FanDuel’s co-founder leaves to create an eSports company

FanDuel co-creator Nigel Eccles has been toying with startup ideas ever since his company proposed a merger with DraftKings, and he’s taking action now that the merger has fallen apart. Eccles has stepped down from his CEO and chairman positions to helm an eSports startup. He won’t say much about what it is (besides “something awesome,” naturally), but this isn’t an acrimonious split — he’s “a little bit sad” to be going. FanDuel’s previous financial chief, Matt King, is returning to the company to fill Eccles’ shoes.

The move isn’t completely shocking. When the merger fell flat, Eccles was faced with the prospect of running FanDuel indefinitely rather than taking a reduced role (namely, chairman) that would have let him pursue a new venture. Clearly, he decided that his entrepreneurial ambitions couldn’t wait any longer.

His departure also underscores the buzz surrounding eSports. As Eccles told Recode in an interview, conventional sports are in a “harvest mode” where the big players are entrenched. The eSports realm, meanwhile, is in a “growth mode” where there’s plenty of untapped potential. It’s easy to see why Eccles would be willing to leave the relative security of FanDuel, then. When major team owners are rushing to stake their claims and gaming leagues are making regular appearances on TV, there’s a real chance that the right startup could hit the big time.

Excited but a little bit sad to be leaving @fanduel today. It has been an amazing 8 years. Really excited to see how Matt King and the team drive the company in 2018 and beyond. For me I’m building something awesome in eSports. Watch this space.

— Nigel Eccles (@nigeleccles) November 20, 2017

Via: Recode

Source: FanDuel, Nigel Eccles (Twitter)

DOJ slaps AT&T with antitrust lawsuit over Time Warner purchase

The US Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T to block the massive communications company from purchasing Time Warner, one of the world’s biggest entertainment conglomerates. AT&T released a statement calling the move “a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent” and said it was “confident that the court would reject the government’s claims and permit this merger under longstanding legal precedent.”

AT&T statement on DOJ suing to block its acquisition of Time Warner: pic.twitter.com/b5Mo7nexiv

— Jan Wolfe (@JanNWolfe) November 20, 2017

The deal was made public just over a year ago, and ever since there’s been plenty of chatter about how the deal could be bad for both consumers and rival service providers. Time Warner owns hugely important entertainment properties like HBO, Warner Bros. and the Turner Broadcasting System set of channels, and AT&T would benefit greatly from having all that content in-house. In a lot of ways, it would provide AT&T with its own massive entertainment division to match what Comcast did when it purchased the majority of NBC in 2011.

Today’s antitrust lawsuit doesn’t come as a big surprise, with rumors of the suit swirling for several weeks. Additionally, there have been indications that AT&T would have to sell off significant assets to appease the DOJ and get the deal to happen, with both all of Turner Broadcasting or DirecTV rumored to be potential pieces in the sell-off. Since that report first surfaced, however, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson refuted that the DOJ made any such request.

However, it’s worth noting some unusual factors that play into this lawsuit and that potential asset sale. While on the campaign trail, President Trump made repeated mentions about using the Justice Department to block the deal. Trump also has had many a Twitter spat over CNN’s coverage of his presidency. As CNN is part of Time Warner, the motivation behind the lawsuit are rather murky, to say the least. How exactly this lawsuit will play out remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: AT&T’s plans of having its purchase of Time Warner wrapped up by the end of 2017 are definitely in jeopardy.

B&H Photo and Adorama Kick Off Black Friday Savings for Wide Range of Macs, iPads, and Beats Headphones

We’re just a few days away from Black Friday in the United States, and today a few authorized Apple resellers — B&H Photo and Adorama — have kicked off holiday savings with discounts on a variety of Apple products and related accessories. These include deals on the latest iMacs, MacBook Pros, iPad Pros, Beats headphones, and even a few older models from previous generation devices.

B&H Photo

For B&H Photo, the retailer has launched its Black Friday Apple sale with discounts that hit brand-new 2017 MacBook Pro and iMac models, and even include the Mac Pro and Mac mini from 2013 and 2014 respectively. A few discounts on Beats By Dre headphones are also matching similar sales at Apple, although Amazon and Best Buy still have the best prices on some of these accessories.

Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the products in the B&H Photo sale. You can also visit our Black Friday Roundup for additional listed sales, as well as B&H Photo’s Rebates & Promotions page for the full list.

iPad Pro

• 9.7-inch iPad (2017): 128GB, Wi-Fi – $399.00, down from $429.00

• 10.5-inch iPad Pro (Mid 2017): 64GB, Wi-Fi – $599.00, down from $649.00

• 10.5-inch iPad Pro (Mid 2017): 256GB, Wi-Fi – $699.00, down from $799.00

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Mid 2017): 64GB, Wi-Fi – $729.00, down from $799.00

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Mid 2017): 256GB, Wi-Fi – $849.00, down from $949.00

MacBook

• 13-inch MacBook Air (Mid 2017): 1.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD – $869.00, down from $999.00

• 12-inch MacBook (Mid 2017): 1.2 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,149.00, down from $1,299.00

• 13-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2017): 2.3 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD – $1,149.00, down from $1,299.00

• 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.1 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,649.00, down from $1,799.00

• 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $2,199.00, down from $2,399.00

iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini

• Mac mini (Late 2014): 2.6GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive – $599.00, down from $699.00

• 21.5-inch 4K iMac (Mid 2017): 3.0 GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HD – $1,429.00, down from $1,499.00

• 27-inch 5K iMac (Mid 2017): 3.4 GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive – $1,649.00, down from $1,799.00

• Mac Pro (Late 2013): 3.7 GHz, 12GB RAM, 256GB Flash Storage – $1,899.00, down from $2,999.00

• 27-inch 5K iMac (Mid 2017): 3.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 2TB Fusion Drive – $2,099.00, down from $2,299.00

Beats

• BeatsX – $99.00, down from $149.00

• Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones – $159.95, down from $199.95

• Solo3 Wireless Headphones – $239.95, down from $299.95

Adorama

Over at Adorama, the retailer is rolling out instant rebates of $120, $150, and $200 off certain Apple products, centering on the iMac and MacBook Pro. Below we’ve listed each rebate category and the products within each. Note that with Adorama’s instant rebate discounts, no mail-in rebate form is required to get the discount on each device. All of Adorama’s devices are the latest mid 2017 refreshes of each respective model.

$120 Instant Rebate

• 21.5-inch iMac: 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD – $979.00, down from $1,099.00
• 21.5-inch 4K iMac: 3.0GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD – $1,179.00, down from $1,299.00
• 21.5-inch 4K iMac: 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive – $1,379.00, down from $1,499.00

$150 Instant Rebate

• 27-inch 5K iMac: 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive – $1,649.00, down from $1,799.00
• 27-inch 5K iMac: 3.5GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive – $1,849.00, down from $1,899.00
• 27-inch 5K iMac: 3.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 2TB Fusion Drive – $2,149.00, down from $2,299.00

$200 Instant Rebate

• 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: 2.8GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $2,199.00, down from $2,399.00
• 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,599.00, down from $2,799.00

Of the three big Apple resellers, MacMall is now the only site that hasn’t yet posted its Black Friday savings, so you can expect those deals to show up sometime later in the week as Thanksgiving and Black Friday grow nearer. For now, you can visit our Black Friday Roundup to see the full lists of deals currently going on at B&H Photo and Adorama, as well as prepare your shopping lists with sale previews from Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and more.

Related Roundup: Apple Black Friday
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A Facebook news feed in VR could help make the technology mainstream

Virtual reality may be making its way much closer to the eyeballs of a global audience in the very near future. Oculus VR is testing native support for the web-based React VR protocol on the Facebook news feed. The technology, which allows plugin and app-free virtual reality, could help expose VR to Facebook’s billion users in a manner that is, as of yet, unseen.

One of the biggest hurdles for virtual reality hardware and software makers is actually getting people to try it out. With the specific hardware and software requirements for modern VR, it’s not easily done. Pushing VR content through Facebook though will make it easier than ever before, and will enhance the types of experiences available to headset owners.

As much as virtual reality web browsing is still in its infancy, pushing WebVR and React VR content through Facebook’s news feed will make what is there, widely available and will encourage more developers to try it out. Anyone with a headset — be it an HTC Vive or one of the upcoming Oculus Go headsets — will be able to experience VR content right from the comfort of their Facebook feed.

Although we don’t know when the support will be made widely available, we do know Oculus is testing native integration at this time. When the support is added for all Facebook users, it will make it possible for companies to put out promotional and entertaining VR content right through Facebook. We could see something like the recent Jumanji experience or previews of VR museum exhibits shown on people’s news feeds.

Some of the other highlighted internet VR content showcased in Oculus’ blog post includes a tourism experience where you can take a virtual tour of Dubai and a showcase of a visit to the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing in virtual reality.

These sorts of more in-depth VR experiences are what Oculus will be looking to push to Facebook’s news feed in the future and will enhance already existing 360-degree video content that, as UploadVR highlights, was introduced in 2015.

Serving VR experiences over the internet without local applications holds a lot of promise. With the proliferation of technologies like React VR and WebVR, as well as unifying standards like OpenXR, the internet could become much more virtually accessible in the near future.

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Kevlar finds a use beyond bulletproof vests — as a cartilage replacement

We trust Kevlar to protect us from external force, but we may soon put the material to use internally as well. As per new research from the University of Michigan, we may soon be padding the insides of our bodies with “Kevlartilage,” a Kevlar-based artificial cartilage that could help joint injury patients the world over. In fact, in the U.S. alone, some 850,000 patients undergo surgeries that remove or replace knee cartilage every year, and having a viable man-made material to aid in the recovery process could prove a huge boon.

