Keep this $24 DBPower air compressor around for any flat tire emergencies

Better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it.

Is this deal for me?

This DBPower 12V DC air compressor pump is down to $24.74 with coupon code ISS2YANH on Amazon. Without the code, it sells for $33, which has been its normal street price since August.

Features include:

• Inflates a standard mid-sized car tire from 0~35 PSI in only 4.8 minutes, which is much faster than other air compressors in the market. The max pressure of the tire inflator can reach up to 150 PSI. It makes inflating low and flat tires in emergency easier and more convenient
• The tire inflator will automatically switch off once the pre-set pressure has been achieved, which makes sure your tires safely inflated and never over inflates.
• Once turned on, the bright LCD display is lighted, which is convenient for night vision. Pressure Gauge Display of the air compressor: PSI/BAR/KPA. The figures will also be easy to read when exposed under the sun with the digital display screen
• Easy access to almost all types of tires: car, bike, motorcycle, RV, SUV, ATV and also sports equipment and inflatables. Since we have included three additional nozzles and adapters in the package to make the compressor versatile and more widely-used

The air compressor has 4.6 stars based on 160 user reviews.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – This is the lowest price we’ve seen on this air compressor.
• Things to know before you buy! – Worried about not having the right tools to fix your bike? This air compressor definitely helps, but you could also get this starter tool kit from Pedro’s for all common bike problems.

See at Amazon

Happy thrifting!

Netflix’s DVD app finally makes its way to Android

Don’t worry, we also forgot that Netflix still rented out DVDs.

Before Netflix was the streaming giant that it is today, it was the king of physical DVD rentals. This rental service is still in operation as DVD.com, and Netflix finally released an Android app for it so subscribers can manage their DVD queue right from their phone.

The DVD Netflix app has been available on iOS since January of this year, and the Android version works in the exact same manner. Once you log into your account, you’ll be able to browse through titles by new releases, comedies, horror, action, etc. Hopping into your queue will allow you to see which titles you’re scheduled to receive next, which ones you currently have, and the history of DVDs and BluRays you’re previously had.

You’ll also be able to use the app for adding new titles to your queue, search through Netflix’s entire library of movies/TV shows, and get notifications for when a DVD ships.

Netflix’s DVD program starts at $4.99, and the service reportedly still has more than four million subscribers. Although it isn’t for me, this might be something worth checking out now that there’s an official app for managing everything.

Netflix is raising its prices in the U.S. – again

FCC: Local TV and radio stations don’t need local studios

The FCC is scrapping the decades-old rule requiring local TV and radio stations to maintain a studio in or near the communities they serve. Critics claim the move will benefit media conglomerates seeking consolidation, and diminish the quality of local reporting. “Technology allows broadcast stations to produce local news even without a nearby studio,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

The Commission added that social media, the internet, and email are now the primary forms of communication between listeners and local broadcasters, rendering the main studio rule “outdated.” Still, stations must have a local, toll-free telephone number to ensure their audience can ring them.

The rule dates back to 1940 as a means to make it easier for viewers to visit TV stations. But, the advent of the web (and with it streaming and podcasting) has drastically shifted the media landscape. The National Association of Broadcasters, which supports the FCC’s decision, claims the requirement is unnecessary in the “era of mobile news gathering.”

Source: FCC (pdf)

Nissan is joining Formula E

Nissan has made big strides in its push for electrification by unveiling two new zero-emission concept vehicles and announcing its plans to join Formula E racing from the 2018-2019 season. At the Tokyo Motor Show the brand showed off the IMx all-electric crossover, which offers fully autonomous operation and a range of more than 600 kilometers, and the Leaf NISMO, which brings a hefty dose of racing technology to the company’s flagship electric car. According to Nissan, this concept boasts better aerodynamic performance and less lift.

Nissan’s entry into Formula E will make it the first Japanese car brand to take part in the all-electric racing championships. Given the company’s position in the consumer electric market, “it makes sense” that Nissan gets involved, according to Daniele Schillaci, executive vice president of global marketing and sales for zero-emission vehicles. The company will compete from season five (slated for late 2018), when the championship introduces new chassis and battery specifications.

