NextUp is Netflix for UK stand-up comedy
With huge catalogs of movies and TV shows, of which an increasing share are now original, Netflix and Amazon do a good job of catering for most subscribers’ tastes. However, their broad focus means that some customers quickly consume the content that is most interesting to them and are left wanting more. This opens the door for streaming providers that focus on a niche or a specific genre, like comedy, which is exactly what UK company NextUp intends to do.
NextUp brings together dozens of stand-up specials from established and up-and-coming comedians in a Netflix-like package focused on delivering the best in British comedy. Richard Herring, Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Miles Jupp, Luisa Omielan and Sean Hughes are all available on the service, offering shows that go beyond the traditional DVD special.
Unlike Netflix, which either licences content via a major producer or commissions content itself, NextUp aims to give back to comedians. It splits viewing revenue 50/50 with acts, provides links to each comedian’s gigs, provides rehearsal space in its London office and includes comedians’ older works, preserving them for streamers who want to trawl through a specific act’s back catalog.
Over the last year, there’s been a steady rise in comedy-centric streaming services. US TV network NBC launched Seeso, an on-demand platform that centres on TV comedy shows than stand-up, and Laugh.ly took its catalog of big-name US comedians worldwide.
NextUp costs £3.50 a month following a free 30-day trial and is supported on the web, iPhone (AirPlay compatible), Android, Roku and Chromecast. Videos can be streamed on demand or downloaded and viewed offline.
Via: Chortle
Source: NextUp
The Morning After: Tuesday, November 15, 2016
A new MacBook Pro hits the review table, and Samsung splashes around some cash. While Facebook tries to figure out its fake news problem, we’re expecting more real announcements from the LA Auto Show today.
No half measuresReview: MacBook Pro (2016)
It’s been four years since we reviewed a fully redesigned MacBook Pro, so how does the latest model measure up? It’s thinner and lighter, with faster graphics chips and storage units than ever before. Unfortunately, it also ditches all the old USB and power connectors for new USB-C ports — say hello to dongles and goodbye to MagSafe. Unlocking your laptop with TouchID works well, but the new OLED Touch Bar isn’t always better than a physical key. Add in slightly shorter battery life than its predecessor and it’s getting a little harder to recommend this as the (pricey) pro laptop for you.
Feel like Marty McFlySelf-lacing Nike HyperAdapt shoes have a price tag and release details
Shocked that it’s 2016 and we’re still tying our own shoes like animals? You can fix that with Nike’s self-tightening HyperAdapt 1.0. The only problem? It will cost you. Each pair goes for $720, and they will be available only via select outlets online or in person, but we have all the release details available so far.
Virtual freedomMIT’s MoVR cuts the cord on virtual reality headsets
VR headsets are everywhere, but the need for low-latency connections means most users remain physically tethered to a powerful PC. MIT’s CSAIL has a solution that uses millimeter waves capable of 6 Gbps bandwidth, and an intermediate “mirror” device to make sure the signal doesn’t get blocked.
The I-Pace promises electricity without compromiseJaguar’s first electric concept vehicle makes its LA Auto Show debut
This SUV is built from the ground up to take advantage of electrification, with a custom 90kWh battery and cab-forward design (since there’s no gas engine). Jaguar engineers wanted to build a car that’s without compromise but also close to a production vehicle. Dual electric motors are capable of 400hp, and the company says the I-Pace has a range of 200 miles.
All cashSamsung’s largest acquisition ever makes it a big player in car audio
While Google plays with self-driving cars and Apple does … whatever it’s doing, Samsung is trying to go around Android Auto and CarPlay with its latest acquisition. The electronics giant made an all-cash $8 billion deal to buy Harman International Industries, an auto parts supplier known for its audio division. Harman also owns and licenses other brands, including JBL, Mark Levinson and Bang & Olufsen, so your car could have Samsung inside very soon — hopefully it doesn’t go all Galaxy Note 7 on anyone.
Plus: It has a headphone jack!Review: Moto Z Play
The Z Play isn’t bringing the latest and greatest tech to your pocket, but 50 hours of battery life and a $450 price tag make it hard to skip. Also, Motorola’s mid-range device brings back the headphone jack, if that’s important to you, while retaining support for Moto Mod hardware add-ons. Being this middle-of-the-road means there’s plenty of competition, but Chris Velazco can explain why this one is more than the sum of its parts
The fight against fake newsFacebook and Google cut off the money fueling fake news sites
Last week’s election results put Facebook front and center for its part in the spread of false and misleading information. On Monday, Google announced it would cut AdSense accounts on websites that “misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher’s content, or the primary purpose,” and Facebook followed with similar steps. Is that enough to satisfy voices calling for it to take responsibility as a media outlet? We’ll have to wait and see.
