This Week in Apps: Apple’s vaping app ban, Disney+ gets installed, apps gear up for Black Friday

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the Extra Crunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support, and the money that flows through it all. What are developers talking about? What do app publishers and marketers need to know? How are politics impacting the App Store and app businesses? And which apps are everyone using?

As mid-November rolls around, we’re looking at a few big stories, including Apple’s decision to ban an entire category of apps due to health concerns, the launch of Disney+ from an app perspective, what Black Friday will mean for e-commerce apps, and more.

Fast Facts

With Disney+’s huge launch (10+ million users!) on everyone’s minds, it’s time to think about what these streaming newcomers mean for the overall landscape and the app stores. In this case, it seems that Disney+’s user base was highly mobile. The company itself announced more than 10 million users, while data on the Disney+ app’s first few days indicates it now has over 10 million downloads. It seems like consumers definitely want to take their new streaming service with them everywhere they go.

• In 2020, App Annie forecasts consumers will spend more than 674 billion hours in the Entertainment and Video Player and Editor categories worldwide on Android phones, up from an expected 558 billion hours in 2019. Thanks to Disney+, Apple TV+ and soon, HBO Max, Peacock and Quibi, to making the landscape both richer and more complicated.
• On its launch day, Disney+ hit #1 by iPhone Overall downloads at 8 AM in the U.S. and at 11 AM in Canada — an indication of the ability that strong IP has can really excite consumers to come out in droves. (Unfortunately, that led to some launch day glitches, too.)
• Apptopia estimated Disney+ was downloaded 3.2 million times in its first 24 hours. The firm also estimated users collectively spent 1.3 million hours watching Disney+ on day one — ahead of Amazon Prime Video, but well behind Netflix.

• Sensor Tower waited to collect a little more data instead. It found that the Disney+ app was installed approximately 9.6 million times in all available markets (the U.S., Canada, and the Netherlands), since its U.S. launch on Tuesday, Nov. 12. For comparison’s sake, HBO Now’s U.S. launch only saw 180,000 installs in its first three days — or 2% of the Disney+ total. Combined with the test period installs in the Netherlands, the app has now been installed over 10 million times.
• The hype around Disney+ has had a halo effect. Hulu and ESPN, which were offered in a bundle with Disney+, also grew as a result of the Disney+ launch. Sensor Tower found combined users of the apps in the U.S. and Canada were up 30% in the past week over the week prior.

Headlines

Apple removed all vaping apps from the App Store, citing CDC health concerns

The CDC says 42 people have died due to vaping product use and thousands more cases of lung injuries have been reported from 49 states. Now, Apple has made the controversial decision to remove all 181 vaping-related apps from its App Store — including those with news and information about vaping and even vaping-related games, Axios reported this week.

Some say Apple is helping to protect kids and teens by limiting their exposure to e-cigarette and vaping products, which are being used to addict a younger generation to nicotine and cause serious disease. Others argue that Apple is over-reaching. After all, many of the lung illnesses involve people who were vaping illegally obtained THC, studies indicated.

This isn’t the first time Apple has banned a category of apps because of what appear to be moral concerns. The company in the past had booted apps that promoted weed or depicted gun violence, for example. In the case of vaping apps, Apple cited the public health crisis and youth epidemic as contributing factors, telling Axios that:

We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We’re constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users’ health and well-being. Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic. We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.

Existing users will still be able to use their apps, but new users will not be able to download the banned apps going forward.

Minecraft Earth arrives 

Minecraft Earth launched early last week across 9 countries on both Android and iOS and now it’s come to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and several other markets. Some expect the app will rival the success of the AR breakout hit, Pokémon Go, which was thought at the time to be the precursor to a new wave of massive AR gaming titles. But in reality, that didn’t happen. The highly anticipated follow-up from Niantic, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite didn’t come close to competing with its predecessor, generating $12 million in its first month, compared with Pokémon Go’s first-month earnings of $300 million. With Minecraft Earth now sitting at No. 2 (c’mon, you can’t unseat Disney+) on the U.S. App Store, it seems there’s potential for another AR kingpin.

App Annie releases a user acquisition playbook

A top name in App Store intelligence, App Annie this week released a new how-to handbook focused on user acquisition strategies on mobile. Sure the free download is just a bit of lead gen for App Annie, but the guide promises to fill you in on all you need to know to be successful in acquiring mobile users. The playbook’s arrival follows App Annie’s acquisition of adtech insights firm Libring this fall, as it expands to cover more aspects of running an app business. Just as important as rankings and downloads are the very real costs associated with running an app business — including the cost of acquiring users.

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5 Google Search Alternatives to Find Something New

Google is the default search engine for most of us. But did you know you can give to charity through search engines, or even earn cryptocurrency by searching? Check out these cool alternatives to Google.

You don’t need to quit Google cold-turkey or switch to any of these search engines immediately. Both can co-exist happily, and you can pick and choose when to use it. The idea is to try going away from Google to discover features and results that you won’t see otherwise.

1. Mojeek (Web): Search by Emotion, While Staying Private

Anything published on the internet gets a lot of reactions. Mojeek, an alternative to the likes of Google, says it can filter search results based on how people feel about that link. And it surprisingly works well.

There are five emotions currently available: love, wow, haha, sad, and angry.

Type your keywords and click the emoji to get search results that match the emotion. Click a different emoji and the results will change. It actually works, and you might discover links that you wouldn’t find otherwise. I found it a truly different, cool way to browse search results.

Mojeek is also a full web-crawling search engine, which means it uses its own results unlike many of the metasearch engines that repackage Google or some other search giant’s results. It is also completely private, does not track its users, and prides itself on hosting its servers with an eco-friendly partner.

The company’s founders conducted an extensive AMA on Reddit, if you want to know more about their philosophy or product.

2. Givero (Web): Raise Money for Good Causes Through Web Searches

How awesome would it be if every time you searched for something on the web, the money went to a good cause instead of lining the pockets of a private company like Google or Microsoft? Well, that’s what Givero is offering to do.

The idea behind Givero is similar to Ecosia and a few other such charity-focused tech companies. How does it work? Like Google or Bing, Givero earns revenue through advertising when you use it to search for anything. But unlike the others, half of the ad revenues from these searches will be given to a charitable cause.

