MacRumors

Apple today gave the iTunes Movies storefront a small visual overhaul to coincide with the digital home release of The LEGO Batman Movie, which will debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 13.

With the update, the iTunes Movies carousel has a collection of films on sale for a limited time, and with a LEGO-themed visual twist. These include previous DC universe movies like Batman Begins (HD $4.99), The Dark Knight (HD $7.99), The Dark Knight Rises (HD $7.99), Man of Steel (HD $7.99), and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (HD $9.99), most of which get shout-outs within The LEGO Batman Movie.

The theme and sale extends to the early Batman movies, as well, including Tim Burton's original Batman (HD $7.99) and Batman Returns (HD $7.99), and Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (HD $7.99) and Batman & Robin (HD $7.99).

The LEGO theme goes beyond the iTunes Movies carousel, and even includes LEGO figures and art on some of the films' main iTunes pages, including for Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. Those interested in the actual The LEGO Batman Movie can purchase the film in HD for $19.99, or opt for a two-movie bundle that includes the original The LEGO Movie for $24.99.

There are a handful of non-superhero movies with sale prices and a LEGO makeover on iTunes today as well, including The Wizard of Oz (HD $7.99), Gremlins (HD $7.99), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (HD $7.99), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (HD $7.99), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (HD $9.99). As with the superhero movies, all of these films have characters that make cameos of some kind within The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie.

(Thanks, DJ Horton!)

After its first sports-related streams went live early last year, focusing on soccer and hockey, Facebook this week has made inroads into two new categories that will bring fans of eSports and baseball both live and on-demand content (via The Wall Street Journal).

Facebook already had deals with five eSports teams who published live and on-demand videos to the platform, but this week the company made a bigger deal with ESL, originally known as the Electronic Sports League, an organizer of eSports competitions. For those unfamiliar, eSports coverage follows players throughout a variety of competitive-focused video games, most popularly including titles like StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Overwatch, among others.

In a blog post announcing the deal, ESL confirmed that fans will be able to watch all IEM and ESL One events in up to six different languages, and a few national championship and online leagues, on ESL Facebook pages. The partnership is also bringing an exclusive new weekly show to Facebook that will allow viewers to comment and interact with the video stream while "highlighting up and coming players."

In total there will be 30 hours of weekly ESEA Rank S streams, a weekly half hour show hosted by Mark “Boq” Wilson, and more coming down the line. The broadcasts will start in June with the Counter-Strike-focused Rank S matches, and eventually grow to include videos of player interviews, competition commentary, and more all streamed on Facebook.

Currently, the most popular destinations for ESL-backed matches are Twitch and YouTube. Notably, the deal with Facebook is said to not interfere with ESL posting and streaming on other platforms simultaneously. Still, Facebook is said to be looking to build an "ecosystem" of game streams that convince gamers to tune into the social network over its live streaming rivals.

Facebook Inc. is paying professional videogame teams and others in the esports industry to post videos on the social network, part of a shift in strategy to deliver more-premium programming to the company’s nearly two billion monthly users.

Under the deals signed with Facebook, esports partners must produce a minimum number of hours of video for the social network, and in most cases the partners are allowed to simultaneously publish to rival platforms such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

In addition, Facebook and Major League Baseball have announced a deal of their own that will bring 20 live-streamed Friday night MLB games to Facebook during the 2017 season, located on MLB's Facebook page. The games will be free for any United States-based Facebook user, and the first game will broadcast tonight, May 19, with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds facing off.

Facebook has long been pushing into video content, from setting the groundwork by testing autoplay videos with sound in its mobile app, to most recently gearing up to debut original TV shows directly within the social network. Over time, Facebook's move to more "premium" video content is said to gradually gain precedence over live and recorded video from users.

People scrolling through Facebook’s news feed are more likely to watch polished videos with audio turned on, making them potentially lucrative vehicles for ads, analysts say. Such content increasingly will appear in news feeds over off-the-cuff live videos from users, as Facebook wants to be seen as a hub for long-form video.

Streaming and on-demand video is becoming an area of interest for other social networks besides Facebook, with Snapchat recently being rumored to launch a collection of 3-5 minute TV shows within its mobile app. Twitter has been the home of sports, news, and entertainment video streams for a while now, and most recently revealed plans to launch a full, always-on network of news shows in partnership with Bloomberg.

A new report on Friday added support to the claim that Apple is facing higher component costs for this year's highly anticipated OLED iPhone, which some analysts believe will carry a "premium" price tag compared to previous models.

