YouTube deal ends years-long fight over music videos in Germany
German music fans haven’t had it easy in the past 7 years. A royalty dispute with music rights group GEMA has forced YouTube to block thousands of music videos in the country, leaving locals no choice but to either find alternative video sources or (gasp) settle for audio alone. At last, though, they can relax: GEMA and YouTube have reached a deal that makes sure GEMA members get paid for video streams. The exact terms of the deal aren’t public, but it’ll cover both the usual ad-supported free viewing as well as the eventual European launch of YouTube Red subscriptions.
The two haven’t completely buried the hatchet. GEMA says there are “different legal positions” on whether or not users are responsible for licensing any music content they upload. However, it’s still a breakthrough. The pact should not only greenlight videos from German artists, but international stars (Bloomberg mentions Katy Perry and Psy). Effectively, Germany is syncing with YouTube’s broader music community — you won’t miss out on a cultural phenomenon just because you live in Munich instead of Miami.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: GEMA, YouTube Official Blog
Professional Mac Users’ Complaints List Grows After ‘Disappointing’ Apple Event
Less than a week ago Apple unveiled its new MacBook Pro line-up, with the focus of its “Hello again” event centering on the OLED Touch Bar that replaces the function keys on the company’s 13-inch and 15-inch flagship models.
Initial media reaction to Apple’s event was positive, and most journalists in attendance were impressed after their limited hands-on time with the new machines. “There’s all kinds of love for the new MacBook Pro,” reported The Loop the following morning, in a post citing quotes from several leading tech sites.
Over the weekend, however, evidence mounted of a backlash within sections of the online Mac community in response to Apple’s latest announcements. In a blog post on his site titled “New MacBook Pros and the State of the Mac”, developer Michael Tsai collated and linked to the most commonly aired grievances. The post has since become a common point of reference in the blogosphere for negative sentiment toward Apple following last week’s event.
In his original post, Tsai said he was “disappointed” with Apple’s announcements for the Mac, which made him feel as if Cupertino had either “lost touch” with what developers and creative professionals want, or Apple “simply doesn’t care about those customers”.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with what Apple announced. I like Thunderbolt 3. The display looks good. I’m not crazy about Touch Bar, but it does seem potentially useful. The problem is that the MacBook Pro is not a true Pro notebook.
My Retina MacBook Pro is almost 4.5 years old. I’ve been wanting to upgrade it for a while and was planning to do so today. After seeing what was announced, I’m no longer sure that I want a MacBook Pro as my main computer.
The subsequent catalog of grievances largely mirror Tsai’s own complaints, which include the “premium price” of a “Pro” MacBook limited to 16GB RAM, the prioritization of “thinness and lightness” over CPU and graphics performance, and Apple’s “neglect” of other sections of its Mac product line. Tsai concludes: “It has seemed clear for a while that the CEO doesn’t really understand the Mac, or simply doesn’t like it that much, and that’s a problem for those of us who do.”
On Monday, both The Loop and Daring Fireball highlighted Tsai’s post, noting its growing inventory of criticisms. The Loop said the list contained “a lot of fair complaints” that are “insights… worth paying attention to”. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber called the extent of the backlash “astounding” and described Tsai’s collection of quotes as “must-read stuff”.
In another widely shared article titled “How Apple could have avoided much of the controversy”, developer Chuq Von Rospach wrote that while much of the criticism ignores “a lot of the positives” in Apple’s latest announcements, the company should have at least mentioned upcoming updates to the rest of its product line, which would “have muted a lot of the anger”.
Von Rospach goes on to speculate about what those updates might be, broaches some of the issues regarding Apple’s new notebooks (the 16GB RAM ceiling, an increase in dongles) and concludes by suggesting that creative professionals need to realize the Mac line has become a “niche product” in a world driven by market forces where Apple technology has gone mainstream. The full article can be read here.
