Parts of Beijing shut down in first-ever smog ‘red alert’
Beijing’s smog is legendary, at times blocking out the mid-day sun and enveloping city landmarks, but Monday marked the first time officials have issued an emergency “red alert” concerning the city’s air quality. During a red alert, the government recommends schools close up, while outdoor construction halts and half of the city’s cars are banned from the streets — vehicles with odd and even license plates are barred from driving on alternating days.
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: BBC
Being a reviewer has made me dread gadget shopping
I, Dana Wollman, reviewer of laptops, have not purchased a laptop for myself since 2008. In the years since, I’ve tested 92 computers for Engadget, and who-knows-how-many for my old employer Laptop Mag. I’ve answered countless emails from readers asking which PC they should buy. I bought my dad a Lenovo ThinkPad, and came to the rescue years later when he botched his Windows 10 install. Helping other people is easy. It’s myself I hate shopping for.
Netflix to double its original programming in 2016
On Monday, Netflix head of content Ted Sarandos announced that the company will double the number of original shows it produces in 2016. Next year, Netflix will deliver 31 original series compared to 16 in 2015. Additionally, the company reportedly plans to release 10 feature films, 12 documentaries, 10 stand-up specials and a whopping 30 children’s programs to enhance its For Kids section. This marks a significant shift in Netflix’s strategy and puts it on equal footing with traditional premium cable heavyweights like HBO and Showtime. Sarandos argues that since original programming grants Netflix full exclusivity and global rights forever, they’re a better investment than haggling for outside content. Such a change in thinking could prove vital to the company’s continued international expansion.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Via: Tech Insider
Source: Broadcasting and Cable
Netflix to double its original programming in 2016
On Monday, Netflix head of content Ted Sarandos announced that the company will double the number of original shows it produces in 2016. Next year, Netflix will deliver 31 original series compared to 16 in 2015. Additionally, the company reportedly plans to release 10 feature films, 12 documentaries, 10 stand-up specials and a whopping 30 children’s programs to enhance its For Kids section. This marks a significant shift in Netflix’s strategy and puts it on equal footing with traditional premium cable heavyweights like HBO and Showtime. Sarandos argues that since original programming grants Netflix full exclusivity and global rights forever, they’re a better investment than haggling for outside content. Such a change in thinking could prove vital to the company’s continued international expansion.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Via: Tech Insider
Source: Broadcasting and Cable
Google rolling out new Reminders feature for Calendar
Google has a lot of tools that are popular for people trying to be more productive with their time and efforts, but managing tasks has not been one that gets much attention from Google. The company does offer a rudimentary to-do list solution via Tasks in Google Calendar and others have figured out how to use tools like Google Keep for this purpose. Google is showing some love for task list keepers starting this week with a new feature for their Calendar app called Reminders.
Reminders are basically to-dos created on the calendar, like making a call to someone or stopping by a store to pick up something. They are entered on a users calendar, heading up the daily list ahead of scheduled meetings or events. Google hopes they will be useful for end users through the addition of a few unique features.
Headlining the list is the ability for a Reminder to slide from one day to the next. Users who would setup calendar entries to use as part of their task list would have to constantly revise them if they did not complete them on time. Tasks suffered a similar problem. With a Reminder, if a user does not complete it, Google will just move it to the next day so that it will still be there looking for attention. Once completed, users can just swipe them away.
Google also points out that Reminders will function in a similar manner as regular calendar events in that they will pull in things like contact information or addresses. Google does this by tapping into your contacts as well as Google’s own knowledge graph. Google is also trying to make creation of Reminders easy by enabling them from a variety of sources. Users can create new Reminders from within Inbox, Keep, and Google Now in addition to the Calendar app.
