The Morning After: Wednesday, June 28th 2017

Welcome to your humpday. Amazon is offering cheaper smartphones (with a caveat) and we explain how electric is going to kill the gas station. Oh, and Google got slammed with a $2.7 billion fine in Europe.

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Makeover.
Google News has a new look

The first Google News redesign in years is subtle but effective. You’ll notice it has a modernized card-style layout instead of the old Google search-results setup. Related topics are grouped together, and tags help readers dive deep into stories. Since it’s 2017, there’s also a dedicated block for fact checking and filters to help you customize your personal bubble.

Vehicles of the future will charge almost everywhere.
The rise of electric cars will kill the gas station

Gas stations are a lifeline. They fuel our cars and us, too — whether it’s with lukewarm coffee on the morning commute or the salty-sweet buffet on a road trip. While it’s going to be a long time before the handy service station disappears (everybody needs to pee, right?), its days are numbered — because electric cars are going to change everything.

Lock-screen ads are standard.
Amazon’s Prime Exclusive lineup expands with new phones

If you’re looking for a cheap unlocked phone, Amazon has a few ideas. Nokia 6 and Moto E4 are new options joined by Alcatel’s IDOL 5S, A50 and A30 Plus in the Prime Exclusive lineup that cuts between $30 and $80 off of their already low prices for buyers willing to live with a few additional ads.

Token works with an impressive list of partners.
A biometric ring could replace your passwords, cards and keys

Smart rings aren’t a novel idea — there are plenty of fitness tracking, notification-sending, payment or even protective finger ornaments around. But none have the ability to identify you and authorize your transactions wherever you go. That is, until Token hits the market. It’s a biometric ring that can be used to open house doors, start cars, make credit card transactions and sign in to your computer. Is it one size fits all, however?

Guilty of manipulating search results to promote its own products.
EU fines Google a record $2.7 billion for abusing product searches

The European Commission’s long-running investigation into Google has finally come to an end, and it’s not good news for the search giant. The company has been fined €2.42 billion ($2.72 billion) for unfairly directing users to its own products over those of its rivals — and it’s the biggest financial penalty the Commission has ever handed out.

A number of targets, including banks and power companies, have been hit.Large-scale cyberattack is spreading through Russia and Ukraine (updated)

Cyberattacks have affected banking operations in Ukraine and will likely lead to some flight delays out of the country’s Boryspil airport, but the attacks don’t seem to have impacted services on a grander scale. In Russia, Rosneft said on Twitter it had switched to a reserve control system, so oil production hadn’t stopped. There are also reports that a ransomware called “Petya” is ravaging a number of countries throughout Europe, but it’s still unclear if the “unknown virus” reported to be affecting the Ukrainian and Russian companies is the same one. The origins of yesterday’s attacks, which have hit both Ukrainian and Russian infrastructure, aren’t yet known.

Really!
You can buy the OnePlus 5 right now for $479

The latest OnePlus phone continues its reputation for powerful Android devices with mid-range pricing, and now you can actually order it. The OnePlus 5 is on sale and shipping now (at least the base model is, upgrading to 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage will mean a short wait), so you can grab hold of its dual rear cameras and Snapdragon 835 CPU.

But wait, there’s more…

• A city covered in trees will fight air pollution in China
• Aston Martin’s all-electric RapidE supercar launches in 2019
• Facebook has more than 2 billion monthly users
• Yahoo gives Mail a makeover and introduces Yahoo Mail Pro
• AMD and NVIDIA go after Bitcoin miners with new video cards

Vivo beats Apple to an under-display fingerprint scanner

There have been rumours of Apple exploring under-display fingerprint scanning technology, but you probably didn’t expect the first of such demos to come from China. At MWC Shanghai, Qualcomm announced its latest ultrasonic fingerprint solution, with the new highlights being its integration underneath OLED displays (up to 1.2mm-thick), as well as working fine even when the device is immersed in water. As before, this tech can tolerate dirt and sweat on skin better than its capacitive counterpart, and it also works underneath metal and glass (duh) but with increased penetration — up to 800um for glass and up to 650um for aluminum, as opposed to the old 400um for either material.

