In case you'd forgotten, Xfinity and Netflix are teaming up to bring the streaming service to Comcast's X1 set-top box. The partnership was announced way back in July, and at the time, neither company said when Netflix would be available on the X1. Today, Comcast announced that the nationwide roll out will begin next week.
Though still widely used, micro USB connectors aren’t exactly widely loved because of the hassles involved in connecting to them. While USB-C aims to fix that, not everyone is in the game yet, like Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Wouldn’t be nice to just have one connector for all of them? Not to mention a single USB cable as well? And wouldn’t it be great if that cable didn’t get so easily and dangerously snagged everywhere? Fortunately, the folks over at ASAP are making that wish a reality, with the extra strong magnetic ASAP x-connect cable that doesn’t really care what what your phone or tablet is or who made it.
We have talked about a guy called Benson Leung before, Leung is an engineer who worked on the Pixel C project for Google. This guy took the task upon himself to cruise listings for USB Type-C cables being sold online and to test if the cables comply with the specifications set out by the USB Implementers Forum. The problem with cables that don’t follow these specifications is that they can damage your device.
If you've been struggling to get online today, a widespread Comcast outage might be to blame, though the cable provider claims a restoration is underway. Subscribers across the US reported issues with their Comcast connection from early this morning, with complaints that both internet and premium cable channels weren't playing ball.
Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming the FCC would soon propose a change involving set top boxes, and such a proposal was indeed made public today. According to the FCC, “Ninety-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers are chained to their set-top boxes because cable and satellite operators have locked up the market.” If the commission gets its way, its proposal will save consumers money currently spent on leasing boxes from providers, and will open the doors for more consumer options.
Today the folks at PhotoFast have revealed a 1-meter USB/Lightning cable for iPhone that also acts as a flash drive. Storage is located on the cord itself (in one end or the other) at 128GB, locally. This cord and its companion app have the ability to be locked using USB lock, App Lock, and Lightning lock - with Touch ID support included.
Sling TV was arguably the brightest light in cable-cutters' eyes, at least when it launched earlier this year. The service is an Internet-only online live TV streaming service from Dish Network, and it -- despite some hiccups -- has largely enjoyed success. The service works by breaking content up into packages: there's one core package that costs $20/month, and additional packages priced at $5/month (with a couple exceptions) that aggregates similar channels. The service is everything cable isn't, and now its provoking has earned a reaction.
Today a rumor suggests that Netflix will be the first place Disney's Lucasfilm will bring a live action TV show. Originally rumored for release on cable television back in 2009, this television show is one of several that may just herald the end of the traditional cable TV era. If Disney does bring a collection of Star Wars live action episodic shows to the world via Netflix instead of cable television, it'll most certainly be another nail in the coffin of the traditional model. And we've got Kimmy Schmidt to thank.
The television industry is in a state of limbo -- viewers are moving en masse to so-called cord cutting options like Netflix, Sling TV, and on-demand streaming services. Networks have been slow to accept these services, however, having a careful juggling act to maintain in regards to things like advertisers and DVD sales. Report after report has shown that consumers are moving on regardless of industry resistance, and this year has been particularly kind with the advent of things like Sling TV and Showtime's new streaming option. The future looks even brighter.
Microsoft has announced that it is shelling out some big money to run some new undersea cables to connect data centers in North America with data centers in Ireland. The software giant also has plans to lay undersea cables to connect networks in Asia as well. Reports indicate that Microsoft has been making big investments in undersea cabling over the last few months.
Cablevision is trying to court cord cutters that are getting away from expensive cable plans with an old school way to get local broadcast TV channels. The company is tossing in antennas with its lower cost internet packages for free as a way to allow people to watch local TV. The two lower tier internet plans that include the antennas were announced recently.
When we discuss ‘cord cutting’, a lot of the talk revolves around which service streams what content, and to which devices. Netflix helps, and Sling TV is a breath of fresh air. HBO NOW is setting a new trend, too. What about local channels, though? That’s still ‘traditional’ TV — and that’s where the FlatWave Amped comes in. An ultra-thin antennae, FlatWave Amped may bridge the gap for cord cutters who already get cable content elsewhere. Does it live up to our expectations?
