• WarnerMedia announced on Thursday that its entire 2021 movie slate -- including The Matrix 4 and The Suicide Squad -- will release in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day.
• WarnerMedia says that this is a drastic, temporary measure that is necessary because theaters will likely continue to operate at limited capacity into next year.
• Movies will only be available on HBO Max for a month after release, at which point they will be removed and continue to run in theaters until a later date.

In what likely amounts to the most significant seismic shift the movie industry has experienced in years, WarnerMedia announced on Thursday that its 2021 slate of movies will debut simultaneously in theaters as well as on the streaming service HBO Max. The films will be available to view on the service for one month, at which point they will be removed while continuing their theatrical runs in the US and in other territories around the world.

This plan will apply to every single WarnerMedia movie slated to hit theaters next year, including The Suicide Squad, The Matrix 4, Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Little Things, Judas and the Black Messiah, Tom & Jerry, Mortal Kombat, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In The Heights, The Many Saints of Newark, Reminiscence, Malignant, King Richard and Cry Macho.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

Every 2021 Warner Bros. movie will launch on HBO Max and in theaters at the same time originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 14:10:29 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Before you shell out $1,000 or more on a new TV during Cyber Week 2020, there's another option you should consider for your living room, media room, or basement.
• Amazon is running some fantastic Cyber Week deals on home theater projectors — incredibly, prices start at just $499.99.
• The deepest discount is on the Epson Home Cinema 2200, which is $300 off until the end of the week.

You're almost out of time to take advantage of Amazon's sale that shaves $100 off the jaw-dropping Enclave CineHome II Wireless Surround Sound System. There is no higher-quality sound system that's discounted this year for Cyber week 2020 — it's truly the most impressive system we've ever tested that doesn't cost thousands of dollars. And if you're looking to upgrade more than just the sound system this year in your TV room or basement, Amazon is running plenty of deals on all the hottest smart TVs you can think of.

But before you buy any of those discounted smart TVs, there's another option you might want to consider.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Anyone shopping for a tiny model to go in your kitchen or a guest bedroom knows that a TV is obviously the way to go. But if you're looking to upgrade a TV in your living room, basement, or home theater, you should think about going with a projector instead. Why get locked into a certain size when home theater projectors are so versatile? They offer way more value than you'll get out of a TV, and there are three home theater projector deals on Amazon right now that you should definitely check out.

Prices start at just $499.99 for the Epson Home Cinema 880 home theater projector with a 16,000:1 contrast ratio, 3,300 lumens, and support for picture sizes up to 200 inches. That's right... 200 inches! Can you imagine how much you'd have to pay for a 200-inch TV?!

If you're looking for an upgrade, you've got the Epson Home Cinema 1080 and Epson Home Cinema 2200 to choose from. They're both priced at $699.99 for Cyber Monday 2020, and there are three main differences between them. The Epson 1080 has a 16,000:1 contrast ratio and 3,400 lumens compared to 35,000:1 and 2,700 lumens for the Epson 2200, and the 2200 model also has Android TV built right in so you don't even have to connect an external video source if you don't want to.

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-chip 3LCD 1080p Projector - $499.99

• Stunning picture quality — provides stunning, detailed 1080p images and fast data processing that’s optimized for fast-action sports, gaming and more
• Ultra bright images — 3,300 lumens of color and white brightness deliver outstanding-quality images in a variety of lighting conditions (2)
• Best-in-Class Color Brightness (1) — advanced 3LCD technology displays 100% of the RGB color signal for every frame. This allows for outstanding color accuracy while maintaining excellent color brightness, without any distracting “rainbowing” or “color brightness” issues seen with other projection technologies

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-chip 3LCD 1080p Projector, Streaming Projector, Home Theater Projector,… $499.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Epson Home Cinema 1080 3-chip 3LCD 1080p Projector - $699.99

• Versatile connectivity — features two HDMI ports, so you can connect your cable/satellite box, Blu-ray Disc player, gaming console or streaming device
• Easy setup — built-in speaker and easy setup for HD entertainment right out of the box
• Built-in picture skew sensor — automatically analyzes the picture and instantly corrects the keystone for a square image

Epson Home Cinema 1080 3-chip 3LCD 1080p Projector, Streaming Projector, Home Theater Projector… $699.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Epson Home Cinema 2250 3LCD 1080p Projector - $699.99

• Stunning picture quality — delivers an immersive viewing experience for TV shows, sporting events, gaming and movies by accepting content up to 4K – for an amazing Full HD picture
• Smooth, crisp images — with Image Enhancement and Frame Interpolation
• Built-in Android TV (2) — latest Android TV interface with a simple-to-use remote – including voice search with built-in Google Assistant. Watch all your favorite streaming channels including Hulu, HBO, YouTube and more (3) without an external streaming media player
• Ultra-bright picture — 2,700 lumens of color and white brightness (4)

Epson Home Cinema 2250 3LCD Full HD 1080p Projector with Android TV, Streaming Projector, Home… $699.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500 originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 13:39:11 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Fresh basil sold under a variety of brand names is being recalled due to the potential presence of a nasty parasite called Cyclospora.
• The basil was sold in multiple states and roughly 15,000 units of the fresh product are included in the recall.
• If you have any of the affected product, you are advised to throw it out immediately.

