encouraging frivolous patent litigation.
The two juries in the original case were presented with evidence that Samsung had infringed on Apple’s patented technology. These technologies include things like swipe gestures and tap to zoom capabilities. Samsung claims that the juries were not given enough information to understand the nuances of the case, and that the judge instructed them to make their decision based on the general similarity of appearance between Apple and Samsung’s products.
See also: Samsung agrees to pay $548 million to Apple for patent infringement
The company released the following statement:
“Samsung is escalating this case because it believes that the way the laws were interpreted is not in line with modern times. If the current legal precedent stands, it could diminish innovation, stifle competition, pave the way for design patent troll litigation and negatively impact the economy and consumers.”
In addition to disputing the way in which the case was decided, Samsung is also claiming that the way design patent damages are calculated in general is flawed. They describe a situation in which current design patent rules are applied to a hypothetical case in a way that would see the infringing company paying out several times the total value of its profits.
Samsung and Apple have agreed to set aside all court cases related to this issue outside of the United States, so however matters are settled here will have lasting and worldwide effect. It looks like this is World 8 Mario Brothers for the patent case that has spanned four continents, lasted four years, and which has already cost Samsung over a half a billion dollars. If the US Supreme Court takes on the case, it will be the first design patent reviewed at this level in over 120 years.
What are your thoughts regarding the continuing saga of Apple vs. Samsung? Who is in the right here? Let us know in the comments!
Deal: Buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, get 1 year of Netflix free
For this week and the next, Samsung is tossing in a free year of Netflix when you buy a Galaxy Tab S2 (US only). Considering the value of a year of Netflix clocks in at around $96 and the 8-inch version of the Galaxy Tab S2 is currently going for around $349, that’s a pretty big chunk of the cost of your tablet purchase. It’s almost like getting 28% off.
See also: Best Android tablets (November 2015)
The Tab S2 is a mid-to-higher end tablet meant to bring better specs to a lower price range. The device comes in two models: the 8 inch version and the 9.7 inch one. Both tablets have 4:3 ratios and an Exynos 5433 processor. With 3 GB of RAM and a vibrant SAMOLED display, you can be sure Netflix streaming will be smooth as butter and crystal clear. Either version comes with Android 5.0.2 Lollipop out of the box. If you’re willing to fork over an extra $100, you can get LTE service through T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint.
Samsung is only making this offer good through December 26, 2015. It’s a perfect window if you’re looking to snag that perfect, high-dollar holiday gift for that special person in your life (and maybe keep the Netflix for yourself), but you’ll have to act quickly if you want to take advantage of it. You also have to be a US resident over the age of 18. Click the button below to go to Samsung’s official promo page.
What do you think of the Galaxy Tab S2? Does this Netflix package sweeten the deal enough for you? Let us know in the comments!
Amazon is giving away a Sony a6000 Mirrorless Camera – head here for your chance to win
It’s the season of giving, and many fine retailers around the globe have done their part to make sure we’re getting the best deals on the hottest products. Amazon is one of those retailers. They’ve brought us numerous deals on tablets, smartphones and more this holiday season, and now they’re kicking it up a notch.
Over the next two weeks Amazon will be hosting a few giveaways, where users will be able to enter and win a gadget featured in Amazon’s Electronics Gift Guide. All you need to do is head to the link attached below, click on the bouncing box, and it will tell you if you’ve won or not. First up on the giveaway list is a doozy – Amazon is giving away the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera, complete with a 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens. This camera would normally cost you almost $550, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to score it for free!
The camera will be awarded to the 6,500th eligible entrant. The contest just started today, and ends on Friday, December 18th at 11:59 p.m. PST, or whenever the prize has been awarded.
Well, darn.
If you suffered the same fate as me, you can always check out the camera on Amazon to see if it’s right for you.
Amazon is giving away a Sony a6000 Mirrorless Camera – head here for your chance to win
It’s the season of giving, and many fine retailers around the globe have done their part to make sure we’re getting the best deals on the hottest products. Amazon is one of those retailers. They’ve brought us numerous deals on tablets, smartphones and more this holiday season, and now they’re kicking it up a notch.
Over the next two weeks Amazon will be hosting a few giveaways, where users will be able to enter and win a gadget featured in Amazon’s Electronics Gift Guide. All you need to do is head to the link attached below, click on the bouncing box, and it will tell you if you’ve won or not. First up on the giveaway list is a doozy – Amazon is giving away the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera, complete with a 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens. This camera would normally cost you almost $550, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to score it for free!
The camera will be awarded to the 6,500th eligible entrant. The contest just started today, and ends on Friday, December 18th at 11:59 p.m. PST, or whenever the prize has been awarded.
Well, darn.
If you suffered the same fate as me, you can always check out the camera on Amazon to see if it’s right for you.
Gmail’s Inbox app makes it easier to share travel info
If you fancy Google’s Inbox app to wrangle your Gmail, sharing travel details is about to get even easier. Mountain View is rolling out an update to the service that lets you attach those handy card-like Trip Bundles to emails with a tap. This should make giving colleagues, friends and family all of your travel info even quicker.
What’s more, you can attach related emails to a trip with the “Move to” menu option and set a trip to be available offline. You know, just in case you run into an unreliable WiFi connection or need it while you’re in the air. Inbox is also making it easier for you to share snapshots from the journey with easy access to recent photos and the ability to attach more than just one at a time. The new features are said to be rolling out this week, so you should be seeing the update soon.
Source: Google
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