The 3D Touch module in the redesigned handset will cost 150 percent more than the equivalent parts in LCD-based iPhones, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News. Touch panel manufacturer TPK charges between $7 and $9 per unit for 3D Touch parts in the existing iPhone range, but that price will double for the new model to between $18 and $22, claimed the paper.

The hike in price is said to be down to the fact that, in contrast to LCD screens, OLED displays require a separate protective glass bonding on both the front and rear of the panel before the 3D Touch sensors can be applied.

For 3D Touch solution used in existing iPhone series, TPK and fellow maker General Interface Solution (GIS) quote US$7-9 per smartphone. The solution directly bonds 3D Touch sensors on LTPS TFT-LCD display panels of the iPhone, but 3D Touch solution for OLED panels entails bonding of a glass cover on the front and back side of an OLED panel each to reinforce the fragile OLED panel.

The processing cost for the OLED-based 3D Touch solution is reportedly only 50 percent more than the LCD-based solution, but Apple suppliers TPK and GIS are said to be quoting three times that. The reason appears to be down to TPK's bargaining position, bolstered by the fact that the company has passed official certification for the OLED-based solution.

Variously referred to as "iPhone 8", "iPhone Pro" and "iPhone X" by media outlets, the tenth anniversary edition model could cost upwards of $1,000, according to one report claiming knowledge of Apple's plans. The premium tier device is expected to feature a radical redesign with a flat edge-to-edge screen which is more expensive to produce.

In addition, a virtual home button, a 3D-sensing front-facing camera, a vertically oriented rear dual-lens camera, and some form of wireless charging are also expected to feature, along with fingerprint, face, and iris recognition, all of which will likely drive up the price because of the intricate manufacturing processes involved. The handset is rumored to be launching in September alongside more typical "S" cycle iPhone models to succeed the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, although shortages of the premium model could potentially occur due to delayed production.

(Via DigiTimes.)

Encrypted messaging platform Telegram received a significant update today, bringing video messaging, bot payments, and other new features to the chat app.

In version 4.0 of Telegram, users can activate video messaging with a tap of the mic icon to switch to camera mode, or tap and hold the icon to record a quick video clip. Swiping up while recording enables handsfree mode, which works with voice notes too. Users can also stop and replay the clip before sending.

In addition, chat bots can now accept payments, with the developers saying that users will soon be able to order pizza, shop for clothes, and potentially pay their utility bills using Telegram bots.

Also included in the update is a new Instant View feature, which is similar to Google's AMP platform. Essentially it enables users to view articles directly from within the Telegram app, and comes with the added ability to create article previews using the Instant View Editor.

Lastly, Telegram has also announced a new service called Telesco.pe that lets anyone watch video messages from public Telegram channels.

Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Music video hosting service Vevo today introduced a revamped Apple TV app that has been fully redesigned with a simpler interface that's easier to navigate and a new focus on personalization and curation, both of which Vevo hopes will draw in more users.

Vevo's new design brings videos and playlists front and center, with the aim of providing an immersive video watching experience as soon as the app is opened.

A new "peek-inside-playlist" feature lets users browse through content while listening to playlists, artist stations, or videos, and as the app is used, it will learn more about each user, offering up personalized content that can then be further customized by adding videos to a playlist or favorites section.

Users can choose from a variety of curated artist stations that match tastes and moods, and there's programming curated by an in-house editorial team that's designed for different times of the day, big events, and holidays. All playlist content is also localized by genre and market, and there's a genres section for browsing top videos, trending artists, and most recent playlists in each genre.

"Music videos became a cultural phenomenon through the power and reach of television over the last thirty years," said Erik Huggers, CEO, Vevo. "In recent years, this platform has lacked the rich and immersive experience that a new generation of viewers demand from their connected devices. With Vevo for tvOS, we've created an environment that allows the music video to shine once again on the big screen, with an intuitive user interface and new levels of personalization and control."

The new Vevo Apple TV app will be available starting on Friday, May 19.

Platform game Eggggg - The Platform Puker has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, it is free to download for the first time since it was released in October.

Described as a two-touch platform game about vomit, Eggggg features a main character, Gilbert, who has a severe allergy to eggs. Eating eggs makes Gilbert vomit, and the vomit mechanic is used to propel Gilbert through 21 levels infested with angry cyborg chickens and other obstacles to overcome.

With Free App of the Week, we highlight a great app you can enjoy at no charge this week. (In-App Purchases sold separately). A severe allergy to eggs isn't funny -- unless it hatches a fantastic voyage through a world full of golden nuggets, homicidal chickens, and puke. So. Much. Puke. The controls in this bizarrely clever platformer are spot on, but sometimes we're giggling so hard at our barf-propelled hero that we slip up and die laughing. It truly is an Eggggg-cellent adventure.

