Fox News’ streaming service will cater to ‘superfans’

Fox News is joining the ranks of conventional broadcasters launching stand-alone streaming services. The channel has revealed plans for Fox Nation, an internet-only subscription video service for “superfans” of its ultra-conservative programming. The service will focus on opinion shows, and will include special events as well as access to 20 years of back catalog videos that won’t be available elsewhere. The service doesn’t yet have a price ahead of its debut in the fourth quarter of 2018, although we’d expect it to be relatively inexpensive given that it’s an offshoot of a single channel.

This isn’t the same as watching the TV network on the road, though. Fox News is only promising “interaction” with its familiar opinion hosts, so you’ll probably have to stay glued to a TV if you can’t get enough of the company’s big-name presenters.

Whether or not the service succeeds isn’t certain. Fox News is counting on those “superfans” precisely because they’re religiously loyal — paying a little extra per month could be worth it to them if it means never having to go without their favorite brand. However, that doesn’t mean they’re willing to embrace a streaming-only service. As the New York Times observed, the median Fox News viewer is 65 years old — these aren’t exactly millennials hooked on streaming video. They may not sign up for Fox Nation simply because their viewing habits don’t involve smartphones or the web.

Via: New York Times, EW

Source: Fox News

Installation begins on Bezos-backed 10,000 year clock

How will our actions affect our grandchildren? Our great-grandchildren? And their great-grandchildren? That’s the kind of long-term thinking that the non-profit organization the Long Now is trying to foster. And now Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has revealed that construction has begun on the organization’s ambitious project, the 10,000 year clock.

The 10,000 year clock is designed to measure time in years and centuries, rather than minutes and seconds. It will tick once a year. The century hand will advance, you guessed it, once a century, and the cuckoo will emerge once a millennium. The idea is to give us a greater sense of the impact of our decisions, and to think about long-term consequences of what we do.

According to Bezos’ tweet, the clock will be powered by day and night thermal cycles and synchronized at solar noon. The team just finished drilling a 500 foot deep vertical shaft for the clock. You can see a video about the process embedded in Bezos’ tweet below. (His connection to the project: The clock is being installed on a plot of land that he owns in Texas.)

Installation has begun—500 ft tall, all mechanical, powered by day/night thermal cycles, synchronized at solar noon, a symbol for long-term thinking—the #10000YearClock is coming together thx to the genius of Danny Hillis, Zander Rose & the whole Clock team! Enjoy the video. pic.twitter.com/FYIyaUIbdJ

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 20, 2018

Source: Twitter, 10,000 Year Clock

’Elite Dangerous: Beyond’ Chapter One arrives on February 27th

If you’ve been eagerly waiting for the third season of Elite Dangerous, your time has almost come. Today, Frontier Developments announced that the first chapter of the new season of the space MMORPG, called Beyond, will arrive on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on February 27th. The company also released a trailer for the third season, which you can see below.

Beyond will be free for all Elite Dangerous players and will incorporate core gameplay changes based on user feedback. The overhaul includes a redesigned response to and consequences for criminal activities, the introduction of GalNet Audio to allow news updates without leaving the game’s action, increased chances to acquire tech based on personal narrative and the inclusion of a trade data overlay to help increase the profitability of trading. The developers have also overhauled the mission rewards system.

‘Burnout Paradise’ is back with a $40 4K remaster March 16th

Burnout Paradise was one of those rare racers that transcended its genre and was just a killer game. If its recent 10th birthday had you feeling nostalgic, then we’ve got good news. Come March 16th, you’ll be able to hit the streets of Paradise City once again, to the complete original soundtrack, and replete with all 150 cars and eight main expansion pacls — including the “Big Surf Island” premium DLC — in Burnout Paradise Remastered.

The game will run in native 1080p on PlayStation 4 and Xbox hardware, and EA promises 4K resolution and 60 frames per-second on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. “We’ve given Burnout Paradise a complete graphics overhaul, with high-resolution textures and a range of technical enhancements designed to deliver all the high-octane chaos with an almost irresponsible level of visual fidelity,” EA writes. Check out the image below to see side-by-side comparisons from old to new.

Its expansive multiplayer offering is on tap again as well. Remastered will also feature the entire original soundtrack, with Killswitch Engage and Avril Lavigne unfortunately returning alongside Guns N’ Roses’ anthemic “Paradise City.”

