Scenes from Epson’s ‘Digital Couture’ show at New York Fashion Week

Since 2015, Epson has been giving up-and-coming designers an opportunity to show clothes made with digital printers at New York Fashion Week. This year was no exception. With the Digital Couture Project, the company is trying to push its line of textile printers as an alternative to handmade and heat-based prints, two of the most traditional fabric-design methods. These SureColor machines, which range from $8,500 to $26,000, can print on garments made from cotton, linen, nylon, polyester, silk or wool, letting designers choose from a wide range of materials when working on a collection.

As Epson tells it, the main benefit of this direct-to-print technology is a faster production time. For example, a piece that would have taken weeks to create by hand, or with a heat press, can now be finished in a matter of days. Designers also have more freedom to experiment with their designs, since they’re able to see what a product may look like more quickly than the analog process allows. That said, most of the 13 fashion design teams Epson brought to New York Fashion Week are just starting their careers, which means they don’t have the resources to have a SureColor printer in their own studio. Instead they rely on third-party services to make their prints.

Sarah Richards, who designed a collection for the Digital Couture Project, said she has worked with digitally printed fabrics for the past five years. Richards said she prefers this method because of the “unlimited” aspect of it, noting that she can create a line with fewer materials and in less time. Although it may not be the norm across the fashion industry, Richards added that consumers often can’t tell the difference between techniques. If anything, she said, “Digital prints have the tendency to wow people.”

I, for one, was rather impressed by the garments on display at the event — mostly because it’s hard to believe these designs came from machines that look like giant paper printers. The collections all featured different materials and styles, as you’d expect, and there were pieces for both men and women. While some designers went for colorful ensembles made out of silk, others chose more-subtle, cotton-based looks. The fashion crowd in attendance seemed to enjoy what they saw, at least based on how many Instagram and Snapchat stories I saw being posted.

Epson America’s Group Manager of Marketing Strategy, Mark Radogna, said the idea is to give the industry another tool to experiment with. He compared it to 3D printing and laser-cutting, which are now being adopted by iconic designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. “We’ve convinced [photographers] to go away from chemicals in making photos and do it digitally,” Radogna said, “and we’re just starting to do that now in the fashion space.”

Comcast’s all-in-one Xfinity Stream app arrives February 28th

Say goodbye to the Xfinity TV app as you knew it… not that you’ll necessarily mind. Comcast has unveiled a replacement mobile app, Xfinity Stream, that promises to cover just about everything you can do with your TV subscription. You’ll have in-home control, out-of-home live streaming and remote DVR access, but you’ll also get some of the features you’re used to from your X1 set-top box, such as music channels, favorite channel filtering, Common Sense content ratings and a Spanish guide. You won’t have to stay in the living room to get some of the nicer perks, in other words. The app reaches Android and iOS on February 28th.

The cable giant also tells Multichannel that Xfinity Stream will be the home for viewing its Stream TV service. Expect a rebranding, though — Comcast wants to change the name to avoid confusion when the offering launches nationwide later in 2017. Whatever it’s called, there’s no doubt that the upcoming app will be a catch-all for Comcast’s mobile video plans.

Via: Multichannel

Source: Comcast

Conway is ‘unclear’ who retweeted a racist from her account

Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, came under fire Tuesday after someone retweeted a self-proclaimed white nationalist’s support for her from her official Twitter account. The user, Lib Hypocrisy, lauded Conway’s “strength and resiliency” for enduring “vile hatred, bigotry, and sexism from the unhinged Left” to which Conway’s account replied, “Love you back. Happy ❤️ ❤️ Day to the Hapless Haters.”

The tweet was deleted, though not quickly enough, it seems. When questioned by Buzzfeed News about the exchange, Conway claimed that “I don’t know who had access to my account.”

“I’ve never heard of Lib Hypocrisy obviously. I denounce whoever it is. I’m going to find out who’s tweeting it. It will be immediately deleted. Everybody makes mistakes,” she continued.

