The Disney+ Bundle is getting yet another Price Increase Next Month

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The Disney+ Bundle is getting yet another Price Increase Next Month
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Disney has started to inform customers that the price of their Disney+ bundle with Hulu and ESPN+ will be going up to $24.99 per month starting on October 12, 2023. After that date, your next bill will see the new price. Versus the current $19.99 per month price.

Keep in mind that this is for the ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney+. So if you’re using the ad-supported tiers, your price won’t be going up. However, you can save some money on the ad-free tiers, if you sign up for an annual plan before October 12. Currently, Disney+ annual plan starts at $109 for the year on the ad-free tier.

Disney isn’t the only one raising prices

Now that we’re out of the pandemic, more and more streamers are starting to raise prices on their services. This is because they are losing customers left and right, since many aren’t stuck at home all day anymore, they don’t need a lot of these streaming services. On top of that, production costs for new content are through the roof. So these streamers need to make money. Remember, ESPN just laid off thousands of people because it needed to cut costs.

Disney, however, has been raising rates pretty consistently over the past couple of years. Raising prices last November, and now again this October. Though the Disney bundle is still a really good deal, especially the ad-supported model, which is $12.99 per month. That saves you about half, each month on these three services. Of course, if you want to do without ESPN, it’s even cheaper at $9.99. And since Disney+ is already $7.99 per month, that’s basically $2 more for Hulu, which is a steal, to be honest.

The problem for streamers is that, unlike cable, it’s very easy to subscribe and unsubscribe from services. Customers don’t need to call in and cancel and then be talked into keeping their service with some sort of fake discount, like cable companies do. So keeping subscribers around long term is getting harder and harder.


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There won’t be an iPhone 15 Ultra this year

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There won’t be an iPhone 15 Ultra this year
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There’s been quite a bit of talk about a potential name change for the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year. With the many upgrades that the Pro Max model is getting, many thought it was plausible to change the name to “Ultra” which would put it in line with the Apple Watch. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that’s not the case.

On Thursday, Gurman posted his expectations for Apple’s event on Tuesday, with a number of tidbits about the new iPhone 15. And he also mentioned that it will be the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and not the Ultra as some have speculated.

A lot of what Gurman stated here is what we expected, and have seen through leaks. So we’re getting an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. With 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays. The Pro series will be going titanium, which will make the phone more durable. He also notes that the titanium has a brushed look, and will replace the fingerprint-prone steel used on the Pro models since the iPhone X. Titanium is also making the iPhone 15 Pro about 10% lighter. The frosted back glass will be sticking around too. But the edges will be chamfered, so they won’t be as sharp as they are today.

Apple is discontinuing its leather cases, in an environmental play

Apple, and a number of other companies, have been making decisions lately with the environment as the reason for it. And this year, it looks like Apple is going to discontinue its leather cases. We’ve been hearing this for the past few weeks, but given Gurman’s track record, this is likely very true now.

Don’t forget, that Apple’s leather cases have been pretty terrible the last few years. But don’t worry, companies like Bullstrap and Nomad will continue to offer their leather cases for the iPhone.

Gurman also notes that there are new colors coming for the iPhone 15. That includes pink, black, white, blue, and yellow for the non-Pro models. While the iPhone 15 Pro models will get gray, black, dark blue and white. Basically the colors we’ve been seeing in recent weeks.


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This ESR MagSafe Stand can charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch for $56

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This ESR MagSafe Stand can charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch for $56
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ESR’s very popular 3-in-1 MagSafe charging stand is back on sale today, coming in at just $56. This is a pretty good deal since it is normally $76.99. It’s currently listed for $65.99, but if you clip the 15% off coupon on the page, you can bring it down to $56.09. Making this a really great deal.

This MagSafe charger is really useful, and will be great for the new iPhone 15, because it allows you to charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time. It has a pretty strong magnetic force included, which will make it tough for the phone to slide off of the charger. And with StandBy in iOS 17, this is going to make for a great stand.

Another interesting tidbit about this charger is that the Apple Watch puck slides off and can be plugged in directly to the wall. Making it pretty portable. That’s not something you see everyday.

Finally, This is part of ESR’s HaloLock series. Which uses an actual fan inside the charger to keep your phone nice and cool while it’s charging. Because, as you likely know, wireless charging does put more heat into the battery and can also decrease your battery’s health. But with HaloLock, that’s no longer an issue.

