Graphic design is a creative field that involves using visual elements to communicate ideas, messages, or information. It is a form of communication that relies on images, typography, color, and other design elements to convey meaning and evoke emotions. Graphic designers use a variety of tools and techniques, including computer-aided design software, hand drawing, and photography, to create visual designs that can be used in a wide range of media, including print, digital, and physical spaces. Graphic design can be applied to a variety of contexts, including branding, advertising, editorial design, packaging design, web design, and more.
Graphic design has come a long way since the days of manual illustration and paste-up. With the rapid advancements in technology, there has been an explosion of new tools and techniques available to designers. From 3D printing to virtual and augmented reality, graphic designers are utilizing cutting-edge technologies to create innovative and visually stunning designs.
Hiring a graphic design company can be an excellent investment for businesses and individuals who want to create high-quality, effective designs that will help them stand out from the crowd. By working with a team of professionals who have the expertise, tools, and creativity to bring your vision to life, you can be confident that your designs will be both visually stunning and effective at achieving your goals. If you’re looking for a reliable and professional graphic design company, DesignRush made a graphic design company listing to find the perfect fit for your needs, visit their website.
Technological innovations that you need to know in 2023!
Computer-Aided Design
One of the most significant technological innovations in graphic design is computer-aided design (CAD) software. Programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop have revolutionized the way designers work, allowing them to create and manipulate designs with incredible precision and speed. With the help of these tools, designers can easily create complex shapes and designs, apply color and texture, and manipulate typography to create unique and engaging visuals.
3D Printing
Another major technological innovation in graphic design is the rise of 3D printing. 3D printing has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for designers, enabling them to create physical prototypes and models of their designs with ease. This technology has proven particularly useful for product designers, who can create prototypes of their designs and test them in the real world before committing to production.
VR and AR
Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are also revolutionizing the field of graphic design. VR and AR allow designers to create immersive and interactive experiences for their audiences, blurring the line between digital and physical design. With the help of VR and AR, designers can create virtual environments, product demonstrations, and interactive experiences that engage and captivate users.
Artificial intelligence
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are also making an impact on graphic design. With the help of AI, designers can automate many repetitive tasks, freeing up their time and allowing them to focus on more creative work. For example, AI can be used to automatically generate color palettes or recommend fonts based on the design’s context. Additionally, machine learning can be used to analyze user data and optimize designs for better engagement and conversion rates.
Blockchain
One more innovative technology that is being used in graphic design is blockchain. While most commonly associated with cryptocurrency, blockchain technology can also be used to create secure and tamper-proof digital records of designs and creative assets. This is particularly useful in industries like advertising, where intellectual property rights and ownership are critical.
Final Thoughts
The technological innovations that are being used in graphic design are truly incredible. From CAD software and 3D printing to VR and AR, machine learning, and blockchain, designers now have access to an unprecedented array of tools and techniques that allow them to create more complex, innovative, and engaging designs than ever before. As technology continues to evolve and develop, we can expect to see even more exciting innovations in the field of graphic design in the years to come
Per CNBC, on Tuesday Republicans on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee took short-form video app TikTok closer to its final tick in the U.S. Concerned about reports that TikTok collects personal data from its U.S. subscribers, and might even collect keystrokes from those using TikTok’s in-app browser, legislation that would result in the ban of TikTok on all U.S. mobile devices has advanced.
The legislation would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban the popular app in the U.S. Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said, “Everybody knows what TikTok is. It’s too dangerous to be on our phones as members of Congress. In my judgment, it’s too dangerous to be on our children’s phones. That’s the whole point of this bill.” The U.S. in December banned TikTok from government-owned phones.
A bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. advanced out of committee by a party-line vote of 24 to 16
McCaul’s DATA Act (H.R. 1153) advanced out of committee by a vote of 24 to 16. Voting on the proposed bill was split along party lines with the 24 votes in favor of moving the legislation along coming from all of the Republicans on the committee while the 16 dissenting votes came from all of the Democrats on the committee. McCaul said that he hoped the voting isn’t the start of a breakdown in bipartisanship when it comes to Chinese technology.
Legislation to ban TikTok in the states has a long road ahead of it
In 2021, TikTok hit one billion monthly users, and last August, a survey revealed that 67% of teens in the states use TikTok and 16% use it constantly. Insider Intelligence says that TikTok owns 2.3% of the digital ad market behind heavyweights like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Alibaba. The company is owned by Chinese firm Byte Dance, and while it denies any ties with Beijing’s spying operations, like other Chinese companies it must agree to comply with all requests from the country’s intelligence agency.
