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For as long as we can remember, water and tangled wires have been the bane of every earbud user.
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With no wires to get caught on and a new sweat-resistant design, the FRESHeBUDS Pro Magnetic Bluetooth Earbuds are a solid workout companion. Their lightweight build makes them easy to tote around, and they’re made to fit securely in your ear.
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These earbuds also come with a built-in microphone, and all controls. That way, you can respond to calls without having to fumble for your phone.
The FRESHeBUDS Pro Magnetic Bluetooth Earbuds retail for £92.48, but Pocket-lint readers can get them for 66 per cent off, taking the final price down to only £30.80 ($39.95 USD).
Get 1TB of Zools Complete Cloud Storage (98 per cent off)
When it comes to cloud storage solutions, Zoolz Complete Cloud Storage has the competition beat.
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A lifetime subscription to Zoolz Complete Cloud Storage normally goes for £2,773, but Pocket-lint readers can save big and sign up for only £30.04 ($39 USD).
Samsung’s Note 7 catches fire, but the damage isn’t done
When Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 launched earlier in the fall, we loved it. So did a lot of others, critics and consumers alike. Then the reports of battery-related fires started rolling in. Just weeks later, Samsung was forced to kick off a massive recall of Note 7s, a complicated, crucially important process that should have signaled the end of this disaster. It didn’t. Now we’re left with reports of replacement units going up in smoke — one of them started smoldering on a Southwest flight, and another put a Kentucky man in the hospital for smoke inhalation. Then, while writing this very sentence, Samsung told all of its carrier and retail partners around the world to stop sales and exchanges of Galaxy Note 7s.
It’s the move Samsung dreaded, and the move Samsung needed. As dramatic as this seems, though, it’s just another step in its fight to piece its reputation back together, bit by agonizing bit.
It’s clear enough the company has been trying to do the right thing — fixing an egregious technical flaw is tricky work, especially on a global scale. But when good intentions and poor execution collide, the aftermath can be all too dangerous. Concerns that replacement Note 7s aren’t any safer than the millions of phones already returned have continued to mount, and the count keeps rising, too. The Verge points out that at least five “safe” replacement phones caught fire in the US within the last week, and still other supposed replacements started smoldering in Taiwan and South Korea over the past few days.
That Samsung had to completely halt the flow of Note 7s around the world is a chilling reminder of the battery flaw’s reach — one of the largest, most influential electronics companies on earth can’t definitively say whether or not these phones are safe.
Now, in fairness, neither Samsung nor the US Consumer Product Safety Commission have completed their investigations, and more information should come to light before long. (A Samsung spokesperson told us that the company continues to work with “the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7.”)
Until then, we can’t agree with Samsung more: you should not use a Galaxy Note 7, replacement or otherwise. No gadget is worth this risk. In light of the phone’s battery issues, we removed our review score and rescinded our recommendation in early September, and now we can’t stress enough that you should use another phone. If you live in the US, our four major wireless carriers will let you exchange a Note 7 purchased from them for a different smartphone and you absolutely should.
But let’s take a moment to pull back from the situation as it stands. What does Samsung’s future look like? Financially, not as bad as you’d think… for now, at least. Pre-launch anticipation for the phone was so high, Samsung had to rejigger international launch schedules to make sure there were enough Note 7s to go around. And after the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge provided a solid financial foundation for the first part of 2016, Samsung was banking on the Note 7 to keep that sales momentum going as it headed into the holidays. Now the company has some extra red ink to deal with: there’s the loss of whatever revenue new Note 7s would’ve brought in, plus the roughly $1 billion the recall was expected to cost.
While not exactly chump change, Samsung has the resources to weather this storm — that was never the question. The company even issued an earnings preview that highlighted a growth in income because component sales helped to offset recall costs. And Samsung’s big mobile business is in selling less expensive phones en masse around the globe, so in that respect the Note 7 situation hasn’t yet damaged the chaebol that badly.
