Tag: waiting

Amazon reportedly launching free, ad-supported video streaming service

Amazon is set to launch a free, ad-supported video service separate from its $99 Prime Instant Video offering, according to the New York Post . In case you’re having deja vu , the WSJ reported exactly the same thing back in March and Amazon firmly denied it . However, the Post confidently said that the offering is now a definite “go.” One of its sources for the rumor is a potential advertiser, which said Amazon would unveil the service in order to increase its video share against arch-rival Netflix — and ultimately tempt users into Prime memberships. Amazon (sort of) offers limited ad-supported streaming now, by letting non-Prime users watch a limited selection of shows with commercial breaks. If the Post’s report proves accurate, the launch of a full-bore streaming service with ads may indicate that the current version enticed Amazon customers to buy Prime. Amazon recently scored a deal to stream classic HBO programs like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under in a minor coup over Netflix. But it still has less than a tenth of its competitor’s size — so if the rumor is true, an ad-supported service looks like it wants to change that ratio. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Internet , Amazon Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: New York Post

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Amazon reportedly launching free, ad-supported video streaming service

T-Mobile add-on gives you unlimited international calls for $5 per month

Calling people outside the US isn’t as expensive as it used to be, but the charges can still add up; even the better deals at big American wireless carriers have you paying both a monthly rate and by the minute. T-Mobile thinks it can shake things up a bit. It just revamped its Stateside International Talk plan to offer unlimited international calling to as many as 70 countries at flat rates. You’ll pay a relatively modest $5 extra per month if you only need to reach landlines, and $10 per month if your foreign friends use cellphones. And importantly, this covers every line on your account — your kids can speak to family overseas without racking up huge bills. There are some catches (only “30+” countries qualify for unlimited mobile-to-mobile), but this could still be a solid deal if you frequently chat with people around the globe. [Image credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images] Filed under: Cellphones , Wireless , Mobile , T-Mobile Comments Source: T-Mobile (1) , (2)

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T-Mobile add-on gives you unlimited international calls for $5 per month

Yahoo will be Firefox’s default search engine for the next five years

Remember when Yahoo was your go-to search engine for browsing the web? It might be again soon, at least if you’re a Firefox user. Mozilla and Yahoo just announced a five year deal to make Yahoo the web browser’s default search engine, supplanting Google as the top item in Firefox’s search bar in the United States. Mozilla says this is part of providing a more “local” experience — until now, the company defaulted to Google search regardless of the user’s country. Now the default search engine will be assigned by region: Yahoo for the United States, Yandex search for Russia and Baidu for China . Each region will have the ability to switch to other local options as well, giving Googlers a chance to switch back if they so desire. Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer says that the deal will allow the two firms to work more closely together on future product integration, a process it’s starting with Yahoo search: starting in December, Firefox users will become the first folks with access to a new, more immersive Yahoo. This promises to have a cleaner, more interactive interfaces with a heavier focus on personalization. Dedicated to using Google Chrome, but still want in on the new Yahoo? Don’t worry — it’ll roll out to all users in early 2015. Check out the companys’ announcements a the source links below. [Image credit: Shutterstock] Filed under: Internet Comments Source: Mozilla , Yahoo

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Yahoo will be Firefox’s default search engine for the next five years

AT&T refreshes its GoPhone lineup with $45 option and unlimited data

AT&T is expanding its GoPhone prepaid choices by adding a $45 tier for those who think the $60 plan’s offerings are too much, and the $40’s not enough. The company originally launched this option back in April, though you could only get it at Walmart. Now the $45 plan is officially listed on the company’s website , and it comes with unlimited talk, text and data. In fact, even the $60 option also comes with unlimited data now, but it’s not as “unlimited” as we’d all like. You only get 1GB of high-speed data for the $45 tier and 2.5GB for the $60 per month, after which AT&T will throttle your connection. Sure, it’s no fun browsing the internet on speeds reaching only 128kbps, but having a connection no matter how slow beats having none at all, especially in times of emergency. If you need more high-speed data, though, you can always top off the more expensive plan with 1GB for $10, or the $45 plan with 500MB for (oddly enough) the same price. Plus, you can add $10 on top of both tiers to get 1, 000 minutes of calls to landlines and cellphones in Mexico, among other add-on packages that you can see on AT&T’s website. Ma Bell not your carrier of choice? If T-Mobile has the better service where you live, you may want to look at its comparable (but even more competitive) Simple Choice prepaid plans. [Image credit: JeepersMedia/Flickr ] Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , AT&T Comments Source: Droid Life , AT&T

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AT&T refreshes its GoPhone lineup with $45 option and unlimited data

Britain’s first ‘poo bus’ hits the streets

Thanks to a range of new technologies, Britain’s buses are steadily swapping traditional fuel for greener alternatives . Over in Bristol, however, Wessex Water believes more can be done with the brown stuff. That’s why it’s today put the UK’s first bus powered entirely by human and food waste into service. The Bio-Bus, as it’s known, is a 40-seater shuttle capable of travelling up to 186 miles on a full tank of bio-methane gas, which is generated via a process called anaerobic digestion. Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s uses the same technique to power one of its stores. Its branch in Cannock, West Midlands is exclusively powered by energy generated from bio-methane gas expelled by unusable food from its shelves. Bath Bus Company, the company operating the service, believes the “poo bus” will carry 10, 000 passengers between Bristol Airport and Bath city centre each month. While it’s perfectly set up to run the Number 2 route, it’ll disappointingly run on the A4 service locally. Filed under: Transportation Comments Source: Wessex Water

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Britain’s first ‘poo bus’ hits the streets