In a statement, TikTok says, “A U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide. We’re disappointed to see this rushed piece of legislation move forward, despite its considerable negative impact on the free speech rights of millions of Americans who use and love TikTok.”
Analyst says TikTok ban could benefit Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube
The bill has a long road ahead of it. If it gets voted out of the Republican-controlled House, it would still need to be voted on in the Democrat-controlled Senate which could be a problem. And should the bill pass the Senate, it would then require the president to sign the bill, or he could veto it. If Biden does the latter, the veto can be overturned with a two-thirds
vote from members of the House and Senate.
A few years ago, when Donald Trump was president, a deal was reportedly in place that would have seen Oracle and Walmart buy the app’s U.S. operations from TikTok owner ByteDance. But the deal never got done and Trump turned his attention toward more pressing matters such as the upcoming presidential election. But Needham analyst Laura Martin says that this time a deal could be finalized.
While the platform could be weakened, “it wouldn’t just disappear and get shut down,” Martin said. She also said that “Implications are great for anybody that has been losing market share to TikTok.” Martin picked Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube as platforms that would be big winners if TikTok gets banned in the U.S.
Another analyst, JMP’s Andrew Boone, said that if TikTok is banned in the states, Facebook would be a big winner because of the money that parent company Meta has been throwing at Facebook’s TikTok rival Reels. Boone also noted that “If TikTok were to go away, I think that there would be a lot more consumption of Instagram Reels.” The analyst also says that Snapchat’s Spotlight and YouTube Shorts would both benefit from the disappearance of TikTok.
BidenCash is a carding marketplace that functions on both the dark web and the clear web, offering stolen credit card details to the public.
BidenCash, a notorious dark web carding marketplace, has leaked over two million valid credit cards as part of its birthday anniversary promotion. The one-year-old leaked dataset contains card information from all over the world, with a significant number of them issued in the United States, China, Mexico, India, Canada, and the UK.
The leaked information includes cardholders’ full names, card numbers, bank details, expiration dates, card verification value (CVV) numbers, home addresses, and more than 500,000 email addresses.
The screenshot shows the type of data leaked by the BidenCash marketplace and their post on a Russian hacker forum (Credit: Hackread.com)
Usually, cybercriminals tend to use the dark web to sell such information; in the BidenCash case, the administrator of the carding site has decided to give a treasure trove of information to the public. It is worth noting that the 260 MB of data, as shown in the screenshot above, is also leaked on a popular Russian language hacker forum.
Although, the exact modus operandi of BidenCash is unclear; carding sites mostly obtain credit card data through various methods, including using information-stealing malware, phishing attacks, skimming, and exploiting vulnerabilities in point-of-sale (PoS) systems.
They also purchase or trade data in underground forums or from other cybercriminal groups. Once the data is obtained, the carding site operators can sell the information to other cybercriminals or use it for fraudulent activities such as making unauthorized purchases or money laundering.
While this is not the first instance of BidenCash leaking credit card data, the timing of their “birthday anniversary promotion” seems questionable. A user on a Russian forum even pointed out that the claim of their anniversary celebration in March is contradictory to their launch date in June last year, stating, “Weren’t you launched in June last year and not in March?”
The authorities are investigating the incident, and affected cardholders are advised to monitor their accounts and report any suspicious activities to their banks. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts are calling for more robust measures to curb the proliferation of carding marketplaces and the use of stolen credit card information.
Now that we have freely available artificial intelligence happily replicating people’s voices, could it be a security risk?
Voice ID is slowly rolling out across various banks worldwide as a way to perform user authentication over the phone. However, questions remain about just how secure it is. Now that we have freely available artificial intelligence (AI) happily replicating people’s voices, could it be a security risk?
Some recent research suggests that it could.
Vice reporter Joseph Cox put it to the test, with surprising results. All it took was five minutes of recorded speech and a site that can learn to synthesise the voice in the recording.
At first the banking website refused to verify Cox’s synthesized voice as genuine. But with a few tweaks, it soon allowed Cox into his account.
From here, he had access to account information, recent transactions, transfers, and balances. You’ll note from the video below that an additional piece of information is required here in the form of date of birth.
