Channel 4’s online TV ads will call you out by name

Adverts are about to get a lot more personalised — or creepier, depending on your point of view — the next time you hop on the All 4 streaming service to catch up on The Island with Bear Grylls. This month, Channel 4 is bringing a new ad format to its on-demand platform that targets the viewer directly, including their name as part of the promo. Channel 4 gets this information from your All 4 account details, of course, and it’s not a case of simply stamping that on an outro slide. In eerie, Minority Report style, the ads will actually talk to you (a world first, apparently), calling out your name and telling you to “run” after showing you a trailer for Alien: Covenant, for example.

20th Century Fox, Foster’s and Ronseal are the first brands to get on board with Channel 4’s more engaging ad format, but other companies will no doubt be trying to grab your attention while you’re brewing a cuppa before too long. That said, you’ll be able to opt out of seeing them if you feel they’re a bit too intrusive. We typically think of targeted advertising as the type of suggestive banners you see on websites, which just happen to feature the game you were looking at on Amazon moments ago. Chances are, though, that you often see targeted ads even if you don’t know it.

Sky has its own Adsmart technology, for example, that uses all kinds of intel — from location to affluence, family status, spending habits and other lifestyle factors including pet ownership — to create a detailed profile of every subscriber household. Using this, advertisers can choose to target specific audiences, meaning you might sit through an ad break that’s altogether different from that shown to your neighbours.

Nearly 100 channels on Sky’s pay-TV service employ Adsmart, with Channel 5 being the first public service broadcaster to join the scheme earlier this year, following Comedy Central and MTV’s networks. Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported Virgin Media was also in talks to become the next major Adsmart partner. You can ignore them, but you can’t escape them.

Source: 4 Sales (Channel 4)

Waymo’s ready to offer public rides in its self-driving minivans

While Alphabet’s legal battle with Uber continues to rumble on, its Waymo self-driving initiative is going from strength to strength. Its laser-mounted white minivans are consistently proving their reliability on the roads and besting their rivals, so much so that the company now wants humans to get involved. In a blog post, the company today announced that it’s expanding its test program in Phoenix by allowing families to register for its early rider program.

“Over the course of this trial, we’ll be accepting hundreds of people with diverse backgrounds and transportation needs who want to ride in and give feedback about Waymo’s self-driving cars,” said John Krafcik, Waymo CEO. “Rather than offering people one or two rides, the goal of this program is to give participants access to our fleet every day, at any time, to go anywhere within an area that’s about twice the size of San Francisco.”

To cater for this drastic increase in passengers, Waymo is increasing the size of its fleet. Right now, the company has 100 autonomous Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans, but that number will rise to 600 in the coming months. The idea is to see where people want to go, but also monitor how families interact with the cars and assess what features they’d like to see inside them.

Waymo needs just one person from each household to apply, and if they’re accepted, all members of their family will become part of the early rider program. Waymo has been careful not to put limits on the service either, adding that it encourages riders to use its vehicles “as frequently as possible.” To that end, the company won’t ask for any money, all rides will be free.

Source: Waymo Blog

Vodafone’s failed TV ambitions are costing it dearly

Vodafone once had aspirations to become the next quad-play provider, able to offer its customers more than just a mobile phone contract. For nearly two years, the company was preparing to enter the pay-TV market, and in the interim it rejoined the broadband arena with its Connect service. With growth in this competitive space sluggish, however, it decided to abandon its pay-TV plans. But the problem with shutting down a project that could’ve launched “within weeks,” according to CEO Vittorio Colao, is that it’s still burning a hole in Vodafone’s bank account.

The Telegraph reports, via its broadcaster sources, that Vodafone had already struck various deals with channel providers. Deals that not only cost it “millions” at the time, but multi-year agreements with early exit penalties Vodafone’s now on the hook for (oh, the irony). Still, we imagine someone somewhere looked at the numbers and decided this route was potentially cheaper than funding a risky play in the saturated UK pay-TV market.

Vodafone does offer a TV service in other European countries, and said it may revisit “launching TV in the UK when we deem it necessary and commercially appropriate.” But given these new reports, it looks like the company is trying to cut its (heavy) losses before the zeroes begin to stack up any further. A classic case of putting the cart before the horse — and then deciding owning the horse is going to be too expensive.

Source: The Telegraph

Google Photos App Update Brings Long-Awaited Apple TV Streaming Feature

Google continued its steady improvement of the Google Photos app this week by adding the ability to wirelessly transmit photos and videos to an Apple TV on the same network.

Coming almost two years since the app’s debut on iOS, the feature addition in the version 2.14 update has been a long time coming, but it does mean users can now stream their Google Photo libraries to big-screen televisions regardless of whether they have a Chromecast or an Apple TV.

The update marks a trend for Google quietly improving the Photos app, which has recently seen feature additions like automatic white balance, video stabilization, Live Photos support, and more.

Signaling its lingering intent to rival Apple in the media sharing space, Google introduced an app last year called Motion Stills that lets users edit Live Photos and turn them into GIFs and short movies for easy sharing.

Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Google Photos
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Questionable Rumor Claims Apple Will Debut Two iPhones This Year, Not Three

A Chinese tech blog bucked the iPhone rumor trend today by claiming it had received insider information from the Apple supply chain that Apple will release two iPhone models this year rather than the expected three.

Micgadget.com posted the rumor in the early hours of Tuesday, citing “some [of] our friends from Foxconn” who apparently “confirmed” that Hon Hai had received an order for two models, corresponding to two versions of Apple’s radically redesigned OLED iPhone, the so-called “iPhone 8”.

“iPhone 8” rendering from KK Sneak Leaks

Rumors say that Apple will release two iPhone 7S and one iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition) models. Today we can tell you, that it’s not true. This fall we can see only two models with new technology. Very interesting that rumors leaked new iPhone 8 and big iPhone 8 Plus will have similar dual cameras.

It’s highly unusual for a supply chain rumor to go against the prevailing assumption this late into the iPhone cycle, and Micgadget.com has a mixed history of releasing information on Apple’s plans. The site has also been pushing the idea that Apple will release an additional “iPhone 8 Plus” since at least February with little evidence to back up the claim, so we’re covering this rumor merely to highlight our current doubts regarding its veracity.

For some time now, analyst expectations and supply chain hints have indicated that Apple will break away from its annual tradition of launching two models of iPhone and will instead reveal a radically overhauled smartphone in addition to its usual “S” refresh model updates.

The rumor trail began all the way back in March of 2016, when noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo laid out his expectations that Apple would launch 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones alongside a standout “premium” OLED model, because of supply constraints on AMOLED technology. Multiple reports have since corroborated this scenario, with Apple said to be aiming for a more complete transition to Samsung-made OLED displays in 2018 when supplies become more available.

Indeed, it’s possible Micgadget.com is misinterpreting information from its purported Foxconn source for precisely this reason. Multiple reports suggest Apple will debut its redesigned OLED iPhone in September, but it could still face severe supply shortages until perhaps as late as October or November. Therefore, while orders for Apple’s two LCD-based iPhones may have been cemented in good time for the usual August-September ramp-up in production, orders for an “iPhone 8” at the supply chain level may have still not been pegged down.

Apart from an edge-to-edge OLED display in a typical-sized 4.7-inch casing, the “iPhone 8” is expected to include wireless charging, no physical Home button, and perhaps 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning. In addition, rumors suggest that Touch ID could be embedded in or under a True Tone display, or could possibly be relocated to the rear of the device if Apple can’t perfect the under-screen technology in time.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: micgadget.com
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‘Super Mario Run’ 2.1 Update Adds New Buildings and Game Center Achievements

Super Mario Run received a point one update late on Monday, bringing some additional enticements for newcomers and offering long-time fans new reasons to continue playing the game.

Probably the biggest upgrade to the runner is the addition of several new buildings up for collection. These include the 8-bit Bowser Statue, Bullet Bill Statue, Bob-omb, and many more.

Elsewhere, players can now use their Miitomo character as their player icon, Game Center achievements have been implemented, and it’s now possible to find friends from a linked Nintendo account.

In addition, the maximum number of Toads that can live in a player’s kingdom has been increased to 99,999, providing plenty of reasons for gamers to keeping on running.

Super Mario Run is a free download, with a $9.99 in-app purchas to unlock the full content, available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Samsung’s clever emoji app aims to help those with language disorders

Why it matters to you

If you continue to look at emoji with an unamused face rather than a smiley one, this innovative offering from Samsung may finally win you over.

While some may consider emoji a frivolous absurdity that serve to undermine more traditional forms of communication, others see them simply as a fun way to spice up chat messages or as an effective way to clarify a point.

Researchers at Samsung Italia, however, are adamant that the colorful pictograms offer an amazing opportunity to help those with a particular type of brain condition to communicate in a more meaningful and rewarding way.

The team focused on aphasia, a complex neurological disorder that affects the ability to understand and formulate language. According to Samsung, more than three million people worldwide have the condition, which is most often caused by an injury to the brain. For example, 30 percent of those who suffer a stroke experience a form of aphasia as a result.

Wemogee

Working with a group of speech therapists, Samsung Italia set about developing a new emoji-based app to give those with aphasia an opportunity to communicate more effectively with others.

It’s called Wemogee and includes a library of more than 140 phrases related to basic needs and emotional expressions.

“The predefined phrases are translated into logical sequences of emojis and are divided into six main categories including: everyday life, eating and drinking, feelings, help, recreational activities, and anniversaries and celebrations,” Samsung explains in a release.

To use Wemogee, an aphasic patient first selects what it is they’d like to communicate by choosing from a list of visual options. Once they select the relevant emoji sequence, they can send it off to the non-aphasic recipient, who’ll see the message in text form. To reply, the procedure is reversed, with the recipient selecting from preset text phrases that are then converted into emoji for the aphasic patient. You can see Wemogee in action in the video above (it starts at the 2:24 mark).

