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Photo: Ursula Coyote / Netflix Netflix is branching out beyond scripted video and nonfiction podcasts to create fictional podcasts. The company said today it’s planning to release a show called The Only Podcast Left as a fictional companion to its new apocalyptic zombie show Daybreak . The podcast takes place in Daybreak ’s universe and tells the story of a group of teens who make a podcast during the apocalypse. It’ll exclusively be available through Spotify until December 12th, which is when it’ll be released on other platforms. Netflix already produces companion podcasts for some of its content, including a behind-the-scenes show about Stranger Things , and another called You Can’t Make This Up about how Netflix filmmakers create their true crime dramas. Other video... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20942754/netflix-scripted-the-only-podcast-left-spotify-daybreak-release-date

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The White House appears to be abandoning its plan to freeze the fuel efficiency standards of cars at 2020 levels, reversing a cornerstone policy of Trump’s campaign, reports The Wall Street Journal . The administration is now considering a 1.5 percent annual increase instead. The move could leave General Motors, Toyota and Fiat Chrysler in a lurch. The companies sided with the president in a legal battle over whether California could set its own fuel economy standards. From the outside, it seemed they capitulated to his demands, rather than the overwhelming evidence that vehicle emissions need to be cut in order to protect against climate change. Now, they may have squandered a lot of goodwill and damaged their reputations without getting... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20942685/trump-fuel-efficiency-freeze-general-motors-toyota-chrysler

Image: @ evleaks Huawei is apparently working on a new tablet, and it looks pretty darn similar to an iPad Pro, according to leaked renders posted by 91Mobiles ( via Android Central ). The biggest difference seems to be its cameras — Huawei’s tablet appears to have a dual-lens back camera and a hole punch display housing a front-facing camera. It’s actually the second Chinese-made gadget we’ve covered today that cribs heavily from Apple — Xiaomi’s new smartwatch has a strong resemblance to an Apple Watch. Huawei’s new tablet might even adopt Apple’s “Pro” nomenclature — serial leaker Evan Blass said it will be called the Huawei MatePad Pro. Image: 91Mobiles The tablet seems to have a magnetic keyboard case like Apple’s Smart Keyboard... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20942588/huawei-next-tablet-apple-ipad-pro-matepad-pro-mediapad-m6

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft’s Cortana assistant is getting new features later this year, adding voice options (including a male voice for the first time) as well as an integration with the Outlook app on iOS, according to a leaked video posted by Twitter user @h0x0d . The new Outlook features seem to largely revolve around a new “Play My Emails” feature that will see Cortana go over your new emails in a miniature briefing. During the briefing, you’ll be able to sort or flag conversations using your voice. Cortana in 2019 pic.twitter.com/5rlfshgjxX — WalkingCat (@h0x0d) October 31, 2019 The video also shows off the option for a “masculine” voice for the smart assistant, which is a first for Microsoft and a welcome addition to the platform.... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941910/cortana-microsoft-male-voice-update-leaked-video-ios-outlook-integration-briefing

WhatsApp has announced that its app can now be locked with a fingerprint on Android, following the addition of biometric security to its iOS version earlier this year . Turning the feature on means you’ll need to use your fingerprint to unlock the app even after unlocking your phone. It’s an extra level of security similar to what you might find in a banking app. The update doesn’t appear to be available in all regions just yet, but once it arrives, WhatsApp says you’ll be able to toggle on the extra security from within the app’s Privacy settings menu. There are options to let the app remain unlocked for one or 30 minutes after you unlock it, and there’s also a toggle to prevent the contents of your messages from appearing in... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941733/whatsapps-android-fingerprint-unlock-feature

Image: Vizio Sam’s Club, like every other major retailer, will be taking part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019. But unlike most others (except for Walmart ), Sam’s Club is gearing up to unleash some seasonal deals very soon. It’ll host a day-long sale on Saturday, November 9th , and you’ll need a Sam’s Club membership to take part in the savings. The deals will start online at 12AM ET on November 9th or 7AM ET at your local Sam’s Club store. The retailer has shared a preview of what to expect from the one-day sales event, and from that list, we’ve chosen the essential products that you might be searching for over the holidays. It’s possible that we’ll see better deals as we get closer to Black Friday, which kicks off on Friday, November 29th. But... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2019/10/31/20936195/black-friday-sams-club-deals-sale-membership-4k-tvs-xbox-ipad-apple-watch-vizio

