Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get big discounts on various Apple device one-day discounts, this handy laptop stand, a wireless charger giveaway and more! Don’t pass these up.

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

NHK is ready to shoot slow motion 8K video

TV broadcasters are still wrapping their heads around 8K, but that isn’t stopping NHK from pushing the technology forward. The Japanese industry giant is coming to the annual NAB trade show with a slew of 8K inventions, headlined by a high-speed camera. It’s not exactly portable, but it can shoot 240 frames per second — ideal for slow motion sports footage or reduced motion blur at full speed. Appropriately, there’s dedicated hardware for stretching out playback at the extra-high resolution.

There’s more in the works. NHK also plans to show off an 8K VR display that could eliminate the pixelated look that comes with having screens so close to your eyes. It’s promising to make 8K broadcasts more practical, for that matter. A new transmitter can squeeze 8K video from 40Gbps to ‘just’ 8Gbps and quickly convert it into an IP-based signal, making it viable for live broadcasts without ruining the quality.

It’ll still be a while before you can realistically watch in 8K. There are barely any 8K sets around, and broadcasting is exceptionally rare even in Japan. With that in mind, NHK’s demos show that the technology is evolving into something media companies could actually use.

Via: AV Watch (translated)

Source: NHK (translated)

Hackers take 5 million payment cards from Saks, Lord & Taylor stores

The wave of large-scale retail data breaches isn’t about to subside any time soon. Gemini Advisory has discovered that a JokerStash online crime syndicate, Fin7, is planning to sell over 5 million payment cards stolen from the databases of 83 Saks Fifth Avenue stores (including Off 5th) and the entire network of Lord & Taylor. The crooks are ‘only’ selling 125,000 of the cards on the Dark Web as of this writing, but the rest are expected to reach the black market in the months ahead. The breaches reportedly started in May 2017, but could be continuing to this day.

Most of the affected stores are in New York state and New Jersey, although three Canadian stores (in Toronto, Brampton and Pickering) might have also been hit.

The parent of both retail brands, Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company, confirmed the breaches and said it had “taken steps to contain” the hacks. Customers would get free credit monitoring and other identity protection services once there was “more clarity around the facts,” HBC said. It’s not clear what those security measures entail, however, and it’s not certain that the hacks have come to an end. A spokesperson talking to Reuters declined to elaborate.

JokerStash, however, is well-known. The hacker outfit has been connected to a string of data breaches including Chipotle, Omni Hotels and Whole Foods. It has a pattern of dribbling out cards to both maximize their sale potential and to avoid tipping off bank investigators trying to pinpoint the source of a given breach.

News of the hacking comes at a particularly bad time. In March 2017, BuzzFeed News learned that Saks had been storing customer data (though not payment info) in plain text on its servers — it’s bound to be embarrassing for the retailer to suffer a more serious breach just over a year later, even though the two incidents aren’t likely connected. HBC may need to bend over backwards to regain the trust of Saks shoppers who’ve been burned twice.

Source: Gemini Advisory, HBC

How to mine one million dollars in bitcoin on an $800 laptop

Here’s the thing: Just about any device capable of banging a few numbers together can contribute to a cryptocurrency mining pool, and that means almost any device can technically mine any cryptocurrency you choose, even Bitcoin.

Thing is, it might take you a little while.

Setting up

For our tests to figure out how long it might take you to make, say, $1,000,000 in Bitcoin using just a couple laptops, we used user-friendly mining pool NiceHash. Getting set up on NiceHash is as simple as creating an account and downloading a free software suite. Once it finishes installing, connect your NiceHash wallet by signing into the app, and then all you have to do is click start, and you’ll be rolling in bitcoins in no time!

A dip in the pool

To figure out how long it’d take for us to strike it rich mining with just a laptop, we used an Asus ZenBook UX330UA with an integrated graphics chip. Just in case, we also had a couple others standing by — a Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming, a Dell XPS 13, a Microsoft Surface Pro, and a MacBook Pro 15.

First, we ran the ZenBook on its own for about 24 hours to establish a baseline, but pretty soon after that we realized our little pool was going to need more power if we wanted to come anywhere close to our goal of $1,000,000 in bitcoin, so we fired up all of our laptops, bringing some serious horsepower to bear on the task.

