• Messenger Room is Facebook’s response to the popular video chat app Zoom, which saw its usage spike during the coronavirus health crisis.
• Zoom has been the subject of plenty of criticism lately because of various privacy and security issues the company promised to fix, but that didn’t affect its popularity.
• The first screenshots of Messenger Room have appeared online, but it’s unclear when the app will go live.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The only way to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus is to adhere to a specific set of rules. You have to wash your hands often and disinfect surfaces, and you have to reduce contact with other people. Even then, you’re advised to use a face mask of some sort and use sanitizer when in public. These severe social distancing measures have cost millions of people their jobs. Others are luckier and can work or go to school from home.

The internet, combined with video calling apps and instant messengers, makes it far more comfortable to work or study from home. Apps like Zoom are killing it right now, despite the many privacy and security worries that were unearthed in previous weeks. Unsurprisingly, if an app that has a social component becomes popular for any reason, Facebook will be right there to try to replicate its features as well as its success. And Facebook is doing exactly that with Zoom, as it lines up its own competitor for the popular video calling application.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

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1. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
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3. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed

Messenger Rooms are Facebook’s answer to Zoom originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 18:04:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• A new text message crash bug for Apple devices has been going viral this week.
• Similar to the Telugu bug from 2018, the text string features unique characters that can cause the iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch to crash upon receiving a notification with it present.
• Apple has yet to respond or issue a fix, but the bug doesn’t work on the latest iOS beta.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Over the years, we’ve reported on a number of text message bugs capable of crashing iPhones and iPads. Way back in 2015, the so-called “effective power” bug was able to crash iOS devices when a text was received while a user was anywhere other than the Messages app. Three years later, a specific Telugu character was used to crash a variety of messaging apps. The only way to get back into the app was to access the service from a different device and delete the message with the character, as it would repeatedly crash the iOS app while present.

Now, in the middle of a global pandemic, yet another one of these weird bugs has arisen. As 9to5Mac explains, if you receive the text string in a notification on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even Apple Watch, you may begin to experience some issues. This can include crashes and the device failing to respond to touch inputs.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

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1. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
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This text message with an Italian flag could crash your iPhone originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 17:25:40 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Two studies focusing on the most promising coronavirus drugs just delivered bad news about the COVID-19 treatments.
• An observational hydroxychloroquine study from New York revealed the drug failed to show any promise on COVID-19 patients experiencing severe symptoms.
• In addition, a randomized remdesivir clinical trial from China revealed the drug had no effect on patients experiencing severe coronavirus cases.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

More than four months after the emergence of the novel coronavirus, the world is still stuck mostly indoors as it looks to reduce the spread of the virus and prevent medical systems from collapsing. We still don’t have a drug that works against COVID-19 or a vaccine, but that’s because we’re only getting started. A vaccine will likely be ready for mass inoculations in 12 to 18 months. Before that happens, we’ll also know whether any of the promising COVID-19 treatments that you’ve heard about on TV actually work. New results are already here for two of these promising drugs, but neither shows any promise. The good news is that they’re not definitive and more research is required on both hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir.

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Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

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1. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
2. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
3. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys

Two promising coronavirus drugs just failed in clinical trials originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 16:50:52 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• NASA is asking that fans avoid attending the first crewed SpaceX launch to the International Space Station.
• The event is a long time coming, and while NASA won’t be selling tickets to attendees, the agency is still concerned that people may flock to roadsides and other public places to catch a glimpse of the action.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

SpaceX is gearing up for a history-making mission. The company will be sending NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from US soil, which is something that hasn’t happened in nearly a decade. It’s going to be a huge deal for both SpaceX and NASA.

