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Showing posts from December, 2019

Could this be Samsung’s bezel-less 8K TV?

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Image: Samsung / 4KFilme Samsung may have a new, groundbreaking type of television to show off at CES in Las Vegas next week: a completely bezel-less, 8K QLED model. Dubbed by some reports as the Samsung “Zero Bezel” TV and reportedly carrying model numbers of Q900T and Q950T, this TV is believed to have bezels so tiny that the screen edge effectively disappears when viewed from a distance. On Tuesday, German website 4KFilme says it has its hands on a pair of leaked renders showing the screen in all its bezel-less glory. We don’t have very much else to go on, and of course this being an unannounced product, there’s no word yet on pricing, release date, or what size options a set like this would come in. But that said, it does sound perfectly in Samsung’s... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/12/31/21044998/samsung-bezel-less-8k-qled-tv-leak-ces-2020

TikTok claims zero takedown requests from China in first transparency report

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge TikTok released its first transparency report yesterday, showing which countries have submitted requests for content removal as well as access to user data. China is notably absent from the report—the video sharing app, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, claims it did not receive a single takedown request from Communist Party of China in the first half of 2019. The news comes after a difficult year for the social media startup, which faced growing scrutiny over its relationship with China. In September, a report from The Washington Post suggested TikTok was censoring content related to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, likely to appease the Chinese government. TikTok denied the allegations, but it wasn’t enough to stop... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044876/tiktok-china-transparency-report-bytedance-takedown-requests-zero

Google will finally stop using controversial Irish and Dutch tax loopholes

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The era of Google using a pair of controversial loopholes to save billions of dollars in taxes on overseas ad revenue is coming to a close, according to a new report from Reuters . In 2020, the company will no longer take advantage of the so-called “Double Irish” and “Dutch sandwich” loopholes, which allowed it and countless other corporations to shift money from Ireland to the Netherlands and Bermuda, sheltering billions from taxes in the process. The move comes as regulations aimed at changing how companies skirt taxes take effect in both the US and Ireland. Previously, multinational organizations like Google were able to use a network of affiliate organizations located in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Bermuda to collect and hold money... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044662/google-end-tax-loophole-double-irish-dutch-sandwich-2020

New Apple patent imagines virtual speakers that can simulate sound from anywhere in the room

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Image: USPTO Apple has just been granted a patent — concerning virtual positioning of audio — that could eventually lay the groundwork for new, more immersive audio applications. It builds on a previous patent Apple filed last month that enabled users to hear where people are physically located in a room through special headphone tech. Today’s patent does exactly the same thing, but with built-in MacBook speakers. According to 9to5Mac , it’s a virtual acoustic system that works by using crosstalk canceling, which makes users feel like sound is coming from a different place than loudspeakers. (Crosstalk, here, refers to the overlapping sound waves that the ears receive from the left and right channels of a speaker.) The effect, as reported by Patently... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044677/apple-spatial-audio-macbook-pro-patent-ar-applications

Smoke app brings parts of Valve’s Steam to the Apple Watch

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For people who want to check in on their gaming achievements in Steam or stay up to date with the latest sales, this Apple Watch app has you covered. Smoke gives Apple Watch users access to their Steam account, but that doesn’t mean people have the ability to play games from their wrist. The app exists to let you stay up to date on gaming news and to see what friends are playing while you might be away from your PC. There’s an ability to save news articles that come up in the Apple Watch and read them in Smoke’s companion app for iOS, according to 9to5Mac . The full list of features Smoke brings to Apple Watch users includes: View the games you own as well as your achievement statuses and total play time View the store information for... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044379/apple-watch-valve-steam-smoke-app-gaming-wearables

US Army bans soldiers from using TikTok

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Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images United States Army soldiers can no longer use TikTok on government-owned phones following a decision to ban the app. The move comes amidst ongoing worries that the video app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could compromise national security or be used to influence or surveil Americans. “It is considered a cyber threat,” Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa told Military.com , which broke the news on December 30th. The army reportedly used TikTok to recruit members prior to the ban. Both the Navy and Defense Department sounded alarms on TikTok earlier this month. The Navy previously told its members not to add the app, and to delete it from government-issued devices if it was already installed. The Defense Department also... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044559/us-army-bans-soldiers-from-using-tiktok