Doing that was as simple as installing the NiceHash software on each laptop and connecting them all to our NiceHash wallet. After we left ’em running for another twenty-four hours, we were starting to see some real results.

Results

How much did we make with all of our laptops toiling away in the bitcoin mines? Well, we made about nine cents a day with just one laptop, and with all of them running we made around forty cents a day, give or take, depending on the current price of Bitcoin. That means it would take us an excess of 6,800 years to become bitcoin millionaires from mining off just a couple laptops.

So, while you can mine Bitcoin — or any other cryptocurrency — from any old laptop, you probably shouldn’t. Unless you have a couple thousand years to spare.

Google is ending its URL shortening service goo.gl

On Friday, Google announced that it would be ending support for its  goo.gl URL shortening service. Google’s Michael Hermanto said that starting April 13, anyone who had not used goo.gl before March 31 would not be allowed to create new short links. Existing users will have access to the service for one year before it will be completely shut down on March 30, 2019. While the service will be dismantled, existing URLs will still redirect to the appropriate location.

Google’s decision to end the popular ULR shortening service, which was launched in 2009, is part of the company’s efforts to shift gears toward Firebase Dynamic Links. FDLs are smart links meant to allow developers to redirect users to any location on a web page or within a mobile app. The company encouraged consumers who wanted to create new short links to either make use of its free FDL service or to use a link shortening service such as Bitly or Ow.ly.

For developers, however, the company strongly recommended that they make the switch over to FDL. Google told developers that unlike existing short links, FDLs would automatically detect the platform that is being used, and redirect users to a web page or mobile app depending on which service was best suited to their platform. Google also said that FDLs would be more likely to survive the app installation process than standard links, which would make it easier for new users to find the content they need.

Another possible benefit of the move towards FDLs is one of security. In 2016, it was reported that shortened URLs were more vulnerable to security flaws than standard links, though Google and Microsoft book took action to address those issues.

In addition to a focus on FDL links, Google said that its decision to end goo.gl was due to the changing ways in which users navigated the web. The company said that when it launched the service in 2009, the majority of users used desktop web browsers to access the internet. That has changed a lot in the past nine years, with users using smartphones, apps, and digital assistants to access the web.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Everyone hates the new look of Google Finance
• ADT beefs up its security offerings with new hardware and an app
• Airbnb’s new filters aim to improve searches for guests with disabilities
• Mozilla’s Facebook Firefox tool helps keep your browsing habits more private
• What is AirBnb? Here’s all you need to know about being a guest or host

What is cloud computing?

Ask people what cloud computing is, and you’re likely to get a dozen different explanations, which probably doesn’t help you understand any better. The truth is, cloud computing has so many different applications it can be tough to define it on the spot. For that, you deserve a more complete explanation. Here’s everything you need to know about cloud computing!

Cloud computing refers to moving processes and data off of the devices right in front of you (desktops, phones, etc.) and onto the internet, where they are stored in remote servers and used as needed. The “cloud” refers to the many server networks where all these data/services now exist, waiting to be accessed by users.

An excellent example of this shift is Microsoft Office. Prior to the cloud, Microsoft Office was sold as a single license and a physical disc that you uploaded to your local hard drive so you could run the software. Now (while that older model still exists), Microsoft Office is primarily offered as a subscription service that is offered over the cloud via the Office 365 suite of services, as well as a web app. It’s no longer necessary to have a physical disc, and its easier to access a bundle of specific services your home or business needs.

How the cloud works

Wikimedia Commons / Global Access Point
Wikimedia Commons / Global Access Point

The cloud starts with a provider. This provider offers infrastructure, specifically servers that can storage data safely: Most big providers use their own server rooms, but sometimes even the provider rents their servers. Many cloud services are just that simple, like Google Drive — a basic UI and some servers for storing a certain amount of data offsite when you don’t want to use local storage, or when you need to back up your data.

However, other cloud computing services go beyond simple storage space. They use their servers to run and offer operating systems, powerful tools, software applications, and even more complex services. If you have ever heard people talking about “aaS” or “as-a-service” capabilities, they are referring to cloud computing that provides features as an internet-based service. Software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, and other examples are growing increasingly common in the business world.