The impassioned online debate comes at an important time for Apple, which hopes to boost interest in a lukewarm computer market this holiday season, following the company’s first reported full-year revenue decline since 2001. Its Touch Bar enabled 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks are expected to ship in late November. Meanwhile, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar is already shipping to customers and more comprehensive reviews of Apple’s lower-spec notebook are expected this week.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: loopinsight.com, John Gruber
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Apple Said to be Considering Augmented Reality for Car Driving System
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining why he believes Apple has shifted its focus from its original rumored car project in favor of augmented reality technology.
According to Kuo, reports that Apple has turned its attention to developing a software-based autonomous driving system “make sense”, given that the system will support augmented reality and provide an “innovative user experience”.
All of Apple’s past successes were related to human-machine interfaces, such as mouse for Mac, click wheel for iPod, and multi-touch for iPhone and iPad.
Assuming Apple successfully develops AR, we predict the firm will enjoy the following competitive advantages: (1) redefining existing key products and leading competitors by three to five years. For instance, this could happen for iPhone, iPad and Mac; (2) eliminating obstacles of Apple Watch and Apple TV by offering an innovative user experience; and (3) entering new business fields, such as autonomous driving system.
We expect Apple to generate preliminary results for AR in the next 1-2 years at the earliest and working with iPhone may be the first step.
Kuo thinks the AR market will increase significantly in 2018 and will replace VR to become the mainstream market focus as Apple enters the field. Kuo predicts the AR and VR markets combined will grow from $40-50 billion in 2018 to $150 billion in 2020, with the majority increase coming from AR.
Apple’s increased interest in augmented reality is no secret. CEO Tim Cook has spoken about AR on a number of occasions over recent months, hinting that the company’s approach to AR should encourage, not replace, human contact.
In July, Cook said Apple was “high on AR in the long run” and that the company continues “to invest a lot in [AR].” He said he believes augmented reality “can be huge,” and in August, he called it a “core technology”, while in September Cook said he believes that between VR and AR, the latter “is the larger of the two,” because it allows people to “be very present,” engaging with one another while having other visual things to see.
According to rumors, Apple has a research team working on augmented and virtual reality, exploring the AR/VR field and investigating how the company could embrace augmented or virtual reality in the future. Apple has reportedly built prototype virtual reality headsets, but Cook’s continued comments on augmented reality indicate Apple is more heavily invested in that technology.
Related Roundup: Apple VR Project
Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo
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New ‘CMRA’ Band for Apple Watch Features Dual 2MP and 8MP Cameras
Glide recently announced a new Apple Watch band that includes both a 2MP front-facing camera, as well as an 8MP outward-facing one, with the ability to capture crisp images and HD videos “in a tap.” Called the “CMRA,” users simply have to tap a button built into the band to snap a photo or long-press to begin recording a video, and on one charge the CMRA can take “hundreds of photos,” or about 30 minutes of video (via Re/code).
The sole button housed on the band also switches it between the two cameras with a double-tap. Any pictures or videos taken with the band are seamlessly integrated with Apple’s stock Photos app, so it’s easy to store, edit, and share moments captured on the CMRA. Glide says that the cameras on its band include tilt-balancing, lens correction, noise reduction, and pixel optimization features to provide enhanced shots on the fly. In terms of storage, the CMRA has 8GB of onboard flash memory.
The band’s video conferencing feature uses Glide’s iPhone and Apple Watch chat app to let users talk in real time, or send recorded video messages to one another. When the Apple Watch app launched last year, it set itself up as a companion to the iPhone app, notifying users of live Glides, missed messages, and let users watch videos right on their wrists. With CMRA, now users can begin recording those videos without needing to grab an iPhone.
For charging, pre-orders of the device will come with a custom dual-charging dock that charges both the Apple Watch and CMRA together, and the dock itself includes a battery pack so it can recharge the two devices twice during travel. Speaking with Re/code, Glide CEO Ari Roisman explained that the company is offering up pre-orders months in advance (CMRA is predicted to launch in Spring 2017) to test the waters and see how much interest the product gathers online.
As for why it is taking orders so early, Roisman offers up the standard answer for small companies looking to do hardware: It needs to know how many to build, and the best way to do that is to sell them publicly before the first units roll off the manufacturing lines.
