2017 was Amazon’s best year for new Prime subscriptions so far

Amazon’s fourth quarterly earnings results has just come in and, as expected, it was a pretty great holiday season for the online retail giant. According to the release, the company made $60.5 billion in the last few months, which is close to a 36 percent increase when compared to this time last year. It all adds up to a Q4 net income of $1.9 billion, its biggest recorded profit ever, partially thanks to a $789 million tax boost.

Though Amazon doesn’t usually break out its sales per category, CEO Jeff Bezos did say that a lot of this recent growth has to do with the rise of Alexa adoption in recent years. “We’ve reached an important point where other companies and developers are accelerating adoption of Alexa,” he said in a statement. “There are now over 30,000 skills from outside developers, customers can control more than 4,000 smart home devices from 1,200 unique brands with Alexa, and we’re seeing strong response to our new far-field voice kit for manufacturers.”

The other big highlight of Amazon’s report is that its Prime membership has grown substantially. It states that more new paid members have joined Prime in 2017 than in any previous year, and that in last year alone, more than five billion items are shipped with Prime around the world. Some of that could be a result of new incentives by Amazon to boost Prime membership, like monthly options for college students and discounts for those with EBT cards.

It also claims that the Fire TV Stick and the Echo Dot were the best-selling products across all of Amazon in 2017, which isn’t entirely surprising considering how affordable they are, as well as how much Amazon advertises its own products across the site.

Amazon also highlighted the release of its new Kindle Oasis, new Amazon furniture brands by the name of Rivet and Stone & Beam, and the launch of Amazon Go, its new cashier-less store, in the report. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t break down its product sales by division, so it’s difficult to know just how profitable each sector is.

And, as always, Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to be a big part of the company’s growth strategy — it recorded $5.1 billion in AWS sales and overall revenue from the cloud business grew 45 percent from this time last year. The cloud service added several more enterprise customers this past year that include Disney, Expedia and Ellucian.

We’ll add more to this after listening in on the earnings call at 5:30pm ET.

Source: Amazon

Apple Now Has 1.3 Billion Active Devices Worldwide

Apple today announced that its active installed base of devices has reached 1.3 billion, a milestone the company hit in January. That includes iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch models in use around the world.

The number was shared by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press release announcing the company’s record earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2018. Cook says that Apple has seen the number of active devices grow 30 percent over the course of the last two years. Apple hit its 1 billion active device milestone back in January of 2016.

“We’ve also achieved a significant milestone with our active installed base of devices reaching 1.3 billion in January. That’s an increase of 30 percent in just two years, which is a testament to the popularity of our products and the loyalty and satisfaction of our customers.”

Apple this afternoon said it sold 77.3 million iPhones, 13.2 million iPads, and 5.1 million Macs during the first quarter of 2018.
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App Store, Apple Music, iCloud and Apple Pay Set All Time Quarterly Revenue Records in Q1 2018

Apple’s services category continues to grow rapidly, and in the first fiscal quarter of 2018, Apple services, which includes iTunes, the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Pay, and AppleCare, saw revenue of $8.5 billion, up 18 percent year over year.

The App Store saw its best holiday season ever, and Q1 2018 marked the best quarter ever for not only the App Store, but also Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple Pay. Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple Pay all saw significant growth in active users.

Paid subscriptions passed 240 million by the end of the December quarter, which Apple says is an increase of $30 million in the last 90 days alone, the largest quarterly growth ever.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple is well on its way to reaching its goal to double its services revenue by 2020.

Tags: App Store, earnings, iTunes
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Fly through the water like a dolphin with the AquaJet H2 from Hoverstar

You may not have fins, but that doesn’t mean you can’t glide through the water with the grace of an aquatic creature. Thanks to Hoverstar Flight Technology, a company dedicated to water sports equipment, you will soon be able to fly across or underneath the surface of the great blue ocean (or any other body of water) with ease. Meet the AquaJet H2, a motorized underwater scooter with wings dedicated to improving the experience of divers and snorkelers the world over.

The scooter, which looks something like a flattened shark head, features aircraft-style wings that claim to reduce water resistance, leading to greater balance and less friction and drag. Adventurers need only grab onto the front of the wings and either dive underwater or skim across its surface. Powered by a “smart internal motor,” the AquaJet H2 can apparently carry up to four people at once, and features three variable speeds. Top speeds stand at 5.6 miles per hour, which is almost certainly faster than you can swim (though Michael Phelps is said to reach speeds of six miles per hour).

