ESPN looks to reinvent itself with a SportsCenter for Snapchat

More than three years ago, ESPN opened a 194,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art production facility known as Digital Center 2. That space was built to house five studios, including the home of its flagship show SportsCenter, which has been airing on TV since 1979. The goal from the beginning was to make the show futureproof, by laying the foundation for its studio to support incoming technologies like 4K and 8K content. It was also set up to handle the rise of social media, what with a wall made of 56 screens giving the anchors’ the ability to interact with Twitter or Facebook posts from athletes in a real-time 3D environment.

The Digital Center 2 brought SportsCenter into the 21st century.

But a lot has changed since 2014. The way people, particularly millennials and younger generations, watch video has shifted dramatically. These days, it’s all about the smartphone, not an immovable TV set. That’s why traditional television networks such as CNN and NBC are creating original programming for Facebook and Snapchat, two platforms that unexpectedly became major players for hosting TV content. And now we can add ESPN to the list of channels looking to adapt to these new mediums.

The company is debuting SportsCenter for Snapchat, a twice-daily show that was made specifically to be viewed through smartphone screens. While it has the same sports news DNA as its namesake, SportsCenter on Snapchat consists of three- to five-minute episodes that are shot in portrait mode, which is obviously the most noticeable change. ESPN will be focusing on a “fast-paced mix of the latest, most engaging stories in sports,” so there’s no need for an hour-long version here.

The pilot episodes honestly don’t even feel like watching SportsCenter; it’s a completely new show. There are interactive cards for news segments that will be a big part of this SportsCenter, each letting you go more into detail about a particular story. That’ll be complemented by colorful imagery, large text overlays and meme-inspired visuals — all the things that Snapchat is known for.

To bring it all together, ESPN is relying on different personalities to host the show, including Katie Nolan and comedian Cy Amund, as well as SportsCenter TV anchor Elle Duncan. The company says it was key to find people “with diverse backgrounds and points of view,” who aren’t wearing a suit or another type of business attire when they’re delivering the news. At launch, there will be a total of six hosts, though ESPN says more will be added to the roster in the future.

SportsCenter on Snapchat will have a 5AM ET morning edition and 5PM ET evening edition. The morning show will be a recap of what happened the night before, while the afternoon episodes are going to be about trending topics that have come up during the day.

Glenn Jacobs, ESPN’s senior coordinating producer of SportsCenter and News, told Engadget there’s also a plan in place for breaking news coverage after the 5PM show. Although most of the content will be recorded early in the day, Jacobs said his team can redo the beginning of a show to include new information and upload an edited version. In theory, that will ensure that Snapchat users don’t miss out on any breaking news stories, like if LeBron James got traded to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball. Or some insane highlight of the day.

Jacobs said the most important aspect of SportsCenter on Snapchat was to make it unique, while staying true to the show’s roots. “This is going to be a sports fan [the host] sharing something cool with another sports fan,” he said. “It’s about how do we share the most interesting things in the world of sports, not just the news?” He said the Snapchat version of the show also needed to “get rid of stereotypes” and not feel like the TV SportsCenter because “if it’s not authentic, people aren’t going to buy it.”

Of course, SportsCenter on Snapchat is just the latest example of ESPN trying to adapt and connect with fresh audiences. According to research firm Nielsen, the network’s viewership has been on a steady decline for the last six years, as TV-viewing habits have shifted more toward online streaming. Cord cutters have even driven Disney, ESPN’s parent company, to finally launch a standalone streaming version of the channel in 2018.

Snapchat’s Head of Original Content, Sean Mills, said the idea to make this version of SportsCenter was a mutual one with ESPN. After all, the network has been working closely with Snap since the launch of Discover in 2015, so for Mills the evolution of the relationship felt natural. ESPN told Engadget that the deal is exclusive, meaning you won’t see this version of SportsCenter on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter anytime soon. That may be a bit short sighted on ESPN’s part, given Snapchat’s struggles, which have led the company to plan a huge redesign in hopes of attracting more users.

It’s obvious that ESPN needs Snapchat now more than ever, especially if it wants to find a way to win millennials over. A SportsCenter for Snapchat may not be the answer to all its troubles, but it shows that the network is eagerly looking for ways to stay relevant.