You can pick up the ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Charging Stand from Amazon today by clicking the link below.

ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Charging Stand – Amazon


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Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 Coming Next Week

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Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 Coming Next Week
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Next week is Apple’s biggest event of the year. Where they will announce the new iPhone 15, but they will also announce new Apple Watches. And according to Mark Gurman, there will be a new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The sizes are going to be remaining the same, with the Apple Watch Series 9 coming in 41- and 45-millimeter sizes, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is getting the same 49-millimeter case as the original.

There’s no big design changes here for the Apple Watch this year, which is not a surprise. There’s also only so many ways you can redesign a square watch. But Gurman says that Apple is planning new materials and colors, which includes the use of more recycled metals and a black Apple Watch Ultra option.

Apple is also killing off its leather watch bands. Which has been greatly speculated recently, as Apple has discounted some of its leather watch bands by as much as 90%. Though there’s no word yet on what will replace them, or if they will be replaced.

Apple’s big focus this year is performance

The focus this year for the Apple Watch is performance. Apple is going to heavily tout the major gains in processing speed. And the watches will get their first new chipset since the Series 6 in 2020. Since then, Apple has just changed the System-in-package each year, and not the actual processor.

On top of that, the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be getting the new U2 ultrawide-band chip. This is going to provide better Find My capabilities.

Typically, each year Apple will introduce a new health sensor for the Apple Watch. That’s not happening this year, instead some sensor and internal components are getting upgrades. That will focus on speed, efficiency and accuracy. There will also be a new optical heart rate sensor.

Gurman didn’t mention prices, but we are not expecting the Apple Watch to see any price increases, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them jump a bit in price to match the iPhone 15.


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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are back on sale

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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are back on sale
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Samsung is hosting its Discover Samsung event right now, and has the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro on sale today for just $179. That’s going to save you $50 off of its regular price. That does bring it lower than its previous all-time low by $20.

All three colors of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are on sale today. That includes the Graphite, White and Bora Purple colors.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the newest pair of truly wireless earbuds from Samsung. These were announced in August with the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 smartphones. They sport Active Noise Cancellation as you’d expect, and uses intelligent ANC so you can hear stuff going on around you, but only when you want to.

Samsung also included support for HiFi sound quality, so you can get a really great sound out of these earbuds. Of course, we can’t forget about the enhanced 360-degree audio here. It’s almost like Apple’s Spatial Audio, but better.

What really sets the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro apart is the fit. These are super comfortable to wear for many hours on end. Samsung has included a number of eartips in the box, so you can get the eartip that fits your ears the best.

These are IPX7 rated for dust and water (and sweat) resistance. Meaning that they are going to be great to take to the gym, or wear outside when its raining.

Now when it comes to battery life, these aren’t the best, but also aren’t the worst. We’re looking at a 61mAh capacity battery here (the same size as the Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds Pro). Samsung rates these as lasting 5 hours on a charge with ANC on. Or 8 hours on a charge with them off. That’s the same as the Galaxy Buds Pro actually, but the carrying case does last a tad bit longer at 29 hours. So not to bad on battery life here.

You can pick up the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro from Samsung today by clicking here.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro – Samsung


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Cybersecurity experts claim LastPass security breach led to a wave of crypto thefts

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Cybersecurity experts claim LastPass security breach led to a wave of crypto thefts
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LastPass had a rough last year, thanks in part to the security breach that granted threat actors access to the company’s source code and valuable user data. However, just when we thought the whole LastPass fiasco was behind us, recent reports indicate that last year’s security breach has led to the compromise of over 150 cryptocurrency investors’ assets, resulting in a series of high-value crypto heists.

As explained by cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs, numerous security researchers have uncovered a trail of evidence seemingly connecting victims of crypto theft with the LastPass service. Additionally, to make matters worse, threat actors have successfully siphoned off over $35 million in cryptocurrency to date.

Furthermore, another analyst, Tay, who created a graph documenting crypto thefts over the past six months, spanning from December 2022 to July 2023, stated, “I’m confident in saying that, in most of these cases, the compromised keys were stolen from @LastPass.”

