YouTube is working on a TikTok competitor called 'Shorts'

TikTok, which recently hit 41 million daily active users outside of China, may soon have some real competition on its hands.

YouTube is currently working on a new feature called Shorts, which aims to rival TikTok, according to The Information.

Shorts will exist inside the YouTube mobile app as a feature, states the report, and not as a stand-alone product. 

Lip sync videos are incredibly popular on TikTok, largely aided by the editing tools the app includes to help facilitate their creation. To compete with the viral app founded by the China-based Bytedance, YouTube plans to leverage its large catalog of licensed music. The video platform has been an established music video home to many of the world’s biggest record labels and artists. Read more...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://mashable.com/article/youtube-tiktok-shorts/
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Marriott discloses another security breach that may impact over 5 million guests

Photo by Justin Heiman / Getty Images

Marriott says a security breach may have exposed the personal information of 5.2 million guests. This marks Marriott’s second data breach in recent years, following a breach in 2018.

Personal information such as names, birthdates, and phone numbers may have been taken in the breach, along with language preferences and loyalty account numbers, Marriott says. Although an investigation is still in progress, Marriott said there is “no reason” to believe that payment information was leaked.

Marriott has notified guests whose information may have been taken

Marriott says it discovered in late February that an unspecified hotel chain’s system had been compromised, and guest information may have been examined by hackers that acquired the login...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203313/marriott-database-security-breach-5-million-guests
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The best alternatives to Zoom for videoconferencing

Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Zoom videoconferencing app has become a highly popular means of keeping in touch for a world increasingly in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, both for personal and professional meetings. However, there have been a number of complaints about Zoom’s privacy and security record of late, especially as more and more people flock to the platform and a brighter spotlight is shined on how it works and what data it may collect.

We recently ran a roundup of some of the free videoconferencing apps available, including Zoom. Since so many questions have come up about Zoom’s security, we’ve decided to run the roundup again, this time excluding Zoom and adding other apps that you can use instead.

As before, it’s worth noting that while...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21202945/zoom-alternative-conference-video-free-app-skype-slack-hangouts-jitsi
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YouTube reportedly working on TikTok competitor called Shorts

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

YouTube used to be the cool kid on the block, but then TikTok showed up and everything changed. Now, YouTube is looking to compete directly with the short-form, user-generated content app by reportedly launching its own version called “Shorts.”

Shorts will allow people to upload brief videos into a feed inside the mobile app, much like TikTok, and take advantage of licensed music that YouTube Music has in its catalog, according to The Information. Those songs can be used within the videos. TikTok operates by letting people choose from a selection of audio, music and otherwise, and create videos using those sounds. MSNBC’s Dylan Byers added additional confirmation on Twitter shortly after The Information’s report went live.

Take a look...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203451/youtube-tiktok-competitor-shorts-music-google-report
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Hey Robot, the genius game that tests your smart speaker, is now free on the web

Photo: Everybody House Games

Hey Robot, the immensely clever board game from designer Frank Lantz’s Everybody House Games, now has a free digital version on the web for anyone to play. Lantz says he and his collaborators, which include his wife Hilary and his son and daughter-in-law, threw together a “quick & dirty online version of Hey Robot for people to play during quarantine.” It’s available here.

The game is played much like classic Taboo, except with digital assistants and smart speakers. You’re given a word, and you have to try to get Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Google Assistant to say it aloud without you saying it first. (Probably best to stick with Amazon or Google on the assistant side, for good measure).

“The game works because the devices don’t...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203463/hey-robot-smart-speaker-alexa-siri-google-assistant-web-free-quarantine
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Spotify and Warner agree to an ‘expanded’ global licensing deal

Alex Castro / The Verge

Today, Spotify and Warner Music Group announced in a short statement that the two entities have renewed their global licensing agreement. This news comes about two months after Spotify ended its “global food fight” with Warner / Chappell Music (Warner Music Group’s publishing arm), and the two entities inked a multi-territory licensing agreement.

“Spotify and Warner Music Group are pleased to announce a renewed global licensing partnership,” the joint statement reads. “This expanded deal covers countries where Spotify is available today, as well as additional markets. The two companies look forward to collaborating on impactful global initiatives for Warner artists and songwriters, and working together to grow the music industry over...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203324/spotify-warner-agree-expanded-global-licensing-deal
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Boring phone game Wordscapes is also a lovely self-isolation activity

Like everyone else, I wanted to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons during social distancing. Unfortunately, this wasn't in the cards for me: The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite are pretty much sold out, and I cannot afford to pay $800 for one on eBay. (This is maybe not the wisest time to become a gamer from scratch.)

So my isolation game of choice ended up being a little different. It's a word puzzle game on my phone that is not new, features zero adorable characters, and is not particularly collaborative. In fact, it is a little boring. It's also doing wonders for my mental health right now. Read more...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://mashable.com/article/wordscapes-game/
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Casper Pillow review: A down-like, bouncy fluff for combo sleepers

Spending more than $10 or $20 on a pillow can seem frivolous when other budgeting categories seem much more pressing.