Eggggg - The Platform Puker will be available for free from the App Store for the next seven days. [Direct Link]

Facebook today revealed a new redesign coming to its standalone Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android, with subtle UI changes that emphasize new features like games, while making it easier to see which friends are online and what notifications have been missed (via TechCrunch).

The main UI addition is the introduction of three new tabs atop the app for messages, active friends, and groups, which Facebook believes is a way to ensure that Messenger is "your hub for connecting with all the people and businesses you care about."

The company also hopes that the more prominent positioning of active friends encourages Messenger users to interact with people in real time more often, since it's easier to scroll through a list of online friends than before. The app now stretches to encompass the iOS toolbar at the top of the screen, instead of stopping below the bar as before.

These changes are designed to make Messenger simpler for you - to help you get to your contacts quickly, jump into your conversations where you left off, start new chats, and stay up to date.

The tabs at the bottom of the iOS app now have descriptions as well, including Home, Calls, People, and Games, the last of which is another new addition to Facebook Messenger. Games within the app launched earlier this month, allowing users to play a variety of single-player and turn-based games directly within the app, similar to a few gaming apps on the iOS Messages App Store.

One aspect of Facebook Messenger that's been decreased is its camera button, which used to expand above the dock at the bottom of the app but now sits flush and aligned with the rest of the tabs. Although the button now has less of an emphasis, Facebook Messenger's Snapchat clone, Messenger Day, is remaining within the app, and all of the camera's filters and masks will still be available to use. A Discover tab will be added as the app rolls out, in order to connect users with businesses, places, and services.

Facebook is also adding in iOS-like red dot badges for each new tab in Messenger, so whenever users log into the app and have a missed message or call, a badge will appear on the corresponding tab. The social network has begun doing this in its main app recently as well, urging users to tap on the new "Marketplace" and "Video" tabs with the same badges.

Facebook Messenger users can expect the changes to begin appearing on both iOS and Android this week.

The Microsoft-owned SwiftKey Keyboard app for iOS today received a major update, introducing a refreshed design, new animated themes, and support for 68 new languages, bringing the total number of languages supported to 106.

SwiftKey's entire look and feel has been overhauled, with the Nickel Light and Nickel Dark themes gaining a new, cleaner design with flatter, wider keys and a simpler color scheme. The app also has a new icon.

New animated themes are being added to SwiftKey, including "Cogs" and "Zig Zag," both of which feature subtle animations underneath the keyboard keys. In total, SwiftKey says there are six new themes available for users to download.

With today's update, SwiftKey says it supports more languages than any other iOS keyboard available in the App Store. The new language options can be accessed through the "Languages" section of the SwiftKey container app. Users can download multiple languages and SwiftKey will automatically detect the language being used, providing word predictions.

Supporting the many different languages spoken by our users around the world and delivering the best multilingual typing experience has always been one of our goals - and a point of pride for the SwiftKey team. We're incredibly excited to offer more language models than any other iOS keyboard available right now and we can't wait for you to get your hands on them.

SwiftKey Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Following an announcement last December, accessory company Kanex today launched its GoPower Watch Stand for the Apple Watch. The Apple MFi-certified accessory includes an integrated charging puck that recharges and displays the Apple Watch, as well as an additional USB port on the back that can simultaneously charge an iPhone, iPad, or any other USB-compatible device.

"The Apple Watch, as with all Apple products, was designed with elegance in mind, and the Kanex GoPower Watch Stand is no different," said Andrew Truong of Kanex. "It features a smart minimalist design that elevates the Apple Watch for a convenient viewing angle, while also eliminating cable clutter. Plus, with an additional USB port on the back, our Kanex GoPower Watch Stand is the perfect all-in-one solution."

The company also announced that its GoPower Plus power bank now comes in Rose Gold and Matte Black colorways. The power bank supports simultaneous charging to two devices and has an 8,000 mAh battery with an integrated MFi-certified Lightning adapter. The accessory was previously available in Space Grey and Gold.

Anyone interested can purchase the GoPower Watch Stand for $69.95 and the GoPower Plus for $59.95 on Kanex.com.

Pioneer today unveiled five new NEX in-dash multimedia receivers with CarPlay and Android Auto support, including the first-ever single-DIN model.

