Netflix has announced theatrical and streaming release dates for several Fall 2019 films. Last year was a pivotal one for the streamer, as far as its efforts to compete in the annual movie awards season are concerned. They ended up taking home several Oscars for Alfonso Cuarón’s memoir Roma (including, a win for Best Director), after releasing it in theaters ahead of its launch on the streaming service. This was all the more important when it comes to Netflix’s ongoing attempts to extend an olive branch to theater chains that are wary of screening the company’s original features at all....

It’s no secret that Apple and Tim Cook think ARKit has a huge future ahead, with Cook touting that it’s a central idea that’s as important as the smartphone itself. The augmented reality platform has been available to the public for almost a month now, and new data from analytics firm Sensor Tower offers an interesting look at early trends (via TechCrunch)… The company’s tracking and research indicates that games are thus far the most popular implementation of ARKit....

Over the weekend, Canadian rapper Drake unveiled his latest project, a 22-song release called “More Life.” Unlike the rapper’s previous project, “More Life” was not an Apple Music exclusive. Nevertheless, “More Life” set records on Apple’s streaming service, while also besting performance on Spotify… According to The Verge, “More Life” was streamed 89.9 million times on Apple Music during the first 24 hours of availability. This number “shatters” the previous record for streams in 24 hours on Apple Music, which is believed to be held by Drake’s last album, “Views....

A new clip released from Toy Story 4 reintroduces fans of the franchise to Bo Peep. The Toy Story movies bring toys alive in a way that taps into kids’ imaginations about what happens when toys are left alone, with the original story following the adventures of a boy named Andy and his two favorite toys: Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Eventually, though, Andy grows up, and the toys fall into the hands of a new owner, a little girl named Bonnie....

Apple seems to be working hard with its card company partners to promote Apple Pay in the UK. Alongside a MasterCard promo offering free travel in London, Visa Europe is today launching a two-month long ad campaign designed to emphasize the speed, ease and reliability of the service. Featuring a central theme of anticipation, the campaign uses imagery that captures the pause before a primary action – the weightlifter before pressing the lift, the pianist before striking a chord, the chameleon before making a strike – the scenes then snap into the dramatic conclusions as an analogy to how fast, easy and reliable using a Visa card in Apple Pay is in everyday situations such as paying to use the Tube or in a café … The ads will be broadcast on TV and also shown as promoted videos on social media....

Sony has announced that the PlayStation 5 will be more energy efficient than its predecessor, the PlayStation 4. In 2014, a study from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consume up to three times more electricity than consoles from the previous generation. Of the two consoles, though, the PlayStation 4 is more energy efficient: its standby mode uses less power than that of the Xbox One....

Nintendo Directs are a natural part of video games these days, but once upon a time, the concept didn’t even exist. The first Nintendo Direct took place in October 2011, and since then the company’s entire structure has changed. Directs have changed the way Nintendo interacts with consumers, but other companies have also taken note and started following the same style. The digital presentations have had a profound effect on the game industry as a whole, and that’s never been more clear as now when gaming moves onto the next generation of PS5 and Xbox Series X....

The problem This NIST special publication focuses on providing first responders with the information that they require. During an incident, first responders need prompt access to data, and agencies are increasingly taking advantage of smartphones and other mobile devices to provide access to this information. The challenge is that the data that first responders require often includes sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII), law enforcement data, and protected health information (PHI)....

Nothing Phone 1 recently made its debut as the first phone from Nothing led by Carl Pei. The smartphone has a pretty familiar look from the front, but it’s the rear design that keeps it apart from most Android phones. You might have seen at most 5-6 LEDs in a phone, but Nothing Phone 1 has over 900 LEDs to create unique patterns called the Glyph Interface. Although the Nothing Phone 1 got praised by many tech geeks, the experience has not been that great for some people....

Today, the popular alternative camera client Obscura is rolling out an update with a handful of new features including iPad support. Announced via the developer’s Twitter account, the app’s headlining feature is support for the iPad. The update also brings a handful of bug fixes including a layout fix for iPhone 5s/SE, flash not triggering, and faster launch times. Obscura is typically available for $4.99 on the App Store but is currently available as a free download via a promotion inside the Apple Store app....

