Congressman says we should be banned from mining, using cryptocurrency

Congressman Brad Sherman, D-California, believes the government should prohibit U.S. citizens from mining and using cryptocurrencies. He made the statement during the Wednesday, July 19, hearing of a subcommittee for the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, adding that as a medium of exchange, cryptocurrencies accomplish nothing except facilitating narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and tax evasion.

“Some of its supporters delight in that if you can disempower the U.S. government from being able to prevent terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and tax evasion, you have somehow struck a blow for liberty,” he said during a five-minute statement. “That is reason enough to ban it.”

Part of his argument is that mining alone requires large amounts of power that takes away from other needs and/or adds to the current power footprint. Its role as an investment is also deemed “bad” as instead of gambling in Las Vegas — which in turn feeds casinos, restaurants, and hotels that pay high local taxes — “animal spirits” are gambling on virtual coins, helping to create a market for tax evaders, terrorists, and so on.

That said, he believes these gamblers should invest in risky stock instead. More importantly, if U.S. citizens purchase cryptocurrencies, investor protection needs to be in place as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission suggested in March. He went on to add that any person or firm selling stocks, bonds, or any other investment should be charged with fraud and incarcerated for issuing crypto-offering memoranda and crypto-registrations.

“The money that we make as a country because we’re the reserve currency, because we can issue a greenback that does not yield interest, there are people who are alive today because of the profits the U.S. government makes on that whether it be to fund our defense or medical research,” he concluded. “All of that gets diminished with cryptocurrency.”

But Norbert Michel, director for the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation and one of four on the panel, argued against the notion to ban cryptocurrency. Sure, criminals use Bitcoin, but they also use other tools for their devious deeds such as airplanes, computers, and automobiles. We don’t criminalize those tools simply because they’re used by criminals. Why is cryptocurrency any different?

More importantly, cash is still the most-used currency across North America. But U.S. citizens also use a form of digital currency: Electronic payments. For instance, a worker could get a direct deposit into his bank, never seeing cash or a physical check. He then purchases goods from Amazon with his bank card, again not using physical money. Cryptocurrency is just a new form of electronic payment that should be embraced and treated like any other form of payment.

Also brought up during the hearing was the idea of central banks issuing their own digital currency. Alex Pollock from the R Street Institute refuted the idea, as these banks would compete directly with the Federal Reserve. Having central banks issue digital currencies is “one of the worst financial ideas of recent times,” he said.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Apple just banned apps from cryptocurrency mining on iOS devices
• Facebook changes its cryptocurrency rules by easing its ad blocking policy
• Chinese authorities break up billion-dollar cryptocurrency gambling ring
• Bitcoin put him on the street. Then it made him a fortune
• World domination, phase two: Facebook ponders its own cryptocurrency

Millions of health records may be at stake in ransomware attack

Millions of patient health records may be at risk after LabCorp, one of the largest medical diagnostics companies in the United States, discovered that its systems had been breached during the weekend of July 14. After detecting suspicious activity on its network, it took immediate action to take parts of its system offline, LabCorp revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“This temporarily affected test processing and customer access to test results on or over the weekend,” LabCorp said in its SEC 8-K filing. “Work has been ongoing to restore full system functionality as quickly as possible, testing operations have substantially resumed today, and we anticipate that additional systems and functions will be restored through the next several days. Some customers of LabCorp Diagnostics may experience brief delays in receiving results as we complete that process.”

Though LabCorp has not revealed any additional information about the breach or if its systems have been fully restored, the company stated that it has reported the attack to law enforcement officials. The FBI confirmed that it was notified of the breach, but did not provide additional details. “The FBI is aware of reports of a ransomware attack involving LabCorp’s network system,” the agency said in a statement to WFMY News 2. “We are monitoring the situation, but cannot comment on whether or not the FBI is involved in any investigation.”

Given that ransomware may have been involved, it appears that the attack may have been financially motivated, though it’s unclear if the attackers were successful in accessing health records, patient data, or any personal information. The disclosure earlier this year of a Florida Medicaid breach prompted the FBI to issue warnings that there is an increased risk of attacks to healthcare organizations, Fortune reported. Given the nature of the sensitive information available, health records may be worth more when sold on the dark web, and a Verizon Data Breach report revealed that 72 percent of all healthcare attacks were ransomware. In addition to attacks to steal patient data, attacks on healthcare equipment, likely as a form of espionage to steal trade secrets, are also on the rise.