Thankfully, you can’t just use the voice on its own and log straight in to this bank. However, while dates of birth are often use as a form of authentication they are not secret. If an attacker is determined enough to find or create five minutes of your voice recordings, they are unlikely to be deterred by the (probably much easier) task of finding out your birth date.
The bank used for the test claims that criminals would rather use other more common methods of attack than AI voice recordings, and that deploying voice ID has led to “a significant dip in fraud with phone banking”. This may well be true, but that dip presumably occurred before the wide availability of AI tools like ChatGPT.
The stunt is a useful reminder that unlike passwords, which are either right or wrong, all forms of biometric authentication are analogue. Voice, fingerprint, face, and iris recognition all rely on a judgement of similarity, which creates opportunities for enterprising criminals who can produce realistic facsimiles. It’s why your iPhone fingerprint recognition is backed up by a passcode, and why the bank in the test also included a birth date in its authentication process.
If you’re deploying voice recognition as part of your business, it would be wise move to pay close attention to the rapidly improving area of voice synthesis. Don’t let the words “My voice is my password” come back to haunt you in the worst way imaginable.
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Apple has increased the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The new prices are applicable to iPhone models up to iPhone 13, Macs, and iPads that do not have AppleCare+. The latest iPhone 14 models still have the same battery replacement price of $99.
The price of battery replacement for an out-of-warranty iPhone 13 model, for example, has increased to $89 from the previous $70. Similarly, the price of a battery replacement for some iPad models has also gone up by $20. Models such as the fifth-generation and newer 12.9-inch iPad Pro, third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and earlier, all iPad mini models, and all iPad Air models. The new cost for a battery replacement on these devices is $119.
Apple’s battery prices are increasing today by up to $50 for select iPhone, Mac, and iPad devices. Ours aren’t.
The price of battery replacements for Macs has increased by around $40. For instance, the cost of a replacement for the 13-inch MacBook Air battery has increased to $159. On the other hand, the cost of a replacement for the 12-inch MacBook Pro has gone up to $249. These are only available for devices that have not been covered by AppleCare+ and have a one-year warranty.
If your device is covered under AppleCare+, you can get a free battery replacement if the battery level has dropped to a certain point. However, if it is not, you’ll now have to pay increased prices. This new pricing is not exclusive to the United States but applies to other countries as well. Apple first informed customers about the price hike in January and now you can find all the details of these repairs on the company’s website.
At MWC23, guests are trooping in to try out the Nuralogix Anura app, and some are impressed by its performance. This app is developed by the Nuralogix company, and it can serve as your digital doctor if there is a need. Surprisingly, most attendees at the MWC23 that have got to try this app say that it produces accurate health results.
Among those who gave the Anura app a try are the folks at Android Authority. Not only were they able to try out this app, but they were also able to get some information as to how this app works. The technology behind this app is not as complicated as it might seem.
Users of this app can check their health metrics before going to the doctor. Also, in situations where one can’t access a hospital urgently, this app can give you a quick rundown of your health status. Let’s take a look at the bits and pieces of this health app, along with its challenges.
Everything you need to know about the Nuralogix Anura app
Making use of the Nuralogix Anura app is simple and doesn’t require much knowledge of technology. The app comes with a selfie camera feature that takes a 30-second video of the user. All data acquired from the video will provide the app with what it needs to produce a health report.
But how is it possible to tell someone’s health metrics from a 30-second video? According to sources, this app uses a Transdermal Optical Imaging (TOI) system. This system scans the 30-second video for the user’s facial blood information to get their health metrics.
To enable the system to get an accurate reading, the user needs to breathe normally and stay still while the video is recording. Talking, moving abruptly, and breathing heavily can affect the process. Once the process is complete, the Nuralogix Anura app will provide a breakdown of the user’s health metrics.
At the moment, this app is not available to the public for usage. This is due to various medical bodies doubting the accuracy of the reports Nuralogix’s app provides. These bodies argue that the best way to get a medical report is to go for a proper checkup with a certified doctor.
But, Nuralogix provides a Lite app that is similar to the Anura app for download. This Lite app doesn’t offer the full features that the Anura app doe, but it gives users a glimpse of what to expect. This app might just be shaping the future of healthcare as we know it today.
Twitter user and tipster Kuba Wojciechowski claims that the Google Pixel Buds A-Series will get a new color option. This pair of wireless earbuds launched last year in June. They came with impressive specifications and a budget price tag for those with a slim budget.