Even though it was Xiaomi who got to use Qualcomm’s previous-gen “Sense ID” solution on its Mi 5s, this time the chip maker is letting Vivo get first dibs. Over at Vivo’s booth, I got to play with a prototype — based on the existing Xplay6 — fitted with Qualcomm’s under-display fingerprint scanner. The demo started off with a familiar fingerprint registration process, except I had to place my finger on a marked area on the screen, which was just above the old fingerprint button. Once done, I was able to unlock the phone by touching that same spot using my registered finger; and just to be sure, I tried with my other fingers which fortunately failed to unlock the device.

While the solution seemed to work as advertised, I found the fingerprint recognition speed to be noticeably slower — about one second between first touch and entering home screen — than the near-instantaneous unlock that I’m used to on most recent smartphones. I was also slightly disappointed by how small the recognition area was. That said, Vivo’s demonstrators told me that in theory, the same sensing technology could be applied across the entire screen, but that would significantly increase production cost; instead, Vivo might eventually cover just the bottom half of the screen, which would still be better than what the demo offered.

In another demo, the company applied the same ultrasonic tech to a spot on the back of the phone’s metallic body, thus allowing the phone to be unlocked even when placed in water. Since this unlock method could be associated with the camera app, this could come in handy for those moments when you want to take underwater photos or videos while in shallow water. But of course, other companies have solved this use case with a physical shutter button (Sony) or squeeze detection (HTC).

The Vivo reps couldn’t provide a timeline as to when we’ll start seeing this tech on their devices, but according to Qualcomm, its solution will come in two waves. “Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Glass and Metal” can be integrated into devices powered by Snapdragon 660 and 630, and it’ll start shipping to OEMs this month. As for the more advanced “Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors for Display,” it’ll work with future Snapdragon platforms as well as non-Snapdragon platforms, and it’ll only start commercial sampling in Q4 this year.

The first commercial astronaut training center will be built in the UK

The government’s mission to put the UK at the forefront of commercial spaceflight has been given a big boost after plans were announced to build the world’s first private space research centre in Bedfordshire. The £120 million Blue Abyss facility will be constructed at RAF Henlow, providing domestic and international companies with access to the world’s biggest 50 metre deep pool, a 120 room hotel, an astronaut training centre and a “human performance centre” that will help divers, astronauts and athletes train at the very top level.

The base, which is set to fully close in 2020, already houses some of the facilities that paid-for astronauts need to acclimatise to the rigours of space. Its centrifuge base, for example, will expose space-goers to extreme G forces as part of their commercial astronaut training programme. The idea is to provide the necessary services needed by private spaceflight providers to get their passengers launch ready.

The pool, which will be three times deeper than NASA’s 12 metre Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), won’t just be used for space projects. Offshore oil, gas and renewable companies will be invited to test their equipment in Blue Abyss’ waters. Submersibles will also be welcome, allowing companies to test underwater vehicles in “extreme environments.”

The announcement comes at a key time. Just last week, the UK government announced new legislation to secure the growth of UK’s space industry. The Space Industry Bill paves the way for the development of the UK’s first spaceports and lays the groundwork for vertically-launched rocket, space plane and satellite launches in the near future.

The government originally earmarked eight locations for the first UK spaceport back in 2014. Six were in Scotland, with Wales and England potentially offering one apiece. That list has been whittled down, with Newquay, Cornwall now believed to be the number one choice.

Development of the Blue Abyss facility — designed by Robin Partington, the man behind London’s Gherkin tower — will likely begin at the end of the year and begin operations in 2019. It’ll provide up to 160 jobs when it opens, including an on-site specialist diving team.

Via: Blue Abyss Press Release, BBC News

Source: Blue Abyss

Censors pull ‘BoJack Horseman’ two days after Chinese debut

Two days after its debut on China’s iQiyi streaming service, Netflix’s critically acclaimed animated show BoJack Horseman is no longer on the platform. The move is a blow to Netflix’s ongoing attempts to gain a foothold in the region, which stretch back to 2014 when it began licensing shows to LeEco. Seeing as strict regulation has kept western streaming giants from entering into China, Netflix’s deal with iQiyi (unveiled in April) was seen as a viable alternative.

