Netflix says it is finally adding offline playback

Netflix has long said that it had no intention of ever offering an offline playback mode for when you’re stuck on an airplane or anywhere else with no internet connection. But it seems like the company is changing course: An enigmatic tweet from the Netflix account says that “your favorite stories are now available for download any time.” It’s accompanied by a cute video with scenes from a bunch of Netflix original shows, but it seems as if the feature won’t be limited to only the company’s original content. Regardless of any catches, the message is clear: Netflix will finally let us save shows to watch when we don’t have an internet connection.

Airplane mode. Road trip mode. Stuck-in-the-subway-for-20-minutes mode. Your favorite stories are now available for download any time. pic.twitter.com/g7QZA3TyE8

— Netflix US (@netflix) November 30, 2016

In a press release that just dropped, Netflix says that the feature will arrive later today in an app update for iOS and Android. The feature is pretty straightforward — when a show or movie is available to save offline, you’ll see a little “download” button. Netflix notes that many of its big shows, including Orange is The New Black, Narcos and The Crown, are available to download today. Notably, those are all Netflix original shows — we’re not sure if things from other studios will be made available just yet. And it most definitely seems like the entire catalog will not be made available all at once — but this is still a pretty big deal considering Netflix consistently rejected this feature in the past.

Oddly enough, Netflix publicly pondered offline playback pretty recently, but only as a way to make the product more appealing in developing markets where the internet infrastructure doesn’t allow for continuous streaming like most of us in the US can experience. But it’s probably a good idea not to restrict a feature that so many customers have been asking for for years, and that so many of Netflix’s competitors are already offering.

We’re reaching out to Netflix for more clarification and will update this post with any more details we receive.

Source: Netflix

Apple to Donate Up to $1 Million to (RED) in Honor of World AIDS Day

Apple has announced it will once again honor World AIDS Day by donating $1 to (RED)’s fight against AIDS for every purchase made with Apple Pay at an Apple Store, on Apple.com, or through the Apple Store app, up to a total of $1 million, starting tomorrow through December 6.

“The gift of life is the most important gift that anyone can give,” said Tim Cook. “Thanks to the vision and dedication of (RED), an AIDS-free generation is within our reach. We want to leave the world better than we found it, and that’s why our longtime partnership with (RED) remains so important to us.”

Bank of America will likewise make a donation for every Apple Pay transaction made using its cards, also up to $1 million, on December 1-7.

Apple is also releasing new PRODUCT(RED) products, including an iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case and iPhone SE Case, alongside the Pill+ Portable Speaker and Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, all of which are or will be available today. A portion of proceeds raised from these products support The Global Fund.

Meanwhile, for the next week, a number of popular App Store games will be offering limited-edition, custom (RED) content. All proceeds from the associated in-app purchases will go to The Global Fund. The 20 apps set to participate:

• Angry Birds 2
• Angry Birds POP!
• Best Fiends
• Best Fiends Forever
• Boom Beach
• Candy Crush Jelly Saga
• Clash of Clans
• Clash Royale
• CSR2
• Episode

• Farm Heroes Saga
• FarmVille: Tropic Escape
• FIFA Mobile
• Hay Day
• MARVEL Contest of Champions
• PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator
• Plants vs. Zombies Heroes
• SimCity BuildIt
• War Dragons
• YAHTZEE With Buddies

In the United States, Apple is offering a free iTunes download of The Lazarus Effect, the documentary about the mission of (RED). Meanwhile, 100 percent of U.S. proceeds raised from The Killers’ holiday album Don’t Waste Your Wishes, exclusively available on iTunes, will go to The Global Fund.

Apple says customers around the world can also easily donate directly to (RED) through iTunes to join the fight against AIDS. Meanwhile, a record 400+ Apple retail stores around the world will once again turn their logos red or feature (RED) window decals on December 1 to raise visibility for World AIDS Day.