YouTubers have raised more than $10 million as part of a fundraiser to plant trees across the globe , meeting more than half of the goal organizers laid out last week. The initiative, called Team Trees, had YouTubers flooding the platform with videos asking their viewers to donate money, with the goal of raising $20 million by the end of the year to plant 20 million trees through the Arbor Day Foundation. The halfway point came quickly, thanks to some large donations from tech executives. Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated $1 million on Tuesday; Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke donated $1,000,001 on Wednesday; YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki donated $200,000 on Wednesday; and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey appeared to make two separate donations, of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941626/teamtrees-youtuber-charity-fundraiser-climate-change-trees-musk-dorsey-pewdiepie

Techno-occultism, surveillance, and vacuum cleaners Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20939862/the-moon-channel-smart-home-surveillance-app-gentrification-text-horror-game

Apple TV Plus wants potential subscribers to be excited about streaming. It’s launching with four big-budget shows featuring household names. But early reviews tell a different story , one where Apple’s presence in an oversaturated streaming space doesn’t seem necessary. Negative reviews right out of the gate aren’t improving Apple’s chances, but that doesn’t mean the streaming platform’s future is doomed. At $4.99 a month, Apple TV Plus is one of the cheapest streaming services entering the “streaming wars” space. It’s not a Netflix killer or even a Netflix competitor. This isn’t the streaming service you’ll cancel Hulu for. Apple knows this. That’s why the company is giving anyone who purchases an Apple product, new or refurbished, a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20936686/apple-tv-plus-morning-show-see-mankind-dickinson-price-netflix-disney-streaming

Evan Blass ( Twitter ) Motorola is planning to unveil its foldable RAZR phone next month, but two new leaks have given us an early look at the handset. Evan Blass (evleaks) shared an image of the foldable RAZR on his Twitter account today, and it looks a lot like the classic RAZR V3 from 2004. Motorola has already teased a new hinge for this foldable RAZR, and this leaked image shows the displays will flip into the place. There’s what appears to be a button or perhaps even a fingerprint reader at the base of the device. It could even be a home button, or it could be used to flip the display out. The image doesn’t really reveal much more, but Mobielkopen has also published similar images of the foldable RAZR that show it may include a separate display on the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941732/motorola-foldable-razr-phone-image-design-leak-reveal-date

A great Xbox controller with an elite $180 price tag Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20926499/microsoft-xbox-elite-wireless-controller-series-2-review-price-specs-features

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge LoveSync was meant for couples struggling in the bedroom — instead its crowdfunding campaign became a viral joke Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20939932/lovesync-sex-button-gadget-tech-kickstarter-campaign-viral

Walmart is considering a sale of its Vudu video streaming service, according to a new report from The Information . It’s not known how much the company is looking to sell the service for, nor whether it has enlisted bankers to assist with the sale. Walmart purchased Vudu back in 2010 for $100 million. The Information notes several reasons why Walmart could be looking to sell Vudu now. For starters, the video streaming market is getting increasingly crowded with Apple TV Plus and Disney+ launching next month and HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock services coming next year. Vudu’s digital rentals and purchases business model has also fallen a bit out of favor in recent years, as all-you-can-eat subscription streaming services have become... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941579/walmart-selling-vudu-video-on-demand-streaming-service

Behind Hot Ones’ ambitions to be the future of late-night TV Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20938739/hot-ones-sean-evans-youtube-guests-gordon-ramsey-idris-elba-late-night-tv