Spotify sells cosmetics now

In 2016, Spotify contrived to lose around $568 million, which is a lot of dough for a streaming service fighting against far-richer rivals. Consequently, the company is hoping to earn a fast buck or twelve by getting into the cosmetics retail game. Spotify is extending its merchandising operation not just to include t-shirts from your favorite artists, but the makeup that they’re using to look on-point this season.

The first entry in this new business is a tie-up with beauty brand Pat McGrath Labs, which is selling a collection exclusively through the music service. McGrath is the makeup provider of choice for singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann, and the pairing will offer lipsticks and lip pencils, as well as eye pallets and pencils. All users need to do is head over to Lindemann’s artist page, and scroll down to her Merchbar to find what’s on offer.

This form of cross-brand cross-pollination is an ever-increasing aspect of how businesses and individuals make money online. The FTC-troubling Kardashians often hawk products on their Instagram pages and YouTubers earn commission on products that they endorse. All of this creates a feedback loop whereby social media stars burnish their own brands as they become pitch-people for the gear they’re hawking. This deal, as well, helps promote Lindemann’s next single, Obsessed, which drops November 17th.

It makes sense, too, since there are plenty of cosmetics companies, all looking for ways of carving a niche for their fans. Why buy the generic store brand if you can grab the eye palette or lip pencil of your social media / musical icons? Although it’ll be very interesting to see how many other artists — beyond Rihanna — jump on this new business line — we’re looking forward to seeing what Tom Waits offers up.

Source: Merchbar

Philips-branded TVs to come with built-in Roku streaming

With low-cost interlopers in the US TV market like TCL and Vizio, it’s easy to forget about Philips, which is manufactured for the US market by Japan’s Funai. That company has licensed Roku TV streaming tech and will incorporate them in Philips-branded models later this year, it announced. If you had understandably forgotten, Philips sells a variety of sets, including models with 4K UltraHD, Dolby Vision and Chromecast support. Until now, though, its smart TVs have used its aging, in-house NetTV platform, so Roku will be a big step up.

Confusingly, Philips sets are made in Europe, China and elsewhere by a Chinese firm called TP Vision. Suffice to say, the Dutch company doesn’t manufacture any TVs or other consumer tech itself, having elected to focus on Hue bulbs and medical imaging equipment.

Philips sets are known for the Ambilight effect, which floods the wall behind your TV with colored light that matches the TV’s visuals. The sets aren’t mentioned in the same breath as models from Samsung, LG and Sony in terms of quality, but are considered a decent value offering. Funai also manufactures millions of TVs for Magnavox, Emerson, Sanyo and other second-tier brands.

Roku has generally been praised for responsiveness and ease-of-use on sets from TCL and other manufacturers, with nice touches like live program preview on hover. Funai didn’t say which Philips models will support Roku, but it would make sense to have it on 4K sets with Dolby Vision to compete with the likes of TCL. By the way, if you’re in the market for a Roku streaming stick, its Streaming Stick+ is $20 off for Black Friday.

Google cracks down on apps that misuse accessibility features

Android’s accessibility services are supposed help disabled folks by letting app-makers integrate spoken feedback, voice commands and more. However, developers like LastPass have been using the functions for other purposes like autofilling passwords and overlaying content. That gives them an easy way to read data from other apps like YouTube, but it also creates a potential security risk. Now, Google is telling app makers that they must show how accessibility code is helping disabled users or their apps will be removed from the Play Store within 30 days.

If you aren’t already doing so, you must explain to users how your app is using the [accessibility service] to help users with disabilities use Android devices and apps. Apps that fail to meet this requirement within 30 days may be removed from Google Play. Alternatively, you can remove any requests for accessibility services within your app. You can also choose to unpublish your app

The policy enforcement could affect apps like LastPass, Tasker, Cereberus and Universal Copy that use accessibility code for key features not intended for handicapped users. “This is really bad news,” Universal Copy’s developer said on the Reddit Android Reddit. “We will have no other choice than un-publishing the app from the Play Store.”

Tasker’s developer said that it will have to replace the accessibility services with different code. That will disable some functionality, especially on older Android builds. “I plan to replace app detection with usage stats API,” they wrote on a Google forum. “Unfortunately … people using Tasker on a pre-Lollipop device won’t be able to use app contexts anymore.”

