Since its launch last year, Google has been rolling out its new TV interface to more devices and services. Last week, Android TV exported some of Google TV's best features including a watchlist, recommended tuning and detail pages. Now, it's the turn of the Google TV app on Android, formerly Play Movies & TV, an all-round entertainment hub for streaming, buying and renting movies and TV shows. Courtesy of a new update, the app is getting a fresh design and a raft of new reality, global and live TV programming.
As if the branding wasn't convoluted enough, to make things more complicated the service is only available in the US. For everyone else, there's the Play Movies & TV app, which is limited to digital downloads.
With that out of the way, let's take a closer look at the new stuff. In terms of new content, Google is adding programming from Discovery+ and Rakuten's Asian drama streamer Viki, along with kids' shows from Cartoon Network, PBS kids, and Boomerang and live TV from YouTube TV, Philo and fuboTV.
A new design, meanwhile, should make deciding what to watch that tad bit easier. Google is emphasising movie and TV shows with 16:9 widescreen posters, below which you can find Rotten Tomatoes scores. The company has also improved its discovery algorithm that matches movie and shows to your tastes. You can put it to the test by scouring the new rows of personalized recommendations, including new sub-genres like sci-fi thrillers and summer blockbusters.
Pinterest influencers might soon be able to make a living directly from the platform. The company has revealed its first set of monetization tools for creators.
Retailers have added hundreds of millions of Product Pins on the platform, according to Pinterest. Users who click or tap on the pins can buy those products. Pinterest is now rolling out an option for users to tag Idea Pins (its version of other platforms' Stories) with Product Pins.
The company says users are 89 percent more likely to be interested in buying an item that's tagged in Idea Pins than ones they see in Product Pins. That's perhaps because users can see how their favorite creators are using products and maybe take some inspiration from that. Creators can use affiliate links to receive a cut of sales generated though their Idea Pins.
Pinterest is adding another feature to Idea Pins — a "paid partnerships" label for creators who share branded content. Influencers who create content on behalf of a company can tag the brand in Idea Pins. Once the brand gives the tag the green light, the label will appear. The aim is to improve transparency and make it easier for creators to disclose paid partnerships.
“Pinterest is the place where creators with inspiring and actionable ideas get discovered," Aya Kanai, Pinterest head of content and creator partnerships, said in a statement. "With this latest update, we’re empowering Creators to reach millions of shoppers on the platform and monetize their work. Creators deserve to be rewarded for the inspiration they deliver to their followers, and the sales they drive for brands."
Product tagging on Idea Pins will initially be available on business accounts in the US and UK. The feature will hit other markets in the coming months. As for paid partnerships, select Pinterest users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru now have access.
Other visually focused platforms are focusing on ways to help influencers earn a living (and, crucially, to dissuade them from moving elsewhere). In April, it emerged Instagram is working on Creator Shops as well as a “branded content marketplace” amid Facebook's $1 billion push to court influencers. Instagram has also offered a paid partnership label since 2017.
Gamers of a certain age (cough) now have a way to relive the countless hours spent playing The Simpsons at your local arcade. Arcade1Up has introduced a retro cabinet that faithfully recreates The Simpsons Arcade Game (plus The Simpsons Bowling) as you played it 30 years ago, just without the gigantic pile of quarters needed to emerge victorious. In some ways, it's better — a remote play option lets other cabinet owners jump into the beat 'em up without leaving home.
Arcade1Up promises authentic artwork and relatively easy assembly.
Pre-orders start on August 16th. Arcade1Up hasn't mentioned a price, although the period-appropriate Turtles in Time cabinet costs $650 if you need a reference point. You're paying a lot to satisfy your nostalgic urges. Still, this might be worthwhile if you're looking for a conversation piece in your den or game room that ventures beyond the usual air hockey and pool tables.
When Discord announced its Stage Discovery feature in May, it said at the same time it was working on adding threaded conversations. A few months later, that feature is now available across the platform’s desktop, web and mobile apps.
Discord
You can convert a message into a thread by tapping on the “#” button that appears when you hover your mouse over something someone said. Alternatively, you can start one from scratch by tapping the “+” icon in the chat bar and then selecting the “Create Thread” option. Either way, you can see all the threads you’re currently taking part in on the sidebar. When you open a thread from a chat channel log, it will appear in another side panel to the right of the interface so you can follow both conversations at the same time. By default, threads will automatically archive after 24 hours. The idea behind the time limit is to keep channels clutter-free, according to Discord.
