Saturday 15 February 2020

Motorola Razr review, and the end of HQ Trivia

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It's Saturday, February 15, 2020.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

After an explosive launch in 2017 that had millions of people tuning in to play live on their phones for cash prizes, HQ Trivia has shut down. Its downfall includes a failed acquisition and reported employee mutiny, but mostly, I’m just sad to see it go. Like most others, I gave up on the game some time ago when it failed to innovate and address some inherent problems. I probably won’t even miss it as much as I still can’t get over Microsoft’s 1 vs.100 live game on Xbox 360, and that’s been gone for nearly ten years.

Massively multiplayer live experiences aren’t an easy thing to solve, but with so many potential players, it seems like someone should’ve worked out a sustainable business model by now. We can’t all build our own buzzer system and train at home to become the next James Holzhauer.

-- Richard

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It’s impractical, exclusive to one carrier and has mediocre battery life.

Motorola Razr review: A fashion statement, not a flagship

According to Chris Velazco, “In terms of performance and experience, the 2020 Motorola Razr is a $400 smartphone in a $1,500 smartphone body.” Read the rest of the review to find out what works and what doesn’t in this retro revival.

Something to keep an eye on.

Apple's 5G iPhone might use a custom antenna

2020 is supposed to be the year of the 5G iPhone. Interestingly, Fast Company reports that Apple is still considering two different designs for the model it will launch this fall. A thinner option would rely on a custom-designed 5G antenna -- how’d that work out on the iPhone 4? -- instead of using Qualcomm’s technology like the recently-unveiled Galaxy S20 family.

And the Razr’s really bad timing.

Engadget Podcast: Breaking down the Samsung fest and MWC mess

Cherlynn is joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco (Devindra is off on vacation, yay!) to talk about all of the new Galaxy phones (Flip Z or S20) and commiserate over no longer going to Barcelona. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

This sentence search engine is a must-have tool for writers

It also claims it will build 700 hydrogen filling stations across the US.

Nikola Motors unveils hybrid fuel-cell concept truck with 600-mile range

Nikola plans to offer the Badger as both a purely battery-electric vehicle and as an electric/fuel-cell hybrid. The company claims the hybrid powertrain model will feature a maximum range of approximately 600 miles, while the battery model will be limited to 300 miles.

Wireless charging and Bluetooth connections on your feet.

Nike's new self-lacing basketball shoes go on sale Sunday for $400

Nike is back with another pair of self-lacing shoes. This Nike Adapt BB 2.0 set improves on its predecessor with new Zoom Air cushioning in the forefoot, and a redesigned body that makes it easier to put on. However, the 2020 version has also increased in price, to $400. The first colorway goes on sale Sunday at 10 AM ET. If you miss out on those, Ja Morant showed off a set of red of Adapts in last night’s Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend that will be sold exclusively via the NBA 2K20 videogame.

Red Dawn.

First ‘Stranger Things 4’ teaser moves the action far from Hawkins

A 50-second clip opens on a snowy Russian landscape where prisoners, watched by armed guards, are assembling railroad tracks. And, oh snap, one of those captives is a clean-shaven... Sheriff Hopper?

But wait, there's more...

1. Here's everything Samsung announced at its Galaxy S20 event

2. Coming in 2021: A movie shot entirely in vertical video

3. Australian court orders Google to reveal user who wrote a dentist's bad review

4. Bloomberg: The PS5 could cost 'at least' $470

5. Apple ordered to pay employees for time lost to bag searches

6. JLab Go Air review: These $29 wireless earbuds are surprisingly decent

7. Researchers find a way to 3D print whole objects in seconds

8. 'Guardians of the Galaxy' director Taika Waititi hates Apple's recent MacBook Pro keyboards

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Friday 14 February 2020

Editor's Pick: It's Time for a Social Media and Disinformation Reckoning

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Editor's Pick

February 14, 2020

It's Time for a Social Media and Disinformation Reckoning

Can social media be saved? Can democracy be saved? The first question may seem less compelling than the second, but to some very worried observers, they are intimately entwined. Social networking -- on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a host of other online networks -- is the root of all current cultural evils, in the eyes of some critics.

As part of a comprehensive virtual discussion on the state of technology in 2020, we put two central questions to ECT's panel of industry insiders in an effort to tease apart some of these tangled issues. We asked them to identify the biggest problems with social media and to propose some potential solutions.

Televerde's Michelle Cirocco: 'Invest in Disempowered Populations'

Televerde trains and employs women incarcerated in Arizona and Indiana, and it offers many of them employment when they leave prison. Michelle Cirocco, Televerde's chief social responsibility officer, spoke with the E-Commerce Times about the the long-term benefits of Televerde's program.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

3 Ways Agent Experience is Boosting Customer Experience

Discover how you can empower your agents to provide a 5-star experience to every customer. On demand Webinar featuring Lori Bocklund of Strategic Contact and additional resources.

Read more
get.niceincontact.com

Customer Retention Blooms Again

Brightback recently published a report on customer churn and what more than 400 subscription companies say they're doing about it. Its findings are in line with many other sources, and the data deserves an examination.

Latest E-Commerce Trend: The Rise of Shoppable Posts

Core business-to-consumer platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and business-to-business platforms like LinkedIn, are not meeting consumer expectations, but all of them are adopting or currently developing shoppable strategies to make them more competitive with the likes of Amazon.

The Clear and Present Ransomware Danger

Ransomware incidents increased sharply in 2019. Almost as many ransomware threats were detected in the first three months of 2019 as in the whole of 2018, Trend Micro reported. The rise of Ransomware as a Service could explain why losses due to ransomware have been increasing.

Career Advice

Free Best Practices: How to Make Yourself Indispensable

How hard would it be for your employer to find someone that can do what you can do, but for less? The way to counteract that is to do everything possible to show your company how indispensable you really are. Download this article to find out how.

Read more
ecommercetimes.tradepub.com

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