Amazon Video preparing for worldwide expansion
Amazon could be set to undergo a huge global expansion of its video streaming service from December, following the launch of the company’s new show The Grand Tour.
- When is The Grand Tour on TV and how can I watch it?
- Amazon Video review: Hitting the Prime time
The Grand Tour is available to watch in the UK, USA, Germany, and Japan from today, although not Austria where it also operates. But Jeremy Clarkson has previously tweeted that it will be available in 200 territories and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has also confirmed it will be available globally from December.
Long wait is over… Clarkson, Hammond, May are back… #TheGrandTour premieres tonight in UK, US, DE, JP. And globally in Dec. pic.twitter.com/dfQjGGuDFW
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) 17 November 2016
However it’s not clear if the rest of Amazon’s video catalogue will be made available in the 200 territories. It’s highly likely the company’s own Original content will be made available as it owns the rights, but as for the other shows it hosts there may be licensing deals and rights to manoeuvre.
Launching in 200 territories will make Amazon Video a more serious competitor to video streaming giant Netflix, which is now available in around 190 territories after an expansion in January this year.
- Netflix review: The leading light in home entertainment
Amazon has been investing large amounts of money in its video content, so much so that it’s even caused the company’s share price to dip because investors have become concerned with the amount being spent. However Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky has said in an earnings call that investment in video and marketing of its new shows will increase by almost double year over year in the second half of 2016. He justifies the spending by saying Amazon is seeing “significant customer traction”, which should be boosted by the launch of The Grand Tour.
OnePlus 4: What’s the story so far?
OnePlus has only recently announced an upgrade to its OnePlus 3 in the form of the OnePlus 3T, but that won’t stop speculation starting for the next “flagship killer”.
Rumours are starting to appear, along with predictions from fans as to what we might see on the next OnePlus smartphone. With that in mind, here is a run down of everything we’ve heard so far and what we want to see.
OnePlus 4: Name
- Could be OnePlus 5 instead of OnePlus 4
- Number 4 is bad luck in Asia
The next OnePlus smartphone should be called the OnePlus 4 and if it was any other number, this probably wouldn’t even be called into question. But it isn’t any other number because the number four is considered unlucky in Asia, apparently.
If OnePlus does avoid the four, the next OnePlus smartphone could be called the OnePlus 5 instead.
OnePlus 4: Release date
- May or June release expected
OnePlus revealed the OnePlus 3 on 14 June 2016, the OnePlus 2 on 28 July the year before and the original OnePlus on 23 April 2014, meaning there isn’t a distinct release pattern for OnePlus like there is with the Apple and Samsung.
The OnePlus 3T was revealed almost exactly five months after the OnePlus 3 on 15 November 2016 but we wouldn’t expect to see another device for six months, allowing the Chinese company to see what the flagships it’s trying to kill have up their sleeves.
With Samsung, LG and Sony all likely to announce at Mobile World Congress in early March, we’d expect OnePlus to reveal its offering around June again. It’s anyone’s guess at the moment though.
OnePlus 4: Design
- All glass design suggested
- Dual camera setup on rear claimed
The OnePlus 3 upped its game in terms of build quality, delivering a premium, solid and metal casing that allowed it to challenge phones £300 more expensive. A fingerprint sensor is positioned on the front, a large rear camera is present on the rear and USB Type-C sits at the bottom.
There has been a suggestion on Weibo that the OnePlus 4 will offer a glass-made body however, which is something the company dabbled with previously on the OnePlus X. Samsung also uses a combination of glass and metal for its current Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and Google added a glass element to its Pixel smartphones too so it’s not an unreasonable suggestion that OnePlus might opt for that route next year instead of all metal again.
A dual-camera setup has also been thrown about, which is plausible too given LG, Huawei and Apple all offer dual cameras on their flagship smartphones and Samsung is rumoured to be adding it to the Galaxy S8.
- Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 edge: What’s the story so far?
OnePlus 4: Display
- Size reduction to 5.3-inches suggested
- Resolution increase to Quad HD claimed
The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T both feature a 5.5-inch display sporting a Full HD resolution, as does the OnePlus 2. The OnePlus 2 has an LCD screen, while the two newer models have Optic AMOLED, but all three have a pixel density of 401ppi.