If you’re on a server people with Nitro subscriptions have boosted to level two, you’ll also have the option to take part in private threads. These won’t appear in a server’s channel listing, and the only way to take part in one is if someone invites you to the conversation. Boosted channels can also make it so that threads archive up to one week after they’re started, instead of 24 hours after the fact. With the introduction of threads, Discord is also adding new permissions. Channel owners can decide who can take part in both public and private threads and manage them as needed.
Discord is starting the rollout of threads today. Community servers can enable the feature early. On August 17th, however, the company plans to enable threads across all servers.
Waze can be helpful for dodging gridlock and other headaches while you drive, but now it's helping you make a more informed choice before you start moving. The Google-owned company has revamped the pre-drive screen on Android and iOS to deliver considerably more info on the pre-drive screen.
You'll now see alternate routes, traffic levels, real-time reports and toll info, not to mention an explanation of just why Waze chose a given route. If the app recommends that you skip your typical route to work, you'll know what's to blame. You can still choose that usual route if you'd like.
The updated screen is already rolling out to users worldwide. In some ways, this is one of the more important Waze upgrades in recent memory. While Waze still thrives on its automatic route planning, this puts more control in your hands and might help more people understand how the app makes its decisions.
Sony has launched its first vlogging-specific mirrorless camera, the ZV-E10, that borrows a number of features from ZV-1 compact vlogging model. At the same time, it's roughly based on the A5000 and A6000-series APS-C mirrorless cameras, with all the good (and bad) that entails.
The two biggest advantages of the ZV-E10 over the ZV-1 are the larger 24-megapixel APS-C sensor and interchangeable mirrorless mount. The latter feature opens Sony's range of 60-plus E-mount lenses to vloggers, making the ZV-E10 much more versatile than the fixed-lens ZV-1. The larger sensor, meanwhile, will deliver improved light sensitivity and a shallower depth of field.
The ZV-E10 uses the aging 24-megapixel APS-C sensor found in the A6100 and other recent Sony models. While that delivers sharp, downsampled 4K video at up to 30 fps (or 120 fps 1080p), it's likely to have a serious amount of rolling shutter that's not ideal for its intended purpose.
On the more positive side, it offers optical and active electronic image stabilization, just like the ZV-1. That should smooth out handheld shooting pretty well, though don't expect miracles for walk-and-talk type vlogging — especially if rolling sensor wobble proves to be an issue.
Sony
Size-wise, the ZV-E10 is smaller than any of the A6000-series cameras and isn't much larger and heavier than the ZV-1. It lacks an electronic viewfinder, but it's Sony's first APS-C mirrorless camera with a fully-articulating flip-out screen — a basic requirement on any vlogging camera these days.
The ZV-E10 comes with Sony's latest phase-detect autofocus system, both for video and still shooting. That means you should get incredibly quick subject tracking, along with reliable eye, face and head detect autofocus. It also has an S&Q (slow & quick) feature that lets you record time-lapse and slow motion footage in-camera without the need for any post processing work.
It borrows several vlogging features directly from the ZV-1. The first is called "product showcase," a setting that allows it to instantly focus away from your face and onto an object placed in front of the camera. That's particularly handy for vloggers reviewing products, devices, etc.
The other is a bokeh switch that instantly sets the lowest f-stop available for lighting conditions. That way, you can have the background as defocused as possible, allowing your subject to stand out clearly.
The ZV-E10 has a built-in, high-quality three-way microphone (left, right and central channels) that's designed to pick out your voice. That means you can vlog without the need to buy a microphone, though it still won't match the quality and voice isolation of a dedicated shotgun or lapel mic. It also comes with a hotshoe-attached muff to help block wind noise, and if that's not enough, a wind noise reduction setting. It also comes with a microphone input, though not a headphone output.
Finally, if you're into live streaming, you can connect the ZV-E10 directly to a smartphone and stream directly to YouTube or other services — much as you can with Panasonic's latest GH5-II. It will also work directly as a webcam, streaming both video and audio (not just video like other cameras) so you can take advantage of its high-quality microphone.
