New smartphone movie tickets don't require a scanner

New smartphone movie tickets don't require a scanner

Billy Steele

Engadget

Sure, digital tickets allow you to skip the printer before heading to seeGone Girl or Fury, but you still have to get the scan of approval before nabbing the over-priced popcorn. MovieTickets.com's new system that only requires theater staff to take a look at your phone before letting you in. Using Bytemark's V3 (visually verifiable virtual ticket) tech, purchases have security features like animated watermarks, touch animations and color changes to keep the counterfeiters at bay. Those features can be changed and concealed from patrons until just before the doors open, and "tearing" the digital version for verification. While a pilot program is expected to start before the year's end, the V3 systems are already in use for transit options -- including the NY Waterway and Chicago's South Shore line.
Source: MovieTickets.com

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5 Seconds of Summer's Michael Clifford Injured a Fan!

5 Seconds of Summer has a seriously devoted fanbase, but they've still had some majorly awkward encounters with their 5SOS Fam. Michael Clifford revealed his most dramatic moment — when heaccidentally broke a fan's foot while trying to take a picture with her!

“We were walking down the road with some fans recently and I was trying to take a picture with this girl," he wrote in their autobiography Hey, Let's Make a Band. "As I was holding the phone, I accidentally tripped her up. I don’t know how it happened."

“She fell and I was like, ‘Oh my god, what have I done?! I’m so sorry! Are you OK?’ She shouted, ‘I think I broke my foot’.”

Thankfully, it wasn't a serious injury, but that's still a crazy accident. It sounds like he felt really bad about it!

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Guess Who Loves Taylor Swift’s 1989?

MTV News

It’s been a lot of time since Taylor Swift’s 1989 has emerged from the secret depths of iTunes and into our headphones. And if you’re not a Swiftie, you’ve most likely been asleep this whole time. But as you wake up to the glory that is Taylor Day, join the company of Lorde, Hayley Williams, Lena Dunham, Ed Sheeran and more while you dig into the new album

Here’s what people are saying:

Lorde

Kevin McHale

Hayley Williams

Ingrid Michaelson

Lena Dunham

Ed Sheeran

Selena Gomez

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Xbox One price slashed to $349 for the holidays

 Xbox One price slashed to $349 for the holidays

Daniel Cooper

Engadget

Good things come to those who wait, and Microsoft's now in the business of richly rewarding those capable of delaying their gratification. If you've yet to pick up an Xbox One, then holding off until November 2nd will see the company apply a $50 price drop across the range. That means that a Kinect-free Assassins Creed or Sunset Overdrive bundle will be available for just $349, while the limited edition Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare package with a custom console and controller will be priced at $449. The offer runs all the way through until January 3rd, although we'd imagine that price sticking around if it helps to make a dent in Sony's reasonably healthier console business.
Source: Major Nelson, Xbox Wire

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Amazon goes after Roku and Chromecast with $39 Fire TV Stick

Amazon goes after Roku and Chromecast with $39 Fire TV Stick

Daniel Cooper

Engadget 

Amazon's Fire TV is doing very well for itself, but it's hard to justify that $99 price-tag when you can pick up devices from Google and Roku that do the job for a lot less. That's why the company has whipped out the Amazon Fire TV Stick that can be snagged for as little as $19 if you're a Prime customer. Like its rivals, the stick connects to your TV's HDMI port and comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage alongside dual-band WiFi and, surprisingly at this price, a remote control. You can also use it do connect to services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, as well as mirroring your smartphone and tablet display to your TV. Gaming-wise, the Fire TV controller will work with the device, but given that the company chose to mention Flappy Birds Family over Fire TV exclusive Sev Zero, it's not clear if Fire TV titles will work on the smaller device. If you're not a Prime customer, then the device will set you back $39, and you can add voice controls to your remote for an additional $30, but either way, the hardware will begin shipping on November 19th.
Source: Amazon

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Apple hops on board Obama program to wire up schools

Apple hops on board Obama program to wire up schools

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc plans to dole out $100 million in grants to U.S. schools as part of the Obama administration's "ConnectED" program, targeting those that lack access to education technology and reliable broadband Internet.