Coming with a budget price meant that the Pixel Bud A-Series would drop off some features that the Buds Pro offered. The Pixel Buds Pro retail at $200 while the A-Series options retail at $99. Despite this price gap, the Pixel Bud A-Series still packs some impressive audio features.
This pair of budget earbuds come with water-resistant and noise-reduction technology, among a host of other features. These features make the budget Pixel Buds a solid option for buyers. Now, these buyers will be getting a new color option in a matter of months.
Details on the new Google Pixel Buds A-Series color option
Currently, those planning to buy the Google Pixel Buds A-Series can choose between three color options. Two of these color options launched together with the pair of earbuds back in June. The last option was recently added to the list a few months ago.
Clearly White and Dark Olive are the two color options to launch with this pair of earbuds. Joining these colors a few months ago is the Charcoal option. Now, buyers can prepare to receive yet another color option that might launch in a few months.
According to Kuba Wojciechowski, this new color option is known as Sky Blue. Just like the other three available color options, this one comes white case and Sky Blue colored buds and interior. The tipster also says that aside from the Pixel Buds A-Series, this color option will make its way to other Google products.
Some of the products that will get the Sky Blue color option include the Pixel Buds Pro and the Pixel 7a. But the variant to be available on the Pixel 7a is said to be known as Arctic Blue. It will be quite similar to the Pixel Buds A-Series’ Sky Blue coming color option.
The release date of this new color option for the Pixel Bud A-Series is still unknown. But it might make an appearance during the Google I\O event along with the Pixel 7a device. Once available, the new color option for the budget earbuds from Google will retail at the same price as the other color options.
Apple today announced an increase in trade-in values for selected older iPhone, iPad, and Mac models in the US. The trade-in values of iPhones that have gone up include the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 7 Plus, and more. This move aims to encourage customers to upgrade to the iPhone 14 lineup.
While the price for the iPhone 13 has not changed, customers can get up to $600 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max (up from $570) and up to $500 for the iPhone 13 Pro (up from $470). The iPhone SE 3rd generation has also been added to the trade-in program, with customers being offered up to $160.
In addition to iPhones, the company has made some minor changes to the trade-in values for iPads and Macs. The iPad Air now has a trade-in value of up to $320 (up from $230), while the trade-in value for the 2020 MacBook Air has gone up to $515 (up from $460). Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 7 now has a trade-in value of up to $165, while the Apple Watch SE has a trade-in value of up to $70.
While these trade-in values are higher than they were in January 2022, they are still not as high as they were before Apple decreased trade-in values earlier this year. However, customers can still benefit from these increased values if they decide to upgrade to the latest iPhone or other Apple products. Customers can check the trade-in value for their current device on Apple’s trade-in website.
Bally Sports has been in the news a lot recently, along with other regional sports networks or RSNs. That’s because Bally Sports is getting ready to declare bankruptcy, and has skipped payments to some sports leagues as of late.
Now, Scripps believes that a shutdown is expected for Bally Sports, and it could happen before baseball season starts. Scripps executive Brian Lawlor stated that “in the last two weeks, some of the leagues are suddenly in contingency mode trying to figure out what happens if Bally stiffs them – and stops production in the next month. So we’ve had quite a few conversations with the leagues and the teams, just helping them identify where we can be a solution for them”.
Scripps wants to be the home for these teams. Not just the teams on Bally Sports but on AT&T SportsNet (who is shutting down). So far, Bally Sports owes the MLB around $1 billion, which is a figure that the commissioner, Rob Manfred confirmed recently. And if Bally Sports does opt to declare bankruptcy, that could put payments to the MLB, NBA and NHL at risk.
Bally Sports is working on deals with creditors so that it can avoid bankruptcy, but they only have a few weeks left to reach a deal before they will be forced to declare bankruptcy.
The NBA has an out, if Bally Sports does declare bankruptcy
The NBA just started a new streaming deal with Diamond Sports (Bally Sports parent-company), which allows them to take back their rights if Diamond Sports declares bankruptcy. That would mean that the 16 NBA teams could start streaming their games in-market or resell the rights to a different company.
Meanwhile, the NHL and MLB have announced that they do have backup plans, if Diamond Sports is unable to complete their contract. And still allow fans to watch the NHL and MLB.
What would be great for everyone, is if all games were available on NBA TV, MLB.TV and NHL.TV. Allowing fans to watch in-market games in those apps, instead of only out of market games, that are also still subject to blackouts.
