June, 2016

• 22 June

  Huawei P9 to see major Australian release July 5, starts at AU$799

  

  Huawei’s new P9 smartphone is coming to Australia, and it’s coming in strong. Launching on July 5, the P9 will cost AU$799 and be available through all major local telcos, including Telstra and Optus. It’ll also be sold at numerous chains, like JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, as well as some boutique photography stores thanks …

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• 22 June

  Amazon leapfrogs to third biggest video streamer by traffic

  

  Amazon’s video service has surged in usage in the last year, jumping to third place behind Netflix and YouTube by traffic in North America. Amazon Video accounted for 4.3 percent of downstream internet traffic during peak evening viewing hours in North America, according to network equipment maker Sandvine in its twice-yearly Global Internet Phenomena Report Wednesday. That’s still far behind …

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• 22 June

  Facebook pays celebs to live stream: Is it worth $50 million? (The 3:59, Ep. 66)

  

  Facebook is in love with live streaming, and it’s paying celebrities and media companies $50 million to fall for the mania too. The world’s biggest social network reportedly signed deals with almost 140 people and publishers to broadcast video live to news feeds. Facebook has been enticing big names to join Facebook Live for months, but a Wall Street Journal …

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• 22 June

  Dropbox adds document scanning, deeper integration with Office

  

  Now playing: Watch this: 5 most important new Dropbox features 1:17 Scanning, sharing and creating files just got easier thanks to a handful of new Dropbox features. During a press event in San Francisco, the file-hosting and cloud-service company announced several additions to its software platform, particularly with its mobile app for Apple iOS. The most notable update includes document …

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• 22 June

  Ghostbot: Meet the bot that will get rid of annoying texters

  

  Now playing: Watch this: This bot will help you ditch annoying texters 1:35 Ghosting someone who is constantly texting you can get irritating. The folks behind the Burner app think they have a solution with Ghostbot. You select who you want to stop talking to and Ghostbot will reply with texts that should finally get the message across. Subscribe: CNET …

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• 22 June

  BET to launch standalone streaming service

  

  Viacom is launching its BET network as a standalone online service, as it dips another toe in the video streaming waters. BET Play won’t stream the network’s live channel, but it will let international subscribers watch live events and shows on demand online. Viacom The new online subscription service, called BET Play, will be available in 100 countries for $3.99 …

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• 22 June

  Opera to Microsoft: Our browser is the best for extending battery life

  

  Now playing: Watch this: What browser is best for your laptop battery? 1:21 The fight is on between Opera Software and Microsoft, each of which claims that its browser is the best at extending battery life for laptops. In a blog post Wednesday, Opera fired back at Microsoft for a blog item posted Monday that claimed Microsoft’s Edge browser delivers …

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• 22 June

  Behold the world’s largest Nerf gun in action

  

  Some battles demand a large Nerf gun, but with this makeshift monstrosity from YouTuber Mark Rober and Eclectical Engineering webseries hosts David and Ryan, you can win a duel by intimidation alone. Their gigantic Nerf gun, quite possibly the world’s largest, was built using a 3,000-psi paintball tank, 3D-printed handle, low-pressure regulator, brass adapters and pipes, PVC plastic and wood. …

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• 21 June

  Refugee rescue app, said to be fake, pulled from the App Store

  

  An app that claims to help refugees adrift in the Mediterranean make contact with the shore has been pulled from the Apple App Store following accusations that it is a fake. The app, dubbed I Sea, was developed by Singapore-based ad agency Grey Group and on Monday evening was awarded a bronze medal at the Cannes Lions conference in France. …

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• 21 June

  Tumblr launches live video service

  

  Tumblr has now officially entered the live video streaming space, alongside fellow social networks Facebook and Twitter, which have Live and Periscope respectively. The launch comes the same day Twitter announced it was expanding its video length from 30 seconds to 140 seconds. Unlike Twitter and Facebook which use their own video platforms, Tumblr is partnering with third-party providers to …

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