IT’S FRIDAY! Do you know what that means? Another #FreeShowFriday, that’s what! Just enough to give you a taste of what our Insiders get daily, along with some other cool perks that you can get here…

!Shownotes:

How Facebook could screw up Instagram

Instagram is, in many parts of the world, the most culturally relevant technology since texting. And that has everything to do with its founders — Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger — and their teams, who have meticulously shaped it since creation, executing near-flawlessly with tight control. Walking through the things that make Instagram so special — its network, product, experience and institutional taste — it’s easy to see vulnerability in the wrong hands. Facebook can’t afford to screw this up — especially now, as it increasingly relies on Instagram for growth and for engagement from younger users.

Teen Apple Hacker Avoids Jail in Australia After Serious Attacks

An Australian teenager who hacked Apple Inc. systems over several months and downloaded sensitive data avoided a jail term Thursday, as a court heard he was fascinated by the tech giant and found accessing its networks addictive.

Japan’s New Solar-Powered “Second Skin” Device Revolutionizes Wearable Tech

Advances in wearable tech have been pretty impressive lately, but the device described in a new Nature study blows the competition out of the water. While the Apple Watch is now equipped with an FDA-approved EKG sensor and companies like Samsung are going out of their way to make smartwatches look like fashion statements, the device described in the paper, published Wednesday, puts both to shame. This heart-sensing device has no wires, requires no charging, and is so small that it can wrap around a rat’s heart.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S10 smartphone could be an impressive overhaul in design and features — here are 9 rumors about what it’ll look like

Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy S10 could deliver significant updates in design and features to the South Korean smartphone manufacturer’s flagship line of premium smartphones. At least, that’s what the rumors are suggesting. Even Samsung’s mobile-business leader, DJ Koh, has chimed in to hype up the next Galaxy S smartphone.

Fallout 76 Beta Release Date For PS4, Xbox One, And PC Announced

Bethesda has released a new trailer and confirmed the release date of the upcoming Fallout 76 beta. As we previously heard, it’ll come to Xbox One before other platforms, but now we know exactly when–the beta begins for Xbox One on October 23 and on October 30 for PlayStation 4 and PC.

‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ will be a massive 105GB download

Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally dropping next month, and PlayStation has revealed some of what’s in store with the pre-order launch of its PS4 Pro Bundle. The box refers to a “timed exclusive for 30 days” and mentions online content. We knew PlayStation users were getting some unique content, but this confirms they’ll get it ahead of everyone else, too.

Everything new, added or changed in Fortnite’s season 6

A slew of new cosmetics and game mechanics just hit Fortnite‘s incredibly popular battle royale game mode. In the spirit of Halloween, both character skins and the game map has taken a creepy turn. But to balance out the darkness, Epic Games threw in some cuteness in the form of pets that players can now carry around on their backs. Here’s everything that’s been added or changed for season 6.

Join The Community & Get FREE Perks!

!Shownotes:

Facebook is burying Snap, as Facebook and Messenger Stories hit 300 million daily active users

It’s not just Instagram Stories that Snapchat has to worry about. Facebook and Messenger Stories now have 300 million daily active users, the company announced Wednesday. A user counts as one person, meaning they would not be counted twice across both apps. Facebook did not share the breakdown between each app. By comparison, Snap-owned Snapchat reported 188 million daily active users in its second quarter earnings report in August.

OCULUS’ $399 QUEST TO TAKE VR MAINSTREAM

TWO YEARS AGO, Facebook-owned Oculus quietly began demoing a prototype of a stand-alone VR headset codenamed Santa Cruz. Unlike the Oculus Rift, this prototype didn’t need to be wired to a PC to work. Like the Oculus Rift, it promised an immersive quality that might help people actually understand why they’d want to hang out in a virtual environment, wearing a device on their face. Now that prototype is coming out. At its annual developer conference today in San Jose, Oculus unveiled the Quest, the official name for the Santa Cruz headset. Oculus plans to ship it next spring for $399.

Rematch: iPhone XS versus Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for ‘Fortnite’ gaming

About two weeks ