Where to buy the Huawei P10 + P10 Plus in the UK

Huawei’s latest flagship phone is available to pre-order in the UK!

The P10 is Huawei’s best mainstream flagship yet, available in 5.1- and 5.5-inch flavors. It packs Huawei’s latest Kirin 960 processor, up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (in the P10 Plus), and the company’s best Leica-branded camera yet. (Check out our review for more on what’s great — and not so great — about the phones.) The street date for all P10 models in the UK is March 31, but we’re already seeing pre-order links cropping up at some of the major operators.

Huawei P10

EE has the P10 in black and silver, with plans starting at £40.99 per month for a 5GB/60Mbps data bucket. For EE’s fastest speeds, you’ll need to step up to the £45.99 per month, 15GB plan.

See at EE

Vodafone has a wide range of plans going all the way up to 30GB at the high end, which will set you back £48 per month, with a £10 upfront charge for the phone. That’s bundled with unlimited calls and texts, 4GB of roaming data, and a free Spotify, Sky Sports Mobile or NowTV subscription. A similar deal at £42 gets you all of the above, but with 24GB of UK data and 2GB roaming.

See at Vodafone

Carphone Warehouse is offering the P10 in black and gold, and right now it’s the only outlet listing a SIM-free price for the P10 — £569.99. As always, Carphone has a wide range of plans across various operators; in the case of the P10, it’s Vodafone, EE and O2. The cheapest price plans for an almost-free P10 include a £48 per month, 10GB deal on O2 (£29.99 upfront).

See at Carphone Warehouse

O2 and Three will also be ranging the Huawei P10, but don’t have pre-order pages live just yet.

Huawei P10 Plus

The bigger, beefier P10 Plus will be offered on EE, Vodafone, Three and Carphone Warehouse. It’s listed as “coming soon” at EE, but the other operators don’t have it listed at present. The UK will be getting the P10 Plus with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage, with a SIM-free price of £649.99.

More: Huawei P10 + P10 Plus review

Nanoleaf Aurora review: The coolest lights on the whole damn planet

It turns out the smart lights I’ve wanted all along aren’t lightbulb shaped.

I’ve been thoroughly invested in smart lighting for a while now. Several rooms in my house have been fully converted, fully connected to Google Home for voice control, and so far I’m pretty happy with the setup. Smart lighting is absolutely the way forward for me, especially as costs come down and more options become available. Combining convenience with a familiar form factor is exactly what I thought I wanted, but these new lights from Nanoleaf have me questioning that last part.

Instead of making another lightbulb with smarts, the Nanoleaf Aurora is a modular solution that makes the lights part of the decor. It sounds a little crazy, and has a price tag to match, but these lights are seriously changing how I think about smart lighting in my home.

Every Nanoleaf Aurora setup is a little different, which is fantastic.

Every Nanoleaf Aurora setup is a little different, which is fantastic. You open the box and find nine triangles and a wire for power. These triangles can be assembled in whatever array you choose, as long as one of the sides is able to touch another triangle side.

A simple connector attaches each triangle, sharing power and network information along the chain. When you have the triangles mounted the way you want, you can pick where the power cable gets attached so you can discretely hide the cable however you want. It’s a simple, elegant setup that allows you to expand by buying more triangles to add on to the kit. You can have up to 30 triangles attached to a single Aurora, so there’s a lot of flexibility here.

It’s not hard to imagine an Aurora panel completely replacing the lights in a decent-sized room.

Once everything is connected and powered up, you head to the the Nanoleaf app and set the lights up however you want. The app is aware of where each of the triangles is positioned as soon as it connects to the hardware, and from there you can either choose individual colors for each triangle or adjust the whole array as a single bulb.

If you’re using this to light a room, the lights get plenty bright — roughly 100 lumens per panel — and you have fantastic control over the light temperature as you set things. If you’re using this as an accent, the lights can also be set to rotate through a palette of colors in several different patterns. The most impressive part of this whole experience is the way Nanoleaf’s app is aware of how your array is set up, adjusting the app to match.

Nanoleaf hasn’t quite worked out the whole “talk to literally everything” functionality that Philips has with the Hue bulbs yet, but what exists right now is a solid start. You can connect to IFTTT, and there’s some basic Amazon Echo integration, but a full open API and Google Home support is planned for later this year.

