Ms. Marvel, one of several Marvel Cinematic Universe shows coming to Disney+ this year, will premiere on June 8th. Disney also revealed a trailer for the series. It centers around Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Pakistani-American whose idol is Captain Marvel.
It's not too much of a spoiler to say that Kamala gains cosmic powers of her own, such as super strength and a shapeshifting ability, seemingly through mystical bracers. On top of becoming a superhero, Kamala has to contend with more ordinary aspects of life as a teenager, including high school, crushes, career counseling and parents.
Ms. Marvel (who'll be familiar to those who've read the comics or played Marvel's Avengers) is the MCU's first Muslim superhero. She'll also appear in The Marvels, which is scheduled to hit theaters on February 17th, 2023.
After several months of testing, Amazon is opening up access to Amp, its social audio app. Amp shares some DNA with the likes of Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and Spotify Greenroom, but there's one thing that sets it apart: the option for hosts to become DJs with tens of millions of licensed songs at their fingertips.
"This limited-access beta will allow us to partner with passionate early adopters in a diverse community of creators, so we can improve the experience and better serve everyone when the app officially launches," Amp vice-president John Ciancutti said.
Amp is only available in the US on iOS for the time being, but an Android app is in the works. Users can download Amp from the App Store and sign up for a waitlist. Access codes will also be shared on Amp's social accounts.
You'll need an Amazon account but Amp is free to use. Hosts can bring in callers and will have control over who can speak and when. They'll be able to schedule shows too.
Amazon has deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and independent labels and publishers to use their music. Hosts can play songs at any time during broadcasts, but there are some limits.
Amazon
They can play up two songs from the same album or three songs from the same artist in any three-hour window. You can't repeat songs in that timeframe either. You'll also need at least one listener before you can start playing songs, so don't expect to use it as a free ad-hoc music streaming app. Shows can't primarily be focused on taking song requests and you can't play any songs from outside the Amp library unless you have the right to do so.
Listeners will be able to follow creators and get notifications when they go live. More features are on the way, including Alexa integration and more search and discovery tools. You'll be able to listen to shows from high-profile hosts including Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, Travis Barker and Big Boi.
Shows aren't archived, so you'll only be able to listen live for now. Hosts won't be able to generate any revenue from the platform directly as things stand, but Amazon plans to add monetization options later.
Amp's community guidelines prohibit users from promoting self-harm, calling for violence, supporting terrorism and engaging in hate speech. They are prohibited from, among other things, denying mass tragedies (including the Holocaust and 9/11), having slurs in their usernames and profiles, victim blaming and glorifying hate crimes.
Amazon
Harmful misleading information and disinformation are banned too. "We believe that science and facts matter. That truth is a matter of safety," Amp's website reads. Mature content is allowed to an extent, but it needs to be labeled. Amazon has a moderation team that will look into reports, and, if necessary, suspend or ban users.
Creating a successful social app from scratch is no easy feat, even for companies of this size (remember Google+?). Amazon has another pretty successful platform where creators can engage with their communities in Twitch. However, it didn’t create Twitch — it bought the company in 2014. (As an aside, it'd be nice to see Twitch creators getting access to the same library of licensed music for their streams.)
It remains to be seen whether Amp will take off, particularly given that people aren't staying at home as much as they were when pandemic stay-at-home measures were broadly in place. However, Amp's mashup of Clubhouse and Turntable.FM with licensed music could be enough to convince people to try it.
Disney has announced an ad-supported tier is coming to Disney+ later this year. It will be available to folks in the US at first and there are plans to expand it to other countries starting in 2023.
The company hasn't revealed pricing for the new tier, though it'll cost less than the current ad-free plan. That costs $8 per month in the US. Nor did Disney say in its press release exactly when the ad-supported version of the service will be available.
Disney believes the move will help it reach its target of having between 230 million and 260 million Disney+ subscribers by the end of its 2024 fiscal year. As of the end of 2021, the streaming service had 129.8 million subscribers, a third of whom are in the US and Canada.
Netflix has announced that it'll serve as home to a definitive documentary on Pamela Anderson's life, a month after the limited series Pam & Tommy debuted on Hulu. According to Entertainment Weekly, Anderson vowed never to watch the Hulu series, which focuses on the actress' short marriage with Tommy Lee and the theft and illegal distribution of their sex tape, or even its trailer. While the Hulu series was created without the involvement or even the permission of the actress, Anderson herself promoted the Netflix documentary on Instagram.
