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Twitter's 'downvote' button test begins rolling out globally
Twitter is expanding its test of a "downvote" button to a select group of users around the world.
Clubhouse is now available worldwide on Android
As promised, Clubhouse has launched worldwide on Android, opening up the app to a lot more potential users.
Amazon Prime Video finally offers user profiles worldwide
Amazon Prime Video is finally adding user profiles to accounts worldwide.
Netflix's daily-updating Top 10 lists roll out worldwide
For anyone who has suffered from option-overload on Netflix and spent too much time looking for something to watch, the streaming service is rolling out a new Top 10 feature. In the Netflix app, you'll see a new banner with the 10 most popular titles in your country.
Apple Music now has 60 million paid subscribers
Apple Music now has 60 million paying subscribers. The company's Eddy Cue, a senior vice president of services, confirmed the milestone with French business publication Numerama today. According to Music Business Worldwide, Apple also noted that Beats 1 has "tens of millions of listeners."
'Assassin's Creed Symphony' concerts will also feature holograms
This summer, Ubisoft and MGP Live will debut the Assassin's Creed Symphony -- a concert series bringing the game's soundtrack to stage. As the saga of Assassin's Creed plays out on screen, a live orchestra and choir will perform the score. The just-released trailer, which you can watch below, promises an "immersive experience," complete with holograms of your favorite characters.
Facebook's 'Lite' app has over 200 million users (updated)
Just because you're using Facebook Lite, it doesn't mean you want to compromise on features. Neither do any of the 200 million users worldwide taking advantage of the bare-bones version of the app. Fortunately, there's an update that rolls out many missing features today such as the ability to Like, Comment and Share posts. Facebook created Lite as a pared down version of its main app in 2015 for lower-end Android phones with spotty network connections. COO Sheryl Sandberg was keen to outline the benefits that users of the standalone app are getting. Business users, for example, can use the more feature-rich update to reach mobile-only and mobile-first customers while using less data.
Spotify map compiles playlists from musical tastes around the world
If you're curious what kind of music folks in other parts of the world are listening to, Spotify now offers a handy tool that compiles just that. The streaming service gathers info from popular tracks around the globe and compiles them into playlists. Rather than list them in a boring in-app search, it plots them out on an interactive map for quick visual reference. This means that when you click on Durham, North Carolina, for example, you'll be greeted with a collection of tracks the folks there are listening to on the regular. Mandolin Orange and Future are quite popular in that part of NC, in case you were wondering. As you might expect, once you queue up a playlist in the app, you can add any notable findings to your personal collection for future use. Spotify says it updates the lists about twice a month, and each time it does, it sorts through 20 billion listener and song relationships.
New 'Game of Thrones' episodes will air worldwide simultaneously
It looks like HBO has caught wind of those "most pirated show in the world" stats Game of Thrones keeps racking up, and it's making a change. Besides launching HBO Now streaming that anyone in the US with internet (and an Apple device) can sign up for, its distribution is changing up worldwide. This season, every new episode of Game of Thrones will be simulcast with the US premiere in 170 countries -- check after the break for a list, and the new season five trailer that debuted during yesterday's Apple event.
Sony: PS4 sales surpass 18.5 million following holiday boom
PlayStation 4 sales are now beyond the 18.5 million mark, according to Sony's announcement at CES 2015. The PS4's pubertal growth into the late teens (millions-wise) occurred in a prolific holiday season, with more than 4.1 million units shifted worldwide since November 23, 2014. Sony's numbers represent the company's estimates of units sold to consumers, as opposed to retail shipments. According to Sony, the PS4 "continues to demonstrate the fastest and strongest growth in PlayStation hardware history." To contrast and compare, the PS3 shipped 10.5 million units within a similar timeframe, and the PS2 10.6 million units. "We are absolutely delighted that so many customers around the globe have continued to select PS4 as their console of choice throughout this holiday season," said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House. "We will continue to reinforce and deliver additional value on PS4 as the best place to play, by bringing even more exciting content and by enriching our wide array of service offerings."
Circle's Bitcoin bank is now open to everyone in the world
When Circle's Bitcoin bank launched in May, the only way that you could sign up was if you had an invitation. From today, however, the nascent financial institution has opened its doors to everyone in the world. Circle is pitching itself as a legitimate Bitcoin repository, adhering to US anti-money laundering rules, requiring depositors give their real names and insuring all accounts against theft. The outfit is also boasting that it can instantly send cash to friends, family or blackmailers anywhere in the world without transaction fees. In addition to English, the site has launched in six additional languages including Chinese and Portuguese, and the company promises that iOS and Android apps are coming in the near future.
Korean players protest a flag in World of Warships
When you're dealing with a global market, sometimes it's the most innocuous elements that cause a problem. World of Warships, cousin to both World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, included something that made several Korean gamers very angry: A flag. Specifically, the Rising Sun flag on several Japanese ships. From Wargaming.net's perspective, since the game is meant to have players at the helm of ships used by the major armies involved in World War II, including a period-appropriate decoration was perfectly reasonable. However, to several players in the region, the Rising Sun flag is seen as a reminder of Japanese military expansion and aggression, which is still a sensitive topic in many regions. The company's representatives posted on the official forums that the flag will be removed from the game, with the added clarification that the team is trying to be as sensitive as possible to cultural differences. The game is currently in testing and is due for general release later this year.
Apple's two-step ID now rolling out to a worldwide release
Apple recently introduced two-step verification for your Apple ID in certain countries, and the process is now being expanded to the rest of the world. The feature, which requires two different codes for verifying your Apple ID (if you want to be extra safe) was initially only available in the US, UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. But Apple has now included Canada in on the feature, as well as users in Argentina, Pakistan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium and Portugal. In other words, two-step authentication is now rolling out to a more or less worldwide release. The authentication process is still optional -- if you don't think you need it, you can still stick with just your Apple ID password as a login. The process does help security, though it's still not a perfect solution. Apple only implemented this procedure earlier this year due to some security concerns on behalf of users. But it will help against some attacks, and it should work as another step to keep unwanted invaders out of your Apple ID account.
Strategy Analytics: Apple's iPhone 5 tops world smartphone sales for Q4 2012
According to Strategy Analytics, Apple's iPhone 5 was already the best-selling smartphone in the US, and the survey outfit says that it also outsold all other models elsewhere on the planet, too. Cupertino's new bauble sold an estimated 27.4 million units during the period to dethrone last quarter's champ, the Samsung Galaxy S III, which landed in around 15.4 million hands globally. To top it off, the iPhone 4S actually shipped an estimated 17.4 million units to bump Samsung's best-seller down to third place, giving Apple the two most popular handsets on the planet and over 20 percent of the global market. Of course, the Korean maker might be throwing down soon with a new contender, and we know how fast you can go from champ to chump in the smartphone game.
Sony confirms production end for PlayStation 2 worldwide
It's not just Japan that's ending production of the PlayStation 2, apparently. Sony tells The Guardian that production is over on a worldwide scale. Of course, it shouldn't be too hard to find one anytime soon, as Sony says over 150 million units are already out in the wild. Of course, the first production run of Sony's PlayStation 3 also included full PS2 backwards compatibility, so that number's magnified even more. And then there's always the possibility that Sony will eventually put many (or most) of its PlayStation 2 games online in some form. Regardless, it's a sad day for Sony's most popular console, and we're pouring out a cold one for the console that helped birth modern gaming. We'll miss ya, dude. It was a good run.
