With so many of us stuck at home, it's no surprise that streaming numbers spiked. On Tuesday afternoon, Netflix gave a peek at just how much, with quarterly earnings numbers revealing it added nearly 16 million customers worldwide. Going by its new standards and projections, Netflix reported some 64 million people watched the Tiger King documentary in its first month of streaming, 65 million saw Money Heist and 85 million watched at least part of Mark Wahlberg's Spenser Confidential. Are y'all really that bored?
-- Richard
'No Filter' review: How Mark Zuckerberg's jealousy shaped Instagram
And the meaning of #Binghazi.
Simon & Schuster
Wonder what happened after Facebook bought Instagram? Karissa Bell has the review of Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier's No Filter, a book that expertly chronicles the rise of Instagram, from its early days as a fledgling Foursquare-like check-in app to the Facebook-owned behemoth that currently accounts for more than a quarter of the company's $70 billion revenue.
And it tells how Mark Zuckerberg -- who didn't grant an extensive interview -- apparently got a bit worried that its growth was coming at the expense of Facebook. Continue reading.
Intel's NUC 9 Extreme is the new king of tiny gaming PCs
The Core i9 kit we reviewed starts at $1,639 -- without GPU, RAM, storage or an OS.
Engadget
If you'd like to set up a new gaming PC but only have teeny-tiny living space, then Devindra Hardawar can explain why the NUC 9 Extreme is made for you. The only problem? That price. Continue reading.
Motorola's Edge+ launch was spoiled a day early
Take a sneak peek.
Motorola
Later today, Motorola will officially unveil its new flagship smartphone, but Droid-Life uncovered a blog post by Verizon (the owner of Engadget's parent company) detailing specs and apparent exclusivity of the high-end Edge+ model. The Edge+ will have a 6.7-inch 1080p OLED screen whose curved edges explain its name, a 90Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 865 processor, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of built-in storage.
There's also 5G, a 5,000mAh battery, 6K video recording and a 108MP camera, but a reported $1,000 price tag may make its specs look ordinary next to the likes of the OnePlus 8 or Galaxy S20. We'll find out more in just a few hours. Continue reading.
'Fortnite' is finally available through the Google Play Store
On iOS there's no other option.
According to Epic, Google has allegedly relied on "scary, repetitive security pop-ups," Google Play Protect and hostile characterizations (such as treating third-party app sources as malware havens) to put non-Play Store titles "at a disadvantage." After distributing Fortnite directly for 18 months, the publisher has found no suitable option other than to let Google take its cut to more easily reach Android users. If you've been waiting for an easier install process, then you can grab the shooter right here. Continue reading.
Razer's updated Blade Stealth gets a faster display and GPU
A truly powerful ultrabook.
Razer
For 2020, Razer's 3.1-pound Blade Stealth gaming laptop packs a 120Hz display for smoother gaming and comes with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, which should boost speeds, too. It also offers Intel's latest Core i7-1065G7 quad-core processor with faster clock speeds of up to 3.9GHz. As before, you can pair the $1,800 device with a Razer Core X eGPU equipped with any graphics card for greater gaming speeds. Continue reading.
There is so much money behind Quibi. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a mobile video service/network hot on the heels of many similar services that have failed. With Hollywood clout and again, so much darn money, Quibi launches today -- for $5 per month with ads! -- with a selection of shows and content with short runtimes and baffling sales pitches.
Will it sideline Netflix, Hulu, podcasts, games, Instagram and absolutely everything else you use to kill time on your phone? I’m not sure it will. Still, there’s a 90-day free trial if you want to give it the benefit of the doubt.
-- Mat
It's more popular than Firefox after just a few months.
Microsoft’s new Chromium-based browser is picking up users. According to the latest figures from NetMarketShare, Edge just inches ahead of Firefox, with 7.6 percent versus 7.2 percent. Yes, it’s Window’s default browser, but it’s that Chromium base that makes it more compatible, faster and, well, less janky compared to older versions of Edge.
Counterpoint Research says paid music subscriptions jumped 32 percent to reach 358 million users in 2019. It points to a mix of exclusives, phone service bundles, regional price cuts and extended trial periods for the leap in growth. Spotify, with a 35 percent cut is out in front, while Apple Music claims 19 percent and Amazon has jumped up to 15 percent. After that, it’s all the others, like YouTube Music, Tencent, Yandex Music and so on.