WATCH: @MLauer’s full interview with @kellyannepolls on departure of #MichaelFlynn https://t.co/PZ1PGtACUY

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 14, 2017

This has not been a good week for Conway (and it’s only Tuesday). Today host Matt Lauer called her out on-air this morning for giving nonsensical answers. Compounding that, the US Office of Government Ethics has officially recommended that the White House reprimand her for publicly endorsing Ivanka Trump’s products during her recent appearance on Fox News.

“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I would tell you… I hate shopping but I’m going to go get some for myself today,” Conway said during the Fox and Friends interview. “I’m going to give it a free commercial here, go buy it today.”

Conway has been criticized repeatedly over the past few weeks for not only coining the term “alternative facts” but also repeatedly referencing the “Bowling Green Massacre,” a terrorist attack that never happened. While there’s no means of confirming whether or not Conway herself wrote that retweet, the fact that it was published at all is yet another faux pas for a presidential administration that has been beleaguered by missteps since coming to power in January.

Source: Buzzfeed News

Many Apple Watch Models ‘Sold Out’ Ahead of Possible Spring Band Refresh

It’s been five months since Apple launched a new line of band options for the Apple Watch alongside the Apple Watch Series 2 and iPhone 7 last September. Now, Apple.com has a few notable stock shortages of Series 2 bundles and — to a lesser extent — single band options for the Apple Watch, likely indicating an incoming spring collection of Apple Watch bands. New Apple Watch hardware is expected for later in 2017.

The same shortage phenomenon occurred last summer, ahead of the new bands that launched in September. While hardware updates have been less frequent, Apple has kept new band lineups on a seasonal release cycle approximately every six months, solidifying the Apple Watch as an ever-changing fashion accessory in the company’s eye. Since the original Apple Watch launched, there have been four seasonal collections: Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, and Fall 2016. New bands potentially arriving in the next few weeks would mark the first band collection of 2017.

Tracked on the U.S. Apple.com store, the largest shortages for Apple Watch Series 2 bundles are mainly for models with Woven Nylon bands. Of the six Series 2 models that include Woven Nylon bands, five have models that are listed as “Sold Out” on Apple.com and in the Apple Store iOS app. Conversely, all aluminum Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 models with Sport Bands were available to buy at the time of writing.

Out-of-Stock Apple Watch Bundles

Apple Watch with Aluminum Case

– 38mm Silver Aluminum Case with Pearl Woven Nylon
– 38mm Gold Aluminum Case with Yellow/Light Gray Woven Nylon
– 42mm Gold Aluminum Case with Toasted Coffee/Caramel Woven Nylon
– 42mm Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Space Orange/Anthracite Woven Nylon
– 38mm and 42mm Space Gray Aluminum Case with Black Woven Nylon

Apple Watch with Stainless Steel Case

– 38mm and 42mm Stainless Steel Case with Saddle Brown Classic Buckle
– 38mm Stainless Steel Case with Midnight Blue Modern Buckle (all band sizes)
– 42mm Stainless Steel Case with Midnight Blue Leather Loop (both band sizes)
– 38mm Stainless Steel Case with Link Bracelet
– 38mm Space Black Stainless Steel Case with Space Black Link Bracelet

The only in-stock Woven Nylon model is the Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Pink/Midnight Blue Woven Nylon, and a couple of Stainless Steel bundles are also readily available to purchase, including the basic White Sport Band, Black Sport Band, and Milanese Loop options. Every model of the Apple Watch + Nike is in stock, while every Hermès model is in stock save two: Stainless Steel Case with Rose Jaipur Epsom Leather Single Tour and Stainless Steel Case with Fauve Barenia Leather Single Tour Deployment Buckle.

Out-of-stock Apple Watch Bands are far less numerous than they were last summer, ahead of the Series 2’s introduction in the fall. In June, MacRumors reported upwards of 35 different Apple Watch bands marked as “Sold Out” on Apple.com; today, just five bands are unavailable. In both 38mm and 42mm Classic Buckle, the Sea Blue, Midnight Blue, and Red colorways are sold out, while in the 38mm Modern Buckle, the Midnight Blue and Black options are currently unavailable.

