‘Marvel Rising’ superteam launches with four digital shorts

Marvel is combatting X-Men and Avengers fatigue some you probably already feel by launching a new ragtag band of superheroes in 2018. The new franchise called Marvel Rising will start with six, four-minute digital shorts that will be followed by Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, a feature-length animated film, later that year. It focuses on Gwen Stacy, who’s more than just Spider-Man’s lady love in this iteration: she’s the one who got bitten by a radioactive arachnid and transformed into Ghost-Spider after gaining superpowers.

The other superhuman teens joining Ghost-Spider are familiar names, as well: Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Quake, Patriot, America Chavez and Inferno. Their backstories might be a bit different, but they’re still the same superheroes at the core. Marvel is tapping some pretty well-known celebrities to voice the characters, including Dove Cameron (Descendants) as Ghost-Spider and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) as Inferno, but it’s unclear where you’ll be able to watch the shorts.

The comics giant says it will announce distribution partners at a later date. Netflix could still be on that list, since its partnership with Disney (which owns Marvel) won’t end until late 2019. After that, however, Disney will stop giving Netflix the right to stream its properties and will instead make them available through its own streaming service.

Source: Marvel

Uber loses another operating licence in the UK

Uber’s UK troubles continue to mount. The company’s operating licence has been suspended in Sheffield following what it calls “an administrative error.” In early October, Uber told the council that its licence would need to be updated because the person named on the document was leaving the company. The council refused, however, and said it would need to submit a new licence application. “The legislation does not allow for the transfer of an operator’s licence,” a council spokesperson said. Uber went along and filed for a new permit on October 16th, which is still being processed.

In the meantime, the council has suspended Uber’s licence because it “failed to respond to requests, made by our licensing team, about the management of Uber.” The decision was made last Friday (November 29th) and comes into effect on December 18th. Uber says it didn’t receive any of these requests, however, because the council sent their letters to an incorrect address. “We hope this administrative error can be quickly resolved so we can continue serving tens of thousands of riders and drivers in Sheffield,” an Uber spokesperson said. Sheffield City Council is standing firm, though, while its licensing department assesses the new application.

Uber can appeal the suspension if its new licence is denied. During the appeal process, it would be able to continue operating in the city.

The suspension follows a similar ruling by Transport for London (TfL) in September. The regulator said it was due to “a lack of corporate responsibility” in key areas including “greyball” and how it reports serious criminal offences. Uber has appealed the decision and a first hearing is expected to take place on December 11th. At the same time, Uber is fighting a legal battle over the classification of its drivers, which critics say should be entitled to additional benefits. It’s also challenging a decision that would force private hire drivers in London to take extensive English tests.

Oh, and a number of high-profile executives are leaving the company. All told, there’s plenty to keep Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi busy.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Sheffield City Council

Coinbase Reaches Top of the Free App Charts on the US App Store Amid Bitcoin Surge

Bitcoin exchange Coinbase watched its iOS app surge to the top of the free apps chart in Apple’s App Store yesterday, amid a speculative frenzy surrounding the blockchain cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin prices on Coinbase’s GDAX exchange flew past $16,000 to almost $20,000 in around 90 minutes on Thursday, reported Bloomberg, extending its record-breaking run and causing the software to crash and the service’s website to go down intermittently in the process. The digital currency fluctuated during a turbulent Asian session, before falling back to about $16,000.

BREAKING: Coinbase unavailable.

The company now has more customers than Charles Schwab and has opened as many as 300,000 accounts in a day.

Today has unprecedented volume and demand.

There are litterally so many people trying to buy Bitcoin that exchanges are crashing. pic.twitter.com/ZzMKkplyga

— Bruce Fenton (@brucefenton) December 7, 2017

The rise and rise of bitcoin has brought it into the mainstream in the last few weeks, but many observers are warning that the cryptocurrency could be a bubble. Investors have also been reminded of the dangers of hackers, after bitcoin mining marketplace NiceHash lost $64 million in BTC following a “sophisticated and professional attack”.

Apple has had its own problems with cryptocurrencies in the past. In August 2016, the tech giant had to remove several fake bitcoin wallets from the App Store after users of the digital currency were scammed out of thousands of dollars.