You can choose the causes too. This includes global organizations (Mozilla Foundation, WWF, ocean cleanup) and local Danish causes since it’s a Denmark-based website. Add a charity to your causes, and the ad revenue from your searches will be diverted to only those causes.

All you have to do is search on Givero instead of Google. This might be one of the easiest ways to change the world.

3. Gibiru (Web): Uncensored, Privacy-Protected Google Results

You like Google, but you don’t like how it invades your privacy? Gibiru might be the best way for you to see Google search results while protecting your privacy. And you’ll also see some of the results that Google might censor.

Branded as an unfiltered, private search engine, Gibiru claims to have a modified version of the Google algorithm. So you will likely see the same results as you would on a Google search, and in fact, the interface is a little similar too.

But there’s a second tab called Uncensored. This tab shows links that you won’t see on Google or would be drowned into the back pages. Be warned, some of these are a bit out there, and you need to be wearing a tinfoil hat to click them.

But at its core, Gibiru does a good job of protecting your identity while doing search queries. It uses 256 bit encryption for all searches and does not keep search logs. It does not store any cookies on your device and doesn’t sell your data.

4. SearX (Web): Metasearch to Get Results From Multiple Search Engines

Different search engines use different methods to find the best results. SearX is a privacy-friendly metasearch engine that aggregates results into one central page. It’s based on open-source software.

In the Preferences, you can set which search engines you want to use.

These include popular giants like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, as well as smaller names like Qwant and Startpage. In fact, you can choose specific engines for each type of search category, namely General, Files, Images, Map, Music, Videos, News, and Social Media.

The About page says SearX does not store any data, doesn’t generate a profile on your behavior, doesn’t share what you search with a third party, and can’t be used to compromise you. Website choices are saved locally on your computer, and you can clear all cookies through Preferences.

5. Presearch (Web): Earn Cryptocurrency Through Searches

Presearch is a fun little search engine that lets you earn some cryptocurrency with every search. It’s called PRE tokens and is not of much value at the moment. CoinMarketCap values one PRE token at $0.001 USD. But hey, it’s something.

Each search gives you a few decimals of PRE tokens, with a maximum of 32 searches per day giving that payout. Presearch’s tokens can be redeemed at an online store for merchandise like stickers and beanies. But it might be wiser to stack them up and use them to buy advertising space on Presearch.

The search app itself is quite cool though. It uses its own search engine by default, but you can add shortcuts to other services like Google, DuckDuckGo, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc. One click and you can search their catalogs.

Find What Google Can’t

It’s surprising to discover how many other great search engines there are. There’s Ecosia, which plants trees around the world to offset your search results’ carbon footprint. There’s Yippy, which clubs search results into “clusters” so you can find more links in the sub-category of what you’re looking for. And there are many more.

In fact, you might be shocked to know that Google can’t even find everything on the web. Heck, can it tell you which streaming service to play a movie or TV show on? No, you need a different app for that. There is much more to the world of online search results, which you can see through these alternative search engines to find what Google can’t.

Read the full article: 5 Google Search Alternatives to Find Something New

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Google Will Now Help You Pronounce Words

Google is rolling out some new Google Search features designed to help you pronounce words correctly. Google already has some impressive language skills, but the combination of visual cues and the ability to practice pronunciations takes things up a notch.

Learning to Pronounce Words Correctly

There are thousands of languages spoken around the world, and each of them has hundreds of thousands of words. Therefore, it’s impossible to know all of the words even in your native language, let alone a second or third language.

When you encounter either a new word or one you’re not familiar with, you may search online for how to pronounce it. And Google will invariably help. However, Google Search is now getting a couple of new tricks to help you pronounce words correctly.

Google Learns New Language Skills

Google details its new language skills in a post on The Keyword. The first new skill is an experimental pronunciation feature which lets you practice your language skills. The second is the addition of visuals designed to give context to words and their meanings.

The pronunciation feature lets you practice saying the word you’re having trouble with. After you Google “How to pronounce anemone” for example, Google will show you the correct pronunciation as usual. However, you’ll now also see a Practice button.

Click this, and you can say the word into your microphone. Google will then mark you using speech recognition technology and machine learning. Depending on the way your pronounce the word, Google will offer feedback on how you can improve.

Google will now also provide visual representations of the words you search for. This is designed to help visual learners, and will be especially helpful for words with multiple meanings. Google is starting with nouns, with hopes to expand in the future.

Will the Babel Fish Become a Reality?

The option to practice your pronunciations of words is available in American English now, with Spanish following closely behind. The visual cue cards are also available in English now, and across all language translations. This is mobile-only for now.

Google is upping its game when it comes to language skills. As well as these new Google Search features, Google Maps can now translate place names. It surely can’t be long until the Babel fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy becomes a reality.

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10 Simple CSS Code Examples You Can Learn in 10 Minutes

Once you’ve started dabbling in HTML, you’ll probably be interested in adding more power to your web pages. CSS is the best way to do that. CSS lets you apply changes across your entire page without relying on inline styling.

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Here are several simple CSS examples to show you how to make some basic styling changes on your web page.

1. Basic CSS Code for Easy Paragraph Formatting

Styling with CSS means you don’t have to specify a style every time you create an element. You can just say “all paragraphs should have this particular styling” and you’re good to go.

Let’s say you want every paragraph (<p>, one of the HTML tags everyone should know) to be slightly larger than usual. And dark grey text, instead of black. The CSS code for this is:

p {

  font-size: 120%;

  color: dimgray;

}

Simple! Now, whenever the browser renders a paragraph, the text will inherit the size (120 percent of normal) and color (“dimgray”).

If you’re curious as to which plain-text colors you can use, check out this CSS color list from Mozilla.

2. Change Letter Case

Want to create a designation for paragraphs that should be in small caps? A CSS sample for that would be:

p.smallcaps {

  font-variant: small-caps;

}

To make a paragraph that’s entirely in small caps, we’ll use a slightly different HTML tag. Here’s what it looks like:

<p class="smallcaps">Your paragraph here.</p>

Adding a dot and a class name to an element specifies a sub-type of that element defined by a class. You can do this with text, images, links, and just about anything else.

If you want to change the case of a set of text to a specific case, use these CSS examples:

text-transform: uppercase;

text-transform: lowercase;

text-transform: capitalize;

The last one capitalizes the first letter of every sentence.