The same Verizon report cautioned that internal actors are the biggest threats to healthcare organizations, though LabCorp has not identified who is responsible for its attack. “Often they are driven by financial gain, such as tax fraud or opening lines of credit with stolen information, fun or curiosity in looking up the personal records of celebrities or family members, or simply convenience,” the Verizon report stated.

LabCorp is downplaying the incident, noting that there is “no evidence of unauthorized transfer or misuse of data.” The medical lab processes more than 2.5 million tests each week and see more than 115 million patients annually, so there is a lot of information at stake.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Timehop data breach may have compromised 21 million email addresses
• How Chrome and other browsers came together to protect you from Spectre
• Google Chrome now consumes more memory due to a new Spectre fix
• The sound of destruction: Malicious video, audio files could attack laptops
• Hackers prove how powerful computers can cheat Bitcoin and blockchain

Best Ethernet Adapters for Chromecast or Fire TV Stick

Hardwired internet for your favorite streaming stick.

Streaming sticks have gotten extremely popular in the last few years. For well below $100, you can add streaming support to any TV, smart or otherwise, and start watching your favorite shows, movies, and videos on sites like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube.

Two of the most popular streaming stick options are the Google Chromecast and the Amazon Fire TV Stick, both of which are priced around $40 or so — that’s before the gracious discounts both products regularly see. Streaming isn’t always perfect though, and if you’re suffering from a poor connection or just having trouble connecting to WiFi at all, an Ethernet adapter could save you a lot of trouble.

• UGREEN Ethernet Adapter
• Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast
• Amazon Ethernet Adapter

UGREEN Ethernet Adapter

A good rule of thumb: when shopping for an adapter or any other kind of accessory, it shouldn’t cost more than the device it’s augmenting. The UGREEN adapter plugs directly into the Micro-USB port on your Chromecast or Fire TV Stick — where it typically draws power from — and adds an Ethernet port, along with a built-in USB cable for passthrough charging. Just run an Ethernet cable from your router to the adapter and you should be good to go on your streaming stick.

The UGREEN adapter supports 10/100 Ethernet, with a maximum speed of 100 Mbps. That’s more than fast enough to stream 4K content, assuming you have a 4K-compatible streaming stick like the Chromecast Ultra, and complete overkill for 1080p streaming. Best of all, the UGREEN adapter is only $16.99.

See at Amazon

Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast

What better way to improve your Chromecast than with a first-party adapter? Google makes its own Ethernet adapter that works a bit differently than the one from UGREEN. Rather than adding a dongle that sits in-between the power supply and streaming stick, Google’s adapter simply replaces the power supply itself, adding an Ethernet port next to the Micro-USB cable.

The cable is longer, too — two meters on Google’s adapter versus one meter on the UGREEN. As an added bonus, this adapter actually comes in the box if you picked up a Chromecast Ultra — and for all other models, it’s only $15. While this product is clearly specifically made for Chromecasts, it should work just fine for the Fire TV Stick as well.

See at the Google Store

Amazon Ethernet Adapter

Of course, we can’t mention Google’s Ethernet adapter and leave out Amazon’s offering. For the same $15 Google is charging, you get an Ethernet-enabled dongle made with your Fire TV Stick in mind. Of course, it works with Amazon’s other streaming devices too, including the Fire TV and the new Fire TV Cube — just not the first-gen Fire TV Stick, which doesn’t support USB accessories.

Like the UGREEN, Amazon’s adapter sits between the Fire TV Stick itself and the power supply, albeit with a shorter cable. Just plug an Ethernet cable into the provided port and you’re ready to connect, no drivers or additional setup required. Like the other adapters in this list, Amazon’s Ethernet adapter supports 10/100 Ethernet, as well as passthrough charging.

See at Amazon

Which one is right for you?

Have you been having trouble with WiFi on your streaming stick? Would you consider using one of these Ethernet adapters? Let us know in the comments below!

DC Universe is a new subscription service for movies, TV shows, and comics

It’s initially launching as a beta in August.

DC fans, get ready for something special. While the MCU might be dominating the theaters right now, a new subscription service called “DC Universe” is launching later this year with all of the superhero content you could ask for.

