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Hulu’s $40 per month Live TV service launches, app hits App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Hulu's long-expected live TV service has gone official with today's launch of the Hulu Live TV app on App Store. Designed for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV, the software lets subscribers access the entire Hulu streaming library and more than 50 top live and on-demand channels, including FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, FX, NBCSN, FS1, History Channel and TNT.

In addition, live sports from top pro and college leagues, as well as regional sports networks, are available in certain areas. As a bonus, you'll get to stream national news with local feeds in select cities, popular kids shows, can’t-miss events and thousands of popular on-demand shows and movies from many of these channels.

You can choose to subscribe to Hulu with ad-supported Live TV for $40, or an additional $4 per month to get rid of advertising. Advanced features are available for extra money, such as Cloud DVR which lets you record live TV to watch your favorites on your own time, the ability to watch concurrent streams on multiple devices, as well as track and record games from your favorite teams with a My Teams feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT-7kxJDX-o

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For an additional $15 per month, you can upgrade Cloud DVR functionality with up to 200 hours of cloud storage and the ability to fast-forward through commercials. Unlimited simultaneous viewing on as many screens as you want is an additional $15 per month. And if you purchase both add-ons, you'll save a cool $10.

As soon as you launch the app, you're greeted with all-new onboarding experience.

Firstly, you're asked to log in with your Hulu subscription credentials. The app cannot be used unless you're a subscriber. The setup procedure then takes you on a quick tour of the app's main features such as your personal live TV lineup, a My Stuff section and more.

Next, you can optionally tell the app about the kinds of shows you prefer to watch, helping it recommend content that's tailored to your needs. Finally, you can add your favorite shows and movies to the My Stuff section, or skip this step and set up these items at a later stage.

The app lets you create up to six personalized profiles so everyone in your household gets to enjoy their own personalized Hulu experience with their own collection of shows, movies, networks and more. Like with other services, the more you watch, the smarter the system gets.

You can browse Hulu's library while you watch with a Fliptray feature that lets you quickly find what else is on, change the channel, or get recommendations of what to watch next. Just tap the Fliptray button during playback to get started with this multitasking capability.

The app supports iPhone and iPad with iOS 10+ and the fourth-generation Apple TV.

A free seven-day trial of Hulu Live TV is available to new and eligible subscribers. As a cool bonus, Hulu will let you try out each of the add-ons for one month without being charged.

Download Hulu Live TV from App Store.

Tim Cook is auctioning charity lunch meeting at Apple Park

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2017

Would you like to have a lunch with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company’s impressive Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California? If so, bid on the Charitybuzz website before May 16 at 3pm EDT for your chance to score an one-hour lunch with the CEO of the world’s most powerful publicly traded corporation.

At the time of this writing, nine bids have been entered for a total of $84,888 with the auction listing an estimated value of $100,000. Proceeds from the charity auction will be donated to the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

The lunch is valid for 2 people.

Cost of the meal is included in your bid and the experience cannot be resold or re-auctioned.

Travel and accommodations are not included.

“We expect all winning bidders and their guests to conduct themselves appropriately when attending an experience won at Charitybuzz,” the charity marketing firm said. “Polite manners and respect for the generous donor and adherence to any rules or parameters are a must.”

From the Charitybuzz listing:

As CEO and a member of the board of directors, Tim is overseeing a company-wide effort to use 100 percent renewable energy at all Apple facilities and has helped improve conditions for workers who make the company’s products.

He is also continuing Apple’s efforts to advance the company’s inclusion and diversity and to invest in schools where technology can have a tremendous impact, as part of the ConnectED initiative.

Under Tim’s leadership, Apple initiated a program to match employee donations, has given millions of dollars to the American Red Cross and is the largest corporate donor to (RED) to fight AIDS in Africa.

Cook is a busy man: the website notes that it may take up to one year to schedule the lunch based on availability. The winning bidder and their guest(s) will be subject to security screening (this is Apple we’re talking about after all).

This is how much Cook’s previous Charitybuzz campaigns have raised:

$515,000 in 2016 $200,000 in 2015 $330,001 in 2014 $610,000 in 2013

Apple’s boss was recently honored with the Newseum’s Free Speech award for creating technology that has changed the way people communicate and for using his position to take a public stand on issues like racial equality, privacy, the environment and LGBT rights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFhcnzSmH-E

While this is the fifth year in a row that Cook has partnered with Charitybuzz, it’s the first year that the winning bidder gets to visit Apple Park.

The most recent 4K drone footage of Apple Park shows continuing construction progress as finishing touches are being put on the new campus sprawling across 175 acres of parkland with 9,000 freshly planted mature trees.

The main ring-shaped build is clad entirely by the world’s largest panels of curved glass and files as the world’s largest office building. And with 17 megawatts of rooftop solar, Apple Park will run one of the largest on-site solar energy installations in the world.

Dear iDB: should I update?