PlayStation 2 is now discontinued worldwide, confirms Sony
Worldwide production of the PlayStation 2 is finally at a halt after almost 13 years. Sony confirmed to The Guardian that, following the recent news of it being discontinued in Japan, the best-selling home console ever is now no longer being manufactured.Sony boasts total software sales for the console of over 1.5 billion, in addition to more than 150 million PS2s sold. Rivals Nintendo and Sega barely shifted more than 30 million units of the GameCube and Dreamcast put together. It's unlikely we'll see a console dominate its generation so resoundingly ever again. Out of respect for the countless hours of gaming goodness it provided us, we at Joystiq are tearfully doffing our hats in memory of that little black box. That'll do, pig. That'll do.
iPhone 5 to launch in India, elsewhere Nov. 2
Apple fans eagerly awaiting the iPhone 5's broader worldwide release will have a reason to look forward to November 2 -- India, Greece, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania and Thailand will all score the new smartphone on that date. Additional countries are also likely included in that new rollout, though no more have been confirmed. App Store customers in India will also gain country-specific pricing on that date, with app prices being displayed in Indian rupees for the first time. Pre-orders of the iPhone 5 are expected to begin in India within the next few days through third-party regional distributors, as the country's retail market makes the opening of official Apple Stores an unfavorable proposition for the company. [Via: MacRumors]
International Telecommunication Union: worldwide mobile subscriptions hit six billion in 2011
Last year, the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) told us there were five billion mobile subscriptions worldwide at the close of 2010, and now it's reporting that at the end of 2011, that figure hit a staggering six billion. China and India account for one billion a piece, and it brings us ever closer to having the equivalent of one subscription for every person on the planet. (According to the CTIA, there are already more cellular plans in the US -- around 322 million -- than there are inhabitants.) In a stat-heavy release from the ITU, it also ranked the most advanced telecoms countries, with South Korea placing first, Japan eighth and countries in Europe filling the remaining spots. Interestingly, the number of global mobile broadband subscriptions now outnumbers fixed ones by two to one, and mobile internet services showed the biggest growth rates in 2011: 40% worldwide and 78% in developing markets. The ITU attributes the latter figure to the relatively high price of fixed access in these countries, and the increasing availability of mobile alternatives. The CTIA also commented on mobile broadband use, reporting that from July 2011 to June this year, Americans consumed 104 percent more data -- no doubt due, in part, to people taking advantage of expanding 4G coverage. As usual, we've given you the cheat sheet, so if you'd like the full reports and have got a thing for statistics, there's plenty more in the source links below. [Image credit: Chris Jordan]
PlayStation 3 hurdles over the 5 million mark in the UK
PlayStation 3 is now over the 5 million mark for UK sales, Sony announced today. The milestone followed soon after the release of the 500 GB PS3, which upped the console's sales during its launch week by 138 percent. The 12 GB model launches across Europe tomorrow. Earlier this month Sony also announced 4 million PS3 sales in France."This is another historic moment for the PlayStation brand, and something I'm incredibly proud of," said Fergal Gera, SCE vice-president and managing director for UK & Ireland, "I'd like to thank all our consumers, retailers and 3rd party partners for helping us achieve this figure, and look forward to continued success."The last revealed UK milestone for PS3 came in early 2011, when Sony announced 4 million sales of its home console. Microsoft tends to stick to worldwide sales figures, and the last time the company did that was in May, revealing a figure of 67 million. That compares to 64 million sales for PS3, which Sony revealed two months prior in March. The Nintendo Wii remains the home console leader according to latest figures, with 96.5 million worldwide sales as of June 2012.
Netflix Watch Instantly streaming coming to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland this year
Netflix mentioned during its most recent earnings call that it had identified an attractive European market to launch its streaming video service in during Q4 2012 and now we know where that is: Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. There's no word yet on pricing or which devices the service will be available on, but Nordic viewers can expect the usual assortment of movies and TV shows for a flat rate, with many available in HD and surround sound. Judging by the languages of support personnel Netflix was looking for last year, Asia is next on its world domination map (after Canada, Latin America and UK & Ireland) although how investors will react to the hit expansion makes on its earnings in the short term.