Google’s accessibility restrictions appear to be part of a larger push to improve the security of apps in the Play Store. It recently implemented a new feature called Play Protect to scan apps and added a warning screen to block unverified apps. Accessibility services code can allow applications to access data in other apps, creating juicy security holes that hackers could exploit to steal private data.

The problem, say developers, is that Google never really had a clear policy restricting accessibility services. Because of that, there are now numerous apps that use them for other purposes, and 30 days is not a lot of time to find workarounds. We’ve reached out to Google for more information.

Via: Android Police

Source: Reddit

First Australian Apple Store Gets Modern Redesign as Thieves Rob Apple Regent Street in UK

Apple recently announced that its retail location within the Chadstone Shopping Center in Melbourne, Australia will be getting a grand reopening on November 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. The newly relocated Apple Chadstone location will be triple the size of the previous store, and mark the first Australian store to gain Apple’s modern retail layout.

Apple Chadstone first opened nearly ten years ago in 2008 with 69 employees, and will now grow to more than 240 with the grand reopening (via Herald Sun).

Image via Herald Sun
Apple Chadstone will now feature a Genius Grove, a “boulevard” of window product displays, a boardroom for business meetings with local entrepreneurs and developers, a meeting place for “Today at Apple,” and more. According to Apple senior vice president of retail, Angela Ahrendts, Apple Chadstone will lead the way for the rest of Australia’s Apple retail locations.

“We’re thrilled to open Apple Chadstone in a stunning new location and introduce Australians to our latest store design,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to build on our 22 stores in Australia.”

In other retail news, Apple Regent Street was robbed today by ten individuals who stole “thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads” (via Evening Standard). To get into the store, the robbers drove mopeds through the glass storefront in the early morning hours of Monday, and then in less than three minutes managed to take various products from display stands before escaping on more mopeds waiting outside.

In total, police said the thieves stole iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and two iPhone Xs, which have since been recovered near Kings Cross. Apple Regent Street is said to be “open as usual” in the wake of the attack, which apparently follows an “epidemic” of moped-related attacks and thefts hitting London recently.

Ten thugs on five mopeds launched a mass raid on the Apple store in Regent Street early today snatching thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads.

One customer Hajra Ali, 37, from Ilford, said: “Moped attacks have got really, really bad and I’m not surprised this happened. I don’t know what the Met is doing about it.

For more on the latest Apple retail openings and redesigns, check out or Apple Store Roundup.

(Thanks, SlippedAtom54!)

Related Roundup: Apple StoresTag: Australia
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Lyft to Launch in Toronto Next Month as Uber Competitor Expands to First City Outside of United States

Lyft today announced that it will launch its ride-hailing service in Toronto next month as its first market outside of the United States.

Riders in Canada’s largest city—and nearby Hamilton, Ontario—will be able to hail Lyft or Lyft Plus vehicles that hold up to four or six passengers respectively, as well as fancier Lyft Premiere, Lyft Lux, or Lyft Lux SUV rides.

Lyft hasn’t disclosed passenger rates, payouts to drivers, or any other specific details ahead of the December expansion.

Lyft’s biggest competitors in Toronto will be Uber, which launched in the city over five years ago, and traditional Beck Taxi cabs. The city also operates the TTC subway system and a network of streetcars and buses.

Beck Taxi, which has already heavily protested Uber, naturally isn’t happy about Lyft’s arrival. “It’s another reason to encourage cars to cruise the streets of our city — many of them who come from outside it — who otherwise wouldn’t be there,” said the company’s operations manager Kristine Hubbard.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Lyft president and co-founder John Zimmer said he expects Toronto will likely become one of the ride-sharing company’s top five markets overall in North America.

We see it as a world-class city. It will likely become one of our top five markets overall. We expect that to happen, and we see it as a city that really shares the values that we have at Lyft — focusing on people taking care of people, treating people well, treating people with mutual respect and promoting both inclusion and diversity.

Zimmer said 50,000 people in Toronto downloaded the Lyft app this year despite the service not being available in the city. He also subtly suggested that Lyft will be a fresh alternative to the scandal-clad Uber.