For $7.99/month or $74.99/year, DC Universe subscribers will get access to original programming, classic DC movies, an assortment of digital comics, and access to exclusive merchandise.

On the movie and TV show side of things, some of the exclusives you’ll find on DC Universe include the live-action Titans series, Doom Patrol, Swap Thing, and the animated Young Justice: Outsiders and Harley Quinn. Although newer DC movies such as Justice League and Wonder Woman are nowhere to be found, older titles such as Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the four Christopher Reeve Superman movies, and Lois and Clark TV show are all here.

Where DC Universe goes above regular video platforms, however, is by giving subscribers access to “a rotating, curated selection of digital comics.” It’s unclear how long titles will stick around for and how often new ones will be added, but we do know that subscribers will have access to 2,000 – 3,000 at any given time.

If you still need more DC in your life, DC Universe will also have exclusive merchandise up for sale and a forum community where you can talk with other DC fans, create encyclopedia entries, manage lists of your favorite shows, and more.

You’ll be able to access DC Universe on Android, iOS, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and the web when it launches this fall. You can sign up for the beta that’s launching in August, and if you decide to pre-order a subscription, you’ll get three months of the service for free.

See at DC Universe

Updated July 19, 2018: Added new information about pricing and features.

Microsoft Launcher beta gets new icon gestures and family controls

You can set custom app icon gestures and much more with Microsoft Launcher’s latest beta update.

Microsoft Launcher beta testers are getting a small batch of new features to check out this week with the app’s latest update. Rolling out now, the update adds new custom gesture controls for app icons and folders, updates to the relatively new family card, and more.

The most notable addition is that of custom gesture controls for apps. To get started with them, you can tap and hold on an icon or folder as if you were going to edit it. From there, you can select an option to add an action to take when swiping up from the icon. Once set, you’ll be able to use the swipe gesture on that icon to take the action you set.

#MicrosoftLauncher v4.12 is otw to our beta fam today! Highlights: Custom app icon and folder gestures, replacing dock widgets with apps, contacts or app widgets, and Family web filtering through the Family card. Join the beta at https://t.co/6RPke9dVXI and send us feedback!

— Ezra Park (@ezp4rking) July 18, 2018

There are also some smaller tweaks tagging along here, including general UI and animation adjustments and full support for Android O. Here’s a look at all of what’s new:

• Folder and app icon gestures (swipe to open or click to launch).
• Choose how to use the last row of expanded dock: Apps, pinned contacts, folders, search bar or widgets;
• Parents can enable web filtering through the Family card.
• Folders in the app drawer are now sorted alphabetically.
• UI improvements: Animation adjustments; blur effect as an option; App badges in the app drawer;
• Fully support Android O and remove support for 4.0.X and 4.1

If you’re enrolled in the Microsoft Launcher beta, you should be able to grab this update now as version 4.12. If testing goes well, we should see these features hit the release version relatively soon.

See at Google play

How to set up an iCloud email account on Android

There’s no need to abandon your iCloud email address when you get a new Android device.

If you’re moving to an Android device from an iPhone or iPad, there’s every possibility you’re already set up and using an iCloud email address. Android devices require you to have a Google account (Gmail), but you might want to keep using your iCloud account for email. And that’s just fine.

Here’s how to add your iCloud email address to your Android device,

How to add an iCloud email address to Android

Launch Settings by swiping down to reveal the notification shade and tapping the gear button.
Tap Accounts. On some phones, it might be under something like “Cloud and accounts”.
Tap Add account.
Tap Email if the option is there or tap Personal (IMAP) next to the Gmail symbol. If you choose the Gmail option, Gmail will automatically recognize your iCloud address and import the correct server settings.
If you chose the Email option, you’ll have to add the server settings manually:

• Incoming mail server:
  • Server name: imap.mail.me.com
  • SSL required: Yes
  • Port: 993
  • Username: The name portion of your iCloud email address. So if it’s johnsmith@icloud.com, just the “johnsmith” part.
  • Password: Your iCloud email address password. You can also choose to generate an app-specific password.
• Outgoing mail server:
  • Server name: smtp.mail.me.com
  • SSL Required: Yes
  • Port: 587
  • SMTP Authentication Required: Yes
  • Username: Your full iCloud email address, including the @icloud.com part
  • Password: Use the password you used in the incoming mail server section, whether it was your original or the app-specific password you generated.

