Disney said The Book of Boba Fett would premiere this December, and it's making good on its promise — if only just. The media giant has revealed that the Mandalorian spin-off will debut December 29th on Disney+. The art accompanying the release date doesn't show much, but you can assume Boba Fett won't suffer fools lightly. (Caution: mild Mandalorian spoliers ahead.)
The series follows Boba Fett and his mercenary ally Fennec Shand shortly after the end of Mandalorian season two, as the pair return to Tatooine and lay claim to Jabba the Hutt's former territory. Temeura Morrison and Ming-Na Wen will reprise their respective roles. Producers from the earlier show are helming this latest project, including Jon Favreau, Robert Rodriguez and Kathleen Kennedy.
This won't satisfy fans looking for Mandalorian season three, which will only arrive afterBoba Fett. It does give fans another Star Wars fix before the end of 2021, at least, and it ensures you'll have another major Disney+ show to watch once you've finished with Hawkeye.
Facebook’s TikTok clone is no longer just for Instagram. As of today, the social network is officially bringing Reels to the main Facebook app. With the change, users can create Reels directly from Facebook, and the company will recommend the short-form videos in all users’ News Feeds.
Facebook has been testing out various ways of bringing Reels out of Instagram for awhile, and began testing cross-posting features last month. Now, it’s also testing a feature that allows Reels creators on Instagram to promote their videos in Facebook’s News Feed directly, even if they don’t use the app.
Reels has become increasingly important to facebook and its efforts to challenge TikTok. The company has been steadily adding features to the service, and is attempting to lure creators with the promise of payouts for hitting certain milestones. Now, the company is adding a new "invite-only" bonus program to coincide with Reels' launch on Facebook and encourage creators to start posting on the social network.
Facebook
But it’s the potential challenge to TikTok that could be most significant for the company. Documents reported by The Wall Street Journal show that Facebook has been struggling to incentivize teens and younger users to post original content. Internally, the company is reportedly worried about ceding influence to TikTok, where teens spend much more time than on Facebook’s apps.
Promoting Reels in the main Facebook app, which is already not especially popular with teens, may not seem like the most direct way to solve that. But getting more eyes on users’ Reels will help the feature grow even if its top users don’t spend much time on Facebook itself.
CNN has become the first US media organization to restrict Australians' access to its Facebook pages, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move comes weeks after the country's high court ruled that media companies are liable for the comments left by other people on their Facebook posts. A CNN spokesperson told the publication that users in Australia will no longer be able to see its main Facebook page, its CNN International page and the dedicated pages for its shows.
Dylan Voller filed the original case that prompted Australia's courts to decide whether media organizations should be liable for comments left on their Facebook pages. Voller became famous back in 2016 after a TV exposé on the mistreatment of minors in the criminal detention system showed a photo of him hooded and strapped to a chair when he was only 17. Major news outlets used that photo for their articles that were then posted on Facebook, where commenters falsely accused Voller of serious crimes, such as raping an elderly woman.
A CNN source told The Journal that the organization asked Facebook if it would help media companies disable comments entirely. However, the social network reportedly declined to disable all comments on CNN's pages in Australia. Facebook rolled out a tool back in March that allows celebrities, politicians and news outlets to restrict who can comment on their pages, but they'd still have to set a restriction for every post. CNN has decided that doing so for all its properties would be time-consuming and opted to completely block Australia instead.
A CNN spokesperson said:
“We are disappointed that Facebook, once again, has failed to ensure its platform is a place for credible journalism and productive dialogue around current events among its users."
As for Facebook, it told The Journal that it supports the reform of Australia's defamation laws. In addition, it said it provided CNN with features it can use to manage comments and that it continues to "provide Australians a destination for quality journalism, including through Facebook News which we launched in August."
Earlier this year, Australia also passed a law that requires tech giants to pay news outlets for using their content. As a response, Facebook blocked Australian publishers and residents from sharing news content. It quickly rolled back the ban, however, and agreed to pay some news organizations for their content.
Amazon is expanding its wearables portfolio, after introducing the screenless Halo fitness bandlast year. Today, the company announced a new version with a screen called the Halo View and it costs just $80 — cheaper than the original. It also announced new programs called Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition as additions to the existing Halo subscription program.
The new Halo View looks very similar to Fitbit's Charge series, with an AMOLED color screen and haptic feedback. It will display your activity history, live workout tracking, sleep scores, blood oxygen levels and, according to Amazon, "text and move notifications."
The device has an optical heart rate monitor, skin temperature sensor and accelerometer, and is swim-proof. Amazon said it should last up to seven days and a full charge will take "under 90 minutes." While we don't have a complete spec sheet yet, the company's press release currently doesn't mention an onboard microphone. Not only does this mean you might not be able to use a voice assistant or dictate any replies to messages, it also indicates the company's controversial Tone feature might not be supported.