What’s tragic here is that EA would rather make money off of Criterion’s past achievements (with a new team at the helm) than let the vaunted racing team make a new game. Remastered will set you back $40 and is available for digital pre-order on PS4 and Xbox right now.

If you’d rather not wait, or spend $40, the original game is backwards compatible and costs $15 on Xbox One. Last we checked, the decade-old game’s action held up incredibly well and there was a decent online population to boot. And if you’re feeling nostalgic for the Burnout series’ “crash mode” gametype, you can always check out Danger Zone from former Criterion developers.

Source: Electronic Arts (1), (2)

If NBC can’t improve its VR Olympics coverage, it should just stop

If you’re watching the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics on TV like a normal person, you may not realize there’s another option. I viewed the opening ceremonies, skiing, curling, figure skating and other events in virtual reality on my Samsung Gear VR (2017) headset via NBC’s app. I didn’t expect the coverage to be as smooth as TV, but I thought it would be a cool way to watch the events as if I were a live spectator. Sadly, with one exception, the experience was spotty and disappointing.

During the Rio Games in 2016, NBC broadcast the Olympic opening ceremonies in virtual reality for the first time, so I tuned in to have a look. It was a solid start: Despite problems like poor resolution, I felt like I was there, not watching on TV. Two years is a long time for tech like VR, so when NBC and Intel announced they’d cover the opening ceremonies and several live events once again in 2018, my expectations were higher.

Accessing the Games in VR in the US is relatively smooth, provided you have a live TV/cable option and the right headset. Among the models that will work are the Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

You simply install NBC’s app at the Oculus, Microsoft or Google Play store and enter the name of your cable provider, along with a username and password. This grants you access to live coverage of several events per day, along with full replays of those events as well as the opening ceremonies and highlights of others. Some broadcasts are available in 180-degree 3D VR, and others in 360 degrees and 2D.

Once you’re set up, the fun (and problems) begin. On the Gear VR, every time you want to tune in — and even when you want to change sports — you have to go through an annoying intro. The app is also pretty glitchy, and I was often greeted with a black screen when loading sports. The only way to fix it was to quit the app and go back in.

The first event I wanted to watch was men’s downhill skiing. Unfortunately, it was canceled due to high winds, so I watched the training run instead to get a taste of it. This was probably the worst event to view on this technology. Both the downhill and giant slalom are ill-suited to VR, at least the way NBC handled it. The skiers zoom by the fixed camera positions in blink-or-you’ll-miss-them blurs, so the only real way to follow it is via the “VR Cast” mode, with cameras controlled by a director. It does give you an idea of what it’s like to be a spectator, albeit without the cowbells and hot toddies. But other than for a couple of seconds per run, you’re watching the same 2D broadcast feed as anyone.

That brings up another thing: NBC and Intel haven’t improved the image quality much since the last Olympics. It’s not bad for close-up shots, but with wide angles it’s too pixelated at times to even make out someone’s face. I know it’s possible to do better, because NextVR’s NBA and concert broadcasts, done with multiple 6K RED 3D camera rigs, result in a much better resolution for viewers.

The next event, curling, provided the sole bright moment in my viewing experience. “You’re Canadian,” you might say, “so that doesn’t count.” No, it’s not that. Because of the relatively calm pace and controlled atmosphere, it was actually quite fun to watch in VR. Most of the cameras aren’t too wide, so resolution problems were minimal. And curling is a game of depth, so the 180-degree 3D view was ideal.

On the other hand, ice skating was abysmal in NBC and Intel’s VR because of the poorly placed cameras and the necessarily wide view. The latter made it hard at times to tell if there was even a skater on the rink. (The “kiss and cry”[c] part, when scores are awarded, was okay, again because it’s closer.) Ski jumping, snowboard halfpipe, bobsled and luge were also not great, because the athletes move by the cameras too quickly to see much. Again, the frame rates and resolution can’t keep up, so sometimes the athletes are literally just a blur.

There were a few things I did like, even when the coverage was otherwise poor. It’s fun to just look around at things that the broadcasters normally don’t let you see. The ski jump, freestyle, bobsled and alpine skiing locations are particularly picturesque, for instance, especially at night.