"Not a victim, but a survivor and alive to tell the real story," she said in a handwritten note she posted on the app. The documentary film will feature interviews with Anderson, along with previously unreleased archival footage and journals. Netflix promises that the pop culture icon will "set the record straight" and that the movie, directed by Ryan White (The Keepers), will paint an "intimate portrait" of her. In comparison, the Hulu series was based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article and fictionalized some parts of the actual events.
Anderson's camp also reportedly took issue with the fact that the Hulu series used clips from the actual sex tape, which became one of the first ever viral sex videos. According to The Washington Post, that tape demonstrated how powerful the internet is, even during its early days, as a platform for the sex industry and content distribution as a whole.
While Anderson's sex tape debacle went down in the '90s, the rivalry between streaming giants prompt them to find new ways to get into current discussions and events. Netflix and Hulu each released their own Fyre Festival documentaries in the past, for instance, as well as their own takes on Britney Spears' life and career.
Pamela Anderson is ready to tell her story in a new documentary.
The film, which has been in the making for several years, will feature the pop culture icon setting the record straight as she looks back on her professional path and her personal journey. pic.twitter.com/vSNvsQPE48
You didn't think Disney+ would only offer Marvel's Netflix shows in Canada, did you? Sure enough, Disney+ has confirmed it will carry Daredevil, Jessica Jones and other former Netflix exclusives in the US starting March 16th. Agents of SHIELD will be available, too. As you might imagine, though, Disney isn't about to release that decidedly darker content without a heads-up to parents used to more family-friendly material — it's going to make everyone reconsider their content settings.
The first time you use Disney+ from March 16th onward, you'll be asked to update your parental controls. You'll have the option of setting per-profile content rating levels, PIN codes for more mature accounts and "Kid-Proof Exit" questions for child profiles. You'll remain at the usual TV-14 rating if you stick with the existing settings. The service has used strategies like this in places like Africa, Europe and the Middle East, but is now expanding that approach to the US.
Disney wasn't shy about the reasons for bringing the Netflix shows to Disney+ instead of Hulu, where mature shows are more expected. It "made the most logical sense" to serve Marvel fans by streaming more content in one place and reach a "broader audience," the company said. The parental controls will help Disney+ preserve both its trust and its reputation.
The Marvel productions were slated to leave Netflix as of today (March 1st). Disney telegraphed its attention for years, warning as early as 2017 that it would drop Netflix in favor of its own services. Netflix cancelled all of its Marvel shows by 2019, and Disney has given former Netflix characters limited roles in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The US additions reflect the careful balance Disney+ has tried to strike since launch. While it's eager to maintain the stereotypically clean Disney image, it's also determined to attract subscribers drawn to content that doesn't quite fit that mold, whether it's Star's wider selection in some countries or exceptions like Hamilton. This latest expansion appears to continue the strategy — Disney+ isn't about to sacrifice viewers to avoid an inconsistency between the Netflix productions and its 'safer' Marvel fare.
Uber is rolling out a feature designed to help people discover new things in the areas around them. Through the Explore tab in the Uber app, you can make dinner reservations, check out concert listings and learn about cultural highlights. You'll be able to see Yelp reviews, photos and directions for a variety of experiences.
Uber
For the first time, users can book experiences and buy tickets through the app with their Uber wallet and payment profile. With one-click rides, you can instantly book a trip to the restaurant or concert venue.
Based on your Uber and Uber Eats history, you'll see recommendations for things like food and drink, art and culture, music and nightlife. There will be offers available, including discounted rides to certain restaurants. Uber says the deals will change depending on what's popular in a given area.
Uber isn't charging restaurants a booking fee for reservations made through Explore. However, it may add a service or booking fee for some experiences. The company will reveal more about ticketing partners at a later date. It's not yet clear what kinds of benefits Uber One members will receive through the Explore tab, though Uber promised to share more details in the coming months.
The feature goes live today in 15 areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis - St. Paul, New Orleans, New Jersey, Upstate New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle and Mexico City. Uber plans to bring Explore to more locations and to add other types of events and experiences.
Uber
Uber Explore could be useful for spontaneous trips to a new city if you don't have much time to plan beforehand. It could also come in handy for downtime on business trips or to just learn about new things in a place where you've lived for a while.
Offering recommendations about local experiences, events and places to check out is hardly new. Foursquare, Airbnb, Google Maps and Eventbrite (to name a few) have been offering people recommendations for things to do for years. Still, by baking Explore into its ridehailing app, Uber not only wants to help you find cool spots and events, but to help you get there and back home.
