Google officially kills off the Google Glass

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Google officially kills off the Google Glass
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It’s been nearly 10 years since the Google Glass made its way to the public. While it’s slipped away from the limelight, the company continued to offer them. However, as of this month, Google has discontinued the Google Glass.

Talking about this ambitious AR project will probably test the memory of most tech users today. The company introduced the Google Glass back in April of 2013, and it officially went on sale the following year. While it was a cool idea, the $1,000 device wasn’t able to capture the audience.

Shortly after the product hit the shelves, people forgot about it. Google was several years too early for the whole XR craze. While it didn’t gain too much traction, the company released the enterprise edition in 2015. This one was targeted at business employees rather than the average user.

In 2019, while it was well out of the public eye, Google released a 2nd edition of the Google Glass Enterprise. That’s the current iteration of the device.

Now, Google has discontinued the Google Glass

While it’s hard to believe, Google continued to support the Glass until this year. However, that support has officially stopped according to the company (via 9To5Google). Google just announced that, as of March 15th, the Google Glass Enterprise Edition has been discontinued.

So, you can’t buy the device directly from the company anymore. However, Google says that it will support the device until September 15th. While the company doesn’t have any software updates planned for the Glass, you’ll be able to get replacement devices until the September 15th deadline.

Google won’t be issuing any updates to the device, but third-party companies can still push their own updates to the Google Glass. The device will still run as normal after support is dropped. However, Google’s own Meet on Glass app will stop working on September 15th.

This marks the end of a device that, while not significant in terms of sale, is significant in several ways.


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Now is a bad time to launch the Pixel Fold

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Now is a bad time to launch the Pixel Fold
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Google, after several delays, is finally going to launch its first foldable phone. This should come as no surprise, as several companies have jumped onto the foldable phone train. This phone, unofficially dubbed the Pixel Fold, will be one of the most exciting devices of the year, but it could be the wrong time to do so.

We’ve been hearing about this phone for a few years now, and we expected to have seen some kind of announcement from the company now. However, it’s been pretty elusive with a launch expected to launch sometime halfway through the year. Looking at the leaked renders of the phone, it’s a good-looking phone and it looks like it will have a premium design.

We expect the phone to use Google’s own Tensor Chip to power it with other premium specs. Also, we can’t forget about the software. We know that, since Google owns Android, the software will (or could) be perfectly optimized for the phone.

So, what’s the issue?

Powerful specs, great design, and perfectly optimized software. Given those details, the Pixel Fold is looking like a no-brainer. So, why is it launching at the wrong time? It all has to do with where the foldable phone is now in terms of its development.

When the foldable phone first launched (sorry for making you relive those painful memories), it was a mess. They were fragile; screens were being ruined by grains of sand. Also, they were being scratched by all sorts of objects. We all took note of why the foldable phone needed some major improvements.

Those improvements came over the next couple of years as Samsung, tailed by companies like Oppo, Xiaomi, Honor, and Vivo threw their hats in. Over the years, foldable phones got thinner bodies, more sturdy glass, better hinges, and better aspect ratios. However, those first few years didn’t see too much innovation. It was an era of iterative steps forward.

If the Pixel Fold had launched last year, it would have been maybe one step behind the competition, but it would have been able to throw blows with the others. So, what makes 2023 such a bad year? A lot of it has to do with what changes we’re seeing now. We’re at a bit of an acceleration point with foldable phone technology. If Google launches the Pixel Fold as is, it’ll be far behind the competition.

Honor: the hinge

Companies like Samsung and Honor are making major leaps forward with some of the most important aspects of the foldable phone: the hinge and the ingress protection.

Starting off with Honor. The company’s foldable phone is the Honor Vs. The company took the hinge of the phone and greatly reduced the number of moving parts needed for it to operate.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 4 needed nearly 100 parts for the hinge to work, Honor only used 4. That’s huge! There are far fewer moving parts. This means less opportunity for mechanical issues. Also, this makes it so much harder for particles to get into crucial components. Who knows if this also helped reduce the manufacturing cost?

Honor managed to do this while reducing the crease in the middle of the phone and keeping it sturdy. So, we know that this is going to lead to more innovations down the road.

Samsung: dust resistance

Next up, we have Samsung. Reports are pointing to the Samsung Galaxy Z 5 foldable phones having ingress protection from particles. That is major. Remember, your first-gen Galaxy Z Fold could be snuffed out by one particle of sand.

