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Patreon splits its service to cater for different creators
Patreon is rolling out a new price plan structure. Announced today, the new system comprises Patreon Lite, Patreon Pro and Patreon Premium -- three tiers that, according to the company, are designed to better match the needs of creators.
Samsung's Harman unveils its new premium soundbar lineup
When Samsung acquired Harman International Industries last year, it was pretty obvious the tech brand had eyes on the Harman Kardon audio division. The pair have worked together on a few projects since --smartphones and tablets featuring Harman-owned AKG-tuned audio, for example -- but now the collaboration is taking Samsung further into the premium audio sector. Two new co-branded premium soundbars developed with Harman, the Samsung HW-N950 and HW-N850, will go on the market later this month.
Spotify added 8 million paid subscribers thanks to family plans
For its second ever earnings report, Spotify said it now has 83 million paid subscribers, up 8 million over its first earnings quarter in May. That's a pretty significant boost, and at the top end of what investors were expecting. A lot of that growth has come via its Family Plan program, and Spotify notes that people signing up for it tend to stick around longer than individual subscribers.
Fujifilm's oddball XF10 fixed-lens APS-C camera costs only $500
Fujifilm has proven again that it's not afraid to build unusual cameras by unveiling the XF10, a premium fixed-lens compact that will be the successor to the X70 compact. It's got a wide-angle 18.5mm f/2.8 fixed lens (equivalent to 27.8mm in full-frame terms) and a 24.2-megapixel APS-C (not X-Trans) sensor that has significantly higher resolution than the last model. It's very compact, weighing just 280 grams, or about the same as Sony's new RX100 VI, which has a smaller 1-inch sensor. However, there's no EVF on it, so you'll need to rely on the 3-inch touchscreen to compose and replay your photos and video.
Pandora unveils a $15-a-month unlimited family plan
The streaming business is a tough game, especially if your company isn't called Spotify or Apple Music. Mid-tier player Pandora recently announced it had signed up six million subscribers so far compared to 75 million for Spotify, but it's trying to boost that number with a new Premium Family plan. It offers unlimited streaming with no ads for up up to six family members at $15 per month, matching Apple and Spotify's pricing.
Spotify cracks down on free users that steal Premium service
Spotify may have 159 million active users, but only 71 million of those are paid subscribers. It makes sense that the company would want to maximize the number of paying customers, especially in light of the company's recent moves to go public. Now, it appears that Spotify is cracking down on free users that take advantage of hacked apps in order to remove the restrictions of unpaid accounts, according to TorrentFreak.
Technics' SP-10R is its latest high-end throwback turntable
If you thought Technic's SL-1200 reissue was expensive, you haven't seen anything yet. Meet the SP-10R. Technics calls the throwback deck its "most premium turntable ever" and its 7kg (almost 15.5 pounds) brass, rubber and aluminum platter drives that claim home even further. "By optimizing the natural frequency of each ayer, external vibrations are thoroughly suppressed resulting in a beautifully clear and crisp audio experience," a very technically-worded press release says.
Twitter considers offering a Tweetdeck subscription service
Twitter has always been free to use and will likely remain free. But the company is now considering offering its first paid subscription service through Tweetdeck. The social network has recently sent emails to select users, asking if they'd be willing to pay for a "more advanced Tweetdeck experience." Based on the email posted by journalist Andrew Tavani, a premium experience will add new viewing, posting and signaling tools in one customizable dashboard that you can see above.
Vertu's latest luxury Android phone is built for jetsetters
Luxury smartphone maker Vertu may have undergone some operational changes over the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean it has broken the tradition of selling people expensive Android smartphones. With its latest update to the premium Constellation handset, the company is targeting the "global traveller" with support for dual SIMs (for the first time) and access to iPass, the world's largest WiFi network.
Instapaper makes its premium features available for free
Instapaper has announced its biggest update yet since Pinterest acquired it in August: the read-it-later app is making its premium features available for free. The service used to offer a set of special features for $3 a month or $30 a year, but it's now opening up the tier to everyone.
Tinder's premium Boost feature is rolling out worldwide
Tinder's latest idea to monetize its mobile matching service is rolling out worldwide, as users outside of Australia and the UK will be able to Boost to the top of nearby dater's queues. Getting Tinder to put its thumb on the algorithm is free once a week as a part of the variably-priced Plus subscription, or it can be purchased individually. Either way, it lasts just 30 minutes, so Pokémon Go players can just treat it like a lucky egg -- the company says it can result in as much as a 10x increase in profile views.
Spotify now has 40 million paid subscribers
In the world of music streaming, numbers mean everything. Major players have come and go, but Spotify and Apple are the two companies who largely dominate the market. After Tim Cook kicked off last week's iPhone 7 event with confirmation that Apple Music now has 17 million paying subscribers, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has fired back with an impressive figure of his own: 40 million people are now paying to access his service.
