Apple is expected to unveil a new version of its iPhone 5s today during an event at the company’s Cupertino headquarters. According to The Wall Street Journal, the new phone “will include an upgraded processor, improved camera and capability to use Apple Pay.” The company is also expected to launch a new 9.7-inch iPad, which will likely follow the design and features of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro that debuted in November. “It’ll be the iPad Pro in every way except two: it won’t be quite so gargantuan, and it won’t be so expensive,” suggests Wired. To watch the keynote live online at 10:00 am PDT, visit the Apple event page. Continue reading Apple is Expected to Introduce its New iPhone and iPad Today

In recent months, many Twitter users have expressed concern regarding news that the social platform’s 140-character limit was going to be lifted. Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive of Twitter, announced on Friday (Twitter’s 10th birthday) that the company now plans to keep tweets at their original 140 characters. Dorsey’s announcement “is likely to calm the hard-core base of Twitter supporters who have been vocally resistant to any major changes to the network, home to more than 320 million regular users,” reports The New York Times. Continue reading Twitter Chief Explains Tweet Cap Will Remain 140 Characters

The SXSW Festival kicked off in Austin on Friday and runs until March 20. VentureBeat has identified five trends at the fest expected to have a significant impact on how brands and consumers interact in the near future. Virtual reality is at the forefront with panels “on tap to discuss everything from Cinematic VR, virtual football, and VR storytelling to city planning using social VR.” SXSW will also focus on the shift from social media to social messaging, the growth of artificial intelligence and emotive robotics, connected wearables and IoT-based devices, and the sharing activity known as “dark social,” which addresses “the culmination of referrals and sharing of content that originates from instant messages, emails containing links,” and the rise of “platforms such as Snapchat, WeChat, and WhatsApp.” Continue reading VR, Messaging, AI, IoT and Dark Social Lead Charge at SXSW

Startups are hoping their mobile apps will make a major splash at this year’s SXSW Festival. Anchor, for example, is an audio app that serves as an audio message board that allows users to publish recorded “waves” to interact with the masses. Other hopefuls include Nom, a livestreaming food app and MeWe, which enables users to send disappearing, encrypted messages to friends. However, not all buzz-generating apps continue their trajectory post SXSW. “Last year was Meerkat’s moment, but the live video app fell out of vogue soon after the party in Austin ended, partially as a result of Twitter’s acquisition of its competitor Periscope,” reports Bloomberg. Continue reading Mobile App Startups Compete for Attention at SXSW Festival

LA-based virtual reality startup Immersv launched its ad platform yesterday, which offers VR some of the same advertising techniques common to mobile apps. According to Variety, “Immersv ad units respond to the gaze: Look at them long enough, and you’ll be taken to a virtual movie theater where you got to see video ads for other VR games and experiences.” Users can also visit the VR platform’s app store without taking off their headset. Co-founder and CEO Mihir Shah claims Immersv has seen completion rates of 80 percent, about double the effectiveness of traditional mobile ads. Continue reading Immersv Launches Mobile Ad Platform for Virtual Reality Apps

Yahoo is partnering with the National Hockey League to stream live broadcasts online starting today. Yahoo Sports plans to live-stream a free NHL “Game of the Day” and game highlights up to four days per week. “The new partnership is in addition to the NHL games promoted on Wednesdays and Sundays in partnership with NBC Sports Group,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Viewing the games on Yahoo Sports won’t require a cable subscription or authentication.” Yahoo already has deals for live and on-demand content with Major League Baseball and the PGA Tour. Continue reading Yahoo Teams with NHL to Stream Free Online Hockey Games

AT&T’s DirecTV plans to produce its first live 4K broadcast when golf’s Masters Tournament returns to Augusta, Georgia April 7-10. The broadcast will mark the first time a U.S. audience will have the option of tuning in to a live UHD broadcast. The amount of on-demand content for 4K TVs is growing, but live broadcasts are just beginning (a January NBA game was broadcast live in Canada and the UK). “To see golf’s big event in 4K, you’ll need DirecTV’s latest Genie HD DVR box and a subscription to either the Ultimate or Premier channel package,” reports The Verge. Continue reading DirecTV to Debut Live 4K Broadcasts with Masters Tournament