Sling TV was one of the first Live TV Streaming services on the market. Having launched back in 2015. Prior to Sling TV’s launch, there were other Live TV Streaming services, but they weren’t very popular or very good. Sling TV ushered in the era of cord-cutting without losing channels and functionality.
To this day, Sling TV remains one of the cheapest options for cord-cutting and still having live TV available.
Despite its low entry-price, Sling TV can still be quite confusing. With the many different packages, and add-ons available. So here, we’re going to explain everything about Sling TV, and tell you everything you need to know about this service.
What is Sling TV?
For those of you that might be unaware, Sling TV is actually owned by Dish Network. The name “Sling” is actually much older than the service. Dish used to sell “SlingBox” and “SlingPlayers”, which was essentially their version of TiVo. Then in 2015, Sling TV was born. Using a name that many people were already familiar with.
Dish Network doesn’t intend for Sling TV to replace its satellite service. It’s an additional service that it offers, to keep growing their customer-base, by adding cord-cutters. Something that many cable companies – like Comcast and Cox – have tried to keep on their service by offering an insane amount of channels.
Sling is the most robust streaming service on the market today, and you can get started for just $30. Which makes it so popular.
The cost of Sling TV is a huge variable. While you can get started for just $40 with the Sling Blue or Sling Orange package, you can also drive that price up over $100 pretty easily. With the many add-ons that are available for Sling TV.
Add-ons cost as low as $5, and can go up to $20. These add-ons include additional channels, as well as additional features – like Cloud DVR Plus.
Depending on what you’re watching, and what channels you want, you can definitely pay a pretty penny for Sling TV. Below, where we talk about channels and add-ons, you’ll get a better idea of how much Sling TV will cost you.
Update: On March 1, 2023, Sling TV announced that it was raising prices in five markets, after adding ABC in a few markets. In Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco will see their price for Sling Blue going up by $5, to $45 per month. Interestingly, those in Fresno, Houston and Raleigh are not seeing the price increase, but are getting ABC.
What channels are included?
Sling TV is split into three groups, essentially. There’s Sling Blue and Sling Orange core plans, which are $30 individually or you can get both for $45/month. Then there are add-ons. Which will provide you with the less-popular channels for an added fee. Which we’ll explain more below.
Sling Blue
With Sling Blue, you’re getting 45 channels. You’re getting a ton of pretty popular channels, along with Fox Sports channels (not regional sports channels from Fox, only NBC though). For the most part, local channels are not included. Some markets will have NBC and Fox locals available, but those are very few. You can, alternatively, get an OTA antenna and get those channels without paying for a monthly service though.
Here are all the channels available with Sling Blue:
TNT
CNN
Investigation Discovery
HGTV
Nick Jr.
History Channel
AMC
A&E
Food Network
TBS
Comedy Central
IFC
BBC America
Travel Channel
Cartoon Network
BET
EPIX Drive-In
Lifetime
Viceland
AXS TV
Fuse
Newsy
Bloomberg Television
Cheddar
Local Now
Comet
Stadium
NFL Network
Fox News
MSNBC
Bravo
FOX Sports 1
USA
TLC
Discovery Channel
FX
E!
SYFY
National Geographic
truTV
HLN
NBC Sports Network
FOX (Available in Select Markets)
NBC (Available in Select Markets)
NBC RSNs
Sling Orange
The main difference with Sling Orange, is that you are getting Disney channels. Like Disney, ESPN and such.
You get 33 channels with Sling Orange:
ESPN
TNT
CNN
Investigation Discovery
HGTV
Nick Jr.
History Channel
AMC
A&E
Food Network
Disney Channel
TBS
Comedy Central
IFC
BBC America
Travel Channel
Cartoon Network
BET
EPIX Drive-In
Lifetime
Viceland
AXS TV
Fuse
Newsy
ESPN2
ESPN3
Freeform
Bloomberg Television
MotorTrend
Cheddar
Local Now
Comet
Stadium
With Sling Orange and Sling Blue combined, you get both packages, or around 50 channels.
Sling TV offers a ton of add-ons, allowing you a sort of a la carte experience here. So if you want more sports channels, you can pay $10/month for it. Or get more comedy channels for $5/month. Among many others.
Sling is continuing to add more add-ons to its service. So we urge you to check their website as this info could be outdated.