Tap Next or Continue or whichever button finishes the process.

If there is an error message in the SSL required section of either the incoming or outgoing mail server sections, use TSL instead.

Hopefully, the details above should be enough to get you up and running. It’s a little fiddly to get set up – especially if you’ve come from the iPhone, which does it all for you – but it works, and it gets your existing email onto your new Android device.

Of course, there may be other apps out there that do this for you, or you might know of some tips and tricks to make things run a little smoother. If you’ve got anything that’ll help, drop it into the comments below!

Questions?

Let us know in the comments below.

Updated July 2018: Updated to make sure information is still accurate.

Hands-on with Moment’s new best-in-class Pro Camera app

While still an incomplete project, Moment Pro Camera shows a lot of promise with a simple UI and manual controls.

You might’ve heard that Moment recently released a camera app for iOS and Android. You know Moment — that’s the company behind the lenses you can attach to your phone, which adds capabilities for wide-angle, telephoto, and macro photography. Moment has been making these lenses for years and is clearly experienced in hardware, but this is the first time the company has forayed into software development.

You can download the Pro Camera app from Google Play for $1.99 — but should you?

Download: Moment – Pro Camera ($1.99)

Right off the bat, Moment’s Pro Camera app has a great, clean UI with simple iconography on top of a dark gray interface. Up top, there’s the standard fare of quick controls — an adjustable grid, a toggle for flash, a three or 10-second self-timer, and a JPEG/RAW toggle — along with a button that optimizes the app for various Moment lenses. Of course, if you’re just shooting with your phone’s built-in camera, you’ll want to stick with No Lens mode.

Below that are shortcuts to your photo gallery, the front camera, and the app settings. However, currently, the settings just contain a toggle to geotag your photos and links to support threads and Moment merchandise.

The real benefits of the Moment Pro Camera app come in the form of the manual controls provided just above the shutter button. You can swipe between controls, which in order are shutter speed, ISO, exposure value, focus, and white balance. Each control has a wide range of flexibility, but exact options for settings like ISO and shutter speed will come down to your phone’s physical capabilities.

There are no different shooting modes in Moment’s camera app, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t shoot with automatic settings. By default, the Pro Camera app handles your settings for you, and if you make tweaks you’re unhappy with, you can double-tap the control in question to reset it to auto mode. When dealing with multiple settings at once, double-tapping the viewfinder resets it all, though I’ve run into trouble with the white balance being finicky during resets.

Once you’ve taken a photo, the gallery is just as minimal as the viewfinder. You’re only shown the photos taken directly within the Pro Camera app, though if you want to see the rest of the shots on your phone you can tap the All Photos button in the upper righthand corner to jump to another gallery app. At the bottom, there’s a share button, a delete button, and a button that displays the photo’s metadata. You can also access this information by swiping up from the bottom of the shot.

As nice as Moment’s Pro Camera app is, it’s still in its early stages (I’m using version 1.0.5 right now), and as such is missing a few features — namely video capture and portrait mode (though the latter isn’t necessarily a huge loss). Still, even as a brand new app, it’s full-featured enough for most standard photography, and it can only get better with time and updates.

Have you tried the Moment Pro Camera app? Has it replaced the stock camera app on your phone, or are you waiting for it to get a little more full-featured? Let us know in the comments below!

Download: Moment – Pro Camera ($1.99)

Best Speakers to Use with Your Amazon Echo Dot in 2018

• Best overall
• Best for simplicity
• Best for portability
• Best for sound quality

Best Overall

Sonos Play:1

See at Amazon

The Sonos Play:1 isn’t a Bluetooth speaker — it’s much more than that. As part of a whole-home sound system, the Sonos Play:1 is a small and powerful musical conduit that can fill rooms with lush sound. But that’s an investment.

On its own, connected via 3.5mm jack or over Bluetooth, the Sonos Play:1 connects to Alexa, allowing an Echo Dot, either in the same room or another, to send it music commands. The setup is easy thanks to work from both Amazon and Sonos — it just involves hooking the systems together using an Alexa Skill — and it works flawlessly. Plus, at $149, it’s cheaper than some Bluetooth speakers and sounds much, much better.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the absolute best sound in a small form factor, connect the Sonos Play:1 to your Echo Dot.