“The camera is only valuable when it is out and ready to take a photo or video,” says Glide CEO Ari Roisman. “Our phones live in our pockets.”
For those interested, the CMRA can be pre-ordered from Glide’s website at an early bird price of $149.00 in both 38mm and 42mm. The device is expected to sell at $249.00 once it launches, and the company will mark it down to $199.00 for later pre-orders.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Tags: Apple Watch accessories, Glide, Apple Watch bands
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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The Morning After: Wednesday November 2nd, 2016
Yes, it’s the start of hump day, but you may have missed Google revealing unpatched Windows 10 bugs, the truth of the dark web and (in cheerier news) our beautiful Engadget Holiday Gift Guide. We also take a closer look at Xiaomi’s plan to become more than just the king of budget smartphones.
It’s always good to find bugs in the competitionGoogle reveals unpatched Windows bug that hackers are exploiting
Google announced that it had found previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in both Windows and Flash last month, and while Adobe had fixed its issue by October 26th, Microsoft has yet to do so. Worse still, Google says that hackers are “actively exploiting” the flaw. Microsoft responded by saying that enhancements from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update protected computers from this vulnerability. There is, however, a patch coming on November 8th.
Holidays are here (again)Stuck for presents? Already? We may have a few ideas …
A hundred and twenty of them, in fact. It’s our biggest guide ever, separated into ten categories, divided further by price. The aim is to offer suggestions for pretty much every reader. Or relative of an Engadget reader. Hopefully. Take a dive.
eSports continues its marchWatch out, Twitch and YouTube: Facebook wants to get deeper into eSports
Given its continued growth, it’s not surprising that Facebook is showing increased interest in professional gaming. The social network has already partnered with publishers like Activision Blizzard to bring daily content to Facebook Live, but now it’s apparently been holding talks to stream professional gaming matches with companies like Super Evil Megacorp. Facebook is in talks with Activision to acquire streaming rights to more eSport competitions — putting it in direct competition with other streamers like YouTube and Twitch.
It must be doing something rightXiaomi aims for more than king of the budget smartphones
The company’s ludicrous Mi MIX phone didn’t happen overnight. Here’s how the company (with some Philippe Starck magic) managed to make a device with a near-bezel-less display and fancy ceramic body — and why it did it.
Time to get politicalZoltan Istvan wants your vote for US president
Not happy with the current choices for president? Engadget interviewed Transhumanist Party candidate Zoltan Istvan about his platform, which is “putting science, health and technology at the forefront of American politics.”
It doesn’t danceThe first phone with Google’s Project Tango augmented reality tech is here
The $499 Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is packed with sensors and cameras that let it “see” its environment better than any phone before. Playing “Pokémon Go” is one thing, but Project Tango apps go even further, blending virtual objects with real life or using the phone itself as a precise motion controller. Still, we’ll need software that goes beyond furniture shopping or toy car racing to prove Tango is at the must-have level of GPS.
The follow-up to the Galaxy Note 7 of electric vehiclesThe Fisker EMotion shows off drool-worthy specs and design
Sure, the Fisker Karma will go down as a smoky footnote in EV history, but its creator is back to try again with the EMotion. Henrik Fisker tweeted pictures of this slick design and pie-in-the-sky specs (fully autonomous driving, carbon fiber, 400 miles of range, 161 mph top speed, butterfly doors) while claiming it will start shipping in mid-2017. You probably have a better shot at getting a Model 3.
But wait, there’s more…
- For the next two years, customers will be allowed to (try to) repair their own electronics
- Terbium Labs claims the dark web is far less intimidating than it seems
- Roli’s touch-sensitive music-making blocks won’t break your budget
Facebook blocks UK insurer from profiling users for discounts
When you’re a first-time driver, getting a reasonable car insurance quote can be a tricky affair. Age and inexperience on the road result in higher premiums, which only come down after you’ve proven you’re not a danger to yourself or others for a number of years. Some insurance providers have offered ways to bring costs down by asking customers to drive with a companion app but one UK company, Admiral, decided to take the unusual step of tapping into car owners’ Facebook accounts to assess their personality and decide whether they deserve a discount. At least that was the plan.
