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ABC News Live starts streaming on Android TV and Fire TV
ABC is expanding access to its live news app right at a moment when as-it-happens updates are particularly vital. The broadcaster has released versions of its ABC News Live app for Android TV sets and Fire TV, giving many more people access to its mix of anchored news, on-demand clips and documentaries. The additional apps are part of a redesign that includes breaking news alerts, an updated programming guide and an overall fresher interface.
Why buy the cow when you can biofabricate the milk for free?
Thought to have been Lord Krishna's favorite animal, the cow has achieved a uniquely sacred status in India. Their slaughter is prohibited through most of the country, beef consumption is largely outlawed as well and woe be the unlucky soul accused of breaking those taboos. In the US, however, that's not the case. We Americans love our cows. We love them so much that we ate a whopping 25.668 billion pounds of beef in 2016, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. There are 93.5 million heads of cattle in this country, but thanks to emerging biofabrication technologies, they could soon be as safe from the slaughterhouse as the cows of Delhi.
ABC signs Facebook deal to livestream 2016 presidential debates
When ABC started experimenting with online streaming of the Democratic and Republican national conventions on Facebook this summer, they got a whopping 28 million video views. Whether that was an influx of cord-cutters or just a hungry public that does more browsing than TV watching, the success was proof enough for the network to go bigger for the next phase in the election. They will broadcast the presidential debates on Facebook Live advertisement-free, beginning with the first one on September 26th.
Nightline investigates GamerGate, online harassment
ABC's Nightline aired interviews with Anita Sarkeesian, Brianna Wu, Tim Schafer and a handful of video game critics and players on Wednesday, in a segment titled, "What It Feels Like To Be A Gamergate Target." It presented an overview of the issues involved in GamerGate, including the portrayal of women as sex objects in games, harassment toward women who play games, the growing market of women within gaming, and the argument that all games (or players) can't be represented by a few extreme examples alone. Nightline highlighted "signs of change in the industry" with a visit to Double Fine co-founder Tim Schafer and a look at Broken Age. "Once you've sat down and tried to play a game with your daughter and tried to find games where she can play a character that she identifies with, you start to feel bad about not putting that option in your own game," Schafer said. Watch the complete segment below.
ABC News teases "exclusive access" following Apple's "historic announcement"
Well it's not as if we really need any more reason to get pumped up for Apple's mega event tomorrow. Not only did Eddy Cue state earlier this year that Apple's product pipeline in 2014 is the best he's seen in 25 years, but we also have this tantalizing tweet from the well-connected Jim Dalrymple. Holy shit people, hang on to your hats, this is going to be a wild ride. - Jim Dalrymple (@jdalrymple) August 28, 2014 We're holding Jim, we're holding. Meanwhile, ABC News this evening put up a teaser stating that ABC anchor David Muir will be the only reporter with "exclusive access" to Apple on the eve of the company's "historic announcement." Words matter, and you can bet that the phrase "historic announcement" was not chosen lightly, especially given Apple's unwavering desire to control its own narrative. Historic announcement -- clearly this has to be much bigger than new iPhones and, as John Gruber phrased it, "a watch that counts your steps and shows you notifications as they come in." We'll know soon enough what type of tricks Apple has up its sleeve, but it stands to reason that today's event could be a pivotal moment in Apple history. As for the ABC News teaser, well, one can only assume that Muir will be treating us to some interviews with a few top-level Apple executives. Recall that Muir previously interviewed Tim Cook, Craig Federighi and Bud Tribble as part of Apple's 30-year anniversary celebration of the Mac. Now why Muir? Why ABC? Well with respect to Muir, I imagine that he garnered enough trust from Apple the first time around to be called back up for "exclusive" duty. Meanwhile, the choice to air the Apple exclusive on ABC is much easier to figure out: ABC is owned by Disney, whose CEO Bob Iger currently sits on Apple's board. Keeping it in the family. via AppleInsider