Vizio accuses LeEco of breaching settlement over failed $2 billion merger

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Vizio says LeEco has breached the settlement the two companies agreed to last year in the $60 million lawsuit over their failed merger, and claims the Chinese tech conglomerate still owes a “substantial amount of money,” according to a new motion filed in California’s central district court on Monday. LeEco, which was once considered to be the “Netflix of China,” tried to buy Vizio in 2016 for $2 billion as part of its effort to expand its business beyond streaming. Founder Jia Yueting wanted his company to move into hardware like televisions and smartphones so he could create an entire ecosystem of hardware and software products that worked together, hence the “eco” in LeEco. But Jia’s ambition eventually consumed LeEco, as he burdened... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044504/vizio-leeco-settlement-jia-yueting-breach-merger

The theme for the Times Square New Year’s Eve bash is climate change

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Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images Times Square revelers will ring in the New Year to a theme of existential crisis tonight. Science teachers and students taking on the climate crisis will push the crystal button to trigger the ball drop in Times Square. Organizers of the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City choose a theme each year based on the biggest issues in the news, and this year that theme is climate change. “[You’d] have to have a soul of Styrofoam not to be moved by the passion of young people demanding that we do better, and ‘listen to the science’ to start solving the problem,” Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, said in a press release. He added that “you’d have to have your head buried” in sand not to be alarmed by 2019’s... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044259/times-square-new-years-eve-ball-drop-climate-change-2019

Netflix claims The Witcher is already one of its most popular shows of 2019

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Image: Netflix Netflix released its list of the most popular movies and TV shows of 2019 and, with the exception of Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2 , every title on the list is a Netflix original. Most notable is Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery , which Netflix declared as the most watched title in 2019. The Sandler and Jennifer Aniston-starring comedy broke records when it first hit Netflix back in June, generating more than 30 million account views within its first three days. It marked the biggest opening weekend for a Netflix film in the company’s history. Some of the other entires on the list, seen below, also saw record-breaking weekends or weeks for Netflix. A couple – including Henry Cavill’s The Witcher — only just came out. Murder Mystery S... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21042869/netflix-witcher-top-10-adam-sandler-murder-mystery-stranger-things-6-underground

The major deals and integrations that shaped technology for markters in 2019

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The marketing technology industry had a busy year, with nearly 250 mergers and acquisitions in the first six months alone. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

The Witcher’s success is held back by Netflix’s release strategy in a post-Game of Thrones world

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The Witcher has everything it needs to be Netflix’s next success: popular source material, a massive marketing campaign, a well-received performance by Henry Cavill, and an iconic meme in the form of the hit song “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher.” Yet, while certainly popular, it doesn’t seem like The Witcher is going to become “must see” television like other recent hits, such as The Mandalorian on Disney+ or Watchmen on HBO. At least part of the reason why is how Netflix released it: in a single, all-you-can-eat drop — like almost all of its other shows — instead of a more traditional weekly rollout. Weekly releases have numerous benefits for fans: continued and focused conversation every week around the latest episode, a chance to digest... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21039496/the-witchers-success-netflix-binge-watch-release-strategy-game-of-thrones-mandolorian-weekly

No one is ready for California’s new consumer privacy law

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The California Consumer Privacy Act goes into effect January 1st , and it doesn’t look like anyone, even the state of California itself, is totally ready. Draft regulations for enforcing the law are still being finalized at the state level, and questions about specific aspects of the most sweeping privacy regulation since the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are still not clear. “If you thought the GDPR was bumpy, the CCPA is going to be a real roller coaster,” Reece Hirsch tells The Verge . Hirsch is co-head of Morgan Lewis’ privacy and cybersecurity practice and has been advising clients on how to adapt to the new law. “This is a complex set of new rules, which are still a work in progress.” The crux of the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21039228/california-ccpa-facebook-microsoft-gdpr-privacy-law-consumer-data-regulation

Go read this ‘Cloud Hopper’ hacking investigation by the WSJ

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The global hacking campaign known as “Cloud Hopper” perpetrated by government-sponsored Chinese hackers was much worse than originally reported, according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal you should read in full. The report says that “at least a dozen cloud providers” were affected, but focuses on HP to illustrate the severity of the intrusions and the tactics used to attack and defend. ”The Journal found that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. was so overrun that the cloud company didn’t see the hackers re-enter their clients’ networks, even as the company gave customers the all-clear.” ”Inside the clouds, the hackers, known as APT10 to Western officials and researchers, had access to a vast constellation of clients. The... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044173/cloud-hopper-apt10-china-hackers