The Guardian reports that Admiral’s “firstcarquote” initiative was designed to reward drivers who appear to be conscientious and well-organised, at least according to their social media presence. It attempts to detect people who seem overconfident, looking out for overuse of exclamation marks (!!!) and trigger words like “always” or “never” counting against them.
Admiral was meant to launch firstcarquote this week but a notice on the company’s website says it “still has to sort a few final details.” What it doesn’t tell you is that Facebook has outright blocked the tool. An Open Rights Group statement confirms that firstcarquote contravenes Facebook’s Platform Policy section 3.15, which states: “Don’t use data obtained from Facebook to make decisions about eligibility, including whether to approve or reject an application or how much interest to charge on a loan.”
Admiral has yet to confirm whether it will be able to navigate around the block but says an applicant’s data (which won’t include photos) will be compared with thousands of other customers to “form a prediction about the way you might drive.” Users won’t be penalized for following a controversial page, nor will they be judged on something they posted way back in the past. The system takes into account the last six months of an person’s Facebook history and only accesses their account when they apply.
Admiral’s Facebook-centric initiative appears rudimentary but it’s insistent that as more first-time drivers apply and sign up, it can make more correlations between social media and claims data, allowing the model to evolve over time. In a similar move, health insurance company Aetna is giving its employees Apple Watches to help collect data and encourage a more active lifestyle.
Whether younger drivers will soon start going back through their social histories to delete what they deem to be unflattering in order to save money (up to £350) remains to be seen. Facebook is staunchly defensive of its platform and its action against Admiral has already won support from digital rights groups. Open Rights Group, for example, said: “Young people may feel pushed into such schemes because of financial constraints. The right to keep things private shouldn’t be the preserve of those who can afford it.”
Via: The Guardian
Source: Admiral’s FirstCarQuote
Twitter iOS App Gains ‘Highlights’ Notifications Feature
Twitter has began rolling out its opt-in Highlights feature to all iOS users.
The feature notifies users via push notifications (up to two a day) about the most interesting content from Twitter, tailored just for them.
Highlights are based on a number of different factors, says Twitter, including but not limited to: Conversations among people users follow and popular tweets from their accounts, as well as trends, news, and personalized topics.
The Highlights feature, which has been available on Android for some time, began rolling out to iOS users on Monday. To enable it, Twitter account holders should tap on the gear icon in the Twitter app, tap Notifications, followed by Mobile notifications, and toggle the “on” button next to Highlights.
Twitter is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: Twitter
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Motorola Moto M may not have such a huge battery after all
Images purporting to be the Motorola Moto M leaked last week, the company’s new mid-range handset. The alleged specs list for the Moto M was impressive too, as it included a 5100mAh battery. That might not be the case though, as Steve Hemmerstoffer of Nowhereelse.fr has tweeted some more pictures of the phone and claims it will only have a 3050mAh battery.
Pocket Now, which picked up the leak by Hemmerstoffer, believes the original leak of a phone with a 5100mAh battery is actually the Lenovo P2. All other specs for the two phones are very similar and since Lenovo makes Motorola phones, it’s easy to see how the two could have crossed paths.
The majority of other specs for the Moto M listed by Hemmerstoffer are basically the same, expect for the MediaTek chipset version, believed to be destined for China, will instead come with a slightly quicker P15 chip instead of the P10.
The version that should be making its way to Europe will instead come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with either 3GB or 4GB RAM. Both will come with a 5.5-inch full HD display, 32GB of storage and either a 13-megapixel or 16MP camera.
Motorola is holding a product launch event on 8 November in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, which should finally reveal all the details of both the Moto M and Lenovo P2.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer review: Is it all just hot air?
A hair dryer is just a hairdryer isn’t it? Not when it’s a Dyson Supersonic hair dryer it’s not. Well, that’s the claim. We’ve been using with the new hair dryer to see whether it really is worth its £300 asking price.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer review: An innovative design
Unlike any hair dryer you’ve seen before, Dyson has ditched traditional design and created a hair dryer than works in a similar way to the company’s bladeless fan range.