Making a foldable phone that’s resistant to particles is immense. Having a Galaxy Fold as resistant as a Galaxy S phone was the stuff of dreams back in the early days of foldables. This will do well to help push foldable phones closer to the mainstream.

What does this have to do with the Pixel Fold?

Right now, we’re in an era where companies are fixing some of the most crucial bugs that have plagued foldable phones. Google’s launching a foldable phone in 2023, but it most likely has the DNA of a 2021 foldable. It most likely won’t have any ingress protection and it will have a classic hinge. This gives it some of the most troublesome idiosyncrasies of older foldables.

What makes this worse is that if it launches later in the year, it’s going to be going up against the latest Galaxy foldables. Samsung has been tweaking and tweaking and tweaking its foldable phone designs since day one. They launch with full IP68 water and dust resistance, that’ll look really bad on Google.

If it had launched last year, the Pixel Fold would have only seemed like a step behind. Other phone companies launched their own first foldables against Samsung’s third and fourth, and they held up just fine. However, with just these recent innovations, the Pixel Fold will look several leaps behind. And, at the projected price of around $1800, this isn’t doing Google any favors.

Could Software save the Pixel Fold?

So, the Pixel Fold is going to be several steps behind the competition, it will be expensive, and it will probably be launching around the next Galaxy Foldables. If anything, Software could be this phone’s saving grace.

All of the main foldables on the market are using Android, but none of the OEMs have full control over the software. Foldables really didn’t have too much utility until Google launched Android 12L with tablet/foldable phone optimizations.

Google holds the reins for Android, and it has the opportunity to take the operating system and optimize it for the Pixel Fold. We can’t deny that this could be the tie-breaker for people deciding which foldable to get.

None of the foldables on the market give you an experience remotely close to stock Android. The only exception is the team of Motorola foldables. Having foldable phone software straight from Google will definitely sway some people over to the Pixel side. Google could bank on current Pixel users who are curious about getting a foldable phone.

The only question is whether the software will be enough to justify the drawbacks. 2023 is NOT a good year for the global economy. Because of this, people planning on getting foldables are changing those plans, and that’s far from the worst-case scenario.

People are going to be more particular about what phones they get, especially if they’re going to drop upwards of $1800 on it. The question is: would you spend $1800 on a dated foldable phone just for the Pixel software?

Would waiting have helped?

So, if the Pixel Fold had launched last year, it might not have been so bad. But what about launching next year? Would that help? Honestly, it might. It would be frustrating as all heck for people excited about this phone, but it’d give Google more time to implement more recent innovations.

These are crucial innovations happening now that Google could learn from. Think about it, why do you think Apple hasn’t launched a foldable yet? Apple is particular about which products it puts out and it strikes when the time is right.

Google could collaborate with Samsung to help build the hinge, make it dust-resistant, and do much more. The two companies are basically husband and wife already.

So, Google is going to launch this phone in 2023. Let’s just hope that it turns out to be a compelling enough device to prove nay-sayers wrong.


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Duolingo Max aims to shape the future of education with the power of AI

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Duolingo Max aims to shape the future of education with the power of AI
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Artificial intelligence is being integrated into various industries, and Duolingo Max is bringing its power to education. Most people already know Duolingo as an online language-learning platform with over 500 million active users. But its new product will reshape how people view this educational platform.

A recent update from a reliable source points out that Duolingo is introducing the power of AI into its learning platform. This integration will help users learn a new language differently. Instead of going through various courses and learning new words, Duolingo users will be able to interact with the product.

Through interaction, they will be able to get a clearer understanding of the new language they are learning. This new interactive learning feature will be powered by an AI model from a company that has gained popularity over the past few months. OpenAI will be providing the language-learning platform with the interactive tools they need with the help of the GTP-4 AI model.

Duolingo Max is bringing OpenAI’s GPT-4 AI model to its language-learning platform

Duolingo is rolling out a new AI-driven Max subscription plan to its users. This plan will integrate the power of GTP-4 into the language-learning app. Users will now be able to have educational conversations and receive in-depth explanations of the language they are learning.

With the introduction of this new premium plan, Duolingo is introducing two new AI features. The new features are Explain My Answer and Roleplay, both of which will be available to Duolingo Max subscribers. Both features come with AI learning abilities to improve the learning experience on the Duolingo platform.