The Beijing-based video streaming service (a subsidiary of Baidu) told Bloomberg that “adjustments need to be made” to the show before it can be restored to its site, which could mean that its mix of dark comedy and earnest commentary didn’t go down well with the country’s censors. Netflix shows were added to iQiyi on 19 June, and its other shows (including originals Chef’s Table and Making a Murderer) are still available.

A “sadcom” about the exploits of a melancholy, anthropomorphic horse and his group of human and animal friends, BoJack’s mature themes and quirky nature make it an easy target for cuts. On the other hand, China remains a tough market to crack for overseas programme providers as even tame US shows — such as the non-offensive, long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory — have been taken off the air. Just last year, China’s government issued TV broadcasting guidelines that banned everything from teenage lovers to depictions of characters drinking to drown their troubles. It’s weird that Netflix somehow thought a show about a sad, drunken horse would get the green light in the present atmosphere.

Whether there will be any sort of outcry over BoJack’s sudden removal from the web remains to be seen. The show has reportedly built a cult fanbase online, with Chinese social media users regularly sharing memes and screenshots from the show. Perhaps Netflix needs to have a word with its hostile competitor Hollywood (an industry that knows a thing or two about China’s strict censorship rules) to figure out how to play ball before more of its shows goes dark.

Source: Bloomberg

Vivo Unveils Screen-Embedded Fingerprint Sensor Technology at MWC2017 Shanghai

As predicted, Vivo showcased fingerprint sensor technology embedded in a smartphone screen on Wednesday at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Shanghai. The ‘Under Display Fingerprint Scanning Solution’ is based on Qualcomm technology and was demonstrated running on prototype devices based on the existing Vivo Xplay 6 phone.

Vivo claimed the under-display fingerprint solution, which doesn’t require a physical button for the sensor, is “the first to be demonstrated by a smartphone manufacturer”. The technology enables the use of a “true full-screen display and an integrated unibody and mechanical waterproofing design”, said the company.

“In Vivo’s R&D plan, fingerprint scanning will not be carried out by an independent button or region. It will be realised more subtly under the screen, behind the metal shell, or even in the frame.

“Based on ultrasonic technology, the fingerprint recognition technology can be further expanded to realize user interaction, such as gesture recognition, security verification and other fields, which will greatly enhance user experience.”

Vivo told Engadget that while the fingerprint scanning function was limited to a small region on the prototype devices, in theory the same sensing technology could be applied across the entire screen, but that it would significantly increase production cost.

Following the unveiling, Qualcomm issued a press release announcing the development of new fingerprint scanners that work through displays, thick glass, and metal, with underwater operation, heartbeat and blood flow detection.

“We are excited to announce Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors because they can be designed to support sleeker, cutting-edge form factors, unique mobile authentication experiences, and enhanced security authentication,” said Seshu Madhavapeddy, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This provides OEMs and operators with the ability to offer truly distinct, differentiated devices with added value on truly groundbreaking new devices.”

Qualcomm claimed the technology was capable of scanning through OLED display stacks “of up to 1200um”, and was the first commercially announced to scan through up to 800 µm of cover glass and up to 650 µm of aluminum, an improvement over the previous generation’s 400 µm capability for glass or metal. The company said it had designed the technology as an integrated solution with Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms, and as standalone sensors that can be used with other non-Snapdragon platforms.

Qualcomm said the fingerprint sensors for glass and metal will be available to OEMs this month and should arrive in commercial devices in the first half of 2018. The sensors for displays are expected to be available to OEMs for evaluation in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Apple’s upcoming “iPhone 8” is rumored to include a fingerprint-sensing display, but the company has reportedly faced significant challenges in its efforts to develop the technology for its radically redesigned flagship device, due to release in the fall.

