Mitchel Broussard

Mitchel is a Contributing Editor at MacRumors. Southern Louisiana-born, he lives off of bad TV, good books, and great video games. Despite a few close calls, he has yet to forget the face of his father.



B&H Photo Launches New Apple Sale: Save on MacBook Pro and Air, iMac and iMac Pro, and More

Tuesday May 15, 2018 7:14 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple device reseller B&H Photo today opened up a new Apple sale, which includes instant savings on products like the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, and more. As usual, B&H Photo doesn't collect sales tax on orders shipped to addresses outside of New York and New Jersey, and most orders over $49 will qualify for free expedited shipping (ranging between 1-3 days depending on the state). Many of the prices for the various Macs are the best currently available online, while a few are reaching all-time-lows for certain configurations. Specifically, the 15-inch model of the Mid 2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar with 256GB and 512GB solid state drives have each been discounted to their lowest prices ever by B&H Photo today. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Check out the lists below for some of the computers on sale, and note that all of the products listed represent the latest, Mid 2017 refreshes of each Mac. MacBook Pro without Touch Bar 13-inch, 2.3 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - $1,099.00, down from $1,299.00 13-inch, 2.3 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 13-inch, 3.1 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,599.00, down from $1,799.00 15-inch, 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,999.00, down from $2,399.00 15-inch, 2.9 GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,399.00, down from $2,799.00 13-inch MacBook Air 1.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - $799.00, down from $999.00 1.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD -
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Tim Cook Told Donald Trump China Tariffs Are 'Not the Right Approach' in Recent Meeting

Tuesday May 15, 2018 5:26 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple CEO Tim Cook conducted a private meeting with United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday, April 25, where the discussion was said to be focused "on trade." Following a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, Cook divulged more details about the meeting, mentioning that the two men discussed topics like recently imposed tariffs on China and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In late March, Trump launched 25 percent tariffs on around $50 billion worth of Chinese products, citing a "tremendous intellectual property theft problem" in previous U.S./China trade relations. In the new interview, which happened on "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations," Cook admitted previous trade policies had their drawbacks, but still held that Trump's tariffs are "not the right approach" in this situation. Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Executive Tech Summit at Trump Tower in December 2016 “It’s true, undoubtedly true, that not everyone has been advantaged from that -- in either country -- and we’ve got to work on that,” Cook said. “But I felt that tariffs were not the right approach there, and I showed him some more analytical kinds of things to demonstrate why.” The two also discussed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children from deportation. The Trump administration's decision to end DACA was blocked in January by a federal judge in San Francisco, and today representatives of the administration will attempt to convince the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
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Carpool Karaoke's Distribution in Apple's TV App Suggests Roadmap for Future Shows

Monday May 14, 2018 10:40 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
On Friday, Apple began promoting its streaming show Carpool Karaoke: The Series inside of the TV app, marking the first time the entire series will be available for people who don't subscribe to Apple Music. Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps -- which represent Apple's foray into original television content -- have been mainly housed inside of the Music app since they both launched last year, and in the ensuing months the company has been connected to over a dozen upcoming original TV shows. Apple has set aside $1 billion for its TV efforts, with a global team working on high-quality dramas that reports have compared to Stranger Things and Westworld, in terms of scale. Due to the amount of money it's putting into the initiative, Apple is expected to distribute the shows via subscription service of some kind, and with the recent expansion of Carpool Karaoke into TV we now have a potential hint at what Apple might do when launching its next set of shows. Apple started off leaning into Apple Music as its home for new shows, with a "TV & Movies" category in the Browse tab, so it's been somewhat unclear how the company will go about launching its own streaming TV service. Possibilities include keeping the shows within Apple Music and bundling a TV category into user subscriptions, launching a completely new streaming service and connecting it to iTunes somehow, or making the service and shows available in the existing TV app. That last option appears like a solid guess now that the entirety of Carpool Karaoke is rolling out on TV. When the app is opened this
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New 'EasyMesh' Program Will Let You Extend Your Wi-Fi Mesh System No Matter the Brand