I also enjoy the silly little things, like the little kids picking up the teddy bears after a figure skater’s performance, the professional photographers, volunteers and spectators, and athletes chatting during lulls. All of that let me soak up the atmosphere and feel what it’s like to be at the event. As far as watching the sports goes, though, you’re still much, much better off with good old TV, especially for select events NBC is broadcasting in 4K HDR.

As for why NBC hasn’t gotten better at this yet, I can’t help but wonder if a big part of the problem is Intel’s True VR technology. Both NextVR and Intel cover the NBA, for instance, but on a Gear VR headset, Intel’s tech is clearly inferior. It’s also obvious that VR is still an afterthought for NBC, letting the network tick that box and save its best for the main broadcast.

That’s understandable, but I think NBC has to try a lot harder next time, or not bother at all. If they’re listening, I do have a few suggestions:

• Do whatever it takes to make the images much better, including ditching Intel if it can’t deliver.
• Don’t waste your time with 360-degree video; it’s useless for sports. Focus on 180-degree 3D, and do it better. (I know some people don’t like 3D, but I’m not one of them.)
• Get more creative with camera positioning. VR is useless unless you’re right in the middle of the action. Bobsled, for instance, would be insane with cameras mounted on every sled.
• Improve the app so it’s more immersive and less glitchy.

As for the 2020 Summer Olympics, I’m expecting a lot better. They’ll be hosted in Tokyo, and Japan is expected to put on a technological tour de force, with 8K broadcasting and more.

Setting the Olympics aside, virtual reality isn’t exactly setting the world on fire in general, thanks to problems like nausea, cost and a splintered market with a lot of players. The VR market will be a completely different animal by 2020, so hopefully the next Olympics will be a breakout moment for a technology that really needs it. The PyeongChang games certainly weren’t.

Sketchy Rumor: iPhone SE 2 Will Debut at WWDC With Classic Design But Larger 4.2-Inch Display

We’ve already heard multiple rumors suggesting Apple will unveil a so-called iPhone SE 2 later this year, and a new supply chain report from Chinese news website QQ.com claims to have knowledge of the device’s tech specs.

First, the report says the new iPhone SE won’t look like the iPhone X, which would make sense given it’s a lower-end device. Instead, the new model will purportedly have a similar design as the original iPhone SE, with a metal back and frame, top and bottom bezels on the front, and a home button.

A key difference would supposedly be a larger 4.2-inch display, but this is questionable given it could make it harder to use the iPhone SE in one hand, which is preferred by a subset of customers. However, it’s certainly possible Apple could trim down the bezels of the new iPhone SE slightly.

Apple is likely more focused on making under-the-hood improvements to the iPhone SE, as the device is now outdated by a few years. The report claims the new model will be powered by a faster A10 Fusion chip, although it will supposedly still have 2GB of RAM with 32GB or 128GB of storage available.

The report suggests Apple is planning to unveil the iPhone SE 2 at WWDC 2018 in June, which is certainly possible, but Apple hasn’t introduced a smartphone at the event since the iPhone 4 in 2010. If history repeats itself, the new iPhone SE could be introduced at a smaller media event around March.

While most of these tech specs would make sense, the source doesn’t have an established track record, so this rumor should be viewed with some skepticism. KeyforWeb.it spotted the report earlier.

There have been many rumors about Apple launching a new iPhone SE in 2018, with many of the sources based in Asia, including research firm TrendForce and publications like the Economic Daily News. One of the latest rumors suggested a new iPhone SE with wireless charging could launch in May-June.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who relays information from Apple’s supply chain in Asia, recently cast some doubt on rumors about a second-generation iPhone SE launching in the second quarter of 2018.

If there really is a so-called iPhone SE 2 on Apple’s roadmap, Kuo expects it will have few outward-facing changes. He predicts the device would likely have a faster processor and a lower price, rather than iPhone X-like features like a nearly full screen design, 3D sensing for Face ID, or wireless charging.

The current iPhone SE looks much like the iPhone 5s, including its smaller four-inch display preferred by a subset of customers. The device is powered by Apple’s A9 chip, like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and it has 2GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Touch ID.

Apple hasn’t fully refreshed the iPhone SE since it launched in March 2016, but it did double its available storage capacities to 64GB and 128GB last March. It also dropped the device’s starting price to $349 last September.

