Rovio announces Angry Birds 2, set to launch on “app stores worldwide” on July 30

Rovio took to its blog to announce that Angry Birds 2 is in the works, the first sequel we’ve seen since the Finnish company originally launched Angry Birds in 2009. Angry Birds 2 is coming very soon, with a set July 30 launch date.

Angry Birds 2 certainly wasn’t expected to be in the works, considering Rovio has launched many spin-offs–Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Star Wars, Angry Birds Transformers, and many more. However, the idea behind Angry Birds 2 is to put out an updated version of the original that will follow more closely to the Angry Birds movie, set for a theatrical release next year.

#AngryBirds2 – Coming July 30! Read more: http://t.co/CS7KCrUygD pic.twitter.com/3jSLTQcVMI

— Rovio (@Rovio) July 16, 2015

Details are scarce, but Rovio says to keep an eye on its social media pages, as they’ll be posting updates up to its July 30 launch date. Additionally, the game should be available on launch day for iOS, Android, Amazon’s AppStore, as Rovio says the game will be coming to “app stores” worldwide.

Anyone looking forward to another Angry Birds instalment?

source: Rovio

Come comment on this article: Rovio announces Angry Birds 2, set to launch on “app stores worldwide” on July 30

Clinton, Uber and the political impact of the ‘gig economy’

On Monday afternoon, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gave a speech laying out her economic vision. In it, she states that “many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home or even driving their own car.” And even though she praises this so-called gig economy for “unleashing innovation,” she’s also concerned about the lack of work-place protections that these jobs entail. She didn’t mention Uber by name, but it certainly fits the description of exactly the kind of companies she’s calling out.

The “gig economy” here refers to a situation where people are working as independent contractors (workers who’d get a 1099 form when it’s tax time) instead of holding down jobs as full-time staff (who would receive a W2 instead). As independent contractors, 1099 workers don’t get the same sort of benefits as regular employees — no health benefits, no overtime, no sick leave pay — whereas W2 employees do.

“Many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home or even driving their own car. This on-demand, or so-called gig economy is creating exciting economies and unleashing innovation. But it is also raising hard questions about work-place protections and what a good job will look like in the future.” — Hillary Clinton

Of course, independent contractors have been around for much longer than Airbnb and Uber, but the uptick in this particular style of business is a relatively recent phenomenon that impacts an unusually large number of Silicon Valley startups. Postmates, for example, relies on independent contractors for its delivery personnel. Washio is a service that relies on contractors to pick up, wash and deliver its customers’ laundry. TaskRabbit connects you to a variety of paid services ranging from handymen to people willing to wait in line for you. Homejoy is a cleaning service where the maids are, you guessed it, independent contractors. And this is just a small sampling of Silicon Valley businesses that rely on 1099 workers for their bread and butter.

It’s easy to see why: 1099 workers cost a lot less to hire, which lets cash-strapped startups funnel funds into things like app and site development rather than employee benefits. And being an independent contractor can offer up certain perks — you can work part-time while holding down other jobs, or simply to get extra spending money if you’re a student or a stay-at-home mom. For some, it offers the flexibility to set your own hours and work remotely.

Still, this “gig economy” doesn’t sit well with everyone. If you’re a full-time 1099 worker, that leaves you without a safety net that all W2 employees have. Recently, a few workers have filed lawsuits against some of the aforementioned startups (Uber, Washio and Postmates are among them), alleging that they should be classified as employees rather than contractors.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Boston attorney who’s the lead on several of these cases, told the San Francisco Chronicle: “These companies thought that if they call themselves technology companies because they provide services by using a smartphone app, that somehow makes them different. […] They think they can get away with transferring the costs of doing business to their workers and depriving employees of the benefits they’re entitled to.” Which is exactly what Clinton was referring to in her speech when she said: “I will crack down on bosses who exploit employees by mis-classifying them as contractors.”

On the other side of the coin, Uber would prefer to characterize independent contractors less as employees, and more like small-business owners. When asked to back up the claims that hiring contractors is a good way of doing business, Uber offered a few interesting stats. According to an internal survey, 73 percent of its drivers “would rather have a job where you choose your own schedule and are your own boss” and 63 percent say they “use Uber to have more flexibility so they can balance work and family.” About 52 percent of its drivers are part-timers — either students or those with other jobs — and a vast majority of its drivers don’t use Uber as a primary source of income.

In a statement during one of the contractor lawsuits brought against the company (O’Connor et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc et al), an Uber spokesperson said: “Eighty seven percent of drivers say the main reason to use Uber is because they love being their own boss.” Uber also offered a series of quotes from drivers. Jon Shehab, an UberX driver from San Diego said that “Uber is not my employer. … I don’t have a supervisor; I don’t have a manager; and I don’t even have a telephone number for Uber,” and he likes that he’s free to work for other on-demand ridesharing competitors like Lyft if he wants to. Christopher Martinez, an UberX and UberPlus driver from Los Angeles, said, “I wouldn’t even want to be an Uber employee. I would quit if they tried to make me an employee, because I value my freedom as an independent contractor too much.”