Normally, an event like this would cause crowds to gather. Space fans would descend on the Florida launch site in huge numbers and celebrate the launch of NASA astronauts from their home country. Unfortunately, the current global health crisis is complicating things to a huge degree, and NASA wants to make it clear that people should not attend the event.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

Trending Right Now:

1. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
2. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
3. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys

NASA begs people to avoid SpaceX’s first astronaut launch originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 16:15:51 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The novel coronavirus can spread with ease in a confined space like a restaurant, new research shows.
• By tracing the contacts of several COVID-19 patients in China, researchers were able to determine that a single person was responsible for infecting two other families.
• All three families were eating in a restaurant at the same time, spending at least 53 minutes in close vicinity.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Social distancing measures are still in place in various countries around the world that have been working on “flattening the curve” in the past few weeks. Reducing the transmission speed of the novel coronavirus is essential and it’s the only way to ensure that hospitals have time to treat severe cases while studying potential cures and vaccines. But some governments are already contemplating measures that would allow the population to returned to a version of normal. Restrictions will be loosened, but not all the social distancing measures will be lifted.

A second wave o COVID-19 is expected in the fall, and outbreaks can occur without notice even sooner than that if specific guidelines aren’t respected. Fast testing and contact tracing policies will have to be part of our lives in the coming weeks and months. Improved personal hygiene, the use of face masks, and some social distancing measures will also still be required. You’ll be advised or required to avoid gatherings for some time to come, so you can forget all about sporting events or theaters. And if this new study is accurate, even going to your favorite restaurant might be out of the question for the near future.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

Trending Right Now:

1. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
2. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
3. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys

Scary coronavirus study says we won’t be eating in restaurants anytime soon originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 15:40:12 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Nintendo of Japan confirms that around 160,000 Nintendo Accounts were illegally accessed by using the connected Nintendo Network IDs (NNIDs).
• Hackers were able to see the nickname, email address, country, and date of birth of the account, as well as make purchases with credit cards and PayPal accounts.
• Nintendo says that hackers couldn’t actually see credit card numbers, thankfully.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Days after reports of Nintendo Accounts being accessed by unauthorized parties began to surface online, Nintendo of Japan has confirmed that there was indeed a breach. On a new support page, the company says IDs and passwords have been “obtained illegally by some means other than our service” to log in to Nintendo Accounts using Nintendo Network IDs (NNID), and reveals that this has been happening since the beginning of April.

In order to address the issue, Nintendo has disabled the ability to access a Nintendo Account using an NNID, and has reset the passwords of every Nintendo Account that might have been affected by the breach. NNIDs were used on the Wii U and 3DS, and were once expected to serve as the account system standard for future Nintendo hardware, but the NNID was all but replaced by the Nintendo Account when the Switch launched.

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Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

Trending Right Now:

1. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
2. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
3. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys

Nintendo says 160,000 accounts were hacked in security breach originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 15:05:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The coronavirus pandemic has brought daily life in the US and around the rest of the world screeching to a halt. Millions of people have lost work because of the virus, the social fabric of the country has been torn apart, and there’s still no end in sight.
• On Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a slew of new features across the social networking giant’s family of products that are meant to help people stay more connected with each other during these uncertain and stressful times.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

One of the byproducts of the coronavirus pandemic is a sense of disconnection and isolation, since most of us are stuck at home right now and can’t physically be around other people right now as a result of social distancing guidelines, business closures, and the like. Digital services like Facebook and Instagram are being relied on more than ever to help us bridge that connection gap and stay in touch with friends and people we love — indeed, Facebook says that in most areas affected by the COVID-19 virus, video calling via the social networking giant’s Messenger and WhatsApp products has more than doubled. Also, viewership of Facebook Live and Instagram Live videos was up “significantly” in March.

But the company still wants to do more — in the words of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, that includes “new product updates we’ve been working on to help everyone feel more connected with each other even while we’re apart.”

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Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Today’s best deals: Face masks in stock, UV phone sanitizers, crazy Fire HD 8 Tablet deal, rare Bose 700 sale, more

Trending Right Now:

1. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
2. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed
3. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys

All the new Facebook features Mark Zuckerberg just unveiled because of coronavirus originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Amazon is running a terrific deal today on Gevalia Majestic Roast 100% Arabica Keurig K-Cup Coffee Pods, which brew delicious coffee that’s good enough to garner a 4.8-star rating.
• The limited-time deal gets you six boxes of Gevalia K-Cup coffee pods each with 12 pods inside, for a total of 72 cups of coffee.
• At $35.94, that makes the per-cup cost of this delicious coffee just $0.50, and it’s one of the best deals we’ve come across on this popular brew.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Look, we’re going to get real with you for a minute: there’s no way you’re going to make it through the coronavirus lockdown without your coffee. Self-quarantining means working from home for millions of people across the country, and millions more are taking classes from home since schools across the country are closed for the rest of the school year. That means all these people have quickly learned what those of us who work from home all the time have known for years — it can be very difficult to stay focused.

