Live video is old news, Facebook wants scripted shows now

Why it matters to you

Instead of watching live content on Facebook, soon it may have scripted shows.

Facebook has officially signed deals with Vox Media, ATTN:, and Buzzfeed, and others to produce original video content.

After launching massive ad campaigns branding Facebook Live as the future of video, the platform has taken a different direction to lure users to watch video through its app, Reuters reports. This comes after it closed an estimated $50 million worth of live-streaming deals with publishers such as CNN and the New York Times. Facebook hoped media and personal streaming would give it an edge in the growing video market.

Instead, Facebook will follow the strategy of its (now) competitors, Netflix and Amazon, by paying and claiming ownership for scripted TV shows. The company will pay between $10,000 to $250,000 depending on the length of the shows, which can range anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes long.

By 2020, 82 percent of consumer internet traffic will be video, Cisco reports. This is an attempt to attract that audience and keep the retention of Facebook users high. It also keeps the service in the running with advertisers alongside rivals such as Snapchat, YouTube, and major television networks.

Facebook is already the default destination for sharing personal experiences, information, and customer outreach for businesses. By adding original TV shows and movies, it hopes users will have another reason to stay on the service longer. Ads will run for both long-form and short-term shows, with creators receiving 55 percent of the revenue.

Facebook says that creators will have free reign to stream and sell their content on external platforms after a set period of time. The option to go live on Facebook is still available for news publishers and personal users.

Lost your Android phone? Here are three apps to help track down and retrieve it

Updated on 05-24-2017 by Carlos Vega to include Android Device Manager.

No matter how cautious people are with their electronic devices, everyone’s endured the awful experience of losing a smartphone –after all, it happens to the best of us. Whether it occurs after a raucous night out with friends, or you’ve had the unlucky experience of running into a skilled pickpocket, it’s always a drag to reach for your digital friend only to come up empty.

Luckily for Android users, there are a range of applications and programs specifically designed for the tracking down and locating a lost or stolen smartphone. To help you sift through the sea of available options, we’ve compiled this list of the absolute best methods for finding and retrieving lost Android devices.

Note: Digital Trends doesn’t condone the use of these phone trackers for anything other than locating a lost or stolen Android phone. While these apps work wonders for finding a wayward phone, it’s never cool to be a creep. Please use sound judgment when employing the services of the following programs.

Find My Device

Features:

• Track your phone via GPS
• Erase your phone remotely
• Remotely play a sound
• Lock your phone remotely

Google’s Find My Device app is a must-have for Android users. The app is simple to use, and all you have to do to get started is download it from the Play Store. After you install the app, it will ask you to log in, and to make sure Location is turned on. Once the app is installed and running, you will be able to locate your device, assuming it’s turned on and connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data.

To track your device, go to android.com/find in any browser, whether on your computer or another smartphone. If your lost device has access to the internet, location is on, and Find My Device is running, you will be able to locate it. One of the great features here is that you can lock the device and write a message with an accompanying phone number. That way if someone finds or has your device, all they have to do is press the Call Me button on the screen to call the specified phone number. You can also choose to play a sound or erase the phone remotely if you have no other choice.

Remember that if you track your phone using a browser, however, you will have to log in to your Google account. If you logged in from someone else’s smartphone or desktop browser, then you’ll want to log out of all your accounts when finished. If you leave your account logged in, anyone with access to that computer will be able to track your smartphone. The app only takes a minute to install and set up, and because it is so easy to use, it should be your first choice for finding a lost Android device.

Download now from:

Google Play

Find My Android Phone!

Features:

• See the GPS location of your phone via the app’s built-in map
• Keep tabs on missing or lost phones with real-time updates
• Receive navigational assistance from the app when locating a phone
• Delete any messages from a tracked phone

Family Safety Productions’ app Find My Android Phone! makes it incredibly easy to find a stolen or lost Android phones with its superior tracking technology. Perhaps one of its greatest features is that the application allows users to track the cell phones of any family member who syncs their phone to the program — though, we don’t condone the act of spying on spouses or loved ones unless necessary. When hunting down a lost or stolen phone, the application provides real-time location updates, which constantly change as the phone in question moves. The app also provides accurate GPS directions, and relies on its triangulation algorithm to produce a spot-on location.