It is thought the OnePlus 4 might reduce the screen size to 5.3-inches, which will put it between the OnePlus 3T and the OnePlus X in terms of size. It has also been suggested the resolution will increase to Quad HD, which will result in a pixel density of 554ppi.
Apart from Sony Mobile, almost all the flagship smartphones the OnePlus goes up against feature a 2K display so despite the OnePlus 3 delivering a fabulous display, this is the area where the OnePlus devices lose marks in terms of the numbers.
Whether its noticeable to the human eye or not is another story entirely, but if OnePlus wants to remain a flagship killer, an increase in resolution is probably essential, especially given there are rumours of more 4K displays for next year.
- OnePlus 3T vs Google Pixel XL: What’s the difference?
OnePlus 4: Camera
- Dual-camera for augmented reality touted
- Larger pixels or wider aperture possibilities
A dual-camera setup has been suggested for the OnePlus 4. Several companies have already taken this path, all of which use different technologies in order to deliver different features. Huawei has an RGB and a monochrome sensor for example, while LG has a standard lens and a wide-angle lens.
It has been claimed the two cameras on the rear of the OnePlus 4 might be used for a type of augmented reality or mixed reality feature, which would add yet another feature variation of the dual camera setup. This could be just fans hoping however so take this with a pinch of salt for now.
In terms of camera resolutions, there have been no rumours as yet, but the OnePlus 3T has a 16-megapixel sensor on both the front and rear, so we’d expect the new device to offer the same or similar. There might be an increase in pixel size to match the likes of the Pixel and Pixel XL, or perhaps a wider aperture will be introduced like Samsung did with the S7 and S7 edge.
- OnePlus 3 review
OnePlus 4: Hardware
- Qualcomm SD830 or SD835 chip suggested
- 6GB or 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
- 4000mAh battery capacity rumoured
Claims suggest the OnePlus 4 could feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 or 835 processor, along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The SD835 chip is due in 2017 and it will come with Quick Charge 4.0, but Qualcomm hasn’t detailed exactly when the chip will be ready as yet. It might be that it isn’t in available time for the OnePlus 4 and we end up with two devices next year as well, or maybe OnePlus will hold off until it is.
As for the RAM and storage suggestions, both seem plausible. The current OnePlus 3T has 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage options so they aren’t numbers we haven’t seen before. An increase to 8GB of RAM would most likely see OnePlus win points on the numbers chart against competitors and if it is going down some sort of augmented reality route with its rear camera, it will probably need it.
A 4000mAh battery capacity has also been suggested, which would be pretty significant for a device of its purported size. The OnePlus 3T currently offers a 3400mAh battery.
OnePlus 4: Software
- OxygenOS likely, probably based on Android Nougat
The OnePlus 4 will most likely launch on OxygenOS, like its predecessor, but the software is likely to be a customised version of Android Nougat by then, rather than Android Marshmallow, as the OnePlus 3T arrives on.
What features will come with that have yet to be seen, but we’d expect a similar experience to what is already offered to OnePlus 3T users, such as the Shelf, dark and light themes and an enhanced doze mode. There is also an update incoming that will allow users to take longer, expanded screenshots, so we’d fully expect to see that on the new device too.
- OnePlus 3T: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know
OnePlus 4: Conclusion
For now, the OnePlus 4 or OnePlus 5 as it could well be called, is based entirely on guess work. More rumours and leaks will no doubt appear over the coming months however, all of which could help shape a picture of what we might see appear.
Don’t expect anything concrete until late Spring, early Summer, but watch this space and we will continue to bring you the latest speculation as it appears.
- OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3 vs OnePlus 2: What’s the difference?
- OnePlus 3T vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: What’s the difference?
Google Play Newsstand now shows stories based on your interests
If you’re a heavy user of Google’s news reader, get ready to bear with some big changes: today, the company gave Newsstand a complete overhaul. The updated app takes a step back from the categorically organized feed the app is known for to focus on creating an experience specifically tailored to the interests of the user. The idea is to create a more personal experience that factors in local news, personal interests and the day’s major headlines.
