Secure the App Store

Apple revealed it spent part of 2020 removing and rejecting nearly 1 million questionable-looking apps.

May 17, 2021 It's May 17, 2021. It's National Pack Rat Day! We know you like saving your boxes just in case, but do you really need all of them? Probably not.     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 245 articles, 5 podcasts, 7 press releases, 302 tweets, and 6 YouTube videos 1. Apple Says It Removed 1 Million Suspicious Apps Last Year Apple was quietly fending off fraudulent purchases last year. The company explains it stopped nearly $1.5 billion worth of questionable transactions from occurring, while also removing "nearly 1 million problematic new apps." We suspect Fortnite is among the list, much to the chagrin of Epic Games. 2. Samsung's Latest Galaxy Laptops Are Now Available You can finally get your hands on Samsung's latest Galaxy notebooks: the Galaxy Book Pro, the Galaxy Book Pro 360, and the Galaxy Book Flex2 alpha. Prices start at $999, $1199, and $849, respectively, and certain purchases will net you a $50-$100 gift card or credit. Nice. "Free" money is always tempting. 3. Nintendo Says Many Households Need More Than One Switch Nintendo sold nearly 6 million Nintendo Switch consoles last year, revealing in a recent Q&A call with investors that a number of those sales went to households that already owned a Switch. Kids and multiplayer games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are likely responsible. 🦑 Go Deeper There's no getting away from our TVs, phones, and tablets, but how much of it should kids engage with? Charlie Sorrel has the deep dive on managing kids' screen time, and how young is too young to be on an iPad.     🎱 By the Numbers Can there be too many apps? Data: Business of Apps, PocketGamer Apple's App Store has only increased its offerings over the years, never once dropping below a previous year. In 2020, the store had ~4 million apps, and that's with Apple removing the questionable ones. Are there too many apps to choose from? Maybe. But never say Apple doesn't give you options. 🔥 Today's Hot Deal The All-new Echo Show 5 w/ Blink mini bundle isn't out yet, but it's enjoying a $25 discount on Amazon right now, bringing it down to $95. Want to join the Echo family? Grab this one now. Don't Miss This Deal 🤓 Nerd Out "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?" —Queen & Rob LeFebvre, Senior News Editor It's hard to mistake Grand Theft Auto V for real life, but Intel is looking to change that by using machine learning techniques on rendered game footage. The results are almost too good. (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  Alexa, let's fry Image: Amazon, Proscenic If you like frying food, but your current frying options aren't high-tech enough, Proscenic's T21 Smart Wi-Fi Air Fryer may be for you. What makes it 'smart'? Well, there's its digital touchscreen display and dedicated app, but it also supports Alexa and Google Assistant. Sounds smart enough to us. 🎧 Listen Up Mass Effect is back! Join the GameSpot After Dark crew as they spend a solid 75 mins discussing BioWare's Mass Effect video game series thanks to the release of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Who wants to go to space?     🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions, too. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]