But wait, there’s more…
- What’s on TV this week: Amazon’s “The Grand Tour,” “The Force Awakens” Blu-ray 3D Special Edition and “Watch_Dogs 2”
- Microsoft is making “Visual Studio for Mac” based on the Xamarin Studio software it acquired
- Marshall’s $200 Mid Bluetooth headphones let you jam for 30 hours
- The PowerWatch is the first wearable charged by your body heat
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Amazon Prime discounted to £59 for ‘The Grand Tour’ launch
Good news: The Grand Tour, Amazon’s answer to Top Gear, is now only three days away from release. The bad news is that you’ll need a Prime subscription to watch it. Amazon knows this, so it’s sweetening the deal by slashing £20 off the price of its annual subscription for anyone who has yet to sign up.
Between now and November 18th, when the first weekly episode of The Grand Tour debuts, Amazon Prime will cost £59. That brings it down to roughly £5 per month. It’s not the first time Amazon has done it — the company quickly reduced the price shortly after confirming the name of its new motoring show in May — but it’ll likely be enough to tempt fans of Clarkson and co., who may have never previously considered a subscription, into jumping aboard the Prime bandwagon.
Since signing the former Top Gear team, Amazon has put Jeremy Clarkson to work. He’s now the face of adverts for the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and recently became the voice (alongside Hammond and May) of a particularly annoying alarm notification for Amazon’s Echo speaker. You can probably expect more TV spots as the show’s launch draws nearer.
Even if you’re not a motoring fan, Amazon’s Prime discount is still good value. Black Friday is approaching, meaning you can make use of the “free” next-day delivery, but the membership also provides access to music streaming and thousands of other TV shows and movies.
Source: Amazon UK
Governments routinely blocked messaging apps in 2016
Over the past year, authorities from different parts of the globe have been routinely imposing restrictions on messaging apps, according to Freedom House. Based on the non-government org’s internet freedom report for 2016, governments have been blocking chat apps and calling platforms recently in an effort to silence protesters and further censor the internet. Freedom House says they’re being targeted mostly for their ability to encrypt messages that make them difficult to intercept, as well as for their calling functions that eat into the profit margins of traditional telecoms.
Among all the messaging apps out there, WhatsApp was targeted the most. It was blocked either fully or partially in 12 out of the 65 countries Freedom House looked into. In Brazil, for instance, the government blocked the service a few times for refusing to hand over encrypted chat data related to a drug investigation. It was also blocked in Uganda during the presidential elections in February and during the reelected president’s inauguration in May reportedly to suppress people’s discontent over the results.
You can read Freedom House’s full report on the organization’s website, including a ranking of countries with the most internet freedom to the least. Estonia apparently enjoys the most freedom, while China with its infamous “Great Firewall” has the most restricted internet in the world.
Source: Freedom House
EE TV now highlights what shows are trending on Twitter
Ever feel like your colleagues are speaking an entirely different language when you’re eavesdropping around the water cooler? Who is this Greg guy with the insatiable appetite they keep bringing up? Well, if you happen to have an EE set-top box sitting under your TV at home, then prepare to up your small talk game. As part of the platform’s first major update since the ability to download recordings to phones and tablets was added, EE has today brought various “Watch with Twitter” features to its TV service after partnering with the social network.
Users will now be able to see what shows are trending on Twitter in real-time, with up to five being flagged by the familiar blue bird icon right in the EPG. You’ll see the Twitter logo pop up in various parts of the EE TV UI, including in the listings of soon-to-air shows people are already getting hyped about. Go to the specific programme page and you’ll also find the show’s official hashtag, so you too can join in the chorus of reaction GIFs from a second screen.
EE is planning to continue working with Twitter to launch deeper integration next year. Though the partnership is the first of its kind in the UK, other providers elsewhere have additional features like a live overlay option that surfaces relevant tweets, so we expect that might be on the cards in the future.
