Although there were once about 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores scattered around the country, there are now only 10 or so remaining. Of those, seven are located in Alaska. And apparently, the video rental business up there in the cold, wintry north isn’t so bad. [More]
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AOL Still Exists, Laying Off 500 People
By 11.17.16
Six months after Verizon Communications paid $4.4 billion to buy AOL and its collection of media and technology companies, the top honcho at the ‘90s Internet brand says they’ll be laying off about 5% of the staff today, with around 500 employees expected to get their walking papers. [More]
Twitter Closing Down 6-Second Video App Vine
By 10.27.16
Four years ago, Twitter bought Vine, an app that let users upload and browse looping six-second video clips. While a community of people who elevated repeating video clips to an art form grew around the site, which hadn’t actually opened yet when Twitter bought it, Instagram and Snapchat also grew since then as places to share short videos. Now, on the same day that it cut 9% of its staff, Twitter announced that it’s shutting down Vine. [More]
Rumor Has It: Instagram Testing Live Video Feature
By 10.24.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Remember the days when social media apps were all totally different? Neither do we. To that end, there are some rumors floating around that Instagram is taking a page from parent company Facebook’s playbook with tests of a new live video feature. [More]
Comcast Doubles Down On Buzzfeed With Another $200M Investment
By 10.21.16
In its continuing quest to take over the content world, Comcast is once again splashing out with a big investment into journalism and listicle juggernaut BuzzFeed. [More]
Facebook Now Lets Users With iOS Devices Stream Videos On Apple TV, Chromecast
By 10.14.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
The next time you fall down a watch-these-disembodied-hands-make-food video hole on Facebook, you won’t have to watch it on your phone or tablet: Facebook will now let users on iOS devices stream video on their TVs vy way of Apple TV or Chromecast. [More]
Twitter Wants Your Videos So Much, It Will Let You Keep Most Of The Ad Money
By 8.30.16
Hey, have you heard about video? You might have missed it, what with literally every social media platform all but begging you to post more and watch more at all times, but video is the new hotness. And to get individuals to post more video to their platform, Twitter’s willing to split the ad take. [More]
Instagram Launching Live “Events” Video Channel
By 8.17.16
Along with viewing your friends’ photos and videos in your feed, or checking out what’s popular on across app, Instagram is adding a new “Live Events” video channel that streams, well, events. Live. [More]
So Long VHS: Last VCRs Rolling Off The Line This Month
By 7.21.16
Are you in the market for a brand new Video Cassette Recorder? Then you better head to RadioShack — or another electronics store of yester-year — soon, as the last known company to make the video-playing machines will stop production after this month. [More]
YouTube Adds 360-Degree Live Streaming Video Capabilities
By 4.18.16
For the better part of a year, YouTube has allowed users to post 360-degree videos. Today, the company took that initiative further by launching immersive live streaming. [More]
Apple Fixes iPhone Flaw That Allowed Siri Twitter Search To Access To Photos, Contacts
By 4.6.16
No one likes a snoop. That’s why Apple says it has fixed a security flaw in the iOS operating system that allowed the Siri virtual assistant to search Twitter on locked iPhones, leading to the unauthorized access of photos and contacts.
[More]
Cool Mist, Warm Mist; Large Unit, Small Unit: There’s A Lot To Consider When Buying A Humidifier
By 1.8.16
Humidifiers come in all shapes, sizes, and apparently, animal likeness. While variety is always a good thing for consumers, knowing which product is best for your specific needs and home can be a daunting task. [More]
Take Your Christmas Tree Down Before It Burns Your $#&^! House Down
By 12.30.15
In the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, you were probably pretty good about keeping your Christmas tree watered, hoping to maintain the lush greenness you paid for. But now that you’re in that post-Yule, pre-New Year’s limbo and just haven’t gotten around to ditching the tree on your neighbor’s curb, you might have forgotten to add water to that doomed tree. If so, you could be risking a disastrous and potentially deadly fire. [More]
Snapchat Now Lets Users Pay For The Ability To Replay Those Self-Destructing Messages
By 9.15.15
Snapchat, built on the premise that photos and videos sent between users would self-destruct in a matter of seconds, has allowed users the ability to replay one passage per day for nearly two years. Now, the social network is expanding that option, letting users replay as many messages as they want — so long as they’re willing to pay for it. [More]
Yahoo Introduces Livetext, A Video Messaging App Without Any Audio
By 7.29.15
Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger are just a few of the many messaging services available to consumers. That list grew by one today with the unveiling of Livetext from Yahoo. [More]
Pew Charitable Trusts Illustrates The Devastating Effects Of Payday Lending, How It Can Be Fixed
By 6.5.15
Back in March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took its first long-awaited step in reining in the payday loan industry by releasing an outline for potential regulations over the small-dollar lines of credit known to thrust consumers into a devastating cycle of debt. While consumer groups were quick to applaud the steps, they also expressed concern that more could be done to protect people from the devastating consequences of such loans. This week, Pew Charitable Trusts released a video detailing the predicament nearly 12 million Americans face every year when taking out payday loans and how regulators might be able to find an answer. [More]
Many Americans Still In The Dark About Overdraft Fees & Other Bank Practices
By 4.22.15
While millions of consumers contribute to the $32 billion in overdraft fees collected each year, a new video shows that many checking account holders don’t fully understand the way overdrafts work or how much they spend on the fees each year. [More]
Facebook Now Lets Users Comment On Posts With A Video
There are some moments when a Facebook post cannot be answered in words, or even a photo. For those times, users can now respond to posts through the art of the moving image. In other words, video comments are coming. [More]