Monday May 14, 2018 6:55 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Wi-Fi Alliance today announced a new certification program called "EasyMesh," which will allow users who own mesh network products to choose from devices across different brands, while still ensuring reliable Wi-Fi coverage (via PCWorld). This way, customers will no longer need to stay within a single-vendor ecosystem dictated by the brand of the hub router, and can branch out to add on access points to their network that might have better performance, or other advantages. So with EasyMesh certified products, if you own a Linksys Velop router then you can extend coverage across your home using a Netgear Orbi access point. Right now, users can only add products onto mesh networks that work with the main network gateway. For EasyMesh, the limitation as of now is company adoption, so users will have to wait for each mesh system maker to introduce EasyMesh compatibility into their devices. According to Wi-Fi Alliance marketing vice president Kevin Robinson, EasyMesh is implemented in software, "so there should be no need for new hardware," which could speed up adoption rates. Still, Robinson pointed out that it will be up to each company to decide about adding EasyMesh into existing products. He also stated that companies will also be able to "differentiate their products with unique features or performance" and went on to break down the main components of EasyMesh. “Interoperability has been core to Wi-Fi’s success,” said Wi-Fi Alliance marketing VP Kevin Robinson in an embargoed interview last week. “A standardized approach enables great economies of
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Apple's Accessibility Efforts Highlighted in New Interviews Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Monday May 14, 2018 5:45 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Thursday, May 17 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and ahead of the event CNET has spoken to individuals with disabilities, accessibility advocates, and Apple's own director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger, to discuss the company's efforts in this field. Showing off the wheelchair workouts on Apple Watch, two-time U.S. Paralympian Austin Pruitt explained how he uses a racing wheelchair in a stationary workout routine to help him keep in shape. Pruitt has cerebral palsy from the knees down, but he continues to compete in the Paralympic Games by racing in a wheelchair, and the Apple Watch has replaced bulky trackers in his workout routines. Photo taken by Sarah Tew via CNET He said he used to set up a bunch of trackers on his chair to log his workouts, but now uses just an Apple Watch instead. "This has everything," he told me. "This has my wheelchair and my walking, all in one." Apple added a "Wheelchair" setting to the Apple Watch in watchOS 3, allowing the device's activity options to be customized for wheelchair users. This means that controlling and pushing a wheelchair contributes to all-day calorie goals, "time to roll" notifications remind users when to be a bit more active, and new wheelchair-specific workouts provide customized sessions for users like Pruitt. According to Herrlinger, accessibility updates (like the wheelchair setting in Apple Watch) are something the company tries to add into its devices every year. "Every year we try to add in new things. We do look at how can we make it slightly better year over
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Mother's Day Sales: Save on Apple Accessories, iPhones, iTunes Movies, and More

Friday May 11, 2018 12:55 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Mother's Day is coming this Sunday, May 13, and many accessory companies have deals lasting through Sunday -- and even Monday -- for any last-minute shopping that you might be doing for your mom and other moms. We've rounded up a quick list of some of the sales below, as well as offers from the major carriers, and even some discounts happening on Apple's iTunes Movies store. Accessories Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Twelve South - Get a free Inspire New Mac Candle with any purchase of BookBook (iPad, iPhone, MacBook) or Journal for iPhone Pad & Quill - Save 15 percent on select items, stack promo code PQ16 to add 10 percent off and total 25 percent off regular prices Seidio - Buy one case, get one 50 percent off (ends 5/14) Speck - Save 40 percent on select cases Griffin - Save 25 percent site-wide with code MOMSDAY Spigen - Buy a smartphone case and get a free car mount and 15 percent off your purchase Vizio - Save an extra 5 percent on select TVs with code VIZIOMOM JBL - Save up to 75 percent on select products Carrier Deals T-Mobile Starting today, May 11, T-Mobile has a few BOGO deals: buy one 64GB iPhone 7, 7 Plus, or 8 and get one of equal or lesser value; and buy one 256GB iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X and get one $700 off. Stipulations include that the iPhones must be purchased on T-Mobile's Equipment Installment Plan, one line has to be ported in, and a qualifying smartphone has to be traded in to get up
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Researchers Demonstrate Subliminal Smart Device Commands That Have Potential for Malicious Attacks