Each story is accompanied by a footer explaining why it was shared with the user — calling out topics you’ve shown interest in that caused this story to appear in your feed. It’s a more curated system, but in a way it limits the options immediately available at the app’s launch. The news categories that once headlined the app’s main page have been moved to the ‘library’ section, where they co-exist among links to specific sources like CNN or The New York Times. The experience also looks wildly different than before, discarding most of Google’s material design standard in favor of new design that puts the focus on full-bleed photos and video presentation.
Google has also created an all-new web app for Newsstand, offering all of the same curated news features in a larger scale. For the most part, this works great, save for the fact that stories read in a web-browser are still formatted for a smartphone screen, and open in an appropriately small window. It’s not an unworkable problem, but it’s a little odd. Check it out for yourself at the source link below.
Source: Google, Google Newsstand
Researchers offer new evidence of a liquid ocean on Pluto
Pluto may have lost its official planet status, but the frozen world at the edge of our solar system still deserves a closer look. That’s the end goal of two new studies of Pluto published in the journal Nature this month, both of which focus on Sputnik Planitia — a 1,000-kilometer long basin covered in frozen nitrogen. As Wired notes, both papers agree that Sputnik Planitia’s mass is likely responsible for throwing Pluto off its axis and creating Charon’s tidal alignment, but they differ in their explanations of how a dent in the planet’s surface could actually be so massive.
The first study, from lead author and University of Arizona planetary science PhD candidate James Keane, argues that “volatile ices” on the planet’s surface flowed downhill into the basin. Because temperatures on Pluto are colder at lower altitudes, Sputnik Planitia became an icebox, locking in the heavy ices until there was enough mass to throw off the dwarf planet’s inertia.
The second study, from lead author Francis Nimmo of the University of California, Santa Cruz, actually goes one step further and offers more evidence that Pluto has a deep, subsurface ocean made of liquid water. Nimmo’s theory says that whatever is hanging below the icy surface of Sputnik Planitia must be even more dense than frozen water or nitrogen — and an ocean of liquid water would explain that perfectly. Nimmo believes the pressure created by the heavy ice crust is enough to create temperatures where liquid water is possible below the surface. Adding more credence to Nimmo’s theory, data from New Horizons showed that Pluto’s mass is pretty uniform, which Nimmo explained to Wired would make sense if there’s a liquid ocean beneath the surface.
Via: Wired
Source: Nature (Nimmo), Nature (Keane)
Stephen Hawking warns humans may have only 1,000 years left on Earth
Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking spoke at the Oxford Union earlier this week, and the headline takeaway from the speech has been a statement that humanity needs to find a new place to live, and fast. The Daily Mail reports the professor told attendees “I don’t think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping our fragile planet,” but really, there’s at least one reason for optimism. As one of the greatest minds alive, Hawking has been making this prediction for years, and hysteria over recent events doesn’t appear to have affected his timeline (yet). He made the same claim, word for word, during a speech at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in 2013.
Stephen Hawking: We must continue exploring space in order to improve our knowledge of humanity. We must go beyond our humble planet.
— Oxford Union (@OxfordUnion) November 14, 2016
In 2010, an interview with Big Think revealed a slightly wider window for calamity, as he said “It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let’s hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load.” Hawking himself is involved in projects to help humans become multiplanetary , although lately billionaire Elon Musk has hogged much of the attention by trying to reach Mars. Hopefully, we’ll see some movement on this within our own lifetimes, and Hawking’s resilience while battling ALS for more than 50 years is certainly an inspiration.
Source: Daily Mail, Washington Post
Amazon launches pre-Black Friday Alexa-exclusive deals
If you’re doing some pre-Black Friday shopping this weekend from Amazon, you may as well take advantage of the website’s Alexa-exclusive deals. So long as you’re down for some voice shopping, you can grab nice items at a discount starting today until November 21st. Simply ask “Alexa, what are your deals?” through one of the company’s speakers (Echo, Echo Dot or Tap), the Fire TV or the Fire HD tablet. It sounds like different items will be up for grabs on different days and times, so you’ll have to check every now and then.
