Spotify Announces 12 Original Shows Launching Before the End of 2016

Spotify today announced 12 new original series coming to the music streaming platform this summer and fall, which the company hopes will keep its users drawn into the service more often (via Bloomberg).

The shows will surround music and pop culture in general and be “centered around three main themes – music performances, music profiles and music culture,” with episodes lasting up to fifteen minutes each.

The new video offerings come about a year after Spotify began showcasing clips from Comedy Central, ESPN, and MTV within the app. Now the company intends to get into the original programming game, with new shows like Landmark, a documentary series detailing important moments in music history, and Rush Hour, which will force two artists to quickly collaborate on a setlist of songs that they must then perform live.

The company has even netted a few well-known actors and producers for some of the shows, like Tim Robbins, who will produce a “mockumentary series about a competition to become the next dance music phenom.” This first phase of 12 shows will be focused on music, and Spotify intends to speak with artists to figure out ways it can incorporate the video initiative into upcoming album launches.

Tom Calderone, the company’s content partnerships chief, said that the second phase of programming is already planned, as well, focusing on animated and comedic series “tailored to the service’s young audience.” Calderone mentioned that one of the biggest hurdles the company must face is educating its users about the shows, and somehow promoting each series within the iOS app, which now has better tools for user visibility thanks to an all-new tab bar update. An update to the Android app is expected sometime this summer.

While Calderone has plenty of experience making shows people watch, Spotify has little experience getting people to watch much of anything. Videos are buried in the current version of the app, “down there with how to unsubscribe and the privacy policy,” Calderone joked.

“It will be our job to make this stuff famous,” Calderone said. “We have a ways to go.”

Spotify gave no specific launch date for the shows besides a vague summer and fall estimation. The company did confirm that each series will be available for both free and paid users to watch in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden.

Since Apple Music launched, rumors began swirling that the company was working on launching its own slate of original shows. Although iTunes chief Eddie Cue has said recent announcements aren’t a signal that the company intends to delve deeper into original programming, it has confirmed a few series are in the works, including one starring Dr. Dre and another that will “spotlight the app economy.”

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Samsung Galaxy Note 6 in pictures: Renders, and leaked photos gallery

The Samsung Galaxy Note series has had a strong following since it first pioneered the phablet. After a period where the Note 5 skipped release in some countries, Samsung is expected to come back swinging with an international Note 6 release.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is rumoured to be a seriously premium handset with metal build, large 5.8-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 823 processor with 6GB of RAM, 12-megapixel Super OIS Plus camera, 4000mAh battery and of course the S Pen. There may even be an edge style curved model.

Rumoured specs aside though, the look of the Galaxy Note 6 is very interesting. Since there is now a Galaxy S7 edge+ it will be tough to see how this fits in. Especially if this new model features the high quality build of the S7 series. But as we said earlier there’s a loyal Note fan base who will always prefer S Pen interactions on the solid Note than anything else.

At the moment, with an expected reveal in August or September, there have been very few leaked photos. But there have been plenty of concept renders from fans and designers. We’ve compiled everything so far and will continue to update this gallery as more images appear.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 6: What’s the story so far?

The AiraWear massage hoodie is absurd, but it works

I’ve loved the idea of Tware’s AiraWear massage hoodie ever since I heard about it at CES earlier this year, and not just because I enjoy back rubs (who doesn’t!). It’s just such a loopy idea that I’m unreasonably happy someone was willing to conceive, design, prototype and sell it. The wearable is not nearly as good as dedicated massage chairs or pads, but it does provide some muscle relief. And while the current prototype is fragile and I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing it in public, it may succeed on sheer chutzpah alone.

The AiraWear seems like a spacesuit in terms of the complexity of plumbing and wiring. A pump inflates plastic cushions that push six hardened foam points at your lower, mid and upper back. The massage harness is sewn into what seems like a good-quality hoodie that comes in blue, black or gray. The whole thing weighs 2.6 pounds, which isn’t bad for such a complex wearable, but I did notice the weight after wearing it around for a few hours. It takes about two hours to charge from a standard micro-USB slot on the motor and gives you up to six hours of massaging.

That said, it’s easy enough to use. After charging it up, there’s a simple-to-use app that runs on Android or iOS. For the review unit, Tware supplied an Android phone with CyanogenMod installed, though the app will run on most iOS or Android devices when it’s released commercially. It communicates with the jacket via Bluetooth, and after I twisted the metal logo on front to power it on, it quickly paired up.