The ZV-E10 will be available in either black or white by the end of August and will cost $700 for the body, or $800 in a bundle including Sony's 16-50mm F/3.5-5.6 power zoom lens.
With tech pretty much everywhere in our lives these days, some people would prefer it matched their personal style and decor. But sometimes practicality gets left behind, resulting in products that look good but don’t work so well. Here at Engadget, for example, we’ve tested a few fancy keyboards that didn’t offer the best typing experience. But despite our misgivings, these “fashion” keyboards continue to be popular with social media influencers. AZIO’s new IZO collection, out this summer, tries to be both fashion forward and functional, and it succeeds — to a point.
The collection has three main components, all of them wireless: a $140 mechanical keyboard; a $70 number pad that also functions as a standalone calculator; and a $50 mouse. There’s also a matching wrist rest and desk pad. The items are sold separately, and you can snag them in either white, blue or pink. I opted to receive my review units in “baroque rose” because it really is a nice shade of pink, in contrast to the bubble gum shades favored by companies like Razer.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
Regardless of which color you choose, each accessory is embellished with gold accents The keyboard, media dial, escape key and spacebar are all gilded and glossy. They stand out against the matte plastic used on the rest of the deck, and not in a good way. I also suspect that after several months of use, the coating is going to wear away and it’s not going to be pretty.
The keys are squircle shaped and lightly textured, so they at least feel nice to the touch. The typing… isn’t horrible. It’s actually perfectly fine, with good tactile bounce and a soft click with every press. But despite the blue mechanical switches it still feels a bit spongy compared to the other decks I have here in my office. I’m typing this hands-on with the IZO and it’s fine, but given a choice I’d switch back to my standards in a heartbeat. The IZO feels like a toy, which is disconcerting when I’m here to work. It’s a tenkeyless deck, which makes it great for tight spaces and taking on the go, though I wouldn’t slip it in my bag for fear of scratching it up.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
If you need a number pad, that’ll cost extra. Seventy dollars is kind of steep for those 18 extra keys, and the fact that it can also be used as a calculator doesn’t make the cost sting any less.I will say this for it, though: I love this thing. Not because I use the number pad to do calculations (though I do), but because it’s just so fun to play with. I don’t have it connected or even turned on right now, I just like to randomly pick it up in both hands and play with the buttons. I may find the typing experience a little subpar, but as a fidget toy the numpad is great because it’s just so chunky and clicky, perfect for keeping my hands busy during boring Zoom calls.
The final piece of the set is the wireless mouse, the most beautiful of the three desk accessories. It’s a rounded rectangular shape, with a gold scroll wheel and stripe across the middle of the mouse, below which is a frosted white plastic bearing the AZIO logo. This is the kind of mouse that could strut around Milan Fashion Week or the beach at Ibiza. Unfortunately, it’s pretty bad as a computing accessory.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
It’s the hand feel that’s an immediate turnoff. Where most mice curve inward and down on the end facing the user, the better to fit in your palm, the AZIO mouse is straight all the way down, with the rear of the mouse at the same height as the middle. It’s actually one of the smallest mice I’ve tested, but it feels huge in my hand. That’s a big no-no considering it’s a fashion peripheral, presumably meant to appeal to women, who usually have smaller mitts than men.
The design faux pas don’t end there, either. The DPI button is placed on the bottom of the mouse and it’s a tiny little nub that’s hard to hit, so once you’ve picked a setting you’ll probably want to stick with it. And the pads on bottom have a little too much friction on them to slide across my desk easily. I probably should use a mouse pad with this thing but I haven’t needed one in almost a decade and I don’t see why I should go back now.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
I wouldn’t recommend the mouse and the cost of the number pad is a bit too steep for me to tell you to buy it — even at the currently discounted price of $40. The keyboard is also on sale for $80, which is a little more tempting. But if the color was your main reason for buying it, note that Logitech’s K380 comes in a fetching pale pink, can connect to up to three devices wirelessly and is only $40. You also have your choice of mice to match, including the stellar MX Anywhere 3. The IZO collection is for people who absolutely need to have a stylish mechanical keyboard — and even then, you might be better off just buying a white deck from a company like Corsair and customizing the LEDs to your favorite shade.
