It’s not easy being Yahoo
Remember when Yahoo was great? Yeah, I’m having a hard time, too. Especially in light of the past few weeks, during which the company’s house of cards collapsed — and afterward those cards were set on fire and then pooped on by a passing flock of seagulls who’d had some bad curry.
After Yahoo copped to a monumental breach they’d kept secret, revelations about mass email spying catapulted the company into a whirlwind of abysmal press. These events were crowned by a report claiming Verizon asked for a $1 billion discount on its acquisition.
Most everything being reported about Yahoo is coming via anonymous sources. But one glaring fact rings true through the swirling rumors: If other companies are bad at protecting their users, Yahoo may very well be the worst.
It started on September 22nd when, just after Yahoo’s fire sale to Verizon, the flailing company admitted it was massively hacked in 2014. Its statement said that “a state-sponsored actor” had stolen at least 500 million user accounts’ “names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords… and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.”
The Yahoo hack is currently considered the biggest breach in history. Everyone wants to know why it waited so long to tell anyone, but the company has remained mum.
One could say that CEO Marissa Mayer simply fiddled while Yahoo burned. Several lawsuits were filed within days of the statement, six senators told Mayer they wanted a timeline of the hack, and another senator kindly asked the SEC to investigate. This would turn the company and this incident into a test case for the SEC’s data breach disclosure rules.
Before anyone could say “Titanic,” press went wild as unnamed sources came out of the woodwork to have their say. One told the New York Times that Yahoo’s then-security chief Alex Stamos and his team had really tried super hard to make improvements, but mean old Marissa stood in their way. And because Stamos left Yahoo suddenly and without explanation, infosec pundits opined the real reason Stamos parachuted to Facebook was because he fought for the users (and certainly not the money).
If the accounts about her decision-making skills are true, the Times’ scathing hot take on Mayer’s governance of her security team is totally accurate. Except Stamos’ team did so much innovative and experimental security stuff in the realm of improvements, it makes this angle look like horseshit.
This is probably a good time to remind everyone that the New York Times has a sweet little financial relationship with Facebook, where the Wal-Mart of social networks recently gave the Times $3.3 million for content.
The anonymous source sideshow wasn’t over, and the next one at the microphone wasn’t playing nice. Business Insider was told by a former Yahoo executive in contact with investigators that the number of victims is at least double the 500 million the company claimed. The source believes the hack is much “bigger than what’s being reported.” They continued, estimating the number of accounts affected to be anywhere between one and three billion, saying “How they [Yahoo] came up with 500 is a mystery.”
Yahoo’s attempt to blame state hackers (usually it’s China or Russia) fell apart when a not-anonymous source talked to CSO Online. Security firm InfoArmor said it uncovered that hackers-for-hire did it. They found some of the stolen data during a three-year investigation into an Eastern European hacking gang. Andrew Komarov, InfoArmor’s chief intelligence officer told CSO, “According to our information, most of the group’s clientele are spammers.” Komarov claimed the gang had sold the stolen Yahoo database in three private deals, including one worth at least $300,000.
Just when things were looking really bad for Yahoo… it got worse. On Tuesday, Reuters dropped a bombshell from yet another unnamed source with an axe to grind against the purple menace. According to “three former employees and a fourth person apprised of the events,” Yahoo “last year secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers’ incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials.”
The article offered an alternative to the narrative in the New York Times about why Yahoo’s head of security ran to Zuckerberg’s warm embrace.
It said:
“According to two of the former employees, Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer’s decision to obey the directive roiled some senior executives and led to the June 2015 departure of Chief Information Security Officer Alex Stamos, who now holds the top security job at Facebook Inc.”
At this point, it was clear that every reporter sucking the teat of a source had forgotten to ask what Stamos and his team were doing, exactly, during the biggest hack in history. And why no one said a damn thing while millions (possibly billions) of innocent people had their sensitive info sold and re-sold on various black markets for years.
Yahoo called the report “misleading.” But, as everyone noticed, there was no denial. Those who didn’t have a big bowl of popcorn by this point were out of luck, because right after the “misleading” report, the New York Times fired back with even more anonymous source-ry. The Times’ new article directly rejected Reuters’ report that Yahoo built surveillance tools so the government could spy on Mail users.
