Month: March 2017

DirecTV Now offering specials for HBO, monthly discount offers, and more

Dan Uff March 8, 2017 0

AT&T's DirecTV Now customers who have an Apple TV were notified that for their 'continued commitment' to the service, that the company is throwing in free HBO for an entire year for customers who subscribed to the "Go Big" or "Gotta Have It" monthly plans, or $5.00 off for the monthly tier plans.

Announced through AT&T's DirecTV Now forum, the discounts are automatically applied to customer accounts that were active on Mar. 6. Subscribers who recently cancelled DirecTV Now, or whose accounts were pending cancellation as of Mar. 6, are not eligible for the promotion.

While the reward is accessible to all current customers, only "Go Big" and "Gotta Have It" tiers are eligible for 12 months of completely free HBO streaming. If they opt in, those with lower tier plans "Live a Little" and "Just Right" will see a $5 credit applied to their bills for 6 months. Considering HBO is a $5 per month add-on, lower tier subscribers can apply their credit to try out the premium service for free for half a year.

Finally, customers who prepaid for HBO as part of another offer will see the monthly discount added to their account when the prepayment period expires.

It should be noted that the usual $5 per month HBO charge will automatically resume once the promotional period ends.

Snap Chat’s Stock down 11 Percent, Stock Market eating stock for lunch

Dan Uff March 7, 2017 0

Snap, the parent company of social media platform SnapChat saw its stock take a hell of a tumble since becoming public last Thursday - going down as much as 11% after a massive rally.

When the stock went public, it received a very warm welcome by the stock market, going up as much as 44% on its first day and then another 10% on the second.

But the excitement started to fade Monday as some analysts questioned the company's growth potential.

Analysts at Needham initiated coverage of the social media firm's stock with an "underperform" rating, noting the company's total addressable market is 80 percent smaller than Facebook.

"Prospect Theory would label SNAP a 'lottery-like' stock," they said in a note Monday.

The stock dropped more than 10 percent Monday and closed below its opening trade price from Thursday.

Chart Source: Factset / CNBC.com

Report: New Amazon Echo device to make phone calls

Dan Uff March 6, 2017 0

(ZDNet): Amazon plans to release new Alexa-powered devices with phone call and intercom functionality, according to Recode citing sources, and an announcement is expected in the coming months.

It's not clear how many new Echo models Amazon may release, but the device(s) are said to enable users to start phone calls by voice. The intercom functionality would also allow users to talk to each other through Alexa devices.

The new hardware, which would add to the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Tap lineup, was in beta testing inside of Amazon during February, the report said. Calling could give Echo users functionality past the thousands of skills currently available through Alexa.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Amazon and Google are working to add voice calling to the Echo and Google Home smart speakers.

Amazon couldn't immediately be reached for comment.