Amazon snags ‘Downton Abbey’ creator’s next show for Prime Video

Amazon is hoping for another streaming hit with Julian Fellowes Presents Doctor Thorne, the next show from the creator of Downton Abbey. Amazon has snapped up US distribution of the series from the Weinstein Company, and all three episodes of the show will hit Prime Video on May 20. As you’d expect, it’s a period piece with an ensemble cast (including Tom Hollander, Ian Mcshane and Alison Brie) and a healthy dose of distinctly British drama. Reviews of the show from UK media have been surprisingly lukewarm, but that won’t stop American viewers from binging anyway.

Amazon says Downton Abbey (which it scored as a streaming exclusive in 2013) was one of its most popular streaming series, with viewership hours almost doubling every year. It makes sense for the company to do whatever it takes to own distribution of Fellowe’s next potential hit.

Source: Amazon

Apple Increases iPhone SE Orders Amid Growing Sales Pressures

In line with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recent comments about “very strong” iPhone SE demand exceeding supply, the company has reportedly increased orders for the low-priced 4-inch smartphone in the second quarter of 2016.

digitimes.com/news/a20160502PD201.html”>DigiTimes claims that the second-quarter outlook for iPhone SE-related chip orders has been revised to more than 5 million units, up from 3.5-4 million, and the upward trend is expected to continue through the third quarter.

In a related report, the Taiwanese website notes that Apple has conversely lowered orders for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus due to declining sales of the flagship handsets. Last week, Apple announced its first-ever year-over-year decline in iPhone sales, which dropped to 51.2 million from 61.2 million in the year-ago quarter, and provided third quarter guidance that suggests the decline will continue.

While the lower-priced iPhone SE could help Apple combat its overall decline in smartphone sales, Apple analyst Neil Cybart of Above Avalon notes that the device has a lower average selling price (ASP) and smaller profit margins. Those pressures, alongside other warning signs, leads him to believe that Apple “has a significant iPhone growth problem on its hands” right now.

When looking at all of these iPhone warning signs, it is becoming clear that Apple has a significant iPhone growth problem on its hands. The combination of a slowing iPhone upgrade rate and declining number of growth catalysts for expanding the iPhone’s addressable market will make it very difficult for management to report unit sales growth going forward given its current strategy. In addition, the iPhone SE highlights how any strategy to fix some of these issues will likely end up jeopardizing iPhone ASP and margin trends.

One of Cybart’s warning signs is that “India is not the next China,” despite being positioned as one of the next big growth markets for iPhone. India has reportedly rejected Apple’s request to import and sell refurbished iPhones in the country, following a similar proposal rejected in 2015, and its regular-priced iPhones are too expensive to attract significant market share in the region.

Nevertheless, the analyst ensures that the iPhone business is “not imploding,” citing industry-leading customer satisfaction rates and loyalty trends. He believes that Apple can pull through this declining iPhone environment with a strategy that involves ditching the “S” model nomenclature, focusing on features that customers truly want, and recognizing the iPhone SE’s effect on its broader smartphone lineup.

Related Roundups: iPhone 6s, iPhone SE
Tags: digitimes.com, India
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Caution)
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Twitter Launches ‘Connect Tab’ on iOS and Android to Curate Recommended Accounts

Twitter today announced a new feature for its iOS and Android applications that will connect people to Twitter users around the world who share similar interests. Using the new “Connect tab,” users will be able to browse a list of people and accounts that the social network believes you will be interested in, all without having to manually search topics and hashtags yourself.

Finding new accounts to follow used to require jumping through a few hoops and a dash of luck. That’s why we’ve reimagined the experience with our new Connect tab. Starting today, you’ll see a detailed list of people and accounts we think you’ll enjoy following, all easily accessible in one place.

To curate the best selections in the Connect tab, the company said it uses the people you already follow, liked tweets, popular local Twitter accounts, and current world and entertainment events. It also assured users that it will “let you know exactly why we’re showing you each recommendation,” to avoid any confusion.

Beyond random accounts, the Connect tab will serve as an easier way to find friends and family members with the option to sync a smartphone’s address book to find pre-existing Twitter users, and give you a heads up if a contact in the address book joins Twitter. The company said the new Connect tab is rolling out to everyone using Twitter for iOS and Android beginning today, but didn’t mention the possible addition of the new feature to its desktop site.

Twitter for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Twitter
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of iOS 9.3.2 to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today released the fourth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3.2 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after the release of the third iOS 9.3.2 beta and more than a month after the launch of iOS 9.3, a significant update that introduced Night Shift mode and other feature improvements. iOS 9.3.2 has been in testing since April 6.

iOS 9.3.2 beta 4 can be downloaded over-the-air using the beta configuration profile or through the Apple Developer Center.

iOS 9.3.2, as an 9.x.x update, appears to be minor in scale, focusing on bug fixes and performance improvements. iOS 9.3.2 appears to fix a major Game Center bug that has plagued some iOS users for months and it introduces support for using Night Shift and Low Power Mode simultaneously.

The first three betas of iOS 9.3.2 have not included any significant outward-facing changes, but we will update this post with any new features found in the fourth beta.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Tag: iOS 9.3.2
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 9.2.1 to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Today’s beta comes one week after the third beta of tvOS 9.2.1 and more than a month after the release of tvOS 9.2. tvOS 9.2.1 has been in testing since April 6.

tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first three tvOS 9.2.1 betas will be able to update to the fourth beta over the air.

As a minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.1 focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements that are not readily apparent to Apple TV users. There have been no outward-facing changes in the first three tvOS 9.2.1 betas, but any new features discovered in the fourth beta will be listed below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: tvOS 9.2.1
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Fourth OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan update to developers and public beta testers, one week after releasing the third OS X 10.11.5 beta and more than a month after releasing OS X 10.11.4, the fourth update to the El Capitan operating system. OS X 10.11.5 has been in testing since April 6.