For anyone interested in observing the hourly fluctuations of bitcoin while maintaining a safe distance, free app CoinHub offers real-time quotes and up-to-date cryptocurrency news all within an impressive-looking dark-themed dashboard. [Direct Link]

Tag: bitcoin
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Component Demand for iPhone X Said to Be Weakening as Production Yield Rates Improve

The surge in component orders for the iPhone X over the last couple of months appears to be coming to an end, based on information coming out of the upstream supply chain. Component shipments for the iPhone X weakened in November, according to sources on Friday, following strong demand in September and October.

With demand for key component not growing as strong as expected, the sources are concerned that Apple may reduce its iPhone X shipment target for the first quarter of 2018. The sources pointed out that Apple’s component orders for the iPhone X in November were around 30% lower than its earlier forecast.

The weakened component demand reflects improved yield rates for iPhone X production, which has saw Apple’s global shipping estimates continue to improve in November, dropping from between 3 and 4 weeks, to 1 and 2 weeks. In the United States and in Europe, iPhone X models ordered today arrive in around a week.

Apple suppliers such as Largan Precision and Catcher Technology have seen revenues slow or begin to decline month on month, respectively. Touch panel supplier General Interface Solution (GIS), which originally expected its sales momentum to continue into 2018, also suffered a sequential decline in November revenues.

Sources expect iPhone X shipments in January and February to be similar as that seen in November 2017, before declining sharply in March. Overall, shipments are expected to be down by around 30 percent sequentially in the first quarter of 2018 because of seasonality and fewer working days caused by the Lunar New Year holidays.

At the same time, DigiTimes’ sources believe Apple’s iPhone shipments in the first quarter of 2018 may still be better than those recorded in the same period of 2017.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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YouTube’s ‘Remix’ subscription music service could launch in March

Another attempt by YouTube to mend fences with the music industry — internally referred to as Remix — is a few months away from launching, according to a report by Bloomberg. Late last year industry vet Lyor Cohen arrived to hold the title head of music, and a proposed new service would include both Spotify-like (or Google Play Music-like) on-demand streaming, plus video clips.

With YouTube Red apparently focused on original video channels and the existing YouTube Music app an also-ran, it’s difficult to see what will be different enough about this service to break through. While Warner Music Group is reportedly already signed up, other labels have not, and beef over whether or not they get enough money from YouTube persists. However, the Bloomberg report notes that much of Google Play Music’s staff is now a part of the YouTube team, plus the added complication of upcoming negotiations with Vevo.

Source: Bloomberg

Facebook Instant Games gets live-streams so you can show off your skills

Facebook launched Instant Games for Messenger just over a year ago, offering 20 games at the start. Twelve months on and developers excited by the platform have been knocking out customized versions of their popular games, expanding the count to 70.

Celebrating Instant Games’ first birthday, the social networking giant on Thursday unveiled several new features, the most notable of which is live-streaming for players “who love to share their play-throughs and engage in a little smack talk.”

It means that if you really must show off your skills, you can now broadcast your gameplay to friends and family in real time via Facebook Live.

To do so, all you have to do is tap the camera icon in the upper right corner of the display while you’re playing a game, whether it’s EverWing, Pac-Man, Arkanoid, or one of the other 67 offerings.

Once selected, you can choose precisely who to broadcast to, and add a short description to get your viewers interested.

To begin the live-stream, press the “Start Live Video” button and you’re off. When you decide to end the broadcast, “the video will be published to your Page or profile so that fans and friends who missed it can watch at a later time,” Facebook explained on its website, adding that you can also remove it if you so choose.

While the live-streaming feature is available now, Facebook is also promising more for 2018, including the ability to play games alongside a video chat. The fun-sounding feature will kick off with Words With Friends, so instead of merely imagining your opponent’s face when you lay down a 100-point word that no one’s ever heard of, you’ll soon have the fun of seeing their reaction when they realize what you’ve done.

Finally, other goodies coming soon to Instant Games include the once wildly popular Angry Birds by Rovio Entertainment, though the Messenger version promises “an exciting new way to challenge friends.” Other incoming games include Sega’s Sonic Jump, Disney Tsum Tsum from Line, and a new casual puzzle game from GungHo Online, makers of the hit game Puzzle & Dragons.

