The Morning After: Wednesday December 14, 2016
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
We’re halfway through the week, and you’re right — something is missing on your Mac. Also, Apple’s AirPods are on sale and it’s time to meet Waymo.
Feature removals will continue until morale improvesLatest macOS update removes “battery time remaining” estimate
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 has at least one undocumented change that you probably will notice. Besides an array of bugfixes and tweaks, it removes the “battery time remaining” estimate from the menu bar. According to Apple, rapidly changing power states make it too inaccurate, especially on new Intel Skylake-equipped Macbook Pros. The solution? Yank it.
If you’re reading this it’s too lateApple AirPods finally go on sale
Apple’s wireless earbuds are finally available, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get a pair anytime soon. Estimated shipping time from Apple’s website quickly stretched beyond four weeks, however, and the company says they will be available in stores soon.
Somebody set us up the bomb“Funky Fantasy IV” tries game localization via Google Translate
The effort put into localizing foreign games can have a huge impact on the experience. Most games get at least a decent translation effort, but one gamer went out of his way to show what happens if you just rely on Google Translate. Thanks to his custom software and a stream recording, you can experience “Final Fantasy IV” in a way its creators never intended.
Another Alphabet entryNow Google’s self-driving car project is a solo company
As Google reshuffles its moonshot efforts, the company is spinning out its self-driving cars. Now that project is a company called Waymo, with former Hyundai exec John Krafcik serving as its CEO. Its mission: turning self-driving tech into a practical business. To do that, Waymo is looking at ridesharing, trucking and regular passenger vehicles.
ThreeChevrolet delivers the first Bolt EVs to customers
GM made its year-end deadline of shipping production versions of its sub-$40k electric car, but only just barely. Three Bolt EVs have reached new owners in California, and more are on the way. It’s a small start, but a meaningful one while we keep waiting for Tesla and the Model 3.
But wait, there’s more…
- Nokia returns with a dumb phone
- Neil Young’s Pono music service will adjust streaming quality on the fly
- Adobe Photoshop is ready for the MBP Touch Bar
- Tinder’s Apple TV app brings swiping to the big screen
Amazon spins out Prime Video and launches it globally
For years, Amazon has used its video streaming service as a carrot to get customers to sign up to its annual Prime subscription. It meant that viewers who didn’t live in one of Amazon’s supported countries couldn’t watch the retail giant’s original TV shows and movies without having to resort to alternative means. With Jeremy Clarkson and co. now on the service following the big-budget debut of The Grand Tour, Amazon has decided to fully engage Netflix and spin out its streaming service, today launching Prime Video in “200 countries and territories” around the world with a low introductory price of $3/€3 per month.
As a standalone service, Prime Video takes the experience that Prime customers are used to and places much of it on a separate website. Subscribers can watch TV shows and movies in English, with many subtitled and dubbed in French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Customers who are subscribed to Prime in Belgium, Canada, France, India, Italy and Spain will immediately get access to Prime Video from today, with all content available via the Prime Video iOS, Android and smart TV apps.
Amazon’s expansion has been on the cards since Clarkson, Hammond and May confirmed that their new motoring show would “soon be available to everyone” last month. It means that the company is a streaming provider in its own right and provides Netflix, which launched in more than 130 countries this year, with some much-needed competition.
If you live in one of the 19 countries or territories where Prime Video comes bundled as standard, you will continue to be directed to your regional Amazon portal to watch content online. As for that $3/€3 monthly introductory price, it’s available for the first six months but you’ll be bumped up to $6/€6 a month once it expires. It’s unclear whether US customers will enjoy lower monthly Prime Video memberships (currently $9 a month) — we’ve contacted Amazon and will clarify once we know more.
Source: Prime Video
Book your next workout right from a Google search
Google’s been transforming Search for a bit, making it easier to find TV listings, restaurant menus and plan a vacation. Next up the internet juggernaut is making it easier to book a sweat session — and maybe more than that in the future. For now though, Reserve With Google handles yoga and fitness classes in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City. And, you guessed it, the feature will come to Maps and Search in short order.
Current fitness partners include Mindbody, Front Desk and Full Slate, with Genbook, MyTime and zingFit in the next round of additions. Sorry Soulstice fans, you’ll have to keep waiting.
Source: The Keyword blog, Reserve With Google
Amazon Prime Video Now Available in India With $7.5 Annual Subscription Offer
Amazon Prime Video launched in India today, featuring a local content catalog and an introductory offer for an annual Prime subscription (via Mashable).
The video streaming service is available in India as part of Amazon Prime, launched in the country earlier in the year. Prime costs Rs 999 ($15) for an annual subscription, but to celebrate the launch of Prime Video, Amazon is currently offering annual membership to new customers at the heavily discounted price of Rs 499 ($7.5).
That makes Prime Video the least expensive streaming video service in the country by some margin, with similar service Netflix costing Rs 500 on a rolling monthly basis.
The aggressive pricing strategy indicates Amazon’s continuing eagerness to make deep inroads into the Indian market. The company has been busy acquiring rights to local content over the last few months, and has partnered with several major Bollywood studios and distributors to make titles available exclusively on Prime Video.
