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MasterClass is offering college students a year of courses for $1
You'll need to hurry if you're interested -- the offer expires tonight.
MoviePass is dying, but its former leader wants to resurrect it
Just days after MoviePass shut down, one of the key players behind its initial success and subsequent failure wants to purchase it. Ted Farnsworth announced today that he's made an offer to acquire MoviePass -- along with related assets belonging to its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. In a press release, Farnsworth said he's proud of MoviePass and has no intention of walking away now.
Mark Zuckerberg apparently tried to buy Panic, the creator of Playdate
Buried in Edge Magazine's exclusive feature on Playdate, is an interesting revelation. Apparently, Mark Zuckerberg once expressed interest in buying Panic, the developers behind the new handheld, hand-cranked console. Perhaps even more intriguing, Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser didn't respond. He didn't want to be part of another Silicon Valley software company gobbled up by a giant.
T-Mobile is offering free 30-day trials in three cities
T-Mobile has one of the fastest mobile networks around, according to a recent study, and it's eager for more people to check out its service. To give potential customers a taste of the network, T-Mobile is offering a free 30-day trial in Atlanta, Boston and Austin.
Comcast tops Fox's bid for UK pay-TV giant Sky
An interesting wrinkle in Disney's deal to acquire most of Fox is that Fox is also in the middle of a deal to buy Sky -- a major telecom company and pay-TV service in the UK. Now Comcast (which includes NBCUniversal) has jumped in the middle of that deal with an offer that values Sky at $31 billion -- that's more than Fox's offer to buy out the 61 percent it doesn't already own, which values the company at about $23.2 billion (£18.5 billion). Fox already has an agreement in place, but that's under review from regulators. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said his company's offer of £12.50 in cash for each share it buys in Sky is "a significant premium to the 21CF price currently recommended," and that "We would like to own the whole of Sky and we will be looking to acquire over 50% of the Sky shares." Previously rumored to have an interest in acquiring Fox, Comcast is now in a position to complicate Disney's pending arrangement, which would see Disney take ownership of Sky -- assuming everything goes through as planned. If Comcast successfully bids for Sky, then it could give NBCUniversal a better position in the UK.
T-Mobile slams DirecTV Now in free Hulu offer
T-Mobile recently offered DirecTV Now for a year free to AT&T subscribers who switched to its T-mobile One plan, and now says it will offer Hulu Limited, too. In one of the more John Legere-esque news releases yet, the company took the opportunity to lambast its rival, using critical quotes that called DirecTV "a total disaster," a "complete mess," and more. "It turns out DirecTV is barely watchable ... so every former AT&T customer who took us up on our offer now gets a free year of Hulu on us," Legere said in a statement.
Amazon UK will take £10 off orders over £50 today
Sometimes, it's nice to be appreciated. In Amazon's case, that means ranking number one in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index. While the company sits back and basks in the knowledge that it's scoring highly for professionalism, quality and efficiency, problem solving and complaint handling -- for the second year running -- it's extending an offer to all of its UK customers. For today only, if you place an order over £50, Amazon will take £10 off the total. To get involved, you'll need to enter the discount code "BIGTHANKS" at the checkout and ensure that the products in your basket are all sold directly by Amazon. Like last year, digital items, gift cards or anything listed by a third-party seller won't count. If you've been putting off that New Year purchase, now might be the time treat yourself.
T-Mobile giving AT&T customers a free year of DirecTV Now
T-Mobile is trying to counter AT&T by offering AT&T customers a year of its rival's own DirecTV Now streaming service if they switch to magenta. The offer has some flaws: You'll just get a $35 monthly credit, which represents the lowest tier of DirecTV now, for one. You'll also need to pay $120 per month (minimum) for two lines on the new T-Mobile One "unlimited" plan, which doesn't include LTE tethering or high-definition video.
Amazon UK will take £10 off any order over £50 today
Here's a little deal that we think you should know about; for today only, if you place an order over £50 on Amazon UK you can get £10 off. Simple, right? The company says it's a small "thank you" for winning some kind of survey conducted by The Institute for Customer Service. To redeem the nifty discount, you'll need to use the offer code "BIGTHANKS" at checkout and ensure your basket is filled with physical goods sold directly through Amazon. Digital items, gift cards or anything sold by a third-party merchant through Amazon's site is ineligible, basically. Still, it sounds like an easy way to save some cash on a couple of new video games.
Foxconn trumps Japanese rival in $5.2 billion bid for Sharp
Sharp may have mounds of debt and falling sales, but it has one thing that China's Foxconn doesn't -- display technology used by Apple and others. That's reportedly why Foxconn has bid 625 billion yen ($5.4 billion) to buy the troubled company, according to the WSJ. That bid is over double the 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion) offered by an Japanese investment fund called Innovation Network Corp. In addition, Foxconn will absorb all of Sharp's considerable debt -- the company has a 510 billion yen ($4.4 billion) payment due soon on a series of loans to Japanese banks, for example.
Amazon now lets you name your price on fine art
If you don't like the price on an Amazon Collectible & Fine Art item, you can now dicker for it instead. A new "make an offer" feature cropped up on the third-party marketplace site today, giving another option to paying the preset price. Amazon launched a failed auction site 15 years ago to compete with eBay, but the new system only allows private bids. Venders can accept, reject or counter an offer within 72 hours, and buyers can reply to any counter-offer within another three days. Amazon's upscale marketplace features over 15 million items valued up to three million dollars, though only about 175,000 carry the new option. It plans to expand it next year, however, so maybe you can clear space on your mantle for that $450,000 "Bat" Masterson manuscript after all.