3. Change Link Colors

Style changes aren’t limited to paragraphs. There are four different colors a link can be assigned: its standard color, its visited color, its hover color, and its active color (which it displays while you’re clicking on it). Here’s the CSS code for those:

a:link {

color: gray;

}

a:visited {

color: green;

}

a:hover {

color: purple;

}

a:active {

color: teal;

}

With links, each “a” is followed by a colon, not a dot.

Each one of those declarations changes the color of a link in a specific context. There’s no need to change the class of a link to get it to change color.

4. Remove Link Underlines

While underlined text clearly indicates a link, it sometimes looks nicer to scrap that underline. This is accomplished with the “text-decoration” attribute. This CSS examples shows how to remove underlines on links:

a {

text-decoration: none;

}

Anything with the link (“a”) tag will remain non-underlined. Want to underline it when the user hovers over it? Simply add:

a:hover {

text-decoration: underline;

}

You could also add this text-decoration to active links to ensure the underline doesn’t disappear when the link is clicked.

5. Make a Link Button With CSS Code

Want to attract more attention to your link? A link button is a great way to go about it. This one requires a few more lines, but we’ll go over them each individually:

a:link, a:visited, a:hover, a:active {

background-color: green;

color: white;

padding: 10px 25px;

text-align: center;

text-decoration: none;

display: inline-block;

}

Including all four link states ensures that the button doesn’t disappear when a user hovers or clicks on it. You can also set different parameters for hover and active links, e.g. changing the button or text color.

The background color is set with background-color, and text color with color. Padding defines the size of box—the text is padded by 10px vertically and 25px horizontally.

Text-align ensures that the text is displayed in the center of the button, instead of off to one side. Text-decoration, as we saw in the last example, removes the underline.

The CSS code “display: inline-block” is a bit more complicated. In short, it lets you set the height and width of the object. It also ensures that it starts a new line when it’s inserted.

6. Create a Text Box

A plain paragraph isn’t very exciting. If you want to highlight an element on your page, you might want to add a border. Here’s how to do that with a string of CSS code:

p.important {

border-style: solid;

border-width: 5px;

border-color: purple;

}

This one is straightforward. It creates a solid purple border, five pixels wide, around any important-class paragraph. To make a paragraph inherit these properties, just declare it like this:

<p class="important">Your important paragraph here.</p>

This will work regardless however big the paragraph is.

There are many different border styles you can apply; instead of “solid,” try “dotted” or “double.” Meanwhile, the width can be “thin,” “medium,” or “thick.” CSS code can even define the thickness of each border individually, like this:

border-width: 5px 8px 3px 9px;

That results in a top border of five pixels, a right border of eight, a bottom of three, and a left border size of nine pixels.

7. Center-Align Elements

For a very common task, centering elements with CSS code is surprisingly unintuitive. Once you’ve done it a few times though, it becomes much easier. You have a couple of different ways to center things.

For a block element (usually an image), use the margin attribute:

.center {

display: block;

margin: auto;

}

This ensures that the element is displayed as a block and that the margin on each side is set automatically. If you want to center all the images on a given page, you can even add “margin: auto” to the img tag:

img {

margin: auto;

}

To learn why it works this way, check out the CSS box model explanation at W3C.

But what if we want to center text with CSS? Use this sample CSS:

.centertext {

text-align: center;

}

Want to use the “centertext” class to center the text in a paragraph? Simply add that class to the <p> tag:

<p class="centertext">This text will be centered.</p>

8. CSS Examples for Adjusting Padding

The padding of an element specifies how much space should be on each side. For example, if you add 25 pixels of padding to the bottom of an image, the following text will be pushed 25 pixels down. Many elements can have padding, not just images.

Let’s say you want every image to have 20 pixels of padding on the left and right sides, and 40 pixels on the top and bottom. The most basic execution is:

img {

padding-top: 40px;

padding-right: 25px;

padding-bottom: 40px;

padding-left: 25px;

}

There’s shorthand CSS code we can use to present all of this information in a single line:

img {

padding: 40px 25px 40px 25px;

}

This sets the top, right, bottom, and left paddings to the right number. Thanks to only two values being used (40 and 25) we can make it even shorter:

img {

padding: 40px 25px

}

When you use only two values, the first value is set for the top and bottom, while the second will be left and right.

9. Highlight Table Rows

CSS code make tables look much nicer than the default grids. Adding colors, adjusting borders, and making your table responsive to mobile screens are all easy. We’ll look at just one cool effect here: highlighting table rows when you mouse over them.

Here’s the code you’ll need for that:

tr:hover {

background-color: #ddd;

}

Now whenever you mouse over a table cell, that row will change color. To see some of the other cool things you can do, check out the W3C page on fancy CSS tables.

10. Shifting Images Between Transparent and Opaque

CSS code can help you do cool things with images, too. Here’s a CSS example to display images at less than full opacity, so they appear slightly “whited out”. When you mouse over the images, they’re brought to full opacity:

img {

opacity: 0.5;

filter: alpha(opacity=50);

}

The “filter” attribute does the same thing as “opacity,” but internet Explorer 8 and earlier don’t recognize the opacity measurement. For older browsers, it’s a good idea to include it.

Now that the images are slightly transparent, we’ll bring them to fully opaque on a mouseover:

img:hover {

opacity: 1.0;

filter: alpha(opacity=100);

}

10 CSS Examples With Source Code

With these CSS code examples, you should have a much better idea of how CSS works. CSS templates can help, but understanding the raw elements is vital.

The 10 easy CSS code examples we’ve looked at:

1. Easy paragraph formatting
2. Change letter case
3. Change link colors
4. Remove link underlines
5. Make a link buuton
6. Create a text box
7. Center-align elements
8. Adjust padding
9. Highlight table rows
10. Make images opaque

Reviewing them again, you’ll notice several patterns that you can apply to future code. And that’s when you know you’ve really started becoming a CSS master. But remembering it can be tough. You might want to bookmark this page for future reference.

For a quick way to remember some of the things you’ve learnt here, be sure to check out our CSS3 properties cheat sheet.

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5 Ways to Check the Security of Your Internet Connection

With so many potential weak points in a network, it’s hard to know if everything is properly secured. Is your connection secure, and how would you know where the flaws lie?

Here’s how to check if your network is secure so you can have peace of mind.

