Six more tech companies join fight to save net neutrality

Opposition to the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality grew this week, as six more tech companies filed suit against it. Etsy, Kickstarter, Foursquare, Shutterstock, Automattic and Expa petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit as part of a group called the Coalition for Internet Openness. The group’s goal is to stop the FCC from overturning the rules that ensure a free and open internet.

“We believe that everyone has the right to access information on places, spaces and people, and that business leaders and brands need to be able to interpret trends and patterns as they truly exist,” said Marc Ellenbogen, Foursquare’s chief compliance officer and general counsel.

This is just the latest group pledging to fight the FCC. Earlier this year, internet giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Twitter sued the regulatory body as part of the Internet Association lobbying group. 23 attorneys general have also filed a challenge to the repeal, and the Senate is working on a resolution that might undo the FCC’s vote as well. In the meantime, states like Oregon, New Jersey and New York have attempted to come up with their own solutions to keep net neutrality alive. The FCC had voted to repeal net neutrality back in December of last year.

“The fight for net neutrality is the fight for civil liberties, and a more vibrant culture,” said Candace Martin, Kickstarter’s commercial counsel, in a statement. “Without it, the free and equal exchange of ideas is at risk.”

Source: CNET

Survey Explores Why iPhone Owners Haven’t Upgraded to iPhone X

iPhone users who haven’t upgraded to the iPhone X were recently queried on why they’ve held out on purchasing a new phone, with the majority citing reasons like high price and a lack of compelling features.

A survey conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson and shared by Philip Elmer-DeWitt this morning asked 1,500 people who own an iPhone but didn’t upgrade to the iPhone X to explain their reasoning.

44 percent of respondents said they hadn’t upgraded because their iPhone works fine, suggesting there were no standout features compelling them to purchase a new device, while 31 percent said the iPhone X was too expensive at a starting price of $999.

Eight percent of respondents said the iPhone X’s screen isn’t large enough, while 17 percent had another reason entirely.

Piper Jaffray believes the iPhones coming in 2018 will address most of these issues, with Apple rumored to be planning to introduce three devices. One will be a followup to the iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED display, a second will have a larger 6.5-inch OLED display, and a third will feature a 6.1-inch LCD display with a lower price tag.

All upcoming 2018 iPhones are rumored to feature an edge-to-edge display with no bezels and a TrueDepth camera system for Face ID, along with other improvements like a faster A12 processor.

Piper Jaffray believes Apple will sell 233.8M iPhones in fiscal 2019, with the 2018 iPhones set to drive ongoing upgrades well into next year.

Related Roundups: iPhone X, 2018 iPhonesBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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‘Life is Strange: Before the Storm’ ends with ‘Farewell’ DLC episode

If looking for more nostalgic content from episodic prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm, you’re in luck. A new bonus episode, titled “Farewell,” is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Steam (PC). It stars Chloe and Max’s original voice actors Ashly Burch and Hanna Telle, too, so you know it will be up to snuff. In addition, the boxed retail version of the game will launch March 6th in the US, with PAL versions available on Friday, March 9th. The box will contain a physical art book and the licensed soundtrack on CD.

Before the Storm is set in Arcadia Bay three years before the events of the first game, Life is Strange. You play as 16-year-old Chloe Price as she makes friends with Rachel Amber, a popular girl who seems set for success until a family secret threatens to destroy it all. “We can’t wait for fans to play ‘Farewell.’ Max’s return is the perfect way to end the season and we can’t wait for fans to experience Life is Strange with her one last time,” said Deck Nine Games’ Jeff Litchford. “We want to thank the fans who have enjoyed this incredible journey with us, we know they will miss Chloe, Rachel and Max as much as we will.”

Bentley’s first plug-in hybrid is an ultra-luxurious SUV

Bentley has been promising a hybrid version of its Bentayga SUV for over 3 years, and it’s finally here… although you might not want to pat yourself on the back if you buy one. The simply-titled Bentayga Hybrid delivers the same ultra-luxurious design of the regular model, but replaces the usual powerplant with a 3.0L V6 and an electric motor. However, that motor will only get you about 31 miles of pure electric driving — fine if you’re a footballer driving to the local nightclub, but not very useful for visiting family. It’s meant more to offset the lousy fuel economy from the V6, which musters just 12MPG in the city and 19MPG on the highway.