TikTok wants to encourage more livestreams, and that now includes creating a friendlier environment for the hosts. The social video giant is rolling out a string of new features that include tools to promote kindness. For a start, TikTok will now pop up an alert if you're about to post a comment the company deems "potentially unkind or harmful." You can press forward if you're determined, but TikTok clearly hopes you'll reconsider any personal attacks.
Accordingly, the hosts will have more power as well. You can assign a trusted moderator before you start a stream, letting you focus on the show instead of blocking and muting trolls. You can now add up to 200 entries to the keyword filter. In the "coming weeks," you'll also have ways for both hosts and viewers to both delete comments and temporarily mute viewers. Someone who committed a minor offense can have a shot at redemption, in other words.
There's also a focus on improved discovery. An addition rolling out "soon" will improve your ability to find livestreams from the For You and Following pages, not to mention provider quicker access to top and recommended live videos. TikTok also recently launched a scheduling tool for hosts, picture-in-picture viewing and a "Go Live Together" feature that lets two people start broadcasting at the same time.
The focus on livestreams doesn't come as a shock. TikTok noted that the number of people hosting and watching live video had "doubled" over the past year, and some of its biggest events have involved livestreams. The Weeknd played a concert through the platform, for instance. While looping videos remain TikTok's core, the company is more than a little eager to challenge Facebook, Instagram and other services where live video is also growing in popularity.
Nothing, the hardware startup from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has officially unveiled its first product: the Ear 1 wireless earbuds. If you've been following the teasers, you're probably familiar with the buds by now. Nothing already revealed the $99 price tag, pitting them against affordable rivals like the Amazon Echo Buds, OnePlus Buds and Google's Pixel Buds A; showed off the transparent design; and detailed the active-noise cancellation (ANC), which relies on a three-microphone setup. All that was really left was the release date and some gaps around specs, which are getting filled in today.
The Ear 1 will initially be available online at nothing.tech as part of a limited drop on July 31st starting at 9AM ET. They'll formally launch on August 17th in 45 countries including the US, Canada and the UK via the Nothing website and at select retailers.
Nothing
As for those specs, the earbuds feature an 11.6mm driver paired with software and hardware from Teenage Engineering, best known for its portable music creation tools like the OP-1 and OP-Z. There are two ANC settings to choose from: Light mode for moderate noise cancellation and Maximum mode for noisier environments like an airplane. Whereas Transparency mode lets you switch off ANC altogether.
What's more, Nothing claims that its Clear Voice Technology can reduce background noise like wind during calls. As is the norm, the accompanying app lets you tweak audio and EQ presets, and includes features like "find my earbud" and gesture control customization.
Nothing
The battery life lasts around 5.7 hours, slightly more than the 5 hours offered by Amazon's Echo Buds, though that will fluctuate based on the audio settings. Nothing says you can expect up to 34 hours with the charging case. Extras include in-ear detection and fast-pairing with Android devices. The buds are also splash and water resistant.
Those who religiously attend their local comic conventions now have the chance to go the biggest one of them all thanks to a new Omaze giveaway. The company's latest sweepstakes gives you the chance to win 4-day badges to San Diego Comic-Con 2022, with access to a special preview night. In addition to the badges, you're also getting reserved seating in Hall H for the entire convention, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" special event. The winner will also have travel to the convention and lodgings covered.
The 2022 Comic-Con will mark the return of the in-person event in San Diego as the 2021 convention was postponed. Instead, the organization held the online Comic-Con Home from July 23-25 this year, and its hoping to have a smaller, supplemental "Comic-Con Special Edition" event in November, if conditions allow. You have until December 8 to enter this giveaway and the winner will be announced before the end of 2021.
Like other Omaze giveaways, you don't have to spend money to enter — and anyone can use the code AFF20 at checkout to get 20 bonus entries. But if you do buy entries, you'll increase your chances of winning. All funds raised in sweepstakes like this go to charity, and this one in particular benefits the San Diego Comic Convention, which is a nonprofit public benefit corporation devoted to increasing public awareness and appreciation for comics and similar art forms.
If you're unfamiliar with Omaze, it's a site that raises money for charities through giveaways and experiences. You can read more about how the allocation of funds works by reading the "Fundraising Transparency" section at the bottom of the giveaway page.
Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes.See official rules on Omaze.