Tags: (PRODUCT)RED, Apple retail, World AIDS Day
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Netflix Introduces Offline Viewing for Popular Shows on its iOS App

Netflix this morning announced that offline viewing of its shows is now available to users around the world on the service’s mobile app. The launch follows reports from over the summer that offline viewing would be coming to Netflix “by the end of the year.”

Now, users will be able to click a “download” button next to each episode in preparation for the times they won’t be connected to the internet. The company said that many popular shows are already available to download — including Orange is the New Black and The Crown — with more coming soon.

Netflix members worldwide can now download in addition to stream great series and films at no extra cost.

While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we’ve often heard they also want to continue their Stranger Things binge while on airplanes and other places where Internet is expensive or limited. Just click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and you can watch it later without an internet connection.

Any Netflix subscriber will have access to offline downloads, and the update will be available today to both the iOS [Direct Link] and Android versions of the mobile Netflix app. Netflix also tweeted out a video to celebrate the launch of downloading and watching “your favorite stories” while offline.

Tag: Netflix
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Meizu unveils the Pro 6 Plus with 5.7-inch QHD display, Exynos 8890 SoC

So. Many. Features.

At an event in Beijing, Meizu rolled out its latest flagship, the Pro 6 Plus. The phone is an upgrade to the Pro 6, offering a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with 3D touch. It is powered by the 14nm Exynos 8890, the same SoC used in international models of the Galaxy S7.

Let’s dive into what’s on offer. The handset has an always-on mode for the display, and the panel is reinforced with Gorilla Glass 4. You get 4GB of RAM, 12MP camera (Sony IMX386) with f/2.0 lens, 4-axis OIS, laser autofocus, dual-tone 10-LED ring flash, and 4K video recording. There’s a 5MP shooter up front, support for hi-res audio (ESS ES9018K2M DAC), Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi ac, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C, 4G with VoLTE, and a 3400mAh battery. The fingerprint sensor located at the front, and there’s even a heart rate sensor.

The phone is offered in two variants: a base model with 64GB storage and a higher-end version with 128GB UFS 2.0 storage. Both models are powered by the Exynos 8890, but the 64GB variant has Exynos M1 CPU cores clocked at 2.0GHz while the 128GB has cores that go up to 2.3GHz.

On the software front, the Pro 6 Plus features the latest iteration of Meizu’s OS, Flyme 6. The company claims that it added 400 new features, including a new camera app and phone finder service. There’s also a OneMind AI engine, which “is able to adjust system performance according to user preference. It can identify users’ favorite apps and designate extra resources to those apps to make them run more smoothly.”

Overall, the Pro 6 Plus looks like a decent device to go up against the likes of Xiaomi’s Mi Note 2. The variant with 64GB storage retails for ¥2,999 ($435), while the version with 128GB storage comes in at ¥3,299 ($480). No word as yet on availability outside China.

Virgin TV V6 TiVo box is 4K HDR ready and joined by a 14-inch Android TellyTablet

Virgin Media has unveiled not one device, as expected, but two. The Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo, is now official, but so too is a 14-inch HD TellyTablet that enables you to watch live TV, on demand content and your Virgin TV recordings in any room in the house.

The Virgin TV V6 box is 4K HDR ready, which means it can not only playback content from services such as Netflix and YouTube in 4K Ultra HD resolutions, it will soon also be able to feed high dynamic range pictures to a compatible TV. That’s something the rival Sky Q box cannot do.

It comes with a 1TB hard drive and can record up to six shows at once. You can also watch a recording or use a streaming service during this time.

It is smaller and faster than its predecessor, with an RF remote control so you don’t have to point it at the box. You can find out more about the Virgin TV V6 box in our in-depth feature here, including its ability to stream recordings to existing TiVo boxes.

It’ll be available to existing customers from December, new customers from January 2017. There is a one-off fee of £99.95 and it’s available for customers on Mix bundles or higher. Those on Full House or VIP bundles can snag one for £49.95 as part of a launch promotion.