1. Test Your Firewall for Weaknesses

The first port of call for checking your internet security is the firewall. The firewall’s main job is to protect the ports on your computer from unwanted visitors. As such, it’s a good idea to test these ports to ensure unauthorized connections can’t creep through.

Fortunately, you don’t need to pay a hacker to attack your firewall. Services such as ShieldUp! prod at your computer’s ports and report back if it breaches your defenses. If your firewall doesn’t protect you, it’s worth trying a more secure one. We covered the top firewall programs for you to consider, so be sure to check them out if your current one fails you.

2. Test Your Antivirus Strength

Antivirus software secures your downloads to ensure nothing malicious slips onto your system. As a result, it’s a good idea to ensure it’s active and doing its job properly. A poor antivirus won’t catch threats as they appear and will let them infect your computer.

To safely test an antivirus, you can download an EICAR file. EICAR files are harmless by themselves, but antiviruses are trained to detect it as if it were a virus. The EICAR file can be downloaded on its own, or bundled up in layers of ZIP files in an effort to hide it from your antivirus. This makes EICAR files a great way to test your antivirus without exposing your PC to actual threats.

We covered more ways to check in the ways to safely test your antivirus. If you’re wondering if your antivirus is up to par, be sure to try some of those methods.

3. Check Your Protocol While Browsing

Image Credit: Jirsak/Depositphotos

When you send data to a website that uses the HTTP protocol, it’s sent as what’s called “plaintext.” This means there’s nothing that encrypts the data between you and the target server. People can snoop on what you’re sending and note any private information. This makes HTTP dangerous to use on a public network, as you’re never sure if someone is logging your data.

On the flipside, HTTPS does encrypt your data. HTTPS is typically used when you log into a website, so your information is hidden. You can tell if a website uses HTTPS by looking at the URL; it should start with “HTTPS” if your connection is secure. Browsers may also show an icon next to the address bar to let you know your data is encrypted. Google Chrome, for example, will show a little padlock to inform you that it’s using HTTPS.

When you’re logging into a website, be sure to check the protocol. If it uses HTTPS, you’re safe to log in. If you don’t see the lock, the website is using HTTP and is unsafe. If this happens when you visit a popular website, there’s a good chance that malware has redirected you to a fake website that looks identical to the real thing. This is done so the hackers can get your login details and get into your real account on the actual website.

If you’re interested in using HTTPS on as many websites as possible, it’s worth looking at HTTPS Everywhere. This is an addon that’s compatible with most popular browsers and forces HTTPS on every website that supports it.

4. Secure Your Router From Hackers

Your router is the central hub for your home’s internet connection. It handles who can and can’t use your connection, which makes it a key target for hackers. As such, it’s worth securing your router to prevent any headaches in the future.

For one, make sure you’re using WPA2 for your Wi-Fi key. If you received your router semi-recently, there’s a very good chance it has been using WPA2 since you bought it. Older models will use WPA, or worse, WEP. There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t use WEP, so be sure to buy a new router if your one uses it.

Is your network secure from password hacking? If you’re unsure, double-check the passwords that your router uses. There are two you need to check: the password to access the network and the password that gives you admin controls over the router itself.

These days, routers use randomized passwords for every model to stop hacks. Older or cheaper models, however, will likely use default usernames and passwords, such as the classic “username: admin, password: admin” standard. If yours has this, be sure to change it immediately!

If you’re feeling paranoid, you can also change the SSID of your router. By default, your router broadcasts a name that gives away what model it is. If hackers find a flaw in your model of router, your SSID will reveal that you’re using a vulnerable router.

Giving your router a fun name hides your model name and makes it harder for hackers to crack your security.

5. Check Your VPN Connection for Leaks

Is your internet connection secure from DNS leaks? If you use a VPN, it’s a good idea to double-check if it’s leaking information about your true whereabouts. If the term “VPN” doesn’t mean anything to you, you don’t need to worry about this step. Instead, why not check out some reasons why you need a VPN, and what it means?

If you do use a VPN, you can double-check that the service is hiding you using IP Leak. This will prod at your traffic to make sure that your VPN connection is secure, and doesn’t “leak” your real details. If you visit the website without the VPN, it will show you all the information it can deduce from your connection.

When you revisit the website after activating the VPN, it should show the VPN’s server details instead of your own. If you see your details, it means your VPN isn’t properly securing your connection.

Keeping Your Connection Safe

There are many ways in which a hacker can compromise your connection. There’s no need to fret, however; by performing some simple tests, you can make sure that your connection is safe to use.

If you want to take this a step further, why not learn some simple tips to secure your router?

Read the full article: 5 Ways to Check the Security of Your Internet Connection

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The 7 Best Gifts for Music Lovers

Buying a gift can be tricky, especially if its for a music fan. In years gone by, you may have chosen a CD as a gift, but these seem redundant in the age of streaming. If you’re looking for inspiration, we can help.

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Here are the best gifts for music lovers you can buy today.

1. Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit

Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit Buy Now On Amazon $188.00

Although music is an aural experience, it can be complemented by visuals too. For example, a live music event will always have a light show incorporated into the performance. Music players on our computers often come with visualizers as well, which adapt to the music.

The Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit is a great way to add music visualization to your experience. These smart lighting panels can be mounted on any wall around your home. The lights can be purchased independently, but the Rhythm module adds sound sensors that pick up any audio playing and adjust the lights in time with the music.

As with many smart lights, the Nanoleaf work with Apple Homekit, Google Assistant, Alexa, and IFTTT. This kit comes with all the parts you need to get started, including the Rhythm module, nine lighting panels, nine mounting stencils, and 28 mounting strips.

These lights are a great addition to any music lover’s home, but the feature-packed device could be a great gift for anyone. To find out more about their capabilities, check out our review of the Nanoleaf Rhythm.

2. Jabra Elite 85h

Jabra Elite 85h Jabra Elite 85h Buy Now On Amazon $299.99

A good set of headphones is essential for any music fan or audiophile. Among the best headphones available today are the Jabra Elite 85h. Although Jabra is best known for its range of business-focused accessories, these headphones are ideal for listening to music. The earpads are comfortable enough to wear throughout the day and can last up to 36 hours on a single charge.

They come equipped with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which uses four microphones to cancel out any background noise. There’s also a hybrid ANC mode called HearThrough. This allows some background noise to get through, helping you to keep track of your environment. Jabra’s SmartSound intelligently switches between ANC modes too.

