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Netflix's next cancellation could be the service's basic subscription tier
Netflix's 'basic' plan will no longer be available for Canadian subscribers
Ever since its transition from disc-by-mail to the streaming giant it is today, Netflix's been trying to optimize its subscription tiers. That's led to charging a premium for HDR and 4K, and raising for members time and time again. Last year, we even saw the creation of a new discounted offering with a price subsidized by advertisements. But now, Netflix looks like it's finally starting to pare down its many service tiers, with the elimination of the "basic" plan in Canada.
I’ve always wanted to try immersive TV backlights and I finally did
At $80, Govee has democratized the product category
The geek in me has always stared in awe at images and videos of people’s living rooms and desk setups where ambient light shines behind the TV or monitor to create an immersive experience. I’ve always wanted to try that for myself, but I also wanted those lights to integrate with my Google Assistant setup, which meant paying a prohibitively expensive price for a pair of Hue Play.
Google Play Movies passes 5 billion installs amidst coronavirus pandemic
Lockdown boredom has likely boosted downloads
Logitech's Harmony are the best universal remotes out there, even if their user-friendliness is questionable. It's been nearly four years since the Elite was announced, and it shows. User interfaces have evolved and so has the smart home, yet the Elite's remote and app both feel stuck in the past. So it only made sense that Logitech would announce a new remote: enter the Express.
Last year we saw how Google's push for developers to dive into augmented reality support paid off with a slew of AR releases on the Play Store. It would appear that this excitement has died down in the last few months, though there are still more than a few quality AR apps and games landing on Android that are worth pointing out. So without further ado, here are the newest and notable augmented reality games and apps released in the last seven months.
There was a huge uptick of augmented reality apps and games released on the Play Store back in March that was a result of ARCore's expanded device support. AP covered both the games and apps published at the time, but I wanted to keep track of further releases just to see if we could keep these AR roundups going. It may have taken four months, but I finally have a solid AR roundup for all of our readers. This time around, instead of writing two separate lists, I have combined both apps and games into one article. So without further ado, here are the best new AR apps and games released in the last four months.
Amazon's new Fire TV Cube, which was announced earlier this month, is now available for purchase and ready for shipping and delivery. The pre-order price of $89.99 is long gone, so you will have to fork out the full 9.99 if you want one. However, the deal on the bundle with the Amazon Cloud Cam is still available so you can save $40 by grabbing both for 9.98. Additionally, if you buy the Cube on or before July 1, you can redeem a Prime Video credit before August 31.The Fire TV Cube is a jack of all trades. It's a Fire TV device, so when you connect it over HDMI to your TV (cable not included, sadly), it acts like a smart box. Streaming services, games, and various other apps are available with support for 4K Ultra HD up to 60fps and HDR. It's also similar but more powerful than an Echo Dot thanks to its eight far-field microphones, 40mm speaker, and built-in Alexa support. And it's finally like a mini Harmony hub with its included IR functionality that lets you control TVs, soundbars, A/V receivers, and cable/satellite boxes. Plus, there's an IR extender in the box to reach hidden electronics and equipment.
Augmented reality is having a moment on Android. Thanks to ARCore, which now works on more than a dozen device models—Google says that's more than 100 million individual devices—we've seen a ton of new applications that insert virtual objects into our real surroundings. A lot of them are shopping and interior design apps, which makes sense—AR's ability to make items appear in your home is a great way to see what a couch looks like in your living room without actually lugging it in there. But AR can do so much more. Here are 10 augmented reality apps that are useful, fascinating, or just plain cool.
Sling TV offers a compelling value for cord cutters who want to stream cable television channels without paying the hefty prices. One of its weaknesses was its all-live setup, which it addressed with the Cloud DVR "First Look" program. Initially limited to Fire devices, the company has now expanded access to the service to Android and Roku players.
The Play Store, like many other Google apps, is no stranger to server-side UI updates; however, it's pretty rare for Google to be testing multiple changes at once. Currently, Google is not only testing a renamed Entertainment section, but also a different look for the carousel, the removal of the search bar, and a new Google Play Store banner.
I am no Vine watcher, but I've heard that there's a lot of cool content on the social network especially if you figure out which users are the most interesting to follow. Lots of creative people have found their niche within the constraints of its short video format and that's what everyone who's sticking around likes about it.
EA and Hasbro, adding another entry to Monopoly's long history, recently released another version of the classic board game – Monopoly Millionaire. If the name of the game isn't descriptive enough, it's a game of Monopoly where the first player to reach $1,000,000 wins.
American Airlines began rolling out Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets to premium cabins today, giving premium passengers innumerable ways to pass time on long flights. The initial rollout sounds quite impressive, covering select transcontinental and other domestic flights, and offering 70 movies on top of the Tab's numerous other entertainment options.
If you haven't played Dungeon Defenders, and you own an Android phone or tablet with a Tegra 2 or other dual-core processor, you're missing out. The highly popular tower defense RPG was updated today, though "update" probably doesn't do the changes Trendy Entertainment made to the hit title justice, because it's more like a content and UI overhaul.
Now that continuous waves of attacks against Sony's servers have slowed down a bit (it's been over a week since the last hack), the company found some strength to regroup and released an Android client for its popular cloud music service Music Unlimited, powered by Qriocity.