These lights are becoming more common as accent lighting for a lot of environments, but it’s not hard to imagine an Aurora panel completely replacing the lights in a decent-sized room. The panels mount anywhere, and as long as you can make the wire disappear these lights are an amazing alternative to LED strips or recessed lighting in many environments.

Naturally, the big question here is price. The Nanoleaf Aurora starter kit isn’t cheap — those nine starter panels will run you $200. If you want to expand, each three triangle kit will run you an additional $60. What you get in exchange is arguable more functional and undeniably more attractive than your average Wi-Fi connected lightbulbs though, and that’s significant. These lights become a totally personal way to illuminate your space, and the end result rarely disappoints.

See at Best Buy

Best Phones to use with Mint SIM

• Best overall
• Best value
• Best for less

Best overall

Google Pixel

See at Google

When buying an unlocked phone to use with a prepaid carrier, our recommendation is unchanged from our overall best Android phone pick: it’s the Google Pixel. Google’s first own-branded phone is absolutely hit, from its understated hardware design to its lightning fast performance, full-day battery life and of course its top-of-the-line camera.

The Pixel simply does everything faster than the competition, and does so while integrating with all of Google’s excellent services and no extra bloat. It’s also going to be the most up-to-date in terms of software, getting monthly security updates and also being at the front of the line for big platform jumps.

You’ll pay for the privilege, but if you want the slickest and cleanest Android phone that you can buy unlocked and bring to a prepaid carrier, the Pixel is the way to go.

Bottom line: For the fastest, simplest and best-supported experience, you can’t go wrong with Google’s own phone.

One more thing: You can opt for the 5.5-inch Pixel XL if you want more screen to work with and longer battery life.

Why the Google Pixel is best

After years of Nexus phones that didn’t quite hit the mark of being high-end phones, Google’s Pixel finally feels like a complete thought. It all starts with the sleek and understated hardware that doesn’t have tons of flair but feels great and is extremely sleek. Underneath that skin is all of the top-end specs you want, from a Snapdragon 821 processor to available 128GB of storage.

The Pixel’s display is the best we’ve seen from a Google-backed device, and even gives the likes of Samsung a run for their money in overall quality. The camera is also leading the industry in terms of speed, photo quality and stabilized video.

This is what Alex Dobie had to say in our complete Pixel review:

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL deliver what we’ve always wanted from a Google Android experience: an attractive design, lightning-fast performance and unique Google features you won’t find on any other phone. Meanwhile the Pixel nails the essentials, with good “all-day” battery life, cameras that go toe-to-toe with the high-end competition, and update support unrivaled in the Android space.

The Pixel (or, if you need a big screen, Pixel XL) really is the complete package from Google, and if you’re going to be buying unlocked it’s the best available option today. The pricing has definitely taken a jump from Nexus devices that came before it, but we think it’s worth the hefty price tag.

Best value

OnePlus 3T

See at OnePlus
See at Amazon

Going with a prepaid carrier like Mint SIM is all about value, and chances are you may be looking to get a great deal in your phone as well as your service — this is where the OnePlus 3T really excels. At $439 it won’t break the bank, but gives you most of the top-end features the competition offers while absolutely nailing the core experience.

You get a solid (albeit not flashy) metal exterior, a great one-touch fingerprint sensor, a solid 5.5-inch display and flagship-level 16MP f/2.0 camera. Inside there’s a Snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (128GB optional), dual SIM slots, USB-C and Dash Charge fast charging. The software is slick and fast with subtle but useful customizations and absolutely zero extra bloatware.

Bottom-line: The OnePlus 3T offers an amazing value, giving you most of a flagship experience for hundreds less.

One more thing: The Dash Charge fast-charging solution is incompatible with other fast-charging standards like Quick Charge 3.0.

Best for less

Moto G4 Plus

See at Amazon

The Moto G4 Plus won’t blow you away with striking design or materials, but it’s all about getting a great experience for the money. Starting at $229 ($20 off it’s original MSRP) you get a 5.5-inch 1080p display, solid 16MP camera, good battery life and a fingerprint sensor. Moto’s software is always a fan favorite, and performance is solid enough from the older Snapdragon 617 processor.