Thus far this year we've had a number of voluntary recalls pop up for products that may have been contaminated with E. coli and/or Salmonella. Now, a popular spice has found itself in the recall crosshairs due to potential contamination with a slightly different but nonetheless serious microbe. Shenandoah Growers, Inc., based out of Harrisonburg, Virginia, is recalling roughly 15,000 units of its organic basil due to the risk of Cyclospora contamination.

The basil, which is sold under seven different brand names in various retail stores, was available across much of the East Coast of the US. The official recall bulletin, posted by the FDA, says the product was distributed across a 10-day window in October, and since fresh ingredients like this typically have a short shelf life, it's unlikely that it's still on store shelves.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

If you have this popular herb in your kitchen, throw it out originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 13:08:08 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• AirPods Pro are Apple's best-selling AirPods model and they sold out at Amazon during Cyber Monday 2020.
• Now, they're finally back in stock — plus they get Black Friday's $50 discount.
• Other AirPods models are on sale as well right now, with discounts up to $40.

All of AirPods models are discounted constantly these days at Amazon. It would've been crazy to imagine Apple's most popular accessories on sale with any discount a few short years ago. But now that Apple partners with Amazon to sell its various products, discounts are no surprise to anyone anymore. Needless to say, some discounts on Apple products are more noteworthy than others.

AirPods Pro cost $249 if you buy them from Apple — even right now ahead of the holidays. They're worth every penny, mind you, by why pay so much when Amazon always has them on sale at a discount? You'll typically find AirPods Pro discounted to $219 at Amazon, which is a solid $30 in savings. Then, on rare occasions like Prime Day, they might get an even bigger discount.

After selling out on Cyber Monday 2020, you can snag brand new AirPods Pro once again at Amazon for just $199. That's an amazing price and a huge $50 discount compared to buying them at an Apple store! Apple's other AirPods models are discounted now as well at Amazon, but they don't have the same crazy $50 discount you'll find on the Pro model. Note that delivery estimates are delayed right now, but Amazon NEVER takes as long to ship as those estimates say. We'd be shocked if you ordered AirPods Pro today and didn't have them in your hands (and ears) within a couple of weeks.

Also of note, the Sony WF1000XM3 noise cancelling earbuds are as good or arguably even better than Apple's AirPods Pro, and Amazon has an even deeper Cyber Week discount right now that slashes them to just $168!

AirPods Pro

• Active noise cancellation for immersive sound
• Transparency mode for hearing and connecting with the world around you
• Three sizes of soft, tapered silicone tips for a customizable fit
• Sweat and water-resistant

Apple AirPods Pro $199.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Sony WF1000XM3

• Digital noise canceling: Industry leading anc lends a personalized, virtually soundproof experience. Phone call: A built-in mic enables you to take hands-free calls
• 24bit Audio signal processing delivers dramatically improved sound quality
• Battery life up to 24 hours with carrying case (with 10min quick charge for 90min of play time)

Sony WF-1000XM3 Industry Leading Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds Headset/Headphones with… $168.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case

• Universal fit that’s comfortable all day
• Automatically on, automatically connected
• Easy setup for all your Apple devices
• Quick access to Siri by saying “Hey Siri”

Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case $149.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

AirPods 2

• Automatically on, automatically connected
• Easy setup for all your Apple devices
• Quick access to Siri by saying “Hey Siri”
• Double-tap to play or skip forward

Apple AirPods with Charging Case (Wired) $128.98 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

AirPods Pro are back in stock at Amazon – and back down to $199 originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 12:37:03 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• iPhone 12 owners are reporting accelerated battery drain on their new phones, even while idling.
• Hundreds of users on the Apple Communities forum say that the batteries on their iPhone 12 models are dying far too quickly even when they turn off 5G or activate Low Power Mode.
• Apple has yet to address the issue, but it seems likely that it's a software bug in iOS.

No product launch is complete without a bug or two, and according to hundreds of users on the Apple Communities forum, the new iPhone 12 models are experiencing a serious bug that is affecting battery life. As spotted by 9to5Mac, a user on the forum started a thread about the battery on their iPhone 12 Pro draining much more quickly than they'd expected on October 25th. In the weeks since, hundreds more have echoed this complaint.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

This might be the worst iPhone 12 bug since launch originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 12:06:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Apple's incredible new M1 processor makes Intel's desktop and laptop processors seem ancient, but there are currently only three Mac models that come with Apple Silicon.
• The new M1 MacBook Air starts at $999 and outclasses Windows laptops that cost three times as much.
• The other M1 laptop is the even more powerful M1 MacBook Pro — and it just got a big $100 discount for the first time ever at Amazon.