If you want to know more about these headphones, check out our review of the Jabra Elite 85h.

3. Ticket Stub Diary

Ticket Stub Diary Ticket Stub Diary Buy Now On Amazon $1.99

Attending live music is a regular pastime for music lovers. Enjoying a concert from your favorite band or artist is an unforgettable experience. Many people also collect their concert ticket stubs as souvenirs, but over time they can end up lost or damaged. The Ticket Stub Diary is a journal for amassing your collection and keeping your tickets safe.

Although you could do so in any folder, this diary has space for you to write about the concert, highlighting your favorite memories and songs from the night. Each acid-free page has a covered section for your ticket stub, along with a few ruled lines to the side of the ticket.

4. Sony Walkman NW-ZX300

Sony Walkman NW-ZX300 Sony Walkman NW-ZX300 Buy Now On Amazon $698.00

Most of us listen to music on our smartphones, but a dedicated MP3 player could benefit a passionate music fan. Sony has a long history of personal audio devices, and the Sony Walkman NW-ZX300 is one of the best standalone MP3 players available today. Although this is quite a pricey choice, it is almost guaranteed to please the music lover in your life.

This MP3 player supports a wide range of files, including high-quality audio formats like Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), FLAC, and Apple Lossless. The NW-ZX300 comes with 64GB of onboard storage, weighs just 157g, and can last up to 30 hours. It can upscale compressed audio using Sony’s DSEE HX technology, and the aluminum frame is designed to prevent electrical noise.

5. Jukely Concert Subscription

Thanks to streaming services, record sales have declined in recent years. As a result, the cost of live music tickets has risen. Even smaller artists now regularly cost more than many people feel able to spend. If you want to give the gift of live performance to the music lover in your life, consider getting them a Jukely Concert Subscription.

Jukely is a live music subscription service, and for $25 per month, users can get guestlist access to four shows each month. Jukely is available in 15 US cities, and in the UK capital city, London. All you need to do is download the smartphone app and browse the upcoming shows in your area. Using the app, check into an event, tell the door staff you are on the Jukely guestlist and enjoy the show.

6. House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable

House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable Buy Now On Amazon $199.99

The past few years have seen the resurgence of vinyl records. Some people buy them as collector’s edition items, while others remain convinced of the format’s superior audio quality. Once you’ve got a record, though, you’ll need something to play it on. One of the best turntables available today is the House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable.

This reasonably priced record player is belt-driven and shares the same eco-friendly design as other House of Marley products. The plinth is crafted from bamboo, while the slipmat is made of upcycled silicone. The Stir It Up is capable of playing both 33 and 45RPM records, and even comes with a seven-inch adaptor. There is also a USB port on the back, allowing you to record your favorite tracks to your computer.

7. Record Store Day Tote Bag

Many music fans remain loyal to independent record stores and musicians. Record Store Day is an annual event that celebrates independent music stores and is a great time to buy unique or limited release records and merchandise. If you want to help the music lover in your life show their dedication to Record Store Day, consider this Record Store Day Tote Bag.

Tote bags have become increasingly popular in recent years as the environmental impact of single-use plastic has become apparent. This makes it the perfect choice for any music fan as they can use it to carry a range of items from groceries to laundry, all the while showing their support for Record Store Day. Of course, it is also the perfect size for vinyl records, too.

The Best Gifts for Music Lovers

In the past, you may have chosen a physical record or CD for the music lover in your life. Now that you can access all the music you could ever want with a streaming service, it can be hard to choose the right gift for a music fan. Hopefully, you’ll find something you know they’ll love in this collection.

However, if you think they may like a record player, but want a bit more choice, check out the best record players for all budgets.

Read the full article: The 7 Best Gifts for Music Lovers

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How to Destroy Your Laptop: 5 Mistakes to Avoid Destruction

You hopefully aren’t wondering how to destroy a laptop so that you can actively ruin your machine. But it’s a good idea to know the most common sources of laptop damage so you can keep yours as long as possible.

Because we carry laptops around more than a desktop computer, they’re more prone to accidents and hardware failure. Luck is part of the equation, but let’s look at how how to break a laptop over time with a few common mistakes. If you abuse your laptop in these ways, it could fail early before you can even notice it.

1. How to Kill a Laptop With Excess Heat

Laptops generate a lot of heat. Processors are more power-efficient than ever, and the average temperature of a PC has dropped over time. However, many laptops will still become warm to the touch when stressed.

A fan (or another source of cooling) must expel this internal heat, and it’s your responsibility to keep the fan vent clear. If it’s obstructed, the heat has nowhere to go. Instead, it will get stuck around your laptop’s critical components. Eventually, your laptop will reach a dangerous temperature and overheat.

Some laptops react to this and will shut down automatically. But others will suffer through the heat as they slowly bake to death.

Furniture, carpets, and blankets are all surfaces that can wreak havoc. Wherever you place your laptop, make sure the vent has a clear path to do its job. Even a pile of books that’s too close to your laptop can cause problems.

This isn’t the only source of heat. Over time, dust can build up inside your machine and clog up the fan and internal airways. If you’ve had your computer for years, it’s worth cleaning your laptop to remove this debris inside.

Be proactive and pay attention to your laptop’s fan volume. If it sounds like a jet engine, and your computer is not involved in a demanding task (like gaming or video encoding), consider it a cry for help.

2. How to Ruin Your Laptop’s Hard Disk Drive

Many laptops now include a solid-state drive (SSD). Since SSDs don’t have internal moving parts, they’re more resilient to motion. However, many older and cheaper laptops still have a mechanical hard disk drive (HDD). These can take damage if they’re rattled too much.

This problem with a spinning hard drive is due to its use of moving parts. HDDs have a read/write head that must move to interact with the disk, which spins. These parts have their own inertia, so if you move your laptop while they are active, they’ll try to move along their original direction. This can cause contact between internal hard disk components, which in turn could cost you your data.

You can reduce the risk by only adjusting your laptop gently and not moving it when running a program that frequently accesses the hard drive. Treat your laptop gently, with no quick movements. Even if your computer has an SSD, you should know the signs of SSD failure to detect problems early.

3. How to Damage Your Laptop by Mishandling It

It makes me nervous when people pick up laptop computers by the screen…

— Jimmy Jr (@Wallyography) May 30, 2017

If you’re wondering how to spoil a good laptop quickly, try picking up your laptop by the screen. Holding it by any corner, especially loosely with one hand, is a bad idea. Even premium laptops can sometimes succumb to this seemingly innocent abuse.