Not all Silicon Valley startups follow the contractor model. Shyp, a company that picks up, packs and delivers packages for you, has recently reclassified its couriers from 1099 contractors to W2 employees. The move, according to Shyp’s CEO Kevin Gibbon, is “an investment in a longer-term relationship with our couriers, which we believe will ultimately create the best experience for our customers.” Shyp is now able to offer “additional supervision, coaching, branded assets and training,” which can only be done with employees.

Yet, Shyp is an anomaly in a sea of startups that depend on independent contractors as its primary way of doing business. Clinton might have been the one to bring the issue to light, but she likely won’t be the only presidential candidate to address it. Rivals like Jeb Bush and Rand Paul have already come out in favor of Uber and its ilk (with Bush even pledging to ride an Uber or two while he’s out in San Francisco this week) to paint themselves as supporters of the new sharing economy. While Carly Fiorina hasn’t said much about it yet, it seems likely she’ll do the same given her Silicon Valley background. Like it or not, the “gig economy” — and by extension, Silicon Valley — is now an issue in the election of our next president.

[Images credit: The Associated Press, Getty Images]

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BBC faces tough questions in UK government Charter Review

Every ten years, the BBC is given a new Royal Charter which shapes its work as a public service broadcaster. The current Charter runs until the end of 2016 and in preparation, the government has published a consultation with some of its most pressing concerns. Most of them are posed as questions — the idea being that they’ll provoke discussion from the public — but they also hint at how the BBC could soon be changed against its will.

One of the biggest areas for debate is funding. The licence fee has been under pressure for some time and in its Green Paper, the government is proposing three alternatives. One is a reformed licence fee capable of fixing the “iPlayer loophole” — where some people watch TV exclusively on-demand and read BBC News online for free. The second is a universal household levy, which would charge every property a fee regardless of whether they consume BBC content. The third option is a mixture of subscription and public funding. In this scenario, the broadcaster would be funded by the taxpayer for a “core service,” followed by subscription fees for premium programming and iPlayer access.

Other questions in the paper include whether the BBC is doing too much and crowding out commercial competitors. The company offers a wealth of TV channels and radio stations, as well as an online news service, so the government is asking whether its scope should be pared back. It cites a BBC Trust report which found an overlap in the audiences of Radio 1 and Radio 2. “Given the vast choice that audiences now have there is an argument that the BBC might become more focused on a narrower, core set of services,” it reads.

The BBC disagrees. It’s criticising the government today for leaning toward a “much diminished, less popular BBC” and says policymakers should be listening to the public. Nothing has been decided yet, but clearly a narrative is starting to form — it wasn’t so long ago that the UK’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee was predicting the end of the licence fee too. The next Royal Charter will shape the BBC’s work for a decade, so we’re expecting a few more of these heated, but civil exchanges in the coming months.

[Image Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Moov unveils a sleeker wearable that tracks your precise motion

Moov made a name for itself last year with its first fitness wearable, which did a whole lot more than count your steps: It actually tracked your body’s movement in three dimensions and used that data to power mobile personal trainer apps. Now, the company is back with the MOOV NOW, a smaller and slimmer device meant to help you achieve the ultimate workout. It works pretty much the same as the original MOOV: You can strap it to your wrist, arm, or ankle and use a variety of apps to track specific workouts. You also receive advice from a virtual fitness coach based on your exact movement, for example if your running stride is too hard, or if your swimming strokes aren’t strong enough. But while the first device was practically as big as a typical watch face, MOOV NOW is around the size of a quarter. It also relies on replaceable watch batteries for up to six months of typical usage, while its predecessor had to be charged every few days. You can preorder MOOV NOW today for $60 (it will retail normally for $100), and it’s expected to ship later this fall.

Given the onslaught of fitness wares we’re seeing these days, it’s easy to dismiss what Moov is doing as yet another exercise tracking offering. But judging from what I saw in a brief demo, it’s aiming for entirely different territory. Co-founder Nikola Hu strapped two MOOV NOWs to his wrists and was able to accurately shadowbox with one of the company’s mobile apps. It also tracked the gradual increase of his running pace when he moved the device to his ankle. It’s more like using Microsoft’s Kinect than it is wearing a Fitbit or Jawbone tracker. MOOV NOW sports an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, all of which helps it detect your motion in three dimensions.

Since it can effectively detect how you’re moving, and not just how much, Moov’s devices could be far more useful than typical trackers. For beginners, it can help them gradually get the hang of new workouts. And for more experienced fitness nuts, it can help them hone their form to clock better times and avoid injury. There’s also potential for Moov beyond the fitness arena — since its technology can track movement in 3D space, it could end up being something useful for virtual reality, or for gesture control on computers like Leap Motion.

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: Moov