Source: Nissan

Here’s our closest look yet at Will Smith’s ‘Bright’ for Netflix

Bright, from director David Ayer and starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, is probably Netflix’s highest profile movie release this year. Will Smith stars as a policeman on an Earth that’s inhabited by orcs, elves and other creatures. Edgerton is the first orc on the police force and becomes Smith’s partner. The movie releases on December 22nd, just in time for the holidays. The second trailer came out today, and you can take a look at it below.

Netflix reportedly paid $90 million for the movie, and from this second trailer, the quality looks to be the same it would be if Bright were produced by a traditional studio. Netflix released the Brad Pitt movie War Machine earlier this year, but it fizzled out as reviews were generally negative. It’s safe to say that the streaming service is looking for a hit with Bright. If it does well, the streaming service has expressed interest in making Bright a franchise.

Via: Twitter

Source: YouTube

Microsoft opens a studio for mixed reality

Microsoft has really been hammering home its commitment to mixed reality lately, debuting its headsets earlier this month and holding an entire event dedicated to the concept. Now, and in time for the holidays, the company has launched the Microsoft Reactor in San Francisco, home to its Mixed Reality Capture Studios and Mixed Reality Academy. Here, creative agencies and application developers will be able to invent and create a huge range of mixed reality content, drawing on the thousands of performances the studio has captured over the course of seven years.

Musicians, athletes, actors and even animals have helped Microsoft develop the format (including the likes of Buzz Aldrin and George Takei), creating content that can be used for mixed reality experiences ranging from fully-immersive VR down to plain old 2D screens. The Mixed Reality Academy will offer a range of courses, workshops and, naturally, hackathons, although a focus on supporting those already in the creative industry means it’ll be a while before you’ll be able to have a play.

Source: Microsoft

Apple Expands TV Efforts in Europe With Hiring of Channel 4 Alum Jay Hunt

In the wake of Apple’s hiring of Jamie Erlicht, Zack Van Amburg, Matt Cherniss, and Morgan Wandell for its ongoing push into premium television content, Variety reports today that the company has now hired Channel 4 alum Jay Hunt as creative director for Europe under Apple’s Worldwide Video service.

Hunt will start work in January as part of the international content development team that reports to Erlicht and Van Amburg, the two executives spearheading all of Apple’s new TV ambitions. Hunt’s arrival at Apple follows her exit from a chief creative officer position at Channel 4 this past June. She was there for the last seven years, and helped develop shows like Black Mirror, Luther, Sherlock, Humans, and more.

Image of Jay Hunt via Variety
Hunt’s joining of the team follows news of other international expansions for Apple’s premium TV plans, with a report of the company hiring Morgan Wandell hitting last Friday. Wandell will be in charge of international creative development for worldwide video at Apple, and comes from Amazon Studios.

On the content side of things, Apple is said to have set aside a “$1 billion war chest” for its new TV initiative, and has become “inundated” with spec scripts and projects since it made its home at The Culver Studios in California. The first big project coming out of Apple’s Worldwide Video service will be new episodes of Steven Spielberg’s science fiction anthology series “Amazing Stories”.

Tag: Apple’s Hollywood ambitions
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AT&T looks to DirecTV Now as customers ditch satellite

If you were wondering why AT&T is in such a hurry to reshape its TV business, the third quarter earnings report may provide some clarity. In the three months it covers, which are usually strong growth months with the arrival of subscribers seeking out NFL Sunday Ticket, things went in the opposite direction.

The DirecTV satellite business lost 251,000 subscribers, while the U-verse TV base shrank by an additional 134,000, which AT&T attributed to “heightened competition in traditional pay-TV and over-the-top services, stricter credit standards and hurricane disruptions.” On the other hand, AT&T notes it added 296,000 people for its internet-delivered DirecTV Now package, which now counts 787,000 subscribers.

AT&T has 25.1 million video customers right now, so DirecTV Now is still a small, but increasingly important part of its video business. Most importantly, CEO John J. Stephens said that 700,000 or so of those streaming customers are new to AT&T, so they’re not downgrading from other video services, as they’re cord-nevers or apartment dwellers it couldn’t reach before. That probably also explains the DirecTV Now-ready Android TV box that just passed through FCC testing.