Thursday May 10, 2018 10:00 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Researchers in the United States and China have been performing tests in an effort to demonstrate that "hidden" commands, or those undetectable to human ears, can reach AI assistants like Siri and force them to perform actions their owners never intended. The research was highlighted in a piece today by The New York Times, suggesting that these subliminal commands can dial phone numbers, open websites, and more potentially malicious actions if placed in the wrong hands. A group of students from the University of California, Berkeley and Georgetown University published a research paper this month, stating that they could embed commands into music recordings or spoken text. When played near an Amazon Echo or Apple iPhone, a person would just hear the song or someone speaking, while Siri and Alexa "might hear an instruction to add something to your shopping list." Or, more dangerous, unlock doors, wire money from your bank, and purchase items online. The method by which the students were able to accomplish the hidden commands shouldn't be a concern for the public at large, but one of the paper's authors, Nicholas Carlini, believes malicious parties could already be making inroads with similar technology. “We wanted to see if we could make it even more stealthy,” said Nicholas Carlini, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in computer security at U.C. Berkeley and one of the paper’s authors. Mr. Carlini added that while there was no evidence that these techniques have left the lab, it may only be a matter of time before someone starts exploiting them. “My assumption
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Apple Teaming Up With Goldman Sachs for Apple Pay-Branded Credit Card

Thursday May 10, 2018 8:54 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple is teaming up with investment bank Goldman Sachs for the launch of a new joint credit card that would be placed under the Apple Pay branding. The card could launch as soon as early 2019, according to The Wall Street Journal. At the same time, Apple would end its partnership with Barclays, which offered customers an Apple rewards program and financing deals through a Barclaycard Apple Rewards Visa. For the new Goldman partnership, which will replace the Barclaycard, the bank is set to offer in-store loans to Apple customers buying iPhones and other Apple products. Other specifics of the deal are still being decided upon, people familiar with the matter said, mainly including the terms and benefits of the planned credit card, "including the perks for customers." The Barclays/Apple card currently offers interest-free financing on Apple devices and points toward Apple gift cards. Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are preparing to launch a new joint credit card, a move that would deepen the technology giant’s push into its customers’ wallets and mark the Wall Street firm’s first foray into plastic. The planned card would carry the Apple Pay brand and could launch early next year, people familiar with the matter said. Apple is believed to be adding more focus onto its growing services business, which Apple Pay is part of, and the Goldman Sachs partnership could be a way for the company to spread even more awareness of the digital wallet. In a report on Apple Pay adoption by Loup Ventures earlier this year, 16 percent of global iPhone owners were said to
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MacRumors Exclusive: Save Up to 30% on Anker's iPhone X Cases, Lightning Cables, and Chargers

Thursday May 10, 2018 8:19 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
MacRumors has partnered with popular accessory maker Anker to offer our readers a set of exclusive promo codes, with savings of up to 30 percent on eight Anker products. These include two iPhone X cases, two Lightning cables, a 7.5-watt Qi-compatible charger, two USB wall outlets, and one surge protector. All of Anker's products are sold on Amazon, so if you're interested in any of the accessories simply add one to your cart, proceed to the checkout screen, enter the relevant promo code into the Gift cards & promotional codes field, and then click "Apply." As usual, Amazon Prime customers can get free two-day shipping on all orders. Below you'll find every Anker product offered in the sale, all of which will remain active through May 31, 2018. Note that only one code can be used per order, so if you'd like to order more than one type of item, you'll need to place separate orders. iPhone Cases Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. iPhone X Case Breeze Case - $5.59 with code RUMORS96, down from $7.99 iPhone X Silicone Case (Pink) - $8.39 with code RUMORS28, down from $11.99 Lightning Cables PowerLine+ Lightning Cable (6ft, Black) - $11.89 with code RUMORS22, down from $16.99 PowerLine+ II Lightning Cable (3ft, Red) - $11.99 with code RUMORS52, down from $15.99 Chargers 40W 4-Port USB Wall Charger with Foldable Plug, PowerPort 4 - $18.99 with code RUMORS24, down from $25.99 Dual-Port USB-C Charger, PowerPort II with Power
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FCC Sets End Date for Net Neutrality on June 11 as Democrats Lead Vote to Block Repeal

