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A Thousand Blows is looking like it'll be even more of a knockout new show when it arrives on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus internationally next year, following the release of new artwork.

Alongside the reveal of the new images (see above and below), which show BAFTA award-wining actor Malachi Kirby playing the boxer Hezekiah Moscow aka 'Ching Hook', Disney also confirmed that the show will premiere on February 21, 2025, which means it'll arrive two days after the new Pixar series Win or Lose debuts.

With such a stacked February lineup, it's probably safe to assume that our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows guides will be in need of an overhaul.

(Image credit: Disney; Robert Viglasky)

A Thousand Blows is made by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, so you can count on it to fill that British period drama-shaped hole in your life when it arrives, because (yes, you guessed it) it's another period piece, centered around the world of boxing in Victorian London this time.

While the show is fictionalized, it's loosely based on the real lives of a group of East Londoners in the 1880s, who find themselves in the criminal underbelly of a bare-knuckle boxing scene. Such a setting requires a gritty cast that can pull it off and Kirby looks fighting ready in the new images.

According to Disney's plotline for the show, Hezekiah Moscow will find fortune and fame in the boxing ring but his new-found attention also attracts an infamous crime leader Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) and self-declared leader of East London boxing Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham), who sets out to exploit him.

With such a talented cast onboard, I can't wait to stream A Thousand Blows when it arrives on Disney Plus in the UK on February 16, 2025.

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Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is among the most budget-friendly and best email marketing platforms available today. It's tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, combining email marketing, automation tools, and CRM features into one easy-to-use platform. With professional-grade templates and strong automation workflows, it's already established itself as a firm favorite among marketers.

Brevo provides a free plan for beginners and budget-conscious businesses, allowing unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails daily. It also includes SMS and WhatsApp marketing, which isn't usually found in basic tools.

However, Brevo has its downsides. Users might face minor data import issues and find the landing page features somewhat limited. This could be frustrating for those seeking a more comprehensive tool. Despite this, Brevo's affordability and user-friendliness make it a strong contender in the market.

Brevo review: Core capabilities

Brevo provides a suite of features to simplify email marketing and customer relationship management. At its core is a user-friendly email builder, offering over 60 professional templates that can be tailored to match your brand's look. Users can customize layouts, images, and text, and boost engagement by using recipients' names, locations, or other personalized details.

Brevo shines in automation, allowing users to create workflows that respond to triggers like sign-ups, purchases, or website visits. This automation simplifies managing multiple campaigns by handling repetitive tasks and enabling targeted outreach on a large scale.

A key feature is Brevo's integrated CRM tools, which let you directly manage your customer database within the platform. These tools give detailed insights into user behavior and interaction history, helping you segment your audience for more focused campaigns.

(Image credit: Brevo)

Beyond email, Brevo supports SMS and WhatsApp marketing, enabling engagement with customers across different channels. This multi-channel strategy increases chances to connect with customers where they prefer.

Brevo also offers strong analytics tools for marketing performance insights. Essential metrics like email open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates are provided, along with heat maps and device-based reports for thorough analysis.

Although these features meet most business needs, some users may find the lack of advanced landing page creation a drawback, limiting full campaign management.

Brevo: Ease of use

Brevo is often praised for its easy-to-use interface. Signing up is quick and takes just a few minutes. The onboarding process includes helpful prompts and guidance, perfect for first-time users.

The email editor is intuitive, with drag-and-drop features that make building email marketing campaigns easy, even if you're not technical. Tasks like uploading a contact list or designing an email campaign are quick and efficient.

New users can also access resources such as tutorials, blogs, and webinars, offering step-by-step guidance to maximize the platform's benefits. However, some users occasionally experience lags and tricky data imports, which can disrupt an otherwise smooth experience.

Brevo customer support

Brevo offers solid customer support with live chat, email, and a detailed knowledge base. However, the tiered approach gets a mixed reception.

Free plan users get basic support, while paid subscribers enjoy faster response times through priority channels. Most users have positive experiences with the support team, but sometimes, responses can be slow during busy periods.

The absence of phone support might be another downside for those needing immediate help. The knowledge base is well-organized and full of tutorials, guides, and FAQs — but that may not be enough for every situation.

Brevo pricing

(Image credit: Brevo)

Brevo uses a flexible pricing model that charges based on emails sent, not the number of contacts. The Free Plan costs $0 per month and allows up to 300 emails per day with up to 100,000 contacts, but includes Brevo branding.

The Starter Plan starts at $9 per month, offering 5,000 emails monthly, with an option to remove branding for an extra fee. In some ways the Starter Plan doesn’t add up. After all, if the free plan allows 300 emails a day, that is around 9,000 emails a month if you max it out - 4,000 more than the paid plan. But with no daily limits (you can send all 5,000 emails on one day if you want) and the ability to add up to 500,000 contacts, you get a much greater level of flexibility with the Starter Plan.

The Business Plan starts at $18 per month, providing advanced features like A/B testing, reporting, and additional automation tools.

For businesses with high-volume campaigns or specific needs, the Enterprise Plan offers custom pricing and tailored solutions. Brevo’s pricing adjusts based on email volume, making it suitable for businesses of any size. It offers good value for smaller businesses or those new to email marketing, but heavy senders should evaluate the cost of higher tiers.