Instant Games and the upcoming additional features are all part of Facebook’s ongoing efforts to drive engagement with Messenger as well as Facebook, ending the need to exit the platform to play games, or launch live-streams via other apps like Periscope. Integrating other Facebook features into Messenger like Facebook Live bolsters Facebook’s all-important ecosystem, boosting engagement to put more eyeballs on more ads and, you got it, generate even more revenue for Facebook.

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Honda has just rolled out four of its cutest robot designs yet

Although better known as an automaker, Honda has long been directing funds to robotics research for personal interactions and mobility, with some of the technology also likely to find its way back to its driverless car project.

It’s a busy time for the Japanese company as the fruits of its most recent work is set to be unveiled at CES in just a few weeks time.

Described by Honda as a “3E (Empower, Experience, Empathy) Robotics Concept,” the four robots incorporate a range of experimental technologies designed for a variety of roles.

First up is the 3E-A18 (no, they don’t have particularly catchy names), described by Honda as a companion robot “that shows compassion to humans with a variety of facial expressions.” In the video, the 3E-A18 can be seen on the far left, sporting a smile so cute it would surely melt the heart of even the most frozen of souls.

Next up is the 3E-B18, a single-seat mobility concept “designed for casual use in indoor or outdoor spaces,” while the the 3E-C18 (can you see a pattern emerging with the names yet?) is a small-sized, wheel-based electric machine with a multi-functional cargo space.

Finally, the 3E-D18, the heftiest and most rugged-looking design, is an autonomous off-road vehicle geared toward supporting people “in a broad range of work activities.”

The designs are all easy on the eyes, a deliberate approach by Honda that in its view makes them more likely to be embraced (perhaps quite literally in the case of the smiley 3E-A18) by certain sectors of society, for example, senior citizens who might initially be nervous of robotic technology.

As these are concept designs, it’s by no means certain that these robots will one day be ferrying people around, carrying their shopping, or grinning broadly at their users, but the technologies powering them could well find their way into similar machines in the not-too-distant future. DT will be at CES in Las Vegas next month to see the robots in action and learn more about what they have to offer.

Asimo and others

Honda already has plenty of experience with robotics, the most famous of which is Asimo, which the company claims to be “the world’s most advanced humanoid robot.”

Another of its creations is the Walking Assist device, a hip-mounted unit fitted with small motors, which, as its name suggests, helps those that need some level of support when walking.

And we mustn’t forget the steerable Uni-Cub, shown off wonderfully in one of OK Go’s wacky videos a few years ago.

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Just Eat made a ‘magic wand’ for ordering food

Just Eat, we need to talk. Your latest invention, a food-ordering “magic wand,” is ridiculous. I get that you want to have some fun over the Christmas period — and somewhere, your marketing department is having a good chuckle — but you’ve gone too far. Enough is enough. First of all, is it meant for the kitchen or the bedroom? Actually, don’t answer that. Then there’s the operation. You have to download a separate app (ugh), login and make an order the old-fashioned way. Only then can you repeat this order — and nothing else — by waving the wand around like Merlin.

Did I mention that it only works with Android? Oh, and the app has to be open for the wand to work, otherwise your phone can’t hear the “sonic barcode” being emitted from the tip. *Sigh* Okay, so thankfully this is a prototype. And obviously it’s a joke. (I doubt Just Eat plans to actually sell any of these.) Even so, the number of hours that must have been required to design and manufacture the wand is, frankly, embarrassing. So please Just Eat, no more. You’re a solid takeout website that competes just fine with Deliveroo. You don’t have to copy Pizza Hut and KFC’s viral silliness.

‘The Game Awards’ round-up: catch all the best bits

Geoff Keighley has been touting this year’s The Game Awards as the gaming industry’s answer to the Oscars. Now that the ceremony has concluded, we can safely say that he delivered. It had all the hallmarks of a lavish awards show: Live orchestra (check), fervent spiels (check), Hollywood a-listers (check). And, there was the return of the hotly-anticipated game reveals that — in part — helped nab 8.6 million viewers last time round. If you didn’t catch the action online, we’ve got your back. Below you’ll find a list of the night’s winners and the game trailers that went out live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. As always, there were touching moments too, like a noticeably awestruck Melina Juergens getting the Best Performance award for Hellblade from Andy Serkis.