Thursday May 10, 2018 7:38 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
The Federal Communications Commission gave a notice today that states Net Neutrality rules will officially end in the United States on June 11, 2018 (via Reuters). The FCC voted 3-2 in favor of repealing the rules last December, a repeal that was then made official with an entry into the Federal Register in February. Multi-state lawsuits soon popped up in efforts to block the rollback of Net Neutrality, and now more than a dozen Democratic senators have moved to force a vote on a proposal that would reinstate Net Neutrality protections. According to CNN, the vote is expected to pass the Senate, but will face an "uphill battle" in the Republican-majority House of Representatives, and "would likely be vetoed" by President Trump if it got that far. Still, Democratic senator Ed Markey cited building momentum for the proposal, with the Senate's vote expected to happen in the middle of next week. "Our intent is to have it pass in the Senate, the momentum is building," he said. "We expect there to be some considerable momentum coming out of the Senate and 160 will quickly grow towards the 218 that we need to have a vote over there as well." "When we pass this in the Senate, when we pass it in the House of Representatives, when it's clear the electorate is at 86% favorable for this issue, that we would have a political firestorm throughout this country if President Trump announced that he was going to veto that said protections, replacing it with exactly nothing," he said. The repeal of Net Neutrality rules will allow internet service providers to block or slow down
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YouTube Introduces HDR Video Support on iPhone X

Thursday May 10, 2018 6:52 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
YouTube recently began rolling out support for high dynamic range video content on iPhone X, as noted by users on the MacRumors forums and Reddit. HDR videos provide a broader range of colors and luminance compared to sub-HDR content, and the format also supports quality video playback on a wide variety of screen sizes. For iOS users, YouTube videos in HDR can be viewed on the iPhone X, but the feature does not yet appear to be working on the latest iPad Pro models. YouTube has many HDR-supported videos on its site, with dedicated channels like The HDR Channel providing videos for you to watch in HDR on iOS. To make sure of the quality of playback find a video to play, then tap anywhere on the video itself, tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the screen, tap "Quality," and then make sure it reads 1080p60 HDR. Apple debuted HDR support last year with the "Super Retina" display in the iPhone X, which became the first HDR OLED display incorporated into one of Apple's smartphones. Apple also lists the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as supporting HDR, but the displays for these devices are not the same as the Super Retina display on iPhone X, so any HDR content played on the 8 or 8 Plus isn't true HDR. On the iTunes Movies Store on Apple TV 4K, select films also support 4K, HDR10, and Dolby Vision when paired with compatible 4K television sets. Although YouTube recently updated its Apple TV app and listed a few videos as "4K," the app still has yet to support true 4K. When viewing details about a video, maximum available resolution is still listed as 1920
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Researchers Discover Flaw in Signal's Disappearing Messages Related to Mac Notification Center