The fourth beta of OS X 10.11.5 can be downloaded through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center (developers only).

OS X 10.11.5 focuses on security enhancements, performance improvements, and bug fixes to address problems that have surfaced since the release of OS X 10.11.4. As with prior betas, the changes appear to be minor in scope, and no obvious outward-facing tweaks have been discovered in the first three OS X 10.11.5 betas.

We’ll update this post if any new features are found in the fourth beta.

Related Roundup: OS X El Capitan
Tag: OS X 10.11.5
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Make your grill non-stick in 2 minutes – CNET

Taylor Martin/CNET

It’s warming up outside and summer is just around the corner, which means it’s time to fire up the grill and have a backyard cookout with your closest friends and family.

If you’ve ever cooked lean meats on a grill, you know they’re more prone to sticking than your more fatty meats. To make your grilling experience a little more enjoyable this year, here’s an easy, no-cost trick that will keep your salmon unstuck.

How to make your grill non-stick

If you forgot to pick up some non-stick spray at the store, don’t worry. If you want to prevent food from sticking to the grates of your grill, you just need a potato and a fork. Here’s how it’s done:

• Heat the grill to your desired temperature.
• Slice a potato in half.
• Skewer the end of the potato with a two-prong meat fork (a dinner fork will work just as well), leaving the inside of the potato exposed.
• Raise the lid on the grill and rub the exposed center of the potato on the grate. Make sure to cover the entire cooking surface.

This process, as explained by YouTube user JohnsonInc999, releases the starches in the potato, creating a barrier between the grates and the food.

If you don’t have a potato on hand, it will also work with an onion or lemon. But keep in mind that this will have a more obvious effect on the taste of the food.

WowWee Lumi Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

WowWee’s Lumi is an indoor-friendly drone.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

The Lumi answers the question of “what else can you do with a toy drone besides fly it around and crash into stuff?” In fact, it’s designed to do the opposite of those things by basically flying itself and avoiding obstacles.

Developed by robotics toy maker WowWee, the drone uses the company’s BeaconSense technology to immediately stabilize itself once it’s in the air. Place the small beacon studded with infrared lights on the ground (it’s the device between the iPad and the drone in the picture above) and tap “Take Off” in the companion Android or iOS app and the drone shoots a few feet in the air and hovers around the beacon.

Once it’s in the air, you can use the app to fly the Lumi around like you would any other quadcopter — it can travel up to 4 meters (13 feet) away from the beacon — but that’s almost missing the point. WowWee includes a trick mode for doing flips, rolls and a figure eight with just a tap. These moves can be compiled into your own choreographed sequences and set to your own music, with the Lumi using beat detection to move to the music.

The Lumi’s beacon is what keeps it hovering in place without your help.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

And then there’s the Lumi to the Beat game. On your device’s screen there are red, yellow, green and blue circles. Once in the air, the Lumi starts changing color and you have to tap the corresponding one. If you’re too slow or hit the wrong color, the drone will slowly descend until it touches down and the game ends. You can even compete against a second Lumi to see who can stay in the air the longest.

I played around with a preproduction Lumi and it shows a lot of promise. Everything wasn’t working yet, but the beacon worked well, keeping the Lumi hovering around it without my help for up to about 8 minutes. You can also pick up the beacon and walk with it and the drone will follow you. But the obstacle avoidance system that will prevent it from bumping into people and things wasn’t working. Because of that, though, I can tell you the Lumi can handle crashes, and its flexible prop guard helps protect your ceilings, walls and furniture.

One reason the Lumi isn’t finished just yet is that WowWee is looking to the Indiegogo community to help grow its capabilities before it heads to stores in September. Backers can pledge $59 (approximately AU$75 or £40) for a Lumi starter pack with a drone, a beacon and three batteries. However, you can also pledge up to $130 (AU$170 or £90) and get an Advanced Maker Kit with a telemetry kit for access to Lumi’s flight data and larger beacons that can be used as waypoints for the drone to automatically fly between. The drone will have an open application programmer interface (API), so you’ll be able to create your own games. A software development kit (SDK) is expected to be available in September.

Basically, the WowWee Lumi isn’t your average toy drone. Like more expensive models, the Lumi’s capabilities will grow over time. Or you can take it into your own hands and use it as a platform to grow your programming skills.

Sprint posts first positive annual earnings report in 9 years

Sprint has published the company’s report for the fiscal year of 2015. The U.S. carrier posted an operating income of $310 million for the year, which is positive for the first time in a reported nine years. As for the last quarter, Sprint managed to pocket $8 million as operating income, which included $258 million worth of charges.

As for customer additions, the company reported postpaid net additions of more than 1.2 million through the year, adding just 56,000 in Q4. Sprint also enjoyed its best postpaid churn of 1.61 percent, as well as a phone churn of 1.52 percent for 2015. The company has posted expectations of operating income for 2016 to be between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.

See the full financial report for 2015 for more details.

HTC will reportedly launch its Android Wear smartwatch the week of June 6

A new rumor claims that HTC may finally launch a smartwatch, using Android Wear, sometime during the week of June 6. The latest launch date report comes from noted gadget leaker Evan Blass on his evleaks Twitter account.

FYI, this has been pushed to the week of June 6th. #htcwearablehttps://t.co/Ei1lT4aWoc

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 3, 2016

The launch date for the smartwatch was previously reported for the end of April. Rumors about HTC launching a smartwatch began way back in mid-2014, so take this new report of a release date for the product with the appropriate grain of salt.