“Aphasic patients understand emojis because they depict all aspects of emotions,” Francesca Polini, a speech therapist and professor at the University of Milan who helped develop Wemogee, said in the release. “The use of gestures, images and facial expressions is a function perfectly preserved in understanding and often also in the production of language.”

Samsung suggests Wemogee can function as a home practicing tool to complement other rehabilitation techniques for aphasia. In other words, the app can be used not only for long-distance communication as a messaging app, but also as a support for face-to-face interactions.

Wemogee is available for free on Android while an iOS version is listed as “coming soon.”

‘Super Mario Run’ gets an update, if you’re still playing

The first Nintendo game that came out on smartphones, Super Mario Run, got its first update since launching on Android last month. Assuming anyone’s still rocking and hopping in the mobile Mushroom Kingdom, they can finally track friends down by their Nintendo Accounts.

That’s the, well, middling news, but there’s not much else in the update. Players can get new buildings for their kingdoms, including an 8-bit Bowser Statue, and can display their custom Mii character from Miimoto as their player icon. Android players can earn Game Center achievements now. Oh, and the maximum amount of toads has been increased to 99,999, which might keep you company if you’re the only one of your friends still playing.

But it’s too soon to assume Nintendo is abandoning the game. Unlocking content in Super Mario Run via a single in-game $10 fee earned the title less revenue than expected, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimusha told Nikkei Asia Review. But the more lucrative random-reward “gacha” model in Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo’s other smartphone game, risks damaging the company and characters’ reputations. Nintendo has more to come for smartphone games, including synergy with its Switch console. We’ll wait to see the gaming titan’s plans after the release of its fiscal year 2016 earnings report this Thursday.

Source: Apple App Store, Google Play store

Wikipedia co-founder launches Wikitribune to fight fake news

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales hopes to tackle fake news with a journalism outfit of his own. Wikitribune will be free to access and use crowdfunding to hire experienced reporters. They’ll work alongside volunteers who can sub-edit articles, fact-check stories and suggest new topics for the site to pursue. “This will be the first time that professional and citizen journalists will work side-by-side as equals writing stories as they happen, editing them as they develop, and at all times backed by a community checking and rechecking all of the facts,” Wales said.

Wikitribune’s existence (and success) will depend on donations from people who believe in its mission and the journalism it’s producing. The site will cover traditional news beats, such as UK and international politics, as well as science, technology and specialist subjects chosen by subscribers. “If you take as an example the bitcoin community,” Wales said, “they’ve a very active and obsessed community. There’s a lot of news that comes out in the field, and I think they’d love to be able to raise money to hire a journalist and put them on the bitcoin/blockchain beat.”

Wikitribune articles will include detailed sourcing and link out to full transcripts, video and audio recordings of interviews. Reader submissions will also need to be approved by a full-time editor before they appear on the site. These two mechanisms will, Wales hopes, create a news culture that is both transparent and accurate, leveraging the expertise of reporters and the news gathering, fact-checking scale of the crowd. Controlling such a large group of people will be tricky, however. Reddit users, for instance, wrongly identified one of the Boston Marathon bombers in 2013.

Wales is optimistic, however. Few people thought that Wikipedia would work, and while the site is far from perfect, it has been able to avoid the false news problem, at least for the most part. The hope is that the same culture generated by Wikipedia’s editors will blossom inside Wikitribune. Those values will be helped in part by the site’s business model — with no advertiser funding, the site can avoid the click-chasing and click-bait stories that have plagued other sites and reduced reader trust.

Plenty of technology companies are trying to tackle the ‘fake news’ epidemic. YouTube is holding workshops in the UK to teach young people how to spot bogus stories. Google is showing fact-checkers such as PolitiFact and Snopes more prominently in search results. Facebook bought a bunch of full-page newspaper ads in Germany with basic reader fact-checking tips. Despite these efforts, the problem persists. Politicians in the UK are holding an inquiry into the rise of fake news, and British newspapers have requested a deeper investigation into the role that Facebook and Google play in its distribution.

Clearly, Wales thinks the answer is a new, better-funded and creatively organised newsroom. Joshua Benton, director of Harvard University’s Nieman Journalism Lab, isn’t so sure. “There are a variety of people who – if he does this right – will view it as a trusted platform,” he told the BBC. “But another 10 to 20 people are not going to ‘fix the news’.”

Via: The Guardian, The BBC

Source: Wikitribune

Apple Maps Gets Traffic Data for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates

Apple has updated its Maps app with traffic data for major metropolitan areas in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

So far, the new coverage extends to the capitals of the two countries and other heavily populated areas, with more limited traffic information on major highways and thoroughfares also available.

Examples in UAE include Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, and Al Ain, with locations in Saudi Arabia including Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, and Ta’if.

Turn-by-turn navigation still appears to be unavailable in the Middle East regions, which may explain why Apple hasn’t added the countries to its iOS feature availability page, but the inclusion of traffic data strongly suggests Apple is about to follow up with live direction information.

The update marks Apple’s first visible effort to increase its geographical data services to the Middle East beyond the standard street information and notable points of interest.

(Thanks, Ram!)

Tag: Apple Maps
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