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Intel's next-gen hybrid Optane SSDs are coming to laptops soon
Optane memory H20 is a new storage product from intel that combines its high-performance Optane memory with a regular QLC SSD in capacities of 512GB and 1TB.
Discovery+ launches today, and it's available on Fire TV, Roku and more
Discovery+ is available today in the US and you can basically access it on almost any major platform.
Discovery+ starts streaming in the US on January 4th for $5 per month
Discovery+ is launching its on-demand streaming on January 4th at a starting price of $5 per month.
Hulu Live TV adds a few channels from Discovery
Starting today, Hulu Live TV subscribers will have access to Discovery networks. The channels, spread across a variety of packages available on the live streaming service, include Discovery, TLC, MotorTrend, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery (ID). The prices on the bundles featuring the new channels won't change.
Discovery's streaming service could package 17 channels for $5 a month
Discovery could launch its own streaming service. CEO David Zaslav (above) said that he's considering bundling the 17 channels his company picked up in last year's Scrips Networks Interactive acquisition into a service that'd cost between $5 and $8 per month.
Dr. Pimple Popper parlays her gross Instagram videos into a TV deal
Dr. Sandra Lee, better known by her millions of Instagram followers as Dr. Pimple Popper, is getting her own six-episode show on TLC. Following the success of her one-hour special on the cable network, the limited series will show her treating patients for different dermatological conditions. Yep, instead of watching your guilty pleasure zit-popping videos online, you can watch half a dozen hour-long episodes of a trained professional tackling acne, cysts, lipomas and other growths.
Discovery acquires HGTV parent company in $14.6 billion TV deal
Discovery Communications is acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive in a $14.6 billion deal announced today. Once finalized, Discovery will produce around 8,000 hours of original programming yearly and 7 billion short-form video streams monthly. It will also control approximately 20 percent of ad-supported, pay-TV audiences in the US and host eight of viewers' top 10 favorite channels.
New York City suspends five Uber hubs until they divulge trip info (update: reprieve)
Uber's longstanding battle to offer ridesharing in New York City on its own terms isn't over... if anything, the conflict just got a bit ugly. The city's Taxi & Limousine Tribunal has suspended five of Uber's six NYC hubs until they hand over trip records to the Taxi & Limousine Commission, which recently established a rule requiring that ridesharing companies regularly share their travel data. Uber has been holding out on the grounds that the TLC is asking for sensitive information that could hurt its competitiveness and violate drivers' privacy.
New York attorney general fights rule that curbs services like Uber
New York City isn't always kind to ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber, but those companies have just gained an important ally. BuzzFeed News has learned that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently sent a letter to NYC's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) opposing rules that would limit firms to dispatching exclusively affiliated drivers unless they strike deals with rivals. To Schneiderman, that creates "serious antitrust issues." Companies would frequently have to collude with each other to grow, and the rule would favor well-financed outlets that can lure drivers away, such as Uber. Instead, the official suggests an approach where transporters can affiliate with any company that shares the same worker's compensation system.
Discovery launches trio of TV streaming apps for Windows Phone
Windows Phone 8 users whose TV habits revolve around MythBusters, Cake Boss and cute pets are in luck: Discovery has just posted three apps for their platform of choice. The new Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and TLC releases share the same basic template, letting fans check show schedules and stream either brief clips or a smattering of full-length episodes. All of the apps support Windows Phone's live tiles, voice commands and calendar reminders, although they're otherwise simple; they lack the second screen features we've seen in iOS versions. If you're just hoping to watch some Auction Kings on the bus, however, you can get your fix through the Windows Phone store today.
