Facebook launches Live Audio broadcasts with BBC partnership
Facebook delivers a new way to connect with audiences.
Expect to see a variety of live content on your Facebook news feed in 2017.
Today, Facebook announced a new way for broadcasters and publishers to go live with audio-only broadcasts, and will be launching the new feature with a couple British media partnerships — BBC World Service and talk radio broadcasters LBC — along with publisher Harper Collins and authors Adam Grant and Britt Bennett.
This new feature also helps Facebook offer an alternative streaming option for Pages looking to go live on Facebook in areas with low network connectivity. Audiences will still be able to offer live comments and reactions while listening to the broadcasts as is the case with Live Videos.
From the Facebook press release:
We know that sometimes publishers want to tell a story on Facebook with words and not video. We’ve even seen some Pages find creative ways to go live and reach audiences with audio only by using the Facebook Live API or by adding a still image to accompany their audio broadcast. Our new Live Audio option makes it easy to go live with audio only when that’s the broadcaster’s preferred format.
We also know that publishers sometimes go live from areas that lack strong network connectivity. Though we alert the broadcaster if their signal is low, Live Audio presents another option for connecting with audiences in real time from low-connectivity areas.
This news comes after Facebook added Live 360 videos to the fold last week.
It sure will be interesting to see how this new feature develops in the new year. It seems like BBC will look to set the standard for media outlets, while publishers and authors will be able to reach wider audiences with live book readings and interviews. However, we’re even more excited to see how this will be adopted by the Facebook community at large, as there’s great potential here for the emergence of live podcasts.
Freedom Mobile’s LTE network: Should you switch?
Should you switch to Freedom Mobile’s LTE network?
Last week, Freedom Mobile, formerly Wind Mobile, turned on its LTE network for the few customers with the right phones and plans, and though the network is still nascent, enough time has elapsed to give it a fair shake. So let’s talk about it.
But first…
A quick recap
In order to take advantage of the Freedom Mobile LTE network, you need to fulfil a couple of prerequisites:
You need to live in Toronto or Vancouver, or their immediate surrounding areas (the limits are a bit vague at the moment).
A LG V20 or ZTE Grand X 4
A dedicated LTE plan, which costs $40 for 6GB of monthly data
If you don’t hit all three, you won’t get LTE — and even then, it’s a bit touch-and-go right now.
Everything you need to know about Freedom Mobile
When it all comes together
On Thursday, December 15 I received an update to my Freedom Mobile LG V20 that turned on LTE. I live somewhat close to downtown Toronto, and upon restarting from the update, the phone quickly connected to LTE, though throughout the day, and even now, it went back and forth to 3G.
Let’s get a bit technical for a minute. Freedom’s LTE network uses AWS-3 spectrum, newly standardized under Band 66. Right now, it’s the only network in Canada using that particular piece of the airwaves, and right now it is very sparsely-populated.
When then-Wind Mobile purchased the spectrum, all the way back in March 2015, it did so with the blessing of the Canadian government, which set aside 30Mhz of AWS-3 spectrum to so-called new entrants.
The growing network uses, or will use, that AWS-3 spectrum in paired 15Mhz combinations in all parts of Canada except for Eastern Ontario, where it was outbid by Videotron. In its current form, the maximum download speeds you can expect are 112.5Mbps; upload speeds at 50Mbps.
In reality, I’ve never gone above 75Mbps down and 34Mbps up, which, while not close to the maximum, are quite fast even for Canadian LTE network standards, and more than 10 times what Freedom Mobile offers on its existing 3G network.
The problems
The contrast between 3G and LTE is so jarring that it may as well be as if I lost signal altogether.
The problems are twofold: first, the LTE signal is not reliable, even when you’re right in the heart of downtown Toronto. I’ve heard anecdotes about it being a bit better in Vancouver, but the company must still be tweaking the equipment signal. That means I often drop down to 3G (or as my V20 says, 4G), which would ordinarily be fine expect that Freedom’s HSPA+ service is abysmal in Toronto.
The contrast is so jarring that it may as well be as if I lost signal altogether: songs stop streaming; photos stop loading; messages get stuck in transit. It may say that I have a network connection, but that’s not entirely true.
