Author: Anna Galvez

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Tech

Amazon Free Dive Would Be The New Free And Ads-Based Video Platform The Company Plans To Offer

Amazon is working to diversify its streaming platform, adding content in some countries where soccer is widely watched with events such as the live English Premier League broadcast in the UK. Now, Amazon prepares a new free ad-based service called Amazon Free Dive.

Free Dive would be the upcoming free but ad-based video service from Amazon

The new Amazon Free Dive service would be available exclusively to those who have a Fire TV device at home. Free Dive would look slightly like Roku Channel, which is also a free, ad-based video platform. These types of channels usually broadcast old content, but have the advantage of being free.

There are currently about 48 million Fire TV devices in the world, including the company’s HDMI stick or 4K compatible dongle, and Fire Cube with Alexa. With the new free service, Amazon seeks to take a share of the traditional ad-based television market, thus diversifying its streaming service and attracting new customers, as well.

Free Dive would have no relation with Amazon Prime Video and would be an app where the user could choose from the available content in exchange for viewing ads. So, Amazon would be working to get licenses for old TV series from big studios, which are cheaper and still very much in demand today, such as Friends, for example.

Amazon plans on placing more ads on all its platforms

The new Amazon Free Dive service is being developed in collaboration with IMDb, a subsidiary of Amazon. What Amazon plans on making its platforms more profitable, as it has already done with IMDb by adding ads.

With its new, free, and ads-based video platform, the Amazon Free Dive, the company intends to increase its revenue, besides adding commercials in its sports broadcasts, including the English Premier League (soccer) in the UK and NFL in the US.

Such measures could lead the company to become the second U.S. company to exceed $1 trillion in market capitalization after Apple did so a month ago. In the last quarter, Amazon grew 132% more to $2.2 billion in the ad segment, and it doesn’t seem to want to stay there.

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Tech

Android 9 Pie Update For Samsung Galaxy S9 Is In Preparation And Could Come Out In Early-2019

It has been five months since Samsung launched its new flagship, the new Samsung Galaxy S9. And, in March, Google announced its new Android 9 Pie, back then initiating the first Beta version of the new OS. Since then, Samsung has not stated, at any time, what would be the schedule for upgrading its new terminals to the new Google’s OS. However, now, it seems that, finally, Android 9 Pie update for Samsung Galaxy S9 is under preparation.

As SamMobile news website of the Korean firm states, Samsung has already begun testing the new Samsung Galaxy S9 update to Android 9 Pie. Also, according to all rumors, Galaxy S9 would also be the first Samsung terminal launched in 2018 to get the latest version of Google’s operating system for mobiles.

Android 9 Pie update for Samsung Galaxy 9 and 9 Plus could arrive in early-2019

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and its improved variant, the S9 Plus, have already been listed in the GFXBench software analysis tool which uses Android 9 Pie.

Looking back in time, tests of the previous version of Google’s OS, Android 8 Oreo, were first trialed on the Samsung’s previous models, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus in September 2017, while the update rolled out in March 2018. This year’s Samsung models can follow the same pattern.

Although evidence of Android 9 Pie testing has appeared on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, the Korean giant company has not yet released any roadmaps. The official version of Android 8 Oreo finally arrived on Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus in March 2018, about six months after the test phase commenced.

Accordingly, we could get the final version of Android 9 Pie update for Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in early-2019.

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Tech

Facebook Watch Is Now Available Worldwide On Virtually Every Platform Known

Facebook Watch, which until now was only available in the United States, has extended to the entire world. This service offered by Facebook collects video content produced by the social network and people associated with it and facilitates the discovery of new content creators. This service is a tab within Facebook that collects videos of various kinds produced exclusively by the social network itself or by content creators associated with it. It offers content including sports, entertainment, and news videos, either recorded or broadcast live.

The new version of Facebook Watch intends to connect users and creators so that they can benefit from each other, and “to discover content creators who are hitherto unknown to the user.” In turn, through the Ad Breaks ad monetization program, producers achieve higher profitability and benefits.

