‘Luke Cage’ season two premieres June 22nd

Jessica Jones isn’t the only streaming Marvel show getting a long due follow-up. Netflix has posted a teaser clip confirming that Luke Cage’s second season will premiere on June 22nd. The video itself doesn’t reveal much about the story, but it’s evident from the description that the stakes have changed. Cage is now a hero, but that makes him a bigger target — and a “formidable new foe” will make him deal with the “fine line” between a champion and the villains he’s supposed to be fighting.

Marvel’s Netflix programming has produced mixed results, but Luke Cage has generally earned a warm reception for both the strength of key actors (most namely Mike Colter in the titular role) and a storyline that’s as much about Harlem and its challenges as it is the usual superhero fight scenes. The question is whether or not Netflix can maintain those strengths while expanding beyond familiar territory.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)

Amazon expands Whole Foods delivery to Atlanta and San Francisco

Last month, Amazon launched its Whole Foods delivery service, allowing Prime members in some Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia Beach neighborhoods to order Whole Foods groceries through Prime Now and have them delivered within two hours. Today, Amazon announced that the service has expanded to select areas of Atlanta and San Francisco. Customers in those regions can order produce, bakery items, dairy, meat, seafood, flowers and everyday staples through Prime Now. San Francisco customers can also order alcohol through the service.

Whole Foods delivery is available from 8AM to 10PM and doesn’t cost any extra as long as orders are at least $35. However, if you’d like your order within one hour, you can pay an additional $8 for that quicker turnaround. Fast delivery was the next logical step in the Whole Foods-Amazon integration and Amazon says the service will reach more cities throughout the year.

Source: Amazon

Alexa can now stream music from Deezer

Deezer has been rapidly expanding its footprint, from the devices it’s available on to adding voice control. Now it’s adding Alexa to the mix. Not only is Deezer voice control available on Amazon’s Echo devices, but it’s also accessible on devices that support Alexa, such as the Sonos One and Ultimate Ears BLAST. The service will be accessible to users in 66 countries.

Premium+ customers in the UK can use the command “Alexa, play Flow” to play a never ending stream of individually customized music. All Deezer users can take advantage of voice commands to search for and play albums, artists and songs. Deezer on Alexa also supports play, pause, song skipping and volume control.

In order to stay competitive, Deezer needs to be available on as many devices as possible, and it’s certainly doing that. In the last year, the service has come to the Roku, Google Home and more.

Mercedes’ futuristic headlights are no longer just a concept

Mercedes has been testing smarter headlights, and now it appears they’re no longer just a concept. Daimler announced today that these futuristic headlamps will be available in top of the line Mercedes-Maybach S-Class vehicles.

These smart headlights are equipped with the equivalent of a digital projector, which can control how and where the light is thrown. The sensors on the car can determine when and how bright the headlamps should illuminate, preventing drivers from blinding pedestrians or people in other vehicles. The headlamps can also project information onto the road. You can read more about our experience with these smart headlights, which have a resolution of over a million pixels each, here.

It should be noted that this is an incredibly small production line, but purchasers of vehicles equipped with these headlamps can expect to take delivery of their cars during the first half of this year. It’s going to be awhile before this tech makes it down to regular vehicles, but it’s nice to see it in production regardless.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: Daimler

The $375 ‘Inside’ special edition features a RealDoll ‘creation’

Iam8bit, purveyors of gaming soundtracks on vinyl and other cool tchockes, is teaming up with RealDoll and developer Playdead for its next project. Details for the Inside special edition are scarce, but it’ll include a PlayStation 4 disc with the game, and Steam codes for Inside and Limbo. Oh, and it’ll cost $375. From the pre-order page: “Iam8bit x Playdead x RealDoll are collaborating on a mysterious collector’s edition for Inside. We will NOT tell you what it is. Maybe it’s what you’re thinking… maybe not. We can confirm that there are several items included, one of which is a PlayStation 4 game disc. The rest is up for speculation.”

The item will ship “when it’s done,” and its contents won’t be revealed until then. Pre-orders are open until June 8th and will not be accepted after that. Further down the page there’s another clue. “This edition weighs a surprising amount, hence associated shipping feed and tariffs.”

Spoilers for Inside reside below. You’ve been warned.

So, let’s do some speculating. The pre-order page has a GIF of a present box (above), wrapped in paper with what looks like the monster from the game’s ending. RealDoll is known for making lifelike human replicas, replete with the softest skin you’ll feel this side of the uncanny valley. It stands to reason that what’s in the box could be a replica of that creature.

How big is it? Will you be able to climb inside and freak out your friends and loved ones? Is the thing just going to be a giant lint magnet you can roll around in? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but if you’ve got a few hundred bucks burning a hole in your checking account, pre-orders open at 10am Eastern on Thursday. We reached out for more information and were promptly told by an iam8bt spokesperson that any further details would spoil the mystery.

Source: iam8bit

Sony’s latest PS4 Pro bundle is an ode to ‘God of War’

If you were a fan of the original God of War, then chances are you’re pretty hyped about the reboot. If you’re planning on playing the Sony-exclusive game but haven’t picked up a PS4 yet, then you may want to check out the Limited Edition God of War PlayStation Pro bundle. This will launch on the game’s release date, April 20th, and retail for $400 in the US and $500 in Canada. You can pre-order it now.