The other part is that because Freedom launched its LTE network without VoLTE or VoWiFi support, each time I make or receive a phone call, the V20 drops down to 3G, and takes its sweet time finding LTE again. This is all par for the course, and I am used to it on Telus, which has yet to launch VoLTE in Toronto, but the Big Three have 3G networks to fall back on that, despite being slower, are much more mature than Freedom’s, and more importantly, actually have capacity to support heavy network traffic.
There’s also the question of customer service. Wind Mobile was a made up of a network of tiny dealer stores, mainly to cut costs, with only a few (and shrinking number) of corporate flagships in the largest cities. While I’ve yet to have a major issue with my Freedom Mobile service, it’s important to know that when you sign up for service with one of the Big Three, you also get a pretty mature customer service funnel that includes web, phone and in-person care. It’s not always great, but it’s there. Over the years, I’ve heard from many people about then-Wind’s poor or non-existent care. Let’s hope under Shaw that improves, and quickly.
So, should you switch?
There’s a nine in 10 chance that your phone is currently connected to one of the Big Three’s networks, and over the years Rogers, Bell and Telus have built up extensive national networks that are fast pretty much anywhere, in any building and environment.
If you are to switch to Freedom Mobile’s LTE network, you have to keep in mind a few things: it’s not good for travelers. If you go outside Toronto or Vancouver on more than an occasional basis, you’ll either have to live with Freedom’s much-slower 3G, or one of its partners, which means paying not-so-cheap roaming fees.
You’re going to be forced into spending at least a couple hundred dollars on a new phone if you want to partake in LTE.
Also keep in mind that the company’s current LTE plan — and there is only one — eschews the built-in 1GB of U.S. roaming, which was traditionally one of Wind’s most attractive bolt-ons.
Over the past week or so, I’ve had a pretty good experience on Freedom Mobile. Speeds have been reliably good on LTE, though signal strength in my home has been much weaker than any of the incumbents, likely due to the lighter concentration of towers around me. If you live right downtown Toronto or Vancouver, signal strength shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s not like I live in the middle of nowhere, either.
Then there’s the question of device. You’re going to be forced into spending at least a couple hundred dollars on a new phone if you want to partake, and the entry-level option, the ZTE Grand X 4, is most likely worth skipping. The LG V20, which I’ve been using in anticipation of Freedom Mobile’s LTE launch, is an amazing phone, but it’s also $800, and will likely only appeal to the most hardcore of early adopters.
If you’re in Toronto or Vancouver, you may be tempted to switch to Freedom to cut down on your phone bill. I’d recommend most people wait until there is a wider variety of phones to choose from, and until the company’s LTE network is a bit more mature. Outside of those two cities, hold tight: by the time LTE comes your way, the device selection — and network reliability — will be much, much better.
Your turn
Have you changed to Freedom Mobile LTE yet, or are you thinking about making the switch? Let us know!
Apple extends its discounts on USB-C gear through March 31st
Apple has tacitly acknowledged that prospective MacBook Pro buyers remain skittish about having to buy dongles just to keep using their favorite peripherals. The company is extending its sale on USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals through March 31st, giving you another three months to pick up adapters and cables at a discount. As before, some of the bargains are better than others — the USB-C to USB-A adapter is down from $19 to $9, for instance, while SanDisk’s USB-C SD card reader is down from $49 to $29. This still won’t be completely satisfying if you absolutely need dongles to attach your devices (a USB-A adapter in MacBook boxes would be great, Apple), but there’s a bit less pressure to buy them before you’re ready.
There’s also good news if you want one of Apple’s ultimate peripherals. It just started selling LG’s 27-inch UltraFine 5K display, making it under the wire for that promised December release window. The $974 display (normally $1,300) won’t ship for another 2 to 4 weeks if you didn’t order one right away, but the first customers should be getting theirs before 2016 is over. As with its smaller 4K sibling, the allure is routing everything through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable — you can charge your MacBook Pro and connect three USB-C devices without plugging in a rat’s nest of wires. It’s not quite as general-purpose as other 5K displays (it’s primarily intended for the Mac crowd), but its relatively low price makes it a deal compared to alternatives from the likes of Dell and HP.
