Facebook Watch is finally growing as payouts get spread thin

Both Facebook Watch and Instagram’s IGTV have yet to become superstar video platforms, leaving Facebook at risk as more people seek streaming entertainment instead of status updates. So today Facebook is trying to build some buzz for Watch with new stats and rollouts. The free video hub that combines original content, sports, and cult favorite TV shows like Firefly now has 400 million users watching at least one minute per month. That’s not a ton of engagement amongst a wide audience. But on the brighter side there are 75 million users watching at least one minute per day with a much more promising average of 20 minutes per day.

Though that’s just 5 percent of Facebook’s 1.5 billion daily users, it indicates that if Facebook can get people hooked on its ad-supported shows, it could squeeze serious viewing time out of them. Just four months ago, Facebook was saying that only 50 million people spent at least 1 minute per month on Watch, so it’s making strong progress.

Watch is now available worldwide on desktop and Facebook Lite as well as the main Facebook app. And it’s rolling out ad breaks to 40 countries after an initial launch in 5 in August. It’s also renewing four shows for a second season: Huda Boss, Five Points, Sacred Lies & Sorry For Your Loss.

But The Information reports that news media executives feel that while some shows are getting satisfactory viewership, ad revenue has been underwhelming. Six months ago, Facebook commissioned news programs from outlets like CNN and Buzzfeed. Facebook reportedly now plans to pay news video content producers less per show as it seeks to spread the same $90 million budget across more programs, potentially with a greater focus on international markets. That cut-back could make producing some shows tough, but at least the execs believe Facebook understands it must prioritize monetization for its content partners.

To the end, Facebook plans to offer more options for advertisers like more targeting capabilities, and expanding its In-Stream Reserve premium ad inventory inside the top quality Watch shows. For individual video creators, Ad Breaks will become more widely available including within game streams from eSports stars. Facebook is also planning to expand its Brand Collabs Manager to additional countries so creators can get hooked up with sponsorship deals, and let more creators sign up fans for Patreon-style subscription payments.

The viewing stats have likely been bolstered by the addition of all episodes of Joss Whedon’s old TV shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly that users can binge watch for hours on end. 12 million Watch Party group video sessions have been launched to date, helping shows go viral. Facebook is now testing live picture-in-picture commentating that could let actors host viewing parties that feel like you’re sitting in the living room beside them. Facebook’s VP of video Fidji Simo writes that “With Facebook Watch, we set out to demonstrate what it looks like to build deep bonds through watching online video, instead of just having a passive viewing experience.”

Simo also notes that “People can find videos on Facebook in a number of different places — Watch, News Feed, Search, Pages and more — and all of these can feel different. We want to make the experience of watching video feel immersive no matter where you discovered it. As part of this effort, we’ll be testing a few things in the coming months, like creating a darker background whenever you immerse yourself into a video on mobile.”

Facebook has yet to concentrate its funding on a blockbuster tentpole video series — its Game Of Thrones or House Of Cards. The closest thing it has is the Elizabeth Olsen show Sorry For Your Loss, though viewership has been somewhat weak. Next year Facebook Watch will debut a revived and social media-infused web version of MTV’s Real World. But tapping its deep pockets to pay for one must-see original scripted series could help wedge Watch into people’s lives.

Read Full Article

Tempow’s new Bluetooth profile lets you create AirPods clones more easily

French startup Tempow has been working on software solutions to improve the Bluetooth protocol. The company just unveiled the Tempow True Wireless Bluetooth profile so that anybody can create AirPods clones.

Many companies have tried creating a pair of earbuds with absolutely no wire. But none of them are as good as Apple’s AirPods. Manufacturers can’t quite recreate the same experience because Apple has developed its own chip and software solution.

Putting aside the magical Bluetooth pairing process, AirPods leverage normal Bluetooth audio (A2DP) to communicate with your device. That’s why they work with iPhones, Android phones, old Windows laptops, etc.

But A2DP normally only lets you connect one device with one headphone. And that’s also what’s happening with AirPods. Your phone establishes a link with one of the earbuds. The second earbud then sniffs the first link.

Other manufacturers have tried to create wireless earbuds by establishing a second connection between the second earbud and the main earbud. They often use Near Field Magnetic Induction. This uses a lot of battery and creates latency issues.

Tempow has been rewriting the Bluetooth stack so that manufacturers can use normal Bluetooth chipsets and pair a single device with multiple speakers. Using this solution for wireless earbuds seems like a natural fit.