The application’s easy-to-use website allows for quick viewing of all synced phones, and also provides the same real-time mapping as the application. Considering that the app is free, Find My Android Phone! remains one of the best options for locating your Android device after it’s either fallen victim to a long night on the town, or become the object of a thief’s obsession.

Download now from:

Google Play

Lost Android

Features:

• Read sent and received SMS messages via your computer
• Wipe your phone or SD card’s memory remotely
• Start a flashing screen alarm on the phone
• Forward any calls to a desired number of your choice
• Start and stop your device’s Wi-Fi and GPS functions
• Locate your phone via a GPS or network connection

Lost Android — or Android Lost, depending on the webpage — is a fantastic app, one that excels when it comes to finding your lost Android device. Although the Android app is technically still in beta, it still manages to provide users an incredible amount of features and benefits, many of which remain exclusive to this impressive app.

For starters, users have the ability to automatically forward any SMS messages received on their phone to their email inbox, and even have the option of sending SMS messages directly from their computer. Lost Android also allows users to activate a remote-controlled alarm, even if your phone is in “Silent Mode.” Moreover, the app allows users to wipe any content from a lost phone, forward all calls sent to the phone, and produce a pop-up message that lets any would-be thieves know to return the device ASAP.

Like Find My Android Phone!, Lost Android doesn’t cost a dime to download, and the fact it affords its users a laundry list of available benefits makes it an attractive solution for find your phone.

Download now from:

Google Play

Beyond Zero supercools your booze to make frozen liquor ice cubes in minutes

Why it matters to you

This is the only ice cube maker that makes your drinks stronger instead of weaker as the cubes melt.

It’s one of the great quandaries of life that everyone must ponder and try to arrive at their own answer: Should you add ice to a drink and risk watering it down, or should you battle on with a drink that’s marginally warmer than you’d like it to be?

Such a first-world problem is what a Kentucky-based startup is trying to solve with its new Beyond Zero system. Having officially debuted this month at the 2017 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, the Beyond Zero system allows you to combine the best of both worlds — by making ice cubes not out of water, but out of alcohol instead.

“We developed the world’s first ever machine to freeze liquor into ice cubes so you can enjoy a cool cocktail without diluting the taste of the underlying spirit,” founder, inventor, and all-round happy hour savior Jason Sherman told Digital Trends. “Since it’s so cold, it masks the heat of high-proof spirits like whiskey, tequila, or vodka, and smooths out the taste.”

Sherman’s heartwarming story began back in Miami, where he was a scotch and bourbon drinker, with barely an invention to his name. “Like a lot of other people out there I got tired of my small luxury experience always being watered down and decided to make a machine to solve the problem,” he said.

Technically, the Beyond Zero system is actually two separate gadgets in one: The Liquor Ice Maker and the Liquor Ice Storage Unit. You start out by pouring liquor into the first machine, where it’s chilled to levels way below a regular freezer using a proprietary method. This takes just a few minutes, so you won’t have to wait around making awkward small talk with your drinking buddies for several hours like you would with a normal freezer, making boring, noninebriating ice cubes. It then transfer the cubes into the Storage Unit, and keeps them frozen until they’re ready to be plopped into your drink.

You can even flex your creative muscles by combining more than one liquor together in ice, or creating ice in different colors.

“It’s available for pre-order now with first shipments expected to deliver in August,” Sherman said. “We designed the machines for commercial venues like bars, hotels, restaurants, and casinos, but we also got approvals for home use. Overall, we think it’s a fun, easy-to-use machine for anyone that wants to elevate their cocktail experience.”

How to deal with Gear VR overheating

These tips ought to help if your phone overheats while playing Gear VR.

There are few things quite as frustrating as being in the middle of an awesome VR game and having your phone overheat and shut everything down. Gear VR can overheat, and when it does, it’s never at an opportune time. Thankfully there are a fair few ways that you can get around this problem, and we’ve got the details on them.