Via: 9to5Mac (1), (2)
Source: Apple (LG), (accessories)
AT&T service prevents scam calls from reaching your phone
Yes, you can block phone numbers used for robocalls and tech support scams, but that usually means having to take at least one call (or running the right software) before you realize something’s fishy. And AT&T, at least, is trying to do better. In response to the FCC’s request for tougher action, the carrier has introduced a free Call Protect service for HD Voice (voice over LTE) users that aims to block fraudulent and spam calls, in many cases before they even reach your phone. An automatic fraud blocking feature will stop scams at the network level, while you’ll also get warnings about suspected spam calls if you’re in an HD Voice coverage area.
You can activate the feature either through your account or a dedicated Call Protect app that also offers temporary blocking (up to 30 days) for known numbers. And yes, you can make sure that the automatic fraud screening doesn’t inadvertently exclude your employer or a distant friend — you can greenlight certain numbers to make sure they get through. While AT&T would ideally have Call Protect on by default, this optional approach may have to do so long as call filtering is less than bulletproof.
Source: AT&T (1), (2)
Twitter is helping to find a user who sent a seizure-inducing tweet
Lest we forget how horrible people can be, news broke last week that a Twitter user sent an auto-playing, seizure-inducing animation to Vanity Fair editor Kurt Eichenwald, who is epileptic. He saw the video and promptly had a seizure — and then promptly vowed to track down the Twitter user who sent the animation and have them prosecuted for assault. Now, a court order released by Eichenwald reveals that Twitter will cooperate with his civil lawsuit and turn over all user data they have on the offender.
As noted by The Verge, Twitter retains the right to retain both IP addresses and other location-based data as per its privacy policy. If that data can be matched to an address or phone number, it’s something the police can use to investigate — but there’s no guarantee they’ll find anything, as the company does not store this data indefinitely.
Still, it’s good Twitter is cooperating with this investigation, as this sort of horrible action could become more and more common unless some real legal consequences come along with it. Indeed, Twitter has actually agreed to “expedited relief” in this case, not challenging the order or asking for more evidence from Eichenwald. Whether it’ll make a difference remains to be seen — it’s still not clear what data Twitter has and whether or not they can tie it to the individual responsible for the attack.
Via: The Verge
Source: Scribd
Volkswagen reaches deal for remaining 80,000 Dieselgate vehicles
Even though it’s been over a year since Volkswagen was caught lying in the Dieselgate scandal, it’s finally going to be done paying for it. The company recently reached a deal with US regulators whereby it’ll account for the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles that were programmed to cheat on emissions tests. There’ll be an option to buy back at least 20,000 of the vehicles and all car owners will get “substantial compensation” for the inconvenience.
The company had already committed to spending around $2.7 billion over three years to cover the cost of the 475,000 2-liter cars caught up in the scandal. The 80,000 vehicles mentioned here are 3-liter models that weren’t included in the earlier estimate. On top of that, Volkswagen has also agreed to cough up $200 million to a US environmental fund. It’s not sure yet if other European countries will step in to punish the company even further. In the meantime, Volkswagen has been busy trying to revamp its image as an EV maker. With a $14.7 billion settlement, the Dieselgate scandal is considered one of the largest class-action suits in US history.
Office 365’s latest updates simplify accessibility options for everyone
At the company’s big Surface event earlier this year, Microsoft made a point of highlighting many of the accessibility features baked into its hardware and software. This month, Redmond continued that work, announcing new Windows 10 accessibility features like support for braille and updates to its Narrator text-to-speech program. Today, Microsoft is going one step further and introducing a few new Office updates designed to help users more easily create content that can be accessed and read by anyone.
First up, Microsoft’s Office VP Kirk Koenigsbauer notes that his team has moved the new Accessibility Checker front and center in every major Office app from Word, Excel and PowerPoint to OneNote, Outlook and Visio. The feature, which is found under the Review tab, analyzes your document and will recommend changes or fixes that will “ensure your content can be consumed without barriers by people with varying levels of vision, hearing, cognition and mobility.” Aside from making sure anyone can read your documents, the idea is to help users get better at creating widely accessible documents over time.
Outlook will also be taking advantage of the Accessibility Checker by adding a MailTip that will alert your coworkers to any accessibility preferences you might have when they start composing an email to you. The MailTip will remind your coworkers to run the Checker before sending in order to make sure everything will be readable by everyone on the team.