In order to offset the torque from the rotation of the motor and propeller, the scooter features a bottom grille board with an arch shape design to add horizontal stability and a smoother ride for the diver. On the left wing, users will find a switch that controls acceleration, while a switch on the right wing controls speed. In order to navigate with the AquaJet, divers need only to tilt the wings in the desired direction.

The scooter lasts 100 minutes per charge, but even when it’s out of battery, the AquaJet will float on its own, and also is equipped with positive buoyancy to help divers make their way to the surface quickly and safely.

“Many of us dream of the freedom that a dolphin feels surfing ocean waves, and now the everyday diver or snorkeler can experience that thrill with the AquaJet H2,” Hoverstar founder and CEO Edward Liu said. “While the motor is powerful enough to ride along the ocean … it’s also extremely quiet and doesn’t disrupt any surrounding ocean life,” he added.

The AquaJet H2 is seeking funding on Indiegogo, where you can back it at the early bird price of $799. As with all crowdfunded projects, you should know what you’re getting into.

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Minnesota vending machine sells Super Bowl fans premade snowballs for $1

From vending machines to help homeless people get the provisions they need to ultra-secure ones that could sell guns, booze, or other ID-requiring products, we’ve covered some pretty cool vending machines here at Digital Trends. None, however, is quite so cool as a new vending machine that’s just popped up in Minnesota. And we mean that quite literally.

Just when you think you’ve heard about every possible vended good, this vending machine sells hand-packed frozen snowballs — ready and waiting to be thrown at a sibling, partner, buddy, or annoying co-worker at your leisure. The vending machine in question was created by marketing agency, Space150, and is intended to bring a little Minnesota chill to visiting Super Bowl fans for $1 a pop.

“We wanted to give Minnesota visitors something unique to our region that they could bring back home,” Brock Davis, chief creative officer on the project, told Digital Trends. “Since we’re known for our cold, naturally that gave us the idea to sell real snowballs as souvenirs. And the best way to do that? Vending machine. This project was exceptionally fun because the entire idea rests firmly at the intersection of brilliant and dumb.”

As “dumb” as the idea may sound, getting snowballs to stay snowballs inside a vending machine is surprisingly tricky. Make a few miscalculations and the vending machine becomes home to either small puddles of water or else rock-hard projectiles that will ensure you’re watching the Super Bowl from behind bars on an assault charge.

“The snowballs were made by hand and then sealed in a waterproof container,” Davis continued. “Luckily, the weather has cooperated and we were able to store the snowballs outside. The vending machine is refrigerated, so once inside, the snowballs will never melt. We modified a normal vending machine so it could dispense canisters large enough to hold snowballs. The most complex problem we faced was making sure the snowball containers were waterproof. After a little trial and error, we were able to rig an antique canner to create a perfectly tight seal. The only thing left to do was make round, well-packed snowballs and avoid throwing them at each other.”

The Real Minnesota Snowball Machine is currently operating in the alley of the Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis’ North Loop, where you can “purchase a little piece of the North for a buck.” We give the the creators hella props for their hustling huckster spirit!

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Google Assistant lets you set songs as alarms and look up TV schedules

These two new features are rolling out to users now.

The Google Assistant is something I’ve come to be quite fond of, and thanks to my Google Home and Pixel 2, I’m using it more now than ever before. There are two new features coming to the Google Assistant, and they allow you to link music to alarms and ask about upcoming TV shows.

Starting with the former of the two, this is something that Amazon just added to Alexa this past December. When creating an alarm with Google Assistant, you can now say something along the lines of, “Hey, Google, set an alarm that plays Never Gonna Give You Up at 7 AM.” Once 7:00 rolls around, Rick Astley’s voice will begin to ring through your home as it was intended.

You can also tell the Assistant to set an alarm that plays music by an artist if there’s not a specific song you care to wake up to, and while it’ll try and default to Google Play Music to source these tunes, it should work with the likes of Spotify, Pandora, etc.

Additionally, the Google Assistant can also look up programming for upcoming TV shows. Just say, “Hey, Google, when does Chopped air next” or “what channel airs The Office.”