Of course, this whole thing has cost Samsung more than just money. There’s the crucial matter of trust, and the hard-fought association with quality Samsung has worked to build over several years. With lingering questions of safety surrounding these updated phones, who would choose to buy one for themselves? Or for the people they care about? Even if Samsung swore up and down that they were safe, would you believe them? And could anyone blame you if you didn’t? After all, this wasn’t some random, low-cost phone Samsung churned out on the cheap. The Note 7 was a flagship device with flagship performance and a flagship price tag — if Samsung couldn’t nail down the quality on one of its most important phones of the year, how does it expect us to trust it enough to build safe new ones?
It doesn’t help that Samsung’s exploding phones — while dangerous — have also become a sort of cultural punchline. Flight attendants specifically warn Note 7 owners to turn off their phones before take-off; countless memes have been concocted; a GTA mod gives the anti-hero player-character exploding Note 7s to toss. The list goes on. Maybe it’s not possible to revive the Note 7 after all. Maybe the right decision is to just give up on it altogether. After all, we’re sure to get our first glimpses at the Galaxy S8 before long.
We’re weeks into this debacle and there are still so many more questions than answers. Even so, this whole thing is giving us a strangely clear understanding of Samsung’s underlying character (as trying times often do). The company has been been equal parts sincere and bumbling, concerned and ineffective. Even more tantalizing will be watching how Samsung attempts to reinvent itself when this is all over and the proverbial fire has died down. For now, Samsung, all eyes are on you. Fix this, and be better.
What’s on your TV: ‘Gears 4,’ ‘Falling Water,’ ‘Mascots’
Gears of War is back, and ready for players on Xbox One. We’ve had a chance to play it a bit, and the HDR graphics along with the audio are both impressive, while the gameplay brings the best of earlier entries in the series. Of course, that’s not all there is this week, as Netflix drops its new series from YouTube star Miranda Sings, Haters Back Off, as well as Mascots. If you’re looking for something sci-fi, USA is premiering Falling Water, and of course The Real World is back for a 32nd season.
This is also the week PlayStation VR debuts, but if you prefer your action on a TV screen, we’d keep an eye out for the complete series of Miami Vice and Knight Rider on Blu-ray. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Ghostbusters (Extended Edition) (4K, 3D)
- The Legend of Tarzan (4K, 3D)
- Glengarry Glen Ross
- Miami Vice: The Complete Series
- Carrie (1976)
- The Da Vinci Code (4K)
- Knight Rider: The complete Series
- Angels & Demons (4K)
- The Thing
- The Hills Have Eyes
- Gears of War 4 (PC, Xbox One)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
- WWE 2K17 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- Solitaire (Xbox One)
- Duke Nukem 3d: 20th Anniversary World Tour
- Moto Racer 4 (Mac, PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Loading Human (PS4)
- Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission (PS4)
- Super Stardust Ultra VR (PS4)
- Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live (PS4)
- Batman: Arkham VR (PS4)
- Battlezone (PS4)
- Eve: Valkyrie (PS4)
- Rez Infinite (PS4)
Monday
- Monday Night Football: Buccaneers vs. Panthers, ESPN, 8:15PM
- Supergirl (season premiere), CW, 8PM
- The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
- Gotham, Fox, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- Dancing With the Stars, ABC, 8PM
- Sacred Sites (season finale), Smithsonian Channel, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- X Factor UK, Axs, 8PM
- Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 8:30PM
- 2 Broke Girls (season premiere), CBS, 9PM
- Lucifer, Fox, 9PM
- Fast n’ Loud, Discovery, 9PM
- Scorpion, CBS, 10PM
- Timeless, NBC, 10PM
- Conviction, ABC, 10PM
- Mary + Jane, MTV, 10PM
- Sacred Steel, Discovery, 10PM
- StarTalk, National Geographic Channel, 11PM
Tuesday
- The Mindy Project, Hulu, 3AM