The Times said, “A system intended to scan emails for child pornography and spam helped Yahoo satisfy a secret court order requiring it to search for messages containing a computer ‘signature’ tied to the communications of a state-sponsored terrorist organization.” The alleged sources allegedly said that the alleged program had allegedly been terminated anyway. As for Stamos, yet another anonymously sourced Reuters article claims the program had been shut off by the time he left.
Furthermore, the New York Times sources said the scanning came out of a FISA court order and not “a classified U.S. government demand… at the behest of the National Security Agency or FBI” as Reuters had reported.
Talk about awkward.
Who knows what revelations the next few days will bring. But, with Reuters and the New York Times competing for headline dominance, it’s easy to forget about all those Yahoo hack victims — and I don’t just mean the ones we found out about two weeks ago.
The Yahoo hack story got pushed out of the spotlight before it had a chance to really sing. It turns out, getting hacked, exposing untold users to harm, and downplaying it is a performance the company has been repeating for years.
The 2014 hack we just learned about exposed at least 500 million accounts. Yahoo was also hacked in January that year, and the company would not disclose how many accounts were affected. Before that, in March 2013, Yahoo Mail users were crying for help about their accounts getting hacked into for months while the company remained silent. To the surprise of no one, later that year Yahoo user passwords were spotted in a collection of two million credentials found on a botnet server. And prior to that, in 2012, Yahoo was hacked and 450,000 passwords were posted online.
As I write this, I wonder if people on the security team at Yahoo who are caught in the crossfire, or who tried to fix things and got shut down by decision makers, are insulted by this portrait of negligence.
But I don’t wonder how Yahoo’s decision-makers feel. Because to be insulted, you first have to give a damn.
Images: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (Yahoo / Marissa Mayer); REUTERS/Dado Ruvic (Yahoo Mail password)
Alexa can now lock your BMW and feed it directions
Remember when James Bond drove his BMW in a parking garage from the back seat by remote control? Yeah, the automaker’s latest Connected app won’t do that. But, it’ll at least make you feel like “007 lite” with Alexa, Apple Watch 2 and Android support. The Alexa integration is the most fun, letting you use voice commands with an Echo or Echo Dot to lock your vehicle’s doors, load up a scheduled trip and check battery and fuel levels.
BMW isn’t the first automaker with an Alexa skill. Hyundai already offers the service with its luxury Genesis brand, and Ford will support it by year’s end. Ford’s service will offer a few more features, letting you start your car with voice commands, communicate with your smart home and use the AppLink service to talk to Alexa while you’re in the car. It will only work on three of Ford’s models, however: the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi, according to Reuters.
With BMW’s latest iOS version, you can use your Apple Watch Series 2 to check driving times based on current traffic or see a navigation map without pulling out your smartphone. As with the Alexa, you can use the wearable to lock your doors and check vehicle parameters from the comfort of your couch.
Finally, the company finally launched an Android app with similar features to the iOS version. Those include walking directions to your car’s parking spot, departure notifications based on your appointments and traffic, and the ability to set points of interest. New features include EV charger searches filtered by the type of charging and payment method you prefer, and a smartphone battery-conserving mode. You can now download the iOS and Android apps via BMW’s site, or by enabling the Alexa skill and linking your BMW account.
Via: BMW Blog
Source: BMW
Part of Scotland will soon be powered by kites
Name a method of generating power that’s cheap, efficient, sustainable and sounds like something Mary Poppins dreamed up after downing 20 teaspoons of sugar. That’s right — kite power. One of the world’s first non-experimental, kite-driven power stations will be established offshore in Southern Scotland, at the Ministry of Defence’s West Freugh Range near Stranraer. UK company Kite Power Solutions plans to install a 500 kilowatt system that it expects will generate ‘several hundred megawatts’ of energy by 2025, Independent reports.
The project is backed by multinational oil company Royal Dutch Shell and the UK government, though Kite Power Solutions business development director David Ainsworth says the project will be “tariff-free.” For one, the cost of mooring the kites is far less than mooring wind turbines, since the kite system essentially floats. The kites fly up to 450 meters in a figure-eight pattern and pull a tether attached to a turbine to produce electricity. Two kites alternately rising and falling ensures continuous power.
A single 40-meter-wide kite generates two to three megawatts of electricity and a field of roughly 1,000 kites “would produce as much electricity as the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station if the wind blew constantly,” according to Independent.
The Stranraer region is inundated with wind and Kite Power Solutions expects just 10 days a year when the system won’t generate power. In these cases, the company will use a small fan to keep the kites afloat as they wait for more wind.
