There’s always a bigger fish

Spotify plays the long game with Family and Student Plans even as revenue per user drops

Spotify’s “Family Plan,” a variation of which launched in 2014, as well as its “Student Plan” appear to be driving a significant portion of the company’s growth and improving retention, as the company points to it multiple times in its filing for a direct listing on public markets today. But that also comes at a cost of decreasing the amount of revenue it actually gets from each premium

Five iOS Apps Worth Checking Out – February 2018

Over on our YouTube channel, we’re continuing on with our new monthly series that highlights new, interesting, and useful apps that we think are worth checking out. Because there are so many apps available on the iOS App Store, it can be hard to find new content, and it’s also easy to overlook great older apps. Our app lists are designed to include apps — both new and old — that we personally

Even with double the subscribers, Spotify says Apple will always have an edge owning the app store

Spotify just filed for a direct listing in the U.S., sidestepping the traditional IPO process, and now we’re starting to see some of the true financial guts of the company — and some of the significant risks it faces from challenging services from Apple and Google. Apple, for example, charges apps a percentage of revenue for subscriptions processed through the App Store. Apple Music, meanwhile,

Apple Moves iCloud Data and Encryption Keys for Chinese Users to China

Apple has finally agreed to open a new Chinese data center next month to comply with the country’s latest controversial data protection law. Apple will now move the cryptographic keys of its Chinese iCloud users in data centers run by a state-owned company called Cloud Big Data Industrial Development Co, despite concerns from human rights activists. In 2017, China passed a Cybersecurity Law

MoviePass Founders Say Subscription Service ‘Would Never Have Happened’ Without iPhones in New App Store Feature

Apple today on the iOS App Store shared a new interview with the founders of MoviePass, touching on the service’s origins and its integral ties to the iPhone and modern smartphone app development. MoviePass debuted in 2011, but grew in popularity last August when the company dropped its subscription price to $9.95/month, which lets customers see one standard 2D film every day in the theater In

Porsche’s EV lead takes shots at Tesla while hyping the Mission E

Porsche is readying its Mission E for launch, with a 2019 target sales date. The all-electric Tesla Model S competitor has a lot of car fans excited, and has been drawing covetous looks since the concept’s unveiling back in 2015. Now that launch is drawing closer, however, we have some new info about the car, how it charges and its performance. Porsche EV lead Stefan Weckbach told a group of

Afghan president offers to recognise the Taliban | News

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has offered to recognise the Taliban as a legitimate political group, as part of a proposed process he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.  Ghani’s offer on Wednesday, made at the start of an international conference aimed at creating a platform for peace talks, adds to a series of signals from both the Western-backed government and

Facebook rolls out job posts to become the blue-collar LinkedIn

LinkedIn wasn’t built for low-skilled job seekers, so Facebook is barging in. Today Facebook is rolling out job posts to 40 more countries to make itself more meaningful to people’s lives while laying the foundation for a lucrative business. Businesses will be able to post job openings to a Jobs tab on their Page, Jobs dashboard, Facebook Marketplace, and the News Feed that they can promote with

Apple Watch Series 3 Can Now Track Skiing and Snowboarding Activity

Apple has announced that skiers and snowboarders can use Apple Watch Series 3 to track their activities starting today. Third-party apps snoww, Slopes, Squaw Alpine, Snocru, and Ski Tracks have each been updated to take advantage of custom workout APIs released in watchOS 4.2 that enable tracking of specialized metrics: Total vertical descent and horizontal distance Number of runs Average and

Square’s bets beyond a register brought in $253M last year as it posts a largely positive fourth quarter

Square posted a largely successful fourth quarter that showed continuing growth with its Cash App — with users spending around $90 million on its Cash card in December, putting it on a potentially $1 billion run rate. That would offer another significant avenue for Square to snap up additional customers as it looks to chip away at the alternatives available for directly sending cash between

These will be the first cities getting 5G from Sprint and T-Mobile

Just last week, AT&T announced the first handful of cities where it’ll roll out its 5G network later this year. Today at Mobile World Congress, T-Mobile and Sprint did the same. Sprint’s first 5G networks will go live in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, DC and Houston. T-Mobile will fire up 5G in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas first, promising to have it up and

Chinese smartphone maker Doogee shows off its vision for the smartphone camera

Doogee’s Mobile World Congress press conference is mostly what you’d expect from a company you’ve never heard of: small, low key, in the second basement meeting room at a hotel across from the convention center. It’s a bit like the smartphone farm system, the company’s hoping it can gin up enough awareness to rise above the din of news from the world’s largest mobile companies. It’s a big ask

How to Use Control Center’s Apple TV Remote in iOS 11

In iOS 11, it’s possible to add an Apple TV Remote interface to the Control Center that will allow you to quickly navigate and control playback on your 4K Apple TV or fourth-generation Apple TV using your iPhone or iPad. It’s a great solution if you just can’t get on with Apple’s Siri Remote, and doesn’t require you to install an app. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up the Apple TV

Facebook launches a local news accelerator for publishers

Facebook is trying to play extra nice with local news publishers by putting $3 million behind the launch of the Local News Subscriptions Accelerator. The three-month pilot program will help 10 to 15 U.S.-based metropolitan news organizations gain more digital subscribers both on and off Facebook. “We often talk to publishers about what the future of journalism looks like and local news

Memcached Servers Abused for Massive Amplification DDoS Attacks

Cybercriminals have figured out a way to abuse widely-used Memcached servers to launch over 51,000 times powerful DDoS attacks than their original strength, which could result in knocking down of major websites and Internet infrastructure. In recent days, security researchers at Cloudflare, Arbor Networks, and Chinese security firm Qihoo 360 noticed that hackers are now abusing “Memcached” to

EnvKey wants to create a smarter place to store a company’s API keys and credentials

If an engineer ends up leaving a company, on their own, or for any other reason, the company work is going to have to quickly work to change all of their keys for their credentials and keys application components. That’s a huge hassle, because often times it’s hard to know where they are stored, who can access what, and how to change everything at a massive scale — especially if the company is a

Wait Times for iPhone Battery Replacements Increasing

Customers aiming to get a battery replacement for an older iPhone with a degraded battery are facing longer wait times than ever, according to new data shared by Barclays. Average wait times for a new battery have jumped up to 2.7 to 4.5 weeks based on a series of Apple Store checks conducted by Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz (via Business Insider). That’s up from around 2.3 to 4.5 weeks earlier

Hunter2 wants to teach engineers to handle web app security with a hands-on approach

When Equifax was broken into late last year — one of the biggest security breaches in recent history — Fletcher Heisler wanted to make sure engineers got to know exactly what happened right away, and how to fix it. That’s part of the goal of Hunter2, a new online learning platform for engineers that’s designed to teach them how to handle these kinds of breaches in a more hands-on way. Hunter2

Apple adds an M. Night Shyamalan thriller to its roster of original shows

Apple will apparently have every kind of show from anyone with any kind of name working in Hollywood when it launches its updated approach to original video content: The latest original on its slate is a 10-episode, half-hour thriller series order that will be executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, who is also going to direct the first installment (via Variety). The thriller is being written

Sonos One’s Alexa support comes to Canada

Sonos One users in Canada can now join their peers south of the border in yelling requests at their connected speakers – a free update issued today enables Amazon Alexa on the Sonos One. The One launched with Alexa support in the U.S., but while the speaker has been available to Canadian buyers since late last year, Alexa voice commands are new with the update. That means Canadians will be able

Amazon Acquiring Video Doorbell Maker Ring, but HomeKit Support is Still Coming

Amazon is acquiring Ring, the company that makes a range of WiFi-enabled home security products that include video doorbells, reports GeekWire. The two companies are expected to officially announce the acquisition news later this afternoon, but provided a statement to GeekWire. “Ring is committed to our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods by providing effective yet affordable home security

Google’s Flutter app SDK for iOS and Android is now in beta

Flutter is Google’s open source toolkit for helping developers build iOS and Android apps. It’s not necessarily a household name yet, but it’s also less than a year old and, to some degree, it’s going up against frameworks like Facebook’s popular React Native. Google’s framework, which is heavily focused around the company’s Dart programming language, was first announced at Google’s I/O

Robo-logistics company Magazino raises $25M for its warehouse bots

German robotics firm Magazino, creator of robots meant to work alongside people in warehouses and the like, has raised $24.8 million to continue development and deployment of its TORU and SOTO robots. The bots are made for the kind of repetitive fetching and transport work that is so common in e-commerce distribution and storage facilities. They’re considerably larger than people, but are

Rakuten will roll its $9B loyalty program into a new blockchain-based cryptocurrency, Rakuten Coin

Back in 2016, Amazon’s Japanese rival Rakuten acquired Bitnet, a bitcoin wallet startup that it had previously invested in, to help it work on blockchain technology and applications. Today, one of the first fruits of that deal has come to light. The company is planning a new cryptocurrency called Rakuten Coin — built on blockchain technology and the company’s existing loyalty program, Rakuten

Apple now relies on Google Cloud Platform and Amazon S3 for iCloud data

It’s no secret, Apple has been relying on third-party cloud companies for iCloud. And CNBC spotted an interesting tidbit in Apple’s own documents. The company now relies on Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Platform’s storage product to store iCloud data. Back in 2016, CRN reported that Apple signed with Google for cloud storage. But Apple’s document represents the first official confirmation that

