Disney returns to weekly episode releases for Disney+

While Netflix defined binge culture, new streaming services decided this isn't the route to take to help them survive. We look specifically at Disney's upcoming Disney+ service. Executives from the company talked about moving to a weekly episode release at its recent D23 Expo. Disney wants its shows to come out once a week, giving people something to look forward to each week and the show and their service more exposure over time.

Netflix has the advantage of dropping episodes at once because of its big stable of both original and licensed content. Disney doesn't have that yet, and they need to build and grow their subscriber base. Disney is looking for ways to make sure its subscribers are engaged for extended periods of time. One way of doing that is tying new content to beloved franchises, and then offering these to its users piece by piece. That is one way to keep them hooked. And they need people to stick around, mainly since they aim for 10 million customers by the end of 2020. This approach might be the best thing for them.

Source: The Verge 

New leak of the Pixel 4 shows the front of the phone

A new leak found "floating around on Telegram" gives us our rumoured first look at the front of Pixel 4. These two photos were shared to Twitter by XDA's Mishaal Rahman. The image seems to be the smaller Pixel 4, but with Google seemingly getting rid of the notch, it might be harder to tell the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL apart. We see a screen with a thin bottom bezel and a top bezel that isn't too tall despite the number of sensors it has. When compared to the Pixel 3, it has a narrow yet slightly taller speaker grill in the middle. You can spot the ambient light/proximity sensor flashing, while the single front-facing camera is next to it. We can't tell yet if it’s a regular or wide-angle lens. We can't make out the face unlock IR camera on the left or the Soli radar chip to the right of center. The face unlock dot projector, second IR camera, and flood illuminator aren't visible in this photo as well.

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Fitbit introduces new Aria Air smart scale

Aside from launching the Versa 2, Fitbit also unveiled the Aria Air, a low-cost smart scale. It can track your weight and calculate your BMI and syncs with the Fitbit app. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and feeds all the information there. And since the Fitbit app has all your data from your different Fitbit devices, it helps you set goals, develop weight loss or gain plans, as well as check your progress over time. Combining this with the new Fitbit Premium subscription service, you get more insight about your body's health metrics and receive recommendations on how to reach your goals faster. It's set to cost $69.95, and it comes in black or white.

Source: T3 + MobileSyrup

Fitbit Versa 2 brings Amazon Alexa into the smartwatch

After getting leaked, the Fitbit Versa 2 is now official. It still looks similar to its predecessor, but it comes with some new useful features. This smartwatch/fitness tracker gets an on-device microphone for the first time, allowing you to use Amazon's Alexa voice-activated assistant. Alexa on the Versa 2 will respond to your voice commands via text-based messages, which you'll see on the display. If you were worried about it talking back loudly to you, it wouldn't happen since this device has no speakers. You can ask Alexa to do things like set alarms and timers, check local weather, news, and control smart home devices. On Android, it can even transcribe voice responses to messages. But it can't control music, or control fitness tracker options until later this year.

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