Read Full Article

Keepsafe launches My Number Lookup, so you can see the public data tied to your mobile number

Ever wonder how much of your personal information is accessible to marketers? Well, there’s a new service called My Number Lookup that makes it easy (and free) for you to check the data that’s publicly available and tied to your mobile phone number.

The service was created by Keepsafe, maker of privacy-centric products. While there is a My Number Lookup website, the service actually operates over SMS — you just text HELLO to (855) 228-4539 and it will start sending you a report.

Keepsafe co-founder and CEO Zouhair Belkoura said that while marketers are able to access this information with relative ease, it’s difficult for consumers to check.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we make it super easy?'” he said. “Here’s a number you can text that tells you what information is publicly available.”

Specifically, My Number Lookup will tell you whether it was able to find a name, home address, age, gender, mobile carrier and associated people tied to your mobile number. It will even show you the data (several of the data points about me were missing, out-of-date or flat-out wrong), then point you towards Keepsafe Unlisted, a service for creating “burner” phone numbers (so you don’t have to share your real number widely), and also towards a Keepsafe blog post that outlines how someone can try to remove their personal information from various data brokers.

Belkoura admitted that even though you’ve got the report, you won’t necessarily be able to scrub the data from the Internet. Instead, he sees it as more of “a wakeup call” that people need to be more careful about giving out their phone numbers. And if it leads them to use Keepsafe Unlisted, even better.

“Once information is out there, it’s very difficult to delete,” he said. “The Internet is a place that just doesn’t forget.”

As for why the service operates over SMS, Belkoura said My Number Lookup will only provide data about the number you’re texting from. Hopefully that means users will only check on their own data, not someone else’s: “We don’t actually want to create a service where people who don’t have a legitimate interest can pay to look up information.”

Keepsafe launches a privacy-focused mobile browser

Read Full Article

Robinhood launches no-fee checking/savings with Mastercard & the most ATMs

Robinhood is undercutting the big banks by forgoing brick-and-mortar branches with its new zero-fee checking and savings account features. With no overdraft or monthly fees, a juicy 3 percent interest rate, and a claim of more US ATMs than the five biggest banks combined, Robinhood is using the scalability of software to pass impressive perks on to customers. The free stock trading app already used that approach to attack brokers like E*Trade and Charles Schwab that charge a per trade fee. Now it’s breaking into the larger financial services market with a model that could put the squeeze on Wells Fargo, Chase, and Bank Of America.

Today Robinhood launches checking and savings accounts in the US with a Mastercard debit card issued through Sutton Bank that starts shipping December 18th. Users earn 3 percent on all the dough they keep with Robinhood, yet there’s no minimum balance or fees for monthly membership, overdrafts, foreign transactions, or card replacements. That’s a pretty sweet deal compared to the other leading banks that all charge for some of that or offer much lower interest rates. The tradeoff is that while customers get 24/7 live text chat support, they won’t be able to walk into a local bank branch. Users who want early access can sign up here.

Robinhood expects to turn a profit thanks to a lean 300-employee operation, earning a margin on investing your money in US treasuries, and a revenue share with Mastercard on interchange fees charged to merchants when you swipe. The launch could be critical to keeping Robinhood worthy of its $5.6 billion valuation from when it took a $363 million Series D in March just a year after raising at a $1.3 billion valuation. The 6 million-user app invested in launching a free cryptocurrency trading exchange early this year only to see coin prices plummet and mainstream interest fall off. But with banks hammering users with surprise fees and mediocre user experience, there’s a huge opportunity for a mobile-first startup to disrupt how we store money.

“Brick-and-mortar locations are costly. Our goal with this product was to build a completely digital experience so we can reduce our overhead so we can pass more of the value back to customers” Robinhood co-CEO Baiju Bhatt tells me. [Disclosure: I know Bhatt and co-CEO Vlad Tenev from college] “Saving accounts in the US pay on average 0.09 percent and we all know the banks are making far more than that from the deposits. With Robinhood you earn 3 percent off all of your money. Mental math is hard so if you look at the median US household that has about $8000 in liquid savings, they’d earn $240 a year.”

Robinhood will be sending invites to users in January for the new feature that they can use exclusively or alongside their existing bank. Anyone approved to use Robinhood’s stock brokerage is eligible, but users can also sign up directly for checking and savings with no obligation to trade stocks. Robinhood claims signing up won’t impact your credit score. Users get to customize a Robinhood-branded debit card that’s accepted wherever Mastercard is.

