Microsoft’s ‘internet mash-up’ service Flow gets a mobile app
Microsoft introduced the world to its online automation service just last month, but now it’s announcing Flow mobile for iOS. If you missed it, the service allows you to join up myriad online apps and services (including Microsoft’s own), For example, it lets your Instagram account magically post pictures, not links, to Twitter, or you could program it to automatically save all your Tweets to a single OneDrive file. Like IFTTT, there’s a whole lot of permutations to try — and now you can test ’em from your phone.
A mobile edition was one of the biggest requests from its users, letting you start and stop flows direct from your phone, as well as getting real-time notifications for “important events.’ The app also lets you see a detailed run history on your flows, and you can view — even filter — everything you have running through the service, which is good for when one of your internet mash-ups unintentionally crashes.
Microsoft has also upgraded the base service, with more templates to get you started and a single sign-on feature if you’re already using Office. The company promises an Android version will also launch soon — but no word on Windows Mobile.
Source: Microsoft Flow
Microsoft brings mobile payments to your Windows 10 phone
Windows 10 users have been left out of the tap-to-pay trend while their friends use the likes of Android Pay and Apple Pay, but they’re about to catch up in style. If you’re a Windows Insider in the Fast Ring and use a Lumia 650, 950 or 950 XL, you can get a new version of the Wallet app that gives you NFC payments at stores that support it. It’ll seem mostly familiar if you’ve used current Android or iOS options — it’s just a matter of unlocking your phone and bringing it close to the shop’s terminal. The app will hold your coupons, loyalty cards and passes, too.
Don’t expect to use all the features just yet. Payments only work in the US right now, and only for some cards (Bank of America’s Visa card being one of them). And of course, you’ll want to hold off if you’re not a fan of running potentially buggy preview software. Microsoft hasn’t nailed down just when the new Wallet will be available to everyone, but it wouldn’t be surprising if you see it arrive alongside Windows 10’s Anniversary Update this summer.
Via: MSPowerUser
Source: Windows Experience Blog, YouTube
Taylor Swift and 179 artists urge Congress to update copyright law
A group of 180 artists and musicians, including Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Carole King, Vince Staples and Kings of Leon, want Congress to take action on the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you’re not familiar, the copyright legislation essentially allows so-called safe harbors where you can upload content to be exempt from any infringement lawsuits based on the actions of its users. Those companies, apps and websites have to respond to takedown notices from the folks who actually own the copyright, but they can’t be held liable for the offending video or music. This group of artists wants the government to reform the policy though, signing a petition in hopes of inspiring action.
It’s no surprise that Swift would be part of the chorus here, as she’s been quite vocal about fair compensation for artists. She pulled all of her music from Spotify back in 2014 and some back and forth with the streaming service followed over what it was/wasn’t paying. T-Swizzle also got into it with Apple over royalties during its music service’s trial period before the two eventually made amends.
With a full page ad in Washington, DC-area publications The Hill and Politico, the massive group of musicians and major record labels want an updated version of DMCA. The move also comes at a time when those major labels are negotiating new contracts with YouTube. What’s more, the US Copyright Office is already looking into the safe harbors the DMCA allows and a House Judiciary Committee has copyright law on its to-do list.
The ad explains that DMCA “allowed major tech companies to grow and generate huge profits” now that technology allows “consumers to carry almost every recorded song in history in their pocket via a smartphone.” It goes on to say that “songwriters’ and artists’ earnings continue to diminish” because of the aging legislation. The artists also argue that DMCA wasn’t intended to offer the kinds of protections it currently does and should be updated accordingly.
On the other side, YouTube maintains that the DMCA doesn’t give it any kind of advantage, and that copyright claims are handled by its Content ID system. That setup also offers labels a way to earn royalties from their music. The Google-owned video site has a music service and it says the $3 million it paid in royalties is mostly generated from users who aren’t paying for a music subscription elsewhere.
Both sides continue to make their case, but the music industry is getting more vocal about fair compensation as we head deeper into the age of streaming. Last month, Warner Music Group announced that for the first time most of its revenue is coming from streaming during Q1 2016. As part of that announcement, CEO Stephen Cooper discussed the need for the royalties from paid subscriptions and those coming from places folks can listen for free to have “a fairer correlation.”