Kite Power Solutions already established a small kite-power system in England’s Essex county, and there’s a large research project in Italy that uses kites to generate energy.
Source: Independent
Four questions with the founder of Fnatic
Sam Mathews founded the European esports organization Fnatic in 2004, after selling his car to send a group of players to a competitive gaming event in Las Vegas. A dozen years ago, esports were barely a blip on the mainstream radar, but Mathews was an early adopter — and the industry grew quickly. His teams continued to expand and succeed in tournaments for a range of games, including Quake, Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and League of Legends.
Today, Fnatic is one of the world’s largest and most popular esports organizations, consistently competing for millions of dollars and selling swag across the globe. As one of the first entrepreneurs to believe in esports, Mathews has a unique perspective on the industry’s history and how it will continue to evolve going forward. Professional video game tournaments are already being aired live on television, after all.
Last week, Mathews took a break from the ESL One Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in New York to answer four questions about esports and the pressures of leading one of its most legendary organizations. We’ve recorded his thoughts below.
You’ve been in the eSports world for over a decade — what’s the largest or most surprising change to hit the industry over that time?
Apart from the small things, like moving from CRT to LCD, or the scale of the crowds, it’s really about speed at which things are moving. I didn’t expect real sport teams to get involved so quickly, especially how much it’s been progressing in the last 18 months. I always had a good inclination of how big this could be and would be, and still believe that it is probably bigger than most people expect, but the adoption by physical sports stakeholders is exciting, to say the least.
Have esports entered the mainstream or are they still a fringe activity?
I think if you look at the sheer scale in terms of number of participants, esports is technically mainstream. But in terms of perception and the amount of awareness in the public, I think it’s definitely still in the underground. I do think that this is quickly growing and changing and it’s only a matter of a year or two before it’s widely known and accepted globally. I liken it to the previous youth culture movements, such as skateboarding, which took hold in the eighties and nineties and created a subculture. The same could be said about surfing and even snowboarding, all of which started as amateur underground sports which have become legitimate multi-billion-dollar industries.
How do you handle the pressure of leading one of the world’s top esports organizations?
I think with anything that you put a lot of your heart into, sometimes emotions can get the better of you, but that’s why you have to keep them in check and understand what they are. This is especially the case when you own a sports team. You have a lot of highs and lows — and grey hair. However, I believe our fan base is aware of how much we try and strive to be the best, and trust we’re doing all in our power to keep our reputation and results. The beauty of esports, however, is that we have more than one game to keep us stable. So whilst we may be struggling in some games, we still have others that keep things balanced by being on the up.
Does any part of you wish pro gaming would stay small, or are you excited for it to continue growing?
This is funny because I do think that it’s been exciting seeing the growth. But, on the other hand, when it’s small it was nice, because you knew everyone in the scene and there’s less competition. However, I’m super excited about espots being a global phenomenon. We’ve started something special and I honestly believe that it will be one of the biggest entertainment verticals out there in the next five years. The possibilities keep me up at night.
Save electricity with this super-easy cooking tip – CNET
Turn off that burner a little early for Earth-friendly cooking.
Alina Bradford
Saving the Earth can be hard, but this little tip is so easy it’s a no-brainer. When cooking on your electric range, turn off the burner a few minutes before the dish is done.
According to the California Energy Commission, the burner will still release enough heat to finish up the cooking process, but will save electricity. You can use this tip when cooking in the oven, too, for added savings.
Granted, this tip only saves a little electricity, but if you do it consistently, the savings can add up.
When to use this tip
This tip will work best when simmering, reheating or cooking soups and stews. I wouldn’t suggest using this tip when you’re pan frying or searing meat, though. These cooking processes need a lot of consistent heat and turning off the burner may lower the temperature enough that your food won’t cook properly.
I gave cutting the heat a shot with several different dishes and it worked perfectly. If you shut off the burner around five minutes before a dish is ready, the burner will still provide plenty of heat to finish the cooking process.
The bonus is you don’t have an exposed, flaming-hot burner when you’re done cooking. That’s good news for anyone who has kids or curious cats.
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Why a MacOS Sierra upgrade might cost you – CNET
MacOS Sierra introduced two iCloud Drive features that are certainly convenient but are also certain to put you over the free 5GB iCloud storage limit. MacOS Sierra’s ability to sync your Desktop and Document folders to iCloud Drive and to optimize your Mac’s storage to free up some space will likely exceed 5GB sooner rather than later. An upgrade to MacOS Sierra might mean your iCloud Drive needs an upgrade.