The Explain My Answer feature will help users understand why they made mistakes in their practice questions. While the Roleplay feature will let users train their conversation skills with an AI chatbot. These features make use of the new GPT-4 model, bringing the best AI experience to Duolingo users.

Duolingo Max has been in development for a few years, now it is ready for usage. Currently, the subscription plan to bring access to this feature is only available to iOS users in the US and other selected regions. More users will get access to this feature in the coming months.

While this feature rolls out, it is important to understand the role AI will play in the future of education. Duolingo Max is bringing early AI experience into the educational sector. Other online educational platforms might also make moves to integrate AI products into their services.


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US Marshals Service Data Sold on Russian Hacker Forum

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US Marshals Service Data Sold on Russian Hacker Forum
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The hacker claims that, among other sensitive data, the stolen information includes data about convicts, drug cartels, witnesses, and individuals enrolled in the agency’s witness protection program.

In late February 2023, the US Marshals Service (USMS) suffered a ransomware attack, leading to all sorts of speculation. Now, however, a hacker is selling data that they claim belongs to the USMS for $150,000.

For readers outside the United States, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) is a high-profile government agency associated with the U.S. Department of Justice, which offers protection to government witnesses and their families.

The Stolen US Marshals Service Data

The stolen data, which is being offered for sale by an unknown threat actor on a Russian cybercrime and hacker forum operating on both the Dark Web and the clearnet, allegedly include military base photos, wiretap data belonging to USMS, drone footage of military bases, and documents on cartels, gang leaders, IDs, and passports.

The data also includes information about convicts, drug cartels, witnesses, and individuals enrolled in the agency’s witness protection program. Additionally, the dataset includes files marked as Top Secret and Confidential, as well as backdoor software for Apple devices.

Hackers Selling 350GB of US Marshal Service Data on Russian Hacker Forum
This is what the hacker has to say about the alleged US Marshals Service data (Image credit: Hackread.com)

Are These Claims Authentic?

Although no ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, the hacker who posted the advert claimed that the dataset was stolen from the USMS between 2021 and February 2023. However, the post was uploaded from a one-day-old account, and the author did not provide any data samples as evidence.

It is worth noting that the threat actor suggests using a middleman to ensure a successful sale, in this case, the forum’s administrator. The hacker’s willingness to use a third-party and their confidence in the quality of the stolen information indicates that the threat should be taken seriously.

The USMS had previously announced in February 2023 that it had fallen victim to a major ransomware attack, which compromised sensitive data on known fugitives, USMS employees, and legal proceedings.

At the time, the agency stated that data related to individuals enrolled in the witness protection program had not been accessed.

  1. Hackers post data of thousands of Federal agents
  2. Avast found backdoor in US Federal Agency Network
  3. Top US Federal Agencies Hacked by Russian Hackers
  4. Hackers access domain controller of US Federal network
  5. Federal agency hacked leveraging compromised credentials

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YouTube Music is adding song and album credits

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YouTube Music is adding song and album credits
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YouTube is constantly adding more features to make it a great platform to use. The company just added a neat feature that you’d usually see on an app like Tidal. According to 9To5Google, YouTube Music will finally show you song and album credits for the music you listen to.

YouTube Music has been making some notable changes to the software lately. Recently, the company updated the playlist/album UI. It declutters the UI a bit so that it’s easier on the eyes.

YouTube Music brings song and album credits

This is rolling out at the moment, so there’s a chance that you won’t see it just yet. When you’re listening to a song, tap on the three-dot menu. Close to the bottom, you’ll see the View song credits button. When you do that, you’ll see a little popup appear. In the popup, you’ll see information like who performed the song, who wrote it, who produced it, and the label that it was released under.

This type of information is important to know. A lot of the time, people confuse the performer of a song with the writer. Sure, you have musical tour de forces such as The BeeGees who wrote all of their own songs.

However, a lot of the time, the person who sings your favorite love ballad didn’t write it. There are songwriters behind the curtain who write some of the best songs we hear today.

Also, there’s a lot more to a song than the singer and songwriter. In order to bring everything together and make sure that everything’s balanced, you’ll need someone to produce it. You need people to mix and master all of the parts to make sure that everything sounds good together.

So, it’s great that YouTube Music is doing this. Now, all of the people who took part in the production of the music will get credit. This goes for both new and old songs. You’ll see it for new songs released today and older songs released back in the older days.