Cyber Week 2020 is a terrific time to score a great deal on a new laptop. A great example is Amazon's awesome one-day deal that slashes the $900 ASUS VivoBook R Series 15.6" FHD Touchscreen Laptop to a new all-time low price of $599.99. You really can't go wrong with that great deal... unless you're an Apple user in search of a new MacBook instead.

Announcements that are focused on Mac computers usually don't generate quite as much buzz as iPhone news. Last month was the exception to the rule though, because Apple's unveiled the first Mac computers ever to be powered by Apple Silicon. Just as Apple's A-series processors are light years ahead of Qualcomm and other mobile chipmakers, so too are Apple's new M-series chipsets compared to rival offerings from Intel and AMD. The M1 chip obliterates the competition in terms of power, performance, efficiency, design, and every other metric that matters.

Apple fans who want to see for themselves currently have three Mac options that are powered by the M1: The new M1 Mac mini, the new M1 MacBook Air, and the new M1 MacBook Pro. Now, one of Apple's hot new M1-powered computers just got its biggest discount ever at Amazon.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

A new double discount Amazon lets you slash $100 off the brand new 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by Apple's scorching M1 chipset. You'll find a $50 discount on the product page and then another $50 discount will be applied at checkout. Only the 256GB model gets the extra discount, but you can still save $50 on the 512GB model if you need more storage. You should definitely be offloading most of your files to the cloud though, so there's no reason to pass up the $100 price cut.

We're not sure how long this discount will last and delivery estimates are already slipping, so grab one now before it's too late. And for anyone who wants a new Apple laptop for as little as possible, you can pick up a previous-gen MacBook Air right now for just $799.99.

New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (La… $1,199.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Silver (Latest… $1,449.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Here are the highlights from the Amazon listing:

• Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
• Get more done with up to 20 hours of battery life, the longest ever in a Mac
• 8-core CPU delivers up to 2.8x faster performance to fly through workflows quicker than ever
• 8-core GPU with up to 5x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games
• 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
• 8GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid
• Superfast SSD storage launches apps and opens files in an instant
• Active cooling system sustains incredible performance
• 13.3-inch Retina display with 500 nits of brightness for vibrant colors and incredible image detail
• FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor for clearer, sharper video calls

New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (La… $1,199.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Silver (Latest… $1,449.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

Apple’s hot new M1 MacBook Pro is $100 off at Amazon for the first time ever originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 11:35:35 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• The US government is preparing the begin coronavirus vaccination campaigns. Health experts have already made recommendations about who should be first to get immunized.
• In an interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the general public will likely get access to vaccines by April, explaining that the US could reach herd immunity by mid to late summer.
• Herd immunity hinges on having a large proportion of the population vaccinated so that COVID-19 transmission will drop dramatically.

The US is getting ready to start the most important vaccination campaign of our lifetimes. The FDA will likely soon authorize the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for emergency use. US states will then be ready in mid to late December to start emergency vaccinations. A panel of experts has already determined the order of immunization, sharing its recommendations with the CDC. The staff and older people in nursing homes will be the first to get vaccinated, followed by other health care workers. Different categories of essential workers will follow, and then the general population will have access to vaccines. As drugmakers increase vaccine production significantly, the US government will offer vaccines to hundreds of millions of people in the first quarter.

In a recent interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he expects the general public to have access to vaccines by April. He doubled down on that estimate in a new appearance, explaining exactly how long it will take America to reach herd immunity.

BGR's Top Deal of the Day

Lab tests show these masks work better than 3M N95s — now they're $2.12 each at Amazon! $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

You need to read what Dr. Fauci just said about coronavirus herd immunity in America originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 11:04:38 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thursday's daily deals roundup is headlined by new KN95 masks we found from a US company that filter better than anything else we've ever seen at Amazon — including 3M N95 masks. According to lab tests, AccuMed cup style KN95 masks filter between 99.4% and 99.8% of small airborne particles. That's incredible, and a clippable coupon slashes them to just $2.12 each at Amazon. You'll also find FDA-authorized Powecom KN95 masks and regular AccuMed KN95 masks on sale with 15% discounts today.

Other top deals on Thursday include 31% off Purell pump bottles that are still impossible to find in stores, half-gallons of Purell at a discount, Lysol wipes in stock at slightly less inflated prices, AirPods Pro back down to $199 after having sold out on Cyber Monday, $100 off the brand new M1 MacBook Pro for the first time ever at Amazon, a new all-time low price of just $119 for the incredible CHEF iQ Smart Cooker that is lightyears ahead of Instant Pots, Epson home theater projectors starting at $499.99, a best-selling automatic electric standing desk for just $219.99, Instant Pots from $59.99, the awesome $50 Fire TV Stick 4K for $29.99, iRobot's Roomba 675 robot vacuum for $179 or the $600 self-emptying Roomba i3+ for $399, a one-day sale that slashes the ASUS VivoBook 15.6" FHD Touchscreen Laptop to $599.99, and plenty more. See all of today's top deals down below.