Screenshot by Jon Porter / The Verge One of Medium’s biggest strengths is its sleek design, which can give anything published on the platform an air of legitimacy, regardless of whether it deserves it or not. Now, one Twitter user has released a script that breaks this illusion, which gives every Medium post a gaudy purple background, individual paragraph frames, and, of course, formats every post in Comic Sans. “Medium.com’s design and typography can create an illusion of legitimacy and polish for ideas that might not deserve legitimacy,” the script’s author @eyes_low wrote on Twitter , “I made a userscript that kills @Medium’s design so that critical thinking takes precedence over eye candy.” Once you’ve got it installed, the script makes every Medium post look amateur... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/10/31/20941505/medium-script-comic-sans-legitimacy-ruined-tampermonkey

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Apple Watch has become the standard by which all other smartwatches are measured. It provides you with information about your fitness, heart rate, and general health; lets you listen to your favorite music and other audio streams; notifies your friends or family in case of emergency; lets you access texts and email; and even (if you have an LTE-equipped version) allows you to make and take phone calls. It’s got style, as well. You can take your pick of a wide variety of watch cases, bands, and faces. Some of those faces give you immediate feedback on your steps, the weather, or the position of the Moon. Others simply tell you what time it is — but with flair and imaginative designs. You can even have your watch show off your... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20925365/apple-watch-how-to-guide-smartwatch-fitness-tracker-review

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you’ve ever wondered about the value of having multiple social networks competing to develop the best products and policies, Wednesday offered us a clear example. Facebook is now three weeks into a controversy over whether (and how) it ought to regulate political ads, and the lies those ads will inevitably sometimes contain. Lots of folks (including some Facebook employees ) have proposed ideas, including banning political ads from the platform altogether. Today, Jack Dorsey took their suggestion — for Twitter. In a thoughtful thread, Dorsey laid out his case for banning both issue ads and campaign ads. Notably, he honed in on two things that make social ads unique: their speed, and the way they can target small niche communities at... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/10/31/20940150/twitter-political-ads-ban-facebook-policy

Image: iFixit iFixit has completed its traditional teardown of Apple’s latest AirPods and, just as Apple promised , it’s bad news for repairs. The organization awarded the noise-canceling buds a big fat zero repairability score, noting that their “non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts makes repair both impractical and uneconomical.” That’s the same score as both versions of the original AirPods. This means that once the battery in your $249 AirPods Pro degrades and eventually dies, you’ve got no other option but to dispose of them. When you do, the best thing to do is to send them back to Apple for recycling knowing that you’re doing the environment a little favor. Image: iFixit Once disassembled, it’s... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/31/20941467/airpods-pro-ifixit-teardown-repair-disposable-battery-replacement

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Nintendo’s third-quarter earnings are out, and they reveal that the company sold 4.8 million Switch consoles between July and September, a year-on-year increase of just over 50 percent. 41.67 million units have been shipped in total as of September 30th, meaning the Switch will almost certainly overtake the SNES this holiday season to become Nintendo’s second most popular home console ever. This quarter saw the release of the Switch Lite , a new handheld-only version of the console that can’t dock to a TV but costs $100 less. The Lite sold 1.85 million units, while the regular Switch — which also got a new version with better battery life — sold 2.85 million. Nintendo has continued to put out solid content for the Switch, and this... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/31/20941430/nintendo-switch-lite-sales-q3-earnings-2019

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Samsung Electronics has reported third-quarter earnings that show sharp declines year-on-year due to the ongoing slow performance of the global memory chip market, which had been the company’s biggest profit driver. In other areas, however, Samsung is doing pretty well. Overall, the company made 62 trillion won (~$53 billion) in revenue and 7.78 trillion won (~$6.71 billion) in operating profit, year-on-year drops of 5 and 56 percent respectively. But the mobile business alone posted revenue of 29.25 trillion won (~$25 billion), up 17 percent, with profit rising 32 percent to 2.92 trillion won (~$2.5 billion). Profit is also slightly up at the display panel business. Samsung says the improved mobile earnings were due to strong sales of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20941185/samsung-earnings-q3-2019-galaxy-note-10-sales

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge The US Interior Department, which oversees federal land and resource management, says it’s grounding its entire aerial drone fleet of more than 800 UAVs out of concern for Chinese spying and drone-aided cyberattacks. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal today, and the department confirmed the grounding to The Verge . Every drone in use by the Interior Department is either manufactured in China or uses some Chinese-made parts, the WSJ reports. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt made the order earlier today, and the drones will remain grounded until the department completes a review of the security risks they may pose. US officials are concerned the drones may be used for espionage or cyberattacks “Secretary Bernhardt is... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20940921/us-interior-department-drone-grounding-china-spying-cybersecurity-risk