Wednesday May 9, 2018 9:14 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Signal's Mac app displays recently received messages in the Notification Center on macOS, and this feature could compromise a user's disappearing private messages, as discovered by security researcher Alec Muffett and reported by Motherboard. One of Signal's main advantages is its ability to send disappearing messages, so that after a predetermined amount of time the message is deleted from the app. Muffett pointed out on Twitter this week that Signal's default Mac app settings somewhat defy this security measure due to the way Macs handle notifications. So, even if you send a self-destructing message within the Signal app, the messages remain on the recipient's Mac Notification Center, displaying your name and message details. Muffett was running macOS 10.13.4 and Signal version 1.9.0. #HEADSUP: #Security Issue in #Signal. If you are using the @signalapp desktop app for Mac, check your notifications bar; messages get copied there and they seem to persist — even if they are "disappearing" messages which have been deleted/expunged from the app. pic.twitter.com/CVVi7rfLoY— Alec Muffett (@AlecMuffett) May 8, 2018 Mac security researcher Patrick Wardle then investigated the issue further, discovering that the "deleted" Signal messages that remain in the Notification Center are saved on the Mac's disk inside the operating system. While this is true of any app that displays notifications, it's particularly troublesome for Signal users in need of high-level security, like government workers or journalists. Any malicious third parties would still need to get their
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Walmart Subsidiary Jet.com Becomes Official Apple Authorized Reseller

Wednesday May 9, 2018 7:26 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Jet.com today became an Apple Authorized Reseller, which allows the Walmart-owned marketplace to sell brand-new Apple products like the iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch Series 3, and much more (via Business Insider). In terms of prices, Jet isn't offering many notable discounts on Apple's devices, with most products -- like Beats headphones and 2018 iPad -- matching the original retail prices at Apple.com. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Jet.com. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. However, Jet's entry into the Apple Authorized Reseller program comes with an offer of up to $200 off when you buy select Apple products and accessories together. The bundles are pre-made by Jet, and offer combos like a MacBook Pro (2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB HD), Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones, and Magic Mouse 2 for $1,577.82, down from $1,727.95. One bundle climbs to $300 off a 15-inch MacBook Pro (2.9 GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB HD) with the same accessories added in for $2,927.68, down from $3,227.95. Apple Watch Series 3 models are bundled with PowerBeats3 Wireless Headphones, with offers like the 38mm GPS Aluminum Apple Watch and Powerbeats3 priced at $478.76, down from $528.95. Even with the bundle discount, it would still be cheaper to purchase the Apple Watch Series 3 and Powerbeats3 separately at places like Best Buy, where they are currently discounted to $279.00 and $119.99, respectively. All of Jet's bundle prices will last through May 23. There are a handful of featured Apple deals matching
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Apple's Angela Ahrendts to Join Ralph Lauren Board of Directors This August

Wednesday May 9, 2018 6:37 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
The Ralph Lauren Corporation today announced that it intends to add Angela Ahrendts to the company's Board of Directors this August. Along with Ahrendts, Qurate Retail CEO Michael George will be added to the board, bringing the number of directors to 13. Ahrendts joined Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail in May 2014, where she now spearheads the company's retail strategy, contributes to real estate and development areas, and oversees the operation of Apple's physical stores around the world. Prior to joining Apple, she was CEO of Burberry, Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne, and President of Donna Karan International. In joining Ralph Lauren's board, Lauren himself said one of the reasons the company chose Ahrendts was due to her "deep expertise in luxury retail." “I am delighted to welcome Angela and Mike to the Board of Directors,” said Mr. Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. “Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands. Mike brings invaluable experience as a senior leader and board member, helping companies drive consumer engagement and growth. Their counsel will be incredibly valuable as we continue to build the future for our iconic brand.” Ms. Ahrendts said, “I have admired Ralph and been inspired by his pure global lifestyle vision for many years. It is an honor to join this Board as he and Patrice continue to evolve and expand his incredible aesthetic.” Last September, Ahrendts climbed to the 13th spot on Fortune's
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Yahoo Testing Invite-Only Group Messaging App 'Squirrel' on iOS and Android