AccuMed Face Mask (Headband), Cup Style Mask, (20 Count) $42.49 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

10-Pack KN95 (EUA Listed Appendix A Authorized Respirator), Protective Face Mask, Disposable Pa… $21.24 ($2.12 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer, Refreshing Gel, Clean Scent, 8 fl oz Sanitizer Table Top Pump B… $51.90 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

ASUS VivoBook 15.6" FHD Touchscreen Notebook - Intel Core i5-1035G1 1.0GHz - 8GB RAM 256GB PCIe… $599.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

AccuMed Face Mask, Protective Face Mask (10 Count) $22.31 ($2.23 each) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Advanced Hand Sanitizer Green Certified Gel 64oz Bottle Refill Size $41.00 ($0.64 / Fl Oz) Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Lysol Disinfectant Wipes Lemon & Lime Blossom 110 ct (Pack of 6) $99.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Apple AirPods Pro $199.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Apple AirPods with Charging Case (Wired) $128.98 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (La… $1,199.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

CHEF iQ World’s Smartest Pressure Cooker, Pairs with App Via WiFi for Meals in an Instant Bui… $119.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-chip 3LCD 1080p Projector, Streaming Projector, Home Theater Projector,… $499.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Epson Home Cinema 2250 3LCD Full HD 1080p Projector with Android TV, Streaming Projector, Home… $699.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Flexispot Standing Desk Height Adjustable Desk Electric Sit Stand Desk 48 x 24 Inches Home Offi… $219.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Ste… $59.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker 11 in 1, 8 Qt with Air Fryer, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate and… $129.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Echo Show 5 -- Smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Charcoal $44.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote | Dolby Vision | 2018 release $29.99 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum-Wi-Fi Connectivity, Works with Alexa, Good for Pet Hair, Carpets… $179.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

iRobot Roomba i3+ (3550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal Disposal - Empties Itself, W… $399.00 Available from Amazon Prime. BGR may receive a commission. Buy Now

Today's Top Deals

1. Stunning 75-inch smart TVs are so cheap right now at Amazon
2. Amazon will pay you $50 to renew software you have to buy anyway – today only
3. Don’t spend $1,000+ on a new TV – Amazon has stunning home theater projectors from $500

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is most worried about these 3 states as COVID-19 outbreaks surge
2. Mysterious object that flew by Earth has finally been identified
3. CDC’s big coronavirus announcement just leaked

Today’s top deals: $2 coronavirus masks, $199 AirPods Pro, $500 home theater projector, $100 off M1 MacBook Pro, more originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 3 Dec 2020 at 10:33:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1. Warner Bros. will launch every 2021 movie on HBO Max at the same time they hit theaters  CNBC
2. Warner Bros. Smashes Box Office Windows, Will Send Entire 2021 Slate to HBO Max and Theaters  Hollywood Reporter
3. ‘Dune,’ ‘Matrix 4,’ and Every 2021 Warner Bros. Film to Debut on HBO Max and in Theaters at Same Time  IndieWire
4. In the Heights Movie Will Debut Both on HBO Max and in Theaters  Broadway.com
5. Dune, The Matrix 4, Mortal Kombat Coming to HBO Max Along with Entire WB 2021 Slate - IGN  IGN
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. The Lincoln Project Targets Mitch McConnell, Trump in Latest Ads: 'This Is Not Normal'  Newsweek
2. Pelosi and Schumer back $908 billion bipartisan COVID proposal as basis for talks  CBS News
3. McConnell says a Covid stimulus compromise is within reach — 'We can do this'  CNBC
4. Democrats just moved toward Republicans on the stimulus. What’s their plan?  The Washington Post
5. Letter: Elections have consequences  Anchorage Daily News
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. Georgia election official: Effort to overturn 2020 results will drive down runoff turnout  POLITICO
2. Trump’s Georgia rally sparks GOP anxiety  POLITICO
3. The Deep State Is on a Roll  The New York Times
4. Dear President Trump: election officials are facing death threats on your watch  The Guardian
5. While spineless Republicans in Washington side with the mob, the center holds in America | Lyons  Chicago Sun-Times
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. Facebook to remove misinformation about coronavirus vaccines  CNBC
2. Facebook says it will begin removing coronavirus vaccine misinformation | TheHill  The Hill
3. Covid live updates: Latest news on Covid vaccine distribution and CDC guidelines  NBC News
4. COVID-19: Hackers targeted vaccine 'cold supply' chain network - state actors suspected  Sky News
5. Official: Africa needs COVID-19 vaccine for 60% in 2-3 years  WDIV ClickOnDetroit
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. Trump Sets Up Sale Of Oil Drilling Rights In Arctic Wildlife Refuge  NPR
2. Trump administration schedules Arctic Alaska refuge lease sale for early January  Anchorage Daily News
3. Trump admin to sell oil leases at Arctic wildlife refuge before Biden takes office | TheHill  The Hill
4. Trump to Sell Arctic Oil Rights Days Before Biden Sworn In  Bloomberg
5. Trump sets auction for Arctic refuge drilling rights before Biden takes office  Axios
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. AOC mocked for selling $58 'tax the rich' sweatshirt  Fox News
2. Canceling Student Debt and Other Regressive Education Policies  National Review
3. Democrats, Stay United  The New York Times
4. Obama calls on party to ensure AOC has platform despite socialism being ‘loaded’ word with establishment  Fox News
5. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. Trump had tense meeting with Barr after statement DOJ found no widespread election fraud: reports | TheHill  The Hill
2. Trump is said to be livid at Barr, with one official suggesting termination possible  The Washington Post
3. John Yoo: AG Barr support for special counsel backed by surprise Democratic author of 1987 law review article  Fox News
4. Oh, so now William Barr is willing to tell Trump the truth?  Los Angeles Times
5. By making Durham special counsel, AG Barr spares Biden tough choices | TheHill  The Hill
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

