Don't expect to stream Disney's next movies at home the moment they're available. The Vergereports Disney has revealed that all its remaining 2021 movies will debut in theaters first, including the animated robot comedy Ron's Gone Wrong (October 22nd), the Marvel blockbuster Eternals (November 5th) and a new adaptation of West Side Story (December 10th).

Outside of the animated musical Encanto (November 24th), which has a 30-day window, all of the movies will have a "minimum" 45-day theatrical run before they're available elsewhere. Disney didn't say when you might expect on-demand versions of these titles, whether on Disney+ or rival services.

This is partly a reaction to the relatively strong theater-only releases of summer extravaganzas like Free Guy and Shang-Chi. While COVID-19 still hurt box office numbers (Shang-Chi's $75.5 million US opening paled in comparison to multiple Disney 2019 releases), the revenue may have been enough to justify returning to pre-pandemic distribution.

There's also the matter of placating key factions. Disney said it has a way to pay talent fairly for hybrid theater-and-digital relases, but it wouldn't be surprising if Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit plays a role in considering Disney+ launches. The company might not want to risk further trouble with actors and others whose income depends on theatrical performance. And then there's the theaters themselves. When chains like AMC vowed to pull Universal movies even when many locations were closed, Disney might not be willing to provoke a similar confrontation as theaters resume business.

This and Warner Bros.' 2022 return to theaters supports the expectations of many cynics — that studios only saw day-one streaming access as a temporary necessity that would disappear the moment it was reasonably safe to watch on big screens. That's not completely shocking when the movie industry's business model still revolves around theaters, but any fundamental shifts in strategy might not happen for a long, long time.

Streaming app FuboTV is now available on Vizio SmartCast smart TVs. The service offers tens of thousands of sports events each year, as well as news and entertainment options, through more than 100 channels and on demand.

Subscribers can set up profiles, through which up to six users can have their own cloud DVR recordings and personalized recommendations. There are options to easily record an entire series or every game for a specific team.

FuboTV is available on other devices and smart TVs, including models from Hisense, LG, Roku and Samsung. Although Vizio has reportedly lost some market share over the last couple of years, it's still one of the top TV brands in the US. It's a solid opportunity for FuboTV to get its app in front of more potential users and give existing subscribers another way to access the service.

Vizio has also been expanding the number of apps on SmartCast. Last week, HBO Max arrived on the platform.

Netflix promised a big movie every week in 2021, and it's clearly determined to end the year with its most ostentatious movie yet. The streaming service has posted a teaser trailer for Don't Look Up, a satire where "star-studded cast" is an understatement. The movie stars Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as a grad student and professor who try desperately to warn the public of a life-ending comet in an era where 24-hour news and social media lead to gnat-like attention spans. Those two are just the start of the headliners, though — seemingly everyone involved is a big name.

Meryl Streep is the President and counts Jonah Hill as her son, while Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry host a relentlessly optimistic morning show. The flick also features Ron Perlman, Mark Rylance, Dune's Timothée Chalamet and even two pop stars (Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi), among others. The Big Short's Adam McKay directed and wrote the title.

Don't Look Up reaches Netflix on December 24th, but it's arriving in "select" theaters on December 10th. The company is clearly hoping for more Oscars glory given that timing. Not that Netflix will need critical praise. The film-a-week strategy has revolved around enticing viewers with star power, even in "dead" months like January — any statuettes from late-2021 releases are just a bonus.

I thought BMW’s bizarre crystal sculpture car dash was going to be the weirdest vehicle of the week, but Hyundai thought otherwise. Not only does it involve next-gen fuel cell technology — a car fuel system that’s struggled in the face of EVs — but it also introduces Trailer Drone to the world. This cab-less "hydrogen-powered container transportation system” can apparently function entirely autonomously, according to Hyundai.

Hyundai

On arrival, the trailer could automatically unload itself by lifting on to legs, yes like a real-life Transformer, while the e-Bogie driving frame below dashes off to its next task. And yet, I think betting on hydrogen fuel cell tech still seems the most outlandish part, at least right now.

— Mat Smith

It’s time for the next iPhone event

September 14th.

Apple has announced a "California Streaming" event on September 14th at 1 PM ET. The invitation doesn't offer many clues, but there are already plenty of rumors about what you can expect for the new iPhone, updated Apple Watch. Those have so far included a smaller notch, an always-on display and improved cameras across the line. We might also get new ultra-wide sensors and more camera stabilization. It would include the seemingly obligatory chip upgrade and a slightly larger battery. That last one would be music to my ears.