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How To Cancel YouTube TV

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How To Cancel YouTube TV
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YouTube TV has been routinely angering its customers, though it’s not all its fault. Between raising prices to almost double what it initially launched at – now $65 per month – and losing channels, many customers are not happy. But luckily, you can cancel your YouTube TV subscription. That’s the beauty of cord cutting. The ability to ditch a service for a competitor in just minutes. Meanwhile, with cable, that is not possible. As most areas only have one or two cable operators available. So that’s another reason that it’s a good idea to switch to a streaming service. Makes it easier to vote with your wallet.

YouTube TV has recently lost the Bally Sports regional sports networks (though that’s more Sinclair’s fault than YouTube TV’s, since they are removing the networks from all the streaming services). Then they almost lost the NBC networks, which is roughly a fifth of YouTube TV’s channel offerings. However, NBC decided to step up and not force YouTube TV to include Peacock with its membership. And surprisingly, the price did not go up. Which is a good thing.

If you just want to stop using YouTube TV for a few weeks, maybe cut some costs, we’d recommend pausing YouTube TV instead. That will keep all of your recordings and continue recording, but without charging you. You can pause YouTube TV for up to six months. We’ll also show you how to pause your YouTube TV membership in this tutorial.

How to cancel YouTube TV

To cancel YouTube TV, you’ll need to either open the app, or go to tv.youtube.com. The process is virtually the same, aside from tapping versus clicking.

Then tap on your profile icon in the right-hand corner.

Next, you’re going to tap on Settings.

Screen Shot 2021 10 08 at 9 31 36 AM
YouTube TV Settings

Tap on “Membership” which should be the first option on the left side. And should already be highlighted

Then you should see “Pause or cancel membership” underneath the YouTube TV listing that shows it as $64.99 per month.

cancel youtube tv
Cancel your YouTube TV membership

Click on that. Now you can see options for pausing or cancelling your membership.

After you click cancel, it’ll ask to make sure you want to cancel, and just go through that process until it has successfully cancelled.

And that’s it. It’s pretty simple to cancel, and that’s one thing that YouTube TV still has over cable. The ability to easily cancel TV service, without needing to call them and explain to them you don’t want it any longer.

How to Pause YouTube TV

Pausing YouTube TV has a pretty similar process to cancelling it. Start out by opening the YouTube TV app.

Then tap on your profile picture.

Next, tap on Settings.

From there, you’ll want to tap on Membership.

Next tap on “Manage” next to the “Base Plan” option. This will be at the very top.

Now, you’ll see an option to pause your account. It defaults to eight weeks, but you can adjust the slider all the way up to 24 weeks (or about six months). It will also show you below, when your account will resume. YouTube TV also mentions that your recordings will be kept, which is a big deal.

cancel youtube tv
Pause your YouTube TV membership

Now, just tap on Pause.

You’ll now get a confirmation that your account is put on pause (you’ll also get an email with details). And you’re all set.

That’s just how easy it is to pause your YouTube TV account. You can also choose to unpause it at any time. So if you paused it by mistake, or paused it for too long, you can unpause it and be back in business. Keep in mind that if you share this membership with others, their accounts will also be paused.

What’s the difference between cancelling and pausing YouTube TV?

Cancelling means that you’re not planning to return anytime soon. While pausing means that you plan to return in a month or two, or even longer.

If you do want to get rid of YouTube TV for a couple of months, pausing is the right way to go. This is because it will keep all of your shows in your library. While cancelling will get rid of it all.

However, with this price hike, YouTube TV is likely going to be seeing a whole lot of people cancelling their membership, unfortunately. Even though YouTube TV is a really good service – I’d still say, one of the best out there. At $65 per month, it’s a pretty tough ask. Especially since YouTube TV only has one plan, so you’re stuck paying for all of those channels at $65/month. Instead of having a smaller plan option that costs, say $50 per month for fewer channels.

Pausing is a good idea if you are looking to cut some costs for a few months, or if your favorite shows are off season now, so you don’t need YouTube TV. And that will save you $65 per month, which is no small cost, to be quite honest. Most other streaming Live TV services don’t really offer this ability. So this is a big deal.

YouTube TV has continued to improve its service, and is looking to add some more flexible packages. So we may not see any more price increases on the base plan. But we may lose some channels from that base plan. With them moving into the add-ons. This is simply because the costs to carry these channels are getting pretty pricey.