The catalog in Amazon Prime Video contains titles in several Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu, as well as an English section featuring many popular U.S. shows.
Tags: Amazon, India, Amazon Prime Video
Discuss this article in our forums
Amazon Prime Video is now available in India with tons of regional content
Prime Video is the best streaming deal right now in India.
Amazon’s streaming video service Prime Video is now available in India. The service offers a healthy mix content — including recent Bollywood movies along with Amazon’s original content like Transparent, The Grand Tour, The Man in the High Castle, and more.
If you’re already a Prime subscriber in India, you’ll be able to access Prime Video at no additional cost. A Prime subscription costs just ₹499 per year ($7.5), which comes out to less than $1 a month for Prime Video as well as all the benefits of the regular Prime subscription — early access to deals and free two-day shipping. That’s a significantly better deal than Netflix, which costs anywhere between ₹500 and ₹800 a month. That’s less than Hotstar as well, which costs ₹150 monthly.
While it’s great that Prime Video is available in the country, you’re short of options if you want to stream The Grand Tour on your TV. Prime Video isn’t available for Android TV, and the app doesn’t support the Cast protocol. You’ll have to wait for Amazon to bring the Fire TV Stick — its version of the Chromecast — to India.
Amazon is set to invest $300 million to bolster original content to Indian subscribers, so stay tuned for new additions over the coming months. The company has tied up with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, T-Series, Arka Mediaworks’ SS Rajamouli and others to roll out local content.
Download Prime Video from the Play Store right now to see what’s on offer. If you’re already signed in to the Amazon app on Android, you’ll be automatically signed into Prime Video, and can get started with watching shows right away.
See at Amazon
LG has a new army of K- and X-Series mid-range smartphones on the way
According to Venture Beat, LG is expected to unveil a whole host of new smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2017. The K-Series and X-Series mid-range handsets are the ranges said to be getting new models, and LG also plans to introduce the third-generation of its Stylus phablet phone.
- CES 2017: What is it and what to expect
The K-Series phones will be the K3, K4, K8 and K10, but only a few specs have been leaked for now.
- K3 – 4.5-inch display, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2MP front camera, 2100mAh battery
- K4 – 4.7-inch display, 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 2500mAh battery
- K8 – 5.0-inch HD display, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 2500mAh
- K10 – 5.3-inch HD display, 2.5D glass on front and back, 5MP wide-angle front and rear cameras.
The LG X Calibur will debut as an entirely brand new model at CES and will come sporting military grade durability, IP68 water and dust-resistance and a 4100mAh battery. Screen and camera specs haven’t been revealed.
A second X-Series phone, the X Power 2, will launch at MWC 2017 instead with a 5.5-inch HD display, 4500mAh battery and 13MP rear camera and 5MP wide-angle front-facing camera.
- Mobile World Congress 2017: Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones to expect
Finally, the LG Stylus 3 will feature a larger 5.7-inch HD display, 32GB of onboard storage, 13MP rear camera and 5MP wide-angle front-facing camera with flashes for both, a 3200mAh battery, fingerprint scanner, rear-mounted buttons and because of its name, a digital pen stylus.
All K-Series phones are expected to ship from the middle of January, the Stylus 3 in mid-February, X Calibur in March and finally the X Power 2 in April.
Apple Watch Series 2 freezing problems make Apple pull watchOS update
Apple has pulled its watchOS 3.1.1 update after reports emerged of the software “bricking” some users’ Apple Watch Series 2 devices.
After downloading and installing the update, which was released alongside iOS 10.2, several Series 2 Watch owners noted that their devices no longer worked. Several posted images online of their Watches displaying a bright red exclamation mark on the screen with a link to Apple’s help website.
Further reports claimed that if a hard reboot didn’t work, they were being advised to head to their nearest Apple Store.
If you do see a similar warning on your Apple Watch follow these steps to force restart your device first:
- Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo appear.
- If the Apple logo doesn’t appear, you need to have the Watch serviced.
Force restarting has not worked for all users experiencing freezing after the 3.1.1 update issue, according to online reports.
It is likely that, with the latest version of watchOS being withdrawn for now that Apple is working on a fix. Our advice would be not to install it if you’ve downloaded 3.1.1 already, even if you only have a first generation Watch, just in case.
- Apple Watch Series 2 review: Fitness first
- Apple Watch Series 2 vs Apple Watch Series 1 vs Apple Watch (2015): What’s the difference?
Apple pulls down Watch update that bricked Series 2 devices
You can no longer download the latest update for Apple Watch, and that could be a good thing if you have a Series 2 device. Cupertino has pulled down watchOS 3.1.1 after it bricked several Series 2 watches, displaying a red exclamation mark on their screens along with a URL to the company’s support page for the wearable. The website doesn’t address the current issue, but it does have instructions on what to do in case your watch freezes.
The first course of action is to force restart the device by pressing and holding the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time. If you don’t see the Apple logo replace the exclamation mark after 10 seconds or so, then the next step is going to an Apple Store and having the device looked at. According to AppleInsider, force restarting didn’t work for a lot of affected users — they had to leave their devices with Geniuses, who had to send them in for servicing since they don’t have access to the Watch’s diagnostics port. Other people opted to ask for a device exchange when it became clear that force restarting wouldn’t work.