Virgin Media

The Virgin TV TellyTablet is more unexpected. It is a 14-inch Android device with a kick-stand, so you can essentially use it as a portable television around the home. It comes with the Virgin TV Anywhere application pre-installed, which can stream live shows, on demand content and access a V6 box’s recordings.

It also has other Android features, such as Google Play, so you can download games and apps to your heart’s content. There is 32GB of storage on board and a microSD card slot for expansion.

It costs £299 as a standalone fee or is available with some of Virgin Media’s Freestyle mobile bundles.

Virgin Media also announced a new Virgin TV Kids app, the launch of the Virgin Media Store to buy and keep movies and box sets, and additions to the Virgin TV Anywhere app that include the ability to download recordings to watch offline.

Again, you can find out more in our in-depth explanation feature here.

Virgin TV V6 box and TellyTablet preview: TiVo supercharged and 4K HDR ready

Virgin Media has announced an entirely new TV platform, positioned as an evolution of the current TiVo service as opposed to a revolution.

Called Virgin TV, the new platform comes with a brand new, 4K HDR-enabled V6 box, powered by TiVo, which replaces the older generation device. There is also a TellyTablet portable tablet device and several apps and service updates.

We weren’t able to fully demo the new box for an in-depth look yet – that will happen soon – but here are our initial impressions from the London unveiling.

• What is Virgin TV? Everything you need to know about Virgin Media’s Virgin TV V6 TV box, TellyTablet and more

Virgin TV V6 box preview: Smaller, faster, 4K HDR

Pocket-lint

The initial teaser image of the V6 Box probably left some people thinking it was a big, ugly black box. Compared to Sky Q’s sleek box, Virgin could’ve been seen to be on the back foot already. But the V6 Box is actually around half the size of the original TiVo box, giving it a more modern look and making it much easier to place in the home.

Holding them side by side, the V6 does feel a little heavier, but it’s no bad thing. It feels like a solid, well made piece of kit that will look good under any TV.

Around the back there’s a decent spread of connections: HDMI out, digital optical out, a wired ethernet port, USB port – which is likely to be used for software updates – Scart out and analogue audio out. There’s also a cable input to receive channels, of course.

The V6 box will handle 4K streams, including those with added high dynamic range (HDR), something Sky Q can’t match. For now, HDR content is limited to Netflix and YouTube, as there’s no live HDR broadcasts, although trials have taken place that could make them a reality one day.

• What is Hybrid Log Gamma and why should you care?

The V6 can record six programmes at once, so you should find recording clashes are a thing of the past.

The remote has received small updates too, including a new search button to help make your content and recordings easier to find. It’s also a tad smaller than the original, and a find your remote function will make it beep when you press a button on the V6 box.

We’re impressed with the new Virgin TV V6 box. It’s received a much needed makeover and has the ability to be a true multiroom streaming powerhouse, connecting with existing TiVo boxes and other V6 devices. The fact you can combine multiple V6s around the home to increase your storage each time means you’ll find yourself with a vast library of content in no time at all.

Virgin TV TellyTablet preview: 14-inch TV that’s truly portable

Pocket-lint

Also announced at the launch was something Virgin Media managed to keep under its hat. The 14-inch TellyTablet has been designed to act a second screen to the V6 for when one of you wants to watch one programme on the big screen, but another wants to catch up on their favourite programmes anywhere else in the home. It’s a hefty device, but a built-in stand makes it easy to prop up, whether it be on the kitchen counter to follow a recipe, or in front of the kids to keep them happy.

A 14-inch tablet may seem a bit too big for some, but from holding it and seeing it close up, we think it’s a good size. It’s not overly heavy and the bigger screen will soon become second nature, especially if it’s used regularly for second-screen watching.

The tablet runs on Android and has access to the Virgin TV Anywhere app, which is the application you’ll need to stream content from your V6 box. You can of course still use any tablets or smartphones around the home, using the app.