Continue reading.

Four new iPhones are on their way, according to FCC filing

Interesting.

An FCC filing for a revised MagSafe charger, spotted by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, suggests four "New Phone" items will work with it, alongside last year’s iPhone 12 family.

Unfortunately, this FCC filing doesn't identify the four "New Phone" items it used for testing, but it's very much possible they're the current generation's direct successors, meaning the iPhone mini — my favorite — gets another shot at glory.

Continue reading.

Impossible's plant-based nuggets are now available in select restaurants

It'll be in a few restaurants this week and in grocery stores later this month.

Impossible Foods’ plant-based “chicken” nuggets are now available to buy and gorge on. Mostly made of soy protein and sunflower oil, the Impossible Chicken Nuggets will initially be available in select restaurants across the country, and then sold in grocery stores in the frozen aisle later this month.

Notable restaurants that will be serving them include David Chang’s Fuku in New York City, Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster in Harlem and Miami, Sean Brock’s Joyland in Nashville, Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles.

Read our taste test here.

'The Matrix Resurrections' teasers keep changing with different clips from the film

It’s like a trailer, but on shuffle.

Warner Bros.

Ahead of September 9th, when the first full trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is set to appear, Warner Bros. has launched a teaser for the upcoming film. The website, whatisthematrix.com, offers a first look at Neo's latest adventure.

In a call back to the first film, you'll see a red and blue pill on the screen when you first visit the website. Each offers a different narration of several cuts from the movie. But, refresh the site and you get a different barrage of clips and cuts. Time to start sleuthing.

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Don’t you want a rideable robot unicorn?

Just like a unicorn, it doesn't exist. Yet.

Xpeng

Chinese EV maker Xpeng has teased a robot unicorn for children to ride. As SCMP notes, the quadruped will take advantage of Xpeng's experience with autonomous driving and other AI tasks to navigate multiple terrain types, recognize objects and provide "emotional interaction."

The company is shy on most other details, but the design looks and trots like a cuter, more kid-friendly version of Boston Robotics' Spot. It's about as tall as a child, which I read as meaning I won’t be able to ride it.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

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Polestar made a working version of its electric cargo sled

Technics made a black version of its SL-1200 turntable you can actually buy

How to make the most of that Instant Pot you just bought

The fight to study what happens on Facebook

After launching it in Go stores and then bringing it to larger Fresh supermarkets, Amazon's cashierless "Just Walk Out" tech will soon arrive in two Whole Foods locations. The service, which lets you pick up goods from shelves and (yep) just walk out, is coming to new stores in Washington DC and Sherman Oaks, California next year, the company announced. 

"By collaborating with Amazon to introduce Just Walk Out shopping at these two Whole Foods Market stores, our customers will be able to... save time by skipping the checkout line," said Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey. 

As we've detailed previously, Just Walk Out uses computer vision, sensors and AI to let you walk into a store, sign in with an app, fill up your bags and leave without the need to join a checkout line. On top of using the tech in its own Go and Fresh stores, Amazon signed a deal last year to license its technology to third-party retailers. 

The technology will work the same at Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon. Shoppers can opt to use the tech when they enter the store by scanning an app, inserting a debit card linked to their Amazon account, or by placing their palm over the Amazon One palm-scanning system. 

Unions have proclaimed that Amazon's cashierless tech will cost workers jobs, but Amazon said the new Whole Foods locations will "employ a comparable number of team members as existing Whole Foods stores of similar sizes." Rather, employees will be able to "spend even more time interacting with customers and delivering a great shopping experience," Amazon said in a press release. 

HBO Max is heading to Europe. Back in June, the streaming service finally became available outside the US when it expanded to 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean. Now, the WarnerMedia-owned platform is making its debut in Europe on October 26th, starting with six countries in particular: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra. 

As part of the service's phased rollout, 14 other European regions will get access to it next year, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. WarnerMedia is also planning more territory launches for 2022, though it didn't say whether it's making the streaming service available in more continents. 

Johannes Larcher, Head of HBO Max International, said in a statement:

"This is a historic moment as HBO Max lands in Europe. WarnerMedia movies and series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory are passionately consumed by fans all across Europe, and HBO Max has been created to provide them with the most intuitive and convenient viewing experience to watch these and a diverse range of other amazing titles."