If you have any hope of remaining focused and effective, you’re going to need your coffee. Lucky for you, Amazon is running a great deal right now on some of the most delicious coffee you’ll ever brew at home. Gevalia Majestic Roast 100% Arabica Keurig K-Cup Coffee Pods are on sale right now for just $35.94, which gets you six boxes that each have 12 K-Cup coffee pods inside. That’s a total of 72 cups of coffee, enough to last one person about two months, and you’ll only pay $0.50 per cup!

You can save even more if you choose Subscribe & Save but either way, you’re getting a great deal on delicious coffee that’s good enough to garner a 4.8-star rating on Amazon. If you don’t already have a Keurig coffee maker that takes K-Cup coffee pods, there are plenty to choose from on Amazon right now.

Gevalia Majestic Roast 100% Arabica Keurig K-Cup Coffee Pods (72 Count, 6 Boxes of 12): $35.94 ($0.50 / Count)

Here are some of Amazon’s key details from the product page:

• K-Cup Pods Make Brewing Quick and Easy: Each K-Cup pod prepares a delicious single serving of coffee in seconds. Brewing is fast and easy; simply load the K-Cup pod into a Keurig K-Cup Brewer and push the brewer’s handle all the way down to pierce the cup. Then select the brew size and press the illuminated button to start brewing.
• Our Coffee: From intense dark roasts to exotic varietals, Gevalia offers over 30 premium coffees. Carrying on the legacy of Gevalia founder Victor Theodor Engwall, our coffee buyers travel the globe in search of the best beans available.
• A part of the Heritage Collection, Gevalia Kaffe Majestic Roast is a distinctively rich, incredibly dark, never bitter coffee with full-bodied earthy notes. One taste of this deep, bold flavor and you’ll know why it could be called… Majestic.
• Rich, never bitter coffee experience in K-Cup Pods
• Full-bodied, earthy flavor
• Made with 100% Arabica coffee
• For use in all Keurig K-Cup brewers and a total of 72 coffee pods
• To use, load single-serve cup into the brewer, select 8 oz. brew size, and press the illuminated brew button
• Pack of Six, 4.12 Ounce (Total of 24.72 Ounce)

Gevalia Majestic Roast 100% Arabica Keurig K-Cup Coffee Pods (72 Count, 6 Boxes of 12): $35.94 ($0.50 / Count)

More of today’s top deals

Face Mask, Pack of 50: $38.99 ($0.78 / Mask)

Anker Wireless Charger, PowerWave Pad 10W Max Qi-Certified Fast Charging for iPhone 11, 11 Pro,…: $8.49 (use code SDAK2503 by 4/30)

KASMOTION UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer, Faster Than Any UV Sanitizer On The Market, Kills Up to 99.…: $59.99

Apple AirPods Pro: $234.95

Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Bluetooth Noise Canceling in-Ear Headphones Black (Renewed): $119.99

TOZO T10 Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Earbuds with Wireless Charging Case IPX8 Waterproof TWS Stereo…: $35.99

Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 700, with Alexa Voice Control, Black: $349.00

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Black Friday’s best-selling Roomba robot vacuums are all back on sale

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1. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
2. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys
3. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed

Perk up with Amazon’s deal on Gevalia coffee pods, just 50¢ each originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 13:55:06 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The first round of the virtual NFL draft didn’t have many hiccups
• With teams working from home, the NFL sent IT packages to give a more live feel
• Whether or not that will continue to be true for the next six rounds remains to be seen
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Many people were excited about the NFL draft on Thursday night, mostly because it was one of the first live sporting events we’ve actually had to enjoy in a while. Other people were tuning in because they were waiting for disaster, and not just when it comes to draft picks who baffle fans and experts.