That leaves a plethora of other Apple Watch bands on the store for users to purchase, including every Sport Band and Woven Nylon Band. Some bands available have lengthy shipping estimates, like the Midnight Blue Leather Loop’s 6-8 week delivery window, but most will arrive in the mail with Apple’s usual 1 day speedy delivery, and up to 2 days for free shipping.

Apple Watch stock shortages aren’t terribly uncommon, with some bundles and bands occasionally selling out months ahead of a refresh, but given Apple’s commitment to timely band releases and the number of models currently out of stock it’s likely that the company will introduce a similar refresh of Apple Watch bundles and bands in the coming weeks. The Spring 2017 collection could also see the launch of an all-new band material, similar to the debut of Woven Nylon a year ago next month, although no specific rumors about new materials have surfaced.

A full hardware refresh isn’t expected until later in the year, perhaps alongside the iPhone 8 in the fall, but it’s not yet clear if it will mark the Apple Watch’s first major design overhaul or another evolution of the basic design profile that debuted in 2015. Rumors have suggested the third-generation Apple Watch will put a focus on improving battery life and performance and may not feature other major changes.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Tag: Apple Watch bands
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator (review)

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a ‘YouTuber’? The famous ‘tuber, PewDiePie has created a simulation game in association with Outerminds Inc., that allows you to live the life of a YouTube content creator. Start at the bottom while honing your video creation skills to see if you have what it takes to make it to the top.

Developer: Outerminds, Inc.
Price: Free (with premium content)

Along the way you’ll discover a multitude of additions that may make it easier for you to draw in new subscribers and viewers that may become addicted to your content. Can you continue to grow your audience, or will you lose out to more popular ‘tubers?

Keeping it simple

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is presented in a retro, isometric view that allows you to watch your avatar as he or she creates videos and increases viewership. The premise is fairly simple–start small and gain viewers by watching for trends and adding new items to your prop arsenal. As you gain viewers and subscribers you can visit the shop to add new pieces to your setup.

The overall user interface is clean and simple to understand. Moving between your main room and other areas like the shop is easy. Just click the corresponding icon at the bottom to switch from quests, user info (where you can name and link your accounts), shop, upgrades, and the standard room where you make your videos.

The simplistic graphics leave a little to be desired, but considering the audience, the overall feel and look of the game is quite fitting. This game will not tax your smartphone or tablet with flashy graphics, conversely it relies on simplicity and a classic feel that many long-time gamers will appreciate.

Taking it to the next level

Eventually you will discover that your ‘Tuber will level up and learn new tricks of the YouTube world. This progression system works quite well, although you’ll quickly discover that customization costs in-game “bux” that are difficult to acquire unless you’re willing to spend real money.

Save up to make your ‘Tuber room the best it can be

After purchasing an item you must wait for it to ship, just like in the real world. This shipping time can be sped up by playing mini games that cost viewership. This system works, but is often times plagued by the over-abundance of advertising. Considering the game comes from PewDiePie, the amount of advertising is no surprise.

Want to speed up a process or circumvent the overall time required to make progress? Simple solution; watch an advertisement to skip ahead. This is the major drawback with PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator. Everything feels as if it’s a cash-grab for the developer, which draws away from the fun of the game.

Sounding off

The bells and whistles within PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator range from basic, but effective to overall fulfilling. Having Felix Kjellberg’s voice within the game is both a blessing and disadvantage. PewDiePie has an abundance of spoken word littered throughout the game that provides for decent feedback and substantial commentary. Whether or not it’s something that the player will enjoy, is completely subjective.

Nonetheless, the games chip-tune music feels fitting and complements the visual style quite well. The little blips and beeps are familiar and fit within the game world while providing decent feedback to the player’s interaction.