The motor, which can run at speeds up to 110,000rpm, is found in the handle. This not only rebalances the weight and shape of the hair dryer, but creates a cleaner looking design overall.
Pocket-lint
Like the bladeless fan range, air is sucked in through the bottom of the handle, before being pushed out through a circular hole at the top, increasing the volume of air in the process.
There are three magnetic attachments to help further direct the flow of air: a wide beam, a narrow beam, and a diffuser. These attachments are made of plastic, but double skinned so they don’t get too hot during use.
The diffuser disperses air evenly around your curls, helping to reduce frizz and improve definition; the Styling concentrator lets you shape your hair one section at a time without worrying about disturbing the rest; while the smoothing nozzle looks to dry hair gently using a wide air stream.
On the back of the hair dryer are heating and fan power buttons all within a thumb’s reach for easy control.
Pocket-lint
Coming in two colours – grey and pink, or white and grey – the Supersonic is typically Dyson in its design and approach. This is a device that will look stylish on your dressing table.
An incredibly long power cable also means you’ve got plenty of freedom of movement regardless of where your plug socket happens to be.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer review: Drying your hair performance
Design and claims are one thing, but if a hair dryer doesn’t dry your hair properly then it’s about as as useful as a chocolate teapot. That’s not an issue for the Dyson Supersonic though. This hair dryer works – and very well indeed.
Pocket-lint
We’ve tried it on a number of different hair types – from long to short, to straight to frizzy – and although we aren’t usually in the business of testing hair dryers on a weekly basis, we are impressed by the results.
Drying times certainly feel quicker – almost twice the speed compared to what we typically use – and the Supersonic sounds quieter than your average £20 hair dryer, too.
The Supersonic hair dryer’s heat and power settings can be adjusted quickly between three speed settings – fast drying, regular drying and styling – with four heat settings. There’s 100°C fast drying and styling; 80°C regular drying; 60°C gentle drying; and 28°C constant cold to give you plenty of options.
Pocket-lint
Then there’s some more Dyson smarts on board. A microprocessor measures and regulates air temperature 30 times every second, keeping the temperature under control without fluctuation, which helps prevent heat damage to protect your natural shine. The hair we’ve dried looks silkier and shinier to boot.
First Impressions
The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is everything you would expect from a hair dryer if the brief in creating one was limitless. It looks great, dries your hair in double-quick time, and has the design ethos of a Mercedes and BMW combined.
This is top-of-its-game stuff. But the caveat – and there’s always a caveat – is that it completely disregards any notion of being affordable for what it is. At £300, this is the most expensive hair dryer on the market. Sure, it’s an amazing bit of kit, but it simply won’t be a justifiable purchase for many.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II matches mirrorless muscle with pro spec and coming to the UK
Olympus has revealed that its flagship OM-D mirrorless camera is coming to the UK in December.
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II has a 20.4-megapixel Live MOS sensor, TruePic VIII image processing, electronic viewfinder and 3-inch Vari-angle LCD touchpanel on the rear that you can adjust to see no matter your shooting position.
It has a 121-point All Cross-type autofocus, two SD card slots for extra capacity, and is capable of shooting 4K video at up to 30p. That’s with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It can also shoot 4096 x 2160 video at 24p.
Full HD video can be shot at up to 60 frames per second.
There is 5-axis image stabilisation on board, plus a silent shutter mode for nature photography. ISO ranges from “Low” to 25,600.
The OM-D E-M1 Mark II is compatible with all Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses and accessories. It’ll be available from December this year starting at £1,849.99 for the body only.
A bundle containing the OM-D M-E1 Mark II and a M.Zuiko Digital Ed 12-40mm 1:2.8 Pro lens will be available for £2,399.99. Both will be stocked by key photographic retailers across the UK.
Olympus is also offering its Pro Service concept for owners of the new camera. It gives a choice of three different service levels for professionals and enthusiasts.
AIVAnet 