Open365 brings LibreOffice into the cloud, Spotify may have been hacked, Apple doesn't want you tampering with your MacBook, Steam starts renting movies, and an honest commercial for video games.

Open365 Is a Free Office Alternative

Open365 is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft's Office 365. Unlike Office 365, Open365 is free, and unlike Google Docs it's not reliant on you handing over control of your data to a corporate giant.

Open365 is a suite of office products that builds on the existing LibreOffice Online. With it, you can create, edit, and view documents in the cloud, and synchronize files across a range of different devices.

You can access Open365 through your Web browser, or download clients for Windows, Mac, Linux, or Android. An iOS client is even in the works. Open365 is currently in beta, and there are complaints it's very slow to use right now.

You can sign up to join the Open365 beta here, and on doing so you'll have an email address assigned to you, as well as 20GB of free cloud storage. The developers Are planning to release the source code soon, as well as tools enabling you to install Open365 on your own server.

Ghacks has a thorough rundown of Open365 for those who want to know more before signing up to the beta.

Spotify Credentials Leak Online

Your Spotify account may have been compromised, but Spotify is insisting this isn't the result of a large-scale hacking incident. All we know is that the credentials for hundreds of Spotify accounts have been posted online.

According to TechCrunch, the email addresses, usernames, and passwords for hundreds of Spotify accounts have been posted on Pastebin. The accounts appear to have been compromised in the last few days, with the Pastebin post published on April 23.

However, Spotify maintains it has not been hacked, issuing the following statement:

"Spotify has not been hacked and our user records are secure. We monitor Pastebin and other sites regularly. When we find Spotify credentials, we first verify that they are authentic, and if they are, we immediately notify affected users to change their passwords."

This unequivocal statement paired with the relatively low number of users affected suggests these Spotify users have fallen for a phishing scam of some kind. So, if you have clicked on an email pertaining to be from Spotify in the last week you'd do well to change your password just in case.

Apple Screws With Its Customers

Apple updated the MacBook last week, upping its specs and adding a new don't-call-it-pink finish. As it does with every new piece of Apple hardware, iFixit has completed a teardown of the new MacBook, and found that Apple has taken steps to ensure its customers don't go meddling with their new toy.

The hinge screws on the new MacBook are "filled with some sort of substance that disintegrates when you insert a screwdriver". This means Apple will know when someone has tried fixing their MacBook themselves before turning to the company for help. Because you never quite own Apple hardware, at least in the eyes of Apple.

Tamper-evident stickers are pretty standard these days, but tamper-evident screws are a rarity. And those screws coupled with the proprietary components and OTT soldering mean the new MacBook scores a 1 out of 10 for repairability.

Rent Hollywood Movies on Steam

You can now rent or buy hundreds of Hollywood movies through Steam, with Valve doing a deal with Lionsgate to bring a selection of its titles to the gaming platform. Films currently available include Saw, The Hunger Games, Reservoir Dogs, and The Cabin in the Woods.

Steam has offered video game-related flicks in the past, but these movies have nothing whatsoever to do with video games. Which has left most people wondering why this is happening. Still, Lionsgate's Jim Packer seems keen, stating:

"We're delighted to partner with Steam, a leader in the digital entertainment and gaming space, as part of our commitment to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering content to online audiences around the world. With over 125 million users, Steam represents a unique, exciting and disruptive opportunity to expand our global distribution business."

If Video Game Ads Were Honest

And finally, advertising in all of its various forms is a necessary evil. To enable companies to actually sell stuff, and to bring in revenue to pay for the content you actually want to consume. However, we just wish advertising was a little bit more honest with consumers.

Video game ads are particularly guilty of sidestepping the truth in order to persuade you to part with your hard-earned cash. That footage probably isn't real, the paid-for DLC isn't mentioned, but you'll buy the game anyway because you're an addict in need of a fix. [H/T Cracked]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Will you be signing up to try Open365? Will you be changing your Spotify password just in case? Should Apple let you fix your own hardware? Would you ever rent a movie through Steam? What form(s) of advertising do you find the most annoying?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Tech News Digest is a daily column paring the technology news of the day down into bite-sized chunks that are easy to read and perfect for sharing.