Joaquim Barbosa ∙ Updated January 20, 2023

We're trying something new today here at iDB. We've decided to select an inquiry from one of our readers and answer it personally, and in detail. Hopefully it will allow our readers to see the thought processes behind solving their query, and give them a more certain and tailored response. If there's interest in it we may well make it a series, so feel free to email in your own dilemma if you'd like to see it answered personally by me or one of the team!

HUDPlayer gives you a banner-styled volume HUD

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 3, 2017

The volume HUD has always been a pain point for iPhone owners; the fact that it pops up right in the middle of the screen as you adjust your volume is intrusive and becomes a nuisance when you're trying to watch videos or listening to music while viewing photos/reading e-Books.

Countless jailbreak tweaks have been released over the years in an attempt to repair this problem. Most of them move the volume HUD out of the way in creative ways, and now the latest to join that list is HUDPlayer by iOS developer pxcex.

FancyNC thins out your notification banners and widgets

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 3, 2017

A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed FancyNC by iOS developer Demy Kromhof makes your iPhone's banner notifications and widgets thinner, decreasing their visual footprint and pleasing the average minimalist.

Among the things it does to achieve the end result is remove both the bulky headers and the unsightly separator lines that appear on elements on both the Lock screen and in Notification Center.

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 161: The sweet spot

Sébastien Page ∙ May 3, 2017

Some big news this month, but can you trust it? Besides discussing the latest iOS 10.3.1 jailbreak rumor, Joaquim and Sebastien talk about recent development in the community, including iDevice ReRestore, CoolBooter, and iPhone 3GS exploit, and more.

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How to clear your web browsing cache in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox on Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 19, 2022

Over time, web browsers accumulate website data from everyday browsing. Known as cache, this data collection helps browsers load web pages more quickly, so these files don't have to be re-downloaded when you revisit the same websites in the future.

Unfortunately, cache is also the main suspect when diagnosing issues loading websites, and it can also eat up valuable storage space on your Mac. That's why in this tutorial, we'll show you how to delete cache and cookies in three of the most popular web browsers: Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

Interesting points from Apple’s Q2 earnings call

Cody Lee ∙ May 2, 2017

Apple announced the financial results for its fiscal second quarter of 2017 this afternoon, and the numbers for the 3-month period are pretty good. While iPhone sales were down slightly from last year, the company's revenue was up from $50.6 billion to $52.9 billion.

Following the release of its earnings, CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri hopped on a conference call to talk about Apple's performance over the last 3 months, and offer up some insights into its future. Here are some of the most interesting points from the call.

Apple’s Q2 2017: 50.8M iPhones, 8.9M iPads, $52.9B revenue

Cody Lee ∙ May 2, 2017

Apple on Tuesday reported its [fiscal] Q2 2017 earnings, offering a look at its performance over the last 3 months. During the period, the company sold 50.8 million iPhones, down slightly from the year-ago quarter, and made $52.9 billion, up 5% from last year. Here's a full breakdown of the numbers.

Microsoft’s new mouse has bendable tail

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2017

Microsoft's hardware division has been building some of the nicest mice and keyboards for years now. At today's education-focused event in New York City, the Windows maker briefly showed off a new Surface Arc Mouse.

Positioned as the perfect travel companion to the company's new touchscreen Surface Laptop, the wireless mouse was designed with a bendable tail and other features such as a touch-sensitive surface akin to Apple's Magic Mouse.

The Bluetooth device snaps into the curved position to power up. When you're done using it, simply snap again to flatten and power it down.

At just 2.91 ounces, or about 83 grams, Surface Arc Mouse is pretty light, too.

And here it is in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwSh2q-1yE

Other features include a touch-sensitive plane for simultaneous vertical and horizontal scrolling, Bluetooth 4.0, the curvature that conforms to your hand, up to nine months of battery life via the two included AAA alkaline batteries, left and right buttons and more.

The Bluetooth device boasts high imaging rate that adapts dynamically to a whopping 1,200 frames per second, ensuring smooth performance with up to a thousand points per inch and tracking speed of up to 30 inches (approximately 762 millimeters) per second.

Surface Arc Mouse is available for pre-order via Microsoft Store for $79.99 in three distinct color finishes: Burgundy, Light Gray and Cobalt Blue.

It's scheduled to start shipping this summer on June 15.

New features announced for Minecraft: Education Edition

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2017

As part of Microsoft’s event held earlier today, developer Mojang announced that Minecraft: Education Edition is getting new features. The educational version of the popular open-world game designed specifically for classroom use will be gaining a Code Builder feature, Command Blocks and other enhancements via an upcoming update due later this Spring.

Code Builder

With Code Builder, educators and students can explore, create and play in the Minecraft world, all by writing code. Students can connect to popular learn-to-code platforms: ScratchX, Tynker, Code.org and a brand new open source platform, called Microsoft MakeCode.

