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The Morning After: Dell's new XPS 13 stands taller
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. By the time you read this, much of the Engadget team will be well on its way to CES 2020. After more than a decade of making this annual trip, I'm still ready to check out more massive screens with impossible-sounding numbers of pixels squeezed inside them. Both 1080p and 4K have taken their turn at the top of the resolution heap, and this year, it looks like 8K is every manufacturer's preferred flavor. With the Tokyo Olympics closing in, these TVs will need to be ready soon -- and we'll have to find out how anyone can get a chance to watch 8K at home. There's more to CES than TVs, of course -- Samsung and Dell have already announced a few interesting-looking laptops -- but if you're on the show floor, you'll probably find me looking at a demo reel somewhere, trying to figure out just how real HDR can look. One thing's for sure, though, this year I probably won't get caught wearing any active shutter 3D glasses. -- Richard
Disney+ loses some movies due to old licensing deals
Some titles have recently disappeared from Disney+, including beloved classics Home Alone 1 and 2: Lost in New York. ScreenCrush has listed twelve titles, in particular, which also include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Dr. Dolittle and The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration. A spokesperson has confirmed to Gizmodo that those shows and movies have departed the service, but it's not due to a glitch or a change in policy. Disney+ had to drop them, for now, due to issues related to legacy deals.
Apple signs former HBO chief to a five-year deal
Apple is clearly ready to make a long-term commitment to streaming TV. The tech giant has struck a deal with former HBO chief Richard Plepler's company Eden Productions to produce movies, shows and documentaries for Apple TV+ over the next five years. There are no clues as to what Eden will make for Apple, but Variety understands the focus is on a small amount of "high-profile" content rather than flooding Apple with shows.
The Morning After: Samsung's 'zero bezel' TV looks like this
Hey, good morning! And we are back. Welcome to 2020. I'm not sure how your new year goals and resolutions are going, but I'm putting off any of my efforts until CES is over. I am choosing to blame our hotel gym in Las Vegas, which is notoriously awful: a carpeted meeting room with two treadmills and a sad shelf of neoprene weights where none of them match, like a pink and green TJ Maxx shoe rack. Sure, I might not need a gym to get fitter, but I do need a nice space to make me want to workout during one of my busiest weeks of the year. 'Busy' this year looks like more expensive, cutting-edge TVs and displays from Samsung (as seen above) and LG, while other companies are also showing their hand ahead of CES 2020 -- namely a lot of audio tech. True wireless earbuds aren't going anywhere, but they might get better. And more expensive. So, let's kick off the year with something silly, high-tech and oddly desirable: a rolling TV that drops from your ceiling. -Mat
Klipsch debuts noise-cancelling headphones with 30 hours of listening
Alongside new true-wireless earbuds, Klipsch will show off its first pair of wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones at CES 2020. For now, they're simply called Over-Ear Active Noise Cancelling headphones. When they go on sale this fall, they'll cost $399. That makes them $50 more expensive than the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the same price as the Bose 700 headphones, two of the best Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones you can buy at the moment. And from a feature standpoint at least, they compare favorably to the competition.
Disney+ moves up 'WandaVision' premiere to 2020
The new year is starting off on the right foot if you're a Marvel fan. Disney has revealed that WandaVision will now reach Disney+ in 2020, months earlier than its originally planned spring 2021 debut. The company didn't narrow down the release window beyond that, but the news still means that you're getting another MCU series this year besides The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Streaming now accounts for 80 percent of the US music market
Streaming has completely reshaped the face of the music industry over the last decade, with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music proving to be overwhelmingly popular with music fans. The Recording Industry Association of America has revealed some stats that underline the mammoth sea change. The organization says streaming accounts for 80 percent of the US music market, compared with seven percent in 2010. Streaming subscriptions rose from about 1.5 million to around 61 million between 2010 and the first half of 2019, according to the RIAA.
YouTube’s Justin Bieber docuseries premieres January 27th
Today, YouTube shared the trailer for "Justin Bieber: Seasons," its 10-part docuseries on the artist. The first episode will drop on January 27th, and YouTube says the show will chronicle the making of Bieber's first album in four years. It promises a "raw, powerful and intimate look" at Bieber's creative process, and it will undoubtedly promote Bieber's 2020 tour.
Tech that defined the decade
2020 is just around the corner, and another decade will soon come to an end. A lot has happened over the past ten years, and not all of it was pleasant: 3D television came and went, the headphone jack slowly died and the intersection of tech and politics frequently became front-page news. But amidst the downers, there was still plenty of groundbreaking tech that came about between 2010 and now that have made an impact in our lives. Here's a not-at-all-comprehensive list of a few of them.
Smoke app brings the Steam store to your Apple Watch
If you can't bear to be away from Steam for a moment least you miss one of its famously great sales, then Smoke, a new app for the Apple Watch, has you covered.