We already mentioned Office 365 as an example of this, but there are many other areas where consumers are benefiting from the cloud. Cloud gaming platforms in particular are growing popular, such as GeForce Now from Nvidia or the Xbox Game Pass subscription. This allows gamers to choose and play the games they want without buying a disc or taking up as much precious hard drive space on their devices.

Usually you still need to download something onto the end user device, like a dashboard or portal to access data from those remote servers (although sometimes you just need a browser to access the right website, like with Gmail). That’s why cloud services still often to operate through downloaded apps.

Some providers also include cloud capabilities within more complex software, such as Microsoft’s Office 365 ecology, which intertwines onsite (downloaded) and offsite (managed through the cloud) features.

Why cloud computing became so popular

Dotshock / 123RF
Dotshock / 123RF

Data and services become far more flexible when used with cloud computing. That yields powerful advantages — such as these excellent examples:

Cost savings: In many cases, the cost of buying hardware for storage, or single user licenses for software downloads, is significantly higher than getting the same features through cloud computing. Businesses have saved a lot of money by switching to virtual setups — although it isn’t always guaranteed.

Moving tasks offsite: A reliable cloud provider will take care of server maintenance and data management, which means local IT teams don’t have to worry about it (as much).

Speed: Cloud speeds depend a lot on internet connections and server uptime, but accessing cloud services is generally a lot easier for companies, especially if their local devices might struggle to run that software all on their own. This leads to more efficient work around the office or at home.

Security: For smaller companies in particularly, cloud computing allows them to use more secure services and storage than they would be able to manage on their own — as long as they pick a reliable provider that provides up-to-date patches. And even consumers can appreciate the security benefits of being able to back up data to the cloud whenever they want.

Scalability: It’s relatively simple to purchase more cloud capabilities as needed, or downside when necessary. This allows businesses to grow with their customer base or update their tech without investing money in all-new hardware and local systems. It also allows companies to offer services more easily to their customers, like Apple and iCloud, or Microsoft and Xbox Live.

The future of cloud computing

It’s everything. Ever since computers were invented, people have been trying to “rent” them out to others: Now that this popular idea is final possible even at the casual consumer level, it’s only going to get more popular. Gartner predicts that by 2021, more than half of global enterprises currently using some cloud services will have switched to an “all-in” strategy where they use little else. This trend is likely to only grow more common as cloud computing continues to improve and more businesses are emboldened to move everything into the cloud.

We’ve also seen the rise of hybrid clouds, combinations between public clouds managed primarily by providers and private clouds managed primarily by client businesses. This allows companies to choose which services they want to keep more in-house and which they want to access as a more generalized (and common) platform, while still keeping everything in the cloud.

The bottom line: Cloud computing is here to stay — and in a big way. There will always be some data that’s best kept at the local level, and always some risks in depending on the cloud. But this solution will remain one of the most important parts of modern technology.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Shadow is a cloud gaming service that wants to make your gaming PC obsolete
• How to backup your computer
• What is a hard drive?
• Google looks to expand cloud operations by going deep sea (cable) diving
• Alphabet’s new cybersecurity unit focuses on faster threat responses

Cloudflare makes it harder for ISPs to track your web history

If you’re privacy-minded, you probably aren’t thrilled that governments seem hell-bent on giving internet providers free rein over your browsing data. Cloudflare just gave you a tool to fight back, however. It launched 1.1.1.1, a free Domain Name System service (the technology that translates IP addresses to web domains) that promises to prevent ISPs from easily tracking your web history. Point your DNS setting to the namesake address and it’ll not only prevent your ISP from easily monitoring your site visits (by watching the DNS queries your devices make), but just about anyone else.

Cloudflare has promised to avoid writing any querying addresses to disk and wipe logs within 24 hours. It even went so far as to have KPMG audit its code and practices on a yearly basis to publicly confirm that it’s doing what it promised.

The service could speed up your internet access, too. Cloudflare has claimed that its DNS resolution is much faster than your typical internet internet provider or even rival DNS offerings, with an average of 14ms worldwide versus more than 20ms for OpenDNS and over 30ms for Google. While this won’t lead to a night and day performance difference, it could make the internet feel more responsive than you’ve experienced in the past.