Via: Fact Magazine
Source: Billboard
Cities are collaborating on rules for Uber and Airbnb
The sharing economy,and the companies that embody it, have often waded into a fight wherever they set up shop. That’s because local governments aren’t nimble enough to cope with such radically new ideas, and the companies themselves often struggle with compromise. In order to smooth things over, a coalition of 10 cities across the globe are collaborating on a framework that’ll provide these companies with ground rules to abide by. Bloomberg quotes New York official Wiley Norvell, who says that providing common rules will help both protect users and ensure that political voices are heard by famously regulation-averse startups.
The move will help to normalize the experience of both users and businesses who are frequently caught up in the hodge-podge of current regulations. For instance, Airbnb has recently been blocked from advertising whole apartments in NYC and Berlin, but won a public referendum on its status in San Francisco. Uber has faced violent protests from the taxi lobby in various places and faces trouble over its political maneuvering in Austin. That last city is an interesting case, as the city wanted ride-sharing services to use the same basic safety checks as taxis. But rather than deal directly with its now legendary safety problem, Uber (and rival ride-sharing firm Lyft) chose to pull out of the city.
The report explains that the playbook is currently being developed behind closed doors, with Paris pushing for a first draft to be ready by October. The list of cities includes obvious tourist destinations such as New York and Paris, as well as locations like Athens, Barcelona and Toronto. It should help to ease tensions between companies and lawmakers, which have often been deeply hostile, often unnecessarily so.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Bloomberg
The hostile takeover of ‘Watch Dogs’ studio Ubisoft continues
Ubisoft, the studio behind Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, South Park, Rabbids and plenty of other off-the-wall franchises, is slowly losing itself. The company is being swallowed up by Vivendi, the entertainment conglomerate responsible for Universal Music Group and Dailymotion, among other ventures. Vivendi has been buying Ubisoft stock with the goal of securing a seat on the studio’s board, and it now controls 20.1 percent of Ubisoft shares and 17.76 percent of its voting rights. The latest stock purchase comes just days after E3 ended on June 16th.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot previously called Vivendi’s purchases “unsolicited and unwelcome,” and he’s been working on ways to fight the company’s “creeping control” of his family’s studio. In late May, Vivendi purchased a majority stake in Gameloft, the mobile games publisher also owned by the Guillemot family.
Vivendi has said it has no plans to take over Ubisoft, but its stock purchases continue to worry the studio’s founders. Guillemot told CNBC last week that Ubisoft’s main goal is to remain independent. However, as a backup plan, he’s entertaining the idea of a merger with a gaming or tech company — just not Vivendi.
For an informative breakdown of the Ubisoft-Vivendi saga, see Game Informer’s June explainer.
Vivendi isn’t a stranger to the video game world. It once owned a majority share of Overwatch and Call of Duty studio Activision Blizzard. Activision bought itself back from Vivendi in 2013 for $8.2 billion, transforming the studio into an independent company.
Source: Game Informer
Mozilla’s next logo will be shaped by its users
It’s time for Mozilla to get a new look and, true to its open-source roots, the Firefox developer is turning to the community for feedback on what its redesign should entail. The nonprofit has launched an Open Design process to “modernize [its] brand identity.”
Mozilla is kicking things off with a “Creative Strategy” phase, during which it’s inviting ideas for directions to “present itself anew to the world.” You can comment on themes the company posts to say what you like or don’t, or submit examples of designs done well.
“In this initial phase, we’re wide open to ideas from all corners,” the company said on its Open Design About page. After it collects and curates feedback, Mozilla will work with its brand identity agency to come up with some concepts, then invite designers and non-designers to share their thoughts.
A handful of first-round concepts will result from this stage, and they will go through testing and refinement to see which works best with Mozilla’s web properties, communities and external ad campaigns. Finally, the organization will select one new theme that it aims to introduce in November.
Mozilla’s chief marketing officer Jayscha Kaykas-Wolff tells Engadget that opening up the design process lets them look for the most contributions to get a wide variety of opinions from around the world. “That diversity of ideas I think will get us a better result,” he said.