You can run one of four programs: “Relax” massages all three regions, “Shoulder” and “Lower Back” target those specific zones and “Sleep” gives you a lighter all-over treatment. (You can also have it nag you about your posture, but more on that later.) For now, there’s no fine control over the force, and each program runs for exactly 15 minutes: no more, no less. However, the company has promised that you’ll eventually be able to save custom massages or choose from a library.

The device gives an acupressure-style massage by pushing six modules into your back fairly hard. As such, it can’t knead or target different back areas like massage pads with roller-style mechanisms. It does feel good in limited doses, but if you do it too much, it can get a bit painful, since it keeps pushing the same spots over and over again. In addition, the pressure isn’t equal on all three regions of the back; it pushed me harder in the middle of my spine than on the upper or lower part. Still, after a good half-hour, I did feel a bit better than before.

Tware says the hoodie is ideal for de-stressing at the office or even on the go. A photo (above) shows someone using it on a subway train, but I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable doing that. While the company says it’s “100 percent discreet,” the mechanism really shows beneath the fabric, so someone might think you’re carrying something underneath. I can also see it freaking out airport security personnel, whether you’re wearing it or storing it in a carry-on bag. It looks even more bizarre when you’re using it for a massage because the modules really protrude from the fabric.

The posture control feature is actually pretty great, though the AiraWear is massive overkill for that job compared to, say, the Lumo Run clip-on posture monitor. When it detects your posture going wrong, the subtle push to the lower back is a strong reminder to get with the program.

The AiraWear is pretty complex, which may pose reliability problems. There are tubes, wires and motors baked in, and things can easily get tangled up. When I used it, the tubes that transport air from the motor to the massage modules popped out twice, stopping the treatment. I was able to pop them back in, but the problem could easily stump a user not willing to check the guts. In addition, the power button on the front seems a bit fragile. Hopefully, the company will make everything simpler and more solid for the final commercial product.

I love that the AiraWear is one of more insane concepts out there. However, the acupressure massage is not as good as you get from a portable massage cushion that can heat, knead, roll and vibrate. In addition, it’s pretty delicate for a product that’s meant to be worn when you’re out and about. That said, Tware does have a track record in building similar products, so it’s not a huge risk for the crowdfunding price of $109. For that sum (and not a lot more) there will probably be enough takers who want the craziest gadget on the block. Tware says it will be launching soon on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Design Drawing Suggests iPhone 7 Will Have Same Length and Width as iPhone 6s

A purported sketch of the iPhone 7 obtained by French website NWE points towards the next-generation smartphone having the same length and width as the iPhone 6s.

The unverified drawing shows the iPhone 7 has the same 138.3mm (5.44 inches) length and 6.71mm (2.64 inches) width as the iPhone 6s, but the depth of the new smartphone is not listed for comparison.

The sketch also depicts a larger and slightly convex camera housing, suggesting that the iPhone 7 could possibly have a larger sensor and a nearly flush camera cutout.

Conflicting rumors suggest that the iPhone 7 series may or may not include a 3.5mm headphone jack, Smart Connector, and dual-lens camera system, while it is possible some of those features may be exclusive to the larger iPhone 7 Plus (or Pro?)

The sketch is consistent with a previous iPhone 7 Plus design drawing that showed the larger 5.5-inch smartphone will likewise have identical dimensions as the iPhone 6s Plus.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the smartphones will not have “many attractive selling points,” and it appears increasingly likely that Apple will break away from its typical tick-tock “S” design cycle and maintain the same 6-series form factor for a third consecutive year.

Other rumored features for the iPhone 7 series include a touch-sensitive home button, waterproofing and dustproofing, repositioned antenna bands, stereo speakers, wireless charging, and a slightly larger battery. Apple may reserve some features for the following iPhone in 2017, which rumors suggest could be far more compelling with an all-new OLED display, glass casing, and several other changes.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Drake’s New Album ‘Views’ Sells One Million Copies in Five Days Under Apple Exclusivity

Although Drake’s newest album “Views” was only available on iTunes and Apple Music for one week, under the terms of the company’s exclusivity deal with the artist, the album managed to sell more than one million copies in just five days, which The Wall Street Journal calls “a rare achievement in an age of rapid streaming growth and declining sales of downloads and CDs.”

Most of those sales numbers — 632,000 copies to be exact — came within the first 24 hours of release, with the rest trickling over the one million mark in the subsequent days. The figures specifically target sales for the $13.99 iTunes copy of Views, but Apple Music showed some impressive streaming statistics for Drake’s new album, as well.