It's like we reserve fancy, fluffy pillows for hotel beds and are fine with sleeping on shitty pillows at home. Flat? Lumpy? Absolutely no neck support or malleability? Questionable stains? That's just how it is — or is it? I think the Original Casper Pillow is luxurious enough to change anyone's mind, even people who wouldn't dare to splurge on bedding in the past. Also, it's less than $100 and 100% machine washable.

Is the Casper Pillow comfortable?

Upon unzipping the pillow to see what's up with this pillow-in-a-pillow business, I discovered that it's more of a small pillow inside an extra-thick case with a fill of its own. Casper's double chamber design strikes a comfortable, moldable balance that has more bounce than your average down-alternative pillow. Read more...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://mashable.com/review/casper-pillow-review/
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Coronavirus quarantine has us all feeling like teens again

A few weeks ago (or maybe it was days — time means nothing to me anymore), a push notification on my phone alerted me that my friend had tagged me in her Instagram story. 

Given that I hadn't seen her — or anyone besides my roommate — since I started self-isolating almost a month ago, I was curious as to what it could be. Since there were no new photos of us together, say on a night out or at dinner, I assumed it would be a "throwback" to a time before the coronavirus, where we were free to go out and dance and hug as we always did.

Instead, I was met with a chain message: "Draw a carrot! Tag five friends!"  Read more...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://mashable.com/article/viral-challenges-chain-emails-coronavirus/
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Twitch viewing soared 23 percent in March

It won't shock you to hear that livestreaming services are seeing an upswing in viewership due to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people at home, but now it's clear just what kind of effect the outbreak has had on viewing habits. Streamlabs an...

from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.engadget.com/2020-04-01-twitch-viewing-soared-23-percent-in-march.html
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Apple Card holders can skip April payments without accruing interest

Image: Apple

Apple and Goldman Sachs have allowed Apple Card users to defer their March 2020 credit payments due to the financial impact that the coronavirus is having on many people. According to Bloomberg, Apple has extended the grace period through April, letting its cardholders defer the payment this month.

There’s one simple step to take in order to be eligible. Just open the Wallet app on your iPhone, then message a support representative and request to be enrolled in the Customer Assistance Program.

The company notes in the email sent to Apple Card users that those who enrolled in the Customer Assistance Program to defer their March payments will need to do so again for their April payments in order to avoid building up interest. And since...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203429/apple-card-defer-april-payment-interest-free-goldman-sachs
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The coronavirus outbreak around the world, in pictures

from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/coronavirus-outbreak-world-uk-italy-spain-china-pictures/
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AT&T appoints former Hulu chief as new WarnerMedia CEO ahead of HBO Max launch

HBO Max is key to the future of AT&T’s entertainment empire, which helps explain why former Hulu chief Jason Kilar was just named WarnerMedia’s next CEO.

Although Kilar will oversee all of WarnerMedia — which encompasses Warner Bros., Turner, and HBO — when he takes over on May 1st, there’s an emphasis on HBO Max. In a statement, AT&T COO John Stankey specifically points out that Kilar’s experience with the direct-to-consumer market (his years as Hulu CEO between 2007 and 2013), “gives us the right management team to strategically position our leading portfolio of brands.”

HBO Max is more than just an experiment for AT&T. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson described it as a “meaningful business” to the company that will play out over the next...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203135/warnermedia-hulu-jason-kilar-ceo-john-stankey-hbo-max-warner-bros-streaming-wars-netflix-disney
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NBC will broadcast IndyCar’s virtual replacement races on TV

Image: IndyCar / iRacing

NBC is joining Fox in televising online sim racing in the absence of real-world races during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The network and IndyCar announced on Wednesday that the second race of the open-wheel racing series’s virtual replacement season, which features star drivers competing on the iRacing platform, will be broadcast on NBC Sports network on Saturday, April 4th, at 2:30PM ET. IndyCar says it’s currently not sure if the race will also be streamed online.

Much like what Fox has been doing with NASCAR’s pop-up sim racing series, the virtual IndyCar race will feature the same broadcast crew that NBC Sports typically uses in its coverage of real-world competitions. NBC and IndyCar will likely be looking to re-create some of...

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from TV Aerial Installation Services Warrington https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203305/nbc-indycar-iracing-series-broadcast-sim-online-esports
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Re-imagining Working Life: The Tuesday to Thursday Workforce

A few years back I wrote the below. Reflecting on it now and the current situation we find ourselves in are the words truer now than ever…

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from Handpicked stories about Productivity on Medium https://medium.com/@will_85470/re-imagining-working-life-the-tuesday-to-thursday-workforce-6753f144551?source=rss-------8-----------------productivity
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