The automatic trash can is here

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Townew automatically seals the bag when full and pulls a new bag into place. | GIF: Townew Until there’s a Roomba that takes out the trash, this self-sealing bin from Townew is as close as we’ll get to an automated garbage experience. Townew is fitted with a Refill Ring that contains enough recyclable material to create 25 trash bags. Its touchless design opens the lid with a wave of the hand. When full, a button press on the front seals the bag, opens the top assembly for bag removal, then closes to pull a new bag into place. If the lid won’t close due to overloading, the trash can will automatically lift the top and seal the bag for removal. The trash can is fitted with infrared sensors that detect movement at a range of 35 centimeters (about 14 inches). The bags are pulled from the Refill Ring and cut and sealed using... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/31/21044128/townew-automated-garbage

Another director leaves the Uncharted movie

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The Uncharted movie, based on the massively popular Indiana Jones -like game series, has lost another director, according to Deadline . Its release date has also been pushed back. Deadline says Travis Knight, who most recently directed Transformers spinoff Bumblebee , had to drop from the Uncharted movie because of scheduling difficulties. The movie is set to star Tom Holland as protagonist Nathan Drake. Holland, however, is also committed to playing Spider-Man in the next Marvel iteration of series , which apparently begins shooting this summer. Deadline reports that Sony still plans to release the Uncharted movie, but with a new director and later release date. (It was originally slated for a December 18th, 2020 release.) The Uncharted... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21043622/uncharted-movie-director-travis-knight-tom-holland-mark-wahlberg

Sonos explains why it bricks old devices with ‘Recycle Mode’

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Late last week, Sonos was called out on Twitter by Devin Wilson for its practices around sustainability. The company drew particular attention for a “Recycle Mode” software feature that, once activated, begins a countdown that eventually renders older Sonos devices basically inoperable. Recycle Mode is part of the trade-up program that Sonos announced back in October , which lets customers get a discount on newer Sonos speakers like the One, Beam, or the Port that Nilay just reviewed . It works like this: you check if one of your Sonos gadgets is eligible for the trade-up promo . Then you confirm in the Sonos app that you’d like to “trade” your current device toward a new one. Sonos instantly grants you a 30 percent discount, and then... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21042871/sonos-recycle-mode-trade-up-program-controversy

Go read this Hollywood Reporter story about the arson attack at Kyoto Animation

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Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images In July , a man walked into a Kyoto Animation’s Studio One and set fire to a bucket of gasoline. The resulting explosion killed 36 people, injured dozens more, and destroyed much of the Studio One building. The Hollywood Reporter today published a feature story about the attack and its aftermath that’s really worth reading. It’s not an easy read, but I walked away from it with a feeling of hope. THR’s story is packed with detail, thanks in part to interviews with Kyoto Animation founder Hideki Hatta and an attorney who has been helping Hatta since the attack. For example, the story describes how Hatta spent hours at Studio One after the attack consoling victims, and then had to drive aimlessly to avoid journalists and TV news trucks that... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21043263/kyoto-animation-arson-attack-hollywood-reporter

NIO’s new SUV can’t save the company from its current problems

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NIO’s new EC6 SUV, which is expected to hit the road in late 2020.  | Images: NIO NIO, China’s leading EV startup, announced its third production vehicle this past weekend, a small and sporty all-electric SUV called the EC6. The Tencent-backed automaker also announced it has developed a new battery pack that will enable all three of its production models to travel well over 300 miles on a full charge. But neither of these new products will arrive until late 2020, meaning they offer almost no direct help to NIO when it comes to fixing the troublesome financial situation the startup is currently in. NIO announced Monday that it finished the third quarter of 2019 with just $274 million in cash, and also told its shareholders the company will only survive if it rapidly raises new funding. “The Company’s cash balance is... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21043027/nio-ec6-suv-q3-finances-earnings-cash-fundraising

Pop-up ads: Why everyone hates them and why they’ll never die

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With the right strategy, pop-up ads can actually be effective but you have to figure out how to provide value and minimize frustration. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Netflix’s The Witcher has made The Witcher 3 way more popular

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Photo: Katalin Vermes / Netflix Netflix’s The Witcher is really popular, at least according to the company — it’s in their top ten most popular series releases this year, despite debuting about a week and a half ago. That’s given The Witcher games a huge bump on Twitch and Steam. Kotaku reported yesterday that over on Steam, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — a great game — set a new active player count record, with 94,000 people playing the game, which came out four years ago. That is a 93 percent jump from the month before. pic.twitter.com/VzJ7tgIsGb — Netflix US (@netflix) December 30, 2019 Over on Twitch, the bump was equally large. According to Twitchmetrics , The Witcher 3 had a peak of 31,000 viewers this week alone; back in October, the game was averaging around... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21043014/netflix-the-witcher-3-henry-cavill-game-steam-twitch

