Latest news

Google has announced that Android Pay will be headed to the UK in the coming months, following major delays.

Says Google: "Android Pay will support MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards from many of the UK's major financial institutions -- including Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society -- with new banks being added all the time.

You will be able to use Android Pay everywhere contactless payments are accepted, including your favorite places at which to shop and eat every day, such as Boots, Costa Coffee, Waitrose, and more. You can also tap and pay as you go across London on the Tube, buses and trains, using Android Pay with Transport for London (TfL).

Android Pay will help you speed through checkout within your favorite apps including JD Sports, Deliveroo, YPlan, and more. Say goodbye to entering your payment or address details every time you want to shop."

The company continues to work with processors, banks, tech providers and payment platforms in the UK so there are likely to be more announcements before the launch.

The RIAA has announced that revenue from streaming has surpassed digital for the first time ever.

In 2015, streaming accounted for $2.4 billion in sales, ahead of digital downloads.

Overall, the industry saw a small 0.9 percent increase in sales to $7 billion, one of the few times the industry has seen any growth in quite some time.

"In 2015, digital music subscription services reached new all-time highs, generating more than $1 billion in revenues for the first time, and averaging nearly 11 million paid subscriptions for the year," RIAA CEO Cary Sherman said in a memo. "Heading into 2016, the number of subscriptions swelled even higher -- more than 13 million by the end of December -- holding great promise for this year."

Of course, the RIAA is never happy and used the announcement to also argue that ad-supported streaming does not pay the artists (at least not much). "The consumption of music is skyrocketing but revenues for creators have not kept pace," Sherman wrote. "In 2015, fans listened to hundreds of billions of audio and video music streams through on-demand ad-supported digital services like YouTube, but revenues from such services have been meager  --  far less than other kinds of music services."

Ad-supported streaming brought in $385 million in 2015, while vinyl sales made $416 million, added the RIAA, a generally shocking figure given the billions of streams annually made on YouTube or via Spotify.

Google has announced this week that its popular Chromecast application has now been rebranded as "Google Cast."

The name change, Google says, is to reflect that the cast application now works across TVs, smart displays, speakers and more, rather than just on the Chromecast dongle.

"The Google Cast app makes it easy for you to discover great stuff to watch, find more apps, customize backdrop, and more. The updated Google Cast app will be rolling out this week on Android & iOS," added Google, without specifically noting what the update will bring in terms of features.

Check out the updating Google Cast page here: Google Cast

HTC has sent out invites for the unveiling of their next phone, expected to be called the HTC 10.

The phone is also expected to be a continuation of the One line, which has been critically acclaimed but has failed to generate sales that can compete with rivals like Apple and Samsung.

According to leaked specs, the HTC 10 will feature a 5.15-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 820 processor and the latest version of HTC's Sense overlay on top of Android 6.1 Marshmallow.

The event will be streamed online at 8AM EST via HTC's website.

Netflix has released their 2016 list of "Netflix Recommended TVs," and only two manufacturers made the cut.

The company states that a TV must meet at least five of seven specific criteria to get the badge: They must turn on instantly, must resume activity once it's been stopped, it must offer the latest version of the app, the app must launch quickly or resume quickly, and it must be easy to find the app either through a dedicated button on the remote or through a dedicated icon in the user interface.

Only LG and Sony made the cut this time, each with a few TVs:

LG 2016 4K UHD TVs with webOS 3.0
UH6300 series | UH6500 series | UH7500 series | UH8500 series | UH9500 series | G6 series
TV has Instant On feature so your TV wakes and apps are ready to use right away. The TV Resume feature means that when Netflix was the last used app, the TV comes right back to Netflix when turned back on again. Apps start quickly and the WebOS interface enables easy navigation and switching between apps and inputs.

Sony
2016 Android 4K UHD TVs
X85D series | X93D series | X94D series

TV has Instant On feature so your TV wakes and apps are ready to use right away. In addition, TV turns on and launches Netflix with one press of the Netflix button on remote. The TV Resume feature means that when Netflix was the last used app, the TV comes right back to Netflix when turned back on again. Apps launch quickly and return where you left off. Android TV interface enables easy navigation and switching between apps and inputs.

Nintendo has announced this week that their mobile app Miitomo is a hit, with over 1 million downloads in its first three days of availability.

