Folding iPhone. The one rumour that just won’t go away. Noe the team over at #iOS beta news have created a rather cool concept. The Folding iPhone looks like a cross between a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the rebooted Motorola Razr.
In the video above we see the iPhone Flip, a handset that when folded out in phone form, has really thin bezels. The notch is gone and has replaced by a centre mounted pin-hole camera. The back has the usual tipped iPhone camera array.
The video also shows a backplate-mounted secodary screen.Which can display content, notifcations and messages when the phone is in clamshell mode.
The rumours of a folding iPhone and the hundreds of concepts as a result. Have come from a patent from Apple depicting a folding iPhone. Now you know as well as I do that not all patents get made. So who knows maybe Apple are planning a folding iPhone, maybe they’re not, they may just be testing the water. But whatever happens, we know that Apple tend to wait until the tech has been perfected before adding it into their smartphones.
Many ad companies and traditional media owners are braced for tough times due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many companies marketing spends have been brought to a halt. However , Amazon’s ad business has emerged as a somewhat of a bright spot. For the tech giants financia update for Q1. This is despite belt tightening in from brands in other areas.
Amazon Ad Revenues
Amazon disclosed on the 30th April that it’s companies revenues from it’s advertising arm had seen a gain of over 44% over the past 3 months to reach $3.9BN! However Amazon doesn’t break out it’s ad revenue figures , chief fiancial officer Brian Olsavsky told investors that the Q1 ad growth rate was in line with previous results of Q4 2019. It grew at a 40% clip.
This trajectory outstripped the growth of its more established offerings such as online sales 24%, subscription services 28% and Amazon Web Services 33%.
Overall, Amazon’s total earnings for the first 3 months of 2020 showed that the pandemic has actually helped Amazon make money. It pulled in a total of $33M an hour. Between January and March revenues were $75.4BN
Amazon’s Q1 profit was $2.5bn down from $3.6bn onthe same period last year. Jeff Bezos cautioned that this would dip further in light of the Covid-19 related spend.
Amazon Calming down….
Bezos has cautioned that despite the company earning a lot of money. Shareholders should ‘take a seat’ as they planned to spend $4bn or more in the next 3 months on coronavirus related expenses. Such as keeping employees safe and getting products to customers.
“This includes investments in personal protective equipment (PPE), enhanced cleaning of our facilities, less efficient process paths that better allow for effective social distancing, higher wages for hourly teams, and hundreds of millions to develop our own Covid-19 testing capabilities,” Jeff Bezos
Profit
The $4bn spend will equal to Amazon’s entire profit for Q2 which caused Amazon’s shares to plummet immediately after. Amazon’s director of investor relations, Dave Files said that it had seen some impact from advertisers belt tightening.
“In March, [we saw] some pullback from advertisers and some downward pressure on price, but how but advertising continues to advertise at a high cliff,” he said.
“It wasn’t as noticeable maybe as with what some others are seeing, and it’s probably offset a bit by the continued strong traffic we have to the site. So it’s a bit of a mixed bag. We have again, as I said, downward pressure a bit on pricing.
Files also noted that a “large portion” of the firm’s advertising related to Amazon sales, “not [to] things like travel and auto”. Those sectors however, have been impacted by coronavirus pandemic.
“Our advertising will prove to be very efficient as well,” he assured investors. “And it can be directly measured. So even as people are cutting back perhaps on advertising, or are their costs, I think this will be one area that will prove its value. It has in the past.”
Amazon’s positive outcome from the pandemic comes as platform and media owners look for ways to help limit the impact that coronavirus has on their business and ad revenues.
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The lockdown has caused a lot of us to be either sitting down and playing video games or streaming our favourite shows on our prefered streaming services. Or on more than one if you are subscribed to more than one service. But which one of them is doing the best? Out of all of us, which streaming platform do we as a collective like the most?
To no one’s suprise really, the use of streaming services has increased during the pandemic. Netflix has profited from the pandemic with the most significant increase of +332%. Disney Plus followed with a 290% increase of usage on JustWatch. You can see the rise of each of the different streaming services below:
Streaming Service
Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Prime Video
Hulu
+% Increase since March 17th
332%
290%
266%
259%
So, are you surprised that Netflix is coming out on top? Did you think the giant that is Disney would have taken Netflix’s crown? Let us know what you think by contacting us via our socials! @howtokillanhour across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
Lockdown has brought some amazing things around the world and companies are finding unique ways to get content into the eyes of people everywhere. So there’s a brand new initiative coined Twitter Watch Party!