In total, Views was streamed more than 250 million times worldwide, 200 million of which were inside the United States, suggesting Apple Music managed to get some of the artist’s fans to sign up for the service beyond its current 13 million paid subscribers.

The results fly in the face of industry fears that paid streaming services might hasten the continuing decline of music sales, which have fallen by more than 60% in the past 15 years, according to data from Nielsen. While that could still eventually happen, plenty of fans purchased the $13.99 Drake album last week even though they could also access it immediately, along with some 30 million other tracks, by subscribing to Apple Music for $9.99 a month—or even just by signing up for a free trial.

As Drake’s album launched on April 29, his record label’s parent company, Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, went to work keeping any traces of pirated songs and videos off of sites like YouTube. According to sources within the industry, the new trend of exclusivity deals between artists and streaming services like Apple Music and Tidal, has led to a renewed crackdown on pirated music. Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group alone has spent “millions of dollars a year” going through a similar process with other big releases.

Drake has been one of the headline artists representing Apple Music since it was first announced last year at WWDC. Since then, the singer has hosted 20 episodes of his own Beats 1 Radio show, OVO Sound, partnered with Apple Music to sponsor his Summer Sixteen tour, and had some of his songs featured in ads for the streaming music service.

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HTC’s revenues decline by a massive 64% in Q1 2016

HTC’s latest earnings figures continue to illustrate the manufacturer’s downfall in recent years. The Taiwanese vendor posted an overall revenue of NT$14.8 billion ($463 million), a drastic 64% decrease from the NT$41.52 billion ($1.3 billion) it managed in Q1 2015. Operating loss for the quarter was at NT$4.8 billion ($150 million), a far cry from the NT$360 million ($11.6 million) profit recorded during the same period last year.

The manufacturer is now looking to the HTC 10 as well as the Vive to boost sales heading into Q2, with both products not accounted for in the first quarter earnings. Chairwoman and CEO Cher Wang said that HTC will continue to streamline and optimize:

We have been working hard to lay the groundwork over the past year, streamlining processes and optimizing resources to enable us to develop the best products in the most effective way.

HTC is betting big on virtual reality, and has invested $100 million to boost the VR content ecosystem.

Star Wars meets Bond: Watch this stunning new intro sequence for Empire Strikes Back

Just imagine that, instead of the opening crawl and looming star destroyer, Empire Strikes Back started like a James Bond movie. Can you picture it?

Actually, you don’t need to, Kurt Rauffer has actually created exactly that. He’s directed and edited his own 007-esque opening to arguably the best Stars Wars film for you to watch below. What’s more, he’s used the rejected title track Radiohead proposed for Spectre and it is simply beautiful.

Rauffer created the sequence as part of his work at the School of Visual Arts. “After re-watching The Empire Strikes Back, I decided to use this as a chance to create a homage in the form of a title sequence. This would also serve as my senior thesis at SVA and took me the whole semester to complete,” he said.

He’ll also be posting a making of video soon.

READ: May the 4th be with you: Best Star Wars gadgets and toys to celebrate

For now, just sit back and marvel at the artistry and think what might have been. Not with Empire Strikes Back itself – after all, it wouldn’t have been the same without the crawl – but with the opening of Spectre without that awful Sam Smith warbling throughout.

Let’s hope Radiohead haven’t been put off by the process and return for the next Bond outing.

The hidden value in your house: 30 devices you could turn into cash

If you love tech as much as we do, the chances are you have a few old gadgets lying around the house, whether in a cupboard, a drawer or just cluttering up the kitchen table. Those gadgets might not be the latest and greatest, but they aren’t worthless either and as the old adage goes, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.

MusicMagpie, or decluttr in the US, might not sound like a place to go if you are looking to cash in your old devices but don’t let the name fool you. It’s an online recycling service and store that will allow you to buy and sell used gadgets, which means it is the perfect place to visit if you want to turn the gadgets cluttering up your home into easy cash.

You can also buy refurbished gadgets through the site but we’re not talking just another eBay here. MusicMagpie fixes and replaces any damaged parts, reselling them as quality assured devices with warranties, rather than just second-hand or used. Here’s how to turn old gadgets into cash using musicMagpie.

The first step is to get onto the site in the first place. As we mentioned, it is musicmagpie.co.uk for UK readers and decluttr.com for the US. The homepage gives you the option to Sell or Shop. A click on “Sell Electronics” on the Sell side will bring up a search box whereby you simply start typing the gadget you have to sell and click on the correct model from the drop down list.