PewDiePie in all his pixelated glory

The flair (and annoyance) of PewDiePie

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a great job of guiding the player through each section of the game spaces. It’s nice to see clear direction in a simulation game such as this, especially for gamers that may be new to the genre. Unfortunately, PewDiePie can be annoying to those that are not used to his over-the-top delivery style. PewDiePie’s loud and ridiculous comments are coupled with some fairly poor-to-average writing that leaves a lot to be desired. Be prepared to cringe at some of the audio comments that are littered throughout the game. In fact, you may be better off playing with the audio turned way down or skipping the comments altogether.

PewDiePie will talk to you–and he might just annoy you too

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a nice job of recreating the life of a YouTuber in the virtual world. Where the game falls short is in the delivery and presentation of the overall experience. Limiting a player’s ability to progress through the game by charging for the experience is a quick way to turn off almost any casual player. Instead, it would have been wise to allow the player to play through the majority of the game without hidden costs while promoting PewDiePie’s brand. This shortcoming has severely hindered the overall enjoyment of the game and will most likely turn away gamers that just want to have fun experimenting in the world of a YouTuber.

PewDiePie himself can be quite divisive in nature as evident by his recent trouble, but in the end, PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is the best game for experiencing what it takes to make it in the life of a ‘Tuber. It’s fun at times and frustrating in others, but if you can get by the obnoxious commenting and general pay-to-progress limitations you may find that this game offers a nice insight into the simulated world of a successful YouTube personality.

Check out PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator on Google Play

Netflix VR – Ultimate Viewing for One (App Review)

Netflix has become a hugely successful movie and TV watching platform, so when I heard they were coming out with a VR app, I was pretty intrigued, to say the least. I had no idea what they were going to do with it besides just watch your shows on a headset. And yes, at its core this is you just sitting there watching your show on a headset, but Netflix decided to up the ante and immersion just enough to make the VR app stand out. Let’s take a closer look.

Developer: Netflix
Price: Free (Netflix subscription required)
Download: Google Play, Oculus Store (for Samsung Gear VR)

It’s the incredible amount of details in the room that draw you into a completely wonderful experience.

Overview

Once you log in with your Netflix credentials, you are transported to your own private log cabin up in the snowy mountains. You’ll find yourself sitting on a beautiful red leather couch surrounded by giant posters of popular Netflix shows hanging on the wall. In front of you is a large screen TV framed by some great stonework. There are little details all around the room that add to the immersion, such as a coffee table in front of you with a few magazines spread out on it, a remote control on the couch next to you, a large chandelier above you, snow covered trees outside, and some vases on a table behind you.

You scroll through shows and movies simply by looking at the screen and tapping what you want to play. It’s super intuitive and easy to use. Once your show starts the lights dim, and the light from the TV dances around the room, reflecting gently off the objects around the room much as you would see if you were actually watching TV in the dark in a non-virtual room. I find the whole scene to be super cozy, which is what I’m sure they were going for, but if you are unimpressed or just want a straightforward approach, there is a “Void Theater” mode accessible by looking straight up and clicking on the link above you that will take you to a black environment with just the Netflix interface and your show. It’s efficient, and I’m sure there are quite a few that appreciate the simplicity of this or who may need it for a lower end device, but I found the charm of the whole cabin scene to be a fantastic part of the experience.

Cozy doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Watching Your Shows

I decided to really give this app a spin while my wife was out of town for the night. She’s not a huge Bob’s Burgers fan, and I had only seen 3 or 4 episodes before, so when I fired up the VR and saw it on my “Watch It Again” list, I loaded it up and watched for about an hour and a half. As this was my first time really sitting down to watch something in VR, I was amazed at the image quality as I watched. Everything seemed really crisp and high quality. There were a few moments where I would reach over for the remote to find that, alas, I am in VR and had to adjust the volume with the device strapped to my face. It was at this point of losing myself that I had to both chuckle, and admit that the whole experience is super sophisticated and perfectly achieves what it’s going for, as I was so immersed in my virtual world that for a moment I forgot that I wasn’t actually there for a minute.

I just want to live here.