Lyft’s app can already be downloaded from the App Store [Direct Link] in Canada for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Tags: Canada, Lyft
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Emirates’ new luxury first-class offering is a suite in the sky

Let’s face it, traveling in coach is never much fun. Being wedged into your seat as the one in front reclines into your lap is bad enough, but then you have to somehow find a comfy position so you can enjoy a little shut-eye. And of course, just as you start nodding off, the passenger behind usually discovers a fun game on their seat-back display that requires them to hit the screen a lot, sending the vibrations through the seat, through your skull, and into the center of your brain. The part that controls sleep, usually.

Of course, the answer is to have enough spare cash knocking around that you can afford a better seat, one with enough space around it that you can stretch out your arms without accidentally punching your neighbor in the head.

Emirates is going above and beyond what you might expect when it comes to accommodating passengers flying first class on its aircraft, this weekend unveiling what it describes as a “game-changing” private suite with design features “inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.”

Shown off at the Dubai Air Show, the luxurious fully enclosed cabins are coming to its new fleet of Boeing 777 jets going into service in December, 2017. Each one offers up to 40 square feet of personal space, and is surely the closest thing you’ll get to a private-jet experience while traveling on an aircraft with hundreds of other people.

According to Emirates, the collaboration with Mercedes-Benz “inspired several design details in the private suite including the soft leather seating, high-tech control panels, and mood lighting.”

While the seat reclines into a fully flat bed using a wireless controller, intriguingly it can also be placed in what Emirates describes as a “zero-gravity” position that’s been “inspired by NASA technology, giving a feeling of relaxation and weightlessness.” As long as the airline’s “zero gravity” isn’t anything like flying into an air pocket, you’ll be just fine.

Everyone who forks out for one of these cabins is promised a window view, though this does beg the question, “Where’s the window if your suite is down the middle of the plane?” Well, in that case, you’ll have a virtual window that offers a real-time view of the passing world via external cameras.

You can request service via a video-call function, and enjoy exploring 2,500 channels of on-demand entertainment on a 32-inch HD TV screen — or you can stream content to your own device. The entertainment experience includes audio delivered by Bowers & Wilkins noise canceling E1 headphones created exclusively for Emirates.

Commenting on the new design, Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, noted that the carrier has gradually worked to improve the design of its private suite over the years, a concept it pioneered in 2003.

“We are very excited about our new fully enclosed suite, which is a real game-changer in terms of privacy, comfort, and thoughtful luxury,” Clark said.

No, the suites don’t come cheap. Beginning on routes between Dubai and the Swiss city of Geneva in the coming weeks, a first-class return flight in mid-January will costs around $7,700, about 1o times that of an economy seat.

If luxury plane seats are currently out of reach for you, then check out DT’s tips for easing yourself through a challenging long-haul flight back in coach.

Honor V10 news and rumors

Honor is preparing a new phone for announcement in December, and it’s rumored to be called the Honor V10. We know a new device is coming, because the company has already tweeted about a launch event in London; but the details about the phone are only unofficial leaks at the moment. What do we think we know about the Honor V10? Let’s find out.

Announcement, release, and price

Honor will hold an event in London on December 5, where it will introduce a new phone with a large screen, and minimal bezels, if the image on the teaser is accurate. Tweeted from the official Honor UK account, the tagline, “Max Your View” also suggests a device with a large display. It’s also possible Honor has two devices to show on the day, one slightly smaller than the other. The image shows two phones, and the hashtag #IOOI may suggest two very similar phones.

We may get answers to what the V10 looks like before the London reveal. A rumor originating from China says the Honor V10 may be announced there on November 28, with a release on December 12. Neither dates are official, and the source isn’t mentioned, so treat this as speculation.

It’s estimated the Honor V10 will cost 3000 yuan in China, or about $450.

Specification and features

The Honor V10 may be closely related to the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Honor is to Huawei what Mini is to BMW, and the two regularly share technology. The Honor 9 and the Huawei P10, for example, have very similar features.

Only a few basic Honor V10 specifications have leaked from GizChina. The screen is expected to measure 5.99-inches and have an 18:9 aspect ratio, which is matches the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. The Kirin 970 chip and 6GB of RAM are likely to provide the power; but will the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) will be part of the Honor V10?