When a laptop is closed, the best way to pick it up is by grabbing the front or rear of the device. It’s smart to pick it up with both hands for security. When your laptop is open, you should still pick it up with both hands (one on each side).

Do not pick up a laptop by the display. If your laptop still has an optical drive for CDs, don’t hold it solely by that side either. You should also keep the laptop on a firm, level surface whenever possible. This will prevent it from getting bent out of shape.

Some laptops will take abuse, but others can run into issues before long. In particular, picking up a laptop by the display puts a lot of stress on the hinges. They aren’t meant to handle that. Thus, doing so can damage the hinges or surrounding materials, causing the hinge to break or the screen to stop working.

4. How to Destroy a Laptop by Mangling the Cords

My laptop's power cord is so damaged, I have to spend 5+ minutes angling it just right every time I want to charge my laptop.

— 20 moths (@wijnruitje) September 3, 2015

If you want to kill your computer, treat its cables like junk. Wrap them around everything in sight, twist them at weird angles, and wait for something to break. It’ll happen sooner than you imagine.

You’d think power cords could handle lots of twisting and bending, but they often can’t. Laptops are primarily mobile devices, after all, so there’s good reason to make their cords thin, light, and easy to move.

A common form of this issue occurs when someone wraps the cord over some other object to keep it bundled. Sometimes that object has sharp edges, which cut into the cord. And this isn’t just for obvious blunders like knives; a hard plastic edge is all it takes. In some cases, power adapters will even damage the cable if you wrap it up around the brick.

Avoid this problem by bundling a cord over itself. Most cords come packaged this way when you receive them, and some include a little piece of Velcro you can use to keep the cord together. If your cable doesn’t have Velcro, you can buy some yourself for cheap or use an adjustable zip tie.

You should also make sure you don’t put too much strain on your computer cables. Avoid having the AC adapter hang in midair; this will put stress on the plug that goes into your laptop. Over time, this will weaken the plug and could even damage the socket, preventing you from charging your computer. Having a bit of slack in your cables is important.

5. How to Kill a Laptop With Improper Transportation

As we looked at above, laptops don’t take kindly to shakes or other jarring. Despite what movies might have you think, you can’t properly use them on the back of a motorcycle, or while running away from guys with machine guns, or in the back of a car while missiles are fired at you.

A lot of people buy a laptop bag to take the edge off everyday bumps and bangs. That’s a great first step, but you need to make sure the bag actually provides protection. Cheap laptop bags include a compartment that is laptop-sized, but usually lacks protection.

Others have padding on the sides of the bag, but completely neglect to protect the top or bottom. Of course, the bottom is what hits the floor when you drop a bag you’re holding.

An alternative is to place your laptop in a padded sleeve. This can protect your laptop from jolts while also keeping objects in your bag from scratching the machine’s exterior. Just make sure the sleeve is padded. A cheap sleeve, like a lousy bag, may be too thin to offer real protection.

Check out the best anti-theft laptop backpacks for some good options.

Have You Ever Destroyed a Laptop?

In summary, it’s important to keep an eye on the small details. Otherwise, your laptop could die a slow death through damage to the hinges, hard drive, exterior, or other components. Even seemingly minor actions, like dropped food crumbs getting underneath the keyboard, can cause serious damage over time.

You’ll read stories of people dropping their laptop in a pool, or spilling a drink on it, or knocking it off a fourth-story balcony. Such mistakes do happen. But dramatic accidents are not how most damage occurs. Laptops often fail due to a combination of small mistakes, some of which may have no consequences at first.

For more questions on computer health, find out whether you should leave your laptop plugged in all the time.

Image Credit: alphaspirit via Shutterstock.com

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The 3 Best Ways to Scan and Digitize Old Photos

Do you want to digitize photos? You can easily back up and preserve old photos by turning them into digital copies with many different methods.

But what is the best way to digitize photos? It depends on how many you have, your budget, what you intend to do with the photos, and how much free time you have.

Why You Should Digitize Photos

Taking the time to turn your treasured physical photographs into digital copies isn’t as easy as leaving them in a photo album or box. Even if you love to shoot with film, or hold physical memories in your hands, there are a number of reasons why you may want to consider this option.

It’s easy to damage physical photos. Water damage, discoloration, and accidental tears are all legitimate concerns that could ruin your treasured photos forever. Making digital copies allows you to make as many backups as needed—so you never have to worry about losing your entire family history in the event of a flood or fire.

Photo albums, frames, and storage boxes can take up a lot of space in your home. On the other hand, you can store hundreds of thousands of digital copies on a single external hard drive the size of a deck of cards.

Family photos are meant for sharing. Having digital copies ensures that no one has to go without favorite childhood memories—every family member can have access to every photo ever taken.

Digital photos allow you to correct blemishes, adjust white balance or lighting, or crop out ex-boyfriends or girlfriends as needed. These adjustments simply can’t be made to the same extent on physical photos, and you want your treasured photos to look their best.

In all honesty, everyone should consider scanning in at least some of their old photos. It may take some time or money to get started, but the benefits of having old photos protected, shared, and edited completely outweigh the costs.

And you can always start small with your most treasured photos; you don’t need to scan in your entire collection at once.

Here are three different options for how to digitize your photos.

1. Scanning Old Photos at Home

Financial Investment: Low-to-Moderate
Time Investment: High

Settle in for a couple of long afternoons. Scanning in your photos at home on a scanner is time-consuming, but also gives you complete control over how your photos are organized, scanned, and stored. Plus it can be a lot of fun to relive old memories.

If you use a Mac, check out how you can use the Image Capture app to scan old photos.

The Best Picture Scanner to Digitize Photos

There are a lot of different brands of picture scanner out there, with a wide range of prices and features.

As a rule, it’s generally best to consider a flatbed scanner, as they are least likely to damage your delicate photos. Basic options like the Canon CanoScan LiDE220 or the Epson Perfection V39 are a great way to scan photos up to 8×10 in size without breaking the bank.