MusicMagpie then brings up another box where you select the condition your old device is in. There are three conditions to choose from – good, poor and faulty – each of which sees a list of bullet points appear when you select them so you can check you meet the criteria set for that particular condition. There will also be a price quoted in the top right-hand corner and a tiny picture of the device you are selling so you can double check you’ve got the right model and how much you will be getting.

Add the device to your basket once you’ve chosen the appropriate condition and you can then either repeat the process for another device or checkout. You’ll need to accept the terms and conditions and register for an account or sign in.

Following registration, you have three options as to how you get paid, comprising bank transfer, cheque or donating to one of the seven musicMagpie partnered charities that include the RSPCA, Breast Cancer Care and Barnardo’s.

There is a free courier service available, as well as a free smart send service that allows you to pick a Post Office branch and send your old gadgets for nothing. You then confirm your order and wait for the cash to start flowing, whether it’s to you or your designated charity.

Bank transfers are paid on the same day that musicMagpie receives your items, and your cash will be ready to spend the next day. The company has a Price Promise that means you’ll get the full amount you were quoted or it will send your electronics back for free.

Now you’ve heard how easy it is, here is the fun bit.

Click here to head to the gallery to see 30 devices you could turn into cash. Some might surprise you, as you can potentially turn your clutter into cash.

Want to sell your old phone? Check out Pocket-lint’s preferred recycling partner musicMagpie.co.uk / decluttr.com to find out how much money you can get for it.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080: Release date, price and why it’s the best gaming card ever

Nvidia has unveiled a PC graphics card for 2016 based on its new Pascal architecture. That essentially means that it is a massive step up from what has come before – even the mighty Titan X.

The Pascal GPU architecture has greater memory bandwidth and power efficiency than any of its predecessors, meaning that the card can potentially turn a PC into the best gaming device ever.

Here then are some of the stats and details to give you an idea of why we think it could change the landscape of PC gaming.

What is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 and what can it do?

If you are the sort of gamer that wants the very best and is willing to swap out kit in your PC to get it, the GeForce GTX 1080 is the best graphics card Nvidia has made to date.

The GPU comes with 2560 Nvidia CUDA cores and runs at 1607MHz (base clock), 1733MHz (boost).

There is 8GB of GDDR5X RAM on board and, most impressively, is capable of resolutions up to 7680 x 4320 (running at 60Hz). That’s 8K at 60fps… wow.

It is also compatible with HDCP 2.2 and has a HDMI 2.0 output, so can play protected 4K content (such as 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray) to a compatible TV or monitor.

Remarkably, thanks to the enhanced power management, it only requires a recommended system power of 500W. PC rig builders are more used to cards requiring 600W power supplies and above.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 release date

A “Founders Edition” of the card will be available from 27 May. It will be available from a number of different graphics card manufacturers: Asus, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Nvidia, Palit, PNY and Zotac.

There will also be custom boards from many manufacturers too. Release dates for those are yet to come.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 price

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition graphics card comes with a recommended retail price of $699 (£483). The custom boards will start are around $599 (£394).

The UK prices shown above are based on current exchange rates. The actual UK retail prices are yet to be revealed.

A lesser spec’ed GeForce GTX 1070 will be available from June starting at $379 (£262).

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 vs GTX Titan X

Most comparisons made at the launch of the GTX 1080 were against the company’s previous king of the hill, the GTX Titan X (which we currently use in our rig).

The Titan X is still an incredible graphics card and slices through 4K game outputs like sweet, sweet butter. However, the GTX 1080 beats it in several respects.

Not only is it capable of a much higher digital resolution (7680 x 4320 over 5129 x 3200), Nvidia claims it is two times more powerful, yet is three times more power efficient.

That’s an even more remarkable feat considering the average Titan X has more GPU cores and RAM (3072 and 12GB over 2560 and 8GB). Importantly, the GPU of the 1080 is capable of clock speeds over 1700MHz. The Titan X is just over 1000MHz without overclocking.

PC builders will also be grateful that the 1080 is the same physical size as the Titan X, so can be swapped easily: 4.376-inches by 10.5-inches.

It’s also worth pointing out that, even though it is technically more powerful, the GTX 1080 is around half the price of the Titan X.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 games and demos

We’re still to see the GTX 1080 in action and will test it ourselves in time, but during the Nvidia launch event the company’s CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, and partners did show several games running using the card.

As part of the launch announcement, Epic Games showed some renders from its forthcoming game Paragon running using a GTX 1080. We think you’ll agree that it looks pretty awesome.

However, more awesome still is Doom, running on ultra settings at a staggering 200fps.

We’ll add more demonstrations as they become available. Check back for more later.