Netflix takes away star ratings, replaces this with thumbs up and down system

Netflix says it “feels very yesterday” so the star rating system is out. In its place we get the more straightforward thumbs up or down system. Todd Yellin, vice president of product innovation at Netflix, told journalists at the company’s Los Gatos headquarters that they “want to move to a system where it’s really clear." It seems this works better for them.

The streaming service beta tested this feature with hundreds of thousands of new users from around the world last year and found that over 200 percent more ratings were logged using the thumb system than the star ratings. This new system is expected to roll out to users in the coming weeks. Aside from this Netflix plans to introduce percent matching, which uses an algorithm to show a percentage below the title of how likely you’ll enjoy watching a specific show or movie. Yellin likens it to dating site matches with potential partners based on interests or earlier activity.

Source: The Verge

Apple's App Store now showcases Indie Games

The App Store now that serves as an ongoing portal for new and favourite indie titles. The App Store is highlighting key indie games and developers driving innovation on our platform, communicate how we help these developers reach news audiences, and what our editors look for in their selections.

This is a great way for lesser known titles, new developers and exciting new games to gain some attention and have their own place in the App Store. Carefully maintained by Apple's editorial team, the App Store is a platform that enables both large scale established franchises like Mario and Pokémon to reach new audiences worldwide; while at the same time offering creative developers of all sizes, from all corners of the globe like Ustwo in England to Ironhide in Uruguay, access to the same tools and same audiences.

Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods,' coming to Starz on April 30

The long wait for fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods will be getting an exciting series on the Starz network. This intense trailer shows some of the old gods and new who are gearing up for battle. Made by the creators of Hannibal, expect this take on the Gaiman epic to be bloody and thrilling

Snapchat brings Bitmoji shortcuts to both iOS and Android users

A few days ago we saw Snapchat testing out Bitmoji widgets of your friends for the Android home screen. But it looks like the feature isn’t limited to Android users anymore. In fact, Snapchat has taken the feature out of testing and into the hands of its iOS and Android users. For those using iPhones, though, you can only see the widget from the Today screen. If you’re on Android, well, then you can see that from your home screen like how it was done in the tests.

Source: The Verge