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Jaguar woos Tesla owners with $3,000 I-Pace EV discount

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To top it all off, you don’t have to trade in your Tesla to take advantage of the promotion. Instead, all Jaguar is asking for is proof of ownership and or registration. The offer is available until September 30th, 2019. Additionally, you can’t combine the zero percent financing option Jaguar has offered since the start of the year with the current Tesla credit.

It’s no surprise to see Jaguar offer a major discount on the I-Pace, though whether it makes sense for the company to target Tesla owners is a different question altogether. Despite excellent reviews, including one from Engadget’s own Roberto Baldwin, the company has struggled to sell its first EV. According to InsideEVs, this past July the automaker sold approximately 217 I-Pace vehicles in the US. In other words, it’s hard to sell a $70,000 EV in a world where a $36,600 Model 3 exists. And yet Jaguar shows no signs of giving up. In July, the automaker confirmed that its I-Pace team is building an electric version of its flagship XJ sedan.

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The best TVs and streamers to use in a dorm room

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Apple TV 4K

apple tv

With a starting price of $180, the 4K Apple TV is pricey but it might be worth dipping into your textbook budget. Sure, you can get AirPlay and even Apple TV+ on other hardware now, but the latest software update lets it link up with PlayStation and Xbox controllers to make it a true all-in-one entertainment machine.

All told, between key exclusives Apple has lined up for its forthcoming Arcade game streaming service and the explosion of cloud gaming options, this might be the system on which you can play the most titles going into 2020. Factor in its slick zero sign-on setup for cable-powered apps and it will keep you tuned into the channels your parents are already paying for.
— Richard Lawler, Senior Editor

Buy Apple TV 4K on Amazon – $179+

Roku Streaming Stick+

roku

Need the best pocketable option to take your streaming services wherever you go? Roku’s Streaming Stick+ has all the features you can ask for and a budget-friendly $60 price. It’s ready for pretty much any TV setup, and supports all the apps you or your roommates will want to watch. If you’re not much of a gamer or already have a dedicated system for that, this is the best option to handle just videos and music. — R.L.

Buy Streaming Stick+ on Amazon – $59

TCL 5 Series

tcl tv

Your best TV value right now is this 2018 model from TCL. Just like last year, you can get 4K and HDR for just under $400, while this one includes support for Dolby Vision to make sure your late-night Netflix and Amazon Prime streams have the right contrast and color. Plus, it’s powered by Roku’s software so you’re getting all the benefits of that platform built right in.

It won’t cost too much on the front end, and as you continue to upgrade for 4K game consoles — or 4K game streaming — it’s ready to go. Maybe someone will eventually beat its performance-to-price ratio, but right now it’s the best option for people on a budget. — R.L.

Buy TCL 55-inch 5 Series on Amazon – $400

Shonen Jump Manga & Comics Subscription

shonen jump

School can get pretty hectic, leaving young manga fans a lot less time to stay up to date on all their favorite titles. The Shonen Jump app makes it a bit easier by delivering the latest chapters of many of the magazine’s most popular series like One-Punch Man, Dragon Ball Super and My Hero Academia — at the same time they’re published in Japan. They’re just short enough to sneak in before class or on a commute, and best of all, the subscription is only $2 per month, making it extremely friendly for a student budget. — Kris Naudus, Senior Editor

Subscribe to Shonen Jump – $2 month

Vizio M / P Series Quantum

vizio

If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can get a lot better quality with Vizio’s latest TVs. These 2019 models include support for both Google’s Chromecast streaming and Apple AirPlay for maximum cross-compatibility. Just like the TCL 5 Series you’ll find support for HDR with Dolby Vision, but these also include local LED dimming that gives even more precise backlighting and contrast.

If there’s some graduation money burning a hole in your pocket, go big with the P Series Quantum model and grab a 65-inch for $1,349. Or, save something for your summer abroad and select a 55-inch M-Series Quantum for $649 — if you can live with half the number of local dimming zones.
— R.L.

VRV Subscription

vrv

Now that streaming services have noticed how popular anime is, it’s tougher to get your favorites without paying up for a handful of different services. If your Netflix and Hulu logins alone aren’t cutting it, our next suggestion is VRV. It pulls together offerings from Crunchyroll as well as HIDIVE, Mondo, Rooster Teeth and a few others to make a compelling package. At $10 per month it won’t break the bank, and if things get tight you can still fall back to its free offerings in between binges. Some of its channels have some overlap in their catalogs, but that can come in handy depending on your preference for subs versus dubs. — R.L.

Subscribe to VRV – $10 month

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Facebook paid people to transcribe Messenger voice chats

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The problem, according to Bloomberg‘s sources, is the lack of transparency. Contractors from TaskUs reportedly weren’t told where the audio came from or why they were transcribing it. That led some of the workers to believe their work was “unethical,” especially when some of the conversations included vulgar material. Facebook’s data privacy policy also doesn’t make clear that human beings might monitor content.

It’s not surprising that Facebook would have frozen transcriptions, at any rate. As with voice assistants, there’s a fear that staff might listen to sensitive information and potentially abuse that for their own ends. The company has long had to contend with allegations of eavesdropping on phones to target ads — Messenger transcriptions weren’t going to help with public perception. And when Facebook only just received a $5 billion FTC fine for privacy violations, it likely didn’t want to risk further government scrutiny.