- The Flash, CW, 8PM
- Brooklyn Nine-nine , Fox, 8PM
- Ben & Lauren (series premiere), Freeform, 8PM
- The Middle (season premiere), ABC, 8PM
- 16 for ’16: Goldwater/Reagan, PBS, 8PM
- NCIS, CBS, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- Undrafted, NFL Network, 8PM
- New Girl, Fox, 8:30PM
- American Housewife (series premiere), ABC, 8:30PM
- NLDS Game 4: Cubs/Giants, Fox Sports 1, 8:30PM
- Channel Zero: Candle Cove (series premiere), Syfy, 9PM
- The Letter (series premiere), Freeform, 9PM
- Fresh Off the Boat (season premiere), ABC, 9PM
- Prescription for Change: Ending America’s Opioid Crisis, MTV, 9PM
- This is Us, NBC, 9PM
- Halt and Catch Fire (season finale), AMC, 9 & 10PM
- No Tomorrow, CW, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime 9PM
- Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove, Discovery, 9PM
- From Dusk till Dawn, El Rey, 9PM
- Forged in Fire, History, 9PM
- The Gary Owen Show (series premiere), BET, 9:30PM
- The Real O’neal’s (season premiere), ABC, 9:30PM
- Chicago Fire (season premiere), NBC, 10PM
- Atlanta, FX, 10PM
- Aftermath, Syfy, 10PM
- Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Black Market, Viceland, 10PM
- A Season with Florida State Football, Showtime, 10PM
- Adam Ruins Everything, TruTV, 10PM
- Drunk History, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- The Meltdown with Jonah Kumail, Comedy Central, 12AM
Wednesday
- Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids, Netflix, 3AM
- Arrow, CW, 8PM
- Blindspot, NBC, 8PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 8PM
- Lethal Weapon, Fox, 8PM
- Survivor, CBS, 8PM
- Lucha Underground, El Rey, 8PM
- Speechless, ABC, 8:30PM
- Lip Sync Battle (season premiere), Spike TV, 9PM
- Frequency, CW, 9PM
- Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
- Empire, Fox, 9PM
- Modern Family, ABC, 9PM
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC, 9PM
- Dual Survival (season finale), Discovery, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
- Black-ish, ABC, 9:30PM
- The Real World (season premiere), MTV, 10PM
- That Awkward Game Show (series premiere), Spike TV, 10PM
- Code Black, CBS, 10PM
- Designated Survivor, ABC, 10PM
- Chicago PD, NBC, 10PM
- You’re the Worst, FXX, 10PM
- American Horror Story FX, 10PM
- South Park, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Still Alive, Discovery, 10PM
- Weediquette, Viceland, 10PM
- Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons, HBO, 10PM
- American Gothic, CBS, 10PM
Thursday
- Mascots, Netflix, 3AM
- Broncos/Chargers football, CBS, 8:25PM
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (season premiere), CW, 8PM
- Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
- Superstore, NBC, 8PM
- Rosewood, Fox, 8PM
- The Good Place, NBC, 8:30PM
- Supernatural (season premiere), CW, 9PM
- Pitch, Fox, 9PM
- Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
- Notorious, ABC, 9PM
- Falling Water (series premiere), USA, 10PM
- Almost Impossible Game Show (series premiere), MTV, 10PM
- The Blacklist, NBC, 10PM
- How to Get Away With Murder, ABC, 10PM
- Better Things, FX, 10PM
- Acting Out (series premiere), MTV, 10:30PM
- Wonderland, MTV, 11PM
Friday
- Goliath (S1), Amazon Prime, 3AM
- Haters Back Off (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Project MC2 (S3), Netflix, 3AM
- Just Add Magic: The Halloween Special, Netflix, 3AM
- Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-qiang, Netflix, 3AM
- 2016 ALCS Game 1, TBS, 8PM
- Macgyver, CBS, 8PM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- Dr. Ken, ABC, 8:30PM
- America Divided, Epix, 9PM
- The Exorcist, Fox, 9PM
- Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
- Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
- Z Nation, Syfy, 9PM
- Van Helsing, Syfy, 10PM
- Quarry, Cinemax, 10PM
- Blue Bloods, CBS, 10PM
- High Maintenance, HBO, 11PM
- The Eric Andre Show, Cartoon Network, 12AM
- The Half Hour: Naomi Ekperigin/Ahmed Bharoocha, Comedy Central, 12AM
Saturday
- Glitch (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge and Michel’le, Lifetime, 8PM
- Day of Reckoning, Syfy, 9PM
- Stake Land 2, Syfy, 9PM
- Saturday Night Live: Emily Blunt / Bruno Mars, NBC, 11:30PM
