Apple might launch HomePod soon following FCC approval

Apple initially pushed back the release of the HomePod speaker to “early 2018” to develop the product further. Early might be happening sooner than we think. The company just received official FCC approval for the smart speaker, meaning they can start selling the device at any time. In the US, all devices that make use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology need to be submitted to the United States Federal Communications Commission to make sure they meet federal regulations. For comparison’s sake, Apple started selling the iPhone X just under a month after it received FCC approval.

The FCC approval follows rumours that the smart speaker’s supplier Inventec started shipping HomePod units to Apple with the company set to reportedly receive “about 1 million” units, at least according to an industry source that spoke with Taipei Times. But like other Apple products, initial supplies might be limited. Rumour has it Inventec expects revenue from the HomePod to be “limited” in the first quarter because of the low of HomePod devices that are available for shipment.

Source: MacRumors

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Spotify tries for a more visual approach to podcasts and news

Spotify tries for a more visual approach to podcasts and news

Spotify is host not just to the latest hits but is home to things like audiobooks and podcasts, too. The streaming service is looking to expand this often-overlooked segment with a new feature they’re calling Spotlight. With this feature, podcasts will come with visual components like text, videos, and images to provide more context to what you’re listening to. The streaming service has partnered with the likes of BuzzFeed News, Cheddar, Crooked Media, Gimlet Media, Genius, The Minefield Girl, Refinery29, Lenny Letter, and Uninterrupted to help launch this new feature. Some of its own original series will also get the treatment, including Secret Genius, Spotify Singles, RISE, and their new Viva Latino podcast. Spotlight is first launching in the US and will supposedly roll out in additional markets “in the near future.”

There’s a new site that’ll make it easier for you to search for Netflix content

This might be what your weekend needs. Reddit user CrazedEli or Ville Salminen in real life built and shared on the r/television subreddit his newest site called Flixable. It’s basically a search engine for Netflix that shows you what’s popular, original, or leaving the streaming service. It’ll let you browse by genre or IMDb rating as well as filter searches based on release date. Salminen said he built the site as a hobby to teach him more about programming but he also realized it addressed a need people still had: how to look for content beyond what Netflix’s algorithm suggests—which admittedly looks like most of their original content but not much of the other content they offer. For now, it catalogs what’s available on Netflix in the US, but he says he’ll be expanding this to include other countries as well.

According to Salminen, “With Flixable, I had one aim. To build a site that would make it easier for Netflix subscribers to choose what to watch on a movie night.” He previously created a similar browsing site for Netflix called AllFlicks but he sold that to Reelgood in November 2017. This new site is basically building on his dream of rebuilding AllFlicks from scratch. He is in talks with Hulu representatives to make a similar site for the service.

Source: Mashable