Apple is currently in a major legal battle with Qualcomm over its LTE modems, so it seems unlikely the company would consider offering its technology for inclusion in future iPhones. However, the announcement at least demonstrates that the technology is viable, which lends further credence to reports that Apple has perfected its own screen-embedded fingerprint recognition solution. The technology will give Apple’s OLED iPhone a significant advantage over its biggest rival, Samsung, which is expected to stick with a rear fingerprint scanner for this year’s Galaxy Note 8.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 8 and more traditional “iPhone 7s” and “iPhone 7s Plus” models around the usual September timeframe for iPhone updates, although rumors have suggested supplies of the more expensive OLED handset could be tight for up to several months after the official debut.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
Tags: Qualcomm, MWC17, Vivo
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Urban Armor Gear Announces Metropolis Cases for 10.5 & 12.9-Inch iPad Pro

Urban Armor Gear (UAG) has announced the launch of its new Metropolis Series Cases designed for Apple’s new 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The Metropolis cases meet U.S. military specification standards for 360-degree comprehensive protection from drops and shocks, with an impact-resistant soft core and a tactile non-slip exterior grip.

A smart cover protects the iPad Pro’s screen and functions as a multi-position stand, while corner bumpers provide extra drop protection for the tablet’s display.

The cases also come with onboard storage for an Apple Pencil, and the smart cover is removable which ensures the cases are compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard. Elsewhere, the oversized ports and cutouts provide plenty of space for attaching third-party cables and accessories.

The Metropolis Series Case costs $59.95 for the iPad Pro 10.5-inch and $89.95 for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch. Both cases come in Black, Red, and Cobalt, and can be ordered off the Urban Armor Gear (UAG) website.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: Urban Armor Gear
Buyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Buy Now), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Buy Now)
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Qualcomm Now Facing Lawsuit From U.S Regulators in Addition to Ongoing Apple Feud

In January, the United States Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against Qualcomm that accused the company of using anticompetitive tactics to remain the dominant supplier of baseband processors for smartphones, violating the FTC Act. This week, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose, California ruled that the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm can proceed, forcing the supplier to face legal battles both from U.S. regulators and in an ongoing $1 billion lawsuit from Apple (via Reuters).

Judge Koh denied Qualcomm’s motion to dismiss the FTC’s lawsuit, because the FTC had so far “adequately alleged” anticompetitive tactics were being used by Qualcomm. Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, said that the “FTC will have the burden to prove its claims, which we continue to believe are without merit.”

The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc can proceed, a federal judge ruled late on Monday, meaning the iPhone chip supplier must now wage a fight with U.S. regulators even as it contests a separate $1 billion lawsuit filed by Apple Inc.

The FTC highlighted Qualcomm’s “no license, no chips” policy under which the San Diego company refuses to sell chips unless customers also sign a patent license agreement and pay Qualcomm fees. Qualcomm refused to grant licenses to its rivals in order to keep a monopoly, the FTC alleged.

Although a final ruling is still far away, Rosenberg mentioned that Qualcomm looks forward to “further proceedings in which we will be able to develop a more accurate factual record.” In response to the FTC’s original complaint from January, Qualcomm cited a “flawed legal theory, a lack of economic support, and significant misconceptions about the mobile technology industry” in its first legal defense.

For Apple’s lawsuit, the Cupertino company sued Qualcomm for $1 billion days after the FTC filed its first complaint in January, arguing the company had charged unfair royalties for “technologies they have nothing to do with.” As the case continued throughout the year, in mid June Apple broadened its claims against Qualcomm, stating that Qualcomm wrongly bases its royalties on a percentage of the entire iPhone’s value, despite supplying just a single component of the device.

Referred to as Qualcomm’s “double dipping, extra reward system,” Apple argued that these tactics were the same kind that the U.S. Supreme Court recently forbade in a lawsuit between Lexmark and a small company reselling its printer cartridges. After Qualcomm set its sights on four major Apple suppliers for failing to pay royalties on the use of Qualcomm’s technology in the assembly of Apple’s devices, Apple said that Qualcomm had revealed “its true bullying nature.”

Tags: Qualcomm, lawsuits
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Sony A1 OLED 4K TV review: Back to OLED with a bang

While ultra-expensive Sony OLED screens have long enjoyed an enviable reputation in the professional video mastering world, the brand hasn’t dipped its toes into the consumer OLED market since it launched a miniscule 11-inch model back in 2008. Until now.