One of the most appealing features of Robinhood checking and savings is getting access to 75,000 free-to-use ATMs in places like Target, Walgreens, and 7-Eleven. Users won’t be able to tell just by looking at an ATM whether it’s in the network, but the Robinhood app features a map for finding the nearest one. You can deposit checks via Robinhood’s app too, and if you need to send a check, you can just tell the startup how much to deliver to whom and it will mail the check for you.

Robinhood will have to convince users it’s worthy of their trust, as a security breach could be disastrous. There’s also the question of whether people are ready to ditch their bank branch. “Behaviors about and going into a branch are definitely changing” says Bhatt. My biggest concern was not having any consistency in who I talk to when I need banking helpf. Bhatt tells me the company plans to roll out more personalized customer service features in the coming months.

Getting into banking could open a lucrative revenue stream for Robinhood as it charts its path to IPO. The startup recently hired Jason Warnick, a 20-year veteran of Amazon, to be its CFO and get it prepped to go public. Wall Street will want to see a more robust business that’s not as vulnerable to foes like stock brokerage Charles Schwab which is already lowering fees to stay competitive with Robinhood. Not only will checking and savings see users move more money into their Robinhood accounts that it can invest to earn a profit, but it also poises the startup to tackle more financial services in the future.

Read Full Article

What China searched for in 2018: World Cup, trade war, Apple

Glose raises $3.4 million for its collaborative reading app

French startup Glose just raised a $3.4 million funding round (€3 million) for its reading app on iPhone, iPad and Android. The company wants to make reading books more social.

If you’re an avid book reader, chances are you always carry a pencil with you to write some notes in the margins. Or maybe you have a tiny notebook with important quotes. But that experience hasn’t worked well with ebooks.

Sure, you can highlight text on your ereader, in the Kindle app and other ebook apps. But it’s hard to do anything with them down the road. Glose wants to leverage your phone to let you do more with the book you’re currently reading.

OneRagTime, Expon Capital, Kima Ventures, Bpifrance participated in today’s funding round as well as business angels, such as Sébastien Breteau, Patrick Bertrand and Julien Codorniou.

Glose has its own bookstore and lets you read your own DRM-free ebooks. The app then keeps you motivated with reading streaks and other gamification aspects. But my favorite feature is that you can highlight texts, write annotations and share them with your friends.

When your friends read the same book six months later, they can open the annotations in the margin to see what you wrote down. You can follow booklists, create private reading groups and see the progress of your friends. 600,000 people have downloaded the app.

Up next, Glose wants to release a separate service called Glose Education. This version will be tailored for universities and high schools. Teachers will be able to create reading groups, assign homework, write down annotations for the class and more. This seems like a natural use case for a social reading app.

Read Full Article

Improving the Effectiveness of Diabetic Retinopathy Models

Posted by Rory Sayres PhD and Jonathan Krause PhD, Google AI, Healthcare

Two years ago, we announced our inaugural work in training deep learning models for diabetic retinopathy (DR), a complication of diabetes that is one of the fasting growing causes of vision loss. Based on this research, we set out to apply our technology to improve health outcomes in the world. At the same time, we’ve continued our efforts to improve the model’s performance, explainability, and applicability in clinical settings. Today, we are sharing our research progress toward these goals, as well as announcing a new partner in Thailand.

Improving Model Performance with High-quality Labels
The performance of DR deep learning models is critically important, especially when subtle errors have the potential to generate a misdiagnosis. Earlier this year we published a paper in the journal Ophthalmology that looked at how we could improve our model by 1) moving toward a more granular 5-point grading scale (versus the previous 2-class system) and 2) incorporating adjudication by a panel of retinal specialists. During the adjudication process, a group of retinal specialists debated any case with disagreement until everyone agreed on the final grade. Compared to simply taking a majority vote, this method of resolving disagreements was more accurate and allowed for the identification of subtle findings, such as microaneurysms.

To increase the efficiency of the adjudication process, we carefully selected a small subset (0.22%) of images to use as a tuning set, substantially improving model performance by optimizing model hyperparameters on this more accurate reference standard. When we subsequently measured the rate of agreement against a test set of images with an adjudicated reference standard, the kappa scores (a measurement of agreement that ranges from 0 [random] to 1 [perfect agreement]) for individual retinal specialists, ophthalmologists, and the algorithm ranged from 0.82-0.91, 0.80-0.84, and 0.84, respectively.