Temporary restraining order blocks Uber and others from New York City operations
In a move which should surprise no one who's been following along, New York City livery car groups successfully won a bid yesterday afternoon for a temporary restraining order against New York City's smartphone-based hail pilot program ("e-hails," if you will). This effectively shuts down any (limited) plans UberTAXI and others had for getting back in business in Gotham -- both Uber and Hailo are being stopped from operating in NYC as a result. Under the pilot program -- approved earlier this year but mired in legal drama ever since -- services like Uber and Hailo could be used in NYC's approximately 13K yellow cabs. Livery cab businesses in NYC have sought to stop the program's implementation via legal means. Its latest effort, the "application for interim relief," was admitted via lawyer Randy Mastro of Gibson Dunn, and cites the following as its reason for the temporary restraining order: "Absent emergency relief, petitioners and the public will suffer irreparable injury to their livelihoods, businesses and industry, fundamental rights and environmental interests, all of which will be impossible to remedy after this case is resolved in petitioner's favor."
Discovery, TLC iPad apps add second-screen feature
Discovery Communications, parent company of the cable channels Discovery and TLC, has released updates to the Discovery Channel HD and TLC for iPad and iPhone apps that now offer second-screen features on the iPad side. The second-screen feature is branded as Discovery Plus and TLC Plus and offers "an interactive second-screen experience, synced live to your favorite shows! Fully integrated into the app, simply tune in during a TLC/Discovery Plus-enabled show and sit back for exclusive factoids, photos and more! Or play a previously aired Plus-enabled show on your DVR, and sync to view the experience on your own schedule," according to the app descriptions. Discovery Communications does note that not all of its shows are Plus-enabled yet. Also, the Plus features are only available on the iPad, though the company does plan to add them to the iPhone version of the apps soon. Discovery Channel HD and TLC for iPad and iPhone are free downloads.
Discovery, TLC apps for iPad add 'Plus' second screen experience
While Discovery and TLC have offered some show-specific second screen content before, the latest updates to their apps put a new spin on it. Referred to as Discovery Plus and TLC Plus, the new features are currently iPad-only (coming soon to iPhone), bringing behind the scenes info, photos, quizzes and more for shows on the networks, ready to audio sync with live broadcasts or DVR viewing. Other changes in version 2.5 of the apps include new schedule info that lets you know when new episodes are airing for a show, and what's next up to premiere. We're still not sure if this approach to the second screen is enough to consistently make viewers remember to grab their mobile device while watching, but you can try it out during an episode of Dual Survival and let us know how it goes.
Uber shuts down New York City taxi beta, may see light at the end of the (Lincoln) tunnel in February (update: TLC responds)
Uber has been having a tough time getting a foothold in New York City, and it's temporarily withdrawing the UberTaxi service it had in beta. The withdrawal isn't entirely for the reasons you'd expect, however. While Uber claims to have been getting grief from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission for offering a competing (if technically legal) service through its smartphone apps, the program's end was due to demand rather than any kind of outright ban -- the Commission's pressure reportedly kept Uber from matching interest with enough yellow cabs. Black car service is still on for those who don't mind the classic ride. Should that uncomfortable balance not be quite good enough, Mayor Bloomberg is promising a truce come February, when a shift in contracts will let New York change the rules and hopefully improve the market for taxi alternatives. Update: TLC Commissioner David Yassky has weighed in with both an elaboration and claims that the Commission has been in favor of newer technology for awhile. He notes that the contracts expiring in February relate to exclusive payment arrangements with Creative Mobile Technologies and VeriFone, and that apps of all kinds (Uber's included) can compete for attention at that point. His full statement: "In recent months, as e-hail apps have emerged, TLC has undertaken serious diligence and is moving toward rule changes that will open the market to app developers and other innovators. Those changes cannot legally take place until our existing exclusive contracts expire in February. We are committed to making it as easy as possible to get a safe, legal ride in a New York City taxi, and are excited to see how emerging technology can improve that process. Our taxis have always been on the cutting edge of technological innovation, from GPS systems to credit card readers."
Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access
It's difficult to thrive in the solid-state drive world. Unless you've got just the right controller and flash memory, most performance-minded PC users will rarely give you a second glance. Samsung muscled its way into that narrow view with the SSD 830 last year; it intends to lock our attention with the new SSD 840 and SSD 840 Pro. The Pro's 520MB/s and 450MB/s sequential read and write speeds are only modest bumps over the 830, but they don't tell the whole story of just how fast it gets. The upgraded MDX controller boosts the random read access to a nicely rounded 100,000IOPS, and random writes have more than doubled to 78,000IOPS or 90,000IOPS, depending on who you ask and what drive you use. The improved performance in either direction is a useful boost to on-the-ground performance, as both AnandTech and Storage Review will tell you. We're waiting on details of the ordinary triple level cell-based 840 model beyond its 120GB, 250GB and 500GB capacities, although there won't be an enormous premium for the multi-level cell 840 Pro over existing drives when it arrives in mid-October -- the flagship line should start at $100 for a basic 64GB drive, and peak at $600 for the ultimate 512GB version.
Seagate and DensBits team up on solid-state drives for the home, call truce in the HDD versus SSD war
It's an understatement to say that Seagate started off on the wrong foot in its attitude towards solid-state drives: the company only slowly came around to embracing flash memory, and then mostly for the enterprise crowd and hybrid drive lovers. A newly-struck partnership between Seagate and controller maker DensBits is signalling a more serious attempt to offer SSDs to everyday users. Along with catering to the business folk, Seagate wants its new teammate's help on building "low-cost, high-performance" consumer SSDs. Most of the drives for the plebeians will use slower but denser 3-bits-per-cell memory made on a process under 20 nanometers, while the suits will get faster 2-bits-per-cell flash for their servers. The deal doesn't have any timetable attached, although Seagate's decision to pour equity cash into DensBits suggests it's not just a one-time fling.
OCZ expects to ship cheap TLC solid state drives in early 2012
It's about time triple-level-cell NAND came to life in consumer products and it looks like OCZ is blazing that trail. The company expects to release its first TLC drive early next year, with a vaunted 30 percent price reduction compared to current MLC drives, which are themselves much cheaper than SLC. The downside is shorter life expectancy, which will be as low as four years, but more durable forms of the technology are due to arrive later in 2012.
The Queue: Waterfalls
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today. There's a bunch of good questions in today's Queue: gold cap (including a little extrapolation by yours truly), boss level hit cap design, and voicing of a certain King of Stormwind.(In my Casey Kasem voice) As for today's reading music, take a listen to the 1990's classic by TLC, Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls. They totally turn into water elementals too, around 3:40 in the video.Outdps asked..."Is the gold cap per character or per account? Is there a gold cap for guild banks?" Bonus question: "What should the gold cap be?"
NYC cabbies could have cellphone use blocked while driving... but probably not
The Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York City (also known as the TLC) is considering some changes to the way that taxis and their drivers will operate in the future as part of its "Taxicab Passenger Enhancement Program." Among the wild ideas being floated is one that would "block" anyone in the front seat from using a cellphone -- most notably, of course -- the driver. Driving while using a handset is already illegal in New York, but this measure would apparently kill the ability to use a hands-free device as well. The TLC is trying to have an open discussion with New Yorkers on its website about other possible ways to make taxi rides more... enjoyable "in the future." We're betting this one will never happen but hey -- you never know. Our suggestion? Stop acting like we asked you to cart us to the gates of hell when we tell you we need to go to Brooklyn. [Via WCBS]
Emergency travel charger plays nice with Palm's Multi-Connector
Oh sure, there's a plethora of portable USB chargers out there to keep most every cellphone around juiced up for one last call, but those handling a Palm handset with the polarizing Multi-Connector have long been shut out cold -- until now. Tech Center Labs has just come to the rescue with its Tiny Emergency FuelCell, which holds a single AA and enables power to be passed along to Centros and any other Palm / Treo device with the proprietary connector. Best of all, the pocket-friendly device is just $9.95 (or $10.95 with a bundled battery). Not a bad way to spend a Hamilton if you're a Palm lover.[Via Palm InfoCenter]