For 2017 Sony has finally re-entered the OLED TV world in a big way. Literally. Its new A1 series of OLED TVs come in 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch versions, with each screen squeezing in a 4K-resolution pixel count.

As you’d expect of a premium TV range these days (the A1’s starting price is £3,500 for the 55-inch model under scrutiny here), the 4K native screen resolution is backed up by support for high dynamic range (HDR) technology and an innovative, attractive design.

In fact, Sony claims that part of the reason it’s taken so long to jump back in with an OLED TV is that it’s only now felt able to contribute enough of its own design and performance DNA to stand out from the crowd. Does this ring true?

Sony KD-55A1 review: Design

• 4x HDMI input
• 3x USB multimedia ports
• LAN and Wi-Fi
• Optical digital audio output

There’s never been a TV that looks quite like a Sony A1 OLED.

From the front it seems as if the only visible thing is the picture. Partly because the frame around the screen is remarkably thin and finished in a black tone that matches perfectly with the incredibly deep blacks you get with its OLED pictures (more on this later). But also because there’s no visible stand; Sony has designed the A1 like a photo frame, where the screen is supported by a fold-out rear leg.

Sony

Even more innovative is Sony’s solution for getting invisible speakers into the 55A1. Essentially, the A1’s screen is the speakers; twin exciter arrays fixed behind the OLED panel vibrate the screen to produce the TV’s sound. Sony has even come up with a way of allowing each left and right half of the screen to produce its own sound, to deliver a proper stereo effect.

The downside to the 55A1’s incredibly minimal front view is that it’s chunkier around the back than most of today’s TVs. Also, while the fold out leg support cleverly incorporates a bass speaker to underpin the innovative front speakers, the way this leg when folded in becomes a wall mount does mean wall-mounting this telly can compromise its bass performance.

Sony KD-55A1 review: Picture features

• HDR support: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision via future firmware update
• Processing engine: Sony X1 Extreme chipset, driving Triluminos and 4K X-Reality Pro systems

Using an OLED panel inside the 55A1 means that every one of its 3840 x 2160 pixels can produce its own light and colour, independent of its neighbours. AV fans have long been aware of the positive impact this can have on contrast, versus LCD TVs that share external light sources across multiple pixels.

The 55A1’s images are powered by Sony’s X1 Extreme engine – which just so happens to be the most powerful processing system Sony has ever created. Among its highlights is a dual-database system that compares incoming sub-4K content against a built-in treasure trove of Sony’s TV experience to deliver better noise reduction and improved upscaling on the fly.

Sony

The X1 Extreme processor also gives you Sony’s gorgeous Triluminos colour management, which continues to serve up class-leading tonal subtleties amid consistently spectacular rich tones. Sony’s unique and brilliant Super Bitmapping system is worth a mention too, for the way it removes colour striping from HDR sources of the sort that sometimes infiltrate HDR playback from most if not all other TV brands.

X1 Extreme also gives us arguably the finest motion processing in the TV world, Sony’s Motionflow system, as well as being powerful enough to add support for the premium Dolby Vision advanced HDR system (that’ll be via a firmware update later this year). Right now the A1 can handle playback of the industry standard HDR10 format, and the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR platform broadcasters are expected to start using soon.

Sony KD-55A1 review: Smart features

• Smart systems supported: Android TV, YouView

The 55A1’s smart interface and features are the classic game of two halves.

In the losing half is Android TV. Google’s supposedly TV-friendly interface is cumbersome, often sluggish, almost immune to customisation, pretty much hopeless at streamlining access to your favourite content, and possesses almost no understanding of the sort of content most people actually want to find on a TV rather than a smartphone. It’s prone to crashing, too.

In the winning half is YouView. This is designed to streamline access to the catch-up TV platforms of the UK’s key terrestrial broadcasters, including The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Particularly welcome is the way it lets you access shows you may have missed by including them in an electronic programme guide that scrolls back through time as well as forwards.

One final note worth adding is that the 55A1’s Netflix and Amazon apps both support 4K and HDR streams.