- Kyle Kinane: Loose in Chicago, Comedy Central, 11:59PM
Sunday
- Colts/Texans Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
- America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC, 7PM
- Durrells in Corfu (series premiere), PBS, 8PM
- Killing Reagan, National Geographic Channel, 8PM
- MLB NLCS Game 2, Fox Sports 1, 8PM
- Ash vs. Evil Dead, Starz, 8PM
- Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
- The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
- Westworld HBO, 9PM
- Alaska: The Last Frontier (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM
- Berlin Station (series premiere), Epix, 9PM
- The Walking Dead: Journey So Far, AMC, 9PM
- Eyewitness (series premiere), USA, 10PM
- Graves (series premiere), Epix, 10PM
- Divorce, HBO, 10PM
- Masters of Sex, Showtime, 10PM
- The Strain, FX, 10PM
- Insecure, HBO, 10:30PM
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11:15PM
- Kevin Hart: Hart of the City, Comedy Central, 11:30PM
Samsung officially stops Galaxy Note 7 sales globally, urges owners to power down phones
It seems this is finally the end of the line for the Galaxy Note 7.
Following reports that Samsung was simply “adjusting” its Galaxy Note 7 production to check on recently reported problems with new phones, the company has issued a statement that it is ceasing sales of the phone worldwide. In the same statement, the Korean electronics giant is urging all Galaxy Note 7 owners to power down and stop using their phones. Its recall page has been updated to reflect the information.
The statement reads:
Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.
The official order from Samsung that it is completely halting sales around the world is a massive move, but is also something that many retailers and carriers around the have already done for them — in all likelihood you couldn’t buy a Note 7 in the past week even if you wanted to.
Truly the end of the line; there’s no coming back.
More damning is the concession that even new replacement Galaxy Note 7s have been deemed to be unsafe by Samsung to the point where even using the “safe” replacement phones isn’t worth the risk. This is certainly a feeling much of the public has already reached after nearly a dozen battery failures in new Note 7s have been reported in the U.S. in just the past week, but hearing directly from Samsung reaches a new level. This is the same type of statement that Samsung made following initial reports of fires over a month ago before it initiated a worldwide recall of the first Note 7s sold. Just as was the case then, Samsung says that it is working with the appropriate regulatory bodies in each region to address the reports.
This is the final shoe to drop, of course, as the assumption is that the halting of sales may be a permanent move despite the wording from the statement of a potential “resolution” for the issues. At this point when Samsung is telling its partners to stop selling the phone and urging customers to no longer use the phone, it’s hard to come back.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Do not buy a Galaxy Note 7 right now
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
Daily news brief: For Samsung, a long, long weekend
Can things get any worse for Samsung?
This was a busy weekend, what with the inundation reports that new, replacement Note 7s have been catching fire. Not only is the Galaxy Note brand damaged, but Samsung will have a long difficult couple of quarters as it attempts to come back from this.
Many media outlets are taking this opportunity to write about how Google and LG must take this opportunity to pounce on people looking to switch loyalties, and manufacturers. Both companies will almost certainly see a bump in sales, but Apple may be the real winner here, as the path of least resistance.
And now, today’s major news.
Samsung ceases global sales of the Galaxy Note 7
After all four major U.S. carriers announced Sunday they would stop selling the Note 7, Samsung itself has come out and said it has asked its carrier partners and distributers to stop selling the phone as it “investigate[s] the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7.”
