Apple Music Partners With Vice to Launch Six-Episode Documentary Series ‘The Score’

Apple Music has partnered with cultural news network Vice to bring a new docu-series, “The Score,” to the streaming music platform (via The Hollywood Reporter). The series will be six episodes, with each installment focusing on a unique, local music scene around the world.

The first episode, titled “Reservation Rap,” [Direct Link] is split into two parts and focuses on an emerging Native American hip hop scene in Minnesota thanks to the Ojibwe tribe. The specifics were left hazy, but in the coming weeks the show will take viewers to music scenes in places like Brazil, Iceland and Vietnam.

Vice creative director Kelly Fulton says the series was inspired by Vice’s 2007 documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad, which explored the heavy metal subculture that thrived despite the Iraq War. “That doc sparked exactly what we wanted to do with this series, which is telling under reported and under represented stories around the world through the artists that are scoring those cultural climates,” says Fulton.

Taking advantage of the platform, The Score will launch a themed playlist alongside each weekly episode, with a focus on the specific artists and songs seen in the show. Reservation Rap can be streamed today, with the next five episodes launching over the coming weeks.

Apple has been expanding its streaming video content available on Apple Music over the past few months, starting off with an exclusive behind-the-scenes film centering around Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, which launched in December. In February, news broke that the company plans to take the creative side of its music streaming service a step further, with original TV series Vital Signs that will be a “dark, semi-autobiographical drama” starring Dr. Dre.

Tag: Apple Music
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Chevrolet, Honda, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, and VW Debut New CarPlay Vehicles at NY Auto Show

A number of new CarPlay-enabled vehicles are making their North American debuts ahead of the 2016 New York International Auto Show this week, including models from Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, and Volkswagen.

Chevrolet kickstarted the announcements last week when it introduced the 2017 Sonic as the first subcompact vehicle with CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. General Motors also introduced the 2017 Chevrolet Trax with CarPlay support last month. Both vehicles will reach dealerships by fall 2016.

Chevrolet’s new 2017 Sonic, left, and 2017 Trax feature CarPlay
Honda followed suit this week with the debut of its 2017 Civic Hatchback, available in fall 2016, and U.S. spec Clarity Fuel Cell Sedan, launching by the end of this year, both of which feature CarPlay and Android Auto. Honda already offers CarPlay in the 2016 Accord, 2016 Civic, and 2017 Ridgeline.

Hyundai today unveiled its 2017 Ioniq electric vehicle with CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, while its subsidiary Kia debuted the 2017 Cadenza with matching support for both in-dash software platforms. Hyundai did not provide a launch date for the Ioniq, while the new Cadenza will go on sale in late 2016.

Honda’s new Clarity Fuel Cell Sedan with CarPlay compatibility
New York’s auto show marks the arrival of Subaru’s first CarPlay vehicle in the all-new 2017 Impreza, while Volkswagen’s U.S. version of the 2017 Golf Alltrack also features CarPlay and Android Auto. The new Golf model goes on sale in fall 2016, while no launch date was provided yet for the Impreza.

CarPlay is available in over 100 vehicle models worldwide from over two dozen automakers, providing hands-free or eyes-free access to common iPhone apps such as Maps, Messages, Music, Phone, and Podcasts. Apple keeps a periodically updated list of available models on its website.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tags: Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru
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How to successfully fry anything without a deep fryer – CNET

Alina Bradford

Don’t have a deep fryer? You can still make homemade fries, hash browns and more with the same great taste. All you need is a pan and a stove top. There are several tricks to pan frying success, though. Here is a guide to get you started.

Tools for frying on the stove

Picking the pan or pot

First, you need to pick the right pan or pot. Ideally, it should have a heavy metal bottom to heat oil slowly, preventing scorching and allowing for a steady boil during frying.

Pots or pans should also be at least 5 inches deep. You’ll need at least 3 inches (4 to 6 cups) of oil to deep fry most items, so your pan should be able to accommodate that much oil and have plenty of room for the food you will add without spilling over. Deep 1.5 to 2 gallon (6 to 8 quart) pots or pans are ideal. Cast iron Dutch ovens are a good choice for frying on the stove because they are both heavy and deep.

Getting the heat

Next, you need a way to check the heat. The faster the food cooks, the less oil it absorbs and the speed at which food fries is directly due to temperature. Many deep fryers have thermometers, but since you are using a pan, you’ll need to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil before you can start frying. Meat or candy thermometers work great for frying.

Frying with accessories

Finally, you need the right accessories. Many deep fryers come with frying baskets, but you can get the same effect using a simple tool called a spider. Spiders are bamboo sticks with a netted scooping tool at the bottom that looks like a mini colander. Spiders are ideal for scooping up fried foods because the oil can drip though the wire net and can be found at most department stores in the cooking section for just a couple of bucks. Many people use tongs to grab foods from frying grease, but they tend to smash more delicate items. This is where spiders are particularly handy.

