The 4th of July is almost here! While you were preparing your travel plans and gathering your BBQ favorites, the BIGteam was busy keeping an eye on the latest tech news. Now’s the time to catch up on what you may have missed these past two weeks and get ready for your summer vacation!
Instagram

Instagram welcomed a few new updates this week, including custom AR figures and most notably Instagram TV, or IGTV. Instead of limiting videos to one minute on the Instagram app, users are now able to post videos up to 10 minutes long, and for professional video creators, 60 minutes. IGTV videos appear vertically because that is how most people tend to hold their phone while using Instagram. The IGTV button is located at the top right of the Instagram app – Check it out and let us know what you think about this new video service and if there are any new videos we should be tuning into!
Disney and Fox
The US Justice Department approved the deal for Disney to buy Fox this Wednesday. If Disney closes on the deal, it will obtain Fox’s share of Hulu as well as its main cable channels like FX. While Disney has 90 days to close the deal, many are anticipating what this could mean for Disney’s upcoming streaming services. Check out what our CEO, David Gerzof Richard, had to say about the deal in the Boston Herald here.
Google Calendar

Google Calendar just became a little smarter, with a new update released Wednesday. You can now set your own away message and automatically decline invites to meetings during your summer OOO. With the new update, you can even edit your office hours and the calendar will automatically decline anything outside of those hours with your own personalized away message. Additionally, you can set an “Out of Office” on specific days. The calendar will notify those trying to set up meetings and have meetings you are set to attend automatically cancelled or declined. The updates will rollout to G Suite users over the next few weeks.
Venmo
Venmo is making it even easier to split dinner with your friends. The app announced the release a new debit card, available in six colors, that lets you draw from both your Venmo balance and linked account to pay for a purchase. The card will work anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Transactions will show up in your transaction history and allow you to just share what you bought on the social feed in the app, or split the purchase.
Ring Alarm
BIGclient Ring announced their latest product for home security – Ring Alarm. Starting today, you can get your own Ring Alarm available at Ring.com and in retail stores! Check out some of the recent reviews and learn more about this new product:

• The Verge – Ring Alarm Review: Simple, Cheap Home Security
• Android Central – Ring Alarm review: Professional monitoring without signing your life away
• Digital Trends – Ring Alarm Security Kit review
• Mac Rumors – Review: Ring Alarm is a $199 Do-It-Yourself Home Security System That Keeps Things Simple
• Tech Hive – Ring Alarm review: A great DIY home security system with the potential to become even better

What were your favorite tech updates over the past two weeks? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter!