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NASA will reveal 'major' Mars discovery at 11AM ET
NASA will reveal a "major science finding" about Mars at 11:00 AM (ET) today, but don't expect alien fossils. Rather, the space agency will likely explain how channels called "recursive slope lineae" form on the sides of Martian slopes over time. While that may sound dull, such "dark slope streaks" are one of the red planet's most mysterious features. Most scientists think they're caused by flowing saltwater, since they only happen on sun-facing hills that have surface temperatures above freezing. Flowing water on Mars would be a big deal, of course, since it could support primitive forms of life.
Facebook's 360-degree videos bring immersive content to your News Feed
Always trying new things to improve your News Feed browsing, Facebook now supports more immersive videos. The social network announced that 360 video will begin rolling out to that portion of the site today. Right now, they're only viewable on the web and Android with support for iOS "in the coming months." The more immersive videos on Facebook work similarly to what you've probably seen on YouTube. As the footage plays, you can use your cursor to click and move around the video on the desktop. With a mobile device, you can use your finger to navigate around the visuals or you can simply move the device itself to change perspective. This new addition also paves the way for VR content to hit the News Feed when devices like the Oculus Rift and PS VR head to consumers.
Discovery launches short-form VR videos, starting with sharks
Discovery hasn't jumped the shark yet, but it's definitely gotten really, really close to a few ferocious sea beasts. Discovery VR is the company's new foray into virtual reality and 360-degree experiences, and it begins with a series of short-form, shark-infested videos from Mythbusters. It also launches with Gold Rush and Survivorman spin-offs, showcases of freeboarding and surfing, and tours through California's Half Moon Bay and Muir Woods. We first heard about Discovery shooting Mythbusters and other shows in VR back in May. The Discovery VR videos can be viewed online, via mobile apps for iOS and Android, and in Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR. Oculus support is "coming soon," though probably not before the Rift actually launches in Q1 2016.
Shazam shows you the music artists are discovering
The ability to follow your favorite music artists on Shazam isn't new, but that feature is now getting a huge boost. Starting today, the service will let you see how entertainers are using Shazam to discover tunes, too. Because famous people -- they're just like us. With the refreshed iOS and Android apps, you'll start seeing the option to follow hundreds of artists, including Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Shakira, and view the music any of them are identifying through Shazam. Better yet, you can listen to these songs directly from the application. Don't expect artists to make everything they try to recognize public, though, since there is an option to keep guilty pleasures (or blunders) private.
BBC loses the rights to the Olympics
Think of the Olympics and you'll likely remember catching some action on the BBC. The Beeb has helped televise the Games since 1948 and delivered more coverage than ever before in 2012, but from 2020, it may no longer be involved. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that it has struck a £922 million deal with Discovery for the rights to the 2018-2024 Summer and Winter Games, meaning Eurosport will become the default place for all things Olympics related.
Discovery is filming virtual reality 'Mythbusters' and other shows
The Mythbusters team is already shooting in virtual reality for the next season, Discovery told AdWeek. We're not exactly sure what that means at the moment -- they could be filming Jamie and Adam in VR format using stereoscopic cameras, but the company might also be talking about downloadable tie-in content. Either way, we're sure we're not the only ones excited at the prospect of going "inside the show," seeing explosions and mythbusting in an immersive virtual environment. It's not just Mythbusters that's getting the VR treatment, though: the company's online arm has launched a whole new division called Discovery Virtual. It's now working on several other VR programs in addition to Mythbusters, but you'd likely have to have access to an Oculus Rift or another similar headset to be able to enjoy any of them.
Elite: Dangerous explores the path of... exploring
So what do you want to do in Elite: Dangerous? Do you want to get into space dogfights? Build up a trade empire? Or do you really just want to accelerate to high speeds, jump out into the unexplored portions of space, and start seeing what's there? The latest newsletter for the game discusses precisely that with the exploration mechanics. Just exploring in the broadest sense is fairly simple, but being the first person to visited an unseen system won't count as exploring a heretofore unexplored location. To really explore a system, players need to determine how many major bodies there are in orbit around the star and scan the lot of them before returning home to tell about it. Having a full set of data and being the first to return with it will provide big rewards to the explorer, but if another ship comes across yours and it wants the prize of being the first to explore the system... let's just say there are no laws against loading weapons and opening fire.
Shazam baffles UK users by dropping Spotify integration
If you, like us, regularly use Shazam to tag and add tracks to Spotify for later listening, we have some bad news: you may now find that option has gone. It comes as one of the unexpected consequences of a deal between the music discovery company and streaming service Deezer, which has now replaced its bigger rival in free versions of Shazam in Germany, Mexico, UK and Brazil. TechCrunch spotted that Deezer and Rdio now hold the two main "free" positions within the Shazam app, but also notes that the ad-free premium version Encore retains Spotify integration. In our tests, Shazam had removed Spotify tagging from the Encore Android app, despite still displaying the feature in screenshots on both the UK App Store and Google Play.