Cupertino has yet to reveal why watchOS 3.1.1 bricked some devices. But since the update was supposed to fix a bevy of bugs that affected notifications, messages and other features, Apple will most likely release a patched version that doesn’t freeze Watches in the near future.
Source: AppleInsider, MacRumors, Reddit
UK apps and websites that’ll save you time this Christmas
With so much to do around Christmas time, any app or website that can save you time and help you plough through that ‘to do’ list is always welcomed. Fancy outsourcing some of those projects? Here’s a few suggestions.
An app that writes your Christmas cards
Inkly lets you write and send real cards from your smartphone or tablet. Choose your Christmas card design; add a photo, if you choose; and take a photo of your handwritten message or write it straight on to your tablet with a stylus. Then choose the envelope, decide who you’re sending you cards to and Inkly prints it all out and sends it off. The app is free, but there is a charge for the cards and delivery. Still, it’ll save you a trip to the shops to buy the cards and the stamps.
Christmas gift lists
The Christmas Gift List Android app enables you to create gift lists, set a budget for each person you are buying for and mark the gifts as purchased as they are bought. So that you don’t repeat a gift the next year, it archives your gift lists once the new year rolls around. Santa’s Bag does a similar job on iOS devices.
Tree deliveries
No time to pick out your own Norwegian Spruce? Don’t worry, with Pines and Needles you can specify the height and type of tree and have it delivered to your living room. If you’re London-based they will even decorate it for you too. If you’re outside London, you can ask TaskRabbit to dress it for you.
Deck the halls… and the rest of the house
Do you fancy a Christmas light display to rival London’s Regent Street this year? Or, would you just like the interior of your home to look like a magazine Christmas at home spread. It’s time to bring in the professionals. The Christmas Decorators offer a nationwide decorating service and will cover everything from the wreath on the door, to the garland on the stairs. They will create a pretty amazing illuminated display outside your home too.
The Christmas food shop sorted
Don’t fancy negotiating a trolley through the aisles of a heaving supermarket to the piped out tune of Jingle Bells? Not a problem. At Riverford Organic you can order a full Christmas Dinner box for delivery. Their Christmas Dinner Box with Turkey and Trimmings includes festive veg, an organic turkey, pork and cranberry stuffing balls, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, mince pies, a Christmas pudding, clementines, oatcakes and a Cropwell Bishop stilton.
Christmas Dinner Under Control
Do you get in a tizz just thinking about all the preparation you need to do for Christmas dinner? The Perfect Christmas Dinner app for iOS provides expert guidance from the professional chefs at the renowned Ashburton Cookery School. There are over 25 video recipes that you can tap into, covering everything from creating canapes to preparing the turkey, delicious desserts and even drinks. Plus, there is a shopping list maker and menu list too.
How to save a few pounds buying Christmas gifts online
Before purchasing anything online, it’s worth checking to see if you can knock a few pounds off the final price. It all adds up and you’ll be amazed at how much you could actually slash from your overall Christmas shopping spend. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.
Set off from a cashback site
Instead of going to the retail website you want to buy from direct, start from a cashback website such as TopCashback or Quidco. These sites get rewarded for directing their members on to commercial websites and they pass all, or some of this money, on to their members. If you’re looking to buy a tablet, for example, start out by searching relevant retailers on a cashback site that you’ve joined. When you’ve found an offering with an attractive cash back incentive – 5 percent or more is not uncommon – click through to the site via the cashback site link. Once your purchases have been tracked and confirmed, that money will arrive in your cashback account a few weeks down the line, ready for you to transfer to your bank account.
It’s not an instant price reduction and some cashback deals don’t work with other promotions, so check the terms before committing to purchase, but many people save hundreds of pounds over the course of a year via cashback sites.
Be on the look out for deals
If you don’t have a discount code, don’t just ignore this box on the payment page and go straight to pay. Open another window and search for a discount code for the retailer you are about to buy from. You will be surprised at how often you can find valid codes offering anything from free delivery to a few pounds off at the checkout. Simply copy and paste the code and watch the price fall. To be one of the first to know about online promotions sign up to deal publishing sites MyVoucherCodes or HotUKDeals.
Do a quick price comparison
Before you start off, it’s always best to search for what you want to buy on a price comparison site such as Google Shopping, PriceRunner or Kelkoo. It’ll help you understand what you can expect to pay and possibly uncover retailers you never thought to check. If you do find it cheaper elsewhere, go back through stages one and two again to see if you can find the retailer on a cashback site to reduce the price further (and you might as well do a quick discount code search while you’re at it).
Pay with a cashback card
Finally, some providers will offer payment cards that reward you with cashback on all purchases made. Look for deals paying between 0.5 percent and 1 percent cashback on all card purchases; some cards with an annual fee will pay out more than this and other cards will pay out more during the first few months of membership. Money Saving Expert has a good overview on the most up to date credit card deals, and it’ll help ensure you get it paid off quickly. While the amounts may not seem much, every little helps.
AIVAnet 