Price alert: $0 for Audible, free $200 Samsung credit
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Price alert: $0 for Audible, free $200 Samsung credit
Plus news recap + my Pro Tips on how to save even more money (scroll down). MacBook Air review later this week!
Two can’t-miss deals below!
Hello, from your friendly Neighborhood Swider-Man 🕸️,
I’m on patrol for can’t-miss deals again, and I have two that are good enough to highlight with an email 🚨 alert to everyone.
🆓 Tonight: $0 for 3 months of Audible
Amazon is offering $0 for Audible (3 months), a hangover deal from Amazon Prime Day. It’s exclusive to new Audible subscribers who have a Prime membership or the Amazon Prime free trial.
Normally, new members get 1 month for free.
Honesty & disclosure: I’ve been an Audible subscriber since 2013, so while The Shortcut (and I) may make a small fee off deals, I’ll never recommend something I don’t believe in (and probably wouldn’t buy myself).
Here’s proof:
Pro tip 1 to save $: I share both an Audible and Kindle account (using the same Amazon account) with my dad (we like some of the same books). I highly suggest banking audiobooks and digital books on one account with someone you trust. This way it won’t take up your one (and only one) “Family” Library Sharing slot.
Pro tip 2 to save $: Audible Premium Plus costs $14.95 for 1 credit a month. But a few Audiobooks cost as little as $7.95. Be careful not to spend your one credit on something that costs less than your $15 monthly credit – sometimes the price is $7.95 for an audiobook when paired with the Kindle version. Watch out!
📱 Sign up to get a free $200 Samsung credit
Sign up before August 9: Samsung is offering a $200 credit to its official Samsung Store if you ‘reserve’ its next phone, smartwatch and earburds. By ‘reserve,’ I mean you simply sign up and Samsung will remind you to buy these things with your $200 discount.
There’s no money down and you’re not actually required to pre-order these devices (rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5 and Buds). You do have to purchase something to get any credit, but you’re not on the hook to actually make the transaction if you change your mind.
Why I’m keen on this deal: It costs nothing to sign up and the $200 credit will vanish on August 9. I’ll have some people asking me “I forgot to sign up? Can I still get the $200 off?” as soon as the phone and watch are announced on August 10 🙄.
Pro tip 1: This is likely to be a perk on top of a perk. For the Galaxy S22 Ultra (and other S22 phones), Samsung offered to bump everyone up from 128GB to 256GB and a competitive trade-in discount, so check back with me on August 10.
I like this deal for another reason (besides the savings): I unabashedly buy tech on day one – mostly for review purposes. The problem is, usually, prices drop a few months after I purchase any new device. This is a nice discount for us early adopters who don’t want to wait.
Finally, a deal for the crazy patient ones!
📰 News you may have missed
These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pixel 6a skins are totally radical
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🐢 You can make your Google Pixel 6a look like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
🥷 Choose from skins that resemble Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello
💰 TMNT Pixels skins are available for $24.95 and ship in August
🤔 Who is your favorite TMNT?
🐢🟥😠🔱Raphael
🐢🟦🧘♂️⚔️Leonardo
🐢🟧🤪🥢Michelangelo
🐢🟪🤓🦯Donatello
Wild card: 🐀🟣🐭🥋Splinter
Netflix just lost 1.3 million subscribers. It's ready to woo you back with... ads
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
😬 Netflix lost 1.3m subscribers in the US & Canada in Q2 2022
😅 Good-ish news: that’s fewer than the initially forecasted 2m canceled subs
📈 Better yet: Netflix anticipates 1m new subscribers in Q3; its stock is up 13%
📆 Coming in 2023: a cheaper ad-supported tier to bring more people back
New Netflix password-sharing crackdown method demoed
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
📈 Netflix lost $50 billion in a single day in April 2022 after its stock fell sharply
🔐 It says 100 million password sharers “undermine our long-term ability to invest in and improve our service” and it’s testing ways to crack down
🏠 Test markets in Latin America will see an “additional household” fee
📱 It won’t lock out Netflix mobile users using phones, tablets and laptops
This LEGO Atari 2600 set is old-school cool, and marks the gaming company’s 50th anniversary
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🆕 The new LEGO Atari 2600 set launches on August 1
💰 It costs $239.99 and includes 2,532 pieces
🕹️ The front panel mimics the console with functioning switches
🐛 You can build 3D vignettes of three classic Atari games
Samsung's new foldable phones launch August 10
Galaxy Z Fold rumors point to a lighter foldable phone, better cameras, and maybe a cheaper starting price, although nothing will be confirmed until August 10. For me, any change that gets a foldable phone’s cameras closer to the top-notch Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (or any traditional flagship phone) would be welcomed.
Minecraft NFTs aren't meant for this virtual world
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🙅♂️ Minecraft bans NFTs and blockhain from its popular sandbox video game
💎 Why? NFTs create “scarcity and exclusion” against the spirit of Minecraft
🚫 No NFTs permitted anywhere: the client, servers and in-game content
🤮 Gamers have taken a hard stance against NFT integration
Discord voice chat is coming to Xbox consoles as PlayStation gamers wait
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🗣️ Discord voice chat is coming to Xbox consoles
🙌 You’ll be able to chat to anyone on Discord via voice channels or group calls
📱 Connect with friends across mobile, Xbox, and PC
🔜 The update is rolling out to Xbox Insiders today
😢 PlayStation gamers await Sony’s promised Discord partnership to bear fruit
Amazon Prime Video is finally getting a redesign – and it looks rather familiar
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
🆕 Amazon Prime Video is getting a brand-new design
👀 The new look is similar to Netflix’s UI
📆 It’s been in development for 18 months
🔜 The redesign is rolling out now
Last of Us Part 1 trailer shows gameplay improvements after ‘hurtful’ leaks
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
📺 A new trailer for The Last of Us Part 1 shows off the game’s improvements
🤩 The game can render at a native 4K at 30fps, or dynamic 4K targeting 60fps
💪 Utilizes all of the PS5’s features, like 3D audio and the DualSense controller
🆕 Includes new modes, costumes, and 60-plus accessibility options
😔 The trailer was released shortly after “hurtful” leaks appeared online