BBC revamps iPlayer with new web UI and greater focus on content discovery
The BBC teased us with stories of a new, improved iPlayer nearing the end of the last year, and today we're seeing the first part of that go live. Arriving today on the web and smart TVs, the "completely re-built" iPlayer has a simpler, image-focused UI that'll be consistent across all platforms when tablet and smartphone apps catch up in a few months. The desktop client is not set to change, if you were wondering, as it's primarily a download manager these days. You can switch between the various BBC channels using tabs near the top of the page, with quick access to categories and favorites on the same level. A revised category list should make it easier to find things to watch that suits your tastes, and suggestive search should help you find those shows you already know you like. Similarly, new themed "collections" will give offer eyeball food that revolves around the same topic. If you're still not sure what to watch, there's always the A-Z program and recently watched lists for inspiration. A new playback page doesn't need to reload when you move onto the next episode (or something else from the recommendations), and you can add programs to favorites straight from the player.
One of Facebook's biggest science pages is becoming a TV show
Science TV shows are enjoying a small renaissance, it seems. Virtually in sync with the first episode of the Cosmos reboot, Facebook page and stand-alone website I F-ing Love Science (yes, we know how that's really written) has announced that it's getting a TV show on the Science Channel around the third quarter of the year. Late night talk show host Craig Ferguson will present the series, while page founder Elise Andrew (shown at center) will contribute behind the scenes. The TV deal is a testament to IFLS' online influence -- its Facebook page alone has over 10 million likes, and over 50 million people get the site's social updates every week. The show may only reel in a portion of that internet audience, but it still represents a victory for those who want more science in their living rooms. [Image credit: Elise Andrew, Twitter]
Hyundai and Kia tap SoundHound to help you identify music in your car
Always pulling out your smartphone to identify a song you've heard on your car radio? You'll no longer need to if you buy a new Hyundai or Kia model in the coming year. The Korean automakers have teamed up with sound-recognition specialist SoundHound to bring its music-discovery tools to select 2014 models in North America, Korea and China. The partnership will see Hyundai and Kia integrate music tagging directly into their infotainment systems, letting you pull up information on a song or artist with a press of the SoundHound icon. If you so choose, the app can keep a record of your searches, giving you the option to pull them up on a mobile device at a more suitable time. One model that will definitely get SoundHound's music-discovery feature is Hyundai's 2015 Genesis sedan, which is already set to let owners remotely lock their cars, perform maintenance updates and send Google Maps directions to the car with Google Glass. Not content with that, the car maker is also one of the six founding members of the Open Automotive Alliance. As part of the alliance, Hyundai worked with Google to develop an Android-based version of its custom infotainment system, helping the search giant expand further into the world of connected cars.
MTV Artists iPhone app wants to help you discover new music, provide a deeper connection with musicians
The number of media discovery apps keeps getting bigger by the day, and the latest to join the frenzy is MTV. Simply dubbed MTV Artists, the newly announced iPhone application is loaded with a vast amount of music-focused features, including detailed artists pages and the ability to search for tracks by simply typing in lyrics. What's more, MTV also suited the app with Sound ID, a Shazam-esque function which can quickly identify songs -- this is particularly useful when you're trying to find out who sings a tune that you may be hearing for the first time. MTV tells us that Artists is more than just another music discovery app, noting that the idea is to connect users with artists by way of in-depth profiles, which contain things such as image galleries, videos and tour dates. MTV Artists will only be available for iOS (iPhone-optimized) at launch, but the network did say that an Android version is in the works and set to come "sometime in 2014."
Microsoft opts for Jinni engine to enhance Xbox Video recommendations
With more and more video content being consumed every day on things like the Apple TV, PS3 and Xbox 360, having an exceptional recommendations system is becoming an essential part of the viewing experience. Microsoft knows how important this is, and today it announced it's reached a multi-year deal with Tel-Aviv-based firm Jinni to enhance entertainment discovery on the Xbox platform. The newly minted agreement will see Jinni's own engine, dubbed Entertainment Genome, vastly improve Xbox recommendations by utilizing its "deep knowledge of every show and movie in the Xbox Video catalog." It's worth noting Jinni has plenty of experience in the insight field, having previously been pegged by Time Warner and Vudu to power their intelligent search efforts. For its part, Xbox General Manager, Dave Alles, says there's excitement to combine Jinni's taste-and-mood engine with Microsoft's Conversational Understanding, which he hopes can make "finding something to watch on Xbox as fun as watching it."