HBO Max typically offers two types of plans: Standard and Mobile. In the US, there's also an ad-supported tier that costs $10 a month instead of $15. As always, its subscription prices in Europe will vary per region, though it will likely be around that much, as well. WarnerMedia will reveal more details, including the service's prices and content offering in Europe, at a virtual launch event in October.

After making its debut in Japan last year, the Pokémon franchise’s 23rd animated movie is making its way to Netflix. Outside of Japan, China and Korea, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle will debut globally on the streaming platform on October 8th. The premiere will mark the film’s international debut.

The film is essentially Pokémon’s take on the tale of Tarzan. When Ash and Pikachu go to explore the forest of Okoya, they discover a boy named Koko. Thanks to an upbringing at the hands of a Pokémon named Dada Zarude, Koko believes he too is a Pokémon. Ash and Pikachu’s arrival in his forest home leads him to question everything he thought was true about his existence.

Ahead of the movie’s release, you can add Dada Zarude and a shiny Celebi to your Pokémon Sword and Shield roster by signing up for the Trainer’s Club newsletter by September 25th. The Pokémon Company, Niantic and Netflix also plan a special Pokémon Go event tied to the film’s release. They promised to share more information on that front soon. 

Virgin Galactic is having a particularly bad day. Reutersreports the Federal Aviation Administration has barred Virgin from flying SpaceShipTwo while the agency investigates an anomaly in the descent of Richard Branson's spaceflight. The regulator wants to be sure the "mishap" leading to the aircraft's deviation from its cleared route won't hurt public safety. Officials didn't estimate when Virgin might resume flights.

We've asked Virgin for comment. The space tourism firm previously acknowledged that the flight went off-course, dipping below the intended airspace for one minute and 41 seconds. However, it also maintained that it didn't fly outside the "lateral confines" of the allowed airspace.

This comes at an unfortunate time for Virgin. The company just announced its first flight carrying commercial research, with a launch due in late September or early October — that schedule might be in doubt if the FAA probe lasts long enough or prompts significant changes to the plan. It could also add another delay to Virgin's first space tourist flights, now slated for early 2022. That's concerning for a company that's bleeding cash and might not turn a profit until it's carrying passengers.

Facebook Gaming is letting more creators play licensed music in the background while streaming gameplay. Streamers who have partner status have been able to spin tracks from a broad range of publishers and labels since last September, and now Level Up creators can do so too.

Level Up is a step below partner status. Creators in the former group can monetize their streams with Facebook's Stars currency, ads and paid subscriptions. They also get access to tools to build their audience and features like being able to stream in 1080p at 60 frames per second. Partners get extra perks, such as a partner badge, early access to new products and more personalized support from Facebook.

Streamers in both categories can play songs from hundreds of music labels, publishers and societies, including big hitters like Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. As well as live broadcasts, the deals cover archived streams and clips viewers make from streams.

Creators aren't limited to predetermined playlists, so they can play almost any song they like. Facebook notes that streamers don't have the right to use certain songs, though, and it'll flag those to creators with a notification. The streamer can remove that restricted song from their playlist to avoid running into trouble.

Elsewhere, Facebook says its systems are better at detecting the difference between having music in the background while you're playing games and having music as the focus of the stream, like hosting a radio show, which isn't allowed.

To mark the expansion, Facebook is hosting several streams in which celebrity DJs will select the background tracks while creators play games. DJ Khaled and Diplo are among those taking part in the special streams, which take place throughout this month.

Watching HBO Max shows and movies on a TV is getting a little easier for Vizio owners. SmartCast TVs now have a native HBO Max app, so you won't need to cast content from another device. Along with accessing HBO Max the old-fashioned way by pressing buttons on your remote, you can use voice navigation via the SmartCast Mobile app or Voice Remote with Vizio Voice.

To mark the app's debut, Vizio is using its SmartCast home screen to showcase some of the free episodes HBO Max offers to entice viewers to sign up. You can get a taste of shows including HBO heavyweights like Game of Thrones and Euphoria, as well as a few Max Originals. The titles will be on rotation, so there'll be other shows to sample later.

HBO Max has been steadily expanding its app to more platforms. Along with YouTube, it landed on Spectrum TV this week. They joined Netflix as Spectrum Guide's first streaming apps. The reception to HBO Max's smart TV apps hasn't been great though. WarnerMedia reportedly plans to overhaul them in the coming months.