You will also need a cooling rack and a cookie sheet. After frying, laying foods on the rack will allow the food to shed any excess oil and the cookie sheet will catch the oil. I like to line my cookie sheet with wax paper for easy clean-up.

Frying step-by-step

Now that you have your tools assembled, you can get down to frying:

Set a cooling rack on top of the cookie sheet beside your frying pot.
Set your burner on medium and let your pan of oil heat for around 5 to 10 minutes.
Put the meat thermometer in the center of the oil to check the temperature. The oil should be between 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius) and 440 degrees Fahrenheit (225 Celsius). Thicker foods will need a lower temperature to cook all the way through while thinner items can be cooked at the higher end of the range.
If your oil doesn’t get hot enough after five minutes, raise the burner heat a little and check the temperature until you hit the sweet spot.
Add just enough food to the oil so that the oil level rises only about a ½ inch. You want the food to have plenty of room to float around without getting stuck together.
Leave the food in the oil until it becomes a golden brown.
Scoop the food out with either tongs or a spider and place it on the cooling rack until you are ready to serve.

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Xiaomi Mi 5 review – CNET

The Good The Xiaomi Mi 5 has a sleek, lightweight design with a beautiful finish that’s as good as any high-end phone. Great camera and dual-SIM features will let you use this as a travel phone too. It’s top-of-the-line hardware at a low price.

The Bad There’s no microSD card slot like the Samsung Galaxy S7, or removable battery like the LG G5.

The Bottom Line Xiaomi’s impressive Mi 5 has the features to stand up against the very best, but it’s a shame it won’t be officially available worldwide.

Spending the better part of my two-week vacation testing a phone seems like a terrible idea, but like my colleague Jessica Dolcourt, who took the Samsung Galaxy S7 for a spin in London and Berlin, I took the Xiaomi Mi 5 with me into the frigid, beautiful north — first to Iceland, then to London, where I also got a chance to compare it directly to the Galaxy S7.

The result? The Mi 5 is terrific, especially when you consider that Xiaomi’s new flagship phone costs significantly less than the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, without compromising on its most important features. It’s fast and has a good camera. And thanks to its two SIM card slots, I was able to roam on data with a local carrier, while still being able to use my phone number from back home in Singapore.

Xiaomi Mi 5 dazzles with low price and ceramic…
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When I pulled out the pretty, lightweight Mi 5 in public, curious strangers who had never seen a Xiaomi phone before asked what it was — many mistook it for a Samsung Galaxy.

The Mi 5 does lack unique extras such as the Galaxy S7’s waterproofing and the LG G5’s modular capabilities, but then it is half the price. It’s just a shame that Xiaomi will only sell it to people in China and India. Other regions could use a handset like this.

There are actually three Mi 5 models

Xiaomi’s Mi 5 doesn’t just come in one flavor — while all three do look alike, the difference lies mainly in the hardware specs. The most powerful version, dubbed the Mi 5 Pro, has the highest-end parts and a ceramic rear instead of contoured glass. Check out the table below for the key differences.

Xiaomi Mi 5 model comparison

Feature-packed and good looking

The Mi 5 is a beautiful device with a curved backing, a glass or ceramic finish and a premium feel. The rounded rear makes it comfortable to hold and I didn’t lose my grip once even while wearing thick gloves. The phone is slightly smaller than the S7, but with a slightly larger 5.15-inch full-HD display. It fits snugly in your pocket. The screen is pretty bright, and a built-in feature adjusted the display to make it readable even in the bright outdoors. It works, and it works marvellously.

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The Mi 5 has a brilliant 1,920×1,080-pixel display.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Great camera and zippy processor

Photos are never more important than when you’re capturing memories of the trip of a lifetime. The Mi 5’s 16-megapixel camera didn’t let me down. I was impressed with the phone’s lowlight performance, though it’s not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S7 (I tested both myself in London and Barcelona). The rear camera takes beautifully bright pictures in good lighting, though colors can be a tad too saturated at times.

While the Galaxy S7 camera edges the Mi 5’s, this camera can hold its own — you won’t be disappointed. Check out the gallery below for an in-depth look at the camera features and test shots.

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To keep costs low on its flagship phones, Xiaomi usually uses a slightly older processor, reserving the newest chip for its top-of-the-line Pro model. That wasn’t the case here; all three phones get the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, though the 32GB model isn’t quite as fast, with a lower clock speed.

LG Cam Plus Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The G5 is gearing up for its retail launch on April 1, and with it comes two accessories from LG that will take advantage of the handset’s unique modular design. One of which is the Cam Plus, that you can attach to the phone after removing the G5’s bottom bezel. Though exact pricing and release information hasn’t been unveiled yet, LG says the components will be available some time after the flagship’s launch.

The Cam Plus is essentially a camera grip, which physically gives you a better handle on the phone when you take pictures. It has a toggle switch to launch the camera, a digital-zoom dial, a physical shutter button, and a video recording button. In spirit, it’s much like the Incipio Focal camera case or the Snappgrip for the Apple iPhone.