Multi-channel add-ons
You can also add on Cheddar’s multiple channels for free right now. Since they are free, you may as well add them to your package.
Comedy Extra (Orange), $5/month: MTV, TruTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, CMT, Logo, GSN, TV Land, and Revolt
Comedy Extra (Blue), $5/month: MTV, MTV2, CMT, Logo, GSN, TV Land, and Revolt
Kids Extra (Orange), $5 per month: Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, TeenNick, Boomerang, BabyTV, and Duck TV
Kids Extra (Blue), $5/month: Nicktoons, TeenNick, Boomerang, BabyTV, and Duck TV
Hollywood Extra, $5/month: Fandor, Reelz, HDNET Movies, Sundance TV, TCM
Lifestyle Extra (Orange), $5/month: VH1, BET, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, FYI, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, WE TV, Lifetime Movies, Vibrant Network, ZLiving Network, Afro
Lifestyle Extra (Blue), $5/month: VH1, E!, Oxygen, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, FYI, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, WE TV, Lifetime Movies, Vibrant Network, ZLiving Network, Afro
News Extra (Orange), $5/month: BBC World News, HLN, Fusion, Euronews, News18, CGTN, NDTV 24×7, RT Network, Weather 24 (new users will get a free six months of Weather 24, even without the News Extra add-on), American Heroes Channel, Destination America, Science Channel
News Extra (Blue), $5/month: Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC World News, TheBlaze, HLN, Euronews, France 24, News 18, NDTV 24×7, Russia Today, CGTN, Weather 24 (new users will get a free six months of Weather 24, even without the News Extra add-on)
Sports Extra (Orange), $10/month: NBA TV, ESPN SEC, ESPN SEC+, PAC 12 Network, ESPNU, ESPNews, NHL Network, BeIN Sports, ESPN Goal Line, Stadium, ESPN Bases loaded, Outside TV, and Tennis Channel, Longhorn Network, ACC Network
Sports Extra (Blue), $10/month: RedZone NFL Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, NBC Golf, BeIN Sports, PAC 12 Network, Stadium, Outside TV, Olympic Channel, and Tennis Channel
Best of Spanish Extra, $10/month: EstrellaTV, Azteca, BeIN Sports Ñ, BeIN Sports, Cine Latino, Cine Sony, History en Español, Pasiones, INTI, CBeebies BBC, VME Kids, NTN24, Baby TV Español, El Financiero Bloomberg TV, ZeeMuno, ¡Hola! TV, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia
Premium channel add-ons
You can also add plenty of premium channels to your Sling TV subscription. HBO is no longer offered. Sling TV has not said why, but the change happened after HBO MAX launched, so there’s likely a contract dispute between the two companies. Good thing is, you can still sign up for HBO MAX elsewhere.
CuriosityStream, $6/month
UP Faith & Family, $5/month
Pantaya, $6/month
Stingray Karaoke, $7/month
Dove Channel, $5/month
Outside TV Features, $5/month
Starz, $9/month
Showtime, $10/month
Epix, $5/month
Cinemax, $10/month
ConTV, $5/month
Docurama, $5/month
Grokker, $7/month
Here TV, $8/month
Comedy Dynamics, $5/month
DOGTV, $5/month
VSiN, $4/month
International Add-ons
This is where Sling TV really shines from the rest of the pack. With the many, many international add-ons available for your TV watching pleasure. No other Live TV Streaming service comes close in this regard.
Arabic Mini, $10/month: Arabica, BBC Arabic, Al Jazeera Mubasher, MBC Drama, Melody Classic, ART Cima, Melody Hits, MBC 3, MBC Wanasah, IQRAA TV, Noursat TV, Aghapy TV
Brazilian Mini, $15/month: TV Globo Internacional
Chinese Mini, $5/month: CCTV-4, CGTN, China Movie Channel, CCTV-Entertainment, Hunan Satellite TV, Zhejiang TV, Dragon TV, ShenZhen Television, Jiangsu International Channel, Phoenix North America Chinese Channel, Phoenix InfoNews, Beijing TV
Deutsch Mini, $5/month: P7S1 Welt
Français Mini, $5/month: France 24, TV5 Monde Cinema, TiVi5Monde, Trace Urban
Hindi Mini, $5/month: Aaj Tak, Zee Cinema, SAB TV, zoOm, Food Food, Times Now, News18, B4U Movies, B4U Music, Sony Mix, Sahara Samay
Italiano Mini, $10/month: Rai Italia, Rai News 24, TV2000 Italia, La7, Rai World Premium
Google Assistant Smart Displays (currently, only the Nest Hub series)
Google Chrome
Safari
Microsoft Edge
Facebook Portal
Channel Master DVR+
Roku
Xbox One consoles
Windows 10
Xfinity X1
Oculus
Select Samsung & LG TVs
That covers just about every platform out there and then some. Sling TV is currently available on more platforms than any of its competitors.