Apps don’t provide reliable help for suicide prevention

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Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images A handful of depression management and suicide prevention apps — downloaded millions of times — included incorrect or nonfunctional contact information for suicide crisis help lines, according to a new analysis . While apps can offer people with suicidal thoughts or behaviors an important lifeline, experts are worried that many of the apps available on the Apple App Store or Google Play may not be following best practices, or connecting people with appropriate resources. Depression management and suicide prevention apps can fill an important role: many people feel more comfortable looking for information or seeking help online, and report that it’s easier to ask questions and share problems online rather than speaking with a person face... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21035816/suicide-prevention-apps-reliable-help-crisis-hotline-support

The infinite text adventure AI Dungeon 2 is now easy to play online

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Credit: Nick Walton AI Dungeon 2 may not have appeared on The Verge’s game of the year list , but it’s one of the coolest video game experiments of 2019, and it’s now playable in its easiest form yet. AI Dungeon 2 is an adventure game run by a text generation program, capable of responding to basically any command with a coherent response. Its earlier versions were either clumsy to set up or limited to mobile apps, which aren’t ideal for a typing-based game — but it recently relaunched on the web in a faster and more stable version. As my colleague James Vincent has explained , AI Dungeon 2 was built on OpenAI’s text production system. When you pick a genre (like fantasy, mystery, or zombie fiction), it generates a setting that you can interact with however... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21042942/ai-dungeon-nick-walton-openai-gpt2-text-adventure-game-web-version-launch

Wyze server leak exposes customer data of 2.4 million users

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Image: Wyze An unsecured server exposed the data of Wyze customers over a period of three weeks, the smart security camera manufacturer has admitted. The leak was first discovered by the cybersecurity firm Twelve Security, which published its findings on December 26th , while IPVM , a blog focused on video surveillance products, was able to verify that its own data had been affected by the leak. According to Twelve Security, the data of around 2.4 million Wyze customers was compromised. In a forum post announcing the leak to its users, Wyze co-founder Dongsheng Song wrote that the exposed server was not a production server, but was instead a “flexible database” that was created to allow for customer data to be more quickly queried. The co-founder said... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21042974/wyze-server-breach-cybersecurity-smart-home-security-camera

Netflix blew the release for ‘Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,’ the hit song of the season

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Netflix’s The Witcher adaptation seems to be the streaming service’s latest hit, helped at least in part by the massive viral success of the hit song of the season, “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,” sung by the bard Jaskier (Joey Batey) at the end of the show’s second episode to immortalize the epic deeds of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill). But there’s one huge issue with “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” (other than the fact that it will get stuck in your head seemingly forever): Netflix hasn’t released it (or any of The Witcher ’s soundtrack) for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, or any other major streaming or music purchasing service. The only semi-official release of the song, in fact, comes not from Netflix,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/12/30/21042791/netflix-toss-a-coin-to-your-witcher-song-hit-streaming-spotify-apple-music-why

When your next door neighbor is a glittering spaceport

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A tiny New Mexico town has been waiting for space tourists to fly down the road Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21035125/virgin-galactic-spaceport-america-truth-or-consequences-new-mexico

Pixel 4A could feature a hole-punch display, unofficial render claims

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Image: 91Mobiles / @OnLeaks The Pixel 4A could be Google’s first phone to feature a hole-punch display, new renders published by 91Mobiles claim. The unofficial renders, which are based on information provided by leaker OnLeaks , show what could be an unannounced budget version of the recently released Pixel 4, similar to the Pixel 3A that followed last year’s Pixel 3. The design appears to combine elements of both the Pixel 4 and the 3A. The 3.5mm headphone jack from the 3A returns, as does the bottom-firing speakers and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile, the square camera bump from the Pixel 4 also makes an appearance here. However, while the Pixel 4 included two sensors on its rear, the renders claim that the 4A will have just one. The 4A will... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/12/30/21042589/pixel-4a-hole-punch-display-leak-camera-bezels-release-date

China jails scientists behind first genetically engineered babies

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He Jiankui at the event where he publicly announced the experiment. | Image: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images A Chinese court has sentenced the scientist behind the world’s first gene-edited babies, He Jiankui, to three years in prison, saying that the researcher’s team “crossed the bottom line of ethics.” Alongside his prison sentence, The Guardian reports that He was also fined 3 million yuan (around $430,000). He Jiankui was sentenced alongside two colleagues. Zhang Renli was fined 1 million yuan (around $143,000) and sentenced to two years in prison, while Qin Jinzhou was fined 500,000 yuan (around $71,000) and sentenced to 18-months in prison, with a two-year reprieve. “The three accused did not have the proper certification to practice medicine, and in seeking fame and wealth, deliberately violated national regulations in scientific... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21042530/china-gene-editing-scientist-he-jiankuiprison-fine-sentenced-...