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for June 24, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
ABC News rolls out 24/7 streaming news app for Apple TV
ABC News now has an app for the Apple TV that allows users to stream news live 24/7. On top of that, the app also comes with a number of on-demand features for your viewing pleasure. All in all, the app appears to be fully fleshed-out with features that should keep even the most news-hungry folks satiated. Capital New York reports: The app, which is available starting today, will feature a 24 hour live video feed, which will be filled with roughly eight hours of live video, segments pulled from ABC News TV shows, and original segments shot for the service or ABC digital platforms. Even when there isn't live rolling coverage, the app will continue to be updated with segments from ABC News programming, as well as live video feeds from events like speeches or a shot of earth from the International Space Station. ABC's press release on the rollout adds: Constant Video: 24/7 access to live and on-demand video from an unrivaled lineup of ABC's trusted anchors and correspondents. ABC News on Apple TV also features four separate live video streams allowing users to alternate between live events and breaking news throughout the day. Hourly Video Updates/4-5 Live Reports Per Day: ABC News on Apple TV delivers video updates on the hour and 4-5 live updates per day from ABC News correspondents and reporters around the world. From the Ukraine and Iraq to the World Cup in Brazil, ABC News' powerhouse team keeps you informed on the latest headlines anytime you need a hit of news. In addition to live streaming functionality, some of the apps additional features include: A This Week in History playlist updated weekly with "topical archival footage from ABC News's vaults. Curated playlists of news reports from ABC News correspondents around the globe The ability to tune into local news stations from 9 markets (New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Fresno, Raleigh and Milwaukee). For more detail, David Muir of ABC explains all of the new bells and whistles of the new ABC News Apple TV app: ABC US News | ABC Sports News
ABC's Nightline looks at AAPL
After a botched Maps launch and limited supplies of its flagship iPhone 5, Apple's stock has sunk to a five-month low, and the company has lost almost US$130B in market value since September. A piece on ABC's Nightline profiles this drop in Apple's stock and offers its take on why AAPL is not as hot as it used to be. It's a short clip that brings up Samsung, Microsoft and a lack of innovation from the folks in Cupertino. You can check out the video below and sound off in the comments about ABC's report and the state of Apple's stock. [Via MacRumors]
Nightline uses Find My iPad to sting sticky-fingered TSA officer
Oops! It seems the folks at ABC News set up a little sting with TSA agents and wayward iPads. Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well for the agent (warning: auto-play video at that link). The iPad, however, survived both the abduction and the "generous" pat-down. The news show Nightline intentionally abandoned an iPad at an Orlando, Fla., checkpoint (among others). They then used Apple's Find My iPad app to track its movements once it had been recovered. Unfortunately, it traveled to a TSA agent's home, where it remained for two weeks until a camera crew and reporter arrived to retrieve it from a much chagrined employee. This was just one story from an investigation that had Nightline leave 10 iPads at security checkpoints in major airports across the US. The full story will air on Nightline this evening.
ABC News on new MacBook Pro: "The one to own"
Reviews of the Retina MacBook Pro are starting to roll out. Earlier this week, Engadget and others released their reviews, and, now, Joanna Stern of ABC News shares her thoughts on Apple's next generation laptop. Not surprisingly, the review emphasizes the display - both the improved clarity of on-screen elements and the better viewing angle which lets you look at the screen from the side without sacrificing quality. The review also points out the impressive battery life, which lasts a little over five hours during a non-stop HD video playback test. If you're in the market for a high-end laptop, ABC News ends by saying "this is the one to buy." You can read the full review on ABC News website. If you haven't read the reviews from other online publications, then check out this post from Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Apple 2.0 which summarizes and links to eight reviews.