This doesn’t guarantee that your info is completely secure, since DNS by its nature isn’t encrypted (your ISP can still scoop up your web history if it’s determined). And it’s no secret that this serves as an ad for Cloudflare’s performance and security services. If you’re sufficiently tech-savvy to change your DNS settings, you might bring up Cloudflare the next time your employer wants to give its website a boost. Sites will see the greatest speed upgrade when they’re also Cloudflare customers, to no one’s surprise. Nonetheless, it’s good to have an additional tool in your privacy arsenal beyond browsers and VPNs.

Via: CNET

Source: Cloudflare Blog

European travelers can now watch Netflix like they’re at home

If you live in the European Union, your holidays just became a little more enjoyable. The EU’s long-promised digital media portability rules have taken effect as of April 1st, letting residents access Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other paid digital media services in other member countries as if they were still at home. You shouldn’t have to worry about region blocks or browsing libraries in an unfamiliar language. The approach works by cross-checking your account details with your current internet address, so you don’t need to toggle a setting or run special software as long as a service honors the new rules.

The mandate doesn’t apply to free services (they can opt in if they like). However, companies aren’t allowed to charge a premium for the newfound freedom. Not that they’re likely to complain — Amazon told Wired that it welcomed the move, as it will “directly benefit” Prime Video subscribers by making their service useful on trips.

As we pointed out earlier, though, the benefit should be short-lived for UK residents. Brexit is expected to deny portability for UK customers as of March 29th, 2019 — most likely, you have less than a year to catch up on Black Mirror during your continental travels. While you can work around this by downloading offline copies before you leave, that won’t help much if new material shows up when you’re abroad. It’s still nice to get a taste of true media portability, mind you, and the new rules are a marked improvement over the isolated media experience Europeans have known until now.

Source: European Commission

How to add a smart thermostat on a budget

Want a smart thermostat but don’t wanna pay through the nose? You have options!

A smart thermostat isn’t just fun to have; it’s a power-smart move that can end up saving you money in the long run. Forgot to turn down the heat before leaving for the day? Use your thermostat’s app and turn it down from wherever you have an internet connection. Want an easier way to program your week than pressing and holding two buttons simultaneously, then releasing, then pressing and holding, then pressing up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A? Yup, you can do it in a visually pleasing and easy-to-use app (usually).

Many smart thermostats even go so far as to learn your programming habits, potentially saving you big bucks during particularly use-heavy seasons (like winter here in Winnipeg!).

That being said, smart thermostats can be hella expensive (upwards of $300). So if you’re on a budget, here are some options to help make your thermostat a part of your connected home.

• ecobee3 lite
• Honeywell Wi-Fi programmable thermostat
• Emerson Sensi
• Lux Geo
• Rebates

ecobee3 lite

ecobee’s 3 lite thermostat is only about $169 in Amazon now (the ecobee4 is out now, so previous generations have come down in price). The lite is Amazon Echo-compatible and HomeKit-enabled, so you can control it from anywhere, on any device. You can even pair it with room sensors for maximum home climate control.

ecobee3 lite uses your local weather information and your home heating and cooling system in order to expediently heat or cool your home, and it features a vacation mode, so you can keep energy use to a minimum. As mentioned, the thermostat alone is $169, but you can grab it with an Amazon Echo Dot for only $204 and save $15 on the Dot.

See at Amazon

Honeywell Wi-Fi programmable thermostat

This is one of the least expensive smart thermostats around (around $82 on Amazon), and while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a Nest or ecobee, it’ll get the job done if you simply want to be able to program your week and control your home cooling and heating from anywhere you can get Wi-Fi. Thermostat Center even said it’s the best budget Wi-Fi thermostat.

You can use this one with single- or multi-stage systems, and the back-lit display is a nice touch. Just note that this one isn’t battery-operated, so you’ll need to wire it in, and it does require a C-wire.

See at Amazon

Emerson Sensi

The Emerson Sensi is a little more expensive than the Honeywell, at $145, but it’s incredibly well-reviewed on Amazon and is Smart Thermostat Guide’s number two pick for best Wi-Fi thermostat (after our own favorite, the ecobee 3!). It was also ranked number one in the latest J.D. Power Report for customer satisfaction.

The Sensi has (for the most part) the same feature set as many of the more expensive smart thermostats, which includes Alexa integration. So if you already blew your dough on an Amazon Echo, save on the smart thermostat, but go with a quality one like the Sensi.