One more thing: If you’d rather go Echo-free, the Sonos One has Alexa built right in.

Why the Sonos Play:1 is the best

Sonos makes great-sounding speakers. Always has, likely always will. The beauty of Sonos’s collaboration with Amazon is that a speaker like the Play:1, which may already be part of a dedicated Sonos system, can work independently with any Echo, including the tiny Echo Dot.

That means you can hide the Dot somewhere in a room and have it always listening for commands. “Alexa, play The Beatles,” takes just a second to say, but with a Sonos Play:1 in the room, the two gadgets become more than the sum of their parts. The beauty is that you aren’t connecting the Sonos to the Echo via Bluetooth, so sound coming out of the Play:1 sounds just as good as if you were using the dedicated Sonos app (which you can still do if you want).

Best for simplicity

Bose SoundLink Color II

See at Amazon

While it’s designed to be a Bluetooth speaker to connect your phone, the design and audio quality from the Bose SoundLink Color II speaker makes it perfect for filling most rooms with sound.

You can connect your Amazon Echo Dot to this speaker and leave it forever as a better Amazon Echo, or you can take the $130 Bose Soundlink Color II with you when leaving the house thanks to its internal battery. It’s a great flexible option for just about every occasion and looks nice enough that it can sit in a room without standing out or taking up too much space.

Bottom line: This speaker will turn your Amazon Echo Dot into something better than an Amazon Echo, and does a whole lot more.

One more thing: You can pick up the Bose SoundLink II in either black or white to match your Echo Dot.

Best for portability

VAUX speaker for Echo Dot

See on Amazon

Why bother with buying multiple Amazon Echo Dots when you can buy a speaker that powers your single Echo Dot so it can come with you wherever you are in the house? VAUX is one of several speaker designers clever enough to make the body of the speaker something that can actually hold the Echo Dot while in use, so it not only powers the brains of the operation but makes the whole system a single portable unit.

This $50 speaker promises six hours of portable runtime, and the dual 52mm drivers will certainly make this little Echo Dot fill a room with sound. Best of all, you don’t need a different power cord to charge this combined unit. The charger you used to power the Echo Dot is also capable of charging this speaker.

Bottom line: If portability is your goal, this is a great place to start.

Best Audio Quality

B&O Play Beoplay A6

See on Amazon

The speaker on a taller Amazon Echo is fine, but in larger rooms, it frequently feels a little flat. If your goal is high audio quality so you can stream across an entire house and really rattle the windows, you either want a complete standalone stereo system or you want a Beoplay A6.

Bang & Olufsen is the champion of high-quality audio in portable form, but you pay for the privilege. These speakers are not cheap, but the audio difference couldn’t be more clear when compared to other standalone speakers. While the Beoplay series does come in other, smaller formats that do a good job filling a room with sound, the $799 Beoplay A6 speakers are built for style and room-filling audio. It’s a strange looking speaker for sure, but one of those experiences where you don’t know you can listen to anything else after listening to this.

One more thing: These speakers are available in a bunch of different color fabric options, but tracking something down outside of the standard off-white or textured grey (sorry, Light Gray and Oxidized Brass) isn’t easy.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great options for speakers to add to an Amazon Echo Dot. The Sonos Play:1 is the best of all worlds, since it can exist as a dedicated Echo Dot speaker or as part of a larger Sonos system. The Bose SoundLink Color II is simple — it’s a fantastic Bluetooth speaker that has a 3.5mm input. If your goal is portability over all else, the VAUX is your speaker. And if audio quality is the most important thing to you, grab a B&O Play Beoplay A6 and have a blast.

Best Overall

Sonos Play:1

See at Amazon

The Sonos Play:1 isn’t a Bluetooth speaker — it’s much more than that. As part of a whole-home sound system, the Sonos Play:1 is a small and powerful musical conduit that can fill rooms with lush sound. But that’s an investment.

On its own, connected via 3.5mm jack or over Bluetooth, the Sonos Play:1 connects to Alexa, allowing an Echo Dot, either in the same room or another, to send it music commands. The setup is easy thanks to work from both Amazon and Sonos — it just involves hooking the systems together using an Alexa Skill — and it works flawlessly. Plus, at $149, it’s cheaper than some Bluetooth speakers and sounds much, much better.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the absolute best sound in a small form factor, connect the Sonos Play:1 to your Echo Dot.