Making our Models More Transparent
As we deploy this technology, it is important that we take the proper steps to ensure that it is transparent and trusted. To that end, we have been exploring ways to explain how the model is making its predictions, with the goal of making the DR model a better diagnostic tool and aid for doctors.

In our latest study, to be published today in Ophthalmology, we demonstrate methods by which explanations of deep learning algorithms can be shown to ophthalmologists to increase both the accuracy and confidence of their grading for diabetic eye disease. Using the results of the model trained and validated on high quality labels from our earlier study, we generated different forms of potential assistance for general ophthalmologists. We presented to the physicians the algorithm’s predicted scores for different DR severity levels as well as heatmaps highlighting image regions that most strongly drove its predictions. Using this assistance, we saw a significant increase in physicians’ diagnostic accuracy, as well as improved confidence in their diagnosis.

We saw clear evidence that showing model predictions could help physicians catch pathology they otherwise might have missed. In the retinal image below, our adjudication panel found signs of vision-threatening DR. This was missed by 2 of 3 doctors who graded it without assistance; but caught by all 3 doctors who graded it when they saw the model predictions (which accurately detected the pathology).

On the left is a fundus image graded as having proliferative (vision-threatening) DR by an adjudication panel of ophthalmologists (ground truth). On the top right is an illustration of our deep learning model’s predicted scores (“P” = proliferative, the most severe form of DR). On the bottom right is the set of grades given by physicians without assistance (“Unassisted”) and those who saw the model’s predictions (“Grades Only”).

We also saw evidence that physicians and the model can work together in a way that provides more accuracy than either individually. In the retinal image below, our adjudication panel of retina specialists considered it to have moderate DR. Without assistance, two out of three ophthalmologists grading the image marked it as no DR. In real-world settings, this situation could result in a patient missing a needed referral to a specialist.

On the left is a retinal fundus image graded as having moderate DR (“Mo”) by an adjudication panel of ophthalmologists (ground truth). On the top right is an illustration of the predicted scores (“N” = no DR, “Mi” = Mild DR, “Mo” = Moderate DR) from the model. On the bottom right is the set of scores given by physicians without assistance (“Unassisted”) and those who saw the model’s predictions (“Grades Only”).

In this particular case, our model also indicated evidence for no DR. However, when ophthalmologists saw the model’s predictions, all three gave the correct answer. Seeing that the model saw some evidence for Moderate -- even if it wasn’t the highest score -- may prompt doctors to examine particular cases more carefully for pathology they may otherwise miss. We are excited to develop assistance that works like this, where human and machine learning abilities complement each other.

A New Partner in our Global Efforts
With the help of screening programs and in collaboration with Verily, we have laid a robust foundation for the implementation of these highly accurate systems in real world clinical settings. Working with doctors at Aravind Eye Hospitals and Sankara Nethralaya in India, and now, through our new partnership with the Rajavithi Hospital, affiliated with the Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health in Thailand, we are validating the model performance with patients from broad screening programs. Given the positive results of our model on their real patient population, we are now beginning to pilot the model in their screening programs. We’re looking forward to a very busy 2019!

TNB Aura closes $22.7M fund to bring PE-style investing to Southeast Asia’s startups

TNB Aura, a recent arrival to Southeast Asia’s VC scene, announced today that it has closed a maiden fund at SG$31.1million, or around US$22.65 million, to bring a more private equity-like approach to investing in startups in the region.

The fund was launched in 2016 and it is a joint effort between Australia-based venture fund Aura and Singapore’s TNB Ventures, which has a history of corporate innovation work. It reached a final close today, having hit an early close in January. It is a part of the Enterprise Singapore ‘Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering’ scheme which, as you’d expect, means there is a focus on hardware, IO, AI and other future-looking tech like ‘industry 4.0.’

The fund is targeting Series A and B deals and it has the firepower to do 15-20 deals over likely the next two to three years, co-founder and managing partner Vicknesh R Pillay told TechCrunch in an interview. There’s around $500,000-$4 million per company, with the ideal scenario being an initial $1 million check with more saved for follow-on rounds. Already it has backed four companies including TradeGecko, which raised $10 million in a round that saw TNB Aura invest alongside Aura, and AI marketing platform Ematic.

The fund has a team of 10, including six partners and an operating staff of four. It pitches itself a little differently to most other VCs in the region given that manufacturing and engineering bent. That, Pillay said, means it is focused on “hardware plus software” startups.

“We are very strong fundamentals guys,” Pillay added. We ask what is the valuation and decide what we can get from a deal. It’s almost like PE-style investing in the VC world.”