In the wake of Facebook revealing it would bring its 360 dynamic streaming to Gear VR, Oculus announced that the Oculus Video app on Gear VR would feature a Facebook video tab for connecting Facebook and Oculus accounts. Users will be able to view and browse VR content and share videos while in the Gear VR headset. “By integrating personal info from Facebook, this is a massive first step for parent company and child that will be sure to give individual VR users a more custom experience across virtual reality verticals that will undoubtedly grow beyond social video,” suggests TechCrunch. Continue reading Facebook Aims to Expand Social Interaction in Virtual Reality

Led by Google and Facebook, U.S. digital ad spending is projected to reach $77.4 billion next year, surpassing TV ad spending for the first time, according to eMarketer. Digital ad spending is expected to represent 38.4 percent of total ad spending, while TV ad spending will comprise 36 percent of total media ad spending. The growth of mobile is expected to drive digital to continue its lead over television. “By 2020, TV ad spending share is expected to reach $77.2 billion — dropping its share to one-third of total media ad spending,” reports Variety. “Digital ad revenue will exceed $105 billion, representing 45 percent share.” Continue reading Digital Ad Spending Poised to Exceed TV for First Time in U.S.

According to Kaspersky Lab Antimalware Research, the volume of malware targeting mobile devices grew more than threefold in 2015 over the previous year. Ransomware, malware that obtains unlimited rights on a device, and data stealers such as financial malware served as significant threats. “The number of ransomware app modifications has increased by 3.5 times, proof that fraudsters are seeing ever more advantage in earning money from users via blackmail,” notes Network World. “2016 is likely to see an increase in the complexity of the malware and its modifications, with more geographies targeted.” Continue reading Study Reveals New Malware Targeting Mobile Tripled in 2015

During March 11 spring training games, Major League Baseball plans to suspend its social media rules for one day by allowing players to post on video messaging app Snapchat. “Encouraging live, in-game posts — called Snaps — is part of an expanded agreement between the league and the $16 billion social media network,” explains Bloomberg. While Snapchat also has deals with the NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA that typically involve shared ad revenue, the leagues currently prohibit athletes from posting on social media during games. Continue reading MLB Players to Test Snapchat During Spring Training Games

Virginia has become the first state to formally legalize daily fantasy sports by signing a bill detailing how DraftKings, FanDuel and related services can operate legally in the state. Governor Terry McAuliffe signed the Fantasy Contests Act yesterday. “Alongside undergoing two independent audits every year, fantasy sport sites must pay a $50,000 fee to operate in Virginia, impose policies to ensure all players are 18 years or older, and ban employees of fantasy sites from participating in public contests, among other consumer protection measures,” reports The Verge. Continue reading New Bill Makes Daily Fantasy Sports Sites Legal in Virginia

Unless there is breaking news, ETCentric and The Daily News Brief will not publish during the upcoming holiday break. We wish you and your families a very happy holiday season. Our team is currently gearing up for CES 2016 in Las Vegas and will be back in January with the latest in entertainment technology news. Continue reading Happy Holidays: ETCentric to Return for CES in the New Year

The new Google Cardboard Camera app now enables Android phone users to record virtual reality photos for viewing in Google Cardboard. This is similar to a panoramic smartphone image, but the user makes a full 360-degree rotation. A sound snippet is recorded at the same time. “The result is pretty striking: a three-dimensional panorama where near things look near, far things look far, and you can look in front of you, to your sides, or crane your neck all the way behind you to see the entire captured scene,” notes the Wired review. “Unlike VR video, the elements in the picture aren’t moving; it’s a stillframe moment in time, enhanced by the natural sounds of the scene.”

The HTTP/2 protocol, launched in February with the goal of enhancing speed and efficiency of Web traffic, is getting a major boost with support from content distribution network CloudFlare. The new protocol “will be available by default to all the company’s customers, more than doubling the adoption for the fledgling Web standard,” reports The Verge. “The most noticeable result for users will be faster page speeds. HTTP/2 won’t make pages significantly smaller, but the same data will require fewer round trips to the server, cutting load times by as much as half in some tests.” While browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari already support HTTP/2, the protocol so far accounts for a small percentage of the overall Web.