Syria’s war: Eastern Ghouta ceasefire violations kill two | Syria News

At least two civilians have been killed less than two hours into a truce in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, activists said, as Syrian government forces launched fresh attacks in the rebel-held Damascus suburb. Syrian warplanes launched several air raids in Douma and Harasta on Tuesday, Mahmoud Adam, a spokesman for Syria’s Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, told Al Jazeera. In Douma, one of

Rating the big smartphone makers at MWC 2018

Greetings for snowy Barcelona. Sure we’ve still got several days of Mobile World Congress ahead of us, but we’ve entered the point in the week when all of the big names have already wrapped up their press conferences and revealed their hands. With that in mind, this seems like the perfect opportunity to take a good look at how the industry’s big names fared at the show. Barring any sort of

Cellebrite may have found a way to unlock iPhones running iOS 11

According to a Forbes report, Israeli company Cellebrite is now able to unlock some very recent iPhones. Cellebrite is a well-known company that sells mobile forensics tools to extract data from locked devices. While early versions of iOS weren’t really secure, this has changed quite a lot in recent years. All iOS devices now ship with a secure enclave, all data is encrypted if you use a

Apple’s Stock Price Reaches All-Time High Above $180 After Warren Buffett Praises iPhone Maker

Apple’s stock price has established a new all-time high in the company’s history, as shares exchanged hands for slightly above the previous record of $180.10 in intraday trading today following several weeks of gains. AAPL has been on the rise since bottoming out at $150.24 on February 9, one day after the Dow Jones plunged over 1,000 points. The broader selloff in the stock market proved to be

Hacker Who Never Hacked Anyone Gets 33-Month Prison Sentence

A hacker who was arrested and pleaded guilty last year—not because he hacked someone, but for creating and selling a remote access trojan that helped cyber criminals—has finally been sentenced to serve almost three years in prison. Taylor Huddleston, 26, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in July 2017 to one charge of aiding and abetting computer intrusions by building and intentionally

Fitbit posted a weaker-than-expected quarter and its shares are crashing

Fitbit, which has increasingly had to fend off competition from devices like the Apple Watch and is increasingly making moves in the healthcare space, still hasn’t seemed to nail things down quite yet as it posted weaker-than-expected financial results for its fourth quarter. The quarter was more or less a complete whiff, falling short of Wall Street estimates for earnings, revenue generated and

Top 10 Apple TV Remote Tips and Tricks

When Apple released the fourth-generation Apple TV in 2015, it also included a new Siri Remote with the set-top box (although in some regions Apple kept the original name “Apple TV Remote” due to Siri not working in those territories). The redesigned remote features dual microphones for Siri support as well as a glass touch surface for navigating the tvOS interface by swiping, tapping, and

The leaked BlackBerry ‘Ghost’ is reportedly a high-end Android phone built for India

The clicky-clacky, full keyboard devices that spring to mind when you hear “BlackBerry” might be a thing of the past… but the brand lives on. Famed gadget-unearther Evan Blass dug up a picture of an upcoming BlackBerry device said to be known as “Ghost.” For those finding themselves saying “Wait, they still make BlackBerries?,” the answer is: yeah, sort of. BlackBerry Limited — the company

We went for a ride in a Huawei smartphone-controlled, self-driving Porsche

Huawei didn’t have a new phone to show at MWC this year, so it did what any good smartphone maker would: it put the Mate 10 Pro in an autonomous car and drove it directly at a dog. Of course, the promotional video was a lot more dramatic than what the company was actually demoing at the show itself. And while the company insisted to us that the dog in the video was, indeed real and not the

Driverless Autonomous Cars Can Now Be Tested in California

New regulations that allow driverless autonomous cars to be tested on California roads were officially approved by the California Office of Administrative Law on Monday, reports the San Francisco Examiner. Starting on April 2, companies in the Bay Area that are working on self-driving vehicle technology will be able to deploy cars that do not have a driver behind the wheel. The new autonomous

5G needs a “new mindset” towards Internet rules, telcos warn

Carriers have kicked off the world’s biggest mobile phone tradeshow with calls for an “investment friendly framework” to fund rollouts of next-gen 5G network technology and level the playing field with Internet giants. “We need a new mindset,” argued Telefonica CEO José María Álvarez-Pallete López, giving the first keynote of the morning here at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona. López

Ford cars are getting a new ‘voice-controlled co-driver’ thanks to Sygic

Ford vehicles equipped with the automaker’s SYNC 3 infotainment system will soon have access to a new voice-powered driving assistant behind the wheel – Sygic’s new aptly named “Driving Assistant.” The feature, which works with Sygic’s GPS navigation app, is described as a “voice-controlled co-driver that helps the driver identify nearby rest-stops, restaurants, hotels” and more. It’s accessible

Sony teases an ultra low light camera for its future phones

This morning’s Sony press conference was a real whirlwind. The company announced two new phones and the availability of its Xperia Ear Duo, still managed to wrap it all up in about an hour. All said, it was actually kind of refreshing to be in and out so quickly. There was a quick “one more thing,” however, as it teased a future camera technology aimed at shooting in ultra low light conditions.