A selection of the TNB Aura team [left to right]: Samuel Chong (investment manager), Calvin Ng, Vicknesh R Pillay, Charles Wong (partners), Liu Zhihao (investment manager)

Another differentiator, Pillay believes, is the firm’s history in the corporate innovation space. That leads it to be pretty well suited to working in the B2B and enterprise spaces thanks to its existing networks, he said.

“We particularly like B2B saas companies and we believe we can assist them through of our innovation platforms,” Pillay explained.

Outside of Singapore — which is a heavy focus thanks to the relationship with Enterprise Singapore — TNB Aura is focused on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, four of the largest markets that form a large chunk of Southeast Asia’s cumulative 650 million population. With an internet population of over 330 million — higher than the entire U.S. population — the region is set to grow strongly as internet access increases. A recent report from Google and Temasek tipped the region’s digital economy will triple to reach $240 billion by 20205.

The report also found that VC funding in Southeast Asia is developing at a fast clip. Excluding unicorns, which distort the data somewhat, startups raised $2.6 billion in the first half of this year, beating the $2.4 billion tally for the whole of 2017.

There are plenty of other Series A-B funds in the region, including Jungle Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures, Openspace Ventures, Monks Hill Ventures, Qualgro and more.

Read Full Article

Google Reveals the Top Searches of 2018

As is tradition, Google has revealed the top trending searches from the past 12 months. Thanks to Google’s Year in Search 2018, We now know what everyone searched for in 2018. And it’s the usual mix of cultural moments, sporting events, and celebrities.

Google’s Year in Search for 2018

Google has broken the top trending searches of 2018 down into a number of different categories. As well as overall searches, there’s News, People, Actors, Athletes, Loss, Movies, Musicians and Bands, and TV Shows. All of which are fascinating.

We’re not going to list them all here, but if you want to explore further you should visit Google’s Year in Search 2018 site. This is where you’ll find the top 10 trending searches in all of the categories mentioned above, globally, and for specific countries.

Google’s Top 10 Searches of 2018

The top 10 searches overall are dominated by the famous faces we have lost this year. Celebrities such as Stephen Hawking, Anthony Bourdain, and Stan Lee were all big losses, and on hearing about their passing, people inevitably Googled their names.

1. World Cup
2. Avicii
3. Mac Miller
4. Stan Lee
5. Black Panther
6. Meghan Markle
7. Anthony Bourdain
8. XXXTentacion
9. Stephen Hawking
10. Kate Spade

There are a few more uplifting searches mixed in. The World Cup was a sporting extravaganza that entertained us this summer. Black Panther broke records to become something more than just a movie. And Meghan Markle joined the British royal family.

Google’s Video Beats YouTube Rewind

It’s important to note that this lists aren’t populated by the most searched for terms overall. Instead, these are 2018’s top search trends. Google quantifies these as search terms which enjoyed “the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year”.

As you can see above, Google also produced a video to show what happened in 2018. And it’s getting rave reviews for summing up the highlights of the year. Which is in stark contrast to YouTube Rewind, which everyone seems to hate with a passion.

Read the full article: Google Reveals the Top Searches of 2018

Read Full Article

Go Back in Time: How 12 Big Websites Looked Years Ago

The internet has progressed massively over the last two decades. Back then, Apple was a struggling computer company, AOL was a booming internet service provider, and Microsoft was on the verge of releasing Windows 98. Through the magic of the Wayback Machine, we can travel back in time and revisit the past.

Take a walk down memory lane with us as we hop into our DeLorean and take a look at what the web used to be. If you were there at the time, you’ll feel nostalgia. If not, you might be surprised just how far we’ve come. Feel free to follow the links and do your own exploring, even revisit your own old haunts and marvel at how dated they look.

1. YouTube

In 2005, YouTube was founded by three American guys who worked for PayPal. It made the process of uploading and viewing videos so much easier than it ever had been before. The first video was titled “Me at the zoo”, uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim.

Google purchased the site in 2006 and YouTube continues to dominate; today, 300 hours of video get uploaded every minute.

2. eBay

eBay wasn’t always called that. When it launched in 1995, it was known as The AuctionWeb, and one of the first things sold was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. In 1996, the site hosted 250,000 auctions. A year later, that figure went up to two million, with Beanie Babies making up 10% of those listings.

eBay continues to be a popular shopping destination, though now it sells a whole lot more than collectible toys.