Spotify offers free Chromecasts to new Premium subscribers
Chromecast offers are normally something we'd associate with Google's Play Music service, but for a limited period this month, Spotify has decided to get in on the act. From today until February 28th, the streaming service says it will hand subscribers a free Google streamer if they sign up for a three-month Premium account that costs $30/£30.
Tesla brings Spotify Premium to non-US customers
Tesla announced on Monday that it is partnering with Spotify to integrate its Premium net-radio offerings into the Model S. But don't get too excited, the new service is only going to be available to customers in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong for the time being. It's reportedly coming to the US, however a release date has not yet been set. The integration will not require customers install the Spotify app on their phones or even have a Premium account of their own -- the account comes with the car and will only work with that specific vehicle. If you've already got a Spotify Premium account, you will be able to link that instead.[Image Credit: Getty]
Pornhub launches a Netflix-style subscription service
If you've ever googled the phrase "Netflix for Porn," you'll find more than a few people wishing for a one-stop shop to satisfy their sexual peccadilloes. Pornhub is hoping to fill that hole by relaunching its premium offering as a $9.99 monthly subscription service that boasts a wide range of HD content. The business contains all of the usual features you'd expect including 1080p video, high-speed servers and exclusive content that, we're told, you won't find anywhere else.
PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of
Pox Nora is a game that's hard to categorize. It's like Hearthstone, you see, because it's an online card game. But it's also like Civilization because it uses turn-based combat on a variety of maps with terrain that affects the battle. And maybe it's like Minecraft as well because it was built by a tiny team and developed incrementally through the feedback of a passionate fan base. Pox Nora was free-to-play before free-to-play was a thing. It's gone from tiny little indie to SOE-backed product and back again. And through its eight years, it's managed to fly quietly under the radar while its developers continually churn out content, implement community ideas, and expand its possibilities. At PAX South over the weekend, I sat down with Arthur Griffith, CEO of Desert Owl Games and co-creator of Pox Nora, to learn more about the game and its latest content additions.
PAX South 2015: Moonrise and State of Decay shine at the Undead Labs booth
Most media appointments at an event like PAX South 2015 work like this: You meet the person you're supposed to meet, that person shows you the game her studio is working on, and then you rush off to the next booth on your list while cursing yourself for not scheduling time for a snack. Undead Labs handled my PAX appointment a bit differently, sitting me down for back-to-back play sessions with brand-new tablet game Moonrise and a remastered version of State of Decay, the zombie survival game that put the studio on the map. It was a little jarring to go from adorable pet battles to being torn in half by a zombie, but the two-for-one session provided a nice glimpse of where Undead Labs has been and where it intends to go.
PAX South 2015: Slaying giants in Motiga's Gigantic
Motiga's Gigantic is one part Team Fortress, one part Dota, and one part Monster Hunter. The basic match structure will sound familiar to MOBA lovers -- two teams of five slug it out for superiority by controlling resources, leveling up, and killing one another -- but the skill-based mechanics, multiple maps, and shifting strategy priorities make the game more than a three-lane farm fest. Gigantic isn't about last-hitting or memorizing meta. Instead, it's about slaying giants and aiming true. I hopped in on a quick Gigantic match with some other press folks this afternoon at PAX South 2015, and in the midst of delivering an absolute drubbing to the scrubs (kidding!) on the other side of the table, I was able to get a feel for the game's combat system, characters, and the way its massive guardians change the way battles play out.
Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing
There's no question that TERA is one of the most beautiful MMOs on the market. Its open world features gorgeous terrain, cool set pieces, and lots of variation for the screenshot-obsessed. So when Choose My Adventure's voters elected to send me exploring last week, I was more than happy to oblige. I wouldn't accomplish much Fate of Arun stuff, but at least I'd get to see some sights! I also, somehow, learned a bit more about the Warrior class and how to effectively deploy it in combat. It's been a long, hard crawl, but I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of my combo abilities and my evasion techniques. I'm definitely dying less and even occasionally having moments when I feel totally in control of the actions my character is taking and the reasoning behind them. I almost feel... good. Until the next BAM smacks me down, of course.
Choose My Adventure: Air travel is not very safe in TERA
Massively multiplayer online games are collections of interlocking systems. A character's skills allow her to interact with the world, interacting with the world gives her experience points, experience points give her levels, levels give her skills, and so on. Inventory, items, professions, quests, and social interactions are also systems, layered on top of the core combat and gameplay mechanics. When you have mastery over an MMO, you don't just have mastery over skill rotations; you have mastery over all of the systems underneath. By the time a normal person hits 60 in En Masse's TERA, for example, that person can probably tell the difference between good gear and bad gear, organize a character's inventory, and use the game's menus. This is the stuff you take for granted when you've been playing an MMO for weeks, months, or years. Leaping into expansion content with a near-max-level character but little core game experience is, thus, not very smart. But I did it anyway, charging into TERA's Fate of Arun with a brand-new-yet-level-60 Castanic Warrior for Choose My Adventure. It went okay.
