Amazon snaps up former ‘Top Gear’ trio for new motoring show
Amazon has announced that it’s signed a deal with ousted Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond for a new motoring show. The stars of the popular BBC franchise left the program earlier this year when Clarkson was fired as a consequence of punching a producer. Almost instantly, rumors of the trio launching a rival with another broadcaster spread, with Netflix the surprise front-runner.
It’s a big deal for Amazon, since it’s able to bloody the nose of its most immediate rival and is likely to have a mass-market hit on its hands. After all, Top Gear is, or was, the world’s most watched factual program with a global audience of roughly 350 million people per year. If even only a small proportion of those pay to join Prime, then it’ll still make the company some very serious bank. It’s not the first time that Amazon has stepped in to “save” a BBC show either, since it’s previously bankrolled two seasons of Ripper Street after it was cancelled.
I’m very excited to announce that Hammond, May and I have signed a deal with .@AmazonVideo
– Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) July 30, 2015
In addition to the presenting trio, producer Andy Wilman, arguably the chief creative force behind the show’s resurgence, is also on board for the new production. If you’re not in a country where Prime is available, don’t worry just yet, as the Wall Street Journal believes that Amazon will license the shows to local broadcasters. Still, there’s plenty of time for Jeff Bezos and co. to expand the service’s reach, since the first of three seasons won’t start airing until 2016.
A photo posted by Amazon Instant Video UK (@amazonvideouk) on Jul 30, 2015 at 2:57am PDT
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Transportation, HD, Amazon
Via: WSJ
Source: Amazon
Angry Birds 2 launches for Android
For the first time in six years, Rovio has launched a sequel to its incredibly popular Angry Birds title, which incidentally surpassed 500,000,000 downloads last year. The new game goes by the name of Angry Birds 2 and bundles a plethora of new levels, characters and tournaments for us to enjoy.
Check it out in the gameplay video below:
If you like the look of Angry Birds 2 and would like to install it on your Android-powered smartphone or tablet to see if its just as addictive at predecessor, hit the download link below. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code to initiate the installation process immediately.
Come comment on this article: Angry Birds 2 launches for Android
Google’s Project Loon will provide Internet access for the whole of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government has taken to its official website to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Google to provide the entire country with Internet access using its Project Loon program.
If you’re unfamiliar with the project, it’s a scheme set up by the search engine giant, which aims to supply Internet connectivity to country’s that aren’t in a financial situation to configure the service by using helium-filled balloons as opposed to Internet masts.
“The entire Sri Lankan island – every village from (southern) Dondra to (northern) Point Pedro – will be covered with affordable high speed Internet using Google Loon’s balloon technology,” explained the Asian country’s foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera.
Google is expected to furnish local service providers with access to the balloons by March 2016, which should enable them to improve the quality of their Internet service and reduce their operational costs, thus making it cheaper for Sri Lankan residents to access the Web.
Source: News.LK
Come comment on this article: Google’s Project Loon will provide Internet access for the whole of Sri Lanka
The OnePlus 2 gets the teardown treatment
The folks over at Mobile.It have managed to get their hands on a brand new OnePlus 2, and have dismantled it to show us just how easy it is to repair. The handset can be taken apart in 20 relatively simple steps and all of the components seem to come apart nicely.
Hit the break to see a few key images from the teardown.
Source: Mobile.It
Come comment on this article: The OnePlus 2 gets the teardown treatment
Galaxy S6 price adjustments incoming as Samsung looks to boost sales
2015 has been a tough year so far for the established Android smartphone manufacturers, as market shares shift and revenues remain sluggish. As part of its Q2 earnings report, Samsung has stated that it will be adjusting the price of its flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, in order to maintain sales momentum.
Samsung did not give a date for the price adjustment, nor did the company state exactly what sort of reduction in price we are likely to see. It is possible that the price may change around the launch of Samsung new premium smartphones in August, when the company will launch the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.
“the IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division is expected to face a difficult business environment, the sales momentum for high-end products will be maintained by adjusting the price of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and introducing new premium smartphone models.”
Broadly speaking, 2015 has seen the market for lower cost, higher tier smartphones continue to grow, which, combined with premium product fatigue, is taking a toll on smartphone sales from LG, HTC, Samsung, and others. With more compelling products in this category announced just recently, see the OnePlus 2 or Moto X Style, it seems that even the very best phones on the market can’t hide from this price pressure.
Newly announced flagships like the Moto X Style and OnePlus 2 are sure to keep the price pressure on Samsung.
A similar effect can be spotted in the low and mid-tier markets, with local manufacturers and cheaper Chinese brands flooding emerging markets with cost effective products. While some major players, like LG, have managed to adapt, Samsung’s products have not quite kept up with the competition.
A price cut for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is great news for anyone who has been holding out on a purchase, although we will have to wait and see if this is enough to boost Samsung’s sale figures in the remaining quarters.