Illustration by Alex Castro / Th The professional services firm Cognizant will exit the content moderation business after two Verge investigations into working conditions at sites dedicated to Facebook, the companies said today. Cognizant had hired thousands of moderators around the world to remove hate speech, terrorism, and other inappropriate content from platforms including Facebook, Google, and Twitter. “We have determined that certain content work in our Digital Operations practice is not in line with our strategic vision for the company and we intend to exit this work over time,” the company told The Verge in a statement. “This work is largely focused on determining whether certain content violates client standards — and can involve objectionable materials.” C... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20940956/cognizant-facebook-content-moderation-exit-business-conditions-investigation

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Two days ago, we brought you the news that a new iOS 13.2 update to Apple’s HomePod would finally be able to tell different users’ voices apart . But that same evening, the update disappeared — probably because of numerous reports that it was bricking HomePods . Thankfully, it appears there’s now a new iOS 13.2.1 update, rolling out now, that picks up where 13.2 left off. As MacRumors notes, iOS 13.2.1 has the exact same changelog, which suggests the only actual change is a fix for the bug. It’d be nice if Apple came out and said that, but perhaps the company’s hoping we’ll forget there was ever an issue at all. Keep in mind that we don’t actually know if this update comes with a fix — it’s just highly unlikely that Apple... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20940870/apple-homepod-update-ios-13-2-1-homepod-bricked-devices

Image: Valve In September, Valve launched a beta for a redesigned Steam library , and today, the company said that redesign is available for everyone. The new library has a refreshed visual look, intended to make it easier to find your games, see what your friends are playing, and follow news and updates from the games in your library. (You might have to relaunch your Steam client once or twice to get the update.) Here’s one image of what it looks like in practice: Image: The Verge / Sean Hollister The new Steam library. I think the “What’s New” section could be a particularly useful new feature — it seems like a handy way to quickly see updates about games I already have. Developers can post updates to this What’s New... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20940817/valve-steam-library-update-launch-release-date-out-of-beta

Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images On Wednesday, Twitter announced that it would ban all political advertising on the platform next month, a move President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is calling “a very dumb decision.” Twitter’s move to ban all political ads comes after weeks of lawmakers berating Facebook over its own policy that allows politicians to lie in ads. Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign was the first to take issue with the policy, penning letters to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube demanding that they ban ads that contain false or misleading information. Those letters were prompted by false ads placed by the Trump campaign. Twitter bans political ads in yet another attempt by the left to silence Trump and conservatives. Wouldn’t be surprised if @twitter lifted... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20940840/donald-trump-twitter-facebook-political-ads-ban-ron-wyden

Photo: Niko Tavernise / Warner Bros. The film is a model for the future of DC’s films and a throwback to the company’s best years Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939593/joker-box-office-billion-todd-phillips-dc-comics-marvel-mcu-watchmen-sandman-christopher-nolan

HBO HBO Max is AT&T’s new crown jewel in the streaming landscape, building upon what its predecessor HBO Now started so many years ago. But the $14.99-per-month HBO Max is more than HBO Now , and to prove it, AT&T wants to give HBO Max away for free to as many customers as possible. HBO Max is going to be free for a lot of people , but figuring out who those customers are is still difficult to parse. AT&T is going to give its wireless customers who already subscribe to HBO through AT&T’s services (like AT&T TV or U-Verse TV) a free one-year subscription to Max. That’s approximately 10 million people. The goal is to get those people to eventually continue subscribing to HBO Max once the year is over, dropping the older HBO subscription, which... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939918/hbo-max-price-free-att-cable-comcast-streaming-amazon-apple