Day One HomePod Pre-Orders in U.S. Beat Out Most Other Smart Speaker Pre-Orders

First day pre-orders for the HomePod, which became available late last month, were higher than day one pre-orders for several other smart speakers including the Sonos One and the Google Home Max in the United States. The data was shared by NPD Group and was gathered using NPD’s Checkout service, which tracks consumer purchase behavior across multiple retailers. According to the data, HomePod

Sailfish v3 sets its sights on 4G feature phones

With the smartphone OS market almost entirely sewn up between Google and Apple, what’s an alternative operating system maker to do? Take an interest in feature phones, that’s what. Today Jolla, the Finnish maker of an Android alternative called Sailfish, has announced v3 of its platform. At a press conference at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona it’s announced what it describes as

Flaw in Popular μTorrent Software Lets Hackers Control Your PC Remotely

If you have installed world’s most popular torrent download software, μTorrent, then you should download its latest version for Windows as soon as possible. Google’s security researcher at Project Zero discovered a serious remote code execution vulnerability in both the ‘μTorrent desktop app for Windows’ and newly launched ‘μTorrent Web’ that allows users to download and stream torrents

Huawei, Asus embrace the smartphone notch

The notch is here to stay. Two upcoming phones are reported to sport the awful, disgusting notch at the top of the screen. Huawei and Asus are following Apple and Essential down the notch hole. Neither of these phones are confirmed or officially announced yet. Both the Huawei and Asus models appeared online ahead of their official unveiling. They sport, among with what I assume are top-tier

Data Extraction Company Cellebrite Advertising New Software for Cracking Devices Running iOS 11

Israel-based software developer Cellebrite, known for breaking into mobile devices like the iPhone to obtain sensitive data, recently began informing customers that it can circumvent the security of iOS devices running iOS 11, reports Forbes. With a way to break into iPhones running iOS 11, Cellebrite can potentially crack most of the iPhones available on the market. According to Forbes, the

Ford adds Waze to its Sync 3 AppLink for iOS users

While some carmakers and others worry about Google’s domination in mapping and how that will play out in the auto industry, we are continuing to see announcements that point, if not to Google’s influence growing, its place in the market and how some may be testing the waters for more. Today, Ford announced that it is integrating the Waze traffic and navigation app into its Sync 3 AppLink

Apple could be working on AirPods-like over-the-ear headphones

According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Apple Insider, Apple could be working on a brand new pair of wireless headphones for later this year. While the company already owns Beats, those over-the-ear headphones could be sold under the Apple brand. It seems like the AirPods are a success, and the company wants to capitalize on this market. The new headphones would feature the same convenience

Pop-up cameras could soon be a mobile trend

There’s an interesting concept making its way around Mobile World Congress. Two gadgets offer cameras hidden until activated, which offer a fresh take on design and additional privacy. Vivo built a camera into a smartphone concept that’s on a little sliding tray and Huawei will soon offer a MacBook Pro clone that features a camera hidden under a door above the keyboard. This could be a glimpse

Michelle Obama’s memoir to be released in 24 languages | USA News

Michelle Obama’s forthcoming memoir, Becoming, is set for worldwide release on November 13, at which time the former first lady will embark on a global tour to promote the book, publisher Penguin Random House said on Sunday. The volume fulfils half of the deal the company reached with former US President Barack Obama and his wife the month after he left office, calling for the couple to each

Vulkan Apps Now Compatible With macOS and iOS

Popular cross-platform 3D graphics and compute API Vulkan is gaining support for the Apple ecosystem, which means Mac and iOS developers will be able to build and run Vulkan apps on Apple devices. Valve, LunarG, and The Brenwill Workshop, members of The Khronos Group consortium that developed Vulkan, have worked together with the Khronos Group Portability Initiative to allow Vulkan apps to be

BMW wants to turn your smartphone into your car key

Just like CES has seen an influx of car manufacturers in recent years, MWC, too, is now a showcase for new in-car technology. Like in previous years, BMW once again set up shop in Barcelona this week to show off some of its most recent innovations, all of which bring together some of the current and future technologies that the company believes will change the way we will drive in the near