WarnerMedia and Discovery have completed their merger. Warner Bros. Discovery, as the new entity is called, will eventually combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming service. The blend of entertainment and reality programming could help Warner Bros. Discovery better compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney+. In the meantime, the company will likely offer a bundle of the two services. WarnerMedia recently launched another streaming service in CNN+.
Not long before the merger closed, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced his departure. Kilar, who started running the company in May 2020, was behind the controversialplan to release all 2021 Warner Bros. movies on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The move seemed to have paid off, as HBO Max and HBO had 73.8 million subscribers combined at the end of 2021.
The merger is the latest in several major media consolidation moves in recent years. Amazon sealed its $8.45 billion purchase of MGM only last month. Disney spent $71.3 billion to snap up most of 21st Century Fox a few years back, while Microsoft agreed a $68.7 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard, which is expected to close by June 2023.
AT&T announced last year it was spinning off WarnerMedia in a $43 billion deal that would combine it with Discovery. Now that the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted, the deal is done and AT&T is more or less out of the content business.
Microsoft said it has disrupted cyberattacks from a Russia-linked group called Strontium (aka APT28 and Fancy Bear) targeting Ukraine and the West. The software giant obtained a court order allowing it to take control of seven internet domains being used by Strontium to coordinate attacks. It announces the news shortly after the FBI said it disrupted botnets also run by the GRU.
“On Wednesday, April 6th, we obtained a court order authorizing us to take control of seven internet domains Strontium was using to conduct these attacks,” said Microsoft security VP Tom Burt. “We have since re-directed these domains to a sinkhole controlled by Microsoft, enabling us to mitigate Strontium’s current use of these domains and enable victim notifications.”
Organizations targeted included Ukrainian institutions and media organizations, along with foreign policy government bodies in the US and EU. “We believe Strontium was attempting to establish long-term access to the systems of its targets, provide tactical support for the physical invasion and exfiltrate sensitive information,” Microsoft said.
Its actions are part of a larger effort by businesses and government to thwart a wave of attacks directed at Ukraine. Microsoft has been taking legal and technical action to seize infrastructure used by APT28 as part of an “ongoing long-term investment started in 2016,” said Burt. “We have established a legal process that enables us to obtain rapid court decisions for this work.”
The FBI announced yesterday that it had silently removed Russian malware that allowed the country’s GRU military intelligence arm to create botnets using infected computer networks. Strontium has reportedly operated since the mid-2000s and has been linked to attacks against US government agencies, EU elections, NGOs, non-profits and other agencies.
HBO Max is following through on promises to overhaul its underwhelming smart TV apps. Both Variety and The Verge say WarnerMedia is rolling out an updated Apple TV app that tackles some of the most glaring problems that remained. For one, it’s finally built on a modern platform that should be more reliable than the relatively ancient HBO Go/Now framework. You’ll also see a new home page with a “hero” banner you can scroll, the option to skip credits, more control over My Stuff watchlists and easier sign-ins.
The new version should reach your Apple TV device either this week or the next. You can already find the framework in many of HBO Max’s other apps, including for Android, PlayStation, Roku players and TV sets from LG, Samsung and Vizio. Similar revamps are coming for Amazon Fire TV devices and the web.
The flawed Apple TV client was the result of WarnerMedia’s desire to hurry the HBO Max launch. Rather than build its smart TV apps from scratch, the media company repurposed its HBO Go and HBO Now apps to cut development time. The company knew it would have to “replatform” the app to modernize it and accommodate both international expansion as well as more content, according to WarnerMedia executive VP Sarah Lyons.
That rushed approach might not have helped HBO Max’s initial growth. JustWatch estimated that the service had 7 percent of the world’s streaming market share in February versus 17.6 percent for Disney+. While we wouldn’t count on a surge in demand linked to the new apps, they might help HBO keep subscribers who would otherwise be frustrated enough to leave.
The Surface Pro’s design has been with us for almost a decade, so it’s kind of a wonder that in all that time, no one has really ever tried to make a detachable 2-in-1 gaming machine. Pretty much everywhere you look, there’s a hybrid version of every type of gadget — from tablets to smartphones — aside from gaming PCs. And while ASUS teased us with the ROG Mothership back in 2019, now the company has finally returned to transform that concept into an actual retail device: the ROG Flow Z13.
Design and display
For those familiar with Microsoft’s detachables, if you take one look at the Flow Z13 (which starts at $1,800) you’ll immediately see why I mentioned the Surface Pro line, because ASUS has basically taken that blueprint and made it all gamery. You get a bright 13.4-inch full HD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a handy kickstand in back, and a magnetic strip for hooking up a removable keyboard cover. That cover also feels similar to a Surface, right down to the bounciness of the keyboard and its slightly too-small touchpad. This means any hardcore RTS or FPS gamers will definitely want to keep an external keyboard around. ASUS even hid a microSD card slot and removable M.2 cover behind the kickstand, just like the Surface Pro. You’ll also find an 8-MP camera around back, though its image quality leaves a lot to be desired (the cam in front is fine though). Elsewhere, we have one USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4, a USB A port and a couple of other ports hidden beneath a protective seal. But more on those later.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
That said, while its overall design is a lot like a Surface, the Z13 gives off a very different vibe. ASUS’ over-the-top cyberpunk aesthetic combined with a splash of red and black accents might be a bit much for some. But I kinda love it, especially that window with RGB lighting in back. In fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say we need more see-through gadgets in general.
Specs and performance
On the inside, we got some relatively beefy components, particularly for a system this size. We’re talking an Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 SSD, and an RTX 3050TI. In normal use browsing the web or social media, the Z13 is rather quiet, though that changes when you launch a game. Fan noise is noticeable, but doesn’t become a real distraction. And while the back of the Z13 does get warm, ASUS’ tablet design and vapor chamber cooling system helps keep throttling to a minimum.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now normally, pairing an i9 chip with a 3050 Ti doesn’t make a lot of sense. In most games, the Z13 is going to be bottlenecked by its GPU, which makes a high-end CPU seem like overkill. In benchmarks, I saw frame rates of 37 fps in Forza Horizon 5 on ultra settings, 64 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider on highest and 40 fps in Metro Exodus on high. So decent, but not exactly mind-blowing.
That’s where those hidden ports come in. Once you remove the protective seal, you can attach ASUS’ optional (and expensive) $1,400 XG Mobile graphics dock, which has even more ports (HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, Ethernet, four USB 3.2 Type-A ports and an SD card reader), along with an RTX 3080 graphics card. And after I hooked everything up, gaming performance basically doubled, with frame rates in Forza Horizon 5 jumping up to 87 fps at the same settings, with similar results for other titles (134 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and 95 fps in Metro Exodus).
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
So now, we’re looking at a portable gaming tablet that has the kind of performance you’d typically only get from a big 15 or 17-inch notebook. And because the dock is detachable, you have the option to leave it behind if you’re not gonna be gaming. It even has its own power cable, allowing it to send juice to the Z13 when connected. So theoretically, if you throw both of these in your bag, you can leave ASUS’ basic charging brick at home. And when you’re not using the dock, beneath that seal next to ASUS’ proprietary XG port, there’s a USB-C 3.2 connection that supports video out with G-sync.
However, there are a number of quirks about the XG dock. First, you can’t just disconnect it at will. Before you pull the plug, you need to manually disable it from the icon in the Windows system tray, which takes more than a moment. You also can’t pick what GPU goes inside, it’s either an RTX 3080 or nothing. That means if you want to upgrade in the future, you’re gonna have to buy a whole new dock, assuming ASUS even makes a second generation. And because of that proprietary port, the XG Dock is only compatible with this system and the ROG Flow X13, which is basically the laptop version of Z13.
Battery life
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
One of the biggest downsides of the Z13’s tablet design is not having a lot of room for a sizable battery. In our video rundown test, the system’s 56 Whr power pack lasted just five hours and 38 minutes. That’s four hours shorter than the Zephyrus G14 (9:45) and nearly two and half hours less than the Alienware X14. That means you will probably need to bring ASUS’ power brick whenever you leave the house, especially if you plan on actual gaming. And in the real world, even with the most casual workloads, I found the Z13 was often gasping for energy well before the end of the day. On the plus side, the Z13 uses USB-C Power Delivery, so at least the charger can top up other gadgets too.
Wrap up
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
When it comes to summing up a product, I’m usually not this conflicted. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, I love the way it looks, and I love being able to tack on a beefy GPU when I want extra performance. I also love being able to flip it open, pair a controller and just get to gaming – no need to worry about a keyboard. There really isn’t anything else like the Z13. The problem is that the whole kit isn’t very practical, and it’s not a great value either.