What features are available?
Every Live TV Streaming service offers a bundle of features with its service. This is a way for them to justify their prices – particularly those that are around $65/month. And a way to differentiate themselves, seeing as almost all streaming services have the same core channels available. With really only a handful that are different. So here are the features that Sling TV offers.
The Sling TV App Redesign
On May 25, 2021, Sling TV began rolling out its new design of its app. Starting with the Amazon Fire TV, and it will be available on other platforms shortly there after. Here’s what is new:
Personalization: A new Home Screen allows users to easily discover the most relevant content. Users can now customize the Channel Guide by sorting A-Z or by favorites and filters based on what they’re looking for.
Ease of Use: New navigation makes it easier for users to discover what they are looking for, while keeping a familiar feel that users have come to know and love. Users can quickly browse through the Guide or see on-demand content. Users can easily pause, fast-forward, skip to live, or set a recording in a channel and manage all recordings with a dedicated DVR tab. The Smart Player Video Navigation gives users the freedom to go between favorite channels seamlessly with one click to see Recent Channels.
Beautiful Design: A more visual SLING TV experience features ribbons in different colors and sizes with expanded show visuals in the Guide to help users discover content faster. Users can also dive into their favorite channels by clicking on any channel logo to get more details.
Cloud DVR & Cloud DVR Plus
Sling does give every customer 10 hours of free Cloud DVR storage. Obviously, that’s not a lot, and really only enough to store a few shows a week, or even two games.
However, Sling does offer an add-on for this. For $5/month, you can get upgraded to Cloud DVR Plus, which gives you 50 hours of content. And if you have a Roku, you can get 100 hours with Cloud DVR Plus. It’s unclear as to why the difference between devices.
Like traditional DVRs, Sling TV does delete older recordings, to make space for new recordings. To prevent it from deleting shows you don’t want deleted, you can mark them as “protected” in the DVR. So you can prevent it from being automatically deleted. There are also DVR folders available for organizing the content you’ve recorded.
Cloud DVR is available on most channels. Though some of them will not be able to be recorded.
It’s also worth noting that Xfinity X1 and Samsung Smart TVs currently do not support Sling TV’s Cloud DVR service.
On-Demand content
In addition to recording content with the DVR, Sling also offers a pretty robust selection of titles available on demand. And if they are not available on demand, you can rent them. Rentals are priced at $3 for standard definition and $4 for HD. You also have 30 days to watch anything you rent. So you can watch it plenty of times.
Sling TV does break down titles that are available on demand into different categories. Making it easier to find something to watch.
Free content available
Another way that Sling really stands out from the competition is with its free content. You can watch more than 100 hours of movies and TV shows on Sling TV, without paying for the service. In fact, you don’t even need to provide a credit card number.
Sling TV started this in 2019, but it became very popular during the pandemic in 2020. With everyone being stuck at home for months, and needing some new content to watch, to stay busy.
How can I get a free device, or a discount on Sling TV?
Sling TV does routinely offer up some pretty incredible deals for getting a free device like an AirTV, or Roku. As well as getting a month free. So it’s always a good idea to check out their site to see what their current deals are.
At the time of writing this, you can get $10 off of your first month of Sling TV. Getting it for $20/month or $35/month for Blue and Orange combined.
It is also worth noting, that in order to get a free device like an AirTV, you generally do need to prepay for a month or two up-front. Which also means you won’t be able to use the free trial.
Is Sling TV worth it?
That is going to depend on what features and channels you need and watch. If all of your channels are included in the Sling Blue and/or Orange packages. Then Sling is a really great option, and pretty cheap too. But there is the annoyance of having to switch to your actual TV to get local channels – and the fact you need to buy an antenna for that. But that is one way that Sling TV is able to keep its prices pretty cheap.
If you’re a casual viewer of live TV, then Sling TV will do the trick. And the fact that you can pretty much pick and choose the channels you want to add to your package is an added bonus.