Illustrations by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple Music’s discounted student plan will include access to Apple TV Plus once the service launches on Friday, November 1st. The added perk doesn’t raise the student plan’s price: it’s still $4.99 per month for full access to the music streaming service. The only real caveat is that, as always, you need to verify that you’re enrolled at a college of some sort to qualify for the discounted rate. Apple is giving away Apple TV Plus to hook viewers and generate buzz for shows Apple doesn’t usually like giving things away for free, or even at discounts, so the addition of Apple TV Plus to the student plan is somewhat surprising. It’s a smart addition, though. Apple needs to reach a mass of viewers if it wants to make the service into a truly... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939856/apple-tv-plus-student-plan-apple-music-subscription

Sonos is letting people who own its oldest products trade them in for a more modern replacement. The new program offers a 30 percent discount to those who want to trade their Connect, Connect:Amp, ZP80, ZP90, ZP100, ZP120, or the first-generation Play:5 for something newer. Unfortunately, the Play:1 isn’t part of the list, as it was still available for sale relatively recently, even after being succeeded by the Sonos One and One SL. If you have more than one of the eligible products, you’ll get the 30 percent discount for each one you trade up. You can register for the program on Sonos’ website where the company will also help customers find ways to responsibly recycle their old hardware. The program comes as Sonos faces mounting... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939850/sonos-trade-up-program-connect-play-products-discount-offer

Xbox Game Streaming. | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft is now allowing Xbox One beta testers to stream any games from their console to an Android phone or tablet. It’s part of a new Xbox Game Streaming feature that should make its way to all Xbox One consoles soon. While this might sound like Project xCloud , Microsoft’s preview of cloud-based game streaming, it’s a separate option that’s designed to turn your own Xbox One console into a streaming server. Microsoft has offered a similar feature to stream Xbox games to Windows 10 PCs, but it’s now extending this to Android phones. I’ve been testing Xbox Game Streaming today, and it feels like an early glimpse at the future of Microsoft’s xCloud service. Much like xCloud, Game Streaming uses the same Android app to access your Xbox... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939712/microsoft-xbox-game-streaming-feature-console-xcloud-phone-tablet-hands-on

Are two flat screens better than one foldable? Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939655/lg-g8x-thinq-dual-screen-review

Less fragile doesn’t mean not fragile Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20938653/samsung-galaxy-fold-review-updated-android-price-specs-features-hinge

Image: Linksys Linksys has announced its first mesh router system with support for Wi-Fi 6, the new Wi-Fi standard that’s optimized for the increasing amounts of internet-connected devices in our homes. The Velop WiFi 6 is available as a standalone router for $399, or you can get a pack of two for $699. Linksys says that each node can cover an area of around 3,000 square feet and that the system should be able to handle connections from over 50 devices simultaneously. This announcement from Linksys comes a couple of months after its main rival, Netgear, announced a similar Wi-Fi 6 update to its Orbi lineup of mesh routers. Netgear’s version also costs $699 for a two-pack of devices, with the quoted ability to handle connections from over 100 connected... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/30/20939739/linksys-velop-wi-fi-6-wifi-mesh-router-internet-speed-range-specs-price

Can an electric car startup save itself from its founder? Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/transportation/2019/10/30/20879811/faraday-future-ceo-founder-jia-yueting-carsten-breitfeld-bankruptcy

Photography by Sean O’Kane / The Verge DJI’s newest drone is also the smallest and lightest one the company’s ever made. It’s so small and light, in fact, that buyers won’t have to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration. The heavily leaked Mavic Mini, as it’s called, was announced on Wednesday morning and is available for preorder now and will ship on November 11th. The drone will be sold for $399 with a remote controller, one battery, and a set of extra propellers, or in one of DJI’s “Fly More” combo packs, which costs $499 and includes propellor guards, three batteries, a battery charging hub, a carrying case, a controller, and three sets of extra propellers. Despite the relatively low price tag, the Mavic Mini features a lot of the best aspects of DJI’s more... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20938530/dji-mavic-mini-price-specs-faa-ultra-light-combo-pack

Image: Activision / Infinity Ward Can a big-budget shooter explore uncomfortable politics? Modern Warfare sure does try Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939056/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-campaign-review-single-player