The single-DIN AVH-3300NEX is a smaller, more universally sized receiver that can fit into many older and collectible cars. Unlike a double-DIN receiver, which has a built-in display, this single-DIN model features a 7-inch pop out, motorized capacitive touchscreen. The whole unit is also detachable for added security.

The other four receivers are double-DIN models, including the 7-inch AVH-2330NEX and AVH-2300NEX and 6.2-inch AVH-1330NEX and AVH-1300NEX. These models have resistive touchscreens.

In addition to CarPlay and Android Auto, Pioneer said all five receivers feature Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming, native Spotify and Pandora, a USB port, HD Radio, and SiriusXM compatibility with a tuner sold separately. All models are also backup camera and Pioneer navigation system ready.

The AVH-3300NEX, AVH-2330NEX and AVH-1330NEX also come with a remote control to adjust volume, audio sources, and more.

Pioneer said the new NEX lineup will be available through resellers in July with suggested retail prices of $600 for the single-DIN model, and between $400 and $500 for the double-DIN models, in the United States.

Pioneer's current NEX receivers retail for between $400 and $1,400 in the United States. Competing aftermarket CarPlay systems are available from Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, JVC, JBL, Sony, and other manufacturers.

Broadcasting company SiriusXM Satellite Radio is having "active discussions" about the potential acquisition of internet radio company Pandora, after previously showing interest in bidding for Pandora last year. After those talks stalled, The New York Post is now reporting that SiriusXM is reigniting its interest in Pandora, which would grant the company access to Pandora's online radio service and the just-launched on-demand "Premium" streaming service.

Pandora Premium itself is the result of the company's acquisition of key assets and employees who worked for Rdio, which Pandora acquired in 2015. The $9.99/month service is a competitor to Apple Music and Spotify, giving listeners access to a large on-demand library, playlist creation, unlimited skips, and no ads, unlike Pandora's base radio service.

Liberty Media-backed SiriusXM is in active discussions about making a bid for internet radio company Pandora, The Post has learned.

The New York satellite radio company, which has exhibited on-and-off interest in the struggling streamer, has recently restarted talks with Pandora’s banks and is discussing the size of a potential offer, sources said.

According to Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry, the music industry is currently focused on the "increasingly competitive environment in streaming music," so SiriusXM might be interested in acquiring Pandora to help beef up its Premium streaming service and compete more directly with Apple Music and Sirius, which are both above 20 million and 50 million paid subscribers, respectively. Since the trial period opened in March, Pandora Premium has reported 1.3 million sign-ups for the streaming service.

The specific number of those users who continued to pay for Premium was not disclosed, but the company saw a 6 percent revenue uptick in the first quarter. Its total active listeners nevertheless decreased to 76.7 million from 79.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren hoped to keep Pandora away from a sale, but two of its largest shareholders -- Corvex Management and Matrix Capital Management -- have repeatedly pushed the company in that direction.

According to sources familiar with the talks between the two companies, no price has yet to be agreed upon but bids could range between $12 and $13 per share, while other sources "immediately shot down" those estimations. Greg Maffe, the CEO of SiriusXM parent company Liberty Media, has said previously he believes Pandora to be worth $10 per share. On Wednesday, Pandora's shares closed at $8.93.

Mobile game developer Jam City and creator Matt Groening have announced an all-new Futurama game is coming to iOS and Android early this summer, called Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow. The game is being developed with the show's original writers, animators, and cast members, and the new teaser trailer represents the first fully-animated Futurama content since it went off the air in 2013.

Jam City said that the game will include multiple gameplay devices, including simulation, combat, galactic exploration, and even choose-your-own adventure mechanics. The game has two main settings, including New New York and Space Adventures. In New New York players will focus on the simulation aspects of the game, progressing their character through story quests that include rescuing popular Futurama characters, collecting items, crafting outfits that change abilities, and more.

"I'm proud to say that Futurama lives! In mobile-video-game teaser trailer form, anyway," said Matt Groening, creator of FUTURAMA and THE SIMPSONS. "If you squint, it's kind of like a little episode!"

"The Futurama universe is chock-full of exotic planets inhabited by wacky creatures (and Smizmars)," said Josh Yguado, Co-Founder, President and COO of Jam City. "Whether you're counseling an alien overlord on Omicron Persei 8 or battling rogue robots on the streets of Chapek 9, exploring this crazy universe and interacting with its denizens will be a blast."

Over time, players will begin assembling their own customized Planet Express crew, which they can take to the second part of the game in Space Adventures. There, players will visit various planets and nebulas while fighting enemies in "retro arcade-style combat." During the turn-based Space Adventures combat sections, the game's graphics switch to 16-bit style.