When you’re using it as a laptop – like you know, on your lap – because all of its guts are stuffed inside what is essentially a tablet chassis, it’s really top-heavy. Also, its battery life isn’t very good, lasting at least two to three hours shorter than every other gaming laptop we’ve tested recently. And while it’s relatively thin, when you think about all the accessories you might want to carry around with it, the Z13 doesn’t really let you pack that much lighter when compared to a rival 14 or 15-inch laptop.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
And then there’s its price. The Z13 starts at $1,800, or around $1,900 for one similar to our review unit with a 3050TI GPU, which is as high as you can spec it. And if you want the XG mobile graphics dock your all-in price climbs well above $3,000.
A similarly equipped traditional gaming laptop, like an Alienware X14 goes for about $200 less. Meanwhile, ASUS’ own G14 Zephyrus can be had for as little as $1,450, and that’s with a slightly more powerful RTX 3060. So if you just want to be able to game on the go, you can save a bunch of money simply by getting something less exotic. And if you need some extra performance now and then, you’re probably better off getting a regular external GPU enclosure that you can upgrade yourself down the line instead of ASUS’ proprietary dock.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Now all this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get one. But you should know what you’re getting into first. The Flow Z13 is a wildly interesting system, and for people looking for a portable and adaptable machine with big time performance, I’m glad that ASUS finally made a gaming tablet/detachable 2-in-1 into a real device after all these years. And while its high price will make the Z13 an incredibly hard sell for most people, I still think it’s impractically cool.
Barnes & Noble finally has a direct answer to Amazon’s purchase of Audible. The bookseller has launched a B&N Audiobooks service in the US that lets you either buy recordings or pay $15 per month for a subscription that offers one recurring monthly credit. You’ll have access to more than 300,000 titles through the web as well as the Nook apps for Android and iOS.
The launch is arguably overdue. Amazon bought audiobook heavyweight Audible in 2008, and has both woven it into services and expanded its offerings with original books and services like the all-you-can-read Audible Plus plan. That investment has helped Audible dominate the market for years, and that’s not including longstanding competition from Apple, Kobo and others. Barnes & Noble is entering a very well-established market as a relative outsider.
The bookshop might not be deterred, however. Barnes & Noble chief James Daunt has been leading an e-book revival at the company that includes much-needed hardware upgrades. An audiobook service could help with that strategy by letting B&N match its competitors’ core features, even if it’s unlikely to topple its biggest rivals any time soon.
Uber is planning to add travel booking via flights, trains and more in the UK this year to expand its ride-hailing business, The Financial Times has reported. The new service is designed to provide a “seamless door-to-door experience,” so that you can book your flight, train and Uber all on the same app. To do so, the company will integrate its software with airlines, inter-city bus and rail operators (include Eurostar Channel Tunnel tips) and car rental companies, according to CNBC.
The UK is one of the company’s largest markets outside the US, so the expansion is a big step. “You have been able to book rides, bikes, boat services and scooters on the Uber app for a number of years, so adding trains and coaches is a natural progression,” said Uber UK general manager Jamie Heywood. “Later this year we plan to incorporate flights, and in the future hotels, by integrating leading partners into the Uber app to create a seamless door-to-door travel experience.”
This “super app” strategy isn’t new, as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he wanted Uber to be the “Amazon of transportation,” when he first joined the company. Prior to the pandemic, around 15 percent of Uber trips were higher-margin rides to or from airports. “With COVID behind us, with this big push into new modes of transport, we want to signal that this is a very important growth lever for us over the coming years,” Heywood said.
It’s not yet clear to what extent Uber will compete directly with other travel booking services, but Khosrowshahi was CEO at Expedia before coming to Uber. The company might have a leg up on rivals in that it could also offer a ride from airport to hotel, essentially owning the whole process.
Uber recently announced that it would let New York City users book Yellow Cab taxis directly through its app, with passengers paying around the same as they would for an Uber X ride. The company also plans to offer a similar service in San Francisco. It’s not clear yet, though, when or if Uber will offer its expanded travel booking service in the US.
If you were trying to watch Drake, Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, Eminem, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Kanye West, Michael Jackson and other artists on YouTube this morning, you may not have seen what you expected. Music video network Vevo was reportedly attacked by someone with the Twitter handle @lospelaosbro, who uploaded some extremely strange clips, The Verge reported. Those included video of a rapper called Lil Tjay and a man called Paco Sanz who was sent to jail for scamming donations after lying about having cancer.
