EE follows rivals by bundling broadband line rental prices
When the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) introduced new legislation requiring UK ISPs and providers to be clearer with their broadband pricing earlier this year, some heeded the advice faster than others. Vodafone and TalkTalk were the first to bundle line rental in their broadband packages, but today EE is joining the list. As of now, customers signing up to a new broadband and calls contract will receive a clear monthly price.
As ISP Review points out, EE’s simplified strategy does come at a (slight) cost. Before, customers signing up to the company’s 17Mbps broadband package would pay £18.50 per month — £1 for the first 18 months of service (rising to £10 per month afterwards) on top of the £17.50 monthly line rental. However, the updated packages now start at £19.50, which sees the bundled line rental charge rise by a pound. Customers will also be on the hook for a £7 router delivery.
“We’ve recently made changes to the way in which we present our home broadband pricing in line with the ASA’s recommendations,” says EE in a statement. “These changes complement updates made earlier this year to ensure our broadband pricing information is clear, simple and consistent for all customers, alongside providing great value for customers in the form of differentiated offers such as Data Boost and EE TV.”
Via: ISP Review
Source: EE
IBM Extends ‘Watson’ Cognitive Technology to its Enterprise iOS Apps
IBM announced at its “World of Watson” event in Las Vegas on Tuesday that it intends to combine the cognitive computing technology with its MobileFirst for iOS enterprise apps.
Watson is the company’s cloud-based deep data analytics and natural language processing framework, which has previously seen limited use in secure cloud and analytics services for enterprise versions of Apple’s HealthKit and ResearchKit apps.
Apple and IBM first collaborated on the MobileFirst for iOS initiative in 2014 in an attempt to create business solutions built around Apple’s mobile platform. By rolling out Watson to the MobileFirst program, IBM hopes to tailor Watson to integrate seamlessly with Apple’s own speech framework and allow business users to develop Watson APIs for their own specific needs.
General manager of IBM’s Apple partnership Mahmoud Naghshineh, described the vision ahead for the two companies in a press release.
“Apple and IBM set out more than two years ago to define the enterprise mobility market, ensuring that professionals could finally enjoy at work the same experience they’d come to expect as consumers. We are taking that to a whole new level by combining the power of Watson with the new speech framework of iOS 10. The combinations and possibilities are virtually endless.”
One example of the benefits of the integration is the Passenger + app, which when enhanced with Watson allows flight attendants to deliver more personal and relevant customer care while inflight: staff can learn in advance whether travelers prefer priority seating and if they have a favorite snack or beverage, for example, allowing cabin crew to customize services tailored for the passenger.
Under the continuing partnership with Apple, IBM has been selling iOS devices to corporate customers and creating a wide range of enterprise-focused apps tailored to industries like retail, healthcare, banking, travel, transportation, and more.
In related news, last week it was revealed that IBM had managed to make serious savings by replacing PCs with Macs across its staff base, in another sign of the two companies’ mutually beneficial partnership.
IBM began adopting Macs for its employees in mid-2015, quickly becoming one of Apple’s largest corporate customers. In the first year, it deployed approximately 30,000 Macs, and with employees continuing to choose Macs over PCs, IBM now has 90,000 deployed Macs supported by five admins.
Tag: IBM
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Jony Ive’s Next One-of-a-Kind Design Project is a Christmas Tree
Apple design chief Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson are set to design London hotel Claridge’s 2016 Christmas Tree, it has been revealed (via The Verge).
The Claridge Christmas tree has become something of a festive Mayfair landmark, drawing Londoners and tourists alike, with notable designers having created the seasonal decoration since 2009.
Ive and Newson’s creation will be unveiled on November 18, and follows similar commemorative trees designed by Christopher Bailey for Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, and Kelly Ellis of McQueens, amongst others.
Ive has collaborated with close friend Newson on a number of one-of-a-kind projects in recent years, with many of the creations being sold off at auction and raising millions of dollars for charity in the process. Previous products have included a red Mac Pro, an aluminum desk, and a special edition Leica camera.
In 2014, it was revealed Newson had been officially hired part-time by Apple to work with Ive’s in-house design team. Newson is also rumored to have worked on previous Apple products before officially joining the company.