Today’s update isn’t all about Twitter, though, with other improvements being rolled out to set-top boxes this month. EE is expanding the Replay feature, for example, which records everything that’s aired on a channel in the past 24 hours so you can catch up on something you recently missed without going through an on-demand app. You will soon be able to set the recording loop running on up to eight channels at a time, up from the previous cap of six. From the Replay tab on the main menu, you’ll be able to filter all that content by category, too, like movies, sport and so on.
EE is also pulling 41 channels out the TVPlayer and Box Plus apps and integrating them directly into the EPG, though some of the former’s channels will require a subscription to view. Finally, the reality TV streaming service Hayu has arrived on EE TV in app form, just in case all those Freeview channels aren’t showing your favourite brand of trashy TV.
Source: EE
Apple wants to sell you a $300 photo book about its products
Apple is known for two things: design and modesty. Okay, one thing. Today, the company announced a new photo book that “chronicles 20 years of Apple design,” called Designed by Apple in California.
Dedicated to the memory of its co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, the new book intends to highlight both Apple’s design process as well as its products. It features 450 photos of gadgets past and present, shot by Andrew Zuckerman, a photographer who is perhaps most famous for his Creature book and subsequent sequels.
Designed by Apple in California employs Zuckerman’s signature style: bold imagery contrasted against white backgrounds. In a foreword, Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jonathan Ive says:
“While this is a design book, it is not about the design team, the creative process or product development. It is an objective representation of our work that, ironically, describes who we are. It describes how we work, our values, our preoccupations and our goals. We have always hoped to be defined by what we do rather than by what we say.”
“We strive, with varying degrees of success, to define objects that appear effortless. Objects that appear so simple, coherent and inevitable that there could be no rational alternative.”
The book itself is a linen-bound hardcover volume, available in two sizes. There’s a small $199 (£169) 10.2″ x 12.75″ and a larger $299 (£249) 13″ x 16.25″ edition. Both will be available online and in select Apple stores around the world starting tomorrow, Wednesday November 16th.
Source: Apple
WhatsApp Gains End-to-End Encrypted Video Calling
WhatsApp messenger service is today officially rolling out end-to-end encrypted video calling to over 1 billion users of the app across the globe (via TechCrunch).
Video calling had recently been spotted in beta versions of the Facebook-owned chat service on Android, but the feature is now becoming available across all platforms.
Tapping the call button in the top right corner of an open chat thread now brings up the option to initiate a voice or video call. During video calls, users see typical options like switching between front-facing and rear-facing camera, muting the call, or hanging up.
The addition of video calling to WhatsApp aligns the service with Facebook Messenger, Viber, Google Duo, and other chat apps which already include the feature. However, WhatsApp’s huge user base and cross-platform support gives it a significant advantage over similar services such as FaceTime, which currently only works on Apple devices, and Google Duo, which only works on later versions of iOS and Android.
“We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want,” said WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, speaking to Reuters. “We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.”
WhatsApp recently tested two-factor authentication in beta versions of the app, suggesting the next update could have a significant security focus. WhatsApp rolled out end-to-end encryption on the platform earlier this year, making it impossible for the company or state authorities to gain access to the contents of messages.
WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone.
Tag: WhatsApp
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Apple Patent Hints at Next-Generation AirPods With Biometric Sensors
Apple today was granted a patent that essentially updates an older wearable sports and health tracking device invention with features similar to those found in the company’s new AirPods wireless headphones.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent on Tuesday with the title “Sports monitoring system for headphones, earbuds and/or headsets”, which AppleInsider notes is nearly identical to a patent of the same name granted in 2014. However, the new document adds some new details hinting that Apple may be planning on integrating the technology into a forthcoming version of the company’s AirPods.
The patent describes an earbud-based fitness monitoring system which integrates an advanced biometric sensor that can detect physiological metrics including temperature, heart rate, perspiration levels and more, through skin contact and via built-in motion sensors.
The updated document does away with references to a head gesture-controlled user interface and replaces them with details of a UI that users interact with via voice and touch. The newer invention allows users to touch areas of the headphones to trigger controls such as changing music track or invoking Siri. Alternatively, users can speak commands through a microphone, which are then processed by the headset or sent to a host device such as an iPhone.
The changes bear clear similarities to Apple’s recently delayed AirPods, which include embedded infrared and motion sensors for controlling various system functions. AirPods automatically detect when they are removed from the ear and can power off independently. The AirPods’ tap controls also enable wearers to invoke Siri which can then be used to control music playback, volume, and other options.