The company says it is working with regulators from each market, and “consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.” More
Samsung has reportedly stopped Note 7 production
Production of the Note 7 has reportedly ceased as Samsung looks into the reasons for its latest batch of replacement phones catching fire. More
HTC’s and Under Armour’s now-cancelled Android Wear watch breaks cover
HTC has often said that it has experimented with Android Wear, but nothing has stuck, largely because the barrier to success is fairly high in the wearables space. Now, we’re getting our first look at the now-cancelled collaboration between HTC and Under Armour. The pictured prototype looks like any other rounded smartwatch of the last two years, but you can rest assured that if HTC ever does release a wearable with the sports company, it won’t look generic.
Google Maps gets deep integration with Google Calendar
If you have calendar events with locations, you’ll now see them displayed on Google Maps, much like you would find previously with flights, trains and hotel reservations. There’s also a new “upcoming” tab in Maps to see all of these events and quickly navigate to them.
Cyanogen shuffling software strategy, executive ranks
Rather than offer up its full Cyanogen OS experience, the company is now hoping to license individual “Modules” to companies who want to integrate with their own software. To kick off the new strategy, several executives move to new positions, including Steve Kondik. More
Sprint offers unlimited talk, text and data to business accounts
For just $35 per month per line everyone in a business can use their Sprint phone to the max. It’s a pretty good deal, and undercuts the competition pretty handily.
Have a great night, and we’ll see you tomorrow!
Samsung tells all Note 7 owners to ‘power down’ and stop using device
Samsung doesn’t even want you to use your Galaxy Note 7 now.
There have been several reports of replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices exploding in the last week, including one that happened on a Southwest Airlines flight during boarding. In response, Samsung has issued it’s first official statement on the incidents, and it offered a temporarily solution for all Note 7 owners.
“Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking place,” Samsung announced in a statement on Monday. “Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.”
Samsung also confirmed it is working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the reported cases. Prior to Samsung’s statement, all four major mobile phone carriers in the US already said they would stop providing replacement Galaxy Note 7 units due to concerns the new phones are still overheating, and in some cases, catching on fire.
Samsung insisted in September that replacement devices were safe – even though it recalled 2.5 million original units. The company has now halted all Galaxy Note 7 production. Earlier on Monday, Samsung said it adjusted production “to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters”.
For more background, check out Pocket-lint’s guide on the recall.
Here is Samsung’s official statement in full:
“We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note 7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.
We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.”
Oculus VR opens up pre-orders for Rift Touch controllers
Facebook-owned Oculus VR is accepting pre-orders for its handheld controllers.
The virtual reality company revealed at its third-annual Oculus Connect conference last week that it would launch Oculus Touch on 6 December, but now it’s letting consumers buy the motion-sensing devices early, though you’ll still have to wait until December before you can literally get your hands on them.
Go to Oculus’ site to place your pre-order.
According to Oculus, Oculus Touch is a “pair of tracked controllers that deliver natural ‘hand presence’ – the feeling that your virtual hands are actually your own.” The controllers, which were first announced last year, work with the Rift VR headset. For more information, see our Oculus Touch guide.
Oculus Touch is priced at $199. Oculus promised they would work at room scale, but you’ll need to use a third camera placed in the back of the room. Touch pre-orders only include a second camera (plus two titles and a Rock Band VR connector). You can pre-order an extra camera for $79 until 31 October.
As a perk, if you also pre-ordered or purchased a Rift VR headset from the company’s website, you can use the same email to jump ahead in the queue, but you have to place your order on or before 27 October.
The Rift’s $599 headset package, when combined with the controllers’ $199 price and the extra camera’s $79 price, makes the full Oculus platform more expensive than the $799 HTC Vive.
There’s no word yet on UK pricing and availability.
- Oculus Touch controllers: When can you buy them?
Memes made the presidential debate great again
There’s something magical about an inside joke. A good inside joke reminds friends that no matter what happens, you’ll always have that moment when you were completely in sync, united by laughter and happy tears. Memes, meanwhile, are inside jokes on a massive scale. Memes remind the people involved of happier times, when an entire country or group of disparate people shared a moment of levity, something to laugh about, something adorable to bond over.