One of music’s big managers wants to pull 20,000 songs from YouTube

You may not know who Irving Azoff is, but he’s considered one of the most powerful managers in the music business… and right now, he’s wielding that power against YouTube. The industry vet’s recently established royalty group, Global Music Rights, has sent letters to YouTube insisting that it pull 20, 000 songs that it allegedly doesn’t have a license to play, including tunes from John Lennon and Pharrell Williams. A Google spokesman tells the Wall Street Journal that YouTube has the necessary rights for its new Music Key service, but Azoff doesn’t believe those count. Also, he argues that any royalty deal to keep the songs in place would require payments “major multiples” larger than what YouTube pays artists right now. Azoff’s clout and the sheer scale of his request will likely carry some weight. You’re probably going to notice if those songs disappear, after all. With that said, the exec hasn’t had success fighting YouTube in the past. He created Global Music Rights precisely because he was frustrated when challenging YouTube on copyright disputes — it would ask him to show exact instances where it was missing licenses and infringing artists’ rights, which was supposedly near-impossible. And historically, large-scale copyright battles with YouTube tend to be both drawn out and messy . Azoff may have a better chance at extracting cash than he did before, but you won’t want to bet on a speedy resolution. [Image credit: Thomas Hawk, Flickr ] Filed under: Internet , Google Comments Source: Wall Street Journal

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One of music’s big managers wants to pull 20,000 songs from YouTube

Walgreens to offer quick, affordable and needle-free blood tests in all its stores

You might still think of Walgreens as a corner drugstore chain, but the company aims to be much more than that. In its quest to become a “healthcare leader, ” Walgreens recently teamed up with Silicon Valley startup Theranos, which boasts a new and innovative blood testing method developed by founder Elizabeth Holmes (above). In fact, a Walgreens in Palo Alto started offering blood tests from within its premises earlier this year, followed by over 20 stores in Phoenix. Now, the company has announced that it plans to make this in-store blood test available in all its 8, 200 locations — a move that has huge implications, as Theranos’ tests are much cheaper, quicker to do and a lot more efficient than its more traditional counterparts. Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford at 19 years old to build Theranos, devised a way to perform up to 70 different blood tests using just 25 to 50 microliters of blood. The startup seriously needs so little blood from patients, that all it takes to draw a sample is a nearly painless fingerprick. Plus, the minuscule vial it uses to keep blood in is called a “nanotainer, ” which you can (barely) see in the image above. Even better, the company has vowed to keep its prices (which are fully displayed on its website) below 50 percent of Medicare’s reimbursement rate for each procedure. With Theranos testing kits accessible in every Walgreens, people can just walk in, get their finger pricked, get results to their doctors within hours and save a ton of money in the process. Walgreens hasn’t revealed a timeline for this expansion yet, but seeing as the company wants to be known as a leader in healthcare within five years’ time, the rollout will likely start soon. Other than its partnership with the startup, Walgreens is also working on a cloud-based EHR (electronic healthcare record) containing all customers’ info that can be accessed across stores, among other projects. PS: Holmes is pretty secretive when it comes to Theranos’ testing process, but you hear her talk about the company below. Filed under: Science Comments Source: Forbes

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Walgreens to offer quick, affordable and needle-free blood tests in all its stores

Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

It’s simple: Square arms small-business owners with an arsenal of weapons they need to do battle with larger (chain) competitors. In turn, you, the consumer, reap a variety of benefits . Now, the company’s furthering that entrepreneurial spirit with its own Square Register -integrated gift cards program. Starting today, any Square merchant can order custom-designed cards at $1.50 apiece, without having to worry about future subscription, redemption or transaction fees. What’s more, when a customer buys a gift card, the funds are immediately transferred into the seller’s back account, rather than sitting in limbo until they’re redeemed. For shopkeepers, it’s a simple, inexpensive way to entice customers. Filed under: Misc , Software Comments Source: Square

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Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

Facebook’s latest page keeps you updated on tech news

You probably don’t think of Facebook as a source for bleeding edge tech news, but the social network is determined to improve that reputation. It just launched FB Techwire , a page that blends technology news and commentary in a single feed. The site is ostensibly for journalists, but it’s handy for just about anyone who’d like to get all their tech stories in a single place — you won’t necessarily have to dig through a newsreader app or your Twitter timeline to keep up. Give it a look if you’re eager to see more in your social stream than the usual vacation photos and family announcements. Filed under: Internet , Facebook Comments Source: FB Techwire

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Facebook’s latest page keeps you updated on tech news

Solar power will give you non-stop water during bike rides

If you’re a cyclist, you know the anxiety that comes with running out of water in the middle of a bike ride — the last thing you want is dehydration when you’re miles away from home. Design student Kristof Retezàr may just set your mind at ease, though. He recently developed Fontus , a bike-mounted device that uses solar power to convert air moisture into water for your drinking bottle. The key is its use of thermoelectric cooling. Solar panels generate electricity that cools the top of the device, where air comes in as you ride; as the moisture condenses, it drips water into a bottle below. The bottom stays warm, but that only accelerates the condensation process above. This is a design exercise at the moment, but Retezàr is looking at both crowdfunding and investors to turn this into a shipping product. It won’t need much refinement to be both cheap and effective, at least. The Fontus prototype cost less than $40 to make, and it actually works best when conditions are at their worst — it produces half a liter (17 fluid ounces) of water in an hour when subjected to hot and humid air. That may not be completely satisfying if you’re extremely thirsty, but it should be enough to tide you over until your next rest stop. Filed under: Transportation , Science Comments Via: Huffington Post , Nerdoholic Source: James Dyson Foundation

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Solar power will give you non-stop water during bike rides