Paramount delays release of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie to fix main character’s design

There was backlash when the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog dropped last month. The design had been, as Engadget describes it, nightmare-inducing. Now, Paramount just announced that it is pushing back the release of the film “to make Sonic just right.” The film was originally slated for a November 2019 release, but now it’s been pushed back to February 14, 2020. Let’s hope they’ll be able to get the look right. We think Detective Pikachu might have set the bar for how cute yet realistic these animated characters could be if done right.

Instagram’s IGTV now supports landscape videos

Instagram has conceded that vertical videos aren’t all their cracked up to be. The app’s IGTV feature will now support landscape clips. The change was made because of creators’ and users’ feedback. The company said in a blog post, “In many ways, opening IGTV to more than just vertical videos is similar to when we opened Instagram to more than just square photos in 2015. It enabled creativity to flourish and engagement to rise—and we believe the same will happen again with IGTV.”

While it wasn’t outright said, Instagram had trouble making IGTV flourish. While the creators who worked with Instagram to build IGTV content liked it, they weren’t able to monetize these videos. The vertical video format also meant that they had to optimize their videos for the platform. It felt like there was extra work for little return. And according to creators who talked to The Verge, view counts were lower on the platform than on others. It was only when Instagram started allowing them to share the story to their feeds did viewership numbers increase.

There’s a ‘Game of Thrones’ edition of the Samsung Galaxy Fold

In case you didn’t think the Samsung Galaxy Fold couldn’t get more expensive, Caviar decides to give the phone a pop culture makeover. They’re creating a version of the phone that’s inspired by the recently concluded show Game of Thrones and George R.R. Martin’s next book, The Winds of Winter. The foldable phone is customized to look like a book. It's stylized in front “into a cover of the long-awaited book." The front and rear panels feature exquisite bas-relief that’s covered in gold and shaped to represent different major houses of Westeros. There’s even an etched map of the said world at the back. When folded, it can be locked with a gold clasp. 

The inside and its specs remain similar to Samsung’s original model. This means you still get the Galaxy Fold with a Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB internal storage. It has a quad camera setup at the back and dual front cameras. The battery is still at 4,380mAh. With no official word yet when Samsung plans to relaunch the Galaxy Fold, Caviar can’t announce when it’s version will be available. But the luxury brand said it’ll have a simultaneous launch date with Samsung. How much will this set you back? A very cool US$8,200. On the plus side, Caviar is offering free worldwide shipping for the units, which are very limited in number. There will only be seven units of this phone. 

Source: GadgetMatch + SlashGear 

Netflix will release Henson’s ‘Dark Crystal’ prequel series on Aug. 30th

The prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 cult classic The Dark Crystal is coming to Netflix on August 30th. It’ll take place sometime before the events of the film, which was about a young hero’s quest to fix a magical object called the Dark Crystal. It was set on an alien planet filled with three different races. This 10-episode series will turn the spotlight on three Gelfling characters who are out to find the secret of Skeksis’ power. In true Henson tradition, the characters will be puppets instead of CGI made. Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) will voice the main characters. But they’re also joined by big names like Helena Bonham Carter, Keegan-Michael Key, and Mark Hamill. Louis Leterrier will direct The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which are hour-long episodes. 

Source: Polygon