You can upgrade your plan on an iOS device or a Mac. A plan is tied to your Apple ID and shared across your devices.
Apple offers 5GB for free and four paid plans:
- 50GB for $0.99 a month ((£0.79, AU$1.49)
- 200GB for $2.99 a month (£2.49, AU$4.49)
- 1TB for $9.99 a month (£6.99, AU$14.99)
- 2TB for $19.99 a month (£13.99, AU$29.99)
Upgrade iCloud on a Mac
To change your iCloud Drive plan on a Mac, open System Preferences and click iCloud. Next, click the Manage button in the lower-right corner. On the next window, click the Change Storage Plan button in the upper-right corner and select a new plan.
Upgrade iCloud on an iPhone
To change your iCloud Drive plan using an iOS device, go to Settings > iCloud and tap Storage. Next, click Change Storage Plan and select a new plan.
iCloud alternatives
Sarah Mitroff/CNET
While Apple’s increased iCloud integration with MacOS Sierra is convenient, it’s not the only cloud game in town. Apple’s pricing, however, is competitive with the paid plans for Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
Dropbox provides 2GB of free space but you can quickly accumulate more free space by referring friends, installing Dropbox on some devices and simply completing Dropbox’s Getting Started guide. (I’m up to 55.5GB of free Dropbox storage, though a large chunk of that (48GB) came by way of a Samsung promotion when I installed Dropbox on a Samsung tablet.)
Dropbox has only one paid plan for individuals and pricing is the same per month as iCloud. Dropbox Pro provides 1TB of storage for $9.99 a month (£7.99, AU$13.99), but you’ll get two months free if you pay upfront for the year. The annual plan costs $99 (£79, AU$139 )
Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage. It offers a number of paid plans:
- 100GB for $1.99 per month (about £1.58, AU$2.63)
- 1TB for $9.99 per month (about £7.92, AU$13.18)
- 10TB for $99.99 per month (about £79, AU$132)
- 20TB for $199.99 per month (about £159, AU$264)
- 30TB for $299.99 per month (about £238, AU$396)
Microsoft offers 5GB of free OneDrive storage and a paltry 50GB for $1.99 per month (about £1.58, AU$2.63). An Office 365 personal subscription (for a single user), however, includes 1TB of storage space for only $6.99 a month (about £5.54, AU$9.22) along with Word, Excel and other Office apps.
For more, read our full review of MacOS Sierra and learn how to use Sierra’s new features.
5 inexpensive Bluetooth speakers to pair with your Echo Dot – CNET
Amazon’s second-generation Echo Dot has arrived, and by all accounts it’s a winner. CNET’s Ry Crist awarded it an Editors’ Choice plus a very rare 9.5 rating.
Of course, as with the original Dot, there’s just one small issue: the small built-in speaker, which is fine for listening to Alexa tell you the weather or even play a podcast. But for music? Nah, no, you need an external speaker.
The Dot supports Bluetooth, so that speaker doesn’t have to sit a mere wire’s length away; you can position it across the room if you like. (For the uninitiated, here’s how to pair the Echo Dot with a Bluetooth speaker.)
More good news? You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for good, Dot-savvy sound. Bluetooth speakers these days come in countless shapes and sizes, and there are some surprisingly good ones priced below $100. In fact, there are some surprisingly good ones priced below $50 as well. Here are five speakers that would make excellent companions for your “gal Alexa.”
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The Anker SoundCore costs less than Echo Dot itself.
Anker
Anker SoundCore
I’m not saying you can end your search right here, but the Anker SoundCore has pretty much everything a person could want in a Bluetooth speaker. Actually, its big claim to fame is battery life — not a huge deal for Dot users — but the real appeal is price, $35.99.
Small price equals small sound, right? Not according to the 2,000-plus buyers who collectively rated it 4.6 stars out of 5. Think that rating is artificially inflated? I suspected that as well, but Fakespot reveals the vast majority of those reviews are legit.
So, basically, this simple black brick sounds great and sells for less than half of many a competing speaker (see below). Plus, it comes with an 18-month warranty, a little better than most. What’s not to like?
JBL Flip 3
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Sarah Tew/CNET
The third time’s the charm. JBL’s Flip 3 speaker looks like an oversize pill, sounds amazing for its size and enjoys stellar ratings from users and reviewers alike. CNET gave it an 8.1, while nearly 2,000 Amazon buyers rated it 4.5 stars out of 5.