Google says the new Reminders feature will start rolling out to the Calendar app for Android and iOS devices this week. Unfortunately, Reminders are not yet ready for the web interface for users working at their desktop, but Google says they are working on bringing support to that platform as well.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Google
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Photos are automatically expanded in your timeline on Twitter
Twitter has grown and evolved over the years to incorporate images and videos rather than text alone. Today, your timeline will become even more busy and consumed with images as Twitter is now showing entire photos. Users were previously seeing previews of images that were merely cropped versions, being able to see the entire photo if they selected the tweet.
Stretch your fingers; there’s a lot of scrolling to do
There are also changes being made to the way that Twitter shows mutli-photo albums. Instead of separating photos into sections of equal size, Twitter is allowing one to be featured larger than the others.
Source: Twitter
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AT&T GoPhone’s holiday deals cover entry-level phones
GoPhone, a brand owned and operated by AT&T, unveiled its selections for customers seeking out holiday deals. The prepaid brand is taking $40 off entry-level phones from ASUS, Motorola, and ZTE while also giving a free ZTE Maven to customers activating service with a purchase of at least $45 of airtime.
- ASUS Zenfone 2E for $59.99
- Microsoft 640 for $19.99
- Motorola Moto E for $14.99
- ZTE ZMAX 2 for $89.99
- ZTE Maven for free
An end date for these holiday deals hasn’t been specified, but you can head into AT&T stores today to take advantage of them.
[AT&T]
Come comment on this article: AT&T GoPhone’s holiday deals cover entry-level phones
Google Safe Browsing comes to Android and Google Chrome in latest Play Services update
Google Safe Browsing currently protects over a billion users on the web by blocking tons of malware, social engineering, and bloated software. It’s been available on desktop platforms for years, but now Google is bringing that extra layer of security to mobile devices, too.
Google Play Services 8.1 brings support for Safe Browsing, and the first app to support it is, of course, Google Chrome. It’s on by default, and just like on the desktop version of Chrome, if you try to visit a malware-infected site with Safe Browsing on, Chrome will block the website and prompt for your permission before going any further.
While Chrome is the first official browser to support this, I’d imagine we’ll see other third-party apps and OEMs start to bake it into their own web browsers, too.
source: Google Security Blog
Come comment on this article: Google Safe Browsing comes to Android and Google Chrome in latest Play Services update
Apple Gifts Retail Employees With UrBeats Earphones for the Holidays
Each December, Apple provides its employees with a special holiday gift to thank them for their contributions to the company and to celebrate the holiday season.
Employees have begun receiving their 2015 holiday gift from Apple, which consists of a set of black and red urBeats earphones from the Beats by Dr. Dre product lineup. Employees were not able to pick a color for their gifted earphones, but the packaging does have special wording: “Thank You 2015.”
Apple’s black and red urBeats headphones have a retail value of $99.95 and are being distributed to all of its employees around the world.
Last year, Apple employees received a custom Apple-branded Incase backpack, and in the years before that, employees have been gifted things like blankets, water bottles, hoodies, free apps, discounted iTunes gift cards, and more.
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Adobe Lightroom mobile goes free on Android
Back at the beginning of October, Adobe axed the requirement to have a Creative Cloud account to use its mobile Lightroom application on Android. That was certainly a welcome change for anyone who didn’t want to pay the $9.99 monthly fee, but the company isn’t stopping there. Adobe has just announced that, with the big version 1.4 update, Lightroom on Android is going free.
This means all users with an Android device will be able to access the wonderful organizational, editing and sharing abilities Lightroom offers. Of course, using the service for free comes with a number of caveats. You won’t be able to sync files or edits with Lightroom on a desktop or laptop. If you want that ability, you’ll need to sign up for a free Creative Cloud trial or start paying a monthly fee.
See also: 15 best Android apps of 2015
Recently, Adobe added support for DNG raw files in Lightroom for Android, meaning users can shoot photos in raw, save them as DNG files and import them directly from their Android devices. The company also added microSD card support, tablet support, and the ability to copy image adjustments and paste them onto other photos.
Adobe Lightroom version 1.4 is out now in the Play Store, so head to the link below for the download.
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