Read more at VRHeads.com

A friendly reminder that Android TV is getting a much-needed overhaul

A better home screen and Google Assistant are coming to Android TV — all things announced at I/O in an effort to persuade you to adopt the platform.

There was a bevy of exciting announcements revealed during the keynote at Google I/O 2017, but one of the quieter sleeper hits was the news that Android TV would receive a much-anticipated makeover. In a lengthy blogpost, Google expanded on some of the enhancements and how it plans to make its Android-based living room platform worth adopting into the home:

The new Android TV home screen organizes video content into channels and programs in a way that’s familiar to TV viewers. Each Android TV app can publish multiple channels, which are represented as rows of programs on the home screen. Apps add relevant programs on each channel, and update these programs and channels as users access content or when new content is available. To help engage users, programs can include a video preview, which is automatically played when a user focuses on a program. Users can configure which channels they wish to see on the home screen, and the ordering of channels, so the themes and shows they’re interested in are quick and easy to access.

The top of the new Android TV home screen interface will also include a quick launch bar with your favorite apps, as well as a Watch Next channel, which exists to help you find just that. The latter will feature programs and shows that are based on your own viewing habits, so it should theoretically become more accurate in its suggestions overtime.

Your new Home screen on Android TV.

Google Assistant is also making its way over to Android TV later this year. You’ll be able to use it in the same manner that you do with a smartphone or Google Home when it arrives and it will launch first in the U.S. on Android devices running Marshmallow, Nougat, and Android O.

If you’re a developer curious to get into the trenches, Google’s set up an entire Android TV Developer page on Google+ for your edification.

Instagram is hedging its bets on becoming your go-to messaging platform

The latest additions to the image sharing platform add landscape and portrait photos to Direct messages, in addition to link sharing.

If you would have told me that Instagram would be the go-to social network five years ago, I would have scoffed. But things have really evolved for the app since then, and lately it seems to be undergoing a bit of a renaissance due in part to the multitude of updates.

Today’s update brings with it landscape and portrait photos to Instagram Direct. On the surface, this is a fairly boring, yawn-worthy update, and though it will make direct messages between you and your friends a bit more dynamic, it’s not exactly meant to overhaul your Instagram experience in a meaningful way. But if you use Instagram now and already have a bustling network of friends you chat with on a daily basis, you may find you’ll use it more often, especially now that you have the knowledge of its ability to share links and one-off photos without all the noise of the perpetual feed and the fake news that often floods social networks like Facebook.

Instagram has added direct links in Direct messages.

Instagram has also added support for links in its Direct messages so that you can easily send a link you’re perusing in the Twitter app, for instance. The link functionality will extend to phone numbers and addresses, too, so if the app is your primary method of socializing, you can rest easy knowing it’s possible to have everyday correspondence without having to hop into another chat app. Granted, these aren’t major features that will make or break your daily Instagram routine, but they are a valid reminder that in the social network race, it’s anyone’s game. Instagram is ensuring it stays ahead by offering what its users want, even if it is evolving away from its original objective.

The update is hitting iPhones right now and Android phones later, though links in Direct messages are already available with the latest Android app update.

OnePlus 3T is being discontinued to make way for the OnePlus 5

You’ll soon no longer be able to buy a OnePlus 3T, but that’s not a bad thing.

OnePlus is so, so ready to launch the OnePlus 5. The company has announced that the OnePlus 3T, its latest flagship, has reached the end of its production life, and will only be sold until current stock runs out.

A lot has happened since we launched the OnePlus 3T back in November of last year. We were thrilled by the response our device received both in the media, and by our users around the world. It’s been far and away our most successful device yet, and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Rest assured that we’ll continue to bring more software updates and support to the OnePlus 3 and 3T.

This is the last call to buy the OnePlus 3T before stock runs out. Only a few devices are left in our warehouse, so purchase yours before time runs out at onepl.us/3T

This doesn’t mean the end of software or security updates for the OnePlus 3 and 3T, just that, being a small company, OnePlus wants to focus its entire manufacturing line on the OnePlus 5, which is coming in June.

OnePlus is doing everything right lately

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

Freelancers wanted: This is your chance to join the value-obsessed Thrifter team!

