BGR Daily Breaking Stories

Daily Headlines THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

Best Buy’s huge Black Friday deals begin right now! Walmart is not the only major retailer ready to sell you cheaper gadgets even before Black Friday 2014 kicks off, as Best Buy also has some special tech deals set to become available over the next three days. From November 20th through November 22nd, Best Buy will offer customers six special deals in addition to the Black Friday deals it has already disclosed in its giant flier for the shopping event.  MORE → Here’s why your iPhone 6 doesn’t have an unbreakable sapphire display Apple had long been rumored to add an ultra-strong sapphire glass display to this year’s iPhone 6 models, made in partnership with GT Advanced Technologies, but as soon as the iPhone maker launched this year’s iOS handsets it became clear that sapphire covers were not used on either the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Since then, GTAT filed for bankruptcy, blaming Apple’s draconian supply contract for its doom, and The Wall Street Journal has learned more inside information about why the iPhone 6 doesn’t have a sapphire screen.  MORE → Major store announces huge Black Friday sale packed with all kinds of tech We gave you early details surrounding hhgregg’s big Black Friday sale late last week, but now the nationwide retailer has announced several changes to its Black Friday plans along with a few online-only doorbusters that gadget fans are going to love. And best of all, deal seekers won’t have to wait until Black Friday to start taking advantage of these big sales, as hhgregg is starting the action early on Wednesday, November 26th.  MORE → This is why there are no more ‘free’ apps in Apple’s App Stores In addition to clearly marking which iOS and OS X apps in the App Store and Mac App Store have in-app purchase options, Apple has taken one more important step towards ensuring that customers know exactly what apps they’re downloading, as first spotted by MacRumors. The company has replaced the word “Free,” which appeared under the name of apps available as free downloads from its digital stores, regardless whether they come with in-app purchases or not, with the word “Get.” Meanwhile, paid apps still have the price listed instead of the word “Get,” and all apps still have clear indicators when in-app purchases are available.  MORE → Your next smartphone might actually withstand nasty drops thanks to Gorilla Glass 4 When it comes to smartphones, there is absolutely nothing more terrifying than the period of time between a phone slipping out of your hand and hitting the ground. It’s a brief moment, but it feels like an eternity. Even the best smartphone cases in the world won’t always protect your handset’s glass screen when it falls at just the right angle, but the next smartphone you buy might actually escape those nasty drops unscathed thanks to Corning’s latest development.  MORE → FTC cracks down on massive ‘PC cleaner’ security scam The Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida on Wednesday announced plans on fighting a type of online scam that cons unsuspecting PC users into paying up to hundreds of dollars for alleged security protection for their computers, which turns out to be fake software supposed to fix inexistent malware threats. Such businesses have fooled many individuals and companies into paying over $120 million for Internet security.  MORE → You won’t believe how different GTA V looks on PS4 compared to Xbox One Half a dozen of the biggest games of the year are launching this week, but they’ll have to compete with one of the best-selling games of 2013. Grand Theft Auto V for PS4 and Xbox One hit store shelves on Tuesday, which means that gamers the world over want to know which version is worth spending their money on. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry is here to help.  MORE → This tiny cardboard capsule is exactly what the iPhone doctor ordered No matter how big smartphone batteries are, smartphone users still often must rely on external battery packs to keep them going, so it’s no wonder the accessory market is filled with third-party accessories that promise to prolong battery life on iPhones, Android devices and other gadgets that might require frequent charging. FastCoDesign has found a new external battery concept though, and it offers a different and unique take on providing extra power.  MORE → You can now play Destiny for free, and save your progress for when you purchase it Destiny has been a big success so far, at least when it comes to overall sales, but that doesn’t mean Bungie is happy with the number of copies it has sold to date. The company is now letting curious players who aren’t sure whether they should spend $60 on Destiny try the game free of charge. Even more interesting, the free trial includes the option for gamers to save their progress and continue the game from where they left off as soon as they purchase the full game.  MORE → Meet XOO, the belt that can recharge your iPhone and Android smartphone Nifty, a U.K. based company that has already successfully funded a nifty portable storage solution for MacBook laptops (the MiniDrive) is back on Indiegogo looking to raise funds for an equally interesting project, the XOO Belt. What’s so great about the company’s new belt? It has a hidden, but very important, feature: It can offer additional battery life to an iPhone or Android device on the verge of dying. MORE →