Brazil hits Facebook with $1.6 million Cambridge Analytica fine
The Cambridge Analytica data scandal may have come to light nearly two years ago, but the former company -- and as a result, Facebook -- is still feeling the effects of the fall out. Brazil's government has imposed a $1.6 million fine on Facebook for its role in the fiasco -- a considerably higher sum than the $644,000 fined by the UK, where the incident took place.
Syd Mead, concept artist behind 'Blade Runner' and 'Tron,' dies at 86
Futurist and artist Syd Mead has passed away at 86 due to complications from lymphoma. Even if you don't know his name, you've probably felt his impact on Hollywood, especially on the science fiction genre. Mead designed Blade Runner's world and technologies by serving as Ridley Scott's concept artist, and he conjured up the lightcycle for Tron, among other fictional vehicles and gadgets. His ideas of the future also helped shape other sci-fi films' universe, including Elysium and Tomorrowland.
The Morning After: Google's Pixel 3a changed the game in 2019
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. It's New Year's Eve! I'm knee-deep in CES preparation, but there should be time to pause and celebrate flipping over two digits in the year column later on tonight. Hopefully, 2020 finds you well -- or at least better than this Tesla driver, who crashed while recording his car driving with Autopilot at 75MPH in the rain -- and if it doesn't, then this is a great time to start making better choices. The Morning After will take tomorrow off, but we'll be back strong on January 2nd to get things moving on the way to Las Vegas. -- Richard
Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode'
Sonos has a good reputation for building quality speakers, but its latest move has disappointed some buyers. Recently, the company offered a trade-up program, giving legacy customers 30 percent off the latest One, Beam or Port. In exchange, buyers just had to "recycle" their existing products. However, what Sonos meant by "recycle" was to activate a feature called "Recycle Mode" that permanently bricks the speaker. It then becomes impossible for recycling firms to resell it or do anything else but strip it for parts.
What's on TV this week: 'Doctor Who'
Our last collection of listings for 2019 looks into the new year, where we'll dive into another season of Doctor Who. Blu-ray and videogame releases largely take the week off, but there's still going to be a lot of new stuff on streaming. Meanwhile, former Sherlock and Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat is releasing a new Dracula series on Netflix this weekend. Netflix's controversial Messiah series arrives this week, as well as the premiere of its weekly reality show The Circle that's adapting a popular UK show for its worldwide audience. In a blend of social media and the Big Brother show format, contestants all live in the same apartment building, but never meet in person. Instead they interact via profiles that don't have to represent who they really are, all in order to become the most popular influencer and win the game. If you prefer comedy, Amazon Prime has a new special from Ilana Glazer, while Netflix has prepared its second collection of standup performances titled The Degenerates. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
'Uncharted' movie loses yet another director
So much for the Uncharted movie gaining some semblance of stability. Deadline sources claim Bumblebee's Travis Knight has to give up the director's chair due to the timing needed to accommodate lead actor Tom Holland. Apparently, his filming schedule for the third Spider-Man has created its share of headaches. The currently chosen cast members should remain intact, including Mark Wahlberg, but the release is expected to move once again. Don't count on that previously reported December 2020 premiere.
WhatsApp ends support for Windows Phone and older versions of Android
WhatsApp runs on a huge range of operating systems, but even the ubiquitous messaging app doesn't think it's worth supporting Windows Phone any more. The company has announced it is ending support for older versions of Android and iOS as well as the rarely-used Windows Phone OS.
The Morning After: Foldable phone hype flopped in 2019
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. We're almost done with 2019. The year included cheaper 4K TVs, tons of foldable phones and some very forgettable tweets. At least one of those areas could use some significant improvements, and who knows, maybe I'll get my hands on the first great flexible device at CES 2020 next week. -- Richard
The Morning After: 'The Mandalorian' is coming back next fall
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. The holiday rush is finally wrapping up and a new year right is around the corner. The only thing I can't figure out now? How, after playing Fallen Order, watching Rise of Skywalker and streaming The Mandalorian season finale, I'm at all excited for more Star Wars stuff next year. No matter what you've seen, this weekend is a good time to prepare for the year ahead, which for us starts with CES 2020. Things are quiet as we consider what went right (or wrong) in 2019, but next weekend we'll be arriving in Las Vegas for a week of screens, flashing lights and AI everywhere. Until then, enjoy the silence. --Richard
'The Mandalorian' returns with season two in fall 2020
It's no secret that a second season of The Mandalorian is in the works, but when does it show up? Roughly a year from now, apparently. Series overseer Jon Favreau has confirmed that the follow-up will premiere on Disney+ in fall 2020, or roughly a year after the Star Wars live action series began. He's still not saying what it'll entail (the Gamorrean isn't necessarily a clue), but this will be reassuring to anyone panicking at having to go without a fix of their favorite bounty hunter.