While it may be looking to the public for feedback, Mozilla clarified that it is not crowdsourcing the redesign. It will invite comments and curate ideas, but only the agency and designers the company hires will actually work on the new identity. Unfortunately, that means the name Browsey McBrowserface is probably not going to happen, but we can all dream.
Via: FastCoDesign
Source: Mozilla Open Design
Samsung pours $1.2 billion into the Internet of Things
Samsung is willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to the Internet of Things. The electronics giant is spending $1.2 billion on IoT development in the US over the next 4 years, sharing it between startups and its own work. This isn’t just about getting into a young field, if you ask Samsung. The company pitches this as crucial to dealing with an aging population — connected gadgets could help an older generation maintain its independence.
It’s also worried about regulation. Samsung is co-founding a “National IoT Strategy Dialogue” in a bid to shape US policies on always-online devices. The hope, as you might guess, is that the guidelines will be loose enough that they don’t “hold back” Samsung’s interests. There’s no guarantee that it’ll get its way, but it’s evident that the company wants as much say in its IoT future as possible.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Samsung Newsroom
Feds finalize rules for commercial UAVs
The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that they had completed the first set of operational rules for commercial UAV flights in the US. Any UAV under 55 pounds and flying for “non-hobbyist purposes” will be subject to the regulations when they come into effect in August. The agencies expect these rules to create 100,000 new jobs and generate $82 billion for the economy over the next decade.
The rules are set up to help integrate UAVs into the existing airspace regulations. Under them, drones under 55 pounds will only be allowed to operate during daylight hours (until dusk if they’re equipped with warning lights). There are strict height limits and drones are not allowed to fly over people. They can only be flown by a someone who’s at least 16 years old and who holds a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.
Most importantly, drones must be operated within the pilot’s line of sight. This means that a number of potential commercial applications — including Amazon’s delivery service as well as internet infrastructure, automated surveying and new media — are all still forbidden. The rules do allow for operators to apply for a waiver if they can prove the flight route is safe. However, it seems unlikely that the FAA would be willing to grant Amazon one given the scope of the company’s delivery drone trial program.
Source: FAA
Facebook is paying media companies millions to stream live video
Earlier this year, Facebook went all in on Live Video, placing it in a place of prominence in its app as well as promoting it rather heavily on the web. Now it appears that the company is even going so far as paying media companies and celebrities millions of dollars to create live-streaming content. According to a document received by the Wall Street Journal, almost 140 contracts totaling more than $50 million have already been signed.
Some of the media outlets include CNN, the New York Times, Vox Media, Tastemade, Mashable and the Huffington Post, while celebrities include Kevin Hart, Gordon Ramsay, Deepak Chopra and Russell Wilson. BuzzFeed is the highest-paid publisher on the list, and will apparently receive $3.05 million for its Facebook Live content between March 2016 and March 2017. Right up there is the New York Times, which is slated to receive $3.03 million for its live video efforts.
All of this Live Video focus is paying off too. BuzzFeed’s 45-minute video of two employees putting rubber bands around a watermelon until it exploded was viewed 10.8 million times as of today. But that is nowhere close to the video of Candace Payne trying on a Chewbacca mask — that infamous video has now been viewed over 157 million times.
Source: Facebook
PlayStation Vue comes to your Roku player
Come next week, you’ll be able to watch your PlayStation Vue programming from pretty much anywhere. Sony announced on Tuesday that the streaming platform is available on Roku devices and will roll out to the Android OS next week.
The Vue is meant to replace (or at least heavily supplement) your existing cable subscription. By tying it to the Roku, Sony’s giving its subscribers the option to potentially ditch the set-top box entirely. And with the Vue coming to Android 4.4 next week (it’s already available on iOS and works with Chromecast) users will be able to watch live television streams anywhere they’ve got an internet connection.
Vue comes in three package options: Access, which offers 55 channels for $30 a month; 70-channel Core for $35 and the 100-plus channel Elite package for $50. If you live in a major live local broadcast area, like the Bay Area or the NYC metro, those prices rise by $10. You can see what channels are available where at the Vue website.
Source: Sony
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