Obama's ConnectED initiative aims to bring stable Internet to 99 percent of U.S. students by 2017 and direct federal funds to enhance the use of technology in classrooms. Microsoft and Adobe have pledged support to the program in the form of free or discounted software.
Apple will divide the funds between 114 schools in 29 states, CEO Tim Cook said on Monday after being inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor, an organization that recognizes natives of the state for their achievements.

The iPhone maker has long highlighted the use of Macs and iPads in schools, and the growth opportunities they present. It has partnered with educational publishers such as Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, as well as cellular and Wi-Fi networks providers such as AT&T, on school programs.

Apple said it will work with schools where the majority of students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. Ninety-two percent of the eligible students are also of Hispanic, Black, Native American, Alaskan Native or Asian heritage, it said.


But its push into education has not gone without a hitch. In August, reports surfaced that the Los Angeles schools superintendent had suspended a $1 billion contract with Apple to provide iPads to schools.

Cook also took the opportunity on Monday to criticize his home state for its lack of commitment to civil rights, particularly its slow progress to ensure equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

(Reporting By Christina Farr; Editing by Ken Wills)

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Amazon sitting on $83 million of unsold Fire Phones

Amazon sitting on $83 million of unsold Fire Phones

Lee Hutchinson

Ars Technicia

Amazon’s financial results for the third financial quarter of 2014 didn’t do the company any favors when they were announced late last week; the retail giant posted a quarterly net loss of $437 million, up dramatically from last year’s 3Q loss of $41 million. The biggest single contributor to the bad news? Amazon’s Fire Phone.

We had mostly positive things to say about the Fire Phone when we reviewed it a few months back. We were especially impressed with the device’s "Firefly" feature, which quickly and (mostly) accurately recognizes things you point the phone at (and links you to the item's Amazon product page). However, in spite of this and other bits of whiz-bang wizardry, consumer adoption of the Fire Phone has lagged behind Amazon’s production of the device, and the company is now sitting on $83 million worth of unsold Fire Phone inventory.

Further, Amazon’s 3Q results included a $170 million write-down due to "Fire Phone inventory valuation and supplier commitment costs."

Amazon CFO Tom Szkutak explained the losses by noting that the company was still operating in something of an "investment mode," looking past the quarterly bottom line and aiming instead at delivering "returns on invested capital." And he’s not wrong—the company certainly has been buying things this year, most notably Internet video streaming mega-site Twitch.tv, for which Amazon paid $970 million in August.

Things aren’t looking financially rosy for Amazon investors for the next quarter, either. In spite of the holiday buying season’s rapid approach and the huge role Amazon will play in many folks’ gift-giving plans, the company expects an operating loss of between $430 million and $570 million in the final quarter of 2014.

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Apple CEO fires back as retailers block Pay

Apple CEO fires back as retailers block Pay

By Deepa Seetharaman

Reuters

LAGUNA BEACH, California: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook fired back at CVS (CVS.N) and Rite Aid (RAD.N) on Monday after the drugstore chains blocked the iPhone maker's mobile payments service, saying there were plenty of other retailers around the world to sign up.
Apple Pay launched about a week ago and saw more than a million credit cards registered over the first 72 hours. It already totes up more transactions than all other "contact less" payment methods combined, Cook said, citing Visa and Mastercard data.

Such services, through which a user pays by holding a smartphone close to a specially designed terminal, have failed to catch on in the United States despite the backing of Google Inc (GOOG.O) and other influential players.

News emerged over the weekend that the two retailers had opted out of Apple Pay in favor of a rival system that roughly 50 chains, including Wal-Mart and Best Buy, are developing for in-house use. "We've got a lot more merchants to sign up, we've got a lot of banks to sign up and we've got the rest of the world," Cook told the Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference, in the company's most extensive comments on the blockade so far.