Like many aspects of life these days, the NFL draft was completely virtual on Thursday night (and will continue to be virtual Friday and Saturday). There were reports that the dry run the NFL had the other day had glitches in the middle of picks, so there was plenty to keep an eye on when the program started at 8 PM ET on Thursday. But those who were hoping for a train wreck didn’t have much to celebrate.

I watched the feed on ESPN, which had NFL experts from ESPN and NFL Network on, one of the rare times that those two networks have shared a stream. After an introduction from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in his basement, you had a pre-taped national anthem from Harry Connick Jr. and a message from Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci about the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the draft was underway.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
3. Black Friday’s best-selling Roomba robot vacuums are all back on sale

Trending Right Now:

1. The most unusual coronavirus symptom is also the most dangerous
2. A promising coronavirus vaccine already works on monkeys
3. Where’s my stimulus check? A new reason your money might be delayed

Night one of the NFL draft wasn’t the big technological mess everyone expected originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 13:20:55 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Three of the most popular iRobot Roomba robot vacuum models of all time are on sale right on over at Amazon, and they’re each either at or close to Black Friday pricing from ahead of the holidays last year.
• The star of the show is the Roomba 960 robot vacuum cleaner, which retails for $650 but is on sale right now for $399.
• Other top Roomba deals right now on Amazon include the $300 Roomba 675 for just $219, and the $250 Roomba 614 is all the way down to just $199 today.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

When it comes to robot vacuum cleaners, there are iRobot’s various Roomba models and then there’s everything else. Sure, other top brands continue to get closer and closer to matching different aspects of the Roomba user experience. That said, there’s nothing else on the market that can match Roomba in all aspects of the experience. Most people know that, but Roomba models are expensive so people opt for rival models despite their shortcomings. Thanks to a big surprise sale over on Amazon right now, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Three of the most popular Roomba robot vacuum models of all time are on sale right now with deep discounts, and the biggest news is definitely the return of Black Friday pricing on a longtime best-seller, the iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum. With a retail price of $650, this model packs wonderfully powerful suction that is five times stronger than 600-series models, and it also has fun bells and whistles like support for Alexa voice commands. Head over to Amazon right now and you’ll find it on sale for $399, matching the price from Black Friday and Cyber Week last year.

iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum- Wi-Fi Connected Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair,…: $399.00

Next up is the iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum, which also packs Alexa and Google Assistant support along with plenty more great features. The suction isn’t quite as strong as you’ll find on the Roomba 960, but it’s still more than powerful enough to get the job done. It’s also far better than any low-cost Roomba rivals that you see on Amazon. The retail price on the 675 model is $300, but right now it’s down to $219 for a limited time. That’s the lowest price of 2020 so far.

iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum-Wi-Fi Connectivity, Works with Alexa, Good for Pet Hair, Carpets…: $219.00

Last but certainly not least, the iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum is perfect for anyone on the lookout for a powerful Roomba that doesn’t have all the extra fancy features. It’s great for pet hair and more on hard flooring or on low-pile carpet, and it’s down to just $199 right now if you hurry and grab one before they’re gone.

iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum- Good for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Self-Charging: $199.00

More of today’s top deals

Face Mask, Pack of 50: $38.99 ($0.78 / Mask)

Anker Wireless Charger, PowerWave Pad 10W Max Qi-Certified Fast Charging for iPhone 11, 11 Pro,…: $8.49 (use code SDAK2503 by 4/30)

KASMOTION UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer, Faster Than Any UV Sanitizer On The Market, Kills Up to 99.…: $59.99

Apple AirPods Pro: $234.95

Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Bluetooth Noise Canceling in-Ear Headphones Black (Renewed): $119.99

TOZO T10 Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Earbuds with Wireless Charging Case IPX8 Waterproof TWS Stereo…: $35.99

Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 700, with Alexa Voice Control, Black: $349.00

Today’s Top Deals

1. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $8 wireless charger, UV phone sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Roku, rare Bose deal, more
2. Hurry: Amazon’s best-selling face masks are somehow still in stock
3. Last chance to get 5 great Bose deals, including the rarest Bose sale ever

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3. Wendy’s is giving away free food around the country on Friday

Black Friday’s best-selling Roomba robot vacuums are all back on sale originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 12:45:15 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report