The phone is very capable in its default configuration with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, but if you want something more approximating what you get from the next tier up in phones consider buying the higher-end G4 Plus with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Just be aware that the Moto G5 and G5 Plus will be launching soon to replace these nearly year-old models!

Bottom-line: For an inexpensive phone to go prepaid with that gets the basics right, the Moto G4 Plus is an awesome choice.

One more thing: If you can wait for a little bit longer, you should hold off until the Moto G5 goes on sale in the U.S.

Conclusion

Google’s first own-branded phone isn’t perfect, but it absolutely offers the best overall Android phone experiences available today. There’s something to love about it for everyone, from power users to Google fans to average no-frills consumers.

Best overall

Google Pixel

See at Google

When buying an unlocked phone to use with a prepaid carrier, our recommendation is unchanged from our overall best Android phone pick: it’s the Google Pixel. Google’s first own-branded phone is absolutely hit, from its understated hardware design to its lightning fast performance, full-day battery life and of course its top-of-the-line camera.

The Pixel simply does everything faster than the competition, and does so while integrating with all of Google’s excellent services and no extra bloat. It’s also going to be the most up-to-date in terms of software, getting monthly security updates and also being at the front of the line for big platform jumps.

You’ll pay for the privilege, but if you want the slickest and cleanest Android phone that you can buy unlocked and bring to a prepaid carrier, the Pixel is the way to go.

Bottom line: For the fastest, simplest and best-supported experience, you can’t go wrong with Google’s own phone.

One more thing: You can opt for the 5.5-inch Pixel XL if you want more screen to work with and longer battery life.

Huawei P10 Lite promises flagship thrills at bargain prices

Huawei has released a new Lite handset, this time piggybacking on the recently-announced Huawei P10 flagship. 

The new Huawei P10 Lite adopts some of the P10’s design principles, with a narrow bezel and compact body carrying a 5.2-inch full HD display. It is finished in gold or black, with the promise of more colours in the future.

It’s powered by a mid-range Kirin 658 chipset but offers 4GB RAM and there’s a fingerprint scanner to security and convenience.

There’s only a single rear camera on this model, however. The camera offers a 12-megapixel sensor with 1.25µm pixels, while there’s an 8-megapixel front camera, promising to give you great selfies. We’d expect both cameras to offer a full range of Huawei’s camera functions.

Making its debut in a Lite model is Knuckle Sense, the system that will let you tap and draw with a knuckle on the display.

The phone will run on Android with Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 system lathered over the top. 

Perhaps the most promising thing about the P10 Lite is the price. At £299, the P10 Lite is affordable and offers respectable spec for the cash. It will be available from 17 March at Carphone Warehouse, EE and Vodafone.

• Huawei P10 review: Android’s iPhone-killer, or flawed imitator?

What Philips Hue smart bulbs are there and which should you buy?

The Philips Hue smart lighting system has grown dramatically in the last few years, in both popularity and number of available products.

And from April, a new Philips Hue Candle bulb will join the fray, fleshing out the product range of connected LED lighting to fit just about every socket you could possibly think of.

That’s why we’ve put together a quick, handy list of the current Philips Hue bulb line-up, including the new Candle, to give you an idea of how you can add colour and ambience into your life.

We haven’t included the other Hue products and controllers from Philips, just the bulbs themselves.

Pocket-lint

What is Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is a lighting system that works in conjunction with iOS and Android applications in order to change colour or white levels depending on your mood. It can also be linked to other Internet of Things devices to switch on, off or change the lighting style through your home network.

It works in conjunction with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Nest, Samsung SmartThings and many other smart home devices. You do not need any of them to use Philips Hue lighting though.

There are multiple bulbs and lighting products in the range, and they are all linked to your network through a Philips Hue Bridge – a small, connected hub that is wired to your router and controls the lights wirelessly. This is often found as part of a starter kit.

There are different styles of bulbs, which also fit into two lighting categories: white and colour ambience, which can display millions of colours, and white ambience, which can be set to a wide selection of warm or cool white lighting options.

• Eight lighting tips for your home: An expert shares her design secrets

What Philips Hue bulbs are available?

There are bulbs in the range for all manner of fittings and styles, that offer white ambience or white and colour ambience. Here is the range that you can get at present, plus the new Philips Hue Candle that’ll ship from the end of April.

