Monthly Archives: January 2016

Crunchyroll Leads By Example: The Future Of Streaming Video Is Niche

Posted on by

Streaming video companies: perhaps you’re offering too much.
Just look at Crunchyroll, a subset of Ellation that provides nothing but East Asian media to a global audience—and has 750,000 paid subscribers for its trouble. More than 20 million registered users watch Japanese cartoons, like Naruto Shippuden and Attack on Titan, and Asian dramas, like Boys Before Flowers, in seven languages from English to Arabic. Together, those users watch 1.5 billion minutes of streaming video every month.
Tom Pickett, CEO of Ellation, credits this vertical approach to Crunchyroll’s success. Rather than attempt to provide everything to everyone, Crunchyroll dives deep into just one category: Asian TV and animated cartoons, and from there has expanded its following by providing niche extras like news, forums, e-commerce, live events, and manga, all on the same website.
“General audience services like Netflix and Hulu forever changed the way we consume media and have helped educate users that there are new services worth paying for,” said Pickett. “But we have found there are other ways to create value for passionate fans by going deep in a particular genre and building community. Nobody knows this space like we do, and so, we’re able to provide our fans with a premium viewing and community-driven experience.”
The Crunchyroll experience also extends beyond the site itself. Crunchyroll staff attend dozens of anime fan conventions every year and offer perks. At Anime Boston 2015, for example, Crunchyroll provided a “green room” exclusive lounge for subscribers while also holding contests, events and panels for all attendees. These events, like Crunchyroll, target one of advertising’s most coveted demographics: teens. 75% of Crunchyroll subscribers are under the age of 35, with the median free viewer aged at 18, according to the company.

from Forbes – Tech http://ift.tt/1PXf76H
via IFTTT

Disaster Averted: Smartly Preventing Major Water Damage in Your Home

Posted on by

Just inside 14 months ago, my family and I came home after six hours away, only to discover water cascading out our front door. Our entire downstairs was under a foot-deep flood. We scrambled to shut off the house water, and sloshed our way to the source of the problem: A tiny plastic piece connecting a toilet to its water supply line had cracked. That’s it. Hundreds of gallons of water had been shooting out, causing an ungodly amount of damage, all because a 25-cent piece failed. Some 62 Marriott nights, construction-crew days, and piles of paperwork later, we moved back into the house. Now here’s where the story gets interesting.

from Forbes – Tech http://ift.tt/1P0TKUR
via IFTTT

Video: hands-on with the Huawei GX8

Posted on by

When it comes to Android, Huawei clearly dominated the headlines last week during CES. The Huawei Mate 8 is possibly the most powerful Android smartphone we have ever seen, but the new Huawei GX8 is also worth considering if you’re not willing to shell out $600+ for a new device. 

With the GX8, you get quite a lot. It comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, 16GB expandable storage, 13 and 5-megapixel cameras and a 3000mAh battery. It also sports a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, but Android 5.1 and Huawei’s EMUI might make it a little tough to choose over similar devices like the Nexus 5X. On the design front, the Huawei GX8 feels as premium as the newly announced Mate 8, but it is bit chunkier in the hand. The display is bright and crisp and the camera is quick and seems to capture pretty good pictures. 

We’ll be sharing our final thoughts on the Huawei GX8 in our upcoming review. 

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1mYtI8R
via IFTTT

Sony Xperia C6 pictures show off near bezel-less display

Posted on by

With CES behind us, our focus is now zeroed in on Mobile World Congress and all the new flagship phones that will be announced at the end of February. We’re expecting Samsung, HTC and LG to show off new devices, but it looks like Sony may have something in store for us as well. Leaked images of the upcoming Sony Xperia C6 have hit the web, showing off the front of the phone and its near bezel-less display, which appears to be wrapped in 2.5D Gorilla Glass. Based on its specifications (5.5-inch 1080p display and octa-core MediaTek MT 6755 processor), the Sony Xperia C6 will likely fall into the “premium mid-range” category when it is unveiled.

There’s no word on when the Sony Xperia C6 will hit store shelves or show much Sony intends to charge for it, but it will be facing some steep competition from devices like the Huawei GX4, Xiaomi Redmi 3 and Honor 5X, which are all pretty affordable.

Are you looking forward to buying a decently-spec’d mid-range Android smartphone or are you holding out for a premium flagship device from HTC or Samsung?

Sony-Xperia-C6-1

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1W7qr2w
via IFTTT