Related Roundup: iPhone SETag: qq.comBuyer’s Guide: iPhone SE (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second beta and a month after releasing macOS High Sierra 10.13.3. The update also comes one day after the release of a 10.13.3 Supplemental Update to address a bug that could cause apps to crash when receiving a character from the Indian language Telugu.

The new macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store with the proper profile installed.

macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren’t addressed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.3.

The update also offers support for some features that are available in iOS 11.3, like Messages on iCloud, which uploads all of your iMessages to the cloud. It will also support Business Chat, a feature coming when iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 are released to the public, and it includes improved support for eGPUs.

The macOS 10.13.4 brings the smoke cloud wallpaper that was previously only available on the iMac Pro, it replaces the “iBooks” app with the new renamed “Books” app, and it introduces a warning when opening up a 32-bit app as part of an effort to phase them out.

In the future, Apple plans to phase out 32-bit Mac apps, just like it did with 32-bit iOS apps. Apple says macOS High Sierra is the last version of macOS that will support 32-bit apps without compromises.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of tvOS 11.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and just a day after releasing the tvOS 11.2.6 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 11.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that’s installed using Xcode and Apple Configurator.

The tvOS 11.3 update introduces support for AirPlay 2, allowing the Apple TV to be added to the Home app as part of a HomeKit setup.

With AirPlay 2, you can play the same song on multiple Apple TVs in different rooms, and when AirPlay 2 officially launches, that functionality will extend to other AirPlay 2 devices like HomePod and AirPlay 2 compatible speakers.

Other new features in tvOS 11.3 include enhancements to Match Content support, automatic frame rate switching on the fourth-generation Apple TV (a feature that was added to Apple TV 4K in a past tvOS update), and automatic mode switching for AirPlay video sessions.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 11.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 11.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and one month after releasing iOS 11.2.5, an update that focused primarily on bug fixes and security improvements. The update also comes just a day after the release of iOS 11.2.6, which fixed a bug that caused iPhones and iPads to crash when a character from the Indian language Telugu was rendered improperly.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11.3 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

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iOS 11.3 is a major update that introduces a long list of new features, like Messages on iCloud for storing your iMessages in the cloud, and ARKit 1.5, a new, upgraded version of ARKit that can more accurately map irregularly shaped surfaces and recognize and place objects on vertical surfaces like walls.

There are four new Animoji on the iPhone X (dragon, bear, skull, and lion), and in the Health app, there’s a new Health Records feature that aggregates all of your medical records in one easy-to-access place. Health Records are limited to participating institutions, though.

AirPlay 2 features have been introduced in iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3, allowing audio to be played to multiple Apple TVs, and for HomeKit, iOS 11.3 introduces official support for HomeKit software authentication options.

As of iOS 11.3 beta 2, the update includes a new “Battery Health” feature that’s designed to provide iOS users with more information about their batteries.

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Battery Health offers details on maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability, and for devices with degraded batteries, it provides information on if and when a device is being throttled with performance management features. It also provides a way for customers who do have a device with a degraded battery to turn off performance management all together.

By default, iOS 11.3 disables performance management on the iPhone, and the feature is only re-enabled once a device experiences an unexpected shutdown.

Other features in iOS 11.3 include a new “For You” section in Apple News that displays the top videos of the day, support for Advanced Mobile Location (AML) for more accurate location when placing an emergency call in a supported country, more information about app size in the Updates tap in the App Store, and a new Privacy screen and icon that will show up whenever Apple asks you for info.

iBooks has also had the “i” removed from its name, so it’s just “Books” now, and the App Store now lets you sort reviews by most helpful, most favorable, most critical, and most recent, a handy change for better finding the app info you’re looking for.

Business Chat, which will let you interface with businesses like Wells Fargo, Delta, Hilton and Lowe’s right in the Messages app is coming when iOS 11.3 is released, and improvements to Apple Music will bring better support for music videos. Users will be able to stream music videos without adds and create and view music video playlists.

iOS 11.3 will be released to the public in the spring. Spring kicks off on March 20, so iOS 11.3 will be in testing for at least another month.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Lost and found: Here’s how to locate your iPhone when it goes missing

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It’s an all too common scenario. You and your friends go out for a few drinks on a Saturday night. One drink turns to two, then three, and somewhere — probably in between the four shots of horrendous well whiskey and your oh-so-fantastic karaoke rendition of Jewel’s You Were Meant for Me — you go from a casual night out to painting the town red. Along the way, your iPhone, the essential piece of tech that’s basically become an extension of you, disappears without a trace.

