You Can Now Get HBO GO Without Paying for Other Channels

Fans of Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, The Wire, and Girls can finally get their HBO fix without being forced into 15 different versions of MTV and other wallet-sucking basic cable networks. And it’s coming from an unlikely source: Comcast. 

As originally reported by DSL Reports, Comcast is offering an Internet-HBO bundle without access to other cable channel add-ons. The Internet Plus offer brings together 25Mbps Internet access, Limited Basic TV, Comcast’s VOD service XFINITY Streampix, and everyone’s favorite network to bittorrent, HBO. The price is $40 to $50 a month for the first 12 months depending on your geographic location. Then of course it shoots up to $70 to $80 a month. 

The bundle finally frees HBO and HBO GO from the large number of obligatory channels that many cord cutters and cable subscribers never wanted in the first place. And while the $70 to $80 post-introductory offer may seem steep, it sets a precedent that other cable and satellite providers may start offering. 

In fact, depending on your market, it might actually be a good deal. In San Francisco, the introductory offer of $26/month for 25Mbps jumps up to $45 after six months. After 12 months that internet access could jump to $65/month depending on where you live. 

So Internet Plus might be a good deal if you’re a Comcast customer. And if you’re primarily interested in what happens in Westeros (as opposed to storage-unit bidding shows), it’s definitely a good deal. 

WIRED

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Don’t Be Silly. Lock Down and Encrypt Your Smartphone

Your smartphone is your most portable computer. It’s also a treasure trove of personal information. You wouldn’t leave your laptop unlocked in public, so why leave your phone unprotected? Lock up that data and encrypt it.

Social media, budgeting and finance apps, photos, address book, and email — they’re all filled with details about you and the people you know. Yet for some reason a third of smartphone users in the U.S. still don’t bother setting up password security on their phones. It’s a shame because using a four-digit pin or a pattern lock is one of the easiest ways to keep thieves out of your phone. Trust us, the person that finds your phone in the back of a cab or swipes it from your open bag while you’re on the bus isn’t a criminal mastermind. On the other hand, they will be able to figure out from your emails when you’ll be on vacation and what time you leave for work. 

FCC officials said that in 2012 smartphone theft increased from 8 percent to 42 percent in New York City over a 10 year period. The agency suggested a system where you call your carrier to brick your phone as soon as its stolen to reduce identity theft. But most people who lose their smartphones spend at least some time retracing their steps in the hopes of, you know, finding it. In fact, having your carrier enable such a scorched earth protocol kind of renders tracking services like Apple’s ‘Find My iPhone,’ obsolete. 

If your phone does fall into the hands of the smarter-than-average thief, encrypting the contents will add an extra level of security that could mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and dealing with various agencies trying to restore your identity. Android’s encryption feature requires a passcode entered into the phone every time it’s powered back on. It can also protect any SD cards you use with your Android phone. To turn on encryption, navigate to Settings > Security. The only downside is that whenever you do turn on your phone with encryption, it’ll take an hour to decipher all your information. 

With iOS, just having a passcode turned on on your phone encrypts your information. But if you’re looking for the even more protection, you can have your phone delete all its content if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times in a row. Head to Settings > General > Passcode Lock. Scroll to the bottom and turn on Erase Data. Note that once your phone is erased, you’ll no longer be able to use Find My Phone to track its location. But if your personal information is more precious than a piece of hardware (which it should be), this is a great way to protect your identity. 

WIRED

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Micromax Canvas Tab P650 review

One of the most remarkable trends in the Indian tablet industry over the past year has been the rise of the budget segment of tablets. Micromax is one of the major players in this segment, and can take credit for kick-starting the demand in this segment with its Funbook tablet, which claimed to combine entertainment with education.

Micromax's Canvas Tab P650 is a tablet with 8-inch display, a segment which has been dominated by Apple and Samsung for quite some time now. But can the Micromax Canvas Tab, the company's first 8-inch tablet and also the first flagship tablet in the Canvas series, repeat the success of the first Funbook, and get ahead of the competition? We try to find out in our review.

GADGETS NDTV

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Sony SmartWatch 2 review: a fair effort that still hasn't cracked it

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Cast your mind back to the period between August and October 2012, and there was barely a whisper about a smartwatch round these parts. Pebble was funded and well underway, and we discovered a curious Google patent -- but that was pretty much it. In that same period one year later, you'll find nearly 40 news stories on Engadget alone. There's definitely been a climate change.

One player in this year's wrist-based technology battle is Sony's SmartWatch 2. That number appended to the end of its name lets you know that this isn't the company's first foray into this area (it's technically its third). Because it's a tech giant, then, and also one of the more established players in this market, our expectations were rather high. So, can Sony show the competition how it's done.

ENGADGET

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Jony Ive turns Mac Pro RED for charity

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Suddenly, the 20th Anniversary Mac seems downright commonplace. Apple's Jony Ive is teaming up with recent design partner Marc Newson to auction a one-of-a-kind red Mac Pro as part of a Product RED charity fundraiser. It's not clear what's different on the inside versus the regular black model, but look at that outside -- it's guaranteed that this workstation will be the centerpiece of the office. Be prepared to pony up if you like the idea of an ultra-exclusive system, though. Sotheby's estimates that the red Mac Pro will sell for $40,000 to $60,000; while that's a steal next to an Apple I, it's not exactly chump change. Check out both the Mac and some (slightly) more affordable rose gold EarPods at the source links.

ENGADGET

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Nokia Lumia 929 caught on video, may reach Verizon by Thanksgiving

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Disappointed that the rumored Lumia 929 didn't surface at Nokia's big event this past week? Don't worry -- WPCentral forum member Falorin has posted photos and a video (after the break) revealing more details of Verizon's Windows Phone flagship. As previous leaks implied, the 929 is effectively a compact Lumia 1520; the 1080p screen resolution, 20-megapixel camera and Snapdragon 800 chip remain intact. There's no microSD slot, although there will reportedly be models with 32GB and 64GB of built-in storage. The biggest surprise is Nokia's use of a nano-SIM, which suggests that the company no longer minds using a competitor's SIM format. Those who like what they see might not have to wait long to try the new Lumia for themselves. If Falorin is accurate, Verizon hopes to release the 929 around Thanksgiving.

ENGADGET

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Alcatel's 7-inch OneTouch Pop tablets are colorful, and subject to leaks

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Way back in January this year, Alcatel trotted out some new tablets set for debut in Q3. Some we saw come to light in August. But, what's this we have here? Perpetual thorn in every product release's side -- @evleaks -- has just thrown up images of what are apparently new colorful 7-inch tabs from Alcatel. The difference here, to what we saw earlier, seems to be that they are part of the OneTouch Pop family, much like those recent budget handsets we saw -- which incidentally should start popping up in stores soon. As well as the hues you see above, we hear the covers are removable, and it will come in black, too. Plus there's word of a translucent flip-cover to keep it clean. Whenever it gets official that is.

ENGADGET

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