Tag: Marc Newson
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Best tablets 2016: The best tablets available to buy today
So you’re looking for a new tablet? If you’re looking for the best tablet of 2016, then you’ve come to the right place. We will guide you through the hottest 7-inch and larger slabs available today, in order to help you reach a decision on which tablet is the right device for you.
The tablets market is vast from the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Huawei MediaPad M3 and the Amazon Fire, to the Apple iPad Air 2, Apple iPad Pro 9.7 and Microsoft Surface 3, but newest doesn’t always mean best. Refreshes are always on the horizon and this best tablets feature is continually updated to reflect recent launches, price changes, and ensure 2016’s latest devices appear alongside the best of 2015, and before, if applicable.
Only devices we have reviewed in full will appear on this list, but it covers all operating systems and all sizes under £550, so you’ll be armed with everything you need to consider when choosing to buy your next device.
Of course, the most important factor in buying a new device is making sure you have the best tablet for you, including the best for your budget, the features you need, the size that feels right, the build quality you want and platform that suits you best.
Click here to view the best tablets of 2016.
Nintendo loses less money, but Switch can’t come fast enough
Nintendo’s latest financial report is more dour reading for console gaming. While the company saw sales of 74.8 billion yen ($718.86 million), up since last quarter, it has to contend with an operating loss of 813 million yen ($7.8 million) over the last three months. Well, at least it’s a smaller loss than the last quarter. It sold 1,770,000 3DSes and 349,000 Wii U home consoles. In fact, Nintendo almost doubled the number of 3DS consoles it sold compared to Q1. 3DS software sales — and this is before the launch of a highly anticipated new Pokemon title — was a highlight, with over 10 million games sold. Pokemon Omega and Alpha and Kirby Planet Robot both sold over a million copies, respectively. On the Wii U, Nintendo sold just 3.6 million titles; a decrease for the a console that simply hasn’t caught your imagination.
Nintendo can thank its sale of the Seattle Mariners for even gloomier financial reading — it helped to boost its income for the quarter. Mentions of Pokemon Go are conspicuously absent in the financial report, but Nintendo says it earned 12 billion yen from affiliate companies, including Niantic Labs that made the smartphone game.
The company notes in its own report that Wii U hardware sales down over 50 percent since the same period last year. In the company’s words: “There were no hit titles this period to compare with Splatoon and Super Mario Maker last year.” Well, that’s just sad.
At this point, it’s fascinating to see the gap between both Nintendo’s home consoles and its portables compared to the generation that came before it. The Wii U has now sold 13.36 million units, but in its lifetime, the Wii sold almost 102 million units. Likewise, while the 3DS might be a hit in comparison to the poor Wii U, compared to the DS, hardware sales aren’t even half as good: 61.6 million versus 154 million. The 3DS is now over five years old.
Source: Nintendo
Vodafone fined £4.6m after PAYG top-up fails
Vodafone has been slapped with a hefty £4.6 million fine after failing to process customer top-ups. UK regulator Ofcom found that 10,452 pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customers weren’t given a combined £150,000 in credit between December 2013 and April 2015. The affected users were relying on “E Top-Up” methods, including cash machines, direct debit, and E Top-Up swipe cards. According to Ofcom, the embarrassing snafu occurred after Vodafone changed its internal billing systems in 2010. The company “failed to act quickly enough” to address the problems and only stopped “customers from paying money for nothing” after Ofcom intervened.
Vodafone has been fined £3.7 million for its actions (or lack thereof). In a second, separate investigation, Ofcom has criticised the network operator for its customer service policies. According to the regulator, staff weren’t given the proper training or information to correctly identify complaints. The company’s practices were also “insufficient” to deal with and escalate complaints “in a fair, timely manner.” In particular, Vodafone was penalised for not telling customers about their right to take complaints to a third-party resolution scheme after eight weeks. Ofcom has settled on a £925,000 fine for these failings, bringing its total bill to £4.6 million.
“Vodafone’s failings were serious and unacceptable, and these fines send a clear warning to all telecoms companies,” Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director for Ofcom said. “Phone services are a vital part of people’s lives, and we expect all customers to be treated fairly and in good faith. We will not hesitate to investigate and fine those who break the rules.” Vodafone has 20 days to pay the fine to the Treasury. The company has admitted its shortcomings, reimbursed customers and made a £100,000 donation to charity. Here’s hoping the fees, along with the resulting embarrassment, deter Vodafone (and other carriers) from repeating these mistakes.