The NPU takes artificial intelligence processing out of the cloud and onto the device, improving speed and security, and adding cool features to the Mate 10 Pro’s camera. Huawei is putting a lot of effort into making it a success, and the more devices it operates on, the more likely developers are to support it. We’re hopeful it will be part of the Honor V10.

A dual-lens camera on the rear is likely to feature, according to the rumors, made up of a 16-megapixel camera lens and a 20-megapixel lens. Other possible Honor V10 features include a choice of 64GB or 128GB of internal storage space, Android 8.0 Oreo installed — most likely with Huawei’s EMUI interface over the top — and a fast charging 4,000mAh battery.

There’s still weeks to go until the Honor V10 is officially revealed, meaning plenty of time for further leaks to give us more clues about its look and features. We’ll keep you updated here.

Moto X4 with Snapdragon 630 launches in India for just ₹20,999 ($325)

Motorola’s latest mid-ranger is now available in India.

The Moto G5 Plus turned out to be one of the best budget phones in India this year, and the Moto G5S Plus built on its success by introducing a dual rear camera at the same price point. Motorola is now turning its attention to the mid-range segment with the Moto X4, which is now available in India for ₹20,999 ($325).

That’s for the variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Motorola is also selling the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for ₹22,999 ($355).

You get a microSD slot that lets you extend storage up to 2TB, and there’s a dual camera setup at the back with a 12MP primary shooter along with an 8MP secondary wide-angle lens.

Moto X4 review: A mid-range phone done right

Other specs include a 5.2-inch 1080p panel backed by Gorilla Glass 3, Snapdragon 630 SoC, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE with VoLTE, IP68 dust and water resistance, 16MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery with Motorola’s TurboPower fast charging. The phone comes with Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

The pricing of the Moto X4 is absolutely spot on, and the company should have no difficulties moving units. The phone is set to go on sale starting later tonight exclusively on Flipkart.

See at Flipkart

The Morning After: Monday, November 2017

Welcome to your Monday morning. We jumped into the UFC’s high-tech battle against fighter injury, how the Pixel 2 delivers silky smooth video and Russia’s Twitter influence beyond US politics. And there’s a few other things, naturally.

Predictive algorithms are the key to shake-free footage.
Google explains the Pixel 2’s super-stable video recording

Google’s Pixel 2 phones have a clever trick up their sleeve when recording video: they can use both electronic and optical image stabilization, delivering largely jitter-free clips even if you’re walking down the street. Google uses some of its machine learning know-how to incorporate both anti-shake technologies — most phones can only use one or the other, and rarely combine the two.

Meanwhile…
The Pixel 2 XL has another screen issue

Complaints with Google’s Pixel 2 XL display won’t stop. While some users are experiencing premature screen burn-in and seeing a bluish tint, others are apparently having trouble with its responsiveness. Comments posted on the Pixel 2 community website have revealed that some units are having issues getting their phones to register touches near the edges of the screen.

Russia’s social media disruption campaign was far-reaching.
Russian Twitter accounts tried to influence the UK’s EU departure

Russia’s attempt to influence Western politics through Twitter certainly wasn’t limited to the 2016 American elections. Findings like this could be crucial to an official investigation into Russian influence over Brexit — and also underscore how easy it can be to mount a modern propaganda campaign. An international audience can now be targeted with minimal effort.

Can high-tech sports science solve MMA’s injury problem?
The UFC’s big bet to keep fighters fighting

MMA’s authentic brutality has long been both a key selling point and criticism. Damage to the body is a byproduct of every sport, but in MMA, harming your opponent is the entire point. When athletes pull out of one of the UFC’s 500 or so annual fights, it’s not enough for the promoter to simply find a willing replacement. Fight cards are both soap opera and athletic contest: A fight that captures the fan’s imagination can mean the difference between a million viewers paying for the live action versus 100,000.

The issue has plagued MMA for years. Can its biggest promoter keep athletes fit enough to maintain bankable stars with lengthy careers and regular fights? To find an answer, the UFC is turning to technology.

But wait, there’s more…

• Internet giant Alibaba crushes one-day online shopping record
• Qualcomm plans to reject Broadcom’s takeover bid
• Recommended Reading: Trust your gut
• Netflix’s comic books are a preview of potential franchises
• Google study shows how your account is most likely to be hijacked