A Word of Caution

This is a warning that comes with most VR setups, but you will want to take frequent breaks while watching shows. After watching for about an hour and a half, I took the headset off to find that my eyes felt some light strain, and focusing on far distances made my eyes feel off, since when you focus on distance objects in VR, you are really just focusing on things that are the same distance away as everything else. I know that Samsung’s Gear VR recommends breaks every half hour, and that advice is something I strongly urge you to follow. If you are planning on sitting down to watch a movie or something for an extended period of time, you are probably better off watching it on a regular screen rather than in the VR app. If you do want to watch it in VR, I highly suggest breaking up viewing into multiple segments. There have not been long-term studies done on the effects of VR on the eyes, so better safe than marathoning Orange is the New Black and suffering from eye damage.

Conclusion

I was more than pleasantly surprised to discover how Netflix had taken their offerings and made the jump to the virtual landscape. The cozy cabin they put you in draws you in with an incredible attention to detail, and everything you watch is beautifully displayed on a huge “screen” in front of you. It even caters to the crowd who wants no frills, just a basic viewing experience. While extended viewing sessions are not recommended, if you are looking to watch an episode or so of your favorite show, there are worse ways to do it than to curl up on this virtual couch and be transported to the house that Netflix built.

The Deer God: Bugs impede this game from reaching heaven (review)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an animal? Having to endure the animal food chain? Hunters coming for your precious flesh? Not encountering food in order to survive? The Deer God, by Crescent Moon Games, tries to put you in the body of a deer, and it is your job to survive through the perils and dangers of this beautiful species. Spoiler: it is harder than I thought, but not all of the difficulty comes from the risks themselves.

Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Price: Free

Setup

When launching this game for the first time, it asks for the Storage permission. It can be assumed that it is used in order to write the save file to your device. After this, a quite interesting story begins. You are a deer hunter, and, while, killing a deer, your body gets possessed by the Deer God, which transforms you into a deer and throws you into the wild as a punishment.

From then on, the game explains its very simple controls. To move, you place your finger in the left region of the screen and from then slide right or left. There are two buttons on the right: one for jumping (pressing it twice performs a double jump), and another one for attacking. To interact with other characters. That’s it, now you know how to play The Deer God.

Overview

Controls for this game are really simple but solid.

As previously said, you control a deer in the nature, and encounter other deers, animals and even humans that are ready to kill you. The game shifts between night and day, and the background itself changes as well sometimes to avoid monotony. Other animals range from primates to bees to wolves.

The environment itself is harsh too. There are many spike pits scattered throughout the world, and the camera makes them hard to spot, but more on that later. On top of that, you have humans with shotguns ready to fire at you. These enemies are, in my opinion, the hardest to avoid, and if you try to fight against them, it will almost always result in death. After all, the Deer God wanted you to go through the same difficult stuff a deer has to endure every day.

In order to survive, you need to eat food. Since deer are herbivores, you need to find fruits or plants to eat. If you fail to do so, your HP will go down. It normally regenerates by itself but only if you’ve eaten enough. On top of all the hazards you have to pay attention to, you also need to feed yourself in order to survive. It’s hard to be a deer.

There are animals that will attack you and some that won’t. If you confront and kill these aggressive animals, you will see blue particles sprouting from the corpse. It’s like the data a Digimon throws when you kill it. If you murder innocent animals that have done nothing to you, then some red material will come out of the body. This will determine if you lean towards the good or bad side of the Force… I mean, of whatever morale system this game has. I didn’t find any noticeable effect on gameplay, but it could surely become important afterwards.

General Impressions

The graphics are nice but sometimes they make it hard to spot your character.

I think that the premise for this game is very interesting, with all of the becoming-a-deer stuff. You can even get punished by the Deer God by “failing to fulfill your duty” and getting killed too much. It will trasform you into some kind of beaver that is slower and more difficult to control.

How do I know? Because I died a lot while playing this game. I died more than I would like to admit. The problem is that it wasn’t my fault the whole time. The camera, in my opinion, is atrocious at moments. It is very easy to find yourself in a situation in which you are not able to see what comes next. Should you make a big jump? Should you just make a small one because there’s a platform below? What if there’s a spike pit in front but I can’t see it?