1. San Francisco bans smoking tobacco inside apartments — but smoking pot is still OK  NBC News
2. San Francisco bans smoking inside apartments; pot smoking OK  The Associated Press
3. San Francisco plan would ban tobacco smoking, vaping inside apartments -- but weed OK: report  Fox News
4. San Francisco may ban smoking in apartments and condos — but not cannabis  Los Angeles Times
5. San Francisco votes to ban smoking inside apartments, with exception for weed  KMOV.com
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

Hot gadgets of 2020

      

?? at misinfo, nudity

      

Find who's hogging it

      

Talking Tech

      

Black women and Latinas raised more venture capital in 2020 but parity is still a pipedream, the new ProjectDiane report from digitalundivided found.

      

New and exclusive series from Kevin Hart, Chip and Joanna Gaines, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis, and David Attenborough are coming to Discovery+.

      

On Wednesday night, Nexstar's local television stations went dark on Dish Network after the two companies failed to reach a new agreement.

      

As of Tuesday, Tegna TV customers in 51 markets, about 39% of the U.S., lost a local broadcast on DirecTV satellite and streaming TV services.

      

Twitter is shutting down its experimental app twttr, which the company had used publicly prototype new features back in 2019. The app was first introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2019, then launched to testers that March. Its primary focus had been on trying out new designs for threaded conversations, including things like how to branch replies, apply labels and color-code responses, among other things. Some of those tests eventually turned into Twitter features and the twttr app was no longer being used.

The idea to design in public was an interesting experiment by Twitter.

Most companies roll out internal beta tests, followed by smaller-scale A/B tests to a percentage of their public user base to get feedback about new ideas. But with twttr, the company actually invited its users to be a part of the much earlier stage development process.

The concept for twttr had been spearheaded by Twitter’s then Director of Product Management, Sara Beykpour (then Sara Haider — she and Twitter Product Lead Kayvon Beykpour have since married). But Sara announced last year she would be stepping into a new role at the company and Twitter’s new product director in charge of conversations would be Suzanne Xie, who had joined by way of Twitter’s acquisition of Lightwell.

Work on twttr appeared to stop around the time Xie stepped in, as no other significant updates were released to twttr’s TestFlight user base. And Xie left Twitter this fall for Stripe.

Now, it seems that maintaining the largely unused app no longer makes sense for the company.

Twitter announced its plans to formally shut down twttr today, saying it was turning off the app in order to work on new tests related to the conversation taking place on Twitter itself. The shutdown appears to be immediate. Though the app may still function for those who have it installed, when the TestFlight build expires in 26 days, that may no longer be the case.

It’s not likely that twttr had many dedicated users at this point, especially as the app lacked Twitter’s newer features like Topics and Fleets, for example, and was no longer offering new experiments to test.

Coronavirus is causing large and small businesses to drastically cut marketing budgets. In Forrester’s self-described “most optimistic scenario,” the analysts project a 28% drop in U.S. marketing spend by the end of 2021. Even Google is cutting its marketing budget in half. As marketers move forward, Forrester predicts marketing automation platforms will grow despite an overall decline in marketing technology investment.

Automation platforms help marketers scale their communications. However, scaling communications is not a substitute for intimacy, which all humans crave. Because of the pandemic, it is harder than ever to get attention, let alone make a connection. More mass email blasts from your marketing automation platform are not going to get you the connections with prospects you crave. So how should marketers proceed? Direct mail captures 100% of your audience’s attention. It provides a sensory experience for your prospects and customers, and that helps establish an emotional connection.