See at Amazon

Lux Geo

We’ll throw in the Lux Geo as well, since Smart Thermostat Guide recommends it, because it works with out a C-wire — batteries, baby! It doesn’t have Alexa integration nor does it support IFTTT, but if battery-operated is what you’re after, this is your best budget option (around $95 for the white one).

For an extra $50, the Emerson Sensi is definitely worth it over the Lux, but again, batteries.

See at Amazon

Rebates!!!

If you don’t want a budget smart thermostat or you do and you just want to save even more moolah, talk to your gas/electric company about rebates and incentives. Power companies love smart thermostats because they put you in full control of your home heating and cooling, thus (hopefully) making your home more energy-efficient. You may therefore receive a little money back on your investment, or your power company may cover it in full.

ecobee might have one of the more expensive smart thermostats, but it also happens to be the best, and ecobee’s website has a handy rebate finder that lets you put in your ZIP or postal code to find out if there are rebate options where you live.

Do you have a smart thermostat?

Are you thinking of picking up a smart thermostat or do you have one already? Did you qualify for a rebate? Is it saving you money? Let us know in the comments below!

From the Editor’s Desk: Display notches are fine, but companies are doing a horrible job justifying them

Proper messaging is half the battle.

It was all foreshadowed last year by the Essential Phone, and kicked into the public consciousness with the iPhone X. The notches are here to stay, and 2018 will be the year where notched displays are the norm rather the exception.

ASUS cringingly revealed its ZenFone 5 back at MWC. The new Huawei P20 and P20 Pro have notches on two different display aspect ratios. OnePlus chose to straight-up pre-announce that the OnePlus 6 will have a notch before it unveiled the phone. It’s all but confirmed that LG’s 2018 flagship will have the same.

Notches are happening, that’s just how it is. They won’t be here forever, as technology will soon get to the point where we can have “full screen” smartphones without the crutch of a notched portion, but for the next couple generations it’s something we’ll have to get used to. And I’m all for it — it’s just a step along the steady march of innovation. My biggest issue with phones that have display notches right now is that very few companies are doing a good job (or any job, in many cases) of justifying the notch’s existence on their phone.

ASUS showed us exactly what not to do with the announcement of the ZenFone 5, first making the notch bigger than it needs to be to hold the sensors and cameras, then unabashedly saying it copied Apple for the design with no further justification. Huawei didn’t make any big justification of it one way or the other with the P20, but to its credit at least kept the width down to just what was necessary to hold the components inside and also added an easy way to fill in the portions of the screen next to the notch if you want a flat top edge. OnePlus has done the best job yet, and the OnePlus 6 isn’t even official — the CEO explains simply that by having a notch, you’re going to get more screen in the same package and the software will handle any potentially awkward app situations just fine. Look, it’s possible to handle this properly!

People clearly have a fear of the notch. Each time a phone is leaked or unveiled with one, the phone-buying public gets upset. They think that adding a notch is removing usable display space, but actually it’s at worse a break-even proposition and in many cases an addition of usable space. People don’t really “get” notches yet, and even though we have many phones with them there are still plenty without, so it’s the company’s job to explain why they included a notch on their phone and why we should be okay with it. Far too often it’s been a sort of “well everyone else is doing it” unspoken justification, and there’s far more to it than that.

It’s a tough line to walk. Adding a notch is not a decision that comes without downsides. There are trade offs here, but if you look at notches objectively it’s a net positive — and it’s something that won’t be here forever. Companies just need to be smart about this and do a better job of explaining the “why” part as we make this transition. So far, few have done a good job.

Let’s wrap it up with a few other random thoughts from the week:

• Catching a lot of hate, per usual, on my latest editorial talking about how I use the Galaxy S9+ despite its software, not because of it.
• A lot of people got the point, though: the Galaxy S9 is still a great phone, and Samsung’s software is manageable, but it has to be managed to be useful and that’s a bad thing.
• Samsung’s hardly alone in this respect, as Huawei and LG and others face similar issues. But Samsung is front-of-mind right now with the Galaxy S9 launch.
• I decided to charge up and use my Pixel Buds the other day. They paired up with the Galaxy S9+ just fine and I’m reminded of how many good aspects they have. Still not a fan of the charging case and the touch controls can be finicky, though.

Have a fantastic Easter weekend, everyone!

-Andrew