These are some of the most notable deals, though:
- Save $50 on an Amazon Tap – say, “Alexa, order an Amazon Tap”
- Save $80 on a 32-inch Samsung 1080p LED TV – say, “Alexa, order a Samsung TV”
- Save $30 on a Sphero Star Wars BB-8 App controlled robot – say, “Alexa, order a Star Wars robot”
- Save $15 on a Philips Hue LED Starter Kit with 2 Bulbs & Hue Bridge Hub – works with Amazon Alexa – say, “Alexa, order a Hue Starter Kit”
- Save $80 on Beyerdynamic Limited Edition Headphones – say, “Alexa, order studio headphones”
- Save $130 on a 10-piece All-Clad stainless steel cookware set – say, “Alexa, order an All-Clad cookware set”
- Save $10 on LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box – say, “Alexa, order a Lego Classic Brick Box.”
- Save 30% on a 48-pack of Amazon Basics AA batteries – say, “Alexa, order AA batteries”
- Save 35% on Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles – say, “Alexa, order Lindor truffles”
You can also check out the official Deals site if you need to see the items before getting them. Amazon says the website will also launch some Alexa-exclusive deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so keep an eye out for those, as well.
Source: Amazon
Nest ‘Instaclips’ capture highlights with a single click
Time-lapse photography is super cool, but doing it yourself is a pretty involved undertaking. The folks at Nest want to take the work out of it though. With a new feature for Nest Aware subscribers you can make a short “instaclip” of the video footage it’s grabbing. The outfit says that its algorithms work to look for the beginning and end of the action (like when people start setting a table or decorating a room for the holidays, as an example), but you can dictate where the video starts and stops as well. Once you’re done perfecting the footage, you can share the clip however you’d like from within the app.
The company also announced that it’s bringing additional parity between its Android and iOS applications, and that when an alert pops on the latter, you can watch a short video within the notification itself. “So you can get a person alert, press and hold to watch a video of who’s there, then go into the app to instantly make a clip,” Nest says.
What’s more, you can watch these clips and full video feeds on an Android TV as well, monitoring each camera in your house right from your flatscreen. Perfect for when you want to swap from watching The Matrix Revolutions, to role-playing as the Architect yourself. Nest says that the functionality is coming soon to Apple TV, too.
Source: Nest
Hyundai will give away free rides in its ad-branded EVs
Ride sharing is getting some serious interest with both titans and startups: Google opened its Waze Rider program in the Bay Area back in September, while Danish carmaker Spiri will unleash its fleet of small, spry electric vehicles for a ride-sharing pilot program starting next year in Europe. Not to be outdone, Hyundai is lending EV versions of its IONIQ sedan to ad-supported ride-sharing startup WaiveCar, which will start deploying them in LA.
As per their deal, WaiveCar users will be able to take an IONIQ for a completely free two-hour spin. In exchange, the car displays ads on the body and roof, with a 4G data connection in the car to adjust advertising depending on where the driver goes and at what time of day. Users can keep the car past the free period for $6 per hour or skip the fee by dropping the car off in designated WaiveCar spots.
It’s smart for both the giant carmaker and the small startup, which gets a beginning shipment of 150 of the efficient EVs, which won’t even be commercially available in the US until 2017. Hyundai, on the other hand, gives interested drivers a relaxed opportunity to see how the car would fit their lifestyle while zooming around in a heavily-branded vehicle. Whether the advertising opportunity recoups both companies’ costs for giving away free rides, it’s a great proving ground for ideas to jumpstart affordable ridesharing.
Source: TechCrunch
Coke made a selfie bottle because the world surely needed one
Coca-Cola Israel has developed a gizmo that makes selfie sticks look tame and normal in comparison. The company attached a camera-equipped base to a 500 ml Coke to create what it calls the “world’s first selfie bottle.” It automatically takes photos when it detects a 70-degree tilt, and you can transfer photos through its USB port.
Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like you’ll start seeing people posing with a Coke bottle on their faces everywhere you go. The selfie bottle was created by an ad agency called the Gefen Team as a marketing gimmick for Coke’s Summer Love outdoor event in Israel. The idea was to get partygoers to upload their photos on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram — with the appropriate hashtag, of course. As you can guess, it did the trick. Hey, humanity might not need a selfie bottle, but it at least takes photos from a good angle.
Via: TechCrunch, Business Insider, The Drum
Source: Beverage Daily
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