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YouTube TV wants you to go back to Cable

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YouTube TV wants you to go back to Cable
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Today, YouTube TV announced that it is raising prices again. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but they are raising prices due to rising content costs. Now, YouTube TV is going to cost you $72.99 per month (now for new customers, or April 18 for current customers). Who remembers when YouTube TV launched at $29.99? Prices have gone up quite a bit since then.

The price increase is not a surprise, and I’m not even made about it. But, with that price increase comes, fewer channels. In recent years, YouTube TV has lost channels like Bally Sports, which is the leader for regional sports across the country. It serves 14 markets, for the NBA, MLB and NHL. That was likely a big reason for the price at YouTube TV, as sports are expensive, especially regional sports. However, now YouTube TV has also lost MLB Network.

So we’re getting fewer sports on a streaming service that was targeting sports fans. And raising prices. It really sounds like YouTube TV wants you to go back to cable here.

Is cable a good alternative to YouTube TV?

Since YouTube TV announced the price increase, I’ve seen a lot of people saying that they are going back to cable. So I decided to check out Comcast and see how much a comparable cable package would cost. And, it’s about the same. Comcast offers around 125 channels for $70 per month. 125 is still more than what YouTube TV offers, but remember, it’s actually about half that. Since Comcast does double up on channels with non-HD and HD versions.

Now, don’t forget that with cable, you also pay other fees. This includes taxes, regional sports fees, cable box fees and much more. You also don’t get things unlimited DVR, or the ability to watch your content anywhere. Some content on Comcast you can watch outside of your home, but most of it, you cannot.

So is it a good alternative? Not really.

Screenshot 2023 03 16 at 2 13 53 PM

Is cable cheaper than YouTube TV?

Once you add in all of the fees that we mentioned above, a comparable package from Comcast would cost you about $100 per month. So no, it’s not cheaper.

Not to mention, with YouTube TV, you can also share and split the cost with other people. Which I actually do myself. I share YouTube TV with my parents, so I’m actually paying roughly half of what YouTube TV charges here.

Cable is also not as flexible as streaming TV. And DVR is limited to how much space is in your cable box. Versus YouTube TV offering unlimited cloud DVR.

Should I stick with YouTube TV?

I’ve been a YouTube TV member for many years now. And every time YouTube TV raises prices, or it loses a substantial number of channels (like when it was feuding with Disney or NBCUniversal in 2021 and 2022), I take a look at its competitors to see if I should switch. And the answer is usually no.

One of the big features for YouTube TV that keeps me around is, the unlimited cloud DVR. I actually rarely watch anything live, other than sports. And record everything to watch later. So I take advantage of that unlimited cloud DVR. Now, others do have this feature, like Hulu + Live TV and DIRECTV Stream, but they are also more expensive.

Now, DIRECTV Stream does have local sports with Bally Sports (though that might not be the case for long as their contract is coming up soon). However, it is not in their base plan. It’s in the more expensive plan that is $99.99/month. Along with a few other sports channels like the additional ESPN networks and BTN.

Then there’s Hulu + Live TV, which has mostly the same channels as YouTube TV, and adds in the A&E Networks. It also has Disney+ and ESPN+ included for a few bucks less. Which is pretty decent actually. But their live guide is just so bad. And the software is pretty tough to navigate. Making me stick with YouTube TV.

Screenshot 2023 03 16 at 2 14 34 PM

Why does YouTube TV want you to go back to cable?

So why does YouTube TV want you to go back to cable? Well, we don’t actually know that, it is the case. But it definitely seems like it. When YouTube TV launched, it was the cable killer. Offering 35 of the big cable channels, including sports and regional sports for just $30 per month. But now, the service has more than doubled in size and price. While losing a lot of those sports channels.

YouTube TV has fought with content providers over wanting more money. Disputes with Disney, NBCUniversal and Roku all come to mind as of late. And it looks like YouTube TV probably caved in, and now that added cost is being pushed down to the consumer. Which is very unfortunate, but that is how business works.


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YouTube TV is raising prices again, So here’s the Best Live TV Streaming Alternatives

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YouTube TV is raising prices again, So here’s the Best Live TV Streaming Alternatives
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YouTube TV just announced that it is raising prices once again. This time by $8. Which represents a 12% increase from the last increase back in August of 2020. That puts it squarely in between most of its competitors. But this news has still annoyed quite a few people, since YouTube TV is still losing channels – like MLB Network – and not getting local sports back. Yet we are paying more. And these are things that their competitors do have.