The app is especially a hit in Japan, where it remains the top free download in the nation. The app was first announced in October, and it was met with criticism since it featured Mii characters and not blockbuster franchise characters like Mario, Donkey Kong or Zelda. That doesn't seem to be a problem now with over a million downloads.

Miitomo lets users create their own Mii and profile based on their interests, and then you can interact with other Miitomo users and friends in a virtual social network. Nintendo makes money through in-app purchases of items for your Miis.

Nintendo has promised a U.S. release of the game by the end of the month.

As part of their larger event yesterday, Apple has also made iOS 9.3 available to all devices.

The most important part of the update is Night Shift mode, which is aimed at reducing blue light eye strain (digital strain) in the same way f.lux and Twilight do for PC/Mac and Android.

Additionally, the update adds TouchID integration to the Notes app (for better security) and improved 3D Touch functions.

Finally, the update also patches critical security bugs, including one recently discovered by researchers at Johns Hopkins University that could have affected millions.

Spotify founder Daniel Ek has proudly announced that the company has reached 30 million paid subscribers.

The last milestone was reached in June of last year, when the company topped 20 million, suggesting growth is strong at the streaming music giant.

Although Ek did not note it, there are an estimated 75 million free users of the service, as well, adding significant revenue via ads.

Against Apple, it seems Spotify is certainly holding its own. However, Apple Music has added over 11 million paying subscribers since launch in June and has launched for Android, as well, increasing its potential base by 1 billion users. Additionally, no one can argue that if Apple has significant marketing power and an almost infinite amount of cash to spend.

As part of their event today, Apple announced a price drop on their smartwatch, which will now start at $300 rather than $350.

The price drop is intended to keep new consumers interested in the Apple Watch, and the company also unveiled a plethora of new band options to keep existing consumers interested, as well.

Included are the new $149 Milanese loop and $50 woven nylon bands in seven colors.

As expected, Apple used today's special event to unveil their iPhone SE.

The SE has a 4-inch display (just like the iPhone 5) but packs powerful specs that, for the most part, match that of the new iPhone 6s.

With prices starting at $399, it is cheaper than current model iPhones but you do lose at least 7/10ths of an inch in hardware screen real estate. Features include a 64-bit Apple A9 processor, an M9 GPU, a 12MP iSight camera, TouchID, 4K support, "Hey Siri" support, Apple Pay support, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and LTE and iOS 9.3.

The new (old) iPhone SE is available for pre-order on Thursday and will begin shipping on the 31st.

Following a witch hunt by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, daily fantasy giants DraftKings and FanDuel are officially shut down in the state.

The settlement between the sites and the AG bans New York bettors from adding funds to their accounts and from using existing funds to place any bets. The ban is in effect until September, when the appeal for daily fantasy sports legality is scheduled to be heard.

If the companies lose their appeal, then all lawsuits and future appeals will be dropped and the AG also agrees to drop any claims, reads the settlement.

Both sites are now geoblocking and IP blocking all New York residents, just like it does for all other "closed states."

Microsoft has dropped the price of the Xbox One again, to $299, $50 off the regular price.

The cut applies to all bundles, meaning you can get the new 1TB HDD/The Division bundle for $350, a pretty slick deal.

Additionally, the company has cut the price of some games by $20, including Halo 5, but Microsoft says the deals are all "for a limited time."

Finally, the company said that starting tomorrow, select games in the Xbox Store will be discounted anywhere from 40 to 60 percent, including new games like Far Cry Primal.

Entire AfterDawn team wishes to congratulate Jari (one of our founders, our long-time CTO) and his girlfriend Susanna, who became dad and mom today!

Specs for the v1.0:

Gender M
Weight 3720g
Height 49cm

Microsoft has said this week that they will continue support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on Intel Skylake devices, fully guaranteeing extended support until July 17th, 2018.

After that date, users will still receive some critical updates: "After July 2018, all critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for Skylake systems until extended support ends for Windows 7, January 14, 2020 and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023."

The update includes PCs and Skylake-embedded devices.

Source:
ZDNet

According to Deadline, Netflix will pay $90 million for the new R-rated thriller 'Bright' starring Will Smith - far and away its largest deal to date.

Bright is a fantasy thriller that has Smith partnered with Joel Edgerton and the film is directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) with a script by Max Landis (American Ultra).

Netflix had bidding rivals in Warner Bros., MGM, and PalmStar, although it is clear Netflix was willing to overpay.

For their money, Netflix gets a high-profile director and actor and the potential for millions of new subscribers paying $8.99 per month.