Devindra Hardawar has been watching those Quibi snippets, and he can’t fathom why anyone would be willing to stump up five bucks a month for it. He also didn't find much value flipping between portrait and vertical modes. Quibi's Turnstyle tech moves between those orientations without stopping the show, but without much commuting in our near future, where this would be useful on a crowded train, it’s a miss. You also can’t ‘cast’ the videos to TVs through AirPlay or Chromecast, which means you’ll have to share your actual phone if you do eventually find something cool.
As Zoom hunkers down to fix its reputation and security holes, some US school districts, including large ones like New York City and Nevada's Clark County, have banned or disabled the video communication service over security and privacy worries. The exact issue differs depending on the district, but they tend to be a mix of tangible security and privacy problems, with teachers and staff who may not be familiar with how Zoom works. There's no end-to-end encryption for Zoom meetings, making it possible to intercept video conferences. Teachers have also had to grapple with "Zoombombing" incidents where bad actors disrupt virtual classes -- sometimes by guessing the meeting number, sometimes because staff share the meeting details on public sites.
More Nintendo Switch consoles. That's apparently what we want. Whether it's down to COVID-19 related supply issues or *that word for people that buy stuff and sell at a profit*, it's difficult for some people to order a Switch at a time when they've arguably never been indoors so much. Nintendo is reportedly ramping up production on consoles, however.
The killer Switch feature in the age of lockdown and working from home, though, is the fact you can play it without hogging the TV. Netflix can be binged, news can be watched and your Animal Crossing isle still gets the attention it needs.
-- Mat
Microsoft's next Surface Go could up the screen size to 10.5 inches
You might also have the option of a faster processor.
Engadget
More reports on Microsoft's upcoming Surface Go sequel suggest the tablet will share a familiar form factor but pack a slightly larger 10.5-inch screen (versus 10 for the original) and a corresponding bump to a 1,920 x 1,280 resolution instead of the 1,800 x 1,200 from before. The tablet is still expected to debut next month. Continue reading.
Review: Apple's Magic Keyboard for iPad
It's finally here.
Engadget
You might already have a new iPad Pro, but now Apple's Magic Keyboard is here to make it feel even more like a bona fide computer. According to Chris Velazco, typing is a pleasure thanks to Apple's updated scissor-switch keys, and as its key layout is nearly the same size as the 13-inch MacBook Pro's, acclimating doesn't take long. The glass trackpad is a star, too, thanks in large part to improvements Apple made to iPadOS. That said, the iPad only has a 40-degree range of motion on its hinge, so it's not quite as flexible as a laptop. However, it's not ideal for every situation. Continue reading.
Netflix prevents accidental skips with 'Screen Lock' on mobile
No more mistakes.
Engadget
Accidentally swiping away from the action is one risk of watching TV or movies on your phone, but Netflix has a solution. Android users will start seeing a Screen Lock option at the bottom of the app's interface right next to the Episodes, Audio & Subtitles and Next Ep. buttons when they hit play and watch on their devices.
Upon tapping Screen Lock, all the other buttons will disappear from the screen. There's no longer any risk of accidentally playing the next episode, pausing or scrubbing forward and back. Users will have to tap the screen twice to deactivate the feature: the first tap will bring up an Unlock Controls? button, and the second tap will make them available for use again. Continue reading.
It's consulting with governors about whether those events break social distancing orders.
Facebook has been consulting with governors about anti-quarantine protests that could break states' social distancing rules. CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan tweeted yesterday that the social network has already removed posts promoting anti-quarantine protests in California, New Jersey and Nebraska.
At the same time, the company launched an interactive map that displays reported county-by-county COVID-19 symptoms from users across the US. The data, obtained via Facebook surveys in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, will be updated throughout the outbreak, with plans to roll out symptom surveys globally in the coming days. Continue reading.
The best apps for actually sticking to your fitness goals
Setting goals is the easy part.
Nike
Isolation, lockdown rules. Perhaps not even leaving the house. With no gym to go to, a lot of us have now rather static lives, making it harder to stick to a fitness regime. (Guilty.) However, there are apps to help you go the distance. Even if it all starts with getting out of your own front door. Continue reading.