3. Apple

Apple, now one of the most valuable companies in the world, was a struggling computer company back in the 90s. Apple’s website from 1997 seems like it’s about a completely different company from the Apple we know today. But even back then, Apple pushed mobile devices—the eMate 300 in this case, which used Apple’s Newton platform. (It flopped.)

4. Google

Google wasn’t the first search engine, though it did improve upon it thanks to a page ranking formula created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The iconic, minimalistic design has always been present on their site, as has the colorful logo.

Here’s a little-known fact: The only reason Google started with such a simple design is because the company founders had little knowledge of HTML.

5. Yahoo

1997 was the pre-Google era, so people used other search engines—like Yahoo. Yahoo was a pretty basic search engine and directory back then, nothing like the jam-packed front page it would become. But then, Yahoo just couldn’t be cluttered back then. It would have taken too long to download over those old dial-up modems.

6. Microsoft

Microsoft was working on Windows 98 at the time, and their “Where do you want to go today?” slogan featured prominently on their website. As you can see, they’ve always offered a variety of products and services. The top headline—“Internet Explorer 4.0 Debuts to Critics’ Applause”—is amusing in retrospect, since in later years the browser was swiftly overtaken by the competition.

7. Amazon

Amazon began selling books in 1995 and was, like all good internet companies, founded out of a garage by Jeff Bezos. He chose books because of the worldwide demand for literature, the low cost, and the huge variety available. Bezos was selling $20,000 a week within two months, so you might say it was the right choice, especially since Amazon remains the number one online shopping destination.

8. AOL

AOL’s website really is a blast from the past. The front page advertises the beta release of AOL Instant Messenger, which ultimately became very popular. It even offers a free AOL trial, which brought many people online for the first time.

9. GeoCities

If you were around in the 90s, I’m sure you remember GeoCities. Instead of creating blogs, people created their own personal websites and they usually looked horrible. GeoCities was shut down officially in 2009, but it faded away and died many years before.

10. The New York Times

The New York Times shows us what a newspaper website used to be like. The website attempts to bring the familiar newspaper-style layout to a browser. Luckily, newspaper websites have advanced since then, and for many publications, it’s the primary output since print media is no longer as popular as it once was.

11. AltaVista

If you weren’t using Yahoo, there’s a good chance you were using AltaVista. Back in 1997, they were more than just a search engine. You can see that from their proud boasting of a new “email with attitude” service called ME-Mail. AltaVista now just redirects to Yahoo’s search results, and Yahoo is just a frontend to Microsoft’s Bing.

12. The White House

The White House front page used to be the “White House Virtual Library.” It offered the ability to browse and search a variety of documents. No splashy front page with the latest news and high-resolution images of the president here, just a glorified search engine with a tiling background that would have been all the rage at the time.

Even More Blasts From the Past

One day, someone will no doubt write about how ancient the web looks now and marvel at how backward we were.

Now that you’ve learned about the history of the web and how it used to look, it’s time to check out some fascinating sites to make real history come alive.

Read the full article: Go Back in Time: How 12 Big Websites Looked Years Ago

Read Full Article

The 12 Best Period Dramas to Watch on Netflix

People love a good period drama. The most recent mega-successful example of the genre is Downton Abbey, which has captivated British and American audiences alike.

However, Downton Abbey is far from the only period drama worth watching. And, as it’s only available on Netflix in Canada, Australia, and Japan, you’ll probably want to know what other period dramas are out there.

Here’s our list of the best period dramas available to watch on Netflix right now.

1. The Duchess

The Duchess is a 2008 drama about English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire. Keira Knightley takes the lead role. She is ably supported by Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, and Dominic Cooper.

The plot takes you on a journey through the Duchess’ loveless marriage, the sexual double-standards of the time, and the poor treatment of women in the 18th century.

2. The Crown

The Crown is one of the best Netflix originals. It tells the story of the life of current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The first season starts in 1947 when Elizabeth marries Prince Philip and ends with Princess Margaret’s engagement to Peter Townsend in 1955.

As the series progresses, the modern day comes into focus, making it less of a period drama. The fourth season features the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

And in case you’re interested, Queen Elizabeth HAS watched the show. She reportedly enjoyed it, but found some aspects to be “too heavily dramatized.”

3. Juana Inés

For the fourth show on our list, we depart European shores and head to 17th century colonial Mexico. Juana Inés was one of the most important figures in both the Spanish Golden Age and Mexican classical literature. She was a nun, scholar, poet, and philosopher who won plaudits for battling the entrenched dominance of men in the religious and scientific worlds.