You do get some perks that you won’t find in many other PHEV models. For one, famed designer Philippe Starck crafted the charging station — you may not mind that it takes 2.5 hours to top up, but at least you’ll have something pretty to look at while you wait. Also, Bentley uses the GPS positioning to calculate the best times to use the electric motor when in hybrid mode, so you should only run out of electricity right when you’re arriving at your destination.

The in-cabin tech might offer more than you’re used to, as well. The 8-inch touchscreen in the center stack is complemented by a 10.2-inch removable Android tablet that offers LTE and WiFi data for those in the back.

Bentley hasn’t outlined pricing, although orders won’t start until the second half of 2018. As it is, you can safely say that the automaker is targeting a fairly narrow audience. You have to be wealthy enough to buy a luxurious SUV and eco-friendly enough to buy a hybrid, but not so eco-friendly that you’re ready to buy a fully electric option like the Tesla Model X.

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

Via: Autoblog

Source: Bentley

Reddit users unknowingly shared Russian propaganda during US election

While Facebook and Twitter have continued to delve into how Russian groups used their platforms to influence the last US presidential election, we haven’t heard much from Reddit about the issue. However, in a post today, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman shared some findings from the company’s investigation, describing what it has uncovered so far and how it has responded.

First, Huffman says that the company has been pretty quiet about the topic because its investigation is ongoing but that there are some findings he would like to share regarding ads, direct propaganda from Russians and indirect propaganda spread by Reddit users. When it comes to ads, Huffman says that the company hasn’t found many originating from Russia before or after the election and that currently, all ads from Russia are blocked altogether. As for direct propaganda, Reddit’s investigation has uncovered and removed a few hundred accounts. “The vast majority of suspicious accounts we have found in the past months were banned back in 2015–2016 through our enhanced efforts to prevent abuse of the site generally,” Huffman added.

However, indirect propaganda appears to have had the biggest impact across Reddit and stands to be the most difficult issue to address. Huffman uses the Twitter account @TEN_GOP as an example, which is now understood to be run by Russian individuals. “@TEN_GOP’s Tweets were amplified by thousands of Reddit users, and sadly, from everything we can tell, these users are mostly American, and appear to be unwittingly promoting Russian propaganda,” he wrote. “I believe the biggest risk we face as Americans is our own ability to discern reality from nonsense, and this is a burden we all bear.”

That’s just one example and Huffman doesn’t provide any others. Therefore it’s hard to determine just how big of an impact Reddit had in the spread of content pushed by Russian agents and there’s no telling when or if we’ll get more information. But Huffman says the company is still investigating the issue and is working with Congress. “While I know it’s frustrating that we don’t share everything we know publicly,” he says, “I want to reiterate that we take these matters very seriously, and we are cooperating with congressional inquiries.”

Source: Reddit

Amazon’s NFL series returns for a third season April 27th

Amazon’s sports documentary series All or Nothing is coming back next month for a third season and this time it follows the Dallas Cowboys. The eight-episode season starts off on a handful of positive notes — owner Jerry Jones was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and head coach Jason Garrett is 2016’s NFL Coach of the Year. But it’s not all good news. The league suspends running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games following an investigation into allegations of repeated instances of domestic violence — a decision that was then appealed and put on hold multiple times. And the team is put in the spotlight over its and Jones’ response to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Ultimately, the Cowboys’ season, full of ups and downs, ends just short of the playoffs.

All or Nothing, which followed the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams in previous seasons, won a Sports Emmy last year. Like past seasons, All or Nothing: The Dallas Cowboys will be narrated by Jon Hamm. It will be available on Amazon Prime starting April 27th.

Source: Amazon

MoviePass CEO: ‘we watch how you drive from home to the movies’

MoviePass’ approach to gathering viewer data might raise eyebrows. According to Media Play News, CEO Mitch Lowe told those at a business forum that the movie subscription service’s app not only tracks your location, but follows you to and from the theater. “We watch how you drive from home to the movies,” he said, adding that “we watch where you go afterwards.” Not surprisingly, the company is hoping to understand customer habits and “build a night at the movies.” If people tend to have dinner before the movie or to have a drink afterwards, for example, MoviePass could steer customers to restaurants and bars and take a cut of the revenue.

It’s no secret that MoviePass would want to collect at least some data. It can use that to help movie studios gauge how well their shows are really doing, which is particularly important now that MoviePass has a stake in some productions. However, the company doesn’t tell you that it’s actively tracking your location. As TechCrunch explains, the privacy policy only covers a “single request” to help you choose a theater and improve the service. If Lowe is right, the app is not only collecting location info without consent, but creating a huge privacy risk — even if the tracking data is anonymized, someone could theoretically figure out who you are and where you live.