Remember, you will need the Philips Bridge to control these bulbs, hence they are generally “extension” devices.

Philips claims all its bulbs will last up to 25,000 hours each – around eight-and-a-half years if you have the bulb switched on eight hours a day every day of the year.

Philips Hue white ambience E14 Candle

Philips

The new bulb comes with an E14 screw fitting and has a 6W LED output that is equivalent to 40W. The candle form factor is otherwise known as B39.

It is capable of more than 50,000 shades of white, from warm to cool white.

Philips Hue white and colour ambience E14 Candle

Also with an E14 screw fitting and B39 form factor, the colour version of the Candle has an LED power output of 6.5W. It has the same lumen output though, of 470lm at 4000K.

It is also capable of more than 50,000 shades of white, but adds 16 million colours to the mix.

Philips Hue white extension bulb A19/E27

Philips

The most commonly used bulb in many households, the A19/E27 screw fitting light has a power output of 9.5W and A60 form factor.

Its light output is 806lm and is smart but doesn’t change colour or white tone. That means it will stay the same colour temperature of 2,700K (warm white), but can be dimmed and switched on and off remotely.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £14.95

Philips Hue white ambience extension bulb A19/E27

Philips

Similar to the above but with a flatter form factor, the white ambience version with A19/E17 screw fitting has a 10W power output. Its brightness is up to 800 lumens at 4000K.

It is capable of more than 50,000 shades of white and is dimmable via Hue compatible devices down to one per cent.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £24.99

Philips Hue white and colour ambience extension bulb A19/E27

Philips

The exact same form factor as the white ambience version, this A19/E27 screw fitting bulb is capable of slightly brighter output, at up to 806 lumens at 4000K. It is a 10W LED bulb.

It has all shades of white plus 16 million colours. A newer version was released in recent times, with a richer colour palette.

If you have an older Hue system you might find some of the colours do not match the first generation bulbs.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £49.99

Philips Hue white ambience extension bulb B22

Philips

Commonly known as a bayonet fitting, this white only bulb is the same as the A19/E7 version although it is slightly brighter, capable of up to 806 lumens at 4000K.

It can be set at more than 50,000 shades of white.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £24.95

Philips Hue white and colour ambience extension bulb B22

Philips

Again, similar to the A19/E17 version of the colour bulb above, the B22 comes with the bayonet fitting instead. It only goes up to 600 lumens at 4000K in brightness however.

It offers all shades of white and 16 million colours.

It is also a “richer colour” bulb so might not match older models.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £49.99

Philips Hue white ambience extension bulb GU10

Philips

Designed for spot lights the GU10 form factor has two locking pins and generally sits recessed into a ceiling or spot lamp. This bulb has 5.5W of maximum power output and a brightness of up to 300 lumens at 4000K.

It too offers more than 50,000 shades of white, from warm to cold colour temperatures. And it can be dimmed through Hue compatible devices down to one per cent.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £24.99

Philips Hue white and colour ambience extension bulb GU10

Philips

The exact same form factor as the GU10 above, but with 6.5W of maximum output power. It has less brightness though, at up to 250 lumens at 4000K.

It adds 16 million colours to the numerous shades of white that can be achieved.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £49.95

What Philips Hue starter kits are available?

As we say above, you will need a Philips Hue Bridge to connected your Hue bulbs to a home network. These often come as part of a starter kit with two or three bulbs included.

Here are the starter kits we recommend if you don’t already have Philips Hue lighting in your home.

Philips Hue white starter kit A19/E27

Philips

This comes with the Philips Bridge 2.0 and two 9.5W white bulbs with A19/E27 screw fittings as detailed above. They have a fixed white colour but it is the cheapest way to get into Philips Hue.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £59

Philips Hue white ambience starter kit A19/E27

Philips

This contains the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0, two A19/E27 white ambience bulbs capable of more than 50,000 shades of white and a wireless dimming switch.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £99.99

Philips Hue white and colour ambience starter kit A19/E27

Philips

In this pack you get the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0 and three A19/E27 white and colour ambience bulbs capable of 16 million colours. They are the richer colour variants.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £149.99

Philips Hue white and colour ambience starter kit B22

Philips

Essentially exactly the same as the kit above, except you get three B22 bayonet fitting versions of the bulbs with the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk here

Philips Hue white and colour ambience starter kit GU10

Philips

Another kit that offers three of the multicolour connected bulbs, except in the spot light GU10 form factor. You also get the Philips Bridge 2.0 hub with this set.