Possible implications

While it is impossible to verify these claims with absolute certainty, Taylor Monahan, product manager at the cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask, who has been actively investigating the matter, argues that their findings indicate that a majority of the crypto theft victims stored their “seed phrase,” a private digital key crucial for accessing cryptocurrency investments, in LastPass. Furthermore, the consistent funnelling of stolen funds to the same blockchain addresses by threat actors has strengthened these claims.

Therefore, if these allegations hold true, two disconcerting possibilities arise: either threat actors used an undisclosed method to individually compromise hundreds of users’ vaults, or LastPass has not fully disclosed critical details concerning the breach.

What does LastPass have to say?

In response, LastPass CEO Karim Toubba stated, “Since last year’s attack on LastPass, we have maintained contact with law enforcement, sharing various technical information, Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), and threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) with our law enforcement contacts, as well as with our internal and external threat intelligence and forensic partners, in an effort to help identify the responsible parties. We have no further updates to share at this time.”


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Discover Samsung sale brings huge discount to your favorite Galaxy devices

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Discover Samsung sale brings huge discount to your favorite Galaxy devices
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Discover Samsung, which is the company’s twice-yearly sale that encompasses basically everything that Samsung sells, is now live. And you’ll only see these prices from Samsung through our links here – they’ll go live elsewhere starting on Sunday. But now through September 17, you can save big on all sorts of great products from Samsung.

This includes up to 58% off of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That’s with a $1,000 trade-in and you can also get a storage upgrade. So you’ll be getting a Galaxy Z Fold 5 for as low as $799.

Not looking for a foldable? That’s fine too. You can get the Galaxy S23 series for as low as $149. That’s with the enhanced trade-in promo that will take up to $880 off of any Galaxy S23 smartphone. There’s also the Galaxy A54 which is now on sale for just $124, that’s thanks to an enhanced trade-in credit.

Onto smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro Golf edition is down to $419, and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro LTE is down to $499, while the Bluetooth model is down to $449.

Samsung also sells other things that you might want for around the house, like the Jet 75 Cordless Stick Vacuum, which is now just $299 – that’s $100 off. You can also save 36% on the Bespoke Front Load Washer with OptiWash. It’s now $1,049 after $600 off.

Samsung also wants to help you up your gaming with discounts on some of its Odyssey monitors. You can get the 49″ Odyssey OLED G9 240Hz Curved Smart Gaming Monitor for just $1,699. Or you can get the 49″ Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Smart Gaming monitor for $1,599. You’ll also find the T7 Portable SSD 1TB on sale for as low as $99, or $189 for the 2TB model.

You can shop more of Samsung’s deals by clicking here. 


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Apple shares decline after Chinese government restricts iPhones

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Apple shares decline after Chinese government restricts iPhones
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China has always maintained strict control over the technology used by its citizens and government officials. However, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) recent decision to restrict the use of iPhones by government employees has sent shockwaves through Wall Street as Apple experienced a 2.9% drop in its stock price, marking its most significant two-day percentage decline since November.

Why did China ban iPhones for official use?

Despite Apple’s positive relationship with the CCP, the government has instructed employees at central government agencies to stop using iPhones during working hours due to privacy concerns. However, experts argue that this ban is a direct result of the US’s measures to restrict China’s access to critical technologies.

While the extent of this ban remains unclear since there is no official word from the CCP, this move could significantly affect Apple’s sales, given that China is its third-largest market, contributing 18% of the company’s total revenue.

“Perhaps more importantly, restricted use of iPhones among government employees could negatively impact sales among consumers (related family members; general populace) and could be part of a broader move by the Chinese government to promote usage of domestic technology,” said Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi.

US government’s response

In response to these developments, the US Commerce Department has expressed concerns and announced its intention to gather more information about the matter. Additionally, US Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House panel on China, characterized China’s actions as typical of the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy, which involves promoting national champions in telecommunications while gradually restricting market access for Western companies.

Moreover, Senator Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated, “As the Chinese economy stalls, we can potentially anticipate more aggressive moves against foreign businesses.”

Huawei getting back into the mix

While the US government’s ban on Huawei conducting business with other American countries has significantly hampered the company’s operations, the CCP’s decision to restrict iPhone access aligns with the launch of Huawei’s new phone, the Mate 60 Pro. Additionally, the fact that the phone’s Kirin 9000 chip can access 5G services could provide Huawei with an opportunity to regain some market share.