Highlights this year included Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro’s ongoing bromance (which came with a side-helping of Death Stranding) — the game’s star Norman Reedus was also on hand to help out. The ceremony’s most WTF moment came from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons dev Josef Fares, whose expletive-filled intro for his next project A Way Out included a middle-finger to the Oscars and props to current enemy number one EA (the game’s publisher).

Josef Fares brought a new trailer for A Way Out to #TheGameAwards. And he has a message for The Oscars, too. pic.twitter.com/pvyXfVLmln

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 8, 2017

Nintendo was the big winner on the night, courtesy of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s game of the year win, for which it beat out Persona 5, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mario Odyssey, and Steam record-breaker PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The gaming giant also bagged an additional four gongs, bringing its final tally to five.

• Game of the Year – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Best Game Direction – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Best Narrative – What Remains of Edith Finch
• Best Art Direction – Cuphead
• Best Score / Music – NieR: Automata
• Best Audio Design – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Best Performance – Melina Juergens, Hellblade (as Senua)
• Games for Impact – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Best Ongoing Game – Overwatch
• Best Independent Game – Cuphead
• Best Mobile Game – Monument Valley 2
• Best Handheld Game – Metroid: Samus Returns
• Best VR/AR Game – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
• Best Action Game – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
• Best Action/Adventure Game – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Best Role-Playing Game – Persona 5
• Best Fighting Game – Injustice 2
• Best Family Game – Super Mario Odyssey
• Best Strategy Game – Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
• Best Sports/Racing Game – Forza Motorsport 7
• Most Anticipated Game – The Last of Us Part II
• Trending Gamer – Guy Beahm (“Dr. Disrespect”)
• Best eSports Game – Overwatch
• Best eSports Player – Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker” (SK Telecom 1, League of Legends)
• Best eSports Team – Cloud 9
• Student Game Award – Level Squared
• Best Debut Indie Game – Cuphead
• Chinese Fan Game Award – jx3 HD《剑网3》重制版

Source: The Game Awards (YouTube)

YouTube to try again with new paid music service, aiming for March launch

Multiple past efforts by YouTube to take on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music have ended in failure, but the Google-owned company is clearly not one to walk away from a challenge.

Determined to try, try, and try again, YouTube is reportedly prepping another subscription service for a March 2018 launch, allowing anyone who coughs up the cash to stream music to their devices.

The service is likely to be called Remix, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, and while focusing primarily on music streaming, could also include relevant video clips from YouTube.

As we heard earlier this year, the new service looks set to unite Google Play Music and YouTube Music, a free app that arrived in 2016 offering music with ads.

Google launched Google Play Music in 2011, but it hasn’t enjoyed the same success as rival music streaming services. Keen to explore the subscription platform, YouTube launched Music Key in 2014, offering subscribers ad-free music videos. But poor growth saw Music Key succeeded by YouTube Red, which landed in 2015 and lets users watch all videos without ads while also offering original programming, offline viewing, and background playback for $10 a month.

YouTube has already inked a deal with Warner Music Group for Remix, according to Bloomberg’s sources, but remains in talks with others that it needs to get on board, namely Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Merlin, a consortium of independent labels.

The report says any deal “could help appease record-industry executives who have pushed for more revenue from YouTube,” with some claiming that recent growth enjoyed by the industry would’ve been greater “if not for YouTube,” which they say doesn’t pay them enough when you take into account the number of people that use the streaming site to listen to music.

No subscription costs have been mentioned, though Remix may try to undercut Spotify and Apple Music to offer a compelling reason for users to jump ship or for first-time subscribers to sign up. Spotify and Apple Music currently both offer basic streaming plans for $10 a month.

While other music streaming services exist, Spotify and Apple Music have emerged as the two main players, with Spotify now home to more than 60 million paying subscribers, and Apple Music to 30 million.

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