We’ve asked MoviePass for comment. Provided Lowe hasn’t misspoken, though, this would help explain why MoviePass is comfortable charging so little for a month’s worth of theater trips. In theory, the wealth of data would offset whatever losses MoviePass endures. The question is whether or not it’s collecting that data honestly, and it doesn’t look like that’s the case.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Media Play News

Quick Takes: Xiaomi Plans to Enter U.S. Within a Year, Ritual Launches Apple Pay Promotion, and More

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Monday, March 5

– Xiaomi plans to enter U.S. market within a year: “We’ve always been considering entering the U.S. market,” Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun said at the sidelines of China’s annual legislative session in Beijing, according to the WSJ. “We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019.”

Commentary: Xiaomi was the world’s fifth-largest smartphone maker in 2017, with an estimated 92.4 million shipments, according to research firm IDC. To be successful in the United States, where Apple and Samsung reign supreme, the Chinese company will need a sales agreement with a big carrier like AT&T.

– Ritual launches Apple Pay promotion: Today through March 16, any customer who orders with the Ritual app and pays with Apple Pay will have access to exclusive daily deals at 1,300 restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, and Toronto.

Commentary: Ritual is a mobile app for ordering and paying ahead of time at participating restaurants and coffee shops, enabling customers to skip the line and pick up their food instantly upon arrival.

– iPhone X supplier Finisar gives tour of its Texas facility: “We are trying to make this the VCSEL capital of the world,” said Finisar Vice President Curt Barratt, referring to the small town of Sherman, Texas.

Commentary: VCSELs, or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, are part of the TrueDepth camera system that enables Face ID on the iPhone X. In December, Apple announced it had awarded Finisar $390 million to expand its research and development and production capacity.

– Apple Park: Transcript of 911 calls about injuries from walking into glass: Following reports of some Apple employees walking into glass doors at the company’s new headquarters, The San Francisco Chronicle obtained transcripts of 911 calls about related injuries via a public records request.

Commentary: Many people have accidentally walked into a door or two at some point. Hopefully the employees are okay. Apple is reportedly adding stickers to the glass doors to make them more visible.

For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Tags: Xiaomi, Quick Takes, RItual, Finisar
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Netflix Gaining Expanded Parental Controls, More Prominent Ratings

Netflix today announced a platform-wide update to introduce expanded parental controls that will give parents more granular access to the television shows and movies their children are watching.

A new PIN parental control for individual movies and TV shows is being added, so parents will be able to block access to specific content if so desired.

. We understand that every family is different and that parents have differing perspectives on what they feel is appropriate to watch at different ages. While we already provide PIN protection for all content at a particular maturity level for Netflix accounts, PIN protection for a specific series or film provides families with an additional tool to make decisions they are comfortable with.

Netflix also plans to begin offering more prominent maturity level ratings for a series or a movie once a Netflix user hits play on a title. Ratings are available before starting a movie or a TV show, but Netflix is expanding their availability to make sure memberrs are “fully aware of the maturity level as they begin watching.”

According to Netflix, these parental control changes will be rolling out to Netflix members on all Netflix-compatible devices “in the coming months.”

Tag: Netflix
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Trump will meet with video game industry leaders on March 8th

After a little bit of back and forth, it appears that the White House’s meeting with the video game industry is on. At today’s press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that a meeting will take place this Thursday, March 8th. Separately, the Entertainment Software Association, which has many of the top software publishers (and all three major console manufacturers) as members, confirmed that it would be participating in the meeting. The ESA’s full statement follows below.

Video games are enjoyed around the world and numerous authorities and reputable scientific studies have found no connection between games and real-life violence. Like all Americans, we are deeply concerned about the level of gun violence in the United States. Video games are plainly not the issue: entertainment is distributed and consumed globally, but the US has an exponentially higher level of gun violence than any other nation. The upcoming meeting at the White House, which ESA will attend, will provide the opportunity to have a fact-based conversation about video game ratings, our industry’s commitment to parents, and the tools we provide to make informed entertainment choices.

In this statement, the ESA points again to the fact that while many video games are distributed worldwide, no other nation has a fraction of the gun violence that is found in the US. That’s not to mention the many studies that have shown no link between violent video games and real-life violent behavior. We’ve reached out to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony to confirm their participation in the White House meeting.