Vevo acknowledged the incident, telling Engadget that “some videos were directly uploaded to a small number of Vevo artist channels earlier today by an unauthorized source.” It added that no pre-existing content was accessible to the attacker and said that it would be “conducting a review of our security systems.”
Vevo is owned primarily by music labels Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The company says it controls “the largest network of music channels on YouTube,” and essentially acts like a contractor, allowing distributors to merge Vevo channels with existing channels as “Official Artist Channels.” Google also owns a small stake in the service.
According to a Vevo FAQ, artists don’t post their videos directly, but send them to “content providers” for uploading. Content providers include major labels like Universal Music Group and Sony Music, along with independent distributors. The hacked artist channels belong to multiple labels and Vevo said that they have now been secured and the incident is resolved.
Update 4/6/2022 1:34 PM ET: The article has been updated with a statement from Vevo.
Following a sale on the Apple Watch Series 7 models, Amazon is now focusing on the more value-oriented Watch SE. All four models are available with discounts of $49, with the 40mm GPS Watch SE starting at just $230, or 18 percent off. That’s near an all-time low price, and the best deal on the Watch SE we’ve seen this year.
With solid performance, a familiar design and support for numerous apps, the Watch SE scored a solid 88 in our Engadget review. It looks nearly identical to the Watch SE Series 6 and 7, and delivers smooth performance despite the slightly older processor. Most importantly, it offer all the same features you’d get in the more expensive models, like all-day heart rate monitoring, built-in GPS, fall detection, Apple Pay support, sleep-tracking and more.
It doesn’t include a blood oxygen sensor or ECG, nor the always-on display of the Series 6 or Series 7 models. If those things aren’t terribly important, you’ll still get a full Watch experience. The other main drawbacks with all Watch models are sleep tracking that doesn’t quite measure up to the competition, and less than a full day of battery life.
You don’t have to start a Paramount+ trial just to figure out whether or not the Halo TV series is worth your time. The streaming service has made the first episode of the game-inspired show free to watch on YouTube for a week starting March 31st (sorry!). The freebie is only viewable in the US, but it’s worth a look if you want to see Hollywood’s take on Master Chief and the Covenant.
There’s no mystery behind the strategy. Paramount+ is clearly hoping to build Halo‘s viewer base (and thus the subscriber base) as quickly as possible, and a free sample might help when trailers aren’t enough. The provider has used this approach before with releases like Star Trek: Picard.
It might also be a question of seizing on early success. Paramount+ was confident enough in Halo to renew it before the premiere, and that support was apparently well-founded. Deadlinereported that the series broke the service’s one-day premiere viewership record, ousting the Yellowstone prequel 1883. While Paramount+ is still small compared to heavyweights like Amazon and Netflix, sustained interest in Halo could help the streamer grow and reduce its dependence on Star Trek.
There should be at least one unionized Amazon warehouse in the US. CNBCreports Workers at the company’s JFK8 facility in Staten Island have voted 2,350-1,912 in favor of joining a union in a late March election. While the official count isn’t yet available, the remaining uncounted and challenged ballots aren’t expected to sway the outcome.
The decision came after numerous challenges. Workers had to file a second petition with the National Labor Relations Board after they didn’t get enough signatures last fall. The NLRB has also accused Amazon of interfering with unionization efforts at JFK8, including firing pro-union workers and intimidating them through surveillance and questioning.
The Amazon Labor Union at the heart of the vote has made multiple demands. Its requests include higher pay, “more reasonable” productivity targets and additional time off. Amazon has faced multiple claims it relies on unrealistic quotas and discourages time away from work stations.
We’ve asked Amazon for comment. It’s likely to be unhappy with the results, though. Amazon spent $4.3 million on anti-union consultants just in 2021, and the internet shopping giant was accused of interference elsewhere. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union even claimed Amazon interfered with a second unionization vote in Bessemer, Alabama that the NLRB deemed necessary due to obstruction during the first election.
Provided the election results hold, the vote would make JFK8 the first Amazon warehouse with a union. There’s no guarantee this will lead to other warehouses following suit. The second Bessemer vote was close enough that it will likely be decided by challenged ballots, to start. A second Staten Island location is due to vote April 25th, though, and this initial win for the pro-union camp might just influence other votes.
Update 4/1 1:50PM ET: In a statement, Amazon said it was “disappointed” with the Staten Island vote and was considering options that included filing objections to the alleged “inappropriate and undue influence” from the NLRB. It cited support from private business groups including the Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Federation.