Fortunately, Apple is hip to this sort of thing. The Cupertino, California-based company has conveniently been offering the Find My iPhone feature and accompanying mobile app since 2010, allowing users to remotely locate, lock, or wipe their iPhone using iCloud or another iOS device. Using Find My iPhone is simple, requiring little more than the initial setup and activation, and can really save you should you discover that your precious device is nowhere to be found. The software even works on other devices including your iPad, iPod Touch, and even your Mac. It won’t prevent you from losing your phone, but it may help you find it so long as you activate the feature prior to losing your device. Now, just make sure to check the crevices of your couch one last time before following these steps.

Step 1: Check the requirements

Although optimized for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Find My iPhone is available on all devices equipped with iOS 5 or later. The utility is completely free and compatible beginning with the iPhone 3GS, third-generation iPod Touch, iPad, iPad Mini, and all the latest versions of ech A valid iCloud account is also required and devices without cellular data must be connected to a registered Wi-Fi network to be located.

Step 2: Find the app

The Find My iPhone app has been a part of iOS for quite some time. You don’t need to install the app, and you can’t remove it. To find it, just swipe down from the middle of your screen to bring up spotlight search and type Find My iPhone. Then just open the app and log in with your Apple ID.

Step 3: Activate Find My iPhone

Tap the main Settings icon and then tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the screen. Go to iCloud and then scroll down to Find my iPhone. Select it and make sure it is turned on.

Find My iPhone does more than just allow you to track your iPhone in a pinch. The feature also enables Activation Lock, which securely stores your Apple ID in Apple’s activation servers and automatically links to your device. This feature then requires your password be entered before anyone can turn off Find My iPhone, erase your device, or reactivate it. It requires no action on your part and serves as yet another security measure designed to prevent theft and unauthorized use of your phone.

Step 4: Lose your iOS device

Obviously, this doesn’t come recommended, but finding your iOS device once lost is likely the reason you chose to use the app in the first place.

Step 5: Locate your iOS device

Once lost, you can either use another iOS device or access your iCloud account on the web to locate your lost or stolen device. Again, keep in mind that it’s not possible to locate the device if you didn’t activate the Find my iPhone function before losing your device.

Using another iOS device

Find the Find my iPhone icon as described in step 2 (the icon resembles an old-school radar display), then enter your iCloud login credentials in the appropriate fields. Once logged in, select the lost or stolen device from the list of devices set up with Find my iPhone to view the device’s location.

Additional options for remotely wiping the phone and forcing it to play a sound — accessible via the Actions option located at the bottom of the display — are also available, along with an intuitive Lost Mode that provides options for locking the device with a four-digit passcode and displaying a contact phone number of your own choosing directly on the lock screen.

Using your iCloud account on the Web

Open your favorite browser and navigate to the iCloud homepage before signing in with your Apple ID and password. Than click the large Find My iPhone icon, select All Devices at the top of the window, and select the lost or stolen device from the resulting list of activated devices.

Additional options for remotely wiping the phone and forcing it to play a sound should appear in the upper-right corner, along with an intuitive Lost Mode button that provides options for locking the device with a four-digit passcode and displaying a contact phone number of your own choosing directly on the lock screen.

Step 6: Take action

Once you locate your iPhone or iOS device, use one of Find My iPhone’s built-in functions to help recover the device. Tap the gray Play Sound button featuring the speaker to have your phone play a high-pitched ping continuously for two minutes, or tap the gray Erase iPhone button followed by the Erase iPhone confirmation to completely wipe your device of all content and settings.

If running iOS 6 or later, tap the middle Lost Mode button followed by the Turn On Lost Mode confirmation before entering a phone number where you can be reached. Then, tap the green Next button in the upper-right corner, enter your desired message in the resulting text field, and tap the green Done button to activate the message.

There’s no guarantee the ringing, erasing, or messaging will help you get your device back — regardless of whether you know its precise whereabouts. Rather than confront the potential thief yourself, it’s wise to contact your service provider and the police, informing them of the situation and your intentions to recover the device. You never know when things might escalate like they did in San Francisco in 2012.

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