Amazon-owned Audible has started putting ads in audiobooks, potentially indicating a sea change within the industry. The company says it is “conducting limited testing” on a select user base with the advertisements and that this step is currently reserved for non-paying members, giving them “ad-supported access to a limited set” of titles. For now at least, paying subscribers seem immune to the change.

The ads pop up while listening to traditional audiobooks, podcasts and Audible original content. The company says the providers were informed of the change and given the chance to opt out of ads. Audible notes that a maximum of eight ads will play within a 24-hour period, regardless of what you are listening to. That isn’t so bad, but does set a troubling precedent for many ad-averse consumers.

As to why this test was taking place at all, the company’s help page offers nothing but empty buzzwords. “Audible is dedicated to continuously optimizing how we deliver audio programming to listeners everywhere,” it states. “From time to time, Audible tests new products and services to gain knowledge about the evolving needs of our customers and partners.” Thanks for clarifying!

Does this mean an ad-supported subscription tier is forthcoming? Engadget has reached out to Audible for some clarification on this move but has yet to hear back. We will update this post when we do.

Customers have long grown-accustomed to paying for audiobooks in exchange for a pure ad-free experience, but maybe that is slowly changing. A couple of years back, Spotify purchased audiobook distributor Findaway for $119 million and, a year later, former Chief Content Officer Dawn Ostroff suggested that the company was “looking at bringing ad monetization into audiobooks.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audible-is-now-testing-ads-in-your-audiobooks-for-some-reason-185337088.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Audible is now testing ads in your audiobooks for some reason

Paramount+ is ordering a new Star Trek series set in one of the franchise’s most iconic locations. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new class of recruits at the San Francisco training facility as they grapple with friends, rivalries, first loves and “a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.” Production is scheduled to begin in 2024.

With Picard and Discovery winding down, the network is apparently looking to a teen / young adult coming-of-age story to invite a new generation of viewers to the franchise. The series “will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers.”

CBS studios will produce the upcoming series with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. No casting decisions have been announced. Deadline first reported on the series’ development last month before Paramount’s official announcement today.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, who will serve as showrunners and executive producers, released an announcement in the voice of a Starfleet recruitment bulletin. “For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves,” the announcement reads. “The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted.”

Although the series shares its name with a late 1990s PC simulation game, its creators haven’t specified whether the two are related. We don’t even know in which era it will take place, among Star Trek’s centuries-spanning lore. The Starfleet Academy has been mentioned or featured in numerous Trek properties, including the original 1960s series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine (among many others).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramount-orders-new-star-trek-series-set-at-starfleet-academy-183059826.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Paramount+ orders new Star Trek series set at Starfleet Academy

When portions of Twitter’s source code appeared on Github earlier this year, the social media company asked the court to compel the collaborative programming network to reveal the identity of the user who posted it. Now, Twitter is getting it: the US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a subpoena to Github compelling it to identity GitHub user “FreeSpeech Enthusiast,” including “name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), , email address(es), social media profile data, and IP address(es), for the user(s) associated with.”

According to the New York Times, sources within the company say that Twitter executives suspect a disgruntled former employee is responsible for the leak. Depending on what information Github provides, Twitter will be able to determine if the source code was posted by one of the thousands of workers that were laid off following Elon Musk’s purchase of company last year.

In addition to information about the leaker themselves, the order asks Github to identify users who “posted, uploaded, downloaded or modified the data.” Github has until April 3 to produce the data.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/github-ordered-to-identify-user-who-leaked-twitter-source-code-181504256.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Github ordered to identify user who leaked Twitter source code

You won’t have to worry about burning fossil fuels if you hail a Waymo One ride in the near future. Waymo is phasing out its hybrid Chrysler Pacifica vans in the Phoenix East Valley area in favor of the Jaguar I-Pace EV, making its autonomous ride-hailing fleet completely electric as of late April. The company’s fifth-generation Driver AI is coming to the region at the same time.

The Alphabet-owned brand is unsurprisingly eager to tout the environmental perks. As Waymo’s cars are much more active than the typical personally-owned ride, the switch to EVs should have a noticeable impact on emissions. Waymo adds that it exclusively uses renewable energy to power the EVs.

There are also practical advantages, Waymo claims. The move to rely solely on the I-Pace helps “optimize” operational and technical support while the company prepares to add future EVs like Geely’s custom-built Zeekr. The consistency should also improve the trustworthiness of Driver as Waymo grows.

Waymo launched One in Phoenix in 2018, and went completely driverless in the area in 2019. Service didn’t start expanding in earnest until 2021, when the company started offering rides in San Francisco using the I-Pace. It began testing service in Los Angeles just last month. The switch to an all-EV fleet now provides a familiar experience regardless of where Waymo operates — Phoenix-area passengers won’t feel left behind.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-driverless-taxi-fleet-will-soon-be-completely-electric-180526724.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Waymo’s driverless taxi fleet will soon be completely electric

Rumors of an animated Scott Pilgrim show have been swirling around for years, though Netflix officially confirmed those rumors last year by announcing it was working on something. More details just dropped, however, and not only is the Scott Pilgrim anime a real thing, but it is currently in production and features the entire cast of the original 2010 movie.

We mean the entire cast, including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and Mae Whitman. Some cast members have become major stars in the years since the film’s original release, but they are also returning. In other words, expect to hear the dulcet tones of Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Kieran Culkin and Aubrey Plaza as they reprise their original roles.

There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes folks coming back for this animated follow-up. The big name here is original director Edgar Wright, who is returning as an executive producer and seems to be heavily involved if his tweets are any indication. Bryan Lee O’Malley, the original creator of the Scott Pilgrim comic, is one of the showrunners. Wright even tweeted to suggest that the film’s original composers, legendary chiptune band Anamanaguchi, would be back in some capacity.

Netflix has dropped a trailer, but it does not feature any actual footage, so the look and feel of the animation are still unknown. Additionally, no official release date has been announced, so it may be a while before we see what this new interpretation looks like. It’s time to play the waiting game again, but at least we know it’s actually coming this time. In the meantime, there is the original movie to watch, comics to read and a video game to play.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scott-pilgrim-is-coming-back-as-a-cartoon-with-the-films-entire-cast-174540102.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – ‘Scott Pilgrim’ is coming back as a cartoon with the film’s entire cast