Source: Ofcom
Samsung Pay adds new online payment options
Samsung Pay already works in a lot of places because of its canny MST magnetic tech, and the company is taking steps to make the service even more ubiquitous. Starting next year, it will work with Mastercard’s Masterpass, letting more users buy online from a computer or handheld device, skip the usual form-filling and authenticate with a fingerprint. (Mastercard also made Masterpass deals with Android Pay and Microsoft Wallet earlier this week.)
Samsung has expanded support for in-app payments in the US, and is now available as an option with Velocity, Hello Vino, Fancy and other retailers. There’s also a new Deals option that helps you find and redeem discounts instantly at nearby stores. And Samsung Pay now works with Capital One and USAA, bringing its bank partnership count to 500, or around 85 percent of the US debit and credit card market.
Finally, Samsung has expanded Pay to Russia, Malaysia and Thailand, so it now works in 10 countries.The service is a bright spot for the company, which desperately needs one after its Galaxy Note 7 debacle. As one of our commenters put it, the only problem with it is a lack of retailer awareness that it’ll work on a non-NFC terminal just by placing it next to the magnetic (card swipe) reader. “It’s cool to use it and get that awesome look from cashiers.”
Source: Samsung
‘Strangers Things’ director will helm the ‘Uncharted’ movie
Sony Pictures has announced that Shawn Levy will be directing the live-action movie version of Uncharted. If the name sounds familiar, Levy was the executive producer and director of Netflix hit Stranger Things, and while he’ll still be involved in the show’s second season, he’ll now also be in charge of Nathan Drake’s big-screen debut — one of the PlayStation’s most cinematic franchises.
The project has already bounding through script writer changes and general whispers of development hell. And yeah, still no more on that Last of Us movie — or whether the Uncharted movie will still manage to hit theaters next summer. (It probably won’t.)
Source: Deadline
Trump squashes rumor of Trump TV
Since the launch of his campaign there has been speculation that presidential candidate Donald Trump was using the 2016 race to expand his brand. That’s culminated recently in speculation that he’ll launch Trump TV if he loses his bid for the White House. But the candidate laid those media-empire rumors to rest during a radio interview.
While talking to Cincinnati radio station 700WLW host Scott Sloan, Trump flatly denied he was interested in a launching his own TV station. “No, I have no interest in Trump TV,” the presidential candidate said. Instead he said he was focused on the election and of course “making America great again.”
That doesn’t mean the candidate is completely out of the media game. His campaign is now airing a nightly show via Facebook Live. If that gets enough traction and Trump loses the White House to Clinton, don’t be surprised to see a giant gold T on your basic channel lineup in the near future.
Via: Entertainment Weekly
Source: Radio Station 700WLW
Intel’s new chips are for smart cars and the Internet of Things
Intel has been investing in IoT for years, playing catch up to compete with companies like Qualcomm that got to the market early and saturated it with their chipsets. But a declining PC market pushed them to make more drastic moves, cutting 12,000 jobs back in April to refocus on IoT and data centers, which made up 40 percent of their revenue last year. Continuing that commitment, today Intel announced two new Atom processor lines: the E3900 series for connected devices and wearables along with the A3900 for smart auto apps.
The E3900 will be Intel’s IoT workhorse for applications in multiple industries, prioritizing which processes to perform itself and which to push to the data center, a strategy known as fog computing. The chip series will have quad core processors running up to 2.5 ghz that will be able to manage graphics on three screens at once. The A3900 series, on the other hand, is dedicated to automotive experiences, from in-car infotainment to digital instrument clusters to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). That processor line won’t be available until Q1 2017.
Intel’s already working with IoT device creators and software vendors like Delphi, FAW, Neusoft and Hikvision, according to their press release. The new processors are clearly intended to be versatile enough for a broad range of industries, but the company’s also growing its product library, and likely its client base, with acquisitions. They bought Movidius back in September, and just yesterday the high-end chipmaker announced that their processors would power Hikvision’s upcoming line of AI-equipped security cameras.
Source: Intel blog
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