Winning marketers are strategically merging automation and digital data with the more intimate channel of direct mail. We call this tactile marketing automation (TMA).

TMA is the integration of direct mail or personalized swag with a marketing automation platform. With TMA, a marketer doesn’t have to think about creating direct mail campaigns outside of digital campaigns. Rather, direct mail experiences are already fully integrated into the pre-built customer journey.

TMA uses intent data to inform content, messaging and the timing of direct mail touchpoints that maximize relevancy and scalability. Multichannel campaigns including direct mail report an ROI 18 percentage points higher than those without direct mail. Plus, 84% of marketers state direct mail improves multichannel campaign performance.

Read on to see how you can merge digital communications and direct mail to deliver remarkable experiences that spark a connection.

Incorporate intent data

Personalization is a key ingredient of a remarkable experience. Many marketers automate processes by introducing marketing software and then call it personalization. But, oftentimes it’s just quicker batching and blasting. Brands can’t just change the first name on a piece of content and call it “personalized.” Real personalization is necessary and vital for real results. Our consumers expect more. The best way to introduce real personalization within a marketing mix is to use intent data and trigger-driven campaigns.

Following last month’s news that “Wonder Woman 1984” will be released simultaneously on HBO Max and in U.S. theaters, Warner Bros. and its parent company WarnerMedia just announced that they will follow the same strategy with every theatrical release that they’ve got planned for 2021.

That includes movies like “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Mortal Kombat,” “In The Heights,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy” “The Suicide Squad,” “Dune,” the “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” and “The Matrix 4.” (The WarnerMedia announcement notes that release dates could change, which might move some of these titles out of the scope of today’s announcement.)

These movies will be available on HBO Max for one month, in 4K Ultra HD and HDR, at no additional charge.

Earlier this year, Hollywood studios responded to widespread theatrical by bringing some films straight to streaming while delaying their big releases. The disappointing box office performance of “Tenet” (also from Warner Bros.) prompted additional delays — but as the pandemic stretched on, there was a growing sense that studios couldn’t afford to delay things forever.

For example, Universal had already reached a deal with AMC and other major chains to release movies on premium video on demand just three weeks after they launch in theaters, with the revenue split with theatrical partners.

But WarnerMedia’s announcement seems like an even more dramatic shift — and while it only covers 2021, it could signal potentially long-lasting changes to theaters’ exclusive release window.

This also comes after former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar took over as WarnerMedia’s chief executive in April, a move (followed by multiple rounds of layoffs) that seemed to put streaming front-and-center in the company’s priorities.

In a statement, Kilar said:

After considering all available options and the projected state of moviegoing throughout 2021, we came to the conclusion that this was the best way for WarnerMedia’s motion picture business to navigate the next 12 months. More importantly, we are planning to bring consumers 17 remarkable movies throughout the year, giving them the choice and the power to decide how they want to enjoy these films. Our content is extremely valuable, unless it’s sitting on a shelf not being seen by anyone. We believe this approach serves our fans, supports exhibitors and filmmakers, and enhances the HBO Max experience, creating value for all.

NASA has selected the winning candidates that they’ve decided to tap to collect lunar resources for eventual Earth return, from a number of commercial companies who applied. The four companies all have rides booked on future commercial lunar lander missions, and the agency is using this as a demonstration of what kinds of efficiencies it can realize by piggybacking on private industry for serving its needs – and a precedent-setting event for NASA paying private companies to retrieve materials that they retrieved and owned privately for their own purposes prior to transferring ownership to the agency.

The winning bids were evaluated based on two simple criteria: Basically, were they technically feasible, and how much did they cost. There were four winners, each with a different ride out, which will seek to satisfy the conditions of NASA’s request, which is basically to collect a lunar regolith (essentially what we call ‘soil’ on the Moon) in an amount ranging from between 50 grams or 500 grams, with retrieval to be handled separately by NASA at a later date. The samples had to be collected before 2024 as part of the request, which sets them up for potential retrieval via NASA’s Artemis mission series, though the agency isn’t necessarily going to actually pick up the samples, though it reserves the option to do so.

The four companies selected are:

• Lunar Outpost, from Golden, Colorado, which bid to complete the contract for just $1, following the arrival of the Blue Origin lunar lander in 2023.
• ispace Japan, which asked for $5,000 for a retrieval via the landing of its Hakuto-R lander during its first mission currently set for 2022.
• ispace Europe, a part of ispace Japan’s global corporate footprint, which bid for $5,000 and an arrival in 2023 on the second Hakuto-R mission.
• Masten Space Systems, which asked for $15,000, with an arrival in 2023 using its Masten XL lander

The agency received 22 proposals in total, between 16 and 17 companies. This was intentionally designed to help NASA demonstrate the advantages of its public-private partnerships approach, and to set precedents about how resource material collection can happen on extra-terrestrial bodies like the Moon.