Maybe this was done on purpose, but sometimes spotting your deer gets VERY hard, especially at night. This is because its color gets blended with the background easily. There’s a very dim glowing light that helps with this problem but it gets very serious sometimes. Animals and, to a lesser degree, food, can get hard to spot as well.

However, these frustrations are not dealbreakers. The big problem came once when I locked my phone with the game opened and then returned to it. Some moments later, I died (obviously), and when I came back, the game thought I was at the beginning. When it was teaching me how to double jump, it crashed. Then I opened the game again and my save file was completely lost.

Just like Watto after betting with Qui-Gon Jinn, I lost everything. Afterwards, the game failed to load portions of the map, or it loaded them very late. It also crashed extremely frequently. The solution for this problem was to delete the game’s data.

Graphics

The pause menu shows a good vs. evil system that changes depending on your kills.

The game features pixeled graphics (surprise, surprise) in absolutely every element displayed. Unlike some other games that incorporate pixeled graphics, this graphic style is preserved throughout the game. Even the font is pixelated.

However, because of reasons explained above, sometimes it is hard to enjoy these graphics. Perhaps a better choice of colors could make it easier for the player, but, for now, the graphics hinder the enjoyment one can get from the game, especially at night.

Sound

It was surprising to see that music in this game changes constantly. Every time I died, the music was different. I can’t fully describe the music I’ve heard. Sometimes it is dramatic, sometimes it is very relaxing, sometimes it is just there. It never gets boring, that’s for certain.

There are very few sound effects in the game. None of them are particularly noteworthy but it is nice to have them there anyways. Most of the effects are heard when you fight against other animals or humans, and they do a decent job of adding some depth to these sequences.

Conclusion

The Deer God blends several interesting elements, such as an intriguing storyline and engaging mechanics, but unfortunately suffers from some annoyances that keep it from being a great game.

I will not pretend that every person in the world will experience the same progress-deleting bug I experienced, but this is the first time I’ve lost a save file in 20 years of gaming and it has been deeply frustrating. Besides, other stuff like making it very difficult to spot stuff in the night and camera woes make the game more frustrating than it should. However, with some small changes, this could be a very solid game, since the foundations are there.

Download and install The Deer God from the Google Play Store.

Powerhouse bacteria decontaminates wastewater and makes energy

Why it matters to you

This research may provide water treatment plants with an all-in-one package to decontaminate water and power the process.

For years, scientists have known Shewanella oneidensis isn’t your average bacteria. For one thing, these little organisms can thrive with or without oxygen. What’s even more unusual is their natural ability to generate electricity by gobbling up heavy metals such as iron and mercury. In a new study, researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have demonstrated that S. oneidensis may not just be strange but important, and may in the future offer a means to decontaminate wastewater.

When the bacteria metabolizes heavy metals in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, it uses current-conducting proteins to generate energy. With this in mind, bioengineers from the Bazan Research Group created a molecule called DSFO+, which was similar in structure to the bacteria’s proteins. When the modified molecules were consumed by S. oneidensis, the process replaced the bacteria’s naturally occurring proteins and enabled the bacteria to produce even more energy than usual. The researchers published a paper detailing their finding in the journal Chem.

More: ‘Smart bricks’ that recycle wastewater, generate electricity being developed

“We aided the metabolism of the bacteria,” Nathan Kirchhofer, a former UCSB materials graduate student and co-lead author, said in a press release. “I think very few people have approached this from a chemical modification type of approach. We actually just took bacteria as they were and added an external agent that helps with their native process. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time this has been demonstrated.”

The researchers decided to chemically (rather than genetically) modify the organisms because genetically modified microbes are restricted from release into the environment, thus limiting their practical applications. Moreover, genetic modification is organism-specific, whereas DSFO+ may be used in similar studies with other organisms.

“We see DSFO+ being used to improve wastewater treatment by allowing the bacteria already used to treat the water to produce electricity, to enable other bacteria to create biofuels by putting electricity into bacterial strains and getting high-value chemicals out, and to use DSFO+ as a molecular probe to better understand the metabolism of bacteria in certain situations,” co-lead author Zach Rengert told Digital Trends.