Sony KD-55A1 Review: Picture quality

For the vast majority of the time, the 55A1’s pictures look nothing short of beautiful.

Colours, for starters, are exquisite in their presentation of rich, vivid tones with more of the blend finesse and tonal subtlety that’s become a Triluminos trademark in recent years. Actually, Triluminos works even better than usual here, due partly to the power of the X1 Extreme chipset, and partly due to OLED’s ability to stick rich, bright colours right next to deep, natural blacks.

Sony

In fact, with shots that combine dark areas with bright areas the A1’s colours look richer than those of Samsung’s QLED TVs, despite those LCD-based sets supporting measurably higher colour volumes. This is because the OLED technology means there’s no saturation-sapping backlight pollution hanging over the colours in such mixed scenes.

The 55A1’s black level performance really is stunning too. The darkest parts of the darkest images appear without so much as a hint of greyness or blueness, leaving them looking natural and immersive.

Sony KD-55A1 review: Black level prowess

Even better, despite this being Sony’s first OLED TV for years, the 55A1 avoids a couple of common OLED black level problems.

First, it ensures there’s no sudden “stepping” of brightness when the picture requires pixels to go from full black to marginally brighter than full black. Second, there’s lots of subtle detail in dark areas, which means they don’t start to look like empty back holes.

Sony

The 55A1 also benefits from OLED’s ability to be watched from far wider angles than any LCD TVs without suffering any drop-off in colour saturation or contrast.

If you’ve still got any lingering doubts over whether a 55-inch TV can deliver the benefits of a native 4K resolution, the 55A1 puts you straight. Its beautiful colour and light controls enable it to pick out every last pixel in a 4K image without any pollution from the colour or light of the pixels next door, and you can feel this clarity in every frame of a high quality native 4K source.

Sony KD-55A1 review: Strong upscaling

That’s not to say that the 55A1 can’t also make HD sources look good. Sony’s X1 Extreme upscaling engine sets the bar for accurately injecting the millions of extra pixels required to make an HD image a 4K one.

Sealing the 55A1’s clarity is its brilliant motion handling. Even if you’d rather not use its Motionflow processing, it handles movement and camera pans exceptionally cleanly. There’s really no harm in trying Motionflow on its Standard or True Cinema settings, though, as these both reduce judder without generating many of the shimmering, twitching side effects associated with most motion processing engines.

Sony

While beautiful, the 55A1’s pictures aren’t perfect. There’s a slight tendency to flare out in the brightest areas of HDR pictures (standard dynamic range ones, though, actually do look pretty much perfect), and pictures aren’t as bright as they ideally would be.

This latter issue means that HDR pictures don’t look quite as balanced, bold and life-like in their luminance levels as they do on some rival premium sets. Especially premium LCD sets, but also other 2017 OLED models including LG’s 2017 range and Loewe’s Bild 7.

Many video enthusiasts may well consider this slightly muted brightness a relatively small price to pay for the 55A1’s prowess in other areas (the “OLED + Sony processing = take my money” equation has been doing the rounds in AV circles for years). Especially if they’re looking for a set to go into a relatively dark room, or a TV they want to be at its best with the lights dimmed for a serious movie viewing session.

Sony KD-55A1 Review: Sound quality

• Speaker configuration: 10W x 5 (including four flat surface exciters, and a subwoofer)

While there’s no doubt the 55A1’s Acoustic Surface technology is as clever as hell, it’s surely too much to hope that it might also sound good, right? Wrong.

Sony

Right away the 55A1 impresses with the raw power of its sound, pumping out a sound stage big enough to fill a big room. There’s plenty of precision within the power too. Details in a sound mix aren’t just delivered cleanly and punchily, they’re also placed in the right place onscreen with almost uncanny accuracy. So much so that when people of different heights are talking within a shot, their voices actually seem to be coming from different heights.

The sound expands comfortably beyond the edges of the TV’s frame too, for added immersion, and voices always sound rounded and well contextualised within their backgrounds.