As a refresher, Tone was launched with the original Halo, and, with your permission, used that band's mics to listen to you throughout the day. It would then detect the way you're speaking and tell you if you sound stressed, angry, happy, excited and more. The idea was that your tone of voice was a better indicator of your mental health and how much distress you might be experiencing.
But not only did the idea of Amazon policing the way you speak sound dystopian, in practice it also wasn't very useful. I tested the Halo's Tone feature and it wasn't always accurate, especially since I couldn't recall every single instance it logged, and the system doesn't record snippets of audio to remind you, either (for better or worse).
I've reached out to Amazon to confirm if the Halo View has onboard mics, and will update this post when we hear back. Meanwhile, the View is available in three colors, green and lavender, though you can also swap the bands out for something you prefer.
Like the original, the Halo View will not only cost you some money for the hardware, but you'll also have to spend an additional $4 a month to use many of its features. Body composition, activity intensity and scores, movement health guides, sleep scores and stages are things you won't get without paying the fee.
This story is developing, please refresh for updates.
Follow all of the news from Amazon’s fall hardware event right here!
Netflix is expanding its library of mobile games, but they're still only available in a few countries for now. Subscribers in Spain and Italy can now play the Android titles, following an initial rollout in Poland.
While the first couple of games Netflix added were based on one of its top series, Stranger Things, the latest ones have nothing at all to do with its shows or movies. Instead, Shooting Hoops, Teeter Up and Card Blast are casual titles with broader appeal in mind, as TechCrunchnotes. They're part of an effort by Netflix to keep growing in other areas of entertainment beyond streaming.
Netflix 🤝 videojuegos. Desde hoy los usuarios de España pueden probar algunos juegos desde nuestra app de Android. Estamos muy al principio del desarrollo y se vienen muchos títulos más. pic.twitter.com/myBcXSArmQ
If you're in one of those three countries, you'll see a Games tab in the Netflix Android app. When you tap on a game, you'll be taken to its Google Play Store listing. You can download the game and sign in using your Netflix credentials. The games don't have any ads or in-app purchases. The new titles are now live in all three countries, while folks in Spain and Italy have gained access to Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3.
Netflix has made it clear in recent months that it sees games as a key part of its future. The company said in July it would focus on mobile gaming to start with. Netflix added the Stranger Things games to its app in Poland in August.
The Nintendo Switch OLED is due to hit store shelves on October 8th, and we’ve been able to get some face-to-face time with the new hardware. Our Kris Naudus says the new machine is beautiful in a way previous pieces of Nintendo hardware have never been.
Obviously the biggest feature worth discussing is that gorgeous new 7-inch OLED display, which is brighter, crisper and lovelier than its predecessor. Then there’s the new kickstand that stretches across the back of the device for better balance, reliability and adjustability.
At the same time, Naudus got to play Metroid Dread, a de-facto launch title for the refreshed console. The 2D-side scroller is heavy on horror, and one of the best tactics the main character, Samus Aran, can employ to survive is to just run the hell away from whatever unspeakable monster attacks.
To get on, Samus uses some new tech, including a spider magnet that lets her cling to ceilings. Oh, and she’s now packing a cloaking device so she can sneak past those unquenchable horrors — but she can only use it in short bursts.
Facebook is “pausing” work on Instagram Kids to consult with parents, experts and policymakers. The project, which politicians on both sides of the aisle agree is a terrible idea, has come under sustained criticism since its existence was revealed. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the pause really is a pause, since Facebook knows there is a real problem of tweens lying about their age to access the full-fat version of the app.
This will not, however, placate critics of the company and the effects its platforms have on younger children. The volume of which has intensified after WSJ reported Facebook’s own internal research said Instagram had a toxic effect on kids’ mental health. (Facebook claims the data, while true, has been misrepresented and has pledged to release more of its own internal research to counter.)
Corporate wrangling over cash makes cord-cutting so relaxing.
NBC Universal and YouTube are now publicly fighting about how much cash NBC gets from YouTube TV’s service fees. The pair are recruiting users to aid their causes, with NBC saying YouTube TV users risk losing NBC, USA, Bravo, CNBC and Telemundo (among others) if the Google-owned video service doesn’t pay up. YouTube, meanwhile, has told users it’ll cut the monthly price by $10 a month if those channels do wind up going.
IK Multimedia’s first Uno Synth was a surprise, coming as it did from a company with a pedigree in MIDI controllers rather than synthesizers. It didn’t get it entirely right the first time, but there was enough promise in IK’s premise for it to justify a second go. Managing Editor Terrence O’Brien has spent some time with the improved Uno Synth Pro Desktop, a $400 replacement for the original model. There’s plenty of detail in his full review, but it seems that while IK hasn’t buffed out all of the original’s faults, the sounds are so good, you won’t care.