This seven-part series is filmed in Spanish, so make sure you turn on the subtitles or learn Spanish using these free apps.

4. When Calls the Heart

Let’s stay in the Americas. When Calls the Heart tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young Canadian woman who leaves high society to become the only teacher in a small coal-mining village on the west coast of the country.

The series starts in 1910, and there are five seasons for you to enjoy, along with three Christmas specials. Erin Krakow takes the lead role, with Daniel Lissing being the main supporting actor.

5. The Tudors

The British royal family perfectly lends itself to period dramas, and The Tudors is the second show on the list that uses them as inspiration.

This show takes you back to 16th-century England and the reign of Henry VIII. The four series each cover an important aspect of the king’s life. His fallout with the pope, his marriage to Anne Boleyn, the reformation revolts, and the siege of Boulogne all enjoy ample coverage.

The Tudors received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series in 2007.

6. North and South

The 1800s were a unique time in Britain. The century began with the industrial revolution taking hold across the north of the country and ended with Queen Victoria leading the largest empire in the world’s history.

North and South takes place in the middle of the century, around the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851. The show is based on the 1855 book of the same name by Elizabeth Gaskell.

The plot follows Margaret Hale, a wealthy southerner who moves to the industrial north. Stories about class and gender are a recurring theme, as is Britain’s increasingly dominant role in the world.

7. Magnificent Century

Are you getting fed up with shows set in Britain? Then let’s head to Turkey. Magnificent Century is about Suleiman the Magnificent, a 16th century Ottoman Sultan.

His 46-year reign saw the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire. He built an empire larger than Alexander the Great that stretched from modern-day Vienna all the way to the Sahara Desert in the south and the Persian Gulf in the east.

Magnificent Century ran for four seasons before eventually ending in 2013. But it’s all now available to watch on Netflix.

8. The Paradise

We’ll continue the list back in Victorian Britain. The Paradise is set in the country’s first department store in 1875. It uses Émile Zola’s novel Au Bonheur des Dames for inspiration.

In many ways, it’s a traditional rags-to-riches story. A Scottish woman called Denise Lovett arrives at the store and is immediately considered to be a rising star by the owner, John Moray.

The story follows her battles with her co-workers, her fascination with the luxury of modern life, and her feud with the daughter of the shop’s benefactor who wants to marry Moray.

The series ran for two seasons and 16 episodes.

9. Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders offers a grittier storyline than some of the other dramas in this list. Set in the post-World War One era, it follows the lives of a notorious street gang from Birmingham in the U.K.

With its heavily atmospheric cinematography and unique visual style, the show has won numerous awards. Cillian Murphy plays the lead role.

So far, there have been four series. Three more series have been confirmed by the BBC, with the show set to culminate when the first air raid siren of World War Two goes off in the city.

10. To the Ends of the Earth

To the Ends of the Earth is a three-part BBC series. It is based on William Golding’s trilogy of novels of the same name. The series uses British ships taking migrants to Australia in the early 19th century as inspiration.

Released in 2005, it received critical acclaim at the time. It was one of Benedict Cumberbatch’s first lead roles and provided him with a springboard for international stardom.

The BBC describes the series as “full of dirt, discovery, dancing, love, spiritual awakenings, and sweeping changes.”

11. Call Me Francis

Call Me Francis chronicles Pope Francis’ rise as a religious leader during Argentina’s Dirty War between 1974 and 1983. The war saw 30,000 people disappear, the majority of whom were never relocated.

The series begins with the future Pope living as a Jesuit in his hometown and ends with him negotiating deals between the government and the armed uprising.

Call Me Francis consists of just one season and four episodes. And it’s in Spanish, so again, you’ll probably need to use subtitles.

12. Hatfields and McCoys

For those who don’t know, the Hatfields and the McCoys were two feuding families in the West Virginia region in the mid- to late-1800s.

The three-part US TV series tracks their fights, arguments, and court battles. It was produced by The History Channel, marking the network’s first foray into the world of scripted dramas.

Hatfields and McCoys won three Emmys after its release in 2012.

More Awesome Netflix Recommendations

Period dramas are more popular than ever. In this article, we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s available on Netflix. If you’d like to do your own research, try using Netflix’s secret codes. The code for “Period Pieces” is 12123.

And if you have enjoyed our period drama recommendations, make sure you check out some of the other genres we’ve previously covered. To get you started, read our list of the best British crime dramas and the best Nordic dramas. Enjoy!