The Facebook Watch tab can be customized based on the user’s favorite videos by following different creators or pages. In turn, all saved videos are collected on the personal profile on Watch, making it easy to view the respective content again.

Facebook Watch is now available worldwide on all platforms

The Facebook Watch tab can be accessed through both the Android and iOS Facebook apps by clicking on the Watch icon in the Facebook shortcut bar. You can also access the panel via the ‘More’ marker. It is also available on devices such as Smart TVs from different companies and Xbox.

Facebook, in turn, is working on a new type of interactive video on its Facebook Watch to offer “new experiences that focus on people and give them the ability to determine the direction of content.”

The Facebook Watch tab had already been launched in the United States in early September last year and, according to Facebook, 50 million people across the States watch its content every month for at least one minute.

Facebook Watch can be accessed from Windows and Mac computers, iOS, Android, Aplle TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One, and Oculus TV.

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Games News

PUBG PS4 Release Suggested In A New Development Video From Xbox

PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) is among the most popular and appreciated games of the moment, competing with Fortnite Battle Royale directly. With more improved graphics and physics than its rival, PUBG is a great game. However, this one can now only be played on Xbox One, PC, and mobile platforms (Android and iOS), a PUBG PS4 version missing, for the moment. But the PlayStation 4 fans could enjoy PUBG soon, as suggested in a new development video.

Xbox recently released a 10-minute-long dev video presenting the road to PUBG 1.0. At a certain point in the video, we can see a developer watching a screen showing some PUBG in-game assets next to a PlayStation 4 video games console and a DualShock 4.

While this might not be substantial evidence from the launch of a PUBG PS4 version, it might indicate that such a variant could be under development, as we speak.

PUBG PS4 possible release date

Given the fact that the PUBG Xbox One version rolled out in late-2017, and after seeing the recently released development video from Xbox, PUBG PS4 edition might indeed be under production, which could mean the game for the Sony console could launch by the end of the year.

However, there is nothing official from Sony or the game’s devs regarding the release date of the long-awaited game by the PlayStation 4 community, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Nonetheless, the release of the PUBG PS4 version would mean a lot for the PlayStation 4 gamers, as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a quite popular title with many positive reviews from both players and specialized reviewers of the gaming industry. Currently available on mobile platforms, on both Android and iOS, as well as on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, PUBG only needs to reach on PS4 to close the circle of its presence on the world’s major platforms.

As suggested by the recently released Xbox development video, PUBG PS4 might be under development and could soon launch for PlayStation 4.

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Games News

Far Cry 5 Title Update Comes Out With The New GamePlus Mode And “Infamous” Difficulty Level

Ubisoft uses to launch one Title Update every time a new DLC is scheduled to roll out. However, the latest Far Cry 5 Title Update 10 brought a whole pack of new DLCs to the game and two significant changes, the New GamePlus mode and a new difficulty level, called Infamous.

The New GamePlus mode added in Far Cry 5

While the most of the previous updates only contained a few bug fixes and some under-the-hood changes, the latest patch brings some considerable improvements to the game. So, starting with the release of the new Far Cry 5 Title Update 10, the game will support a new mode, the New GamePlus mode, which permits gamers to a new campaign without losing their current character’s progress, including weapons, perks, challenges, and unlocks.

Also, with the New GamePlus mode in Far Cry 5, players can start new campaigns without losing their Far Cry Arcade progress, as well. However, gamers who use this mode will lose “all map reveals, mission progress, resistance points, and guns for hire.”

Far Cry 5 Title Update 10 add the new Infamous difficulty level

On the other hand, the new Title Update brings the addition of a new difficulty level called Infamous. This new one is only available when a player starts a new campaign using the before-mentioned New GamePlus mode.

The Infamous difficulty level makes the game harder than ever. According to the official description, in this mode “enemies hit you extra hard, are tougher to kill, and detect you more quickly.” Even though it sounds too much, completing the game in this difficulty level will unlock a special reward, but there are no details on what that would be.

However, the new Infamous difficulty level in Far Cry 5 Title Update 10 is very hard, and “once you start the game in Infamous difficulty, you will not be able to reduce the difficulty without restarting New GamePlus.

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