One more thing: If you’d rather go Echo-free, the Sonos One has Alexa built right in.

Update, July 2018: The Sonos Play:1 is our new pick for the best speaker for your Echo Dot, and we’ve replaced the Bose SoundLink II with the cheaper, more portable Bose SoundLink Color II. Happy listening!

Apple Revises Plans for Contentious Federation Square Store in Australia

Apple today submitted revised blueprints for its planned Federation Square retail store location in Melbourne, Australia, according to the Federation Square website.

Apple first announced the new flagship store in December, set to be built at Federation Square, a shopping center, public square, and mixed-used space in the heart of Melbourne.

The new Federation Square design
The construction of the new store calls for the demolition of the well-known Yarra building, which has infuriated Melbourne residents and led to major protests suggesting the public space should not be given over to a corporation.

Melbourne’s City Council in February backed a motion to lobby for a new store design due to both the backlash and the dissatisfaction with Apple’s planned store design, which has been described as a “Pizza Hut pagoda.”

Another angle of the new store design
The new design plan, created following a series of design workshops that included Federation Square Management, the Victorian Government, the Melbourne City Council, and Apple, features a building with a simpler, more streamlined look that better fits in with the Federation Square aesthetic.

The original Federation Square design proposed by Apple
The pagoda-style roof has been abandoned in favor of a flatter design that will house solar panels. The design offers 500 square meters of new public space, more outdoor shading, a better connection to the Yarra river, and plans for cultural events.

Apple’s revamped design is part of a “broader reimagining” of Federation Square, which includes the new Digital Facade on the Transport Building and the new Melbourne Metro Train Station entrance.

According to Federation Square CEO Jonathan Tribe, the new store design is “consistent with Federations Square’s Civic and Cultural Charter, which recognises Melbourne’s pre-eminence as a centre for creativity and innovation.” The Federation Square leadership expects the Apple Store to boost visitor numbers, bringing an additional two million people to Federation Square each year.

Current plans continue to call for the destruction of the Yarra building, so it’s not clear if Melbourne residents will be satisfied with Apple’s planned changes. At the very least, the new design is less intrusive, which could win acceptance from protestors.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
Discuss this article in our forums

Elevation Lab Debuts New NightPad 7.5W Wireless Charger

Elevation Lab, known for its range of popular iPhone docks, today announced the launch of its latest product, the NightPad wireless charging pad designed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and future iPhones with wireless charging capabilities.

The NightPad features a minimal design and it looks like a simple black puck, with a matte finish over the body of the accessory. A raised ring is included at the edge of the charger to keep the iPhone securely in place while it’s charging, and it uses a 6-foot braided cord for power.

A subtle black logo is included at the top of the NightPad, and while many wireless chargers use an LED to indicate that an iPhone is charging, Elevation Lab has designed its version with no LEDs. This is to keep it from being noticeable in a dark room.

An LED isn’t technically needed since a charging logo is displayed on the iPhone when a successful connection has been established.

Elevation Lab is an Apple MFi member and the NightPad supports the faster 7.5W charging capabilities. It can charge an iPhone 50 percent faster than standard Qi wireless chargers, according to Elevation Lab, and the 7.5W engineering lessens radio interference.

While created for iPhone, NightPad also works with all Qi-based devices and supports Samsung’s 10W charging.

The NightPad has been engineered to work with cases up to 3mm thick, but in tests, Elevation Lab has seen successful charging with cases up to 6mm thick. Automatic metallic rejection is included to prevent charging when metal is detected, and vents on the underside are included alongside “intelligent electronics” for thermal management purposes.

Elevation Lab is selling the NightPad for $39.95 standalone and for $49.95 with a 15W QC 3.0 power supply included. Higher power adapters are required for Apple’s faster 7.5W charging, so people without a QC 3.0 power adapter will want to purchase the version that includes it.

MacRumors readers can get a special 25 percent discount off of the NightPad when entering the promo code MACNP25. Make sure to order soon, as this deal will only be live for a week.

Tags: wireless charging, Elevation Lab
Discuss this article in our forums