These new features are rolling out to users now, and if you don’t have access to them quite yet, they should be available to use within the next couple of days.

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How to factory reset an Android phone

How do I factory reset my Android phone?

There are a number of reasons why you might need to factory reset your Android phone. Maybe your phone is overloaded with apps and running slow, or you’ve downloaded a recent update and it’s causing problems with your phone’s functionality. Or maybe you want to reset to the factory settings because you’re selling your phone (you should always do this when selling an old device, by the way).

Here’s how to factory reset your Android phone through the phone settings or via the recovery mode in case your device isn’t booting up to your home screen.

WARNING: Before we get started, know that a factory reset will erase all the data on your phone. If you haven’t backed up your contacts, pictures, videos, documents and anything else (preferably in the cloud), you should do so now.

Not sure where to back up your data before a factory reset? We have you covered:

How to prepare your Android phone for a factory reset

Given the extensive variety of phones available on Android, I’ll be using the Pixel 2 XL and the Galaxy A8+ as the examples. The Pixel 2 XL is running Oreo and serves as a good baseline as the process is nearly identical on devices from the likes of Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, and other companies that retain a “stock” user interface.

As for the Galaxy A8+, the phone is running the latest iteration of Samsung’s user interface, and with the company being the largest manufacturer in the world of Android by some considerable margin, it makes sense to see how things differ (if at all). With that out of the way, let’s get started.

• How to factory reset your phone from the settings menu
• How to factory reset your phone via recovery mode

How to factory reset your phone from the settings menu

The easiest way to factory reset your phone is through the settings menu. The location of the factory reset option might vary slightly based on the phone you’re using, but once you’ve found the “backup and reset” menu, you should be in the clear.

On a Pixel 2 XL

Tap the Settings icon from your home screen or app drawer.
Swipe up to scroll down to the bottom of the settings menu.

Tap System.

Hit Reset options.
Select Erase all data (factory reset).

Swipe up to scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Hit the Reset phone button.
Enter your device PIN and select Continue.

Tap Erase everything.

Your device will reboot and you can go through the initial setup as if it were a new phone.

On a Samsung Galaxy A8+

Tap the Settings icon from your home screen or app drawer.
Swipe up to scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Tap the General management tab.

Select Reset.
Hit Factory data reset.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Hit the blue Reset button.
Enter your device PIN and tap Next.

Tap Delete all.

Your phone will reboot and you’ll have to go through the setup process again before you’re able to restore your data.

How to factory reset your phone via recovery mode

If your phone is running into issues with an update or if there’s a malfunction that’s preventing the device from booting up, you’ll be able to factory reset by heading into recovery mode. At a high level, you’ll be able to enter recovery mode by pressing down on the volume up and power buttons simultaneously.

The process varies slightly based on the device you’re using, as we shall see later on. But before we proceed to reset via recovery, you’ll need to know about a security mode called Factory Reset Protection.

Google rolled out Factory Reset Protection a few years ago, and the feature is now standard on all phones running Lollipop and above. Essentially, FRP ensures that someone can’t just factory reset your lost or stolen phone and set it up as new by booting into recovery mode. The mode requires you to sign into to a Google account associated with the device after a factory reset, failing which you won’t be able to proceed with the setup.

Based on what I’ve encountered, FRP kicks in when you reset a device via the recovery mode and isn’t an issue when you’re resetting via the settings. If you’re interested in knowing more about the feature and how it works, you should take a look at Jerry’s excellent article on the subject:

Factory Reset Protection: what you need to know

So if you’re looking to sell your device and are considering a factory reset, a better option would be to go through the aforementioned settings page. If you’re unable to boot into your device and need a way of resetting data, then you can turn to recovery mode. Now that you understand the risks, here’s how to reset your phone via recovery mode.

On a Pixel 2 XL

If your phone is on, power it off.
Hold down the Power and Volume down buttons. Instead of booting up normally, you’ll see “Start” in an arrow pointed at the power button. Here you use the Volume buttons to scroll and the Power button to select an option.
Press the Volume down button until you’ve highlighted Recovery mode.
Press the Power Button to start recovery mode.
When your phone reloads, you should see a screen that says “No command” with an Android robot in distress. Press and hold the power and volume up buttons together to load the recovery mode.
Using the Volume buttons to scroll through the menu, highlight Wipe data/factory reset.
Press the Power button to select.
Highlight and select Yes to confirm the reset.
Once the reset is complete, you will be bounced back to the same recovery mode menu. Press the Power button to select Reboot system now.