Our natural cartilage is actually comprised of about 80 percent water, a stunning characteristic considering it’s able to withstand some of the most extreme pressures placed on our bodies. “We know that we consist mostly of water — all life does — and yet our bodies have a lot of structural stability,” noted Nicholas Kotov, an engineering professor at the University of Michigan who led the Kevlartilage study. “Understanding cartilage is understanding how life forms can combine properties that are sometimes unthinkable together.”

As it stands, most of today’s synthetic cartilage is “unable to achieve that unlikely combination of strength and water content,” researchers note. This is because most artificial materials that attempt to replicate the physical characteristics of cartilage do not contain adequate amounts of water to transport the necessary nutrients for cells. Hydrogels, meanwhile, have plenty of water incorporated into them, but aren’t strong enough to replace our cartilage.

But the Kevlar-based hydrogel that makes up Kevlartilage is said to combine a network of Kevlar nanofibers with a material found frequently in hydrogel cartilage replacements — PVA. The Kevlar allows for the framework of the artificial cartilage to remain strong, while the PVA keeps water inside the network even when the Kevlartilage is stretched or compressed.

To be fair, we likely won’t see this new cartilage in action for quite some time, as researchers must patent their creation and work alongside medical device companies to actually bring the product to market. But if Kevlartilage works as well in real patients as it has in lab tests, a bum knee may not end your athletic career after all.

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New Uber features aim to drive the stress out of your holiday transportation

The holiday season is fast approaching, and so too is your need to find a designated driver. With so many opportunities to make merry, you’ll also want to make good decisions when it comes to leaving the party. Uber wants to lend a helping hand, and not by gouging prices this time. Rather, the ridesharing company has introduced a few new features just in time for the busy season to help you hop from one party to another with ease, starting with live location sharing.

While your driver already has a rough idea of where you are when you request a ride, live location sharing allows you to alert Uber as to your exact location relative to your pickup spot. Rather than having to call your driver to let him or her know that you’ll actually be walking around the corner to hop in, or attempting to wave her down from across the street, Uber’s new feature should make for a less stressful pickup.

“The rendezvous point between rider and driver is one of the most stress inducing parts [of the trip]. Often times you’re on the street, it might be cold, you’re looking around. It could be dark,” Uber product lead Nundu Janakiram told CNN Tech. “Riders kept telling us that they were basically trying to verbally [describe] their GPS point.”

To turn on live location sharing, you’ll need to tap the gray icon located in the bottom right corner of your screen. Once it turns blue, you’ll know that you’re sharing your location. Should you prefer to stop sharing your location, simply tap the icon again, or head over to the privacy settings in the Uber app to make necessary adjustments.

Though this feature is great for drivers, Uber is also making it easier for passengers to spot their rides. With the expansion of Uber’s beacons, more riders will be able to find their designated cars. The beacon sits on a driver’s windshield, and is said to “help drivers and riders more quickly connect at night and in crowded areas.” You can select the color that you want your driver’s beacon to emit, which ought to reduce confusion on busy nights when there are tons of Ubers circling the same block. While beacons were first introduced last holiday season, the service is now being expanded to New York, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Amazon Echos given to people in need to reduce demands on caregivers

Whether it’s telling you whether or not you need to take a raincoat on a walk or controlling the lights in your apartment with a simple verbal command, there are plenty of ways that smart speakers such as Amazon Echo or Google Home make our lives a little bit easier. But can they fundamentally improve people’s lives? That’s the question posed by a trial currently taking place in the U.K., in which a small number of people with learning disabilities are given devices like the Echo to see whether they can help make their lives easier — and save the care sector some money in the process.

The trial gave these devices to five people in Wales for a six-month period. The study will examine whether, during that time, they reduce the need to staff people’s homes 24/7, by carrying out caregiver jobs including offering reminders about taking medication, attending appointments, and carrying out some household tasks. The Amazon Echo devices being used in the study are linked to several electrical items in the home, including smart lighting, music players, kettles, and televisions.

“If proved successful, the Intelligent Personal Assistant system can then be used in other supported living homes during the implementation phase, with the aim of reducing staff support on a gradual basis for tasks which the IPA can perform,” Ron Woods, Community Services Director at organizing group the Innovate Trust, told Digital Trends. “[This would mean that] direct staff support can be utilized in more creative and productive ways, whilst retaining an emergency on-call system — increasing the independence of people with learning disabilities to manage their daily lives.”

With only a few people included in the current trial, this is still early stages of the project. If all goes according to plan, however, it could result in local councils giving Amazon Echos to those in need — since this would actually provide a saving in the long term.