Apple reportedly acquires video discovery service Matcha.tv
It's time to add another entry on our "Apple television rumors" timeline, as reports tonight indicate the company has acquired the team behind the second screen web / iPad app Matcha.tv. VentureBeat initially posted news of the acquisition at a price of between $1 and $1.5 million, which would appear to explain the aggregator's sudden disappearance back in May. If you weren't familiar with it before now, Matcha.tv was one of a number of efforts seeking to enable content discovery from mobile devices. By the time it closed its doors, it included TV listings of what's on cable / satellite, queues for online streaming from services like Netflix and Hulu, personalized recommendations and social network tie-ins. CEO Guy Piekarz told TechCrunch in May that the company has a "plan to provide something better in the future." We'll wait and see if speculation leans towards an IR blaster tie-in for the iPhone similar to the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One, controls for an integrated living room TV experience or something else entirely.
Google Maps receives major update for Android and iOS, gains discovery feature (video)
Ever since Google Maps returned to iOS with a completely new UI last December, we knew it was only a matter of time until the Android app followed suit. The search giant even said this much when it launched a revamped web edition of Google Maps at I/O. Earlier today, version 7 of Google Maps popped up in the Play store boasting a new discovery feature, enhanced navigation and more. It's now official -- a major update is currently rolling out for the Android version of Google Maps, with an iOS build to follow. Beyond normalizing the UI across platforms, this update brings significant new functionality to the table. We took the revised Android app for a brief spin, so hit the break for our first impressions. %Gallery-193457%
Discovery Communications working on a HBO Go-esque streaming service
Discovery Channel, DMAX, 3NET (with Sony and IMAX) and Revision 3 owner Discovery Communications is pondering an HBO Go-style streaming service. In an interview with Reuters, company boss John Hendricks said that shows that are between three and 18 months old can still make money before they're launched on Netflix. His plan is to let subscribers access that programming online for a small additional monthly fee, which, according to Hendricks' autobiography, is between $6 and $8 a month. The boss also said that the company is developing the infrastructure for the platform, but that we won't see such a service arrive for anything up to five years.
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.
Shazam for iOS updated with Pulse discovery feature, redesigned tab bar on iPhone
It's been a mere few weeks since Shazam introduced those new location-based and tagging features for the tablet version of its iOS app, but the music-driven service isn't stopping there. Reaching version 6.1 on Apple's platform, today Shazam's universal application is bringing a few more tidbits to both the iPhone and iPad. Handset users, for one, will notice speedier load times within the app and a rather fresh look that focuses on displaying more info on the tab bar -- such as friend tags and chart updates. On the bigger screen, Shazam says it's improved things by allowing users to more easily delete tags from Favorites and by adding under-the-hood tweaks which should make for a smoother experience while browsing the Friends feed. The bigger news, perhaps, is Shazam Pulse, a music discovery tool that's making its way to the iOS app, one which allows folks to quickly see and sample the music currently being tagged by people. It's worth noting that all these new features are available for Shazam and Shazam Encore, so fret not if you have one or the other.
Showyou video discovery app announces new channel platform for creators
More and more video discovery apps are starting to pop up, with even big-name brands such as Samsung joining the race to have the best offering out there. But while this particular field is still relatively young, startups like Showyou are already thinking ahead by launching creator-focused programs of their own. With the newly minted Showyou Channels, the service is taking a slight cue from sites who are familiar with creating and distributing videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), announcing that the idea is to provide users with a hub where they can make original content and easily share it with the world. What's more, Showyou also has a revenue model in place which allows people to make a little cash from their vids, though that won't necessarily be a requirement. Only time will tell how far Showyou can go, but, if anything, we're definitely interested in seeing how its evolution plays out.
Weotta iOS local discovery app goes nationwide, Google Ventures approves
Finding things to do and places to go has never been easier thanks to services that neatly pull all the options together. Weotta hopes to be another weapon in your discovery app arsenal after expanding its coverage to the whole of the US, having initially been limited to 40 cities. As the company's CEO told Forbes, the free iOS app uses "phrase extraction and natural language processing" to source its local suggestions from the nooks and crannies of the internet. That same wizardry is used to steer its rating system, which is based on what's said about a venue or event rather than aggregating numerical scores. It'll learn your likes and dislikes, tailoring recommendations as it gets to know you better, but you can discover what's happening in the area for yourself using the search feature. Via Facebook Connect, the app will also tell you what's popular among your peers. While Weotta is only available for iOS, it's attracted funding from Google Ventures, which is a recommendation in itself that suggests you give it a whirl.