“With the commercial partnerships, this is setting a precedent internally as well as externally, relative to NASA continuing that paradigm,” said NASA’s Acting Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations Mike Gold . “Rather than pay for the development of the systems themselves, NASA is playing the role is customer.”

More specifically, these contracts also set precedents in terms of what private companies can do in terms of collecting material from the Moon, and who has ownership of that material once collected.

“I’ve often said that the rocket science part, the engineering, sometimes that seems like the easy aspect when it comes to all of the policy issues, legal, or financial challenges that we have,” Gold said. “It’s very important that we resolve any legal or regulatory questions in advance because we never want policy, or regulations to slow down or hinder incredible innovations in development that we’re seeing from both the public and the private sector. So we think it’s very important to establish the precedent that the private sector entities can extract can take these resources that NASA can purchase, and utilize them to fuel, not only NASA’s activities, but a whole new dynamic era of public and private development and exploration on the Moon, and then eventually to Mars .”

Basically, NASA wants this to set a precedent that private companies can go to the Moon, and eventually Mars, and mine material and retain ownership of said material for later distribution to both public and other private customers.

That’s part of the reason these bids are so low – companies like ispace and Lunar Outpost have future business models that involve significant potential planetary body mining components. The other is that these lunar lander missions were already planned, and as NASA explicitly laid out in their request for proposals for this bid, the agency did not want to pay for any development costs for the mission of getting to the Moon itself – just the actual collection.

Thoma Bravo must really like Flexera, an IT asset management company out of Chicago. The private equity firm bought the company for the second time today. Sources told TechCrunch the price was $2.85 billion.

Technically, Thoma Bravo is getting a majority stake in the company, buying it from previous owners TA Associates and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. The firm originally bought Flexera in 2008 from Macrovision for just $200 million. It turned it around just three years later in 2011 for $1 billion profit, according to reports.

While reports last year had the company’s investors looking for $3 billion, they didn’t quite reach that mark, but it’s still a hefty profit as the company continues to change hands, giving each of its owners a substantial return on investment.

At $2.85 billion, Thoma Bravo will have a bigger challenge on its hands to make that same kind of return, but it sees a company it liked before and it still likes it, especially the management team, which to some degree at least remains intact.

“Jim [Ryan] and his team have positioned Flexera for sustained growth by focusing on the strategic challenges enterprises face with complex IT infrastructures,” Seth Boro, managing partner at Thoma Bravo said in a statement.

Ryan was pleased to see the company’s value continue to rise and to connect once again with Thoma Bravo. “This is a resounding vote of confidence in the growth Flexera has shown and the strategic initiatives we’ve undertaken to address the exponential challenges faced by organizations today,” he said in a statement.

The company was founded in 2008 and has bought 12 companies along the way including five in the last couple of years, according to Crunchbase data. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next subject to regulatory approvals.

Decentralized exchange protocols that allow crypto traders and investors to trade across different block?hains have been in development for a while. A significant new development now comes with the launch of the ‘Testnet’ from Injective Protocol. Injective has been backed by Binance, one of the biggest centralized exchanges in the Crypto world.

Injective Protocol is one of the first universal ‘DeFi’ (Decentralised Finance) protocols for cross-chain derivatives trading, so the launch of the testnet is an important milestone. Injective’s main competitors (centralized and decentralized exchanges) include CME Group, BitMEX, LedgerX and OKEx among others.

As well as being incubated by Binance Labs, Injective Protocol is also backed with $3M in funding from noted blockchain investors Pantera, Hashed, and others. Pantera has had some successful exits including Kik, Bitstampt and Blockfolio.

Paul Veradittakit, Partner at Pantera Capital, said in a statement: “Injective’s Solstice testnet trades and feels like a state of the art derivatives exchange but it’s actually entirely supported by a fully decentralized infrastructure. With a 1 second blocktime, instant finality, and full EVM support, I’m confident that Injective will be able to pioneer the next wave of decentralized derivatives trading”

Injective’s team emerged from Stanford University and has been building and testing its platform privately since 2018, while validating it with several large largest funds, market makers, and institutional traders. Prior to Injective, Eric Chen, CEO and ?o-founder, was working at hedge funds and worked in cryptographic research at a blockchain-focused fund.

Injective has been working towards a mainnet and has already announced partnerships with top blockchain companies such as Elrond, Ramp DeFi, Findora, and Frontier. Its layer-2 decentralized exchange protocol lets traders trade across Ethereum, Cosmos, and others, using Tendermint-based Proof-of-Stake (PoS) to facilitate cross-chain derivatives trading.

Centralized exchanges have been known for operational failures like front running, exit scams, and exchange hacks. At the same time, existing DEXs are still facing problems such as high transaction fees, low liquidity, inconvenient UI/UX, and slow speeds. But the trading volume of decentralized exchanges reportedly grew 70% in the middle of 2020, setting a recent record high of $1.52 billion. So there’s clearly an appetite for this approach.