Twitter Offers delivers discounts you can nab from tweets
Twitter has been dabbling in timeline-based purchases already, and its latest effort will boost commerce-driven tweeting. Twitter Offers serves up discounts from participating retailers that you'll be able to grab right from the tweet -- so long as you've linked a credit or debit card to sort the funds, of course. To leverage the deal, all you have to do is pay online or at a physical location with the same card. The social network will charge companies to promote their offer-packed messages, and could later opt to bill for every deal that's claimed according to Re/code. Twitter acquired online coupon/payment startup CardSpring earlier this year to power the offering, and discounts will begin appearing as early as today. Perfect timing for the Black Friday scrum, no?
Sprint's proposed T-Mobile buyout now faces a competing offer from Iliad
Sprint isn't the only company hoping to shell out billions for the privilege of scooping up T-Mobile's US branch; according to the Wall Street Journal, a French company called Iliad wants in on the action as well. Iliad, which owns a mobile operator in France known as Free, recently made a bid to counter the reported $32 billion offer T-Mobile is already entertaining with Sprint's parent company Softbank. The terms of the deal are unknown, and it's unclear how Iliad can pay for such a transaction, since its market value of $16 billion is merely half of what Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is putting on the table.
Google kicks off Chromecast offers program with £5 of free Play credit
With Google's Chromecast streaming dongle now fully settled in the UK, the great provider (of search results) has kicked off a promotional program rewarding new and old customers alike. You'll find the offer highlighted in the Play store, where (browser) window shoppers are being tempted with "£4.99 credit towards a movie rental." The truth is, however, that you can spend your free fiver on anything available on Play, like music, books or Android apps. Furthermore, anyone with a Chromecast purchased in the UK is eligible, regardless of when you bought it. The only catch really is you must redeem the credit online by mid-July and spend it before the same time next year. It would appear this is just the first freebie in an ongoing offers program, so don't be surprised to see others in the future that sweeten the deal for newcomers, as well as thank old hands for their patronage.
Sprint will pay you to switch from a rival carrier to its Framily plan
T-Mobile may have stolen the spotlight earlier this year by paying customers to switch, but it looks like Sprint is cooking up a similar deal in response. An S4GRU leak has revealed a Sprint promo that will pay you to switch from a competitor to the carrier's Framily plan between April 4th and May 8th. Much like T-Mobile's offer, you'll get up to $350 to cover early termination fees at the provider you're leaving; you'll also get up to $300 in service credit if you trade in your old phone at the same time. While we doubt that the month-long campaign will do much to reverse Sprint's losses, it might just give fence-sitters a stronger incentive to change networks.
EverQuest Next Landmark beta keys available in US PC Gamer
First, PC Gamer UK brought us the news of three new classes in EverQuest Next. Now the US version is keeping with the EQN theme by offering subscribers EQN Landmark closed beta keys. This gives players another option for gaining access to closed beta besides purchasing a Founders Pack or hoping for the best during a lottery selection. In the print version of the mag, you'll receive an exclusive, one-week access to the sandbox when it hits beta. Along with the keys, the magazine offers impressions on the gameplay, and you can also read Massively's own hands-on experience in Landmark. [Editor Note: Fixed to clarify that these keys are for the print version of the magazine only.]
Amazon Appstore celebrates its second year with free apps, cake (for today only)
Did the word free in the headline grab your attention, or was it the cake? Either way, Amazon's Appstore is throwing a party to mark its second birthday, and there's a goody bag of software for anyone who attends. It's been a good month for Android users, as Google's Play store had its own shindig recently, and like last year, Amazon's been treating Appstore patrons to discounts all week. For its official anniversary today, though, a tray-full of apps can be downloaded gratis. Admittedly, the selection isn't fantastic, but you should find one or two things worth at least the time it takes to click 'em -- Chu Chu Rocket, may we suggest (long live Dreamcast!). Remember, you've gotta be quick, as the offers expire at the end of the day. But enough from us. Head to the source link for cake and more.
Windows 8 now available to try at Best Buy
Microsoft's already opened up the floodgates with Windows 8 pre-orders, and it looks as if those still on the fence now have a sandbox to goof off in. Pictured above is a trio of Windows 8 notebooks from a Best Buy located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and we actually called around to confirm with several other stores that a similar setup had been erected in their locales. Nah, we can't make October 26th get here any faster, but at least you know where to head if you're looking for a sample.
Windows 8 packaging and pricing revealed: standard OEM $99, Pro Pack $139, pre-order from today
We're almost there. Just a few more days until the big reveal. But that doesn't mean there aren't still a few final Windows 8 secrets to be disclosed. Two of those are the price and the packaging, which online retailer Newegg has just let slip. There are four packages listed: Windows 8 Professional Upgrade ($69), Windows 8 Pro Pack ($69, product key card only), Windows 8 OEM ($99) and Windows 8 Professional ($139), with the latter two being available in both 32- and 64-bit versions (for the same price). If you go into the product page, however, we can see that the original price for the upgrade and product key card only versions is listed as "$199" suggesting that this might either be a launch offer, or subject to change. Don't forget though, there's still the chance to upgrade for an even lower price, for those who qualify. You can officially reserve your copy of Pro from today for $69.99 at all the main retailers, but if you can hold back on that impulse purchase for just a little longer, you'll be able to upgrade to Pro online for $39 (until January 31st). Follow the source for details.
Apple extends iCloud storage upgrade for MobileMe users another year
Apple's done its level best to lure help you over to iCloud from MobileMe, and it looks like it's not quite done yet. We're seeing reports from users who have received messages advising that the additional storage offered to ease the transition has been extended for another 12 months, sans cost to you. Whether a charge will kick in right away when that period ends, and at what price isn't made clear. But if you like to drag your data heels, or want to take your sweet time deciding if the new service is for you, it looks like luck is on your side. [Thanks, Jonathan C]