Bass levels are better than expected too, thanks to that subwoofer in the lean-to stand. However, as might be expected with a flat surface exciter audio system, if the 55A1’s audio is pushed hard with a particularly dense sound mix at high volumes, it can occasionally become overwhelmed and collapse into a sudden drop out, loud buzz or distracting crackle.

Verdict

The 55A1 is almost everything you could want from an OLED TV. It looks stunning, is packed with the sort of innovation and uniqueness that Sony is increasingly striving for these days, and best of all produces some genuinely beautiful pictures and strong sound quality.

Just bear in mind that while lovely, its pictures aren’t the brightest around. So despite OLED’s outstanding contrast capabilities, the A1 doesn’t sell HDR quite as explosively as some rivals, and may not be your best bet for a really bright room.

Sony is back in the OLED market with a bang.

The alternatives to consider

Pocket-lint

LG OLED55E6

• £2,000

This incredibly designed 2016 55-inch OLED TV from LG is still widely available, and at a heavily discounted price. While it’s a great OLED option if you want to save money, though, it lacks a little brightness, and isn’t as sophisticated with its image processing as the Sony 55A1.

Read the full article: LG OLED E6 review

Sony KD-65ZD9

Sony

• £3,299

If you can cope with its extra 10 inches of screen size, this flagship Sony LCD TV serves up a much punchier, brighter HDR picture than the A1 that’s better suited to a typical bright living room environment. It’s also now much cheaper than it was when it launched late in 2016.

Read the full article: Sony ZD9 review

Uber Users Can Now ‘Request a Ride for a Loved One’

Uber yesterday introduced a new ride-hailing feature in its mobile app that lets users request a ride for a friend or family member in a different location.

Uber announced the news in a blog post on its website, suggesting the feature would let users “request a ride for a loved one” such as a senior with limited mobility.

Now, when you set the pickup away from your current location, we’ll automatically ask whether the ride is for a family member or friend. You can then select the rider from your address book, set their destination, and request the ride on their behalf.

Once the ride is on its way, the loved one receives a text message with the driver’s details and a link to track their route. The feature also includes an option for the rider to contact the driver directly, and vice versa.

The feature is available now in over 30 countries, with more coming soon, according to Uber. The Uber app is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Uber
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Pandora exits Australia and New Zealand to become a U.S.-only service

Why it matters to you

The news coming out of the company this week is another indication of just how tough the competition still is in the music streaming space.

Pandora is calling it a day in Australia and New Zealand.

The Oakland, California-based music streaming company will shutter its service  in the two countries — the only markets outside of the U.S. where it operates — in the next few weeks.

A spokesperson for Pandora said it needed to concentrate its efforts on its main block of users, though pointed out that it’s not abandoning all hope of moving back into international markets at a later date.

“While our experience in these markets reinforces the broader global opportunity long-term, in the short-term we must remain laser-focused on the expansion of our core business in the United States,” Pandora told Billboard.

The news comes in the same week that Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren stepped down as CEO after less than two years in the job. Two other executives have also left the company as it takes steps to “refocus and reinforce Pandora,” according to board member Roger Faxon.

The 17-year-old company has been struggling in recent years in the face of tough competition from rivals, particularly big hitters in the space such as Spotify and Apple Music.

While Pandora grew rapidly in its early years as an internet radio service, since 2014 its active user base has been stuck around the 81-million mark, with around 5 million of those thought to reside in Australia and New Zealand. But few of those 81 million users, it seems, have so far signed up to any of its recently launched paid services — Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium.

In contrast, Spotify, which offers on-demand music streaming allowing users to choose the tracks they listen to, continues to grow its global base of paying subscribers, reaching 50 million in March after adding 10 million in just the previous five months.  Spotify’s overall user base, which includes those using its free, ad-supported tier, comprises more than 100 million users. Meanwhile, Apple Music, which launched in 2015, reached 20 million paying subscribers toward the end of last year.

Pandora will hope its restructuring efforts announced this week will be enough to turn the company around. A recent $480 million investment by satellite radio company SiriusXM as well as the sell-off of its ticketing business TicketFly for $200 million, may help, but winning paying subscribers back from Spotify, Apple Music and other services is among its greatest challenges.