Why all the love? In addition to its cute design and great sound, the Flip 3 runs for up to 10 hours on a charge — not a huge selling point for Dot users, as it would probably mostly stay plugged in anyway. It’s also splash-proof in case you want to park it near the tub.
The speaker lists for around $100, but hit up Amazon to find refurbs selling for a little less than $70.
Sony SRS-X5
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CNET
An oldie but goody, Sony’s big black slab debuted waaaay back in 2014 — but with age comes a lower price. It no longer sells for $200, but instead runs around $95 at the likes of Amazon and Walmart.
I’ll let CNET’s David Carnoy sum up the highlights: “For a relatively compact wireless speaker, the simple but classy-looking Sony SRS-X5 offers excellent sound with strong bass. It has built-in speakerphone functionality, a USB charging port (to charge your smartphone), NFC tap-to-pair technology, and eight hours of battery life.” Verdict: an 8.0 rating.
And I think its understated looks make it a good match for the fairly understated Echo Dot, especially if you choose the black version of the latter.
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With all those dots, the Cuatro is perfect for the Dot!
Urge Basics
Urge Basics Cuatro
I included the Cuatro here for one simple reason: it looks cool, with a sweet hole-patterned front grill in your choice of five colors. Actually, there’s a second reason: it sells for just $19.99. Wait, I thought of another one. It supports Bluetooth 4.0, so you can pair a second device — your phone or tablet — for those times when you want to stream from something other than the Dot.
Perhaps the most important reason of all: Its low price belies its sound quality, which, according to most of the 500-plus Amazon reviewers, is top-notch.
The UE Roll offers some decidedly distinctive styling.
Sarah Tew/CNET
UE Roll
Much like the Dot itself, the UE Roll is cute, compact and round. Unlike the Dot, it’s also colorful (available in a variety of eye-catching styles) and waterproof. A built-in bungee cord lets you hang the speaker just about anywhere — including, say, your shower. (“Alexa, play my rub-a-dub-dub playlist.”)
The Roll originally retailed for around $100, but keep an eye out for deals. Amazon currently offers a refurbished Roll for $39.99, and daily-deal site Yugster has them new for $49.99. Meanwhile, be sure to check out CNET’s UE Roll review.
Have you found an affordable speaker you think makes a good match with the Echo Dot? Tell us about it in the comments!
The Best Chromebox
Chromeboxes are safe, easy to use, and up to just about any task you can throw at it. Here are the ones you should be looking at.
Best overall
ASUS Chromebox M004U
See at Amazon
Don’t let the name fool you. The ASUS Chromebox M004U (generally known as the ASUS Chromebox though there are others from ASUS being sold) is dead simple to set up and use. Attach a monitor or television, a keyboard, and a mouse then turn it on. You’ll be on the internet in just a few minutes.
The Haswell Intel Celeron 2955U CPU offers remarkable performance for the price, is energy efficient, and an industry staple in countless computers. Paired with a fast 16GB storage drive and 4GB of memory, you’ll be able to enjoy everything Chrome has to offer, whether that means Facebook or a spreadsheet.
You also have the option to upgrade the ASUS Chromebox. Adding a larger storage drive or more memory is simple and well-documented. The ASUS Chromebox also makes an excellent HTPC as-is and can be an all-in-one media server with software like Plex.
Bottom line: The ASUS Chromebox M004U is powerful and capable. Chrome and everything you do present no challenges. If you want to explore other software options, upgrades are easy and inexpensive.
Why the ASUS Chromebox is the best
The ASUS Chromebox is the total package.
Chrome is a very lightweight and efficient, yet powerful, computing platform. On a computer like the ASUS Chromebox, you’ll be able to experience everything there is to offer with nary a stutter once paired with good broadband internet service. Put the ASUS Chromebox under your TV for watching YouTube or Netflix, or use it at your desk to communicate or work from home. You can have confidence that this Chromebox can do it all.
If you’re looking for more, you can upgrade the storage drive and RAM on the ASUS Chromebox using affordable and widely available off-the-shelf components without any complicated disassembly. If you are looking to install software like Kodi to build your own network streaming server, the ASUS Chromebox is widely recognized as the best value and is fully supported.