Tesla’s Chinese factory just delivered its first cars

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Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Tesla has delivered the first cars produced by its Chinese Gigafactory, just under a year after the company broke ground on its first factory located outside of the US. Reuters reports that the Model 3 vehicles were delivered to 15 of Tesla’s employees as part of a ceremony. The deliveries were made well within schedule by the company, which had previously said it wanted to begin delivering its Chinese-made cars before the Lunar New Year on January 25th. The locally-produced cars already offer a large price saving over imported models, and a Bloomberg report recently said the company could lower prices further as it cuts costs and uses more locally-sourced components. The deliveries mark an important milestone for Tesla, which hopes to... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21042493/tesla-chinese-model-3-cars-gigafactory-3-shanghai

The 11 best new sci-fi books to check out on your new Kindle

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The holidays are here, and if you’re unwrapping a new Kindle (or a non-Amazon-branded e-reader, or just a device with an e-book app on it), you might be looking for some new books to read. If you need some recommendations, here’s a list of some of the best science fiction books released in 2019, which should be the perfect choices for a long plane ride home or a quiet vacation morning. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones , Android phones , PCs and Macs ; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass ; and our top choices for gaming PCs , the PS4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch and VR . We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney+, Hulu,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/29/21030171/best-sci-fi-books-new-kindle-e-reader-top-2019-list-roundup

The Mandalorian shows why Star Wars should be smaller

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Two months ago, just before The Mandalorian was about to premiere on Disney+, I made a joke to some friends: wouldn’t it be funny if this show was better than Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ? I thought it was unlikely, but possible: ending a trilogy well is hard, and The Mandalorian didn’t have nearly as many expectations riding on it. Eight weeks later and The Rise of Skywalker is out, a very profitable hot mess , and The Mandalorian concludes its first season with a finale that doesn’t try for much, but also rocks. It is, surprisingly, the better Star War. (Very mild spoilers to follow.) Mando and The Child, out and about. What will they find next? Most of the reasons why I like The Mandalorian boil down to restraint: It’s full of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/28/21040309/the-mandalorian-finale-review-star-wars-trilogy-skywalker

2019: A year in photographs on The Verge

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Storm chasers, a rocket launch, and a melting ice cream cake Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/28/21024791/2019-the-verge-photography-best-of-a-year-in-pictures-photos-original

2019: A year in The Verge illustrations

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Sci-fi futures, toxic cultures, and scooter wars Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/28/21024207/2019-the-verge-art-illustrations-captcha-better-worlds-scifi-scooter-wars

The 10 best streaming shows on Netflix

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You’ve got an evening to kill and a Netflix subscription — don’t waste any time browsing. These ten picks aren’t going to even begin to cover all of the great stuff on Netflix, but it’s a good start. Here’s what you should definitely watch. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, Macs and TVs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney+, Hulu and Netflix, some great sci-fi books, and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing, but may change.) Marriage Story ... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/28/21028791/best-netflix-shows-streaming-recommendations-tv-top-favorite

Best 11 streaming shows on Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+

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Disney The Disney-fueled ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu triple pack might be the biggest power play in the streaming wars yet. The late-2019 bundling of these services offers three huge entertainment libraries, a staggering array of choices that’s mostly good at making it impossible to choose. Don’t sweat it. Here are 10 rock-solid picks culled from all three services, with something for any mood. Unless noted otherwise, most of these are available on Hulu, the service with the largest and most varied library. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, Macs and TVs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for the PS4,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/28/21031362/best-disney-plus-shows-hulu-espn-streaming-tv-favorites-top-recommendations

Amazon holiday 2019: Record new Prime memberships as one-day shipping gets baked in

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One-day and same-day delivery — free for Prime members — nearly quadrupled this season, according to the e-commerce giant. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