If you’re looking for a massive open-world game to play this weekend that isn’t Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Dying Light 2 or Cyberpunk 2077, it might be worth checking out Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The latest entry in Ubisoft’s long-running series is free to play right now on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Stadia Pro and Amazon Luna. You’ll get access to the full game until February 28th.
Players can take on the guise of a Viking raider named Eivor as they explore ninth-century versions of Norway and England. You can lead raids against fortresses and enemy territories, grow your own settlement and build out a version of Eivor that suits your preferred playstyle.
The free weekend arrives ahead of a paid DLC called "Dawn of Ragnarok," which Ubisoft has described as the "most ambitious expansion" in the history of the franchise. That'll arrive on March 10th.
The trial doesn’t include AC Valhalla’s expansions, but given that the main story alone can take around 60 hours or so to beat, it's unlikely you'll get that far by Monday anyway. If you want to keep Eivor's adventure going after February 28th, it's worth noting AC Valhalla is currently on sale on all platforms.
Reddit’s app now has another feed to endlessly scroll. The company introduced a new “Discover” section that will surface a personalized stream of photos, GIFs and videos.
The feed, the first time a new section has been added to the Reddit app in more than two years, is meant to help drive Redditors to corners of the site they might not encounter on the front page or in r/popular, according to Jason Costa, the director of product for content and communities a Reddit.
“Discover is more meant to solve the breadth problem and really help people traverse the wide corpus of Reddit,” Costa tells Engadget. He notes that early testing of the feature shows that one out of five users have joined “at least one subreddit as a result of Discover.”
Reddit
Discover also gives Reddit the chance to showcase the vast catalog of memes and GIFs and videos that are shared every day, but aren’t always front and center in the app. While much of Reddit remains a “text-based experience,” the new Discover feed could help draw in people who would rather aimlessly scroll rather than read.
The feed itself is meant to be personalized to each user much the way Instagram’s Explore section would be. New users or people who aren’t logged in will see popular content that may be trending on the service or getting a lot of engagement. While existing users will see recommendations based on subreddits they follow and the types of content they spend the most time viewing.
For now, the Discover fee is limited just to Instagram’s mobile apps, but Costa says that if Redditors like the feature it could influence more aspects of the service. “ I could absolutely see it impacting other surface areas and maybe impacting the design language of Reddit,” he said.
Sure enough, Marvel's outgoing Netflix shows are coming to Disney+... but only for some viewers. Engadget has confirmed a MobileSyrupreport that Daredevil, Jessica Jones and other productions will be available on Disney+ starting March 16th, but only in Canada. If you're fortunate enough to live in the country, you'll only have to wait a couple of weeks to keep watching after the superhero shows leave Netflix on March 1st.
It's not clear when these shows will be available in other countries, but Engadget understands it's just a matter of time before you can watch elsewhere.
You could see this transition coming for a while. Disney said in 2017 that it would ditch Netflix in favor of an in-house service, and Netflix had cancelled all its Marvel originals by 2019. Beyond this, Disney has been dropping not-so-subtle clues about its control of the former Netflix characters, with appearances from a couple of them in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
If there's a looming question, it's whether or not the shows will make their way to Disney+ in other countries or to Disney-owned services like Hulu, where their not-so-family-friendly content might be a better fit. With that said, Disney risks a further split in its Marvel catalog (MODOK is on Hulu, for instance) if it hosts the Netflix shows anywhere besides its main service — it may have to accept that mature and PG fare will sit side by side.
Grocery apps in New York City might have to tone down promises of ultra-fast deliveries. The New York Postreports city Councilman Christopher Marte plans to introduce a bill that will ban these apps from advertising 15-minute delivery times. The estimates encourage couriers to violate traffic laws and put people at risk, Marte said.
The bill should be ready within the next few weeks. It would be part of a larger legislation bundle tackling grocery apps. Marte said he was pressing for bills that would provide more benefits and protections to delivery workers, but hasn't shared more details.
The potential law comes as competition for fast deliveries heats up in New York. Services like Gorillas, Fridge No More and Jokr already boast of 15-minute delivery times, and DoorDash is piloting a similarly quick service in Manhattan. In many cases, the services manage speedy deliveries by shopping within a small radius and using full-time employees instead of gig workers.
However, they also follow a small but growing string of e-bike accidents in NYC. At least 20 people died in collisions linked to e-bikes in 2020. The bill won't guarantee the safety of delivery workers, but it might reduce the chances that they'll gamble with their health to arrive on time.