Read the full article: The 12 Best Period Dramas to Watch on Netflix

Read Full Article

How to Use Two Monitors: 3 Steps to a Multiple Monitor Setup

8 Brilliant Gift Ideas for Music Lovers

Android users can now donate to charities through the Google Play Store

The Google Play Store is receiving an update today that will allow customers to make charitable donations to nonprofits from their Android device. While it may seem odd to to be rallying for support for charities within the same marketplace where users download apps and games, it’s not uncommon. Apple for years has collected donations for the American Red Cross in the wake of natural disaster like the California wildfires hurricanes, for example.

Google’s implementation, however, isn’t a launch tied to a single event. And it’s rolling out support for several charities, not just the Red Cross.

Users in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Taiwan and Indonesia will soon see the option to make a donation to a number of organizations, including also charity:water, Doctors Without Borders USA, Girls Who code, International Rescue Committee, Room to Red, Save the Children, UNICEF, World Food Program USA, and World Wildlife Fund US, in addition to the American Red Cross.

To access the feature Android users canb head to play.google.com/donate to read about the organizations or to make a donation using the payment card they have on file for the Play Store. Google says 100 percent of the contributions users make go directly to the nonprofits – it’s not taking a cut.

To be clear, this is about the Play Store itself collecting charitable donations, not allowing Android app developers to do so.

The feature’s launch has been timed with the holiday season, which often inspires charitable giving. It’s also a sort of belated nod to Giving Week 2018, the movement which encourages people to volunteer, fundraise and donate to worthy causes.  (Giving Week this year wrapped on December 5).

The donations feature may offer a different selection of nonprofits in the future, we understand, though Google is not announcing any planned additions at this time.

Google says the feature will begin to roll out to Android users in the supported markets over the next few days.

Read Full Article

Report: Apple’s news and magazine subscription service to launch in early 2019

Bloomberg today updated its earlier reporting on Apple’s plans for a news and magazine subscription service. Earlier this year, the outlet had said Apple would relaunch the digital newsstand business Texture, which it acquired this spring, as part of the Apple News app. Now, Bloomberg confirms the launch time frame could be “as soon as this spring.” It also detailed some of the industry reaction, which is cautious at best.

Apple is said to be courting paywalled newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to join Texture, and is working on a new design for the magazine content. Instead of trying to mimic what a magazine looks like in print, as it does today, Apple is making the content look more like typical online news articles, Bloomberg said.

The report also noted publishers were proceeding with trepidation, in many cases. Because Apple is offering a lower pricing – $9.99 per month for all-you-can-eat news and magazine content, similar to the Netflix model – publishers are worried Apple’s service will eat into their revenues. This $10 price point, after all, is cheaper than a subscription to a single publication – like The NYT’s digital subscription – in some cases

Instead, publishers prefer a platform that lets them build their own paywalls right into Apple’s app.

But Apple’s counterpoint during negotiations has been that the subscriber growth it could bring would make up for the lost revenues from publishers’ own subscription businesses, the report also said. The company compared its potential to that of Apple Music, which is nearing 60 million users, according to the latest from Billboard.

Texture today offers access to over 200 magazines, including Vanity Fair, EW, GQ, Vogue, Forbes, Time, People, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated, and many others, including Bloomberg Businessweek.

Read Full Article

Apple could end up manufacturing iPhones in another country due to tariffs

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is thinking about multiple scenarios when it comes to tariffs and iPhone production. Right now, iPhones are not affected directly by the trade war between China and the U.S.

But if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to raise tariffs on smartphones, it could be a big deal for the company. Apple manufactures most of its iPhones in China right now, and works with Foxconn for the final assembly of those devices.

In some countries with high tariffs, Apple has worked with suppliers outside of China. For instance, Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron has built an assembly facility in Bengaluru, India. At first, the plan was to manufacture iPhone SE devices in India.

Similarly, Foxconn opened a facility in Brazil back in 2011. But results have been disappointing as devices were still much more expensive in Brazil than in the U.S.

But the U.S. is such a key market for Apple that tariffs on U.S. imports could have significant consequences. According to Bloomberg, Apple would keep the same supply chain even if the U.S. decides on a 10 percent tariff on smartphones. If might move production away from China with a 25 percent tariff.

It’s unclear if all production would move to another country or just production for the U.S. But nothing is changing for now. It’s just executives playing a little game of “what if.”

Read Full Article