Search Results for: streaming

EU Investigating Apple’s Purchase of Shazam

Dianne Jacobs

The EU has launched an investigation into Apple’s acquisition of music identification service Shazam. It’s concerned that the deal could shrink consumer options for mobile music streaming services within the EEA (European Economic Area). In February, multiple countries, including Austria, France, Iceland, and Spain, requested that the European Commission assess the acquisition to determine whether it’s allowed under a European Union merger law. The deal, according to the commission, “may have a significant adverse effect on competition in the European Economic Area.” That request is now being acted on, with…

Spotify Tests Explicit Song Blocker

Dianne Jacobs
Spotify

Spotify, the UK’s biggest music streaming service, has started testing a way of filtering out songs which have explicit lyrics. The feature has been introduced on its iPhone and iPad apps – six years after being requested on its online forums. But some users have told BBC Radio 5 live: that the feature does not have enough controls. Rivals such as Apple Music already have password-protected parental controls to skip explicit tracks. Since 2011, streaming music providers have been expected to display the word “explicit” next to tracks that record…

Sky TV Will No Longer Use Satellite Dish

Dianne Jacobs

Sky TV’s move  to make all its channels and content available online means customers will no longer need a satellite dish on their property. The pay TV company already offers some programming online on its Sky Go and Now TV services and through Sky boxes. Sky termed the move a “major development” that would reduce costs and allow it to enter new markets. It hopes that making its hundreds of channels more widely available will increase both revenue and profits. Italy will be its first market to get all Sky…

Samsung set to release a new outdoor surveillance cam

Dianne Jacobs

Complete with 1080p video resolution, livestreaming capabilities, two-way talk, a 130-degree field of view, and night vision, the new samsung surveillace cam will cost $199.99. This new camera’s features are the same as the company’s more expensive, already released outdoor cam. Both versions support night vision and motion detection. They also record Full HD-quality video and connect over Wi-Fi. The key difference between the two appears to be design. The original camera looks like a classic surveillance device with a left to right swivel head. The new camera looks more…

Twitter to broadcast live video 24 hours a day

Dianne Jacobs

Twitter is making a play to dominate even more of your time by streaming live video around the clock. The social networking platform is hoping to land deals for streaming pay TV channels on its site and apps. Users have to subscribe to existing TV service for this to work, but it would be much more powerful. “We will definitely have 24 hours  a day content on the platform,” Twitter’s Anthony Noto said during an extensive interview about the company’s live video strategy last week. “Our goal is to be…

Twitter unveils a new API platform, roadmap and vision for its developer community

Dianne Jacobs
Twitter

Twitter traditionally has had a rocky relationship with its developer group. The social media platform is making an attempt to reset developer relations but once more with the unveiling of its imaginative and prescient for the Twitter API platform and, for the primary time, publishing its public road map of what it has deliberate. The apparent goal here is to be more transparent about what the social platform has in store for developers, which includes a unification of its API platform along with the launching of new APIs and endpoints for developers.…

Apple Music on Android catches up with iOS

Apple’s subscription streaming service, Apple Music, rolled out a major (ver. 2.0) release to Android users today, introducing a new design that largely brings the app to parity with its iOS counterpart. The update includes a visual makeover, which organizes content into a few main sections – Library, For You, Browse, and Radio – as on iOS. However, it’s clear that Apple Music for Android is not a priority for Apple, despite its seeming intentions to compete with rival services like Spotify or the now on-demand Pandora, for instance. In…

Instagram now allows Users to save Video Online

Dianne Jacobs

The latest update to the Instagram app now allows users to rewatch already-played broadcasts and gives you the ability to share them later on. The live video-streaming feature launched last year, but never gave users the ability to save broadcasts after they wrapped. Now, live videos can be saved by tapping “Save” in the upper-right corner when your broadcast ends. That being said, the fact that broadcasters will have the option to keep their stream should increase the occasions that people decide to go live. Previously users may have been hesitant…

Smart TV company accused for massive privacy violation

Safaricom

A top smart TV manufacturer will pay state and federal authorities $2.5 million to settle claims it illegally tracked and sold data on customer’s viewing habits without their consent,  reports IT News. Vizio, which was acquired by Chinese electronics maker LeEco last year, has agreed to pay the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New Jersey Divsion of Consumer Affairs a total of US$2.5 million (A$3.27 million) for the privacy violation, US$300,000 of which was suspended. Authorities claim that the company sold televisions loaded with software that, by default,…

The Growth of Artificial Intelligence in eCommerce

Dianne Jacobs
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is improving the online shopping experience for consumers and retailers. From creating personalized shopping experiences to offering virtual buying assistants. Whether it is something you have come across or have been monitoring for a while, there’s no denying that AI has alot of influence in many industries. Shoppers will be able to easily find the best price for an item and communicate with chatbots for quick customer service. For retailers, they’ll be able to better analyze consumer data to predict future buying patterns, create autonomous replenishing systems and also save money…