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How Apple reinvigorated its AI aspirations in under a year
At its WWDC 2017 keynote on Monday, Apple showed off the fruits of its AI research labors. We saw a Siri assistant that's smart enough to interpret your intentions, an updated Metal 2 graphics suite designed for machine learning and a Photos app that can do everything its Google rival does without an internet connection. Being at the front of the AI pack is a new position for Apple to find itself in. Despite setting off the AI arms race when it introduced Siri in 2010, Apple has long lagged behind its competitors in this field. It's amazing what a year of intense R&D can do.
CNN launches a virtual reality news unit
The Cable News Network is going virtual. CNN has announced the launch of a new immersive journalism unit called CNNVR that will produce videos and live streams of major news events, along with a weekly virtual reality experience.
CNN broadcasts on YouTube after TV ban in Venezuela
Earlier today, the Venezuelan government cut CNN en Español's signal, shutting off its television broadcasting in the country shortly after it aired a report on fake passports. Not to be deterred, the news network has taken its programming to YouTube and posted links to news reports on its Spanish-language site. Apparently, the Venezuelan government doesn't know that you can't stop the livestreaming signal.
Casey Neistat's Beme service shuts down following CNN deal
And just like that, YouTube star Casey Neistat's brief stint in mobile apps is over... for now, anyway. As promised, the social video service Beme is shutting down on January 31st following CNN's acquisition of the app in the fall. You can download an archive of all your clips to preserve them for posterity, but the software will likely have stopped working by the time you read this. The team has hinted that it's working on "something new," but you'll have to look for an alternative if you want to share your life in short snippets.
AT&T and Time Warner have a plan to dodge merger review
AT&T has indicated how it may avoid FCC scrutiny over its proposed $85.4 billion Time Warner merger. At issue are Time Warner's FCC broadcast licenses -- if were to transfer them to AT&T, that would require FCC approval. However, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), AT&T said "it is currently anticipated that Time Warner will not need to transfer any of its FCC licenses ... after the closing of the transaction."
Facebook hires ex-NBC anchor to head news partnerships team
Facebook has hired former CNN and NBC anchor Campbell Brown to head its news partnerships department and help it deal with a spate of recent problems around its news feed. In the newly-created position, Brown will "help news organizations and journalists work more closely and more effectively with Facebook," she wrote on her Facebook page. The social network no doubt helps she can help deal with fake news, strained relations with media companies and other issues.
CNN snaps up Casey Neistat's video sharing app Beme
In the hopes of bringing in a younger audience, CNN has acquired the social video sharing app Beme, which was most notably the brainchild of YouTube star Casey Neistat. Beme, which let you quickly shoot and upload four-second videos, will be shut down, the New York Times reports. Neistat and the app's 12 other employees will be working on a new project for CNN which will debut sometime next year. While the app only received around 1.2 million downloads, the deal mostly seems to be a way for CNN to bring Neistat aboard, a successful YouTube personality who's managed to cultivate a desirable millennial viewership.
AT&T to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion
After no small amount of anticipation, it's official: AT&T has announced that it's acquiring Time Warner for the equivalent of $85.4 billion in cash and stock. The move gives one of the US' largest telecoms control over some of the biggest names in movies and TV, including HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. That includes rights to broadcast MLB, NBA and NCAA March Madness games, we'd add. If you ask AT&T, this is a "perfect match" that mates top-tier content with a ton of distribution points. It can easily deliver quality shows over the internet (especially on mobile), conventional TV or in theaters. AT&T won't have to jump through hoops to license material for playback on your platform of choice, and it can create original material just for a specific medium -- say, bite-sized videos for your phone.
ICYMI: Segway's plan B and flexible concrete
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Segway came to Intel's Developer's Forum to show a prototype for a self-balancing scooter that is also a robot. If the public SDK works out well, Segway hopes to release a consumer version of whatever it becomes in 2017.
CNN's news drones officially launch with their own acronym
We've known about CNN's drone aspirations for quite some time, but now the news network is officially launching its UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) program. The official title of the project is CNN AIR and just like CNN stands for Cable News Network, AIR is an acronym for Aerial Imagery and Reporting. As part of the UAS initiative to provide footage of news events from the sky, CNN has two full-time drone operators to capture visuals. That footage will be used by other Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner entities as well.
CNN will live stream the Democratic debates in VR
CNN has announced that it's going to live stream the full Democratic presidential debate in VR on October 13th. The move comes after the success of VR highlight clips that the channel made available following the recent Republican debate. As with the previous event, the network has teamed up with NextVR, letting users of Samsung's GearVR to experience the hot, political action as if they were sat in the Las Vegas audience. CNN hasn't revealed if it's planning to ask Bernie Sanders to leap towards the camera to make the whole thing more immersive, but a little part of us can hope, right?
FAA gets help from CNN for its new commercial drone-testing program
As part of its effort to work with companies on advancing drone use here in the States, the Federal Aviation Administration announced two initiatives today that'll do just that. First, a testing program called Pathfinder will encompass CNN's existing exploration of the UAVs for news coverage with the expertise of two other companies. Rounding out the trio, PrecisionHawk will focus on surveying rural areas and BNSF Railway will use drones to inspect its tracks. As it turns out, those companies contacted the FAA directly, and Pathfinder will continue so long as the partners are willing. The FAA already gave Amazon the OK to conduct tests for its delivery drones and gave AIG permission to use UAVs for insurance inspection purposes. It also approved a commercial crop-dusting drone for agricultural use. Even though those companies have to submit reports to the FAA, the aforementioned threesome is working directly with the government as part of the newly announced project.
Snapchat hires a top CNN reporter to oversee its news
Snapchat just showed how serious it is about turning its mobile video messaging service into your news hub. The company has hired Peter Hamby, one of CNN's best political reporters, to oversee its news efforts. He'll still contribute to the TV network through 2016, but his top priority will be the internet startup. As to what Hamby will actually do in his new job? He's not spilling the beans, but his interest in Snapchat's live stories suggests that you'll see more on-the-ground coverage of unfolding events. You may well find yourself using a single app to both catch up on the day's happenings and share gossip with your friends.
CNN teams with the FAA to make drones work for news gathering
CNN has been looking into the prospect of using drones for news reporting for months, but it now has an important ally in its corner: the FAA. The two organizations have forged a research agreement that will create an official framework for UAV use by the American press. CNN hopes this will move the media beyond "hobby-grade equipment" (instead, think pro drones like the DJI Inspire 1) and establish a safe way to produce quality news footage with robotic aircraft. There's no estimate for when this would happen, but CNN, its existing partner Georgia Tech and the FAA have already started coordinating their efforts. You may not have to wait too long before your local news network is covering breaking stories with a swarm of unmanned machines.
The hackers who hit Sony Pictures also threatened CNN (update)
The Guardians of Peace didn't just threaten Sony Pictures and theaters that planned to show The Interview; it also shook its fist at the press, too. The Intercept has obtained an FBI alert noting that the group implied threats against a "news media organization" on December 20th. While the bulletin doesn't name the company, The Desk's Matthew Keys has copies of the Pastebin-based messages (since removed) showing that CNN was the target. The GOP sarcastically complimented CNN on its "investigation" of the hacking group and linked a video calling the TV network an idiot, but didn't warn of any specific consequences. Update: Writer David Garrett Jr. has stepped forward as the source of this particular posting. According to Garrett, he has no connection to North Korea or the Guardians of Peace group, and just wanted to point out media inaccuracies.
No CNN, the iPhone 6 is not better than a professional TV camera
CNN is committed to asking the hard hitting, need to know, questions that haunt everyone. The big questions, like is the iPhone 6 camera as powerful as CNN's multi-thousand dollar professional TV camera? The answer will probably not surprise you, given one sells for a few hundred dollars and the other is a professional-grade piece of equipment used by a powerful news agency. Still the video does feature a handful of helpful tips at the end for your own personal cell phone shots. While we're incredibly confused by CNN's choice to ask this question, we're amused by this video. Thanks to The Loop for initially catching it. Enjoy.
Dish loses Cartoon Network, CNN and other Turner channels
Starting today, Dish customers will no longer have access to a number of networks from Turner Broadcasting, after both parties couldn't come to terms on a contract extension for these. Among the channels now removed from Dish's programming are: Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, CNN en Español, HLN, truTV and Turner Classic Movies. As you'll notice, others like TBS and TNT aren't included here, and that's because they're part of a different agreement. Dish is unsure of when, or if, the missing Turner channels will be brought back, but the company says it is "committed to reaching an agreement that promptly returns this content to Dish's programming lineup." If they do, we'll let you know as soon as that happens.
Fox tried to buy Time Warner -- and HBO -- for $80 billion
Could Fox News and CNN have the same owner? No, but close. 21 Century Fox has confirmed reports (first published by the New York Times) that it made an $80 billion bid for fellow media conglomerate Time Warner -- and was turned down, for now. Curiously, this comes just as Comcast is trying to swallow Time Warner Cable, but those two similarly-named companies are no longer directly connected. Time Warner (also no longer related to AOL, which owns this website) recently ditched its Time Inc. magazine properties, and now consists of three parts: the highly-profitable HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. According to the reports, Fox would sell CNN as part of the buyout to avoid regulatory hurdles caused by owning both large news networks, but as analyst Porter Bibb pointed out on Bloomberg TV, this would give it access to HBO, which he called "the only Netflix fighter left." [Image credit: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO]
Now (almost) anyone (with cable) can watch CNN the way they want to
Back in April CNNx launched, letting viewers jump through the news of the day and watch what they want, when they want. The only problem? Other than the fact that it's restricted to CNN's iPad app and web site, only subscribers to a few providers could actually access it. Now, CNN is rolling out the service nationwide, and as Multichannel News points out, Time Warner Cable as the only major provider that's not yet set up for access. While it starts off with a live feed of the channel, you can skip through the story rundown and select anything from the past day, then just watch that or see related info. The plan is to also bring this to other set-top TV boxes soon, but there's still no word on access for Android devices, iPhones, or other mobile platforms. There's a demo video after the break so you can get a feel for it, but iPad-owning cable/satellite TV subscribers can just open the CNN app and try it out right now go to the website here.
CNN wants to prove that drones are safe for news reporting
Stunning video footage like that from a recent tornado in Arkansas (see below) shows the potential for drones to radically change journalism. However, it's illegal to operate them in the US, especially near a disaster or accident scene -- which has prompted a new research project from CNN and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The aim is to figure out which type of equipment, personnel and safety measures would be needed to safely operate news-gathering drones in US airspace. While such UAVs would no doubt give media outlets like CNN improved coverage, they'd often end up in close proximity to crowds, emergency personnel and even rescue aircraft. That means US regulators might be reluctant to approve them for reporting -- even though they've already authorized lower-risk activities like pipeline inspection. CNN's group hopes to show the FAA that it can be made safe for journalism, likely so that it won't be frozen out when new drone regulations are finally announced. [Image credit: Brian Emfinger via YouTube]