To entertain and bring audiences together Universal have organised weekly watch parties for some of their most unique films. So, every Saturday starting May 16th, audiences can watch a Universal Pictures film along with special guests and hosts for fans all around the globe! Allowing fans to share reactions and discuss their favourite scenes together on Twitter!
Joining in is super easy, simply follow the hosts on Twitter. While others may buy or rent the weekend’s movie at any retailer and press play at exactly 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST! Follow the films designated hashtag to get involved with the discussion! How cool is that!?!
Twitter Watch Party Schedule:
The May schedule is below with additional watch parties and special guests announcing soon:
Twitter Watch Party May 16th – Halloween hosted by Blumhouse with Director David Gordon Green, Jamie Lee Curtis and special guests
No one does horror quite like Blumhouse and Michael Myers. Join the production company that specializes in horror as they watch the return of Halloween alongside the film’s director David Gordon Green and special guests including: John Carpenter, Jason Blum, Judy Greer, James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle. Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. Halloween is presented by Universal Pictures, Miramax, Blumhouse Productions and Trancas International Films. #HalloweenAtHome
Twitter Watch Party May 23rd – Apollo 13 hosted by former NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly
A look at space with someone who has actually been! Join retired NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, a veteran of four different space flights, as he watches his predecessors try to return back to Earth. Stranded 205,000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft, astronauts Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) fight a desperate battle to survive. Meanwhile, at Mission Control, astronaut Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise), flight director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) and a heroic ground crew race against time – and the odds – to bring them home. #Apollo13AtHome
Twitter Watch Party May 30th – The Breakfast Club hosted by Nerdist
Please report for Saturday detention at the library! Join Nerdist as they revisit the misfits of the John Hughes 80’s classic The Breakfast Club. They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m. they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. To the outside world they were simply the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other, they would always be The Breakfast Club. #BreakfastClubAtHome
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Hamilton, the filmed version of the original Broadway production of Hamitlon to Disney Plus! Hamilton’s an 11 time Tony Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award and Pulitzer Prize winning stage musical! It will ome to homes around the world on July 3rd!
The film is said to be a leap forward in the art of live capture. As it transports its audience into the world of Broadway in a unique way! The film combines the best elements of live theatre, film and streaming to create a cinematic stage performance. Therefore bringing a whole new way to experience Hamilton.
Quotes on Hamilton From Disney:
“No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of ‘Hamilton’—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way. In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,”
“We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind ‘Hamilton’ to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company.
“I’m so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought ‘Hamilton’ to the screen. He’s given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house,”
“I’m so grateful to Disney and Disney+ for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4th weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down.
Cont…
I’m so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and I’m so glad that we’re able to make it happen. I’m so proud of this show. I can’t wait for you to see it.” Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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A brand new Doctor Who trilogy is set to extend across VR, console, Switch and Mobile. Also, a Peaky Blinders VR game called The King’s Ransom! Virtual Reality is getting interesting indeed!
Maze Theory, the Virtual Reality studio that will develop both these amazing games. Are set to receive investment from the UK Creative Content EIS Fund. Furthermore they’ve been awarded a second grant from the Government’s UK Research and Innovation Body, UKRI!
Doctor Who & Peaky Blinders Expansion
Doctor Who franchise expansion will kick off next year! Launching a Playstation, Xbox, PC and switch game. Plus a horror/sci-fi mobile phone takeover game.
The three games create a trilogy of experiences. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time VR was the first.
It will include new mechanics, new subplots and iconic features! Such as the TARDIS, Daleks and the chance to collude with the Doctor herself.
The Kings Ransom, launches in 2021. Tommy Shelby, Arthur Shelby and Polly Gray features. Also it’s set in iconic locations such as The Garrison Pub and Charlies Yard. Furthermore, King’s Ransom will be a narrative driven action adventure!
What they’re saying….
“Maze Theory is evolving to the next level. We know from feedback that fans of shows like Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders crave new and exciting experiences across multiple devices and interwoven stories that create an overall experience far surpassing that of a single game.”
The world is facing challenging times right now, but the gaming sector continues to be resilient in times of economic uncertainty. These investments and our new content initiatives enable us to grow our fanbase and drive our business forward. We remain as committed as ever to delivering brilliant gaming experiences.” Maze Theory CEO, Ian Hambleton
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Big Zuu as well as a chef and a presenter is mainly a rapper! He does a lot of work from home, even more so now there’s a lockdown! So on our latest podcast with him, we decided to delve into his home studio to find out exactly what he’s rocking at home!