Canon Office Products LiDE120 Color Image Scanner Canon Office Products LiDE120 Color Image Scanner Buy Now On Amazon $159.93

If your budget is a little higher, you may prefer purchasing a scanner that can scan your old negatives and slides as well as printed photos. The Epson Perfection V600 has these features as well as some additional perks like automatic color correction and zero warm-up time. The Kodak Scanza is a great portable option if you need a film scanner.

Epson Perfection V600 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner Epson Perfection V600 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner Buy Now On Amazon $219.00

Willing to pay top dollar? Some scanners are designed specifically to scan stacks of 4×6 photos at high speeds with good quality. The Epson FastFoto FF-680W claims to be the fastest picture scanner of all, and will digitize batches of 36 prints at a rate of one-per-second. It’s wireless too, so you can save directly to cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox.

A more portable and less expensive photo scanner is the Doxie Go SE. It scans your photos to an SD card, is the size of a rolled up magazine, and runs on battery power.

Epson FastFoto FF-680W Wireless High-Speed Photo and Document Scanning System Epson FastFoto FF-680W Wireless High-Speed Photo and Document Scanning System Buy Now On Amazon $520.76

Strategies for Digitizing Photos at Home

If you’ve never undertaken a large-scale scanning project like this, there are some important guidelines to keep in mind.

Be organized. Are you going to scan photos chronologically? In order of importance? How are you going to organize them on your computer or external hard drive? Consider coming up with a system for naming and sorting files so that it’s easy to find the photos you are looking for. You may also want to consider strategies for keeping track of who is in each photo.

Be selective. Think about how many photos you take on your phone that you delete immediately. You don’t need to save every photo you’ve ever taken. Only scan the ones that are important to you.

Be careful. Wipe dust off of your photos and from your scanner using a non-abrasive cloth. This ensures that your picture is as clear as possible, without any annoying dust specks. And if you’re using a scanner that doesn’t show you a preview of your photos, check in on your scans every hour or so to ensure that they are scanning and saving properly.

Check your settings. All scans are not created equal. For scanning photos you’ll want to use a minimum quality setting of 300 dpi (but consider going as high as 600 dpi if you’re planning on enlarging any photos). As well, even if you are scanning in black and white or sepia photos, choosing to scan in color will give you the best opportunities to make edits and modifications to your digital photos.

Be prepared. You’re likely going to spend more than a few hours with these photos. Why not put a TV show on in the background, listen to your favorite music on Spotify, or surround yourself with friends and family for a photo scanning party and share memories as you dig through your photos.

2. Using an App to Digitize Photos

Financial Investment: Low
Time Investment: Moderate

If you just need a way to quickly scan old photos to digital, you may not want to invest any money in a picture scanner. Or maybe you’re at a family member’s home and only have access to your phone.

Sure, you could always just take a photo using your phone’s camera app. But then you’re at risk of creating shadows, distortion, and glare. These apps help to remove these features and guide you through the scanning process.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that one of the best app options out there is Google’s PhotoScan app. The free app takes multiple photos of each print to improve quality, remove glare, and correct any distortion. And better yet, the app can be completely integrated with all the great Google Photos features you already know and love.

Download: PhotoScan for iOS | Android (Free)

Not sure you want to go with Google? Consider these alternatives:

Download: Photo Scanner Plus by Photomyne for iOS ($1.99)
Download: Photo Scan App by Photomyne for Android (Subscription required)
Download: Memories by IdeaSolutions for iOS (Free)
Download: Pic Scanner by AppInitio Ltd. for iOS ($3.99)

3. Photo-Digitizing Services

Financial Investment: High
Time Investment: Low

Of course, the easiest way to tackle this project is to simply hire a photo-digitizing (or scanning) service. While this is an amazing way to decrease the amount of time involved in this project, it does come with some downsides.

You will have to send away your family photos to a stranger, often trusting the mail system with some of your most precious memories. In addition, a stranger will be seeing every photo that you send to them, so you may want to do an initial sort first as well.

Some options for companies that offer this service include:

Scan Cafe

Cost per photo: 35 cents per printed photo up to 8×10 inches. Every photo receives color correction and editing by hand.

Formats Supported: Photos, negatives, slides, film/video.

Additional Services: If you have a lot of photos to scan, and don’t mind some extra wait time, the Value Kit pricing option may be right for you. Option to review your scans before purchasing, expedited services.

DigMyPics

Cost per photo: 39 cents per printed photo up to 8×10 inches plus shipping. Pricing for other formats may vary.

Formats Supported: Photos, slides, negatives, film, videotape.

Additional Services: Color correction, dust removal, rush services.

Scan My Photos

Cost per photo: $25 flat fee plus 8 cents per photo, but additional services (e.g. image rotation, higher dpi, color correction) are extra.

Formats Supported: Printed photos, film, negatives.

Additional Services: Option to pay between $145 and $299 (depending on resolution) for a prepaid photo scanning box, international shipping, rush services.

Stay Local

When choosing a service to scan your photos for you, don’t forget about your local photography studio. While not all locations will offer this service (and their prices may be higher) this option may offer you some peace of mind. This can also be a more timely option if you only want a few scanned photos, and want them to be at a high quality.

What to Do After Your Photos Are Digitized

No matter how you choose to digitize photos, the end result will be more space in your home, memories that are safe from harm, and a sense of relief. Now that you have all of these fantastic digital images, your options are endless.

You can send copies of your photos to family and friends, create a slideshow for your next family event, and/or share any great awkward photos online for instant likes and comments. Or consider buying one of these portable photo printers to make copies quickly and easily.

Read the full article: The 3 Best Ways to Scan and Digitize Old Photos

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Those crappy pre-installed Android apps can be full of security holes

If you’ve ever bought an Android phone, there’s a good chance you booted it up to find it pre-loaded with junk you definitely didn’t ask for.

These pre-installed apps can be clunky, annoying to remove, rarely updated… and, it turns out, full of security holes.

Security firm Kryptowire built a tool to automatically scan a large number of Android devices for signs of security shortcomings and, in a study funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ran it on phones from 29 different vendors. Now, the majority of these vendors are ones most people have never heard of — but a few big names like Asus, Samsung and Sony make appearances.

Kryptowire says they found vulnerabilities of all different varieties, from apps that can be forced to install other apps, to tools that can be tricked into recording audio, to those that can silently mess with your system settings. Some of the vulnerabilities can only be triggered by other apps that come pre-installed (thus limiting the attack vector to those along the supply chain); others, meanwhile, can seemingly be triggered by any app the user might install down the road.