• You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £149.95

Netflix is swapping star ratings for thumbs up and thumbs down

When you finish watching something on Netflix, do you rate it? Maybe you’ll sit (or stand) there, with all of that responsibility on your shoulders, for much longer than you need deciding whether that movie or TV show really deserves the coveted five stars. In the coming weeks, there will be a little less pressure on you to perform, because the streaming giant is scrapping the time-tested classification in favour or something a little more familiar: the thumbs up.

Variety reports that Netflix first introduced the new thumbs up and down ratings with hundreds of thousands of subscribers in 2016. The A/B tests showed that the new classification got 200 percent more ratings than the star-based system. Although they’ll no longer be visible, the metadata from past star ratings will continue to be used to personalize viewing profiles (Netflix has already registered over 10 billion five-star ratings after all).

The reason behind the switch is two-fold: subscribers who regularly score movies and TV shows have already done a pretty good job of helping Netflix learn what users are interested in. The other is relevancy: Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin told Variety that viewers would often rate documentaries higher than funny movies, but watch comedies more regularly than other high-rated content.

The end result is a system that users are intimately familiar with. Two of the biggest websites — Facebook and YouTube — both allow users to ‘like’ posts and uploads with a thumbs up. “We made ratings less important because the implicit signal of your behavior is more important,” Yellin said.

Image credit: Variety.

Source: Variety

Lyft will settle California drivers’ lawsuit for $27 million

It’s final: Lyft will have to pay $27 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit filed by drivers in California. The ride-sharing company originally agreed to pay $12.5 million, but US District Judge Vince Chhabria felt that it was too small and that it short-changed the plaintiffs. Drivers who’ve put in the least amount of time (around 30 hours) for the company would’ve only received $1,000 under the original terms. The same judge has now given the higher amount his final approval.

The California drivers filed the lawsuit for the right to be classified as employees, but they unfortunately failed to achieve that goal. Lyft claims a recent survey revealed that 80 percent of its drivers prefer to be independent contractors due to the flexibility it allows. But the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit, because as employees, Lyft would have been required to pay for their gas and vehicle maintenance. As Judge Chhabria said, “The agreement is not perfect. And the status of Lyft drivers under California law remains uncertain going forward.”

They get some degree of protection, though, thanks to some of the settlement’s terms. Lyft can’t drop them unless it’s for one of the company’s list of predetermined reasons, such as low passenger ratings. They’ll also get bonuses if they consistently perform well.

Source: Reuters

Apple Stock Smashes Previous All-Time High For Second Month Running

Apple shares hit a record closing high in Nasdaq trading yesterday, reaching $140.69 to beat its previous all-time closing high of $140.46 set just two days ago.

A new all-time intraday high of $141.02 was also set by AAPL on Thursday, eclipsing its previous record of $140.75, also set on March 15. Stocks re-opened today at $140.72 and remained steady around the $140 mark.

The figures cement Apple’s position as the most valuable company by some margin, now with a market value of $738 billion. Google parent company Alphabet remains second largest with a market cap of around $592 billion, followed by Microsoft at just under $500 billion and Berkshire Hathaway at around $430 billion.

Following Apple’s first annual revenue decline since 2001, its stock has been steadily rising over the past five months, buoyed by record-breaking earnings results at the end of January. February 14 saw shares reach $136.27 in intraday trading, eclipsing a previous all-time intraday high set in April 2015, while Apple’s market value surpassed $700 billion.

Wall Street analysts have claimed for months now that Apple remains one of the world’s most under appreciated stocks. Among a large group of Apple analysts, Brian White of Drexel Hamilton, Steven Milunovich of UBS, and former analyst turned venture capitalist Gene Munster have all predicted rises. Apple’s relative strength line, which gauges the stock’s performance versus the S&P 500 index, is at its highest level since September 2015.

Some projections put Apple’s stock price on a continual upward trend over ‘iPhone 8’ optimism, with several financial analysts raising their price targets for Apple’s stock to between $150 and $185, according to research notes obtained by MacRumors.