I started running because this app rocked my run
Let’s face it, running sucks. It has to be the most boring exercise there is to do, even squats seem preferable. Judging by the vast amount of gizmos and gadgets directed towards exercising, the tech industry not only has noted the same, but seems adamant on trying to improve the exercise experience. Unfortunately, most of them only boost enjoyment minimally, although there have been some wonder gadgets out there.
Let me give you some back story, my goal this year is health. In the first 7 months of this year, I’ve lost 100 pounds. I am more active and I eat healthier. No matter what though, I cannot get into running. I’ve tried, I can’t. It’s boring and seems pointless even though I know the obvious health benefits. I’ve asked my runner friends how they can tolerate running and most of them say, it’s “all about the mix”. I never understood it, nor did I believe it. How could a “mix” actually make me like running?
Enter “RockMyRun“, an app developed by Rock My World, Inc. This app will single handily change your opinion on running, because it’s all about the mix. “RockMyRun” has an innovative app that takes music to the next level. For the first time running, I’ve felt energized by music and wanted to run more. Perhaps that was because I was using their “Steps” feature which matches the mix you are listening to your pace. This is a great service because the faster and harder you go, the faster the tempo goes, which helps keep you motivated and in rhythm to the music. I never really thought tempo was that important with running, but “RockMyRun“, proved me wrong as tempo is everything as the “Steps” feature proves. The mixes by themselves were great, but I definitely felt more motivation while using the “Steps” feature.
“RockMyRun” comes charged with custom mixes that can fit anybody’s tastes covering all genres of music from rock to hip hop to rap and even country. The first mix I turned on was Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.”. I’m not even a Miley Cyrus fan, but hearing that and it leading into a clever mix with “Sweet Home Alabama” was genius. It was a smooth transition and a perfect mix that just got better with each song.
RockMyRun Mixes
The mixes are of varying time lengths. There are warm-up ones that are 10 – 15 minutes and even mixes that are for 5k runs and 60 minutes or longer. I do not have an exact number, but there seems to be hundreds of mixes available for either streaming or downloading. To use the features like “Steps”, you do need to download the mix, which for the time being can only be done via WiFi, but in an update coming out in September, that restriction should be removed.
After speaking with Chief Rocker, Adam Riggs-Zeigen, he told AndroidGuys.com that his team is hyper-focused on where they put their effort while working on the apps and that more features will be rolled out in future updates, like continuous play and eventually a “Heart” feature which is similar to “Steps” but instead of the music racing to the speed of your feet, it will race to the speed of your heart beat. These types of features are a differentiator for “RockMyRun”, keeping the app both fresh and innovative.
The app itself is quite easy to use and navigate. The menu is in the upper, left-hand corner where you can view your mixes, suggested mixes, browse mixes, now playing, account, and other options. Upon selecting the mix you would like to listen to, just hit the play button to stream the mix or hit “Get Mix” button to add the mix to your collection. If you add it to your collection, you can either stream it or download it. The app is quite easy and straight forward to use.
“RockMyRun” gives an original twist to exercising. The app was successful in not only getting me out there to run around, but also enjoying it, which is where I have struggled in the past. The mixes are incredible and the rates are reasonable. The app is quick, beautiful, and will have more features added in the next few months.
“RockMyRun” is a freemium app. Mixes that are 45 minutes or less are free. You can join for $4.99 a month or $35.99 a year to unlock up to 4 hours long and have an ad-free experience.
The post I started running because this app rocked my run appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Former ‘Dead Island 2’ developer can’t pay its bills
The situation with Dead Island 2 and developer Yager took another turn today as the company announced it’s filing for insolvency. Yager Productions, the team formed to work on the zombie sequel, can’t pay the money it owes to debtors. “At the moment, there are different options to be assessed while wages for employees have been secured for the upcoming months,” a company statement reads. The filing is a direct result of being removed from Dead Island 2‘s development, managing director Timo Ullmann writes. Insolvency helps protect the company’s staff and will allow “time to sort out the best options for reogranizing this entity,” he says. The rest of Yager, including the team working on the sci-fi, ship-to-ship combat game Dreadnought are in the clear however and are “independent and remain unaffected” by today’s news.
This isn’t the first time a European developer (or a gaming company) has filed for insolvency, but the details here make it a bit more interesting. Yager formed a separate company to work on Dead Island 2, and you could infer that it did so because it had an idea the deal might go south from the outset. The studio proper’s been around for awhile but only really has one hit to its name, Spec Ops: The Line.
Publisher Deep Silver, on the other hand, picked up a ton of properties from the THQ bankruptcy sale but aside from developer Volition’s Grand-Theft-Auto-without-the-boring-bullshit Saint’s Row series and apocalyptic shooter franchise Metro, hasn’t had a ton of critical success. The company also went through some strife with Homefront: The Revolution when developer Crytek was faced serious financial troubles. That ended with Deep Silver buying not only the Homefront property, but also the team at Crytek London (the studio working on The Revolution) and making it an internal studio.