Kryptowire has a full list of observed vulnerabilities here, broken down by type and manufacturer. The firm says it found 146 vulnerabilities in all.

As Wired points out, Google is well aware of this potential attack route. In 2018 it launched a program called the Build Test Suite (or BTS) that all partner OEMs must pass. BTS scans a device’s firmware for any known security issues hiding amongst its pre-installed apps, flagging these bad apps as Potentially Harmful Applications (or PHAs). As Google puts it in its 2018 Android security report:

OEMs submit their new or updated build images to BTS. BTS then runs a series of tests that look for security issues on the system image. One of these security tests scans for pre-installed PHAs included in the system image. If we find a PHA on the build, we work with the OEM partner to remediate and remove the PHA from the build before it can be offered to users.

During its first calendar year, BTS prevented 242 builds with PHAs from entering the ecosystem.

Anytime BTS detects an issue we work with our OEM partners to remediate and understand how the application was included in the build. This teamwork has allowed us to identify and mitigate systemic threats to the ecosystem.

Alas, one automated system can’t catch everything — and when an issue does sneak by, there’s no certainty that a patch or fix will ever arrive (especially on lower-end devices, where long-term support tends to be limited).

We reached out to Google for comment on the report, but have yet to hear back.

Update — Google’s response:

We appreciate the work of the research community who collaborate with us to responsibly fix and disclose issues such as these.

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Facebook’s Libra code chugs along ignoring regulatory deadlock

“5 months and growing strong” the Libra Association announced today in an post about its technical infrastructure that completely omits the fierce regulatory backlash to its cryptocurrency.

40 wallets, tools, and block explorers plus 1,700 Github commits have how now been built on its blockchain testnet that’s seen 51,000 mock transactions in the past two months. Libra nodes that process transactions are now being run by Coinbase, Uber, BisonTrails, Iliad, Xapo, Anchorage, and Facebook’s Calibra. Six more nodes are being established, plus there are 8 more getting set up from members who lack technical teams, meaning all 21 members have nodes running or in the works.

But the update on the Libra backend doesn’t explain how the association plans to get all the way to its goal of 100 members and nodes by next year when it originally projected a launch. And it gives no nod to the fact that even if Libra is technically ready to deploy its mainnet in 2020, government regulators in the US and around the world still won’t necessarily let it launch.

Facebook wants you to pay people on Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp with Facebook Pay

Facebook itself seems to be hedging its bets on fintech in the face of pushback against Libra. This week it began the launch of Facebook Pay, which will let users pay friends, merchants, and charities with a single payment method across Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Facebook Pay could help the company drive more purchases on its platform, get more insights into transactions, and lead merchants to spend more on ads to lure in sales facilitated by quicker payments. That’s most of what Facebook was trying to get out of Libra in the first place, beyond better financial inclusion.

Last month’s congressional testimony from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was less contentious than Libra board member David Marcus’ appearances on Capitol Hill in July. Yet few of lawmakers’ core concerns about how Libra could facilitate money laundering, endanger users’ assets, and give Facebook even more power amidst ongoing anti-trust investigations were assuaged.

This set of announcements from the Libra Core summit of technical members was an opportunity for the project to show how it was focused on addressing fraud, security, and decentralization of power. Instead, the Libra Association took the easy route of focusing on what the Facebook-led development team knows best: writing code, not fixing policy. TechCrunch provided questions to the Libra Association and some members but the promised answers were not returned before press time.

Lowlights from Zuckerberg’s Libra testimony in Congress

“For those organizations without a technical team to implement a node, the Libra Association is working on a strategy to support deployment in 2020, when the Libra Core feature set is complete” the Association’s Michael Engle writes. “The Libra Association intends to deploy 100 nodes on the mainnet, representing a mix of on-premises and cloud-hosted infrastructure.” It feels a bit like Libra is plugging its ears.

Having proper documentation, setting up CLAs to ease GitHub contributions, standardizing the Move code language, a Bug Bounty program, and a public technical roadmap are a good start. But until the Association can answers Congress’ questions directly, they’re likely to refuse Libra approval which Zuckerberg said the project won’t launch without.

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Daily Crunch: TikTok starts experimenting with commerce

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

1. TikTok tests social commerce

The short-form video app said it’s allowing some users to add links to e-commerce sites (or any other destination) to their profile, while also offering creators the ability to easily send their viewers to shopping websites.

On their own, these changes might not sound that dramatic, and parent company ByteDance characterizes them as experiments. But it could eventually lead TikTok to become a major force in commerce — and to follow the lead of Instagram, where “link in bio” has become one of the most common promotional messages.

2. Despite bans, Giphy still hosts self-harm, hate speech and child sex abuse content

A new report from Israeli online child protection startup L1ght  has uncovered a host of toxic content hiding within the popular GIF-sharing community, including illegal child abuse content, depictions of rape and other toxic imagery associated with topics like white supremacy and hate speech.

3. Lyft is ceasing scooter operations in six cities and laying off 20 employees

Lyft notified employees today that it’s pulling its scooters from six markets: Nashville, San Antonio, Atlanta, the Phoenix area, Dallas and Columbus. A spokesperson told us, “We’re choosing to focus on the markets where we can have the biggest impact.”

4. Takeaways from Nvidia’s latest quarterly earnings

After yesterday’s earnings report, Wall Street seems to have barely budged on the stock price — everyone’s waiting for resolution on some of the key questions facing the company. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

5. Virgin Galactic begins ‘Astronaut Readiness Program’ for first paying customers

The program is being run out of the global headquarters of Under Armour, Virgin Galactic’s partner for its official astronaut uniforms. The training, with instruction from Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses and Chief Pilot Dave Mackay, is required for all Virgin Galactic passengers.

6. AWS confirms reports it will challenge JEDI contract award to Microsoft

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson suggested that there was possible bias in the selection process: “AWS is uniquely experienced and qualified to provide the critical technology the U.S. military needs, and remains committed to supporting the DoD’s modernization efforts.”

7. SoftBank Vision Fund’s Carolina Brochado is coming to Disrupt Berlin

At SoftBank’s Vision Fund, Brochado focuses on fintech, digital health and marketplace startups. Some of her past investments with both Atomico and SoftBank include LendInvest, Gympass, Hinge Health, Ontruck and Rekki.

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