Wednesday May 9, 2018 5:48 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Yahoo this week began testing a new messaging app on iOS and Android called "Squirrel," aimed at organizing private group chats with friends, family members, and work acquaintances. The app's main feature is that group access is private and people can only be added through invitation links (via TechCrunch). Squirrel looks visually similar to apps like Slack and Discord, offering groups access to a "Main Room," where everyone can meet up and chat, and then there's an option to create side rooms for more specific topics. These can potentially include "Secret Rooms" for chats hidden from the main group and one-on-one threads. Users in all rooms can share photos, documents, or links in chats, as well as create custom reactions. Users can mute rooms they don't have any interest in, and administrators can send "blasts" to all users that flag priority messages. Whenever someone mentions your name, a separate Activity view will accumulate these messages so it's easier to scroll through and get caught up with the conversation. Yahoo originally debuted its Yahoo Messenger app on the iOS App Store [Direct Link] in April 2009, giving users the ability to instant message their contacts when away from their computer. In the years since, messaging apps like Apple's iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and others have surged in popularity and caused users to leave Yahoo's platform for ones more popular among their own friend groups. Today, Yahoo Messenger is #167 on the App Store's most-downloaded Social Networking app list. According to Yahoo parent company Oath, one of the main
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Fandango Now Lets You Buy Movie Tickets Through Its Instagram Page

Tuesday May 8, 2018 9:19 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Fandango today added a "Buy Tickets" button on the company's Instagram profile, letting visitors to the page purchase tickets to films currently in theaters as well as pre-order tickets for unreleased movies (via The Hollywood Reporter). The move is said to be part of an overall push by Instagram into a "shoppable tags" commerce feature, and comes after the social network debuted a native payments option for select users last week. The Buy Tickets button sits to the right of Fandango's existing Shop button on its Instagram profile, and when you tap it a mobile.fandango.com page loads with movies both now playing and coming soon. You can choose a film, find a showtime, and sign into your Fandango account (or check out as a guest) to complete the purchase. "As millions of movie fans have gravitated to social media platforms to discover, share and engage with their favorite movie content, Fandango has been essential to that experience, offering ticketing capabilities and access to the most comprehensive network of U.S. theaters," said Fandango president Paul Yanover. "We're very excited to integrate ticketing into our Fandango Instagram, and look forward to working with our studio partners to help transform consumer passion into advance ticket purchases." Instagram has featured ads that users can tap and purchase items with for over two years, but it's important to note that Fandango's initiative is housed entirely on the company's profile page and won't be a sponsored Instagram post. This should make it easier to navigate to Fandango and quickly purchase a movie
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Ring Launches Standalone 'Neighbors' iOS App for Crowdsourcing and Preventing Criminal Activity

Tuesday May 8, 2018 7:28 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Ring today launched a standalone "Neighbors" app on iOS [Direct Link] and Android devices, pulling out the local security and crime-prevention feature from the main Ring app into a standalone experience. With Neighbors, Ring connects users in a nearby area who own any model of the Ring doorbell, and allows them to upload footage of criminal activity to make it easier to prevent and catch package thieves, burglars, and more. Users can scroll through their Neighborhood's recent feeds to check out potential crimes and other safety posts shared by nearby Ring owners and the Ring team. Feed posts include text, photo, or video alerts captured via Ring doorbells. The app can warn users about topics like Crime, Suspicious activity, Safety warnings, and Strangers wandering around. Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and Founder of Ring, said: “At Ring, we come to work every day with the mission of reducing crime in neighborhoods. Over the past few years we have learned that, when neighbors, the Ring team and law enforcement all work together, we can create safer communities. Neighbors is meant to facilitate real-time communication between these groups, while maintaining neighbor privacy first and foremost. By bringing security to every neighbor with the free Neighbors app, communities can stay on top of crime and safety alerts as they happen.” Additionally, police and sheriff's departments throughout the United States are now joining Neighbors in an expansion of the crime-stopping program. Local law enforcement will be able to share real-time crime and safety alerts with
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Netgear Debuts New 2-in-1 Orbi Modem Router System Starting at $300