The road to AAA game releases is paved with good intentions, I guess.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: GamesIndustry.biz
PlayStation helps Sony to big profits, but mobile’s struggling
Sony is actually doing all right despite a lot of turmoil, and it’s got the PlayStation 4 to thank. This quarter, Sony moved 3 million PS4s, bringing total sales of the console to 25.3 million. Peripheral and software shipments also went up, helping the gaming division improve sales 12.1 percent over last year. PS3 console sales were down, but the division still hit 288.6 billion yen ($2.3 billion) and made around $160 million. Sony recently said that the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One in most of Europe by nearly double, and has outsold its main rival considerably overall. Sony originally expected to sell 16 million PS4s in 2015, but has bumped the forecast to 16.5 million.
Sony’s imaging division also chipped in. Sony makes the sensors in many high-end smartphones, including models from Apple and Samsung. That division (Sony Devices) saw a 35.1 percent increase in sales to 237.9 billion yen ($2 billion), and the company recently said it would invest up to $3.6 billion to boost sensor production. Its camera (Imaging) division also saw a 5 percent increase in sales and made 21.3 billion yen in profit ($174 million) thanks to popular (and expensive) cameras like the Sony RX100 IV.
Unfortunately, Sony’s Mobile division continues to be a black hole sucking profits. Sales dropped 16.3 percent over last year, though Sony claims that was partly due to “a strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability.” In other words, Sony’s trying to focus on profitable high-end smartphones like the Xperia Z3+, but so far the plan is not exactly working. Sony’s Pictures division also dropped 11.9 percent thanks to lower licensing revenues.
Despite that, the company still made 82.44 billion yen in net income ($665 million), triple the profits of last year. That means that the turnaround under CEO Kaz Hirai is actually working, other than in mobile. We’re not sure how much more patience he has for that division, but if it doesn’t start making money soon, it could end up on the Vaio chopping block.
Source: Sony
Angry Birds 2 flies into the Play Store, may end up making you angry
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When Rovio announced that it would be releasing a true sequel to its Angry Birds game, we were a little sceptical – let’s be honest, there’s only so many permutations you can go through with the same type of gameplay. Well, Angry Birds 2 has officially hit the Play Store and… well, the art style has been updated and actually looks pretty good, however, the gameplay is pretty much the same – fling birds at pigs – and there is a new mechanic in the game that could have a few people seeing green pigs.
Angry Birds 2 is available for free on the Play Store and the game does have in-app purchases, like most games in this boat. The thing that could have fans up in arms is that you’ll only have 3 lives – i.e. fail to complete a level 3 times, and you’ll have to wait 30 minutes before you get a life back. Alternatively, you can get back a life by expending 60 gems (80 gems cost $0.99 in-game). It’s not an ideal situation, especially considering previous Angry Birds games allowed unlimited number of restarts – of course, there will be diehard fans who won’t mind this minor indiscretion. If you’re still interested, you can hit the Play Store link below to download:
Source: Android Police
The post Angry Birds 2 flies into the Play Store, may end up making you angry appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Netherlands bank expands support for using voice as password
Aren’t you tired of passwords, pins and other complex security measures? These are usually not an obtrusive part for signing into your social networks, but once you step into more sensitive services, such as banking apps, they become imperative. We always try to find a balance between security and convenience, and Netherlands bank ING has found a way to keep access to user accounts simple, without sacrificing security.
The financial institution uses voice control, powered by Nuance’s “Nina”; except the bank calls it Inge. This allows the customer to access and manage their mobile banking app by using their voice, but the fun doesn’t end in mere voice commands. Customers can literally use their vocals as their password, something the vast majority of us will feel envious about.
The ING bank’s app enables the utilization of voice biometrics to perform tasks such as checking the balance and issuing payments within the app (the latter was just announced today). Furthermore, customers can also use their fingerprint readers with supported devices. These features are available for both Android and iOS apps, so this specific set of features will cover many of you. Over 100,000 users, to be more exact.
“By becoming the first bank in the Netherlands to incorporate voice biometrics into the mobile banking app, ING Netherlands is leading the charge in innovation by utilizing an effective solution that is natural and intuitive. Customers can now bank in a seamless and convenient way by using the sound of their voice from start to finish in the mobile app.” -Robert Weideman, executive vice president and general manager for the Enterprise Division of Nuance
According to Nuance, this technology is light years ahead of usual security tactics (like passwords, PINs or security questions). Using voice biometrics is 80% faster, saves companies millions of dollars per year and keeps about 90% of customers at least a bit more satisfied, considering their preference to this technology. Not only that, but it seems to be more secure, as specific voiceprints are natural and very hard to fake. Furthermore, failed attempts can be recorded, providing the option to ban attackers and/or transfer their voiceprints to authorities for further investigation.
Thankfully, ING Netherlands is not the only company using Nuance’s voice biometrics technology. It is expanding and we would love to see some more institutions adopting it. Among other participating partners are SK Telecom, the Australian Taxation Office, Tangerine Banka, Turkcell, Vodacom South Africa and even our neighbors from Santander Mexico.
We are falling behind! How many of you would like to take advantage of voice biometrics? Are fingerprint readers and passwords enough for you?
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