The Mandalorian shows what Star Wars’ future looks like over the next few years

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Star Wars is synonymous with big; big battles, big ships and, most importantly, big movie theater screens. But the future is changing, and The Mandalorian perfectly demonstrates what it looks like. The next three years will see Star Wars ’ universe expand on Disney+. Disney isn’t planning to release another Star Wars movie until 2022 . Executives have publicly recognized the audience fatigue the current annual release schedule brings. It’s the first time in four years that there won’t be an annual Star Wars movie, but the franchise isn’t really going anywhere. The first toe dipped into the water was Disney+’s The Mandalorian , which just aired its season finale to critical and fan praise. Ultimately The Mandalorian ’s ambitious,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21035823/mandalorian-finale-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-baby-yoda-disney-plus-marvel

AT&T’s 5G coverage expands to six new cities, including New York, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AT&T continues to roll out its low-band 5G network , with the addition of six new cities that add some of the biggest urban areas in the US to AT&T’s growing network: New York City, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Philadelphia. More 5G for AT&T As with the earlier launch in December, the six new cities feature AT&T’s regular 5G network, built on its low-band 850MHz spectrum technology. (Not to be confused with its rebranded LTE network — which AT&T calls 5G E — or its high-band 5G network based on mmWave technology, which AT&T calls 5G+.) In addition to the low-band rollout, AT&T is also launching its mmWave 5G+ network in select areas of Baltimore and Detroit, although the 5G+ network isn’t available to general... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21039503/att-5g-coverage-six-new-cities-new-york-philadelphia-las-vegas-detroit-baltimore-washington-dc

The Mandalorian’s second season premieres fall 2020

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The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda will return for a second season next fall, executive producer Jon Favreau confirmed today. Favreau tweeted the confirmation, adding that it will arrive in the fall, but with no specific release date just yet. The Mandalorian ’s season 1 finale was released today, and was praised by both critics and fans for its satisfying end . The episode concludes with a tease of what to expect from the show’s villain Moff Gideon — including a possible tie-in to Star Wars Rebels — that many fans are hoping will be explored in the second season. Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020 pic.twitter.com/8VQYLDMQ0V — Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) December 27, 2019 Fall 2020 is shaping up to be a busy time for Disney+. The... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21039546/mandalorian-season-2-renew-premiere-date-fall-2020-baby-yoda

The decade in babies

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This decade, babies took on a new life. Everyone wanted to be a baby, and particularly this year, babies dominated the meme cycle. We’re obsessed with babyfication — turning everything into a baby including ourselves and beloved characters. Unlike infantilization, babyfication suggests corporate strategy, foresight about how turning users or characters into babies will spur brand visibility. I can’t pretend to understand why we’re baby-crazy, except for positing that it has something to do with a complete lack of control over the world and our lives. Climate change is going to burn up the Earth; wealth inequality is rampant; and generally, many things are bad. Babies, on the other hand, are good. They’re innocent and pure. They don’t... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21039356/baby-yoda-groot-2010-decade-2020-snapchat-filter-sonic-film-tv

Spotify latest platform to halt political ads

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The company said it will pause political advertising in early 2020. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

From Fleabag to Killing Eve, Phoebe Waller-Bridge dominated TV in 2019

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Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage Phoebe Waller-Bridge is having a great year. Fresh off the second season of her acclaimed show Fleabag , the writer / actor / producer inked a blockbuster deal with Amazon Prime Video in September. She’s emerged at the end of 2019 as one of the biggest names in TV, having worked on the script for the upcoming James Bond film, started on a brand-new HBO show, hosted Saturday Night Live, and won big at the Emmys for Fleabag. Image: Rosalind O’Connor / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images Fleabag , in which Waller-Bridge plays the title character, is based on a play she wrote and performed at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2013. Season 1 premiered in 2016, but the show practically went viral... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21031773/phoebe-waller-bridge-2019-fleabag-killing-eve-james-bond-amazon-prime-video-emmys

Anker unveils first MFi certified iPhone 11 flash, shipping next month for $49.99

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Popular USB charging company Anker has an all-new iPhone accessory that should elevate your mobile photography game in the lighting department. It’s an LED flash that connects to the iPhone 11 via the Lightning connector. Anker’s new gadget confirms a 9to5Mac report from earlier this month regarding upcoming flash accessories soon to be certified in Apple’s Made-for-iPhone (MFi) licensing program. It appears Anker has one of, if not the , first of these flashes on the market. External flashes have existed for the iPhone in the past , but just not as part of the MFi program. That means these devices haven’t been able to integrate with Apple’s native hardware and software, like the iPhone’s built-in flash or its stock Camera app. ... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/27/21038157/anker-iphone-11-pro-led-flash-mfi-available-now-pricing-release-date