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Apple won’t turn on any ‘restricted mode’ for missed lease payments

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Apple says it won't limit the capabilities of devices leased through its new Upgrade program if you miss a payment. In an emailed statement to The Verge , Apple spokesperson Brian Bumbery says, "There will be no restricted mode and/or there will be no limitations put on device functionality due to missed payments or default with the Apple Upgrade program." This confirmation comes after 9to5Mac uncovered code in an iOS 27 beta for a new "App Managed Features" system. This would reportedly allow financial partners to "perform ongoing status checks" on a device, as well as have Apple's system services put a device in "Restricted Mode" if its ow … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/G0ibOgd

X Money is launching in the US starting today

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X Money, a core part of Elon Musk's mission to turn X into an " everything app ," is rolling out starting today, 9to5Mac reports. The payment platform offers a digital wallet and peer-to-peer payments similar to Venmo, along with a metal Visa card users can emblazon with their X username. Other perks include Apple Wallet support and free money transfers on X. It also advertises "up to" a 6 percent APY, but only Premium Plus subscribers are eligible for it - standard Premium subscribers have to deposit a certain amount of money to get a "boosted" 6 percent APY. X Money was previously limited to an invite-only beta, but will now be available t … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/s07Md2z

Razer’s analog Huntsman V3 Pro is over 20 percent off

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The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro features doubleshot PBT keycaps. Gaming keyboards have evolved over the years to add RGB LEDs, extra knobs, and buttons with screens, but one feature has remained fairly consistent: the mechanical switch. That’s slowly changing, with brands introducing adjustable optical switches that are more customizable and have a faster response time. Razer’s Huntsman V3 Pro TKL is a compact, wired option on sale at Amazon for $124.99 (usually $159.99). Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL Where to Buy: $159.99 $124.99 at Amazon Optical switches constantly read the height of each key, opening up a wealth of new features that traditional mechanical switches don’t support. For example, you can set the activation height for different keys, down to 0.1mm for the lightest touch, or up to 4mm for keys you don’t want to accidentally press at the wrong time, and they can reset without reaching the top height for faster repeated presses. Like some oth...

Nanoleaf’s colorful pegboard and shelf kit is half off

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Nanoleaf's Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit comes with nine color-changing LED panels. | Image: Nanoleaf Nanoleaf’s Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit is a fun back-to-school buy that can add pops of customizable light and storage to your wall. It combines colorful smart lighting panels with a low-profile shelf and pegboard, and right now you can buy the kit for half off at $99.99 from Nanoleaf , which marks a new low price. Nanoleaf Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit Where to Buy: $249.99 $99.99 at Nanoleaf The kit can hold up to 6.6 pounds and 3.3 pounds, respectively, making them handy for holding headphones, controllers, notebooks, a tablet, a small plant, or a couple of books. It comes with both large and small modular light panels that glow from edge to edge, and they can be rearranged or expanded down the line to create a design that’s unique to your space.  Of course, the light panels support custom lighting scenes, and Nanoleaf’s app has a feature call...

Champagne and Bullets belongs on the Mount Rushmore of bad movies

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Thankfully the movie is bonkers enough to live up to the artwork. | Image: Vinegar Syndrome There's something about a movie like The Room , Troll 2 , or Fateful Findings that I find irresistible. These sorts of "so bad they're good" films are marvelous curiosities where ambition far outstrips resources, ability, and self-awareness to become something much greater than the sum of their parts. Champagne and Bullets (also released as GetEven and Road to Revenge ) is a film on par with those classics of outsider cinema. The movie is almost entirely the work of one man, John De Hart. Hart wrote, directed, and stars as Rick Bode in the film. He even performs a musical number early in the proceedings - The bizarre " Shimmy Slide ." During th … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/tl2Goba

Apple is banking on privacy to set its smart glasses apart

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Meta’s AI glasses have been the focus of controversy. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge According to Mark Gurman , Apple is planning to reveal its first smart glasses at WWDC next June, with an expectation that they'll launch by the end of 2027. Part of the hold-up may be around the company's efforts to get its privacy features and messaging in order. Smart glasses in general, and Meta's in particular, have ignited controversy over their ability to stealthily capture photos and videos. As Gurman points out: The company has spent more than a decade making privacy one of its defining product messages. Simply entering the same category as Meta risks undermining that reputation, regardless of how Apple's approach differs. Apple … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/aWiHelp

The US is charging an American citizen for wiping his phone at the border

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The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a " duress password " that wiped his phone when they tried to seize it at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport on January 24th, 2025. Federal agents detained Tunick at the airport, allegedly questioning him about child exploitation images. However, a motion filed by Tunick's lawyers argues this was simply "a pretext for a fishing expedition into Mr Tunick's connections" to the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta. The government is turning to a little-known and rarely-used statute that makes it illegal to destroy or damage property to stop authorities fr … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/u6Ag95w