Source: AT&T Q3 2017 Earnings

Amazon Key opens your home for indoor deliveries

Amazon’s gone to a lot of effort to make its services as convenient as possible — free delivery, lightning fast delivery, delivery from the sky (well, soon, probably) — now it’s eliminating the need for you to even be at home to receive your packages (or to have a designated safe place), because its couriers can now simply let themselves into your property.

It’s not as sinister as it sounds, of course. The Prime members-only service, called Amazon Key, uses a smart lock and connected camera. When a delivery is made the courier scans the package’s barcode which sends an access request to Amazon’s cloud. When it grants permission, the camera starts recording, the courier swipes a prompt on their app and then your door unlocks. They leave the package by the door and relock it on their way out. You’ll get a notification that the delivery has been made, along with a video of the drop-off to reassure you everything was done above board.

Amazon has designed the service with deliveries in mind, but Key has a bunch of other uses, too. For example, you can use it to give permanent access to people you trust or temporary access to visitors such as dog-walkers, cleaners or guests (this could be especially helpful for Airbnb hosts).

The service can only be used with a connected camera (which makes sense given the potential privacy issues at hand), but not just any camera: it has to be Amazon’s Cloud Cam. The good news is that it’s a decent bit of kit in its own right, acting as a home security device, responding to voice commands and integrating with other Alexa devices. It also boasts night vision and two-way audio.

A smart lock, Cloud Cam and installation will set you back $250 (Prime customers can preorder the camera today, the Key service becomes available on November 8). There are no extra charges, but a forthcoming subscription service will give you access to additional features such as footage archiving, motion detection and zone monitoring.

The service — while set to revolutionize the delivery market — feels like a huge test of trust. Are people prepared to let strangers into their homes while they’re not there, just because it makes getting packages a bit easier? How do security concerns stack up against ultra-convenience? Some might argue the service launches us ever further into a sci-fi-like existence where computers monitor and guide our every move. But as Amazon has already demonstrated with its futuristic drone delivery aspirations and super-connected, Alexa-managed homes, we’re not too far away from that reality already.

Source: Amazon

UK watchdog calls out unlabelled Snapchat ads for the first time

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has its work cut out for it as the line between legitimate online content and ads gets ever blurrier. Social media “influencers” regularly flout the rules and despite the sheer volume of posts across different platforms, the ASA occasionally issues slaps on the wrists for offending Tweets and Instagram campaigns. And today, the ASA has wagged a stern finger at Snapchat posts that weren’t appropriately labelled as ads for the first time.

The ASA received complaints about the June 20th Snapchat Story of Marnie Simpson, of Geordie Shore and Celebrity Big Brother fame. In one update, the TV personality promoted a 50-percent off sale for Diamond Whites tooth polish. The company argued Simpson had been a brand ambassador for many years, and thus the commercial relationship was well established. Despite the post obviously being promotional in nature, the ASA effectively concluded that it didn’t matter and it still needed an “#ad” tag, making it clear to her followers it was a paid-for post.

In a less cut-and-dry case, another update showed off a new, unreleased colour “coming soon” to Simpson’s iSpyEyes brand of tinted and novelty contact lenses. On the basis that the product was not available to buy and the brand itself was not specifically mentioned, Simpson’s PR agency argued it wasn’t exactly promotional in nature. The ASA disagreed.

In cases like this, the ASA typically demands that offending posts are amended or deleted, but since Snapchat Stories self-destruct after 24 hours, there’s nothing to be done at this point. Diamond Whites and Simpson’s PR agency have graciously promised, however, to be stricter regarding their client’s application of the #ad identifier in the future.

It’s unlikely the ASA will be able to divert too much resource towards policing disappearing Snapchat posts. On the other hand, it’s important complaints are followed up considering the social app has a primarily young and arguably impressionable user base — as well as no built-in feature that clearly labels ads, as yet.

Earlier this year, the ASA complained that “hidden” advertising on social platforms was “taking up more and more of our time.” And you’d have thought the lengths the regulator went to a few years ago to explain to vloggers what an advert was would’ve done the trick.

Via: BBC

Source: Advertising Standards Authority (1), (2)