Month: July 2016

Iranian Government Threatens to Ban iPhones and ‘collect’ current ones

Dan Uff July 19, 2016 0

Japan Times is reporting that Iranian officials have threatened to ban the device completely from the country and 'collect' existing ones unless the company assigns a representative to the country. They are citing problems with smuggling within the country.

“If Apple will not register an official representative in Iran within the next few days, all iPhones will be collected from the market,” Tasnim News Agency quoted the director of Iran’s anti-smuggling office as having said on Sunday.

The paper also reports that the government will require all mobile phones to be registered with Iran’s telecommunications user database, and will ban the use of non-registered phones.

Mobile operators, customs and the union of mobile phone sellers are all said to be cooperating with the project, but the move is likely to raise concerns about the use to which the data may be put. Amnesty International’s annual report on Iran says that the government has ‘severely curtailed the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, arresting and imprisoning journalists, human rights defenders, trade unionists and others who voiced dissent, on vague and overly broad charges.’

The Tehran IT union has also expressed concern about the risks of the database being hacked.

U.N. sanctions against Iran limit the ability of U.S. companies to sell their products in Iran, though Apple last year started discussions with Iranian distributors in the hope that sanctions will be eased this year.

Car maker Kia to offer Apple CarPlay Upgrades on some models

Dan Uff July 19, 2016 0

2017KiaForte Early Tuesday, Kia announced plans to offer upgrades for Apple CarPlay on some of its 2014 - 2016 models. The cars in question are as follows:

2017 Forte
2015-16 Optima/Optima Hybrid
2015-16 Sedona
2014-16 Soul
2015-16 Soul EV
2016 Sorento
2017 Sportage

Kia is already offering CarPlay on the 2017 Cadenza and the 2017 Forte5.

Official: Star Trek 4 is Happening

Dan Uff July 18, 2016 0

StarTrekEnterprise2016 Paramount Pictures has officially announced that it will be planning a Star Trek 4 to be released on an unannounced date.

The movie will be centered around Kirk's father, which was seen in the 2009 movie.

Here's the official press release:

PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SKYDANCE AND BAD ROBOT
ANNOUNCE A FOURTH “STAR TREK” FILM

CHRIS PINE AND CAST TO BE JOINED BY CHRIS HEMSWORTH, WHO RETURNS TO THE BLOCKBUSTER FRANCHISE AS GEORGE KIRK

HOLLYWOOD, CA (July 18, 2016) – Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot today announced that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will return to the big screen for another voyage.

In the next installment of the epic space adventure, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father.

Chris Hemsworth, who appeared in 2009’s “STAR TREK,” will return to the space saga as George Kirk to star alongside Pine.

The remaining cast is expected to return.

J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will write the screenplay. J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber will produce through Bad Robot Productions. David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance will executive produce.

NetFlix

Netflix to be exclusive home for new Star Trek Series Internationally

Dan Uff July 18, 2016 1

NetflixLogo2016 Bell acquires exclusive linear TV and SVOD rights in Canada.

Netflix has signed an international licensing agreement with CBS Studios Intl. to be the exclusive home of the new “Star Trek” television series in 188 countries.

The deal does not include the U.S. and Canada, where CBS and Bell Media, respectively, have the rights. Each episode of the series will be available globally within 24 hours of its U.S. premiere.

Additionally, all 727 episodes of the previous “Star Trek” TV series, including “Star Trek: The Original Series,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Enterprise,” will be available on Netflix around the world by the end of this year.

Commenting on the Netflix pact, Armando Nunez, president and CEO at CBS Studios Intl., said: “The launch of the new ‘Star Trek’ will truly be a global television event. ‘Star Trek’ is a worldwide phenomenon and this international partnership will provide fans around the world, who have been craving a new series for more than a decade, the opportunity to see every episode virtually at the same time as viewers in the U.S. Thanks to our world-class partners at Netflix, the new ‘Star Trek’ will definitely be ‘hailing on all frequencies’ throughout the planet.”

The new series will begin production in Toronto in September for its January 2017 premiere. “The franchise will return to television for the first time since 2005 with a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation,” according to a press statement.

In the U.S., the series will launch with a special premiere episode on the CBS Television Network in January. The premiere episode and all subsequent episodes will then be available in the U.S. exclusively on CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video-on-demand and live-streaming service.

Bell has acquired the exclusive linear TV and SVOD rights in Canada. Each episode of the new series will be available simultaneously with its release in the U.S. Bell has also licensed all episodes in the “Star Trek” TV library.

Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller are co-creators and executive producers for the new “Star Trek,” based on Gene Roddenberry’s original series. Fuller launched his career writing for “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” Kurtzman is co-writer and producer of the blockbuster films “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness.”

The series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout, Fuller’s Living Dead Guy Prods., and Roddenberry Entertainment. Kurtzman, Fuller, Heather Kadin, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth will serve as executive producers.

Via: Variety.com