In launching Apple Pay, the iPhone maker hopes to lock in more customers for its mobile devices by enhancing their overall utility. Industry experts say it stands a chance of becoming the first widely used payments feature on smartphones.
CVS and Rite Aid have not explained their surprise move.

But the driving force behind developing a retailer-owned mobile payment solution is to avoid paying credit card transaction fees to card companies like Visa (V.N) and Mastercard (MA.N), analysts said. Fees range between 2 percent and 3 percent of costs per transaction.

Rite Aid stopped accepting Apple Pay last week at its 4,572 stores. Spokeswoman Ashley Flower said the company was evaluating various forms of mobile payment technologies.

CVS did not respond to queries seeking comment but a visit to two of its stores showed that the NFC (Near Field Communications) reader on which Apple Pay was used had been deactivated.
It remains to be seen, despite early signs of success, whether mobile payments will become widely adopted.

Cook argued on Monday that Apple Pay offered better security and privacy than competing services, and that retailers risked alienating customers by limiting choices at checkout.

"It's a skirmish," Cook said in response to a question about the retailers' moves.
"Merchants have different objectives sometimes. But in the long arc of time, you only are relevant as a retailer or merchant if your customers love you."

(Writing by Edwin Chan; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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LG Electronics says to end production of plasma TVs

LG Electronics says to end production of plasma TVs

Reuters

South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said that it will end the production of plasma display televisions by end-November in order to focus its efforts on liquid crystal display and OLED televisions.
LG Electronics said in a regulatory filing the decision reflects a decline in demand for plasma televisions. The move was widely expected as LCD TVs have become the mainstay product in the global market.
Samsung SDI Co Ltd, sister company of LG's TV rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, also said in July that it will shut down its plasma panel production business by Nov. 30 due to the decline in overall demand.

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 Is Harry Styles Playing a Movie Character Based on Himself?

Harry Styles may not be leaving One Direction to start a solo career, but rumors have been swirling that he's prepping to become a movie star. Turns out, he might have a shot at an upcoming film role! Author Anna Todd recently spilled that she would love the singer to play the leading role in her book-turned-movie, After.

Since the online novel originally started as 1D fan fiction — and the main character's role is based off of the singer — it's not too surprising that he's her first choice.

"I would love Harry to do it," she told E! Online.

However, she doesn't think he'll get the part!

"I can't imagine him getting into that kind of role. He is too sweet to play him," she said.

Still, since we know that Harry wants to get into acting, we wouldn't be shocked if he were in the running for the role. But we also think he might not want to get his start playing a character that's based off a bad boy version of himself. That might be a bit weird!

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Taylor Swift Will Headline 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'!

Taylor Swift Will Headline 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'!

Taylor Swift is set to entertain millions of people in New York City’s Times Square when she performs live on theDick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015 broadcast on December 31!

The 24-year-old singer just released her new album 1989 in stores TODAY and it is most likely going to have a record-breaking sales week.

“Each year New Year’s Rockin’ Eve continues its iconic legacy by delivering incredible performances from the year’s hottest artists, and this year is no exception. We already have secured an unprecedented number of music acts, culminating with a Times Square performance by Taylor, the biggest superstar in music today,”

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Taylor Swift Named NYC's 'Global Welcome Ambassador'

Taylor Swift Named NYC's 'Global Welcome Ambassador'

The 24-year-old singer wore a cute black dress during her appearance on the morning show, where she talked about her new role as the Global Welcome Ambassador for the Big Apple.

“I’m still learning but I’m so enthusiastic about this city that I feel like when I love something, I’m very vocal about it,”Taylor said. “I just go around going like, ‘Everybody, New York is amazing.’ So I think they just picked up on that and they gave me, like, a title.”

Later in the morning, Taylor went to Target to pick up her new album 1989.

“The deluxe #TS1989 is at @Target & I just got my copy! 3 voice memos + 3 extra songs, 13 Polaroids. Anddddd hi Dad,” Taylor captioned a photo on Instagram.

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