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Three of Apple’s phones will release with 5G connectivity next year with Qualcomm’s X55 5G modem , Nikkei reports . This modem will reportedly be paired with a new Apple chipset — likely to be called the A14 Bionic — that’ll be the first from the company to be built using a 5-nanometer process. In general, moving to smaller manufacturing processes makes chips more efficient while allowing more processing power to be packed into a smaller space. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors that Apple is planning on releasing its first 5G phones in 2020, nor is it the first time we’ve heard there’ll be three of them. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made a similar prediction back in July . What’s new are the reports of the exact Qualcomm modem... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939686/apple-iphone-2020-qualcomm-x55-5g-modem-5nm-chipset-process

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Even the best of us can occasionally misplace an item. Even something like the Apple Watch, which is usually safe on your wrist, can be lost. You come home from a run, pull off your watch and drop it — somewhere in the living room. The band comes loose while you’re out watching the latest Marvel movie, and you walk out of the theater without it. Your three-year-old decides it might be fun to play with your Watch for a few minutes, and then leaves it under a pile of stuffed toys. What do you do? Luckily, Apple’s “Find My” app works as well with your Watch as with your iPhone — better, in fact, because you can use your iPhone to find your wandering Watch. Go to the Watch app on your phone. (You can also get there by tapping on the “Find... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20938220/apple-watch-how-to-find-my-app-lost

Spotify is launching a new app called Spotify Kids that’s meant to provide a safe space for kids to explore and listen to music — and finally get “Baby Shark” out of their parents’ Discover playlists. The app, which launches today in Ireland, includes around 6,000 tracks, all of which have been curated by editors at Spotify. For “younger kids,” the app will be limited to things like Disney soundtracks, songs about dinosaurs, and children’s stories. If parents set the app up for an “older kid,” then it will add pop hits from artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Bruno Mars. Spotify editors are looking at more than whether a song contains foul language when determining if it’s an appropriate fit for this app. References to guns and... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20938076/spotify-kids-app-announced-disney-taylor-swift-family-plan

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge We’ve spent the past couple weeks looking at the clash of social networks and democracy in the United States. So let’s turn our attention abroad. Assam is a state in India that is home to a large population of Bengali Muslims. The ruling party of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are Hindu nationalists. In August, after six years of development, the government released a controversial national register of citizens that omitted 1.9 million residents, many of them Muslim. The government has presented the project as part of an effort to expel “infiltrators,” but the overall effect has been to create an environment of fear for minorities in Assam, many of whom are poor. None of that is Facebook’s doing. But as we have seen before in... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/10/30/20938311/facebook-avaaz-india-report-hate-speech-megaphone-warning

Image: Snap Today, Snapchat is introducing a new 3D Paint feature that lets you draw in augmented reality. You can use it to draw on your own face using your phone’s front-facing camera, and it’ll also work with your rear-facing camera to let you to draw on objects in the environment. One video produced by Snap shows the feature being used to draw a pair of eyes and a mustache on the front of a van. The functionality looks similar to Samsung’s “AR Doodle” feature which it introduced with the Galaxy Note 10 . However, Samsung’s feature has the added benefit of using the phone’s S Pen stylus, which should be more precise than drawing with your finger on the screen. If you want to give the feature a go yourself, then Snapchat’s 3D Paint... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939665/snapchat-augmented-reality-drawing-lens-ar-bar

Sony has announced as part of its second-quarter earnings report that it sold 2.8 million PlayStation 4 consoles between July and September. Since the company hit exactly 100 million sales three months ago , the total is now at 102.8 million, meaning the PS4 has outsold the original PlayStation. The PlayStation, as you may remember, was an enormous success. It sold 102.5 million units, vastly more than competitors like the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64, and until now it was the second best-selling home console of all time behind the PS2, which sold a probably unrepeatable 155 million. Also of note: the Nintendo Wii’s total of 101.6 million has been surpassed this quarter as well. It’s a huge achievement for Sony to attain this level of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/30/20939639/ps4-lifetime-sales-vs-ps1-wii-sony

Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images Blizzard Entertainment may be feeling the effects of its controversial ban of Hong Kong Hearthstone player Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung for quite some time. The company not only faced a widespread player boycott, condemnations from US lawmakers, and numerous employee walkouts over the decision, but it also lost a key sponsor of its international gaming competitions. According to The Daily Beast , Mitsubishi decided to pull sponsorships of Blizzard e-sports events after the company banned Wai Chung for voicing support for the Hong Kong protesters in a televised post-game interview earlier this month. Reddit users first noticed the disappearance of the Mitsubishi logo during a recent Asia Pacific Hearthstone tournament, and the company... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20939236/blizzard-china-hong-kong-protests-mitsubishi-hearthstone-ban-sponsorship-pulled

HBO Max, AT&T’s upcoming $15 a month streaming video service , looks nothing like its HBO Now counterpart. Here’s a brief tour: AT&T and WarnerMedia showed off the first look at its product interface at a special investor event today, with Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager, speaking about the importance of human curation, instead of simply relying on algorithms like Netflix and other competitors. That’s why HBO’s “Recommended by Humans” feature, something the company rolled out earlier this year, is getting a big lift on HBO Max . Celebrities will now have pages where they can list their own recommendations. HBO Max customers can then use those recommendation pages to select a movie or TV show directly from that... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20939183/hbo-max-interface-warnermedia-disney-netflix-launch-date-ui-gallery

HBO has ordered a Game of Thrones spinoff series, House of the Dragon , straight to series. The new prequel is written by Ryan Condal ( Colony ), with George R.R. Martin set to co-executive produce. The project is based on Martin’s 2019 book Fire and Blood , and is a history of House Targaryen (the ancestors of Daenerys) as they fight through a civil war. The series is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. HBO executive Casey Bloys made the announcement at an event for HBO Max, AT&T’s streaming service coming May 2020. The news comes just hours after news broke that HBO canceled a previously announced Game of Thrones spinoff series. Developing... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20939230/game-of-thrones-spinofff-series-house-of-the-dragons-ordered-hbo-max

HBO Max , AT&T’s big foray into streaming, will launch in May 2020 for per $14.99 a month, the company announced at a special event held for investors. An ad-supported tier will reportedl launch in 2021. The pricing tier makes it one of the most expensive in the shifting streaming landscape. Apple TV Plus is only $4.99 a month , while Disney+ is sitting at $6.99 a month . AT&T is in a tricky spot. HBO Now, its other HBO-branded streaming service, is $15 a month. That’s about the same cost as the channel via cable packages. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson teased the importance of today’s event, which took place at the iconic Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, during a call with investors yesterday. Stephenson called the streaming service... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20938039/hbo-max-price-launch-date-ad-free-att-friends-studio-ghibli

Adult Swim AT&T’s special HBO Max preview day came chock-full of programming announcements, ranging from a new Green Lantern -inspired show from Arrow and Flash producer Greg Berlanti to Rick and Morty on HBO Max. HBO Max, which launches in May, is AT&T’s answer to Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ . It has a few advantages heading into the streaming wars, especially over competitors like Apple . WarnerMedia is home to thousands of movies and TV shows that will be available at launch. Some of its properties come with dedicated fans — Friends , for example, or the DC Extended Universe ( Batman v Superman , Aquaman ). There are also a number of prestige series from its most prestigious network, HBO. Having an extensive catalog is important (look at Disney+), but... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20938710/hbo-max-rick-morty-south-park-ridley-scott-looney-tunes-conan-obrien-price-launch

Photo by Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images Elon Musk has promised to donate $1 million worth of trees ($1 per tree) to YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, who’s currently campaigning to raise $20 million from fellow YouTube celebrities for a climate change fundraising effort . There’s just one hitch: Musk said in sworn testimony recently that he’s financially illiquid . Musk told the YouTuber he would make the donation on Twitter after some nudging by Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee, who has interviewed Musk in the past and is an avid Tesla fan. Musk initially showed interest yesterday , asking on Twitter about the type of trees being planted as part of MrBeast’s fundraising effort. MrBeast responded that the trees are being planted on every continent save Antarctica; the type of tree... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/29/20939016/elon-musk-mrbeast-tree-donation-1-million-spacex-tesla-testifying-no-cash

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