Brevo review: Verdict

Brevo offers a great mix of affordability and functionality. With powerful automation tools, CRM integration, and an intuitive design, it's accessible for small and medium-sized businesses. Its multi-channel marketing features also give it an edge over competitors.

However, some downsides include limited landing page capabilities and occasional lags, which might annoy users looking for a more comprehensive solution. Brevo is ideal for businesses that prioritize email marketing over full campaign management.

Brevo FAQs What makes Brevo different from other email marketing tools?

Brevo offers competitive pricing and charges based on email volume instead of contact count, making it more cost-effective for businesses with large databases. Its built-in CRM and support for SMS/WhatsApp marketing also distinguish it.

Is Brevo good for beginners?

Yes, Brevo is beginner-friendly thanks to its intuitive interface, robust tutorials, and generous free plan. Its drag-and-drop editor simplifies email creation, and the automation tools are easy to implement even for novices.

Does Brevo support advanced marketing automation?

Absolutely. Brevo's automation tools allow users to create workflows triggered by various customer actions, such as email opens or website visits. Advanced users can set up custom workflows for deeper personalization.

Is there a free trial?

Brevo offers a free plan instead of a time-limited trial. This free tier supports up to 300 emails per day, giving users a chance to explore core features before committing to a paid plan.

Can I create landing pages with Brevo?

Brevo allows for basic landing page creation, but it lacks the sophistication and customization options found in dedicated tools like Unbounce or Instapage. For businesses heavily reliant on lead pages, this could be a disadvantage.

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• Hollywood power player Frankin Leonard's AirPods post went viral
• He loves what AirPods Pro 2 can do for his hearing
• But they're so very, very white against darker skin tones

When Franklin Leonard posted about his experience of AirPods Pro 2's hearing aid mode, he wasn't trying to go viral. But 250,000 views and over 3,000 likes later, that's exactly what happened. And his post, which we've embedded below, is well worth reading if you're interested in Apple's hearing aid mode.

Leonard is a well-known figure in the entertainment industry and founded The Black List, the famous list of unproduced screenplays that could well include the next big blockbuster. Watching movies – lots of movies – is what Leonard does, but when an illness damaged his hearing two years ago he started struggling to hear the dialog in the movies he loves so much.

As he wrote in his post, "I considered getting hearing aids, but even the cheapest good ones cost thousands of dollars, and health insurance does not cover their cost, even when you have a documented need."

Enter AirPods Pro 2 and their hearing aid feature.

I never post anything this long on Twitter, and I don’t foresee myself doing it again any time soon, but yeah it’s happening. Also, this is not an ad. It's an explanation: For the foreseeable future, it's very likely that you're going to be seeing me wearing Airpods in social… pic.twitter.com/pCNBcUXLggDecember 9, 2024

AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid mode: the good and the not so good

Leonard's folks saw the Apple AirPods Pro 2 ad and bought him a pair for Christmas. "They're already a game changer for me," he wrote. While they're not cheap, they're a fraction of the cost of hearing aids – "and that alone is a potential game changer". Leonard is "overjoyed" by the benefits of hearing aid mode.

That said, he's also identified something that Beats already does but Apple doesn't. Copying in Apple's account, he said "let's talk about skin toned color product" and showed a picture of the AirPods Pro in his ears, where they couldn't look more distractingly white if they were a Hollywood star's teeth.

I know that the pearly whiteness of AirPods is part of the branding, a marketing thing that goes back to the very first iPod and its associated ads. But for people buying AirPods for their hearing aids feature, that visibility may be a downside because it draws attention to them.

It'd be really nice if Apple could take a leaf out of its Beats division's book and offer some colors that are less "look at my AirPods" against olive, brown and black skin. The reaction to the skin toned Beats Fit Pro was very positive, and I'm sure there are lots of people who'd buy skin-toned AirPods in a snap.

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• Check Point spots hackers sending fake Google Calendar invites
• The invites point to a phishing page where they can lose sensitive information
• Google recommends turning on "Known senders" feature in Calendar

Cybercriminals have been spotted impersonating Google Calendar, sending emails which look to steal victim's private, and business, information.

A report from Check Point Security notes how the criminals would tweak the sender email header to make the message look as if it’s a Google Calendar invite coming from a known contact. In the body itself, they would add a .ics attachment, a calendar app file, together with a link to either Google Forms, or Google Drawings. On these links, the victims would then be asked to click on another link, which usually looks like a reCAPTCHA, or support, button.

This link would lead the victim to a website that looks like a cryptocurrency mining, or Bitcoin support site.

Successful attack

"These pages are actually intended to perpetrate financial scams," Check Point Research said in its report. "Once users reach said page, they are asked to complete a fake authentication process, enter personal information, and eventually provide payment details."

The campaign seems to have been a success, with Check Point claiming roughly 300 brands have been infected so far, and more than 4,000 phishing emails sent over the course of four weeks.

Commenting on the findings, Google said the best way to defend is to enable “known senders” in the Calendar. This feature helps, since it will alert the user when they get an invitation from someone who is not in their contacts list, or from someone with whom they’ve not interacted before.

“Known senders” aside, users should also use common sense, and just be careful when receiving any unsolicited message, particularly around those that come with attachments or links. If they are unsure if the message is legitimate or not, they should reach out to the alleged sender via other means, and confirm the authenticity of the received message.

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