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Quibi Confirms Deal to Distribute Content on The Roku Channel

Charlotte Henry ·

Roku has done a deal to purchase the rights dozens of Quibi shows, Deadline reported. Titles like Most Dangerous Game, Dummy and Murder House Flip were included in the deal.

The deal puts a final punctuation mark on the Quibi experiment. Founded by Katzenberg and Meg Whitman with a remarkable $1.75 billion in startup capital, the mobile-focused streaming service had a noisy debut last April but never gained traction. Six months in, execs announced it would shut down by the end of the year. The coronavirus pandemic did not help the on-the-go premise of Quibi, whose name is short for “quick bites,” but its shows also drew generally mixed reviews, though #FreeRayshawn netted two Emmys. “The most creative and imaginative minds in Hollywood created groundbreaking content for Quibi that exceeded our expectations,” said Quibi Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. “We are thrilled that these stories, from the surreal to the sublime, have found a new home on The Roku Channel.”

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FTC Settles With App Maker ‘Tapjoy’, Blames Apple in Process

Andrew Orr ·

The FTC has reached a settlement with Tapjoy over claims that is used false advertising offers for in-game rewards that weren’t given to users.

But regulators also said Apple and Google helped create the environment that squeezes mobile gaming industry players and incentivizes them to find other monetization models that may have unsavory consequences for consumers.

Tapjoy runs a platform that lets users complete activities, like signing up for a free trial or downloading and running an app, in exchange for in-game virtual currency. It earns commissions from third-party advertisers who want to entice users to perform these tasks.

I think if a company is willing to do “unsavory things” to people, it probably doesn’t need to be forced into doing so. On Apple’s side, Tapjoy possibly ran afoul of review guideline 3.2.2 (vi).

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Signal Signups Surge After WhatsApp Controversy And Elon Musk Tweets

Charlotte Henry ·

Encrypted messaging app Signal is seeing a surge in signups, The Verge reported. It seems to come on the back of supportive tweets from Tesla chief Elon Musk and controversy around WhatsApp mandating users to share data with its parent company, Facebook.

But what’s happening now appears to be a bit of context collapse on social media, as WhatsApp users think they’re now being forced to share data with Facebook even though that’s been happening all along if they didn’t opt out back in 2016. None of this is helped by Facebook and WhatsApp’s recent attacks on Apple for the iPhone maker’s decision to mandate new self-reported labels on iOS apps and its future plans to force app makers to request permission to track Apple device owners. The new privacy policy notice doesn’t help Facebook’s cause, either, considering it tells users displeased with the changes — which, again, are about how businesses manage their chats on WhatsApp using Facebook’s backend — to “delete their account,” with no other remedies provided.

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Don’t Count on an Apple Car Any Time Soon

Andrew Orr ·

Some news outlets claim that the Apple car could be ready for production with a revolutionary battery by 2024. Mark Gurman has a report on Thursday saying that the car is five to seven years away, which is still in the general area of a half decade.

Still, some Apple engineers on the project believe the company could release a product in five to seven years if Apple goes ahead with its plans. The car is nowhere near production stage, the people said, though they did warn timelines could change. They asked not to be identified discussing sensitive, internal work. The majority of the team is currently either working from home or at the office for limited time, slowing the company’s ability to develop a full vehicle. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

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NBCUniversal And Charter Agree on Deal For Peacock Free Trial

Charlotte Henry ·

NBCUniversal and Charter have agreed on a deal that includes a free trial of the Premium tier of the Peacock streaming service. Charter will also distribute the Peacock app via its Spectrum Guide platform, Deadline reported.

Networks that are part of the distribution deal include NBC, Telemundo, Bravo, CNBC, E!, MSNBC, The Olympic Channel, Oxygen, Syfy, USA Network, Universal Kids, Universo, The Golf Channel, CNBC World, New England Cable News (NECN), and NBC Sports Network, as well as five Regional Sports Networks — NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Northwest, NBC Sports Boston, and NBC Sports Chicago. They will be available to Charter’s Spectrum home and business subscribers in 41 states. “Charter is a valued partner with passionate NBCUniversal fans in millions of homes nationwide,” said Matt Bond, Chairman, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal. “We look forward to delivering our industry-leading network content portfolio, as well as the strong collection of original and library content in our Peacock Premium offering, to Charter’s subscribers everywhere.”

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New Facial Recognition Tech Works Even When People Are Wearing Masks

Charlotte Henry ·

Japan’s NEC has launched a facial recognition system that works even when people are wearing masks. Customers for the tool include Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines, Shinya Takashima, assistant manager of the company’s digital platform division, told Reuters. (BBC News also reported that London’s Metropolitan Police uses the technology.)

The system determines when a person is wearing a mask and hones in on the parts that are not covered up, such as the eyes and surrounding areas, to verify the subject’s identity. Users register a photo of their face in advance. NEC says verification takes less than one second and claims an accuracy rate of more than 99.9%. The system can be used at security gates in office buildings and other facilities. NEC is also trialing the technology for automated payments at an unmanned convenience store in its Tokyo headquarters.

 

App Sale: ‘Book Track’ Library Manager on Sale for $2
Cool Stuff Found

App Sale: ‘Book Track’ Library Manager on Sale for $2

Andrew Orr ·

Book Track is a library manager and is currently on sale for US$1.99, down from US$4.99. Book Track is the application built for iPhone, iPad and Mac to easily keep track of the books you have purchased and which you would like to read. Manage your personal collection and wish list, searching for books by name or author, doing a barcode scan or entering them manually. Digitizing your personal library has never been easier or faster.

TMO Deals

KRAFTGUN Massage Gun: $369.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the KRAFTGUN Massage Gun. This noise-free massage gun is equipped with a brushless 24V motor and a frequency that reaches up to 40Hz. It comes with three interchangeable attachments and 3.5 hours of work time. It’s $369.99 through our deal.

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‘ElectroRAT’ is the First Mac Malware Spotted in 2021

Andrew Orr ·

We’re barely a week into 2021 and a piece of Mac malware has already been spotted. Dubbed “ElectroRAT” its primary goal is to steal personal information from cryptocurrency users.

These [malicous] applications were promoted in cryptocurrency and blockchain-related forums such as bitcointalk and SteemCoinPan. The promotional posts, published by fake users, tempted readers to browse the applications’ web pages, where they could download the application without knowing they were actually installing malware.