Engadget
Apple just released iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1, both of which include its centerpiece TV app. As such, “So long as a given service supports the feature, you no longer have to jump into and out of apps to catch up on your viewing,” Engadget reports. “You can resume your favorite show or check out recommendations from a single place.” Of note, “Netflix isn't included in TV at the moment, alas, but this and the recently launched single sign-on should save you a lot of hassle.”
Politico
Despite its popularly, NBC News reportedly plans to shut down its Breaking News app. “Breaking News gave NBC News a well-loved entreé into smartphones around the world, and the decision to shut it down will mean ceding some of this territory to competitors,” Poynter reports. “The entire staff at Breaking News — more than 20 editors, developers and administrative staffers -- will stay on payroll at NBC News until Jan. 20.”
Billboard
About 18 months after its launch, Apple Music has officially surpassed 20 million paid subscribers. Apple “last reported 17 million subscribers in September, marking a 15 percent jump in three months,” Billboard noes. “In addition, the company announces that 60 percent of customers using Apple Music have not bought content from the iTunes Music Store in the last 12 months -- a portion of which are dormant users but ‘the vast majority are new customers.’”
The Verge
T-Mobile just launched Digits -- a service that lets customers use one phone number across all their connected devices. In other words, “T-Mobile just revealed its answer to AT&T’s NumberSync technology,” The Verge reports. “When it leaves beta, Digits will cost an extra monthly fee, but T-Mobile isn’t revealing pricing today.”
TechCrunch
About a year after Netflix began allowing iOS users to subscribe to its service via in-app purchases, the company now has the top grossing app in the U.S. App Store. As app intelligence firm Sensor Tower reports: “Netflix has seen its app’s revenue increasing steadily, even as it faces challenges in growing its user base in the U.S.”
Reuters
Facebook is developing AI that can automatically flag offensive material in live video streams, Reuters reports. “The social media company has been embroiled in a number of content moderation controversies this year, from facing international outcry after removing an iconic Vietnam War photo due to nudity, to allowing the spread of fake news on its site,” it notes that “Facebook has historically relied mostly on users to report offensive posts.”
The Verge
Don’t expect any new smartwatches from Lenovo Moto in the near future. “The company had earlier said it would not be releasing a new smartwatch in 2016, but it is now saying that it doesn’t plan to put out a new device timed to the arrival of Google’s newest wearable platform, either,” The Verge reports.
Re/code
AngelList just bought Product Hunt -- a startup that lets people share and discover new products posted by others. “The acquisition price was around $20 million,” Re/code writes, citing sources. “That’s roughly the same valuation Product Hunt had when it took $6 million from Andreessen Horowitz and others back in late 2014.”
Bloomberg
In an effort to finally rival Google’s Maps service, Apple reportedly plans to use drones and new indoor navigation features. Apple “is assembling a team of robotics and data-collection experts that will use drones to capture and update map information faster than its existing fleet of camera-and-sensor ladened minivans,” Bloomberg reports, citing sources. “Apple wants to fly drones around to do things like examine street signs, track changes to roads and monitor if areas are under construction.”
To read more articles use the ARCHIVE function on this page.