T-Mobile undercuts Verizon’s unlimited plan, throws in HD video for good measure

Why it matters to you

It’s always a good thing when mobile carriers compete, and a lower price for T-Mobile One definitely counts as a good thing.

After what felt like years of being the butt of jokes made by T-Mobile and Sprint, Verizon finally reintroduced an unlimited data plan in time for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately for Big Red, T-Mobile tried to rain on its unlimited parade with changes to its One plan.

Starting this Friday, February 17, the One plan will include HD video streaming and 10GB of high-speed hot spot data. Previously, you needed to fork over either an extra $3 each day or $15 each month for streaming video higher than 480p resolution. T-Mobile told Ars Technica that HD video will need to be enabled once every 30 days, though the day passes will be phased out. As for the hot spot data, One capped customers at 512Kbps speeds and needed to either upgrade to the One Plus plan or pay $3 for 24-hour passes for higher speeds.

More: It’s finally back — Verizon again offers its unlimited plan to eager customers

What looks to win over some folks, however, is the $100 price tag for two lines under the One plan, which undercuts Verizon’s offering by $40. It is unknown whether the pricing change is permanent, though pricing is still the same $70 per month for one line. Previously, you needed to shell out $120 for two lines.

The changes will go into effect for new and existing customers, though the latter will need to activate these features either through the T-Mobile app or T-Mobile’s website.

Even though these changes are certainly welcome, since competition is what led to them, capping customers at 480p streaming video resolution and 512Kbps tethering speeds with the original One plan were seen as two controversial and asinine “features.” With the changes, T-Mobile positioned uncompressed video streaming as a promotional feature rather than something we should take for granted.

It will be interesting to see if Verizon responds, particularly since it has not even been two days since it announced its unlimited data plan.

See more at T-Mobile

Watch live: Experts discuss why Asteroid Day could save us from catastrophy

Why it matters to you

The big-name experts behind the U.N.’s Asteroid Day are trying to prevent a potentially devastating natural disaster.

A devastating asteroid impact has been the topic of science fiction, but a whole bunch of real-world scientists think it’s cause for concern. Richard Dawkins, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Queen guitarist-turned-astrophysicist Brian May are among the hundreds of scientists who’ve shown support for Asteroid Day, an event that was sanctioned by the United Nations in December.

Today, astronomers from around the world hold a press conference to discuss the benefits and threats of asteroids, leading up to the first official U.N. event, which will be held on June 30, the anniversary of the tremendous Tunguska impact in Siberia in 1908. The press conference itself is appropriately timed — just a day before the four-year anniversary of the Chelyabinsk meteor, which made waves in dash-cam videos across the internet and convinced at least one astronomy writer about the potential danger of such a strike. At just 65 feet wide (small in the cosmic scale of things) the meteor’s impact was still powerful enough to injure 1,500 people and damage over 7,000 buildings.

More: Top European scientists want to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid — again

Asteroid Day was founded by filmmaker Grig Richters and Brian May in 2014, with the initial event held a year later. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of the potential for an asteroid impact, while detecting new asteroids and researching ways to deflect ones that are potentially threatening. Last November, the team gathered over 200 signatures from top scientists for “I Support AIM,” a campaign to get funding for the Asteroid Impact Mission.

“We do not have to be concerned about a significant asteroid impacting Earth on the short-middle term, if significant means a body that is capable of global effects,” planetary scientist Patrick Michel told Digital Trends in November. “Most objects larger than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) are known and they don’t case a threat on timescales up to or ability to predict their evolutions (typically 100 years) and we follow them up to expand the prediction to longer terms. The uncertainty is for objects larger than 140 meters (450 feet), capable of regional damages. We only know a small fraction of them, about 15 percent.”

AIM was denied funding by the European Space Agency (ESA) in December.

Today’s press conference will feature top asteroid experts from around the world. Catch the live-stream from 8:30 a.m. ET, or rewatch the event here.