Virgin TV User Interface

The user interface has been updated too, and now makes it easier to find content you want to watch, and content Virgin Media thinks you’ll want to watch. We haven’t been able to have a full demo of the new UI, but some short videos showed it looks easy to use. Search is the big function Virgin is keen to push, with that new button on the remote we mentioned.

Search works on what content is trending with other Virgin TV customers too, so open search, press 4 for ‘G’ and the first show will be Great British Bake Off. It’s popularised rather than alphabetised.

We’ll look more at the UI and other elements of the Virgin TV V6 box and TellyTablet when we have a proper play soon.

You’ll be able to get your hands on the devices from December, with the V6 box costing a one-off fee of £99.95 (£49.95 for Full House or VIP TV customers) and the TellyTablet costing £299 standalone. It will also be available as part of several Virgin Mobile Freestyle price plans.

First Impressions

It’s hard to come to a proper verdict without giving the new Virgin TV platform a thorough workout. For now though, we’re impressed Virgin Media has listened to its customers and updated its hardware and software in such a way that there’s not much new stuff to learn.

Existing Virgin Media customers will feel at home as soon as they turn a V6 Box on, and the ability to be able to use their current TiVo box as a way to stream content to or from a V6 box means you don’t have to lose any of your current recorded content. 

• Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?

What’s really clear from our time is that Virgin Media is properly taking the fight to Sky Q.

Virgin Media readies itself for the future with the V6 box

After months of teasing, Virgin Media has finally lifted the lid on what it believes will help it move “from cable TV to connected entertainment.” At the heart of its new proposition is the Virgin V6, the 4K set-top box we were first introduced to in August, which the company says is specifically “built for apps.” It supports a “full deployment” of BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Netflix, Hayu and Vevo, but is also capable of recording six channels at once to its 1TB hard drive (two more than the Sky Q), which can store up to 500 hours of standard-def recordings, or 100 hours of HD content.

Virgin Media insists it wants everything to feel familiar. Underpinning the box is TiVo software, which is either good or bad decision depending on your experience with the company’s older hardware. The new box is said to be lightning fast despite being half the size of its predecessor, though, which is good news for anyone that grappled with the painfully slow interface of older hardware.

This is especially important since Virgin Media is pushing apps as a bigger part of the proposition, headlined by Netflix and YouTube, which both make use of the V6’s 4K capabilities. The new box supports HDR, too, which’ll be enabled in the future via a software update (though you’ll need a compatible TV to notice the difference).

The guide and menus look very familiar, and of course you still have features like Series Link+, which bridges linear and catch-up programming. The remote looks exactly like the TiVo remotes of old, but includes a number of buttons for smarts like deeper search across apps and the EPG. You won’t need to point it at the V6, as infra-red has been ditched for RF wireless technology. Lose the thing somewhere, and you can press a button on the V6 to make the remote beep, à la Sky Q.

Virgin Media knows that TV viewing habits have changed. Families aren’t all gathering around the main TV and want to enjoy their favourite programmes in their own time. TV Anywhere, Virgin Media’s existing streaming app, has been updated with thousands of hours of on-demand programming for consumption at home or away, and customers will be able to view the recordings stored on their V6 box over their home network. Some of that content can also be synced with mobile devices for offline viewing.

TV Anywhere can also communicate with the set-top box remotely, allowing users to schedule and even delete recordings while out and about. In the home, the app lets mobile devices double as a remote control, and you can “flick” what you’re looking at on your tablet straight to the TV, a feature pioneered by EE TV. Since you’ll likely be spending more time in the app, there’s also a new “What To Watch Now” feature, which offers a curated list of things you might be interested in.

To compliment the new mobile experience, the provider is also launching its own tablet: the TellyTablet. The company describes it as “the missing link,” something that builds on its shift to streaming. The TellyTablet is a 14-inch, HD slate that integrates its new services, but also has full access to the Google Play store, and thus supports third-party apps like Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. The device — we suspect manufactured by Alcatel — has an integrated stand, four speakers, an eight-hour battery life and runs a custom build of Android. It’ll be available in December on Virgin Mobile contracts, or for a one-off £299 payment.