“With demand increasing on public services, and budget constraints across the country, finding new ways of delivering services is vital,” Rob Ashelford, head of Y Lab, another group working on the protect, told us. “The Innovate Trust team showed an openness to experimentation with new technology which we found compelling. What we discover during this project could have real impact in future.”

Until then, folks will need to buy their own artificial intelligence assistants, unfortunately!

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Anker’s Black Friday deals start today, with sales on chargers, speakers, and more

A one-stop shop for whatever you need.

Anker is dropping prices on… well, everything. Today includes deals on chargers, cables, speakers, and a whole bunch of other things. Whatever gear you need, pretty sure you can get a nice chunk off the price today. All Anker products are covered by an 18-month warranty.

• Cables
• Cases
• Chargers
• Headphones
• Home
• Speakers
• Wireless Mouse

Cables

• PowerLine 10-feet Lightning Cable for $9.49 (from $12)
• PowerLine 3-feet USB-C to USB 3.0 Cable 3-pack for $10.99 (from $14)

Cases

• Karapax Rise heavy-duty iPhone X Case for $9.99 (from $16) – use code KRPXIW47
• Karapax Breeze military-grade iPhone X Case for $9.99 (from $12) – use code KRPXIW47

Chargers

• Quick Charge 3.0 Dual USB Wall Charger for $17.99 (from $23.99) – use code BFBF2225
• PowerCore Fusion 5000 2-in-1 Portable Charger and Wall Charger for $20.49 (from $26)

Headphones

• SoundBuds Slim+ Bluetooth Wireless Headphones for $22.99 (from $33)
• SoundBuds NB10 sweatproof Bluetooth earbuds for $23.99 (from $40) – use code ANKSPT60

Home

• Eufy 33-feet White LED decorative string lights for $7.99 (from $13)
• Eufy Lumos white 2700K smart bulb for $13.99 (from $20)
• Eufy Genie smart speaker for $19.99 (from $35) – This is part of Amazon’s Gold Box deals, so the price is temporary

Speakers

• SoundCore nano Bluetooth Speaker for $15.99 (from $21)
• SoundCore 2 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker for $31.99 (from $40)

Wireless Mouse

• Vertical ergonomic optical wireless mouse for $13.99 (from $20)

Get a free Chromecast and Moto X4 when referring people to Project Fi

The promotion is running through December 17.

Despite its hardware restrictions and potentially expensive data charges, Project Fi is still one of the most unique service providers around. Google’s been continually adding new features and services since its debut in 2015, and a new promotion lets you grab a free Chromecast and Moto X4 for referring others to join.

Google launched a referral system for Project Fi last December that allowed you to get credits on your bill when new customers signed up with your referral code, and between now and December 17, you can use that same system for grabbing some new tech.

Making two successful referrals will allow you to get a free Chromecast, but making five more for a total of seven will grant you with a Moto X4. That’s the Android One version of the Moto X4 that comes with a stock build of Android and fast software updates, and considering that it normally costs $399, this is a fantastic promotion if you’re a Fi customer.

In addition to this, Project Fi is also donating $50,000 to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center to help provide some relief for areas affected by this year’s devastating hurricanes and other storms.

Moto X4 review: A mid-range phone done right

Intel’s first commercial 5G modem, XMM 8060, is now under development

Intel is also working on the XMM 7660 for Cat-19 Gigabit LTE speeds up to 1.6 Gbps.

Qualcomm’s been making huge strides in developing the 5G future lately, but it isn’t the only company committed to this venture. Intel recently announced a couple new chips that it’s currently working on, and the XMM 8060 – it’s first commercial 5G modem – will be shipping out in just a couple of years.

The XM 8060 is the first addition to Intel’s XMM 8000 series of modems, and it’ll be able to support standalone and non-standalone 5G NR, 4G, 3G/CDMA, and 2G networks. Commerical devices that are based on the XMM 8060 should begin shipping in mid-2019, but as the XMM 8000 series grows, Intel will be able to integrate this power into smartphones, computers, vehicles, etc.

We won’t see a full deployment of 5G networks until some point in 2020, so while we’re waiting, Intel also announced that its XMM 7660 will be available for use in 2019. The XMM 7660 is a Cat-19 LTE modem, and it’s capable of download speeds reaching as high as 1.6 Gbps. That’s not as fast as what we’ll be able to see with 5G, but it’s considerably quicker than what current 4G LTE is capable of.

Intel’s XMM 7660 is the successor to the XMM 7560 that was announced earlier this year, and Intel says that the XMM 7560 is currently being used and tested by smartphone makers with successful Gigabit-class speeds. A timeframe for its rollout isn’t concrete quite yet, but commercial products should start shipping with it as soon as next year.

Qualcomm achieves first end-to-end 5G system based on 3GPP Standard