If you have the gift for thrift and are passionate about finding innovative ways to save and make money, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

You’ve likely noticed the Thrifter name accompanying tech deals content published on Android Central this year, but we haven’t really paused to talk about what Thrifter is and where it’s going. To be frank, that’s because we weren’t ready to. Now we are and we’re super excited to start spreading the word as we get closer to our official launch.

While Thrifter has primarily been in the pre-alpha stage covering daily tech deals to date, our ambition and vision for Thrifter is much, much grander. Behind the scenes we’ve been building a superstar team, attracting top talent from deals and recommendation sites like The Wirecutter and 9to5Toys. Our product and brand teams have also been hustling, and we’ll soon pull the wraps off our new brand and Thrifter.com website (of course Thrifter will also live on all the social media platforms you frequent).

The Thrifter mission is simple. We think wasting money is stupid and we want to make Thrifter the resource and community you trust when it comes to financial matters in your daily life or business. We also want to make the notion of being thrifty not suck. It’s not about being dirt cheap and never spending money – it’s about making sure when you do spend money that your hard-earned dollars are stretching as far they can. It’s about living a sensible and awesome life. To that, we also want Thrifter to be as fun as it is educational. After all, being smart with your money should be celebrated!

Join The Team!

We’re looking for freelancers and volunteers to join the growing Thrifter team. Various positions are available across a number of verticals – if you have a deep expertise in a subject as it relates to making financial decisions and want to share that expertise with others, we want to hear from you.

Hit the link below to learn more about the opportunities available. While being able to produce content for publication is part of the job, we’re really looking for people who are obsessive about living the Thrifter lifestyle.

Come work with us!

Learn More

Draft bill gives the government power to control your drone

Drones have been the focus of many security initiatives, like the “sky fence” in the Channel Islands that jams pilot signals to stop drones from bringing contraband into the prison. Remotely piloted aircraft can also be a force for good, like in Africa where drones are being used to stop poaching. In the US, you may not have to register your personal drones with the FAA anymore, but you might not want to fly them where they’re not allowed. New draft legislation from the Trump administration would authorize the government to track, take control of, and destroy drones that the government thinks pose a threat to specially designated areas. In addition, courts would be unable to hear lawsuits arising from such activity.

The 10-page document with proposed legislation obtained by The New York Times was reportedly circulated through various congressional committees this week. The administration also put together a classified briefing on the topic for congressional staff members, according to an aide. The draft bill is part of the National Defense Authorization Act and contains some sweeping language around what the government could do in these specially designated areas. The bill would allow the government to “detect, identify, monitor or track, without prior consent, an unmanned aircraft,” or system. It also includes language allowing officials to “redirect, disable, disrupt control of, exercise control of, seize, or confiscate” the aircraft as well as any cargo attached. The proposed legislation would also give the government the power to “use reasonable force to disable, disrupt, damage or destroy” a drone or it’s cargo, as well as to conduct research on any equipment to figure out ways to do all of the above.

As most drone incidents happen in prohibited airspace by drone pilots who don’t abide by the FAA rules, such legislation isn’t too surprising. The currently proposed regulations would give the federal government much more leeway in dealing with remotely piloted drones when and if they find their way into protected air space.

Via: Giga Law

Source: The New York Times

Class-action suit alleges GM cheated emissions test

Yet another automaker has potentially been caught trying to cheat on its EPA emissions tests. Following VW’s “diesel-gate” SNAFU in 2015 and the Justice Department going after Fiat-Chrysler just last week, GM on Thursday found itself the defendant in a class-action suit over its alleged use of “defeat devices” similar to those used by VW.

The suit, filed in federal court in Detroit, is on behalf of more than 705,000 people who bought or leased Chevy “Duramax” Silverado and Sierra trucks between 2011 and 2016. It alleges that the company employed three different “defeat devices” to bypass state and federally mandated emissions tests and that these vehicles actually produce between two and five times the legal limit of NOx gas.

GM has denied the charges’ validity, calling the lawsuit “baseless”. A group of law firms, including Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (which was involved in the VW case), filed the suit.

Via: Business Insider

Source: Reuters