Throughout the cut-throat 2016 presidential election, citizens of the United States have been in dire need of a uniting force. And, during last night’s second presidential debate, the people found their common ground in an affable, red-sweatered meme named Ken Bone.
Last night, undecided voter Kenneth Bone asked presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton a question about their energy policies, and the internet fell in love. The combination of his cheery red sweater, black-framed glasses and caterpillar moustache resonated with viewers straight away, leading to hundreds of screenshots, Vines, videos and proclamations of admiration for America’s most famous undecided citizen.
Bone rode the wave to an appearance on CNN this morning (still donning that famous red sweater) and a Twitter following of more than 30,000 (and counting). The Ken Bone meme may not make sense on the surface — he’s just a man who asked a question about energy policies, after all — but that’s precisely the hallmark of a good inside joke. That’s the foundation of a viral meme.
Moreover, Bone’s journey to internet stardom demonstrates social media’s influence on the modern political process, while revealing how everyday Americans feel about this year’s tumultuous election.
In short, Americans are in need of a good inside joke.
Luckily for the country, modern technology has spawned the perfect ecosystem for breeding instant viral memes. First, it’s easier than ever to watch the presidential debate. Last night’s spectacle was aired live on television, broadcast on NPR and streamed on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the websites of major media outlets. Plus, given this election’s extreme rhetoric and polarizing candidates, more people than ever are interested in watching these debates. The first presidential sparring match was the most-watched debate ever, securing an average of 84 million viewers on television alone.
Game recognize game https://t.co/Ktg824cjSP
— Phil Friend (@Phil_Friend) October 10, 2016
This means more people than ever are in on the joke. During a live event, a viral meme travels like wildfire, tapping into something resonant and true for a multitude of people and instantly spreading across Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Snapchat and other social media sources. Ken Bone wasn’t the only meme to come out of the second presidential debate — after all, it was the most-tweeted debate in US election history with 17 million people contributing to the conversation.
It certainly felt like the most memed debate ever: People added lyrics to still shots of Clinton and Trump holding up their microphones, as if they were singing a duet; they mocked Trump’s apparent inability to answer a question directly; they wondered what the hell Trump was doing loitering closely behind Clinton as she answered questions; they decided Trump was having sex with his chair, live on-stage.
However, Ken Bone was the night’s most ubiquitous meme, by far.
Perhaps that’s because he’s the safest. There’s nothing polarizing about Ken Bone. He’s a mustachioed man in a bright red sweater asking a question about energy policy. He’s the calm, collected optimist and hobbyist bird watcher inside all of us. Most of all, he’s a reprieve from the actual election. Ken Bone represents a chance for Americans to reach across the aisle and remind each other that we’re in this together. Or, at least, we’re laughing together. For now.
Netflix borrows from YouTube for its children’s programming
Netflix’s new strategy for content: don’t just spoof YouTube, borrow from it. To flesh out its children’s programming, the world’s biggest streaming service has just licensed the YouTube original, preschool-friendly HooplaKidz nursery rhyme show, The Adventures of Annie and Ben as a single 46-minute Netflix compilation.
According to Variety, The Adventures of Annie and Ben features the titular Annie, her dog Ben and their monkey pal Mango singing familiar children’s songs like “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” “The Wheels on the Bus” and the always-popular “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Given the need-it-now nature of children’s programming, kids’ shows have turned out to be immensely popular on YouTube and it seems that Netflix wants to get a bigger slice of the action while keeping the content itself safe inside its commercial-free, family-friendly garden.
If the content proves successful, it won’t be the last time a YouTube show makes the leap to Netflix either. HooplaKidz has more than 10,000 original videos already and Shahrzad Rafati, CEO of parent company BroadbandTV, believes the licensing deal will lead to new Netflix original series featuring her company’s stable of intellectual property in the future. Let’s just hope there’s not another outage right before nap time.
Source: Variety
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