Apple Makes It Easier to Buy Their Stuff (How Nice of Them)

JULY 31, 2020 Everything worth knowing in tech today, July 31, 2020. You're just a few minutes away from being the smartest one in the room Zoom tomorrow.      ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 65 Articles, 4 Podcasts, 26 Press Releases, 522 Tweets, & 3.5 YouTube videos 1. Apple Adds a New Tab to Find and Buy For Your Devices  Look, we know you like Apple gear—who doesn't? Apple definitely wants to sell you more of it, too, since they make most of their money from hardware (see below). Now, a new tab will make it much easier to see what you own (and funnel you to more stuff to go with your stuff). Yay? 2. WhatsApp Looks at 'Mute Always' for Messages It's totally possible (ok, likely) that you've got a group chat or three that you just don't pay much attention to in WhatsApp. We're not gonna judge. It seems as if the developer knows this, though, and is looking at implementing a way to just ignore chats you don't want to deal with, via a "Mute Always" option.  3. CBS All Access Gets Huge Content Boost The new service seems like it's poised to seriously compete with the likes of Disney, Netflix, and even HBO. CBS All Access just added 3,500 episodes of TV shows from BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and more along with more films (adding to the 150 the service already streams). Binge time!     🎱 By the Numbers Apple is still a hardware company, ok? Data: Apple No matter how much Apple focuses on the services side of its business, it's still a company that makes most of its massive amounts of cash on hardware. iPhones, iPads, AirPods—you name it—Apple counts on you buying more of their stuff than their iCloud storage or Apple Music plans. 🤓 Nerd Out "Careful, you birds!" -Kyree Leary, Associate Editor Birds have all the openness of the skies at their disposal, but still hit buildings. Why? Graduate student Jared Elmore believes migratory birds are after insects drawn to building lights. Understanding migratory bird species can help building managers modify lighting and design to reduce bird-on-window collisions (Yikes). (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  Playin' it cool Image: Sony August is typically the hottest month (in the Northern Hemisphere at least). That means Sony may have something here—a tiny little personal air conditioner that fits in a similarly small pocket in your undershirt. It might not cool your entire body down like indoor AC, but it could help a... little.  🎥 Behind the Scenes This is the (new) way Disney Plus' The Mandalorian scored tons of awards for writing, sound editing, and visual effects. A new documentary about making this hot new Star Wars property shows just how much tech innovation the production required, from pre-visualization techniques borrowed from animation to a never-before-seen, massive virtual set screen called "The Volume."      🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here . A Dotdash Brand 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 2019 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]

Your iCloud Storage Is No Longer Full

JULY 30, 2020 Everything worth knowing in tech today, July 30, 2020. You're just a few minutes away from being the smartest one in the room Zoom conference tomorrow.      ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 43 Articles, 3 Podcasts, 18 Press Releases, 435 Tweets, & 5 YouTube videos 1. Google is Releasing a Free Phone Backup Tool for iOS and Android It makes sense for Google to start baking in backup tools for its own Android phones, but allowing iOS users to do the same is fairly exciting. Skip all those iCloud storage notifications on your iPhone and get your stuff backed up for free with Google. 2. Got a PSP Handheld? Better Check your Battery All lithium batteries degrade over time, but it looks like it's time for Sony's first-generation handheld, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), to get the spotlight. Tons of portable gamers are reporting that their batteries are swelling up inside the case. That's no good and could damage your system. 3. OkCupid Dating App Faces Security Flaws As if online dating wasn't tough enough, now there are reports that flaws in the code for the dating app OkCupid may have given hackers access to your user account. The company says the flaws have been fixed and no accounts were actually compromised, but still. Fix your code, Cupid!     🎱 By the Numbers Big Little Lies on OkCupid? Data: OkCupid Even if hackers grab your personal info on OkCupid, chances are it won't be accurate. Sure, you want to put your best foot forward when meeting your potential soul mate, but shouldn't you at least be offering up current photos? It's not like they won't notice when you meet for coffee (even virtually). 🤓 Nerd Out "These guys are really smart!" -Bob Schulties, Senior Editor How do you redesign a computer pointer after 36 years? Here's a video from this year's virtual WWDC on how Apple's Design Team put their big brains to work, creating a mouse pointer for the iPad so neither touch nor cursor is compromised. (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  Gaming... in style Image: Herman Miller Yes, this gaming chair is ridiculously expensive, but isn't that kind of the point of a specially designed chair from Herman Miller, the company behind the equally want-worthy Aeron office chair? If you want to game in style and comfort, however, and have the scratch, you might as well grab yourself one.  🎮 Up-Down-A-B-Start Pour one out for the Ouya Eight years on, the Ouya is finally gone. As the last great hope in the console wars, it took in $9 million on Kickstarter, but never quite made it. The $99 Android-based console had great indie arcade games like FEZ and TowerFall, but even its online store went dark last June. If you still have one, though, it's a great bit of gaming history.     🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here . A Dotdash Brand 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 2019 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]