That has a lot of people looking elsewhere to see where else they can get their Live TV streaming services. Well, we have rounded up the very best alternatives to YouTube TV. That includes DIRECTV Stream, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.

Best YouTube TV Streaming Alternatives

These prices are accurate as of March 2023. Many of which saw price increases in the past few months. Some might offer up specials, like Sling TV offering half off your first month. So definitely worth checking out.

DIRECTV Stream

Directv stream AM AH

  • Price: Starting at $75/month
  • Free trial available: No
  • Sign Up

DIRECTV Stream is the third iteration of AT&T’s streaming Live TV service, and it offers a lot of channels that many of its competitors do not. Hence why it is priced higher than the others on this list.

Starting at $75/month, you can get 75+ channels. But if you really want or need a lot of channels, you can spend as much as $155/month for over 140 channels. However that price does include HBO MAX and Showtime. Making that price a bit more worth it.

Currently, DIRECTV Stream is the only streaming service that has all of the regional sports networks – from Bally Sports and NBC Sports. It does also offer unlimited cloud DVR storage now. And it’s not an added cost either.

It’s a pricey service, but it’s no doubt worth it with the features and channels that are included here.

FuboTV

fubotv 1

  • Price: Starting at $75/month
  • Free Trial Available: Yes, 7-days
  • Sign Up

FuboTV has been marketed as a streaming service for sports fans. That’s because there are over 50 sports channels available on FuboTV. And that does not include regional sports networks – though it’s worth mentioning that Bally Sports is not available, only NBC Sports. Overall, there are 216 channels that are available on FuboTV right now. So there’s plenty to watch.

For $75/month, you’re getting a pretty good deal from FuboTV. That includes 108 channels, with over 130+ events in 4K. It also has 250 hours of Cloud DVR space, and you can share with your family allowing for up to three screens simultaneously.

FuboTV does allow you up to upgrade to its “Elite” plan which is $85.99/month and it increases the Cloud DVR to 1000 hours, and gives you unlimited screens.

FuboTV does also include most local channels, this will depend on your area of course.

Hulu + Live TV

hulu live tv supported devices
Supported Devices
  • Price: $70/month
  • Free Trial: Yes, 7-days
  • Sign Up

Hulu + Live TV is one of the more popular options, because a lot of people already have Hulu. Hulu + Live TV is available for $69.99 per month, there’s one plan and then some add-ons available.

It has 75+ top channels, which includes all of our local channels. But again, the Bally Sports regional sports networks are missing here. NBC’s regional sports networks are available, however.

One feature that Hulu has that a lot of these other options do not have, is the massive on-demand library that Hulu has built up over the years. So in addition to the cloud DVR that is included with Hulu + Live TV, you also get the Hulu on-demand library. Which kind of renders the cloud DVR useless. As almost everything is on Hulu already.

Hulu + Live TV has also added unlimited Cloud DVR. So you can record virtually everything on your account. And watch it whenever. The big difference here is that you can only watch it for up to 9 months from the recording. But as long as it keeps airing, that won’t be an issue.

Sling TV

SLING TV New App Channel View

  • Price: Starting at $40/month
  • Free Trial: No
  • Sign Up

Sling TV is the cheapest, on the surface, but that is because it is an a la carte option. Basically, you have two options here, Sling Blue and Sling Orange, these are both $40 per month. or you can combine them for $55 per month. That’s going to get you 51 total channels if combined, which is not a lot.

However, there are plenty of add-ons available here. There’s the Sports Extra for $11/month, Comedy Extra for $6/month, News Extra for $6/month, Lifestyle Extra for $6/month and a few others too. There are also some bundles you can use to keep this cheaper. But you can get up to the $60-$70 prices of the other services on this list pretty quickly.

Sling TV does offer everything about 50 hours of DVR for free. Or you can upgrade to DVR Plus for around 200 hours of recording, and that will cost you $5 per month.

Premium channels are also available on Sling TV. This includes Showtime, Starz, Epix, Cinefest, Cinemoi, Comedy Dynamics and more.