And finally, Word and PowerPoint will also soon offer intelligently generated alternate text for images in documents and presentations. Using Microsoft’s in-house Computer Vision Cognitive Service, Word and PowerPoint will analyze your images and save users time by proposing text-based descriptions for users with visual impairments.
While the Accessibility Checker is available now on Windows machines and several Office for Mac apps, the intelligent alt-text suggestions are still “coming soon,” according to Microsoft. Meanwhile, the company is also adding more easily accessible hyperlinks for recently accessed documents, new cloud storage options for Office on Android and Visio is launching on the web and iOS.
Source: Microsoft Office Blog
7-Eleven has already made 77 deliveries by drone
Sure, Amazon made its first drone delivery last week, but 7-Eleven already has it beat. Today, the convenience store company announced that it has already made a total of 77 deliveries by drone in the state of Nevada. Of course the caveat here is that 7-Eleven relied on Flirtey, a drone delivery service company that’s already made a name for itself by delivering Domino’s in New Zealand and textbooks in Australia. It also made the first FAA-approved urban drone delivery earlier this year.
Though the deliveries kicked off in July, it was in November when the company started making regular weekend deliveries from a 7-Eleven store to about a dozen customers. They used a custom app to place their orders, which included everything from hot and cold food to over-the-counter medication. The items are then loaded into a special drone container. The app tells them when the drone is loaded up, when it’s left the store and when it’s arrived at their home. According to a press release, deliveries took less than 10 minutes.
“Flirtey is the world’s leader in the drone delivery industry and we have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven,” said Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny in a statement. “While other companies in this space are shipping jobs overseas, Flirtey’s goal is to make delivery instant, and in the process create jobs at home for hardworking Americans and veterans. This is a giant leap towards a future where everyone can experience the convenience of Flirtey’s instant store-to-door drone delivery.”
The deliveries are isolated to just Nevada for now, but 7-Eleven and Flirtey hopes to expand their drone services next year.
Via: Techcrunch
Source: Flirtey
Soylent partner cuts supply after shouldering blame for recall
Soylent supplier TerraVia really, really doesn’t appreciate being blamed for making people sick. The nutrition company has suspended its ingredient supply out of a “high level of concern” that Soylent is perpetuating a “pattern of behavior” that hurts TerraVia’s bottom line. Supposedly, Soylent didn’t do enough research into gastrointestinal problems before blaming TerraVia’s algal flour and removing it for the recently released Powder 1.7 meal. The food alternative firm didn’t offer any evidence, TerraVia says, citing an industry expert who doubts that the flour (or any one ingredient) is the obvious cause.
The flour meets FDA regulations, TerraVia adds. It has been used in “more than 20 million servings” without proof of adverse effects.
Soylent isn’t exactly ruffled by the move. It tells us that the cutoff will have “no impact,” since Powder is already algal flour-free and will eventually be joined by a reformulated Bar. It already has algae-free versions of its drinks to be on the safe side, too. The company didn’t address TerraVia’s specific allegations in its statement (available below), but it might not have to — as far as it’s concerned, business continues as usual.
“This will have no impact on our business. We have already re-released Powder (v 1.7) without algal flour and halted shipments of Bar until it is reformulated. Although our ready to drink line does not contain the ingredients of concern, we have already developed versions without algae out of an abundance of caution. Customers will continue to receive Powder, Drink and Coffiest without delay.”
Via: FoodNavigator-USA
Source: BusinessWire
Apple Offering Refurbished Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watch Models
Apple today updated its online store for refurbished products, introducing refurbished Apple Watch models for the first time since the Apple Watch was released in the spring of 2015.
The Apple Watch refurbished section includes both Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 models at 14 to 16 percent off depending on configuration. No original Apple Watch models are included.
Both aluminum and stainless steel Apple Watch models are included, in 38 and 42mm size options. All Apple Watches listed in the store feature Sport bands in a variety of colors.
Aluminum Apple Watch models start at $229 for the 38mm version ($40 off), while 38mm stainless steel Apple Watch models start at $469 ($80 off).
Refurbished stock varies on a day-by-day basis according to the models that Apple has on hand, and supplies can potentially go quickly. Refurbished stock is refreshed on a regular basis, however.
All of Apple’s refurbished Apple Watch models include magnetic charging cables and a full one-year warranty, just like non-refurbished products. Series 2 models ship with a power adapter, while Series 1 models do not.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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