The bundle will contain a customized PS4 Pro console, a matching Leviathan Gray DualShock wireless controller, a physical copy of the game and extra digital content. It’s a good looking console, and it’s hard to beat that price considering it matches the cost of the regular PS4 Pro without a game.

The road to God of War has been long. Sony announced almost two years ago that the stagnant franchise would receive a much-needed refresh in the form of a sequel. You can see a trailer for the game here; pre-orders for the game include a $130 collector’s edition, a $150 Stone Mason edition and a $70 digital deluxe edition, in addition to the regular ol’ game edition for $60, so clearly Sony is expecting a lot of interest.

Source: God of War

Amazon taps ‘BoJack Horseman’ duo for new animated series

Amazon hasn’t had much of an answer to Netflix’s numerous animated shows, but that should change in the near future — and it’s even ‘borrowing’ from Netflix in the process. The internet giant has ordered its first half-hour animated series, Undone, with BoJack Horseman alumni Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy at the helm. It’ll also have the executive production work of BoJack’s Noel Bright and Steven Cohen, with A Scanner Darkly’s Tommy Pallotta rounding things out.

The series will revolve around Alma (played by The Maze Runner’s Rosa Salazar, above), who discovers a “new relationship with time” after a near-fatal car crash and uses this to learn more about the truth behind her father’s death. Life in Pieces’ Angelique Cabral is also signing on as Alma’s sister. The show is characterized as a “dramedy,” so you can expect a somewhat more serious tone than BoJack’s tale of a washed-up anthropomorphic horse actor.

Undone will premiere on Prime Video sometime in 2019. That’s not exactly a timely response to Netflix (BoJack arrived in 2014), but it’s apparent that Amazon is eager to fill out its catalog and appeal to a wider audience than it has in the past.

Source: Variety

BlackBerry sues Facebook for violating messaging patents

BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit against Facebook for infringing the patent on its messaging technology in a Los Angeles Federal Court. The lawsuit calls out Facebook, WhatsApp as well as Instagram for their use of instant messaging. To be clear, the suit has been filed by BlackBerry and not TCL, the maker of BlackBerry-branded handsets since 2016.

Developing…

Source: Reuters

Apple Donates $250K to Sponsor ‘Innovation Zone’ in Accessibility-Focused Playground Coming to Sunnyvale

The Magical Bridge Foundation, which helps build playgrounds for children and adults with disabilities and special needs, this week announced that Apple will help fund the foundation’s latest playground, located in Sunnyvale, California’s Fair Oaks Park. Magical Bridge Foundation’s playgrounds are located in select communities in the Bay Area, including Mountain View, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, and Redwood City.

Apple’s contribution to the playground will come in the form of a $250,000 donation and mark the company as a sponsor of an “Innovation Zone” section of the park. Magical Bridge Foundation describes this area as “a dynamic space within the Sunnyvale playground for people of all ages and abilities to meet, learn, explore, create and build new and diverse relationships.”

Clockwise from top left: The Innovation Zone, Kindness Corner, Playhouse + Playstage, and Tot Zone
Apple’s sponsored Innovation Zone is said to lie “at the heart” of the new playground’s leading edge concepts.

Capturing the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, the Innovation Zone provides unique and interactive play experiences utilizing technology, art and design that stimulates the full array of human senses in an entirely new way.

“The dream to build magical spaces where people of all abilities can feel freedom of play has become a reality because companies like Apple and our other partners are so committed to this community, its residents and visitors,” Magical Bridge co-founder Olenka Villarreal said. “The joy is contagious. Magical Bridge Playgrounds are changing neighborhoods, cities, and soon, the country through truly inclusive play.”

Magical Bridge Foundation is still collecting contributions for the playground, and if it raises its goal of $3.3 million it will begin construction on the Sunnyvale location in fall 2018, with a public opening aimed for 2020. Other tech companies have also announced sponsored areas in the playground, including LinkedIn’s $150,000 sponsorship of the “Kindness Corner.” Other play zones, like a Tot Zone, Spin Zone, and Playhouse + Playstage, are still available for sponsorship.

Apple has long been a proponent of accessibility within its software and through the selling of hardware accessories in its online and retail stores. The company has annually celebrated events like Autism Acceptance Month and Accessibility Awareness Day, and in 2015 was honored as a recipient of a Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind for the company’s accessibility efforts, particularly VoiceOver’s ability to give vision-impaired users access to iOS devices.

Tag: accessibility
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Twelve South’s Hardwood BookArc Möd Stand Now Compatible With 2016 and Newer MacBook Pro

Twelve South today announced that its BookArc möd stand is now compatible with MacBook Pro models released in 2016 and later.

The stand now ships with two interchangeable silicone inserts that can hold 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Thunderbolt 3 ports, older 2012-2015 era MacBook Pro models, any 12-inch MacBook, and any MacBook Air.

BookArc is a popular stand for docking a MacBook vertically in closed-display mode. The aluminum version is already compatible with the 2016 and later MacBook Pro, and now the hardwood version is too after a much longer wait.

BookArc möd is on sale for $49.99, down from $59.99, via Twelve South’s online store. The aluminum BookArc is $49.99.

Related Roundup: MacBook ProTags: Twelve South, BookArcBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy)
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