Check out Code Builder in the video presentation embedded below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rKuSlgqePo

Players start with the familiar Minecraft tools, templates and tutorials, with additional resources at their disposal allowing them to easily engage with computer science concepts as they design and create.

Command Blocks and Classroom Mode

Command Blocks, a new feature, will be part of the upcoming Minecraft: Education Edition version 1.0.1 due later this Spring. That update will also bring out a few other perks, including additional languages, villager trading, adventure mode, concrete/terracotta blocks and llamas.

Lastly, Classroom Mode for Minecraft: Education Edition has been updated with additional toggles to support teaching and learning. The update gives educators additional toggles to manage chat and blocks that cause damage like lava and TNT, weather and mobs.

Availability

Microsoft says classrooms in more than a hundred countries have used the educational edition of Minecraft, with its professional learning community having created 30,000 profiles and hundreds of educator-created lesson plans.

Download Minecraft: Education Edition for Mac/Windows via education.minecraft.net, where you can also join an open beta of Code Builder if you'd like.

The software maker said that a one-year subscription to Minecraft: Education Edition is now included with qualifying purchases of Windows 10 computers and tablets.

The regular edition of Minecraft is gaining a Marketplace feature, basically an in-game store where players can buy Minecraft customizations made by independent developers.

Marketplace is coming via the version 1.1 Discovery Update.

Microsoft unveils touchscreen Surface Laptop, its $999 MacBook rival

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2017

At its educational event held this morning in New York City, Microsoft unveiled Surface Laptop, its $999 MacBook rival available for preorder beginning today ahead of its planned release this summer.

The device runs the new Windows 10 S operating system, the company's answer to Google’s Chrome OS, and features a clamshell body weighing at 2.76 pounds and measuring 14.47mm at its thickest point and tapering down to 9.9mm at its thinnest point at the front.

Taking on MacBooks

Surface Laptop runs either Intel’s seventh-generation i5 or i7 processor and sports vapor chambers integrated into the anodized aluminum finish on the rear to help keep it cool.

It's got a 13.5-inch PixelSense LCD touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio featuring 3.4 million pixels (withCorning’s Gorilla Glass 3 for protection) and supporting the Surface Pen stylus. “This is the thinnest LDC touch model every created and put into a laptop,” says Microsoft's Panos Panay, who took to the stage to unveil the new products today.

Say hello to Surface Laptop

Watch a reveal trailer for Surface Laptop below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kPEJWpCD4

The laptop is outfitted with a 14.5-hour battery.

That’s “up to four more hours of battery power than a 13-inch MacBook Pro” and “more battery life than any MacBook Air on the market today,” says the Windows maker in another comparison between its new notebook and Apple's MacBook line. The Windows maker claims you can watch as many as fourteen episodes of your favorite TV show in one sitting, without ever plugging in.

The device's keyboard has a 1.5mm travel, with the backlit keys made from the same material used for premium Surface Pro covers, called Alcantara fabric. The speakers are integrated underneath the keyboard, but there are no speaker grills or holes.

In terms of connections, Surface Laptop comes outfitted with a regular USB port, mini DisplayPort and the conventional Surface power connector, but no USB-C.

Windows 10 S or Windows 10 Pro?

Because it runs Windows 10 S, Surface Laptop can only run apps offered on Windows Store.

Google Chrome is not found on Windows Store and Spotify’s app with support for Surface Dial will be coming to the store early this summer. If you want to run apps not found on Windows Store, you can optionally upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for a one-time $49 fee.

Because Windows 10 Pro is the full version of Microsoft’s operating system, upgrading may result in reduced battery life and performance, cautions the Windows maker.

If you need to use an app that isn’t in the Windows Store, in just a few clicks can go to the Windows Store and switch to Windows 10 Pro. But you shouldn’t. This device, this OS, they’re made for each other, and together they offer so much. It’s everything you love about Windows, Office, and Surface, made pure and elegant in an unbelievably thin and light package.

Microsoft now has three families of Surface devices in its lineup: the Surface Pro 4 notebook/laptop hybrid, the all-in-one Surface Studio and the new Surface Laptop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HCVUCqZoHI

Availability and pricing

Surface Laptop is available for pre-order via Microsoft Store starting today.

The entry-level $999 model uses Intel’s seventh-generation Core i5 processor with Intel HD Graphics 620, four gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of flash storage. The $1,299 model uses 256 gigabytes of flash storage and eight gigabytes of RAM.

The more powerful $1,599 model comes outfitted with Intel’s seventh-generation Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, eight gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of flash storage. The flagship $2,199 model upgrades your storage and RAM to 512 and sixteen gigabytes, respectively.

Surface Laptop comes in four colors: Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue and Graphite Gold.

The notebook will start shipping this summer on June 15. For a limited time, Surface Laptop comes with an offer for one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal and one terabyte of free storage on OneDrive, giving you full access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.