The CW has started work on a potential reboot of seminal ‘90s TV series Babylon 5 with original creator J. Michael Straczynski back running the show. Originally airing between 1993 and 1999, Babylon 5 helped build the world of Peak TV as it exists today. If you thought Game of Thrones invented long-running plot lines, tireless internet speculation and a lengthy, novelistic series of plot arcs, think again. And Babylon 5 managed to do this on a budget that would have made the makers of General Hospital reconsider if it was worth getting out of bed in the morning.
Of course, you might argue some of B5’s plot lines were a little bit fantastical, even for a sci-fi series. One of the biggest story arcs the series ran was the takeover of the Earth government by a xenophobic and paranoid president who was aided by a shadowy foreign power. Escapism! This may also go some way to redressing the way (parent company) Warner Bros treated B5 both during its original run and in its digital second life, which I’ve covered pretty extensively over the last few years.
2Africa, a subsea cable project funded by Facebook and several telcos, will become the longest subsea cable system ever deployed by the time it's finished. The social network has announced that the consortium of companies behind the initiative has decided to add a new segment to the structure called 2Africa Pearls, which will connect Africa, Europe and Asia.
When Facebook first announced the project, it said 2Africa will lay down 37,000 km (22,990 miles) of cables on the ocean floor. Last month, the company also announced that the consortium is extending the cable's reach to four more branches in Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, Angola and the south-eastern part of Nigeria. This new segment would bring its total length to over 45,000 km or 28,000 miles.
As its name implies, the 2Africa initiative's goal is to provide internet connectivity to people living in Africa, which is currently the least connected continent. This extension adds landing sites in India (Mumbai), Pakistan (Karachi), Oman (Salalah and Barakah), UAE (Kalba and Abu Dhabi), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manamah), Iraq (AlFaw), Kuwait (Kuwait) and in Saudi Arabia (Khobar).
2Africa
In Facebook's announcement, Kevin Salvadori, the company's VP of networking infrastructure, said the full structure would serve more people than the consortium first intended. While the original 2Africa project was only meant to provide connectivity to 1.2 billion people, the addition of Pearls would allow the cable to serve a total of 3 billion people. He wrote:
"The past 18 months have highlighted the importance of connectivity as billions of people around the world rely on the internet to work, attend school, and stay connected to people they care about. We continue to invest in subsea cables in Africa and beyond, as communities and businesses flourish when there is widely accessible internet."
One week after coming to terms with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), Twitch has signed a deal with Warner Music Group. In partnering with the record label, a first for the Amazon-owned platform, the company says Warner Music will launch dedicated channels for some of its artists, including the likes of Bella Poarch and Saweetie. The label will also create a standalone channel that will air original programming from its IMGN production house.
Twitch has made a similar deal with Warner Music Group (WMG) to what they made last week with the NMPA.
Streamers *cannot* play WMG music on stream. Nothing changes as it relates to playing copyright music you don't have the rights to.#TwitchNewspic.twitter.com/A7bLZXLH0O
But if you’re a content creator on Twitch, those are secondary to the other part of the deal. Much like its pact with the NMPA, this isn’t a licensing agreement; creators can’t include music from WMG artists in their streams. As part of the agreement, WMG has agreed to use the new process Twitch recently put in place to allow rights holders to report content. In an email last week to creators, the company said the new system is more forgiving towards individuals who may have inadvertently played music they weren’t authorized to use.
Mere hours after Facebook said it was pausing work on Instagram Kids, a group of Democratic lawmakers has called on the company to instead completely abandon the project. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal and Representatives Kathy Castor and Lori Trahan say Facebook’s decision to halt development is “insufficient.”
Facebook is heeding our calls to stop plowing ahead with plans to launch a version of Instagram for kids. But a "pause" is insufficient. Facebook must completely abandon this project. https://t.co/CA6ikJHxOH
“Facebook has completely forfeited the benefit of the doubt when it comes to protecting young people online and it must completely abandon this project,” the group said in a joint statement on Monday. They’re the same four lawmakers who told Facebook earlier in the year they had “serious concerns” about the project when they first learned about it.
Facebook said it was suspending work on Instagram Kids after The Wall Street Journalpublished a report that claimed the company had ignored its own research on the harm apps like Instagram can do to young people. The company quickly refuted that piece, saying its studies showed young people could have both positive and negative experiences interacting with social media. The company will have to answer questions on its research later this week when the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee holds a hearing on the matter on Thursday.
Back in June, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) hit Roblox with a $200 million lawsuit for allowing players to illegally use music on stream. Now, some three months later, the two have resolved their differences. On Monday, Roblox and the NMPA announced a settlement agreement that includes an opt-in option for NMPA members to negotiate their own licensing deals with the gaming platform. The financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed by the two organizations.
The deal follows a similar one the NMPA announced with Twitch last week. That agreement doesn’t give creators access to songs they can use on stream. Instead, it creates a new reporting mechanism for copyright infringement that starts with a warning instead of a penalty. In an email, Twitch told users the new process is more forgiving to individuals who may have inadvertently played music they weren’t authorized to use.
