Year: 2017

Amazon Video MAY Finally Arrive on Apple TV this Summer

Dan Uff May 5, 2017 1

“Amazon and Apple may have reached a truce,” Peter Kafka and Jason Del Rey report for Recode. “The tech giants, who are increasingly competing for customers’ time, eyeballs and money, are close to an agreement to bring an Amazon video app to Apple’s Apple TV set-top box, according to people familiar with the two companies.”

“Amazon employees expect the app to show up on Apple’s hardware in the third quarter of the year,” Kafka and Del Rey report. “That move would allow Amazon Prime Video subscribers to easily watch TV shows and movies from the service using Apple TV. For the past few years, Amazon subscribers have only been able to watch their shows on Apple TV using Apple’s comparatively cumbersome Airplay system, which involves connecting another Apple product, like an iPhone, to an Apple TV using a wifi connection.”

Kafka and Del Rey report, “It’s unclear what got the two companies to reach an agreement, though some industry observers suggest that any pact would have been worked out, at a high level, by CEOs Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos.”

Read more in the full article here.

CNBC: Blackberry Keyone Review – Solid Android Phone, Throwback Keyboard

Dan Uff May 5, 2017 1

If you're among the dedicated few still attached to your BlackBerry, then listen up: We've been testing the BlackBerry KeyOne Android smartphone for the last few days, and we think you're going to like it.

One thing you should know: BlackBerry Limited doesn't build its own smartphones anymore. Instead, it licenses its name and hardware patents (including the beloved keyboard) to TCL Communications and provides the software — Android with a BlackBerry skin — while TCL Communications manufactures and handles sales and marketing of BlackBerry Mobile devices.

This is the first device launched by TCL Communications since it agreed to license the BlackBerry brand in December. The deal gave TCL a more primary role in working with the brand and BlackBerry hardware.

The KeyOne was introduced earlier this year and launched recently in Canada and will release in the U.S. next month for $549, completely unlocked, and on Sprint this summer.

Rock solid design and all the basics

To read the rest of the review, click here.

Did you fall for the Gmail Phishing Scam? Here’s what to do now

Dan Uff May 4, 2017 2

(CNBC.com): Don't worry if you accidentally opened that Google Doc that was floating around yesterday.

If you have no idea what we're talking about, here's a quick brief: On Wednesday, a worm started spreading around Gmail that suggested to users a friend or colleague was trying to share a Google Doc.

It was a classic phishing scam wherein an attacker tries to gain your information by tricking you into opening something. If you opened the document, you were asked to give permission for it to access your account. Then it sent itself out to everyone in your address book. Oops.

Did you do that?

If so, don't worry too much. Google says it has already disabled the offending accounts (only 0.1 percent were affected), and that it was able to stop the worm within an hour. A Google spokesperson also said "there's no further action users need to take regarding this event; users who want to review third party apps connected to their account can visit Google Security Checkup."

Since it's not quite clear what sort of information that phishing attack could have grabbed, it's still a good idea to make some changes. We should all take this event as a reminder that we're all potentially vulnerable to attack, even when the attack is disguised as an email from a friend or family member.

Here's what to do to keep yourself safe and how to access Google's Security Checkup.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

NBCUniversal, affiliates sign with Hulu for possible live TV Streaming Service

Dan Uff May 2, 2017 1

On Monday, Hulu announced a deal to bring NBCUniversal on board for its upcoming live TV service, securing the last of the four major U.S. broadcast networks plus its associated specialty channels, such as Syfy and Telemundo.

The service will launch with 50 channels including NBCUniversal's Bravo, USA, E!, Sprout, CNBC, MSNBC, and NBCSN, as well as some local affiliate channels.

No word on when the service will officially launch.