Tag: AAPL
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Swatch Working on Apple Watch Competitor With Custom-Made OS and Better Battery Life

Swatch is developing its own operating system for an all-new smartwatch intended to compete directly with Apple Watch and Android Wear, according to company CEO Nick Hayek (via Bloomberg). The new smartwatch will be an addition to the Tissot brand, a subsidiary of The Swatch Group, and is set to launch towards the end of 2018.

With its debut so far out, details remain scarce on both the watch itself and the Swatch-made user interface, but Hayek mentioned that the technology will require less battery power and will “protect data better.” According to Hayek, the company’s strategy will give Swatch the chance to become a worthy competitor to Apple and Samsung wearables because of its focus on a beefy battery which wouldn’t require users to charge the watch every day, or every other day, like Apple Watch.

The already-announced Tissot Smart Touch compared to Apple Watch Series 2

Swatch’s approach will work better because it’s trying to “think small” as one of the biggest problem for wearable devices is battery drainage, Hayek said, speaking at the Biel, Switzerland headquarters of Omega, another of 18 brands that Swatch produces.

“There’s a possibility for wearables to develop as a consumer product, but you have to miniaturize and have an independent operating system,” the CEO said.

Luca Solca, an analyst who follows the luxury watch industry, pointed out that Swatch’s own-made OS could be the company’s first mistake. “People use smartwatches expecting to use the same apps they have on their mobiles,” Solca explained. “A proprietary operating system defeats the object.” Swatch said it is willing to give its OS to third parties for the creation of apps, and about half of the parties interested originate from small companies in Silicon Valley who “don’t want to be dependent on Android and iOS.”

The Tissot brand is set to launch its first smartwatch (seen in the image above), called the Tissot Smart Touch. The watch was announced a year ago and was set to launch in 2016, but it never appeared for users to order. When it does, Smart Touch will be a solar-powered wearable able to connect to iOS and Android smartphones, and include abilities like leading users to lost keys.

The Smart Touch will also include accessories like a standalone weather station that connects to the wearable and offers “hyper local weather information” like temperature, humidity, and air quality. With a debut so far out, it’s unclear whether Swatch’s new smartwatch will include any of the Smart Touch’s features, or even what it might look like.

Although some smart wearable companies, like Fitbit, are facing troubled waters in the market, Apple Watch has become a “magnificent success” for Apple thanks to a boost in holiday sales in 2016. If the Swatch smartwatch debuts in late 2018, it would likely enter the market as a competitor to the Apple Watch Series 4.

Right now, rumors are understandably focused on the 2017 Apple Watch Series 3, with some suggesting the line’s first major form factor change, and others theorizing that the wearable will see yet another iterative update this year with feature additions including cellular connectivity and the expected under-the-hood performance enhancements.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Tag: Swatch
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Netflix to Replace Star Ratings With Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down

Netflix announced yesterday that it will replace star-based user reviews in its content library with binary thumbs up and thumbs down ratings over the coming weeks.

Previous star ratings given by users will be used to personalize their Netflix profiles, but the ability to rate a TV series or movie by awarding stars is set to disappear altogether, according to Variety.

Image via Variety

Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin told journalists on Thursday during a press briefing at the company’s headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif., that the company had tested the new thumbs up and down ratings with hundred of thousands of members in 2016. “We are addicted to the methodology of A/B testing,” Yellin said. The result was that thumbs got 200% more ratings than the traditional star-rating feature.

According to Netflix, at one point subscribers had awarded over 10 billion 5-star ratings and more than half of all members had rated more than 50 titles. However, the company eventually concluded that star ratings had become less relevant, with some users giving documentaries 5 stars and silly movies just 3 stars, even though they would watch the silly movies more often than the highly rated documentaries.

“We made ratings less important because the implicit signal of your behavior is more important,” Yellin told journalists.

In addition to the binary rating scheme, Netflix is also bringing a new percent-match feature to its interface that shows how good a match any given show or movie is for an individual subscriber. If a movie or TV show fits very closely with a user’s taste, it may get a high percentage match, although shows with less than a 50 percent match won’t show a match rating.

Netflix said the changes will roll out globally within the next month or so.

Tag: Netflix
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