Attaching the component is easy enough. You need to press the button on the left edge, which unlocks the bottom chin. Pull the bezel out and take off the removable battery. Detaching the battery does take a bit of wrangling, and there were a lot of times when I was afraid I’d break the battery off. But once you remove it, hook the battery onto the grip and snap the whole component back into the device. The grip itself includes a 1,200mAh battery that can add to the G5’s own 2,800mAh battery.

Editors’ note: This piece was originally published on February 21, 2016 and has been updated with deeper analysis.

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The Cam Plus does add bulk to the handset, so I couldn’t exactly walk around with both of them together in my back pocket. I wouldn’t recommend keeping it on the G5 all day, and plus there’s no headset jack). But it did make it easier and more comfortable for me to hold while I was out taking photos. The tactile buttons are also reminiscent of your typical point-and-shoot, so the button controls were intuitive to understand. One button I had trouble with was the toggle switch. It was too small to use quickly, so I ended up just launching the camera with the touchscreen more often.

After spending a couple of days with it, I imagine the Cam Plus for someone who is determined to get the most out of their G5’s camera, who knows they’ll take a ton of pictures, and also kind of want an excuse to use the handset’s modular design. Depending on the price, I myself wouldn’t spend more than $70 on it (or £50, AU$94).

However, if you’re not a photo enthusiast, you certainly won’t be missing out on much. You can still use the device’s camera just fine without it, and if you plan on just taking shots here and there throughout the day, I’d save myself the purchase.

Xiaomi’s new TV is a 65-inch curved Samsung monster with 4K

Xiaomi has announced a new TV, but this isn’t just any old television set. We’re talking about a 65-inch curved experience with Samsung technology under the hood. Oh, and there’s 4K playback support thrown in for good measure. Say hello to the Android-powered Mi TV 3S Curve.

What makes this new TV rather special is the ultra-thin 5.9mm thick metal body. It’s ridiculously thin. Not only that, but you have the Mi TV soundbar with an independent 6-piece sound system. If you’re not a fan of Mi’s standard TV line-up, or prefer curved displays, the company’s first entertainment viewer will be right up your street.

The 65-inch Mi TV 3S will set you back RMB 8,999 ($1,380), which includes the Mi TV soundbar.

Sprint leak prices the LG G5 at $24 a month

Preorders start March 25, with the phone officially available April 1.

While we’re still waiting on official word from Sprint regarding its pricing for the LG G5, we’ve gotten word from this week’s Sprint Playbook on what we can expect the phone to cost. Just $24 a month for 24 months will get the LG G5 into your hands. That’s a total of $576 over the life of the contract — a good bit cheaper than the $688 outright price that AT&T has listed.

In addition, Sprint’s got the LG 360 CAM — that’s the 360-degree camera “friend” that shares the same ecosystem as the LG G5 — listed at $199.

Thanks, anon!

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

LG 360 CAM to retail at $199, say Sprint, B&H

LG’s handheld 360-degree camera — the aptly named LG 360 CAM — will retail for $199, according to a preorder listing on B&H Photo, as well as in a leak from Sprint. The 360 CAM is part of the “friends” ecosystem that comes alongside the LG G5, which will be available starting April 1.

The camera is LG’s answer to the personal 360-degree video game, which also will see an entry from Samsung this summer, in addition to the non-mobile 360-degree shooters we’ve seen from other companies.

See at B&H

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

LG 360 VR listed at $199, according to online retailer

LG’s play for virtual reality will cost you a couple hundred dollars, according to an early listing at B&H Photo. The LG 360 VR is listed at $199, same as the LG 360 CAM handheld 360-degree camera. The two work in concert with the LG G5 as part of the “Friends” ecosystem of products.

And the 360 VR goggles themselves are powered by the G5, plugging in via USB-C. The phone then powers what you’re seeing, which essentially is a better version of Google Cardboard. It’s more 360-degree viewing that it is true VR. But it’s also done in a smaller faceprint than the likes of Samsung’s Gear VR, which straps the goggles and phone to your face. LG splits things up via the USB-C cable, making it more lightweight (and arguably less weird-looking). It’s also not as light-tight and immersive, however.

LG has worked with Google on the 360 CAM, which should be excellent for Street View content, as well as running all the current Google Cardboard apps.

See at B&H

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

Moto X Play is now receiving Android 6.0.1 in Canada

The Android 6.0.1 update is now pushing out for Moto X Play owners in Canada. This update brings along with it a number of changes, including some new emoji for you to check out. The update has only just started pushing out, so it may be a day or two before it arrives on your phone. With this update, you can expect the following changes:

• Android Security updates
• Unicode 8.0 Emoji support
• Stability improvements

If you want to manually check for the update, you can head into your Settings, About Phone and check for updates.

Discuss the Android 6.0.1 update in the forums