While we’ve seen a variety of different efforts to bring Linux support to the M1 Macs, official support could be coming sooner than expected. As reported by Phoronix, the upcoming Linux 5.13 cycle could be when preliminary support for the M1 Macs is added. The report explains that while the experience of running Linux on an M1 Mac still has ways to go, things are now in “good enough shape” that the Linux 5....

As the new iPad Pros start to arrive to consumers around the world, app updates continue to roll in for the new devices. Popular graphic design app OmniGraffle 3 has been updated this even with support for the new iPad Pro displays, as well as optimization for the new Apple Pencil. For the second-generation Apple Pencil, OmniGraffle 3 is adding support for the new double-tap functionality. The app will respect the system setting for double-tap when there is an equivalent, but there will also be additional app-specific functionality available to users....

Netflix today has raised its prices slightly for new customers for its standard and premium plans, while existing customers will start paying the higher prices in November. [Update: Netflix will be raising prices internationally after all. The Sun reports the price hikes for UK customers, while French site Les Echoes reports €1 and €2 jumps for the standard and premium plans as well.] Reported by Mashable, Netflix will be raising it’s standard plan from $9....

Warning: SPOILERS for Netflix’s Dracula. Netflix’s Dracula sees the legendary vampire returning in a new adaptation from Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss, the masterminds behind Sherlock. While this updated version of Dracula retains its period setting of 1897 Transylvania and England, Moffat and Gatiss intriguingly take the core elements of Bram Stoker’s classic novel and explore intriguing new directions with the bloodsucking Count and his supporting cast. Like Sherlock, Netflix’s Dracula is structured as three 90-minute episodes which first aired on BBC One in the UK....

Netflix’s original fantasy series The Witcher fails to live up the HBO’s Game of Thrones, which has become the new benchmark for not just fantasy television series, but TV series in general. Rather than being a fault, however, The Witcher’s inability to replicate the HBO juggernaut’s formula is actually a strength: an adaptation of the beloved book and video game franchise of the same name, The Witcher is at its best when it fully embraces its fantasy roots....

Israeli privacy company D-ID claims that the business’ deepfake technology can create versions of people that are distinct enough to be used in commercials without consent. D-ID’s software uses advanced algorithms to gather data from footage to replicate a person’s face and alter it to a degree that protects their identity. The company’s deepfakes use computer vision and deep learning to achieve the feat of changing a person’s appearance. The latter is a set of machine algorithms that analyzes images in layers to pull out more refined details....

One of the most exciting parts of Apple’s iPhone 8 event invites last week was that the keynote will be held at the brand new Steve Jobs Theater. This evening, new drone video from Duncan Sinfield offers our clearest and best look yet at Apple’s new auditorium, exactly one week ahead of the iPhone 8 unveil. The overhead video opens with some new footage of Apple Park and we can clearly see work continue on things like landscaping and paving....

Greenpeace today released an update to its “Clicking Clean: A Guide to Building the Green Internet” report, showing that Apple continues to lead among tech companies when it comes to renewable energy efforts. The report notes that Apple has been “most aggressive” with its renewable energy projects including a number of new initiatives and continuing to maintain “its claim of a 100% renewably powered cloud for another year.” Apple continues to lead the charge in powering its corner of the internet with renewable energy even as it continues to rapidly expand....

Apple has shared a new story on its Newsroom website today detailing how the iPad is being used by students in New Zealand to create an app for students. The story explains that students in New Zealand used an iPad and Keynote to create a prototype Samoan language app for younger learners. When kids from Bromley School, a primary school that serves some of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s underprivileged communities in New Zealand, saw their Samoan language teacher move to a local high school, students decided that they wanted to continue to learn Gagana Sāmoa — the language of the Samoan Islands — but no replacement teachers were available....

The fifth-generation iPod nano packed video recording, a widescreen display, and video playback. Apple decided to drop these key features in favor of a smaller-form factor, a Multi-Touch display, an iOS-like user interface, and a belt clip for the current, sixth generation model. Now, according to a purported seventh generation iPod nano part from Apple.pro, Apple may be putting the camera back into their popular music player while still keeping the current model’s size and display....