Your phone will power on and be reset to its factory settings. Your phone will reboot and you’ll have to go through the setup process again before you’re able to restore your data.

On a Samsung Galaxy A8+

If your phone is on, power it off.
Hold down the Power and Volume up buttons simultaneously. You should see the Samsung logo followed by an “Installing system update” screen.
After a few seconds, you should see a “No command” message flashing on the screen. Wait 10 to 15 seconds at this screen and the device will enter recovery mode.
Use the Volume buttons to scroll through the menu and the power button to make a selection.
Highlight Wipe data/factory reset.
Press the Power button to select.
Highlight and select Yes to confirm the reset.
Once the reset is complete, you will be bounced back to the same recovery mode menu. Press the Power button to select Reboot system now.

Your phone will power on and be reset to its factory settings. The next time you turn the phone on, you will go through the initial setup process as if it were a brand new phone. Once set up, you can go about restoring your data from wherever you had it backed up.

As mentioned earlier, if you’re resetting your phone via recovery mode, Factory Reset Protection kicks in if you haven’t already removed your Google accounts from the device. So if you’re selling your device, make sure you remove your Google accounts and lock screen security before you do a hard reset through the recovery mode.

How do you reset your phone?

What’s your preferred method of resetting your phone? Let me know in the comments below.

Updated January 2018: Steps and screenshots have been updated for Android O.

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You can now ask Alexa about your YouTube stats with the TubeBuddy skill

Wanna know how your latest video is doing, or how many subs you have? Just ask Alexa.

It’s now easier than ever to obsess over your YouTube stats, thanks to a new Amazon Alexa Skill from TubeBuddy. If you’re not using the TB service — it brings together a whole bunch of YouTube stats and best practices and basically helps you do things better — you definitely need to check it out.

Plus, ya know, they got some guy to help ’em show it off. So there’s that.

Check out the TubeBuddy Skill for Amazon Alexa

Sony confirms its flagship phones receive two years of software updates

Mid-range and entry-level phones are left to Sony’s discretion, however.

When buying a new Android phone, one of the things to keep in mind is how fast or slow certain manufacturers release software updates for existing hardware. Google’s Pixel line is the current go-to if you want the fastest updates possible, whereas companies like Samsung can be agonizingly slow in this regard.

Sony’s always done a pretty good job at pushing out software updates in a speedy manner, but it’s never had an official statement on where it stands on this. However, this has now changed with the recently spotted Sony Mobile Android Upgrade Policy.

According to Sony:

We aim to support all premium range devices with the latest Android updates for two years after the device has launched. We may choose not to upgrade a mid-range or entry-level device if testing does not meet our exacting standards and we feel the hardware isn’t capable of delivering a stable user experience.

It’s often the norm in this industry that flagship phones will receive software updates longer than cheaper ones, so Sony’s stance here isn’t all that surprising. I’d prefer the company to be more specific about updates for mid and entry-level phones rather than telling people to just wait and see, but even so, this is better than nothing.

If you plan on getting a new Android handset this year, does Sony’s stance on software updates sway your decision one way or the other? Let me know down in that comments section.

The unbearable slowness of Samsung’s updates

Spotify teams with Discord to soundtrack your gaming chats

Spotify and gaming chat app Discord are joining forces so your entire channel can bump to the same music during a raid. Starting today, you can link your Spotify Premium account to your Discord account and keep the beats rocking for your entire community. “All users are now able to instantly highlight and share their favorite tunes with their friends across Discord,” Spotify writes.

More than that, whatever you’re currently listening to will be attached to a tag on your profile so you don’t have to keep answering the same question over and over again. All told, this sounds a lot like how Turntable.fm (RIP) or Dubtrack work. Previously, Spotify replaced Sony’s Music Unlimited service on PlayStation, and just last year it was available on Xbox One.

The partnership makes sense too, and it isn’t much of a stretch to imagine Twitch streamers or other online communities offering the music feature for their respective subscribers. Regardless, it should make having a listening party with your friends a whole lot easier.

Source: Spotify