ABC's Nightline goes inside Foxconn's Apple factory (video)
Nightline's Bill Weir managed to get his feet inside manufacturing behemoth Foxconn: the infamous plant where iPads, Xboxes and Kindles are constructed. Following multiple explosions and employee suicides, the factory is being inspected by the Fair Labor Association to examine working conditions exposed by the efforts of journalists like Liu Zhiyi. In the show, we learn that on a quiet day, 3,000 prospective employees will linger outside the factory in the hope of earning just $1.78 an hour. Weir himself manages to coax the concession from company advisor Louis Woo that the multiple tragedies were a belated catalyst for change in the company's working conditions. The full special will air on ABC tomorrow but we've got a sneak peek for you after the break.
Track election night on your iPad with the ABC News app
Growing up, election night in my house was always how I imagined the Super Bowl to be for most people. We huddled around the TV and excitedly watched the incoming results with hope and trepidation. But of course election night just isn't a silly game, and the final "score" literally affects hundreds of millions of people, sometimes for decades. As someone who hasn't owned a TV in four years, I was pleased to see that ABC News has updated their app to provide a fully interactive electorate map. The map shows you the normal color-coded blue and red states for the Senate and how their political makeup stands now. It also shows you the color-coded districts for the House. But what's coolest about this map is its interactivity. First, you can tap the "results" tab and, starting at 7 PM Tuesday night, an empty House and Senate map will start filling with colors based on who's won in that state or district. But the interactivity goes further. ABC has built in a "What If?" game that lets you play out different scenarios of the final outcomes for the House and Senate races if certain candidates win. For Senate races, for example, simply tap a state and a pop-up will appear with all the candidates running. Tap the name of the person you think will win, and the electorate map will change colors for that state. The bar chart for the total number of seats needed for a majority will also change based on your predictions. ABC News for iPad is a free download.
ABC News polling guy rips apart game addiction figures
ABC News' Director of Polling, Gary Langer, has a little beef with a study we heard about a couple days ago, in which we learned that 8.5 percent of America's youth are addicted to video games. Langer has several problems with the study, one issue being that it was an opt-in online panel -- a "self-selected 'convenience sample'" -- rather than a probability sample (random sampling). It gets technical, but Langer's issue is that he's yet to hear a "reasonable theoretical justification for the calculation of sampling error with a convenience sample."In the end, the author of the addiction study, Prof. Douglas Gentile (who is also the director of research for the National Institute of Media and the Family), wrote to Langer saying that he was unaware the data came from a convenience sampling. So, good news, everyone: either 8.5 percent of youths are addicted to video games ... or they just think they are. Yay, statistics! [Image]
ABC moves top technical exec to NYC for HDTV news production
Look for a new focus on HD in ABC's national news coverage, as its moving top technical executive Jeff Corwin from D.C. to New York City and work on HDTV production there. Nightline and other programs should be in sweet 720p before long, not to mention plenty of upcoming campaign coverage. That said, it's not that we have anything against New York City (Git a rope), but why not upgrade the studios in D.C.? Even ESPN is opening a West Coast branch.[Image courtesy of richardmasoner]
ABC News wants your Virtual Console questions
ABC News' "Be Seen Be Heard" is preparing a segment about the Wii, in which they'll be interviewing Amber McCollum, a product tester at Nintendo. In a very lazy Web 2.0 move, they're asking viewers to send in videos containing questions for Ms. McCollum. So if you have any questions about the Virtual Console, please send them in! And if you happen to accidentally, you know, say the name of the site, we wouldn't object.We personally want to know about the development process: are the games basically dumped ROMS or do they have to be reprogrammed for the Wii? If so, why? These are the best questions we can think of, because repeating "RONDO OF BLOOD" over and over again while staring intensely into a camera isn't a question.What kind of questions do you have about the VC?[Via Game|Life]
ABC News shows added to iTunes Music Store
Another Tuesday passes and more content has been added to the iTunes Music Store. Today ABC News joins the iTMS with Celebrity Flashback (which consists of old interviews with megastars such as the Rolling Stones), The Day It Happened, and various specials. They all follow the standard iTunes pricing of $1.99 per video with varying prices when you buy all of the episodes at once.[via iLounge]
