Archive for November 24, 2023

Canadian Black Friday Data | Quick snapshot

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 24, 2023 by itnerd

Here’s some Canadian Black Friday shopping results that came in just moments ago based on Salesforce’s global shopping data from more than 1.5 billion consumers, as well as a link to their holiday insights hub.

Canadian Black Friday Findings (as of 2 p.m. ET):

  • Online sales are up 7% YoY globally but down 1% YoY in Canada.
    • In an interesting contrast, the US saw sales jump 16% driven primarily by order volume, rather than inflation, signaling increased consumer demand south of the border.
  • Average order value declined YoY to $101.5 (down from $104.4 in 2022) and SKU count declined by 5% YoY as well. 
  • Black Friday discounts remained flat YoY at 25%. 

Full Black Friday results will be shared this coming Monday morning, along with Cyber Monday predictions.

New Black Friday offers from Public Mobile

Posted in Commentary on November 24, 2023 by itnerd

Here’s some exciting new Black Friday offers from Public Mobile.

For a limited time only, customers can subscribe to any of the following 30-day subscription plans and enjoy unlimited Canada-wide data at 5G speeds, calling and texting:

  • 40GB for $34 per month
  • 50GB for $40 per month
  • 60GB for $50 per month

Visit Public Mobile’s website for more information on our Black Friday deals.

The dBrand Vs. Casetify Dumpster Fire Gets Worse For Casetify

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 24, 2023 by itnerd

This is one of these situations where every time I turn around, there’s a new plot twist to the dBrand vs. Casetfiy situation. Hot off the heels of this and this comes a new accusation from dBrand. Which is that Casetify may have also been stealing from iFixit. Here’s the Twitter thread that brought this to light:

I’m watching to see how iFixit responds to this. As in do they sue Casetify and add to their misery. But the bottom line is that this not a good look for Casetify if this is accurate. Even if it isn’t (and to be frank, I don’t know how it can’t be accurate), the bad press that this has created means that Casetify is likely heading toward oblivion. To paraphrase Tony Stark from “The Avengers” there is no scenario where Casetify comes out on top of this situation.

RIP Casetify.

Save Big This Black Friday With deals On TELUS Mobility, SmartHome Security, Koodo And more

Posted in Commentary with tags on November 24, 2023 by itnerd

Black Friday is here and TELUS is offering customers great deals on a variety of cell phone plans, internet, TV, and home security plans. Below is a roundup of our top sales:

TELUS mobility

  • Get unlimited data, talk and text, plus 120GB at 5G+ speeds for $75/month after bill credits.
  • Bring your own device and get unlimited data, talk and text, plus 30GB at 5G+ speeds for $55/month after bill credits (available in Quebec only). 
  • $0 upfront for the most popular smartphones, including the iPhone 14 and Samsung S23 FE, with TELUS Easy Payment and Bring-It-Back program. 
  • For a limited time only until November 27, all online orders for the Samsung S23 FE will come with a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds FE True Wireless Earbuds as a gift with purchase.

Koodo

  • Enjoy 70GB at 5G speeds and unlimited Canada-wide call and text for $55/month, when you bring your own phone or buy a phone on the Tab (excluding Quebec).
  • Get three months of Amazon Prime on us with select Pick Your Perk plans
  • Save $10/month when you bundle Koodo Internet together with a Koodo mobility plan

Public Mobile

  • Subscribe to a 30GB plan at 4G speeds and get unlimited Canada-wide call and text for just $34/month.
  • Subscribe to a 30GB plan at 5G speeds and get unlimited Canada-wide data, call and text for just $34/month (available in Quebec only).

Stream+

  • Add Stream+ to any new and existing TELUS or Koodo mobility plan for just $10/month for the first three months, and enjoy an exclusive bundle of Netflix Premium, AppleTV+ and discovery+

Home Security

  • Get a bonus Doorbell Camera plus free professional installation all for $0 with our SmartHome Security plans

Mobile Klinik

  • Save up to 50% on a wide selection of certified pre-owned devices from top brands, in-store or online. 
  • Purchase and finance a certified pre-owned phone in-store for as low as $0/month on select devices. Customers will also get a $100 store credit that can be used towards the device purchase or an accessory, an exclusive $50 sustainability credit, and 20% off all phone cases at participating locations.
  • For a limited time until November 27, purchase and activate a certified pre-owned phone in-store and get the Protection Bundle for $0 ($99 value), which includes a case, screen protector and 2-years unlimited screen repairs.

Optik TV and PureFibre

  • Get an Xbox Series X on us and save up to $460 when you bundle PureFibre Internet and Optik TV. Save an additional $5 a month with code BLACKFRIDAY. 

For more Black Friday deals from TELUS, visit telus.com/deals.

Casetify Is Getting Torched On Twitter As They Yank All Their Cases That Are Related To The dBrand Lawsuit

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 24, 2023 by itnerd

Yesterday it came to light that dBrand was suing Casetify because the latter was allegedly ripping off dBrand’s Teardown Skins. And based on the available evidence, it looks like dBrand caught Casetify red handed. At the same time, it was noted that Casetify’s website was taken down. When I noted that, I said this:

I wonder if they know that they got seemingly red handed and are currently scrubbing their site to remove any evidence that they ripped off dBrand’s work. Because based on the available evidence, that’s exactly what they have appeared to have done.

We now have an answer to that.

I’ll be blunt. This statement sucks. They got caught ripping off another company’s design, but it is somehow an “allegation”. And from checking my usual sources for seeing if a DDoS attack happened, I can’t find any evidence that this happened. That’s on top of them trying to elicit sympathy from people who read this statement. Frankly, this is the worst thing that they could have done and they would have been better off saying nothing in my opinion.

The thing is that it didn’t take long for Casetify to get lit up on Twitter because of that statement. And starting the “fun” was dBrand:

Burn. But it gets worse for Casetify. Here’s a sample of shots that Twitter users have taken at Casetify:

You get the idea. It’s not going well for Casetify. And long before this gets inside a courtroom, the bad press alone will likely cripple if not kill Casetify. If Casetify were smart, they would quickly find a way to come up with a settlement with dBrand. And on top of that, they should make a substantial donation to JerryRigEverything’s wheelchair company as that would at least create the impression that Casetify aren’t blatant rip off artists. Because right now, this whole episode makes Casetify look guilty as sin. And I guarantee, based on what’s happened in the last 24 hours, this will not end well for them if they don’t change direction in terms of how they’re handling this.

UPDATE: This just dropped from dBrand:

Man. dBrand is really on point here.