A package deal
Acer Chromebox CX12-4GKM
See at Amazon
If you’re looking for a complete setup and aren’t interested in upgrading anything or installing any alternative software, the Acer Chromebox is a solid choice.
It offers a Broadwell 1.5GHz Intel Celeron CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 16GB solid state drive in a vertical standing enclosure that’s not going to need a lot of real estate. The Acer Chromebox also comes with its own mouse and keyboard.
The Acer is a powerful package that won’t crowd your desk or TV stand and is an excellent choice if you’re OK with spending a little more and not tearing apart the case.
Bottom line: The Broadwell CPU is futureproofed and plenty powerful for everything you want your Chromebox to do, and many will find the included mouse and keyboard a useful addition
The best value
Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox
See at Amazon
The lowest priced Chromebox on our list is also a great combo package.
The Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox is another Broadwell 15 watt Celeron CPU offering, and it too comes with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The bundled mouse and keyboard will help you get up and running faster, and the ThinkCentre can be positioned either horizontally or vertically.
As the newest entry on our list, the ThinkCentre hasn’t yet been proven to become our top pick, but the initial response looks great.
Bottom line: Great specifications, a bundled mouse and keyboard, and an attractive price makes the Lenovo ThinkCentre a compelling choice. If it stands the test of time, it has the potential to be our favorite.
Conclusion
Any of your choices for the best Chromebox are good ones. We had to consider what was the differentiator between and think long and hard about saying one was better than the others. In the end, the tried-and-true ASUS Chromebox won us over with its excellent support for advanced users and easy upgradeability. While all these Chromeboxes are worth considering, the ASUS is the best all around from features versus price point of view.
Best overall
ASUS Chromebox M004U
See at Amazon
Don’t let the name fool you. The ASUS Chromebox M004U (generally known as the ASUS Chromebox though there are others from ASUS being sold) is dead simple to set up and use. Attach a monitor or television, a keyboard, and a mouse then turn it on. You’ll be on the internet in just a few minutes.
The Haswell Intel Celeron 2955U CPU offers remarkable performance for the price, is energy efficient, and an industry staple in countless computers. Paired with a fast 16GB storage drive and 4GB of memory, you’ll be able to enjoy everything Chrome has to offer, whether that means Facebook or a spreadsheet.
You also have the option to upgrade the ASUS Chromebox. Adding a larger storage drive or more memory is simple and well-documented. The ASUS Chromebox also makes an excellent HTPC as-is and can be an all-in-one media server with software like Plex.
Bottom line: The ASUS Chromebox M004U is powerful and capable. Chrome and everything you do present no challenges. If you want to explore other software options, upgrades are easy and inexpensive.
Save $100 on an unlocked HTC Desire 826 right now!
If you are looking for a backup phone or something for the kids, this deal on the HTC Desire 826 may be a perfect option. Right now you can pick one up for just $150, a $100 savings from its regular price. The 5.5-inch phone has 32GB of onboard storage, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera on the rear. This isn’t a high-end device but packs some great specs, especially at the lower price point.
At $150, this makes for a great backup phone to have around or something for the kids as their first phone. This deal won’t last long, so if you are interested in grabbing one you will want to act quickly.
See at Daily Steals
MacRumors Giveaway: Win a SanDisk iXpand for iPhone Backups and File Transfers
For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with SanDisk to give MacRumors readers a chance to win a Lightning-equipped 128GB SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive, which has enough capacity to double the storage space on most iPhones and iPads.
The pocket-sized iXpand can be used to offload photos, videos, music, and other files plus it can transfer content between an iOS device and a Mac or PC using USB 3.0 transfer speeds. Available in 16, 32, 64, and 128GB capacities, the iXpand can back up a full photo library and has storage for everything else you might need.
With the accompanying iXpand app, you can view all of your media content right on the iXpand drive without needing to transfer it back to your iPhone. It supports a wide range of file types, so you can watch videos, listen to music, and view all of your photos.
We reviewed the SanDisk iXpand earlier this year and were impressed with its small, portable design and its ability to support a wide range of file types, but we thought the app could use improvement. Since that time, SanDisk has updated the app and fixed many of the issues, making the usage experience much better. It’s now optimized for the iPad, no longer crashes, and has better playback support and controls.
SanDisk’s 128GB iXpand, the largest it makes, is normally priced at $129.99, but three MacRumors readers will win one for free. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (October 7) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 14. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 14 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen. Prizes will be shipped in mid to late October.
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