With Apple’s first-generation AirPods already being delayed suggesting technical issues, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing a biometric sensor-equipped version of the earbuds soon, but the patent suggests Apple still has long-term designs on in-ear health and activity tracking, possibly being readied for a future model.
Apple says it needs “a little more time” before its AirPods are ready for customers, but a recent report indicated they could enter production in December possibly in time for availability going into the holiday season.
Tags: patent, AirPods
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Apple Announces Hardbound Photo Book ‘Designed by Apple in California’
Apple today announced the release of a new hardbound photo book, called “Designed by Apple in California,” that chronicles 20 years of Apple product designs through 450 photographs. The book ranges from the iMac in 1998 to the Apple Pencil in 2015, and “also documents the materials and techniques used by Apple’s design team over two decades of innovation.” It is dedicated in the memory of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
The photographs in the book were shot by Andrew Zuckerman and are said to showcase each product’s design process as well as its final form. Apple chief design officer, Jony Ive, gives the foreword for the book, explaining that its purpose is not to illustrate the success of Apple’s design team, but to “describe how we work, our values, our preoccupations, and our goals.”
“The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve’s motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “This archive is intended to be a gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines.”
Apple developed the book over an eight-year period, paying close attention to its own design and look. Because of this, the linen-bound, hardcover book is printed on specially milled, custom-dyed paper with gilded matte silver edges, using eight color separations and low-ghost ink. It will be published by Apple itself, and only be available to purchase from the Cupertino company.
“Designed by Apple in California” will go on sale tomorrow, November 16, in small (10.20″ x 12.75″) and large (13″ x 16.25″) sizes, running $199 and $299, respectively. Fans will be able to order the photo book from Apple.com in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as at select Apple retail stores across the world.
You can check out more images of the book here.
Tag: Designed by Apple in California
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Best Black Friday UK tablet deals: iPad, Android, Surface, Amazon and more
With Christmas coming up fast, sales season is picking up the pace, especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday almost upon us.
There’s no better time to snaffle a quality Christmas present for a loved one or even yourself, and why not a shiny new tablet?
Plenty of the online retailers and manufacturers love to knock off a fair few quid in order to get their tablets into your hands, so check out the following deals if you’re looking for a bargain.
Apple iPad deals
Apple traditionally unveils its deals on Black Friday itself – which is 25 November in 2016. It’ll no doubt have some deals on iPads, especially with rumours suggesting that one or two new models could make a bow next spring. You can also find iPad deals offered by other retailers and manufacturers, such as Tesco below.
Amazon.co.uk tablet deals
Amazon is running its Black Friday deals up to the day itself, 25 November, with new products offered every day. Some are available across the entire two week build-up, some are available for a small amount of time, in Lightning Deals. These have a small sales window, which ends when stock runs out or the time slot has expired, so check back often.
Here are its best deals so far, but we’ll also be updating when we find more.
- Certified refurbished Amazon Kindle for £44 – click here to view this deal
- Kazam Tough Shield T700 7-inch tablet for £199 – click here to view this deal
Microsoft tablet deals
Microsoft has revealed that it will be heavily discounting its Surface tablets in the US, bought through its online Microsoft Store. However, it is still to reveal which of those deals will also make it to the UK. We’ll update when we know more.
It has said that each Black Friday deal purchase will award the customer with a £10 off voucher for a future purchase.
- Click here to view Microsoft’s Black Friday UK deals
Tesco tablet deals
We’re expecting UK supermarket chain Tesco to have a few deals during the Black Friday event. Its Tesco Direct online store often has a bargain or two awaiting your cash. Here’s what we’ve found so far.
- Amazon Fire 7 (16GB) with case and 32GB microSD card for £69 – click here to view this deal
- Amazon Fire HD 6 for £69 – click here to view this deal
- iPad mini 4 (128GB) in gold for £469 – click here to view this deal
- Click here to view other selected Tesco tablet deals
More Black Friday UK deals
- Best Black Friday UK fitness tracker deals: Garmin, Fitbit, Polar and more
- Best Black Friday UK phone deals: Apple, Samsung, Android phone deals galore
- Best Black Friday UK TV deals: 4K, HDR, OLED TVs and more
- Best Black Friday UK games deals: Amazing PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo deals
- Black Friday UK laptop deals: The best laptop deals online
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