The challenge is to balance privacy with technical needs. AI transcription still has a lot of room for improvement, and it’s difficult to boost accuracy without good examples. If Facebook has to permanently end its transcription program, it may have to either scramble for a viable alternative to improving the AI or else accept that its accuracy might remain similar for a long time.

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CBS and Viacom agree to sign $30 billion merger deal

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If it goes through, the all-stock deal will bring together Viacom’s MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, as well as its Paramount film and TV studio, and CBS’s broadcast network and Showtime premium network. The combined CBS and Viacom would be valued at roughly $30 billion, and Viacom shareholders would receive 0.59625 CBS shares for each share they own.

Bob Bakish, Viakom’s current chief executive, would likely become CEO of the merged companies, and CBS Acting Chief Executive Joe Ianniello is expected to run CBS-branded assets. Shari Redstone, who controls both CBS and Viacom along with her father through National Amusements Inc., is positioned to become chairman of the board for the combined companies.

The merger is far from a surprise. The media giants originally split in 2006, but rumors that the companies might reunite began circulating by 2016, and they’ve continued over the years. While today’s agreement is significant, it’s too soon to say for sure if the deal will go through.

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Audible teams with ‘The Walking Dead’ creators on audio originals

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This isn’t Amazon’s first such deal. It also has partnerships with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Saturday Night Live‘s Broadway Video. It might, however, be the most intriguing if you’re a fan of comic books, sci-fi or Skybound’s general ethos. Just don’t count on a Walking Dead exclusive — while that’s undoubtedly Skybound’s star attraction, it’s not guaranteed to play a role here.

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Reese Witherspoon to star in Netflix sci-fi film ‘Pyros’

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Pyros will be based on the short story “Tardy Man,” which was published last summer in The New Yorker. The story is told from the perspective of a man whose job is to run in to big fires and other natural disasters and recover objects for wealthy people. The corporation he works for forbids him from saving any people he encounters on the way. One day, the man immediately breaks this rule when he comes upon a little boy.

Pierce, the author of “Tardy Man,” is also the writer of the script for Pyros. Deadline reported that the film will be produced by Simon Kinberg, known for his work in Deadpool and The X-Men film franchise. Witherspoon will produce the film through her Hello Sunshine Company.

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Build the PC of your dreams… on PS4, Xbox and Switch

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It also features a full-fledged story mode in which you, the player, take over your uncle’s repair shop. Think: Stardew Valley, but with a PC repair shop instead of a farm, and altogether less bucolic. It’s a classic started from the bottom tale in which one of the first tasks the player must complete is to clean a dusty computer for a client. Before long, the story escalates to the player building the kind of custom PCs that high-profile Twitch Mixer steamers like Ninja use everyday.

Of course, there’s also a free mode where it’s possible to build the PC of your dreams. Here, it’s possible to let one’s imagination run wild as PC Building Simulator includes officially licensed parts from the likes of case makers like NZXT and GPU OEMs like EVGA.

PC Building Simulator started life on Itch.io, a website where indie developers can share their passion projects and game jam experiments for free. It then graduated to Steam’s Early Access platform where it has garnered both popular acclaim and financial success, garnering more than 700,000 downloads since launch.

PC Building Simulator is now available on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store and Nintendo eShop for $20.

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Prepare yourselves for a deluge of new AR filters on Instagram

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Facebook first announced that it would allow Instagram users to create their own AR effects at its F8 developers conference this spring. But the news was overshadowed a bit by all of the other big announcements. Since then, Spark AR has been shared with select Instagram users in a closed beta. Today, it’s released to the wild as a public beta.

To find user-made filters on Instagram, you can scroll to the end of the filter tray in Stories and click the “Browse More Effects” option. When you’re ready to start on your own creation, you can download the free Spark AR Studio on Mac OS or Windows. Facebook promises creating filters is easy, thanks to drag-and-drop functionality. Sharing should be easy, too. When a creator’s followers see a new filter or effect, they can share it in their stories. Their followers can do the same thing. That could help filters go viral, and thanks to a small tag on the bottom, the original creator should get full credit.

Facebook isn’t the first to let its users create their own filters. Snapchat opened access to its Lens Studio early last year, and it later created Lens Explorer to make it easier to find user-made AR lenses. While Spark AR for Instagram is still in beta, it’s likely a change that will stick around.

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Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell is the latest to leave Facebook

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We’ve asked Facebook if it can comment.

It’s at least a symbolic moment for Oculus — the company is losing one of the last ties to its old crowdfunded days. Facebook gave Palmer Luckey the boot in 2017, while Brendan Iribe quit in 2018 over what’s believed to be disputes over the future direction for VR headsets. Michael Antonov is the only Oculus founder left at last check, and he’s now a software architect for Facebook’s AI infrastructure team, not VR.

Not that Facebook is likely to worry about its direction going forward. The modern Oculus has expanded greatly since its acquisition and has shifted some of its focus from PC gaming to stand-alone headsets, social experiences and video. Mitchell’s departure is more the formal end to an era than an immediate sign of trouble.

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Apple’s contactless student IDs come to 12 more schools

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The expansion comes alongside support for school credential formats from Allegion, CBORD and HID. You can expect more colleges and universities to add support going forward. It could be a long while before you can simply leave your conventional ID back at the dorm when many schools don’t even support NFC-based IDs, let alone Apple’s approach. This is a start, though, and it hints at a future where you might not need classic ID cards in the first place.

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