Following in the footsteps of the BBC and Sky, Virgin Media has also developed a new app for iOS and Android specifically to appease the little ones. Launching in February next year, it’ll allow kids to stream their favourite shows, or download the latest Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol episodes for long car journeys. It’ll be free for subscribers who have already signed up to a necessary entertainment bundle and includes a “five times” feature that plays a certain episode up to five times in a row, for kids who just want to watch the same thing over and over again.

The kids app will also include games and e-books, with customisable profiles and some light parental control features. Also launching in February is the new Virgin Media Store, an app for TiVo boxes and iOS and Android — you won’t need to be an existing Virgin customer to use it on mobile devices, by the way.

It’s your familiar download-to-own store that’ll stock movies and TV series not typically available on Virgin Media’s content packages. Shows like Game of Thrones and Billions will be available out of the gate, as will movies in the first out-of-cinema window. Should you buy a movie, Virgin Media will also send you a physical copy of the film, mimicking Sky’s Buy & Keep movie store.

The new V6 box will be available before the end of the year to any Virgin Media customer on a “Mix” bundle or better for a one-time, £100 charge. Anyone on a pricier “Full House” or “VIP” package will only pay half as much, but new customers fitting that bill will only be able to order the new box from January next year. You can buy more than one, too, and sort of daisy chain them to share storage space and increase the number of channels you can record by another six.

Today’s announcements show Virgin Media is embracing a streaming future, and the company’s next-gen service seems to have taken more than a few cues from Sky Q. That said, all TV providers are travelling down more or less the same path, so there’s bound to be crossover. Recognising the shift to on-demand culture, placing greater emphasis on mobile, and future-proofing with 4K and HDR support, to name a few commonalities.

With a dedicated kids app, buy-and-keep store and multi-room viewing (courtesy of apps and its new TellyTablet), Virgin Media is making moves to keep up with the demands of its customers, and keep up with its competitors, too.

Lucid Motors building $700 million EV factory in Arizona

Lucid Motors (formerly Atieva) has revealed that its upcoming EV, recently unveiled in Los Angeles, will be built in Casa Grande, Arizona. The Phoenix suburb will host the $700 million factory, which will start producing the first model by 2018. “Arizona stands to gain 2,000 new jobs by 2022,” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said. “Lucid has also made a commitment to training and hiring … Arizona’s veterans.”

Factory construction will be overseen by Brian Barron, the company’s director of engineering. Lucid showed off its prototype, code-named Atvus, that was first (officially) unveiled at the LA Auto Show earlier this month. Not a lot is known about the car, other than that it’ll have at least 300 miles of range, autonomous features and roughly the same interior space as a BMW 7-series. The company will limit production to 10,000 units in late 2018, and ramp up by 60,000 per year, Lucid CTO Peter Rawlinson told The Verge.

The company has reportedly raised $131 million in funding, and will look for more cash early next year. Investors include Chinese electronics firm LeEco, Venture Rockefeller, Japan’s Misui & Co. and Beijing Auto, but Rawlinson says Lucid Motors is primarily an American firm. The company tested its electric powertrain using a modified Mercedes-Benz van, and released a video showing that it could hit 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds, faster than a “Ludicrous”-equipped Tesla Model S.

LeEco is also behind two other electric car ventures: its own LeSee and Faraday Future. It recently unveiled plans for a $1.8 billion LeSee plant in China and Faraday Future has broken ground on a $1 billion factory near Las Vegas, Nevada. However, construction has temporarily halted at the Faraday Future site due to missed bill payments, according to state treasurer Dan Schwartz, and Jia recently admitted that LeEco was running out of cash.

Via: Electrek

Source: Lucid Motors