Big Zuu’s Mic of Choice: Rode NT2A
The NT2A is an amazing microphone! Of course it is as it’s made from the legendary RODE! The NT2-A continues the legacy from the original NT2 and now has a professional 1″ capsule studio mic and three position pick up patterns. Furthermore it has a high pass filter too! The switches are conveniently located on the body of the mic too! While the frequency and transient response of this transducer has been voiced to complement today’s modern recording techniques! However you can still get silky smooth and crystal clear recordings from it! This mic is so good as it provides flexibility and superlative audio characteristics making it hugely versatile.!
Big Zuu’s Soundcard: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is now into it’s 3rd Generation and is better than ever. Especially since it’s used by musicians, producers and hobbyists all over the world! Mainly because it’s very very reliable piece of kit! It has 2 of the best performing Scarlett mic pre-amps. Which comes with ‘Air’ which helps to mic up guitars or record vocals. There’s also 2 high headroom instrument inputs for guitars and basses. It has high performance converters (24bit/192kHz) built in. Which will record, mix and play back in studio quality! Making it super clear and detailed.
Focusrite have something called an Easy Start tool which will help you set up and record within minutes too, so no excuses allowed!
The KRK Rokit RP5 G4 has a tweeter and a subwoofer which are made from Kevlar, which not only gives you really high studio level quality audio. Therefore ensuring the same sonic integrity on every frequency but also reduces listening fatigue for the user. The sound on these speakers are incredible, which is why it’s no surprise that these speakers are the go-to brand for studio monitors. Anything you throw at these speakers they will output and produce quality sound with ease. These speakers have been scientifically re-engineered from the ground up to work with modern artists of all genres and environments. (Amazon)
If you work from home and you’re a music producer, rapper you’re going to need to connect a lot of devices to your laptop. The newest Macbook Pro’s don’t have a lot of USB ports so, to fix that Belkin have released this amazing USB hub. It’s USB C to USB 3.0 and has 4 available slots. It allows up to 5gbps file transfer speeds. So, you’ll be able to work super quick! It’s powered too so your devices and programmes will be unlikely to crash! You can also charge your devices on it too! (Amazon)
Logic Pro X is an incredible piece of software. It is often the go-to piece of software for professional and home studio’s all over the world. As it can handle really demanding projects. Both for film and for music!
It is a highly sophisticated tool for professional songwriting, editing and mixing. The interface is easy to use and designed to get the best creative results quickly. It includes a HUGE collection of instruments, effects, loops, a whole toolkit to create amazing music.
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A new advert for some healthy fruit smoothies has been deemed too rude for TV. Swisse Me, the food’s makers, has dubbed the advert ‘health food porn’ is 30 seconds long. It’s got censors all hot under the collar. As they’re calling for it to be screened after dark!
A new commercial for healthy fruit smoothies has been called too rude for TV.
A breakdown…
The advert has a whistling soundtrack and has a medley of fruit which is seductively handled. It ends with a jet of fruit smoothie erupting from a pouch. Mind out of the gutter you!
The start of the advert shows a pert pair of avocados, which is then followed by an upright length of banana being stroked by single female finger. Next we see mens fingers plunge into a juicy orange!
Furthermore an apricot is then prised open, a man cups a pair of hairy kiwi fruits and running his finger across a bulbous avocado stone.
As a banana rises into view, dripping in honey, smoothie juice drips from the centre of a strawberry.
ooooof is it getting hot in here is it just us.
Finally a lemon and avocado is squeezed with vigour, a banana is broken in half. While a geyser of smoothie flies over raspberries and blueberries which lay on a bed of spinach leaves.
Therefore, ad censors have called for the commercial to be screened after 9pm watershed. Despite it showing a single sweaty body. Clearcast the TV advertising governing body, stated that the “sexual innuendo, involving genitalia, breasts and porn” is likely to push the advert to be pushed well after the 9pm watershed.
So, after reviewing the advert, the watchdog confirmed the advert will only be shown during late-night telly.
The 30-second commercial was made by health food brand Swisse Me to promote the ingredients in their range of ready-to-drink smoothies.
What Swisse Me say…
“There’s nothing more natural than getting a mouthful of fruit, which is exactly what our smoothies are packed with. All the goodness, with none of the filth. We can deliver them straight to your letterbox too, in case you want to be discreet.”
“We know how tricky it is to get in daily vitamins and minerals, so we’ve made it super easy with handy smoothies in 12 deliciously naughty flavours.”
Nykkea Maretic from Swisse Me
“This isn’t just any food porn commercial, it is a health food porn commercial.” Rowan Adams Advert Director
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