The advantage of the approach used by Injective combines the advantages of decentralized exchanges: resistance to front running, scams, and hacks, with the speed, low transaction fees and no gas fees, only previously available with centralized platforms. Developers can also create their own derivatives and markets to trade.

With Bitcoin reaching an all-time-high at around $18k, the blockchain and crypto world is once again taking off.

Paypal bought up to 70% of all the newly mined bitcoin since the payments giant started offering cryptocurrency services.? And Guggenheim Funds Trust filed an amendment with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to allow its $5 billion Macro Opportunities Fund gain exposure to bitcoin by investing up to 10% of the fund’s net asset value in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust.

YouTube today announced it’s launching a new feature that will push commenters to reconsider their hateful and offensive remarks before posting. It will also begin testing a filter that allows creators to avoid having to read some of the hurtful comments on their channel that had been automatically held for review. The new features are meant to address long standing issues with the quality of comments on YouTube’s platform — a problem creators have complained about for years.

The company said it will also soon run a survey aimed at giving equal opportunity to creators, and whose data can help the company to better understand how some creators are more disproportionately impacted by online hate and harassment.

The new commenting feature, rolling out today, is a significant change for YouTube.

The feature appears when users are about to post something offensive in a video’s comments section and warns to “Keep comments respectful.” The message also tells users to check the site’s Community Guidelines if they’re not sure if a comment is appropriate.

The pop-up then nudges users to click the “Edit” button and revise their comment by making “Edit” the more prominent choice on the screen that appears.

The feature will not actually prevent a user from posting their comment, however. If they want to proceed, they can click the “Post Anyway” option instead.

Image Credits: YouTube

The idea to put up roadblocks to give users time to pause and reconsider their words and actions is something several social media platforms are now doing.

For instance, Instagram last year launched a feature that would flag offensive comments before they were posted. It later expanded that to include offensive captions. Without providing data, the company claimed that these “nudges” were helping to reduce online bullying. Meanwhile, Twitter this year began to push users to read the article linked in tweets they were about to share before tweeting their reaction, and it stopped users from being able to retweet with just one click.

These intentional pauses built into the social platforms are designed to stop people from reacting to content with heightened emotion and anger, and instead push users to be more thoughtful in what they say and do. User interface changes like this leverage basic human psychology to work, and may even prove effective in some percentage of cases. But platforms have been hesitant to roll out such tweaks as they can stifle user engagement.

In YouTube’s case, the company tells TechCrunch its systems will learn what’s considered offensive based on what content gets repeatedly flagged by users. Over time, this A.I.-powered system should be able to improve as the technology gets better at detection and the system itself is further developed.

Users on Android in the English language will see the new prompts first, starting today, Google says. The rollout will complete over the next couple of days. The company did not offer a timeframe for the feature’s support for other platforms and languages or even a firm commitment that such support would arrive in the future.

In addition, YouTube said it will also now begin testing a feature for creators who use YouTube Studio to manage their channel.

Creators will be able to try out a new filter that will hide the offensive and hurtful comments that have automatically been held for review.

Today, YouTube Studio users can choose to auto-moderate potentially inappropriate comments, which they can then manually review and choose to approve, hide or report. While it’s helpful to have these held, it’s still often difficult for creators to have to deal with these comments at all, as online trolls can be unbelievably cruel. With the filter, creators can avoid these potentially offensive comments entirely.

YouTube says it will also streamline its moderation tools to make the review process easier going forward.

The changes follow a year during which YouTube has been heavily criticized for not doing enough to combat hate speech and misinformation on its platform. The video platform’s “strikes” system for rule violations means that videos may be individually removed but a channel itself can stay online unless it collects enough strikes to be taken down. In practice, that means a YouTube creator could be as violent as calling for government officials to be beheaded and and still continue to use YouTube. (By comparison, that same threat led to an account ban on Twitter.)

YouTube claims it has increased the number of daily hate speech comment removals by 46x since early 2019. And in the last quarter, of the more than 1.8 million channels it terminated for violating our policies, more than 54,000 terminations were for hate speech. That indicates a growing problem with online discourse that likely influenced these new measures. Some would argue the platforms have a responsibility to do even more, but it’s a difficult balance.

In a separate move, YouTube said it’s soon introducing a new survey that will ask creators to voluntarily share with YouTube information about their gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity. Using the data collected, YouTube claims it will be able to better examine how content from different communities is treated in search, discovery and monetization systems.

It will also look for possible patterns of hate, harassment, and discrimination that could affect some communities more than others, the company explains. And the survey will give creators to optionally participate in other initiatives that YouTube hosts, like #YouTubeBlack creator gatherings or FanFest, for instance.

This survey will begin in 2021 and was designed in consultation with input from creators and civil and human rights experts. YouTube says the collected data will not be used for advertising purposes, and creators will have the ability to opt-out and delete their information entirely at any time.