The tablet market was fairly bleak in 2019, it seems. IDC analysts have estimated that tablet shipments dropped 1.5 percent in 2019 compared to a year earlier, with some brands taking a significant hit. The lone bright spots were Apple and Amazon,...
Like it or not, the Vine revival app Byte is bringing in a staple of modern social networks: prominent ads. The looping video app has launched its first ad campaign with Nike, which is running a rathe conspicuous "Self Hail Mary" sponsored section a...
Small drones seldom last more than half an hour in the air due to their inefficiency. They frequently have short, thick wings that help them survive wind gusts, but are terrible for range. However, scientists might have a way to make drones last: b...
It's powered by a Snapdragon 665.
Earlier in the week, and thanks to Evan Blass, we learned that Motorola was planning to launch its first stylus-equipped phone since the Windows Mobile era. And it's thanks to him, again, that we now know what the phone — or possibly series of phones — will be called:
As has already been sporadically reported, this will indeed come to market as the Moto G Stylus (and NOT, ahem, the Motorola Edge+).
This also confirms the stylus-bearing phone is not the flagship that Motorola is reportedly also readying for launch this year. That becomes even more evident once we consider the purported specs of the Moto G Stylus, which 9to5Google reports include a Snapdragon 665, 4GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery.
Moreover, over the past couple of days, we've even gotten a much better look at the phone, thanks to hands-on images of what is supposedly the Moto G Stylus sent to Mexican publication Xataka:
If you squint a little at the bottom right, you can see the stylus hanging out from the phone, confirming that the phone will, indeed, include housing for the pen. Whether or not it's an active stylus is unclear at the moment.
We'll likely hear more about the phone — and the Snapdragon 865-powered Motorola flagship — at MWC next month.
The question now is, what will be the punishment?
The FCC has found that one or more US carriers broke federal law by selling customer's real-time location data, after an extensive investigation.
As reported by The Verge, FCC chair Ajit Pai has written to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In that letter Pai stated:
I am writing to follow up on my letter of December 3, 2019 regarding the status of the FCC's investigation into the disclosure of consumers' real-time location data. Fulfilling the commitment I made in that letter, I wish to inform you that the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has completed its extensive investigation and that it has concluded that one or more wireless carriers apparently violated federal law. I am committed to ensuring that all entities subject to our jurisdiction comply with the Communications Act and the FCC's rules, including those that protect consumers' sensitive information, such as real-time location data. Accordingly, in the coming days, I intend to circulate to my fellow Commissioners for their consideration one or more Notice(s) of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in connection with the apparent violation(s).
Now, the letter does not mention by name any US carriers that may or may not be caught up in this. However, the initial report into the story at the beginning of last year named T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. A report by Motherboard found that they could pay a Bounty Hunter just $300 to locate a phone using data that had been sold through a supply chain of different companies. None of the carriers contacted at the time denied that they sold location data.
This investigation follows that initial report, confirming what we already knew. The question that remains now is what action will the FCC take against what seems to be a brazen violation of customer privacy and security.
Twitter threads can sometimes be a bit confusing to follow, especially if your account is public and anybody can reply. Now, the social network has started rolling out a feature that could help make them easier to parse and could ensure that you won'...Netflix has announced that beginning on February 1 it will begin bringing Studio Ghibli films to its service. In total, there will be 21 films that make an appearance, and they will come in three phases. The films will be made available globally through a distribution partner Wild Bunch International, though this rollout will exclude some big markets.
For those not familiar, Studio Ghibli was founded back in 1985 by the directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and the producer Toshio Suzuki. It is a Japanese animation film studio that has produced feature films, short films, TV commercials, and even worked with video game studios on visual elements for games. Six of the studio's films are among the 10 highest-grossing anime films from Japan, and the company has many other accolades. It's most successful title was Spirited Away, which made over $360 million worldwide and was voted the fourth-best film of the 21st century as picked by 177 film critics from around the world in 2016 and it won an Academy Award in 2003.
To have these movies make their way to streaming services like Netflix is huge, though this does come with some exceptions. Unfortunately, those in the U.S., Canada, and Japan won't be able to stream the films on Netflix easily because of agreements to bring the films to other services. Luckily, there are some ways around this if you're willing to put in a few minutes of your time to get it set up.
If you happen to live in the U.S., Canada, or Japan and want to stream the films via your Netflix subscription you can by setting up a VPN. There are a lot of VPN services out there, and one of the key features of a VPN is the ability to change the server location that you connect to. By doing this, you can make it appear like you are in a different location, and then you have access to the content you previously did not.
Our VPN of choice is ExpressVPN for several reasons. The service is super reliable, the customer support is great, the speeds are fast, it's easy to use, and it's pretty affordable compared to some of the other options. ExpressVPN is currently offering up a 49% discount and 3 months of free access when you sign up for a one-year agreement. This scores you 15 months of access for just under $100.
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The Studio Ghibli films are coming to Netflix, but they won't be available for streaming in the U.S., Canada, or Japan. ExpressVPN is the easiest way to watch the films from the unsupported regions.
Getting the VPN set up takes only a few minutes, and once you are ready you can connect to a server in one of the regions where Studio Ghibli's films are available, like Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, or Asia. With just a few clicks, you can then begin streaming the content and catch up on the 21 films as they're available.
Upon its launch in May, the Studio Ghibli films will also make their way over to the new HBO Max streaming service. Of course this means that you are signing up for yet another service to watch content on, but it's another option for those in the U.S..
Not all of the movies will be available on February 1, but that's when they will begin making an appearance. There will be 21 in total that come to Netflix, and the first seven only will be available at first. Here's the current roll-out schedule:
Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most notable omissions here because Studio Ghibli does not actually hold the publishing rights to the film. Netflix will be subtitling the films in 28 different languages, which is more than ever existed before. If you aren't already a Netflix customer, you can sign up now so you're ready to go when the movies hit!
In addition to the Studio Ghibli films, Netflix has a huge content library full of other great anime, movies, shows, and more. Sign up today.