Tuesday May 8, 2018 6:54 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Netgear today announced the "Orbi Tri-Band Wi-Fi Cable Modem Router System," an all-new 2-in-1 device designed to replace an existing cable modem and router setup. The system covers up to 4,000 square feet, and sold-separately Orbi Satellites can expand coverage by an additional 2,000 square feet each. The new Orbi is compatible with all major cable internet service providers, and Netgear pointed out that it's designed to work "right out of the box" for Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, and more. This is Orbi's first product that combines its Wi-Fi mesh networking abilities with a modem. If users don't own their modem, many ISPs offer leases with rental costs at around $10/month added on top of the cost of an internet bill. Because of this, Netgear is pitching the new Orbi as a cost-saving measure for users to replace their existing products "and save up to $120 per year." The new Orbi starts at $299.99. “We’re excited to be the first retail offering to combine the benefits of Orbi whole-home WiFi mesh networking with an embedded cable modem in a single, space-saving device,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “With the Orbi Tri-Band WiFi Cable Modem System, you’ll benefit from incredibly fast cable downloads and blazing-fast WiFi for an uninterrupted data flow to more connected devices, everywhere in your home, plus tons of great Orbi features like voice commands and smart parental controls, which will be added to the offering soon.” On the modem side of things, the Orbi integrates a DOCSIS 3.0 CableLabs-certified modem with
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Twitter Testing 'Secret Conversation' Feature for Sending Encrypted Direct Messages

Tuesday May 8, 2018 6:18 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Twitter is testing a new feature for its mobile apps called "Secret conversation," which would allow users to send direct messages that are encrypted (via TechCrunch). The end-to-end encryption would put Twitter's messaging platform on the level of apps like Telegram or WhatsApp, ensuring that a conversation between users is only ever seen by those sending the messages and not a surveilling third party. The Secret DM feature for Twitter was found within the Android application package by Jane Manchun Wong, and it includes "Encryption settings," details about what encrypted messages are, and Encryption keys to verify a secure conversation between you and the message's recipient. Wong also found that users will soon be able to quote tweets with GIFs and place a "Quality Filter" on search results. Image via @wongmjane "Secret conversations" is the same name used by Facebook Messenger's own end-to-end encrypted messaging feature, which completed a rollout in October 2016. At the time, Facebook said Messenger supports the Signal Protocol to encrypt its messages, the same cryptographic protocol that WhatsApp and Google Allo also use. As TechCrunch pointed out, APKs typically include code for features that companies are testing or will be launching soon, but it's unclear when exactly Twitter's encrypted messaging update will debut. Last week, Twitter found a bug that "stored passwords unmasked in an internal log," and although no one appeared to have accessed the plaintext passwords it advised all users to update their own passwords "out of an abundance of
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Deals: Best Buy Flash Sale, 10% Off iTunes Cards at Target, and New Anker Discounts

Monday May 7, 2018 11:23 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Best Buy today launched a new 24-hour flash sale, focusing on headphones and portable speakers by brands like Beats, Ultimate Ears, Bose, and Sony. Although BeatsX and Powerbeats3 have been discounted by more in previous sales, Best Buy's deals today are some of the best online for the headphones. You can check out all the products on sale in the list below, and if you're interested place your order by tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Headphones JLab Audio Epic2 Bluetooth Earbuds - $49.99, down from $99.99 Bose SoundTrue Ultra In-Ear Headphones - $59.99, down from $129.99 BeatsX (Gray) - $89.99, down from $149.99 Rowkin Bit Stereo True Wireless In-Ear Headphones - $89.99, down from $109.99 Powerbeats3 Wireless (Flash Blue) - $119.99, down from $199.99 Speakers Insignia Portable Bluetooth Speaker 2 - $9.99, down from $39.99 Insignia Voice Smart Portable Bluetooth Speaker and Alarm Clock - $39.99, down from $149.99 Ultimate Ears ROLL 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Volcano) - $49.99, down from $99.99 Sony XB30 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Black) - $77.99, down from $149.99 Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Panther) - $141.99, down from $299.99 If you're on the hunt for savings on iTunes gift cards, Target this week is offering 10 percent off $25, $50, and $100 App Store and iTunes gift cards. This means you can get each respective tier for $22.50, $45, and $90 during the sale. The
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