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Samsung opens One UI 6.0 beta for the Galaxy A54

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Samsung opens One UI 6.0 beta for the Galaxy A54
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Galaxy A54 users, Samsung has a nice little surprise for you. The Korean firm has opened its One UI 6.0 beta program for your phone. The beta update is currently only available in South Korea, but the company may soon expand the program to other markets.

One UI 6.0 is Samsung Android 14-based custom software for Galaxy devices. After months of internal testing, the Korean firm brought the new One UI version to the public in August. As expected, the Galaxy S23 series was given priority. The One UI 6.0 beta opened for the latest Galaxy flagships on August 11th in Germany, South Korea, and the US.

Samsung has since released a second beta build for the phones and also expanded the update to a few more countries, including China, India, and the UK. Galaxy users were expecting the company to launch One UI 6.0 beta programs for its foldables and older S-series flagships this month. However, it has surprised everyone (and annoyed a few Galaxy S22 users) by prioritizing the Galaxy A54.

Galaxy A54 users interested in testing One UI 6.0 can sign up for the beta program through the Samsung Members app in supported countries. You’ll find a banner about the program on the app’s homepage. Tap on it and follow the instructions to complete the registration process. The beta update will soon be available for your phone like a regular OTA (over the air) update.

The Galaxy S22 series should also get One UI 6.0 beta soon

Samsung may have prioritized a 2023 premium mid-range phone over the 2022 flagships, but it shouldn’t be long before One UI 6.0 beta opens up for the Galaxy S22 series. It will be the same process for the flagships as well. The Korean firm may also soon launch public beta programs for its foldable smartphones.

Since One UI 6.0 is a major update, it brings plenty of new features and improvements to eligible Galaxy devices. Samsung has made several notable UI tweaks, including a revamped layout for notifications and the quick panel. The system animations also feel smoother, though there’s still room for improvement.

One UI 6.0 contains new camera features as well, including more control over the capture speed and photo quality. Applying filters and face effects is now a lot more convenient with a new dial system. The document scanning feature has been separated from the Scene optimizer for easy access. This update also brings improvements for Bixby Text Call, gestures, system apps, and more.


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Polestar and Meizu partner up to make a flagship smartphone

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Polestar and Meizu partner up to make a flagship smartphone
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The electric vehicle maker Polestar is now partnering up with Meizu to bring something different from their business line. This partnership will introduce Polestar into the smartphone manufacturing industry. However, the electric vehicle manufacturer might not have plans to compete in the smartphone industry but build its EV fan base.

According to the available reports, the electric vehicle manufacturer is planning to launch this smartphone by the end of the year. The major focus of this coming smartphone will be its software features, but it might as well pack impressive hardware. Polestar aims to give potential buyers a glimpse of the software experience they’ll get from the brand’s electric vehicles.

Their partnership with Meizu is a strategic one, as the Chinese smartphone maker is also developing Polestar’s infotainment OS. The feel on both coming smartphones and Polestar cars will be very similar and will boost cross-platform integration. Here is all the information you need regarding this new partnership between Polestar and Meizu.

Details on the coming smartphone from the Polestar and Meizu partnership

At this time, the details of the coming smartphone from the Polestar and Meizu partnership (both are affiliated with China’s Geely) are bleak. However, recent reports have pointed out the software features that users should expect on this coming smartphone. The software that the Polestar smartphone will launch with will be similar to their vehicle’s infotainment system software.

Since this device would be developed by Meizu, Polestar won’t have to worry about building its software. It will use the Meizu Flyme OS, just like other smartphones from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. This software will be a bit customized to fit Polestar, so it might not look 100% like what is available on Meizu devices.

Just like with Meizu devices, the coming Polestar smartphone might ditch Android usage. Its specifications might be similar to any of the new devices in the Meizu 20 series. Also, this coming device might feature a premium price tag that goes to prove that it’ll also feature impressive specifications.

The electric vehicle manufacturer plans to launch this device in China towards the end of the year. Once available, fans will be able to get a feel of the software experience present in a Polestar vehicle. This experience will enable a seamless transition between the Polestar smartphone and electric vehicles for better connectivity.

Polestar currently has three electric vehicles to its name, adding a smartphone will be wild. Other electric vehicle brands are also planning to launch a smartphone as well. The likes of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio are also planning to launch a smartphone soon.


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