The Morning After: Thursday, December 1, 2016
Netflix offline arrives and IBM's Watson is your future doctor
Welcome to December!
Today Nikes start lacing themselves, Netflix cuts the cord and the FBI's reach just got a lot longer.
Netflix rolls out offline viewing support on Android and iOS
After hinting at it several times this year, Netflix has finally delivered on one of its most-requested features. Subscribers can download a limited selection of its content for viewing even without an internet connection. As Devindra Hardawar points out, the move was inevitable after Amazon Prime expanded caching support last year, but is it enough to keep you happy?
A first look at Nike's self-lacing sneakers
Power laces are real. The HyperAdapt 1.0 hits the streets today, but Edgar Alvarez got an early look. Nike says one charge is enough to keep that E.A.R.L. motor grinding away for a couple of weeks, but your biggest problem could be getting your hands on a pair of the $720 sneakers.
The 2017 patch for "League of Legends" is heavily influenced by players
Riot Games' Greg Street explains the impetus behind upcoming changes for the popular MOBA, saying "we want to create a good environment for all players." That means keepingeSports pros and average joes happy using the same ruleset, across a base of 103 million players. "League of Legends" patch 6.24 goes live December 7th with a new practice mode,changes to the jungle, post-game replays and more.
AT&T's new internet TV service is... a lot like the other internet TV offerings we've seen. Testing DirecTV Now streaming via Apple TV revealed a better UI than the one Sling TV offers, but right now, it can't match the DVR feature of PlayStation Vue.
Motorola's president says a Tango Moto mod is "likely"
We didn't immediately fall in love with Lenovo's Project Tango-packing Phab 2 Pro, but what if you could buy its reality-measuring sensors as an add-on? At a Chicago event, Motorola Mobility president Aymar de Lencquesaing said that the Lenovo subsidiary is "likely to have a Tango module" for the Moto Z line of smartphones, so stay tuned.
Senate fails to stop FBI's expanded hacking authority
nate fails to stop FBI's expanded hacking authority
A Senate effort to stop an expansion of the FBI's authority to hack computers has failed. A rule change going into effect today means judges can issue warrants that let it hack computers regardless of jurisdiction. Senators like Ron Wyden are concerned about possible unintended consequences, and he called it "one of the biggest mistakes in surveillance policy in years."
The EPA will push to lock in fuel efficiency goals before the Trump administration arrives
In 2012, the EPA set a goal for automakers to double fuel efficiency by 2025. Today, it proposed leaving those rules in place without any updates, citing technical analysis that shows automakers will be able to meet the deadline. The reason for that move? Locking standards in could make it tougher for the incoming administration to reverse or modify the guidelines.
But wait, there's more...
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