The one big caveat for Sling TV is that local channels are not available. You will get on-demand content for FOX and NBC, that will depend on your market. As for CBS and ABC, you’re out of luck. But you can get an OTA antenna and watch these for free. That’s a big reason why Sling TV is so much cheaper than everyone else here.


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Ransomware gang allegedly hacks Ring doorbells

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Ransomware gang allegedly hacks Ring doorbells
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Russia-linked ransomware gang ALPHV has claimed to have launched a cyber attack against Amazon-owned domestic security company, Ring.

Ring, which makes doorbells with video and sound recording capabilities, has denied that the hack took place. ALPHV, however, posted on the dark web about the hack and is threatening to release data stolen during the breach.

The gang, which is responsible for creating BlackCat malware, posted a picture of the Ring logo on its website alongside the phrase “There’s always an option to let us leak your data”.

In a statement to Techcrunch, Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said there were “no indications” that Ring had been the victim of a “ransomware event”.

Ring also said in a statement to Vice that while the company was aware of a third-party vendor that was the victim of a ransomware attack, that company does not have access to Ring customer records. Ring said it would be working further with the company in question to find out more about the cyber attack.

Vice alleged in the same article that an earlier version of its coverage was shared on an internal Amazon Slack channel with the message: “Do not discuss anything about this. The right security teams are engaged”.

ALPHV is notorious for targeting companies, organizations and educational institutions with its ransomware in an attempt to extort them.

BlackCat ransomware attack against the University of Pisa

In June 2022, the University of Pisa was targeted by ALPHV’s BlackCat ransomware.

It was discovered that the ransomware gang planned to target the university on June 11, 2022, as ALPHV posted a message to its website that read: “Let’s play, the university goes to sleep, the mafia wakes up?”

A BlackCat ransomware attack was launched against the university shortly afterwards. Italian news site Cybersecurity360 reported that the gang requested a US$4.5mn ransom by June 16, 2022, noting that the amount would increase to $5mn if the date passed without the gang being paid.

The outlet shared a screenshot of the compromised network page which appears to invite the victim to speak to the gang about the ransom via an online chatroom. 


 
Image source: Cybersecurity360

The university did not publish any details concerning whether it paid the ransom on the date required. 


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Adobe ColdFusion Bug Exploited As A Zero-day in the Wild

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Adobe ColdFusion Bug Exploited As A Zero-day in the Wild
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Adobe ColdFusion Bug

CISA has updated its list of security flaws that have been actively exploited, including a critical vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2021 and 2018.

The vulnerability is tracked as (CVE-2023-26360), Adobe ColdFusion Improper Access Control flaw. These flaws provide serious threats to the federal enterprise and are frequently used as attack vectors by malicious actors.

“Adobe is aware that CVE-2023-26360 has been exploited in the wild in very limited attacks targeting Adobe ColdFusion,” the company said.

The report says using low-complexity techniques that don’t necessitate user interaction, the flaw can be remotely exploited by unauthenticated attackers.

EHA

As a zero-day exploit, the application server vulnerability was patched by Adobe in ColdFusion 2018 Update 16 and ColdFusion 2021 Update 6.

Although installations of ColdFusion 2016 and ColdFusion 11 are likewise vulnerable, Adobe no longer offers security updates for those versions.

Administrators are urged to implement the security configuration settings described in the lockdown instructions for ColdFusion 2018 and ColdFusion 2021 as soon as possible (within 72 hours, if practicable), along with the security upgrades.

CISA’s Recommendations

All U.S. Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) entities have until April 5 to protect their systems from potential attacks employing CVE-2023-26360 flaws, according to CISA.

All organizations are strongly advised to patch their systems to avoid exploitation attempts that might target their networks, even though the binding operational directive (BOD 22-01) driving CISA’s mandate only applies to federal agencies.

“CISA strongly urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by prioritizing timely remediation of Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice,” CISA reports.

In a comment to Adobe’s blog post, Charlie Arehart—one of the two security researchers credited with finding and disclosing the CVE-2023-26360 bug, warned ColdFusion administrators of the real significance of the security patches and the urgency with which they must be patched.

“This security fix is far more important than the wording of this blog post suggests and even that the update technotes would suggest,” Arehart warned.

“To be clear, I HAVE personally seen both the ‘arbitrary code execution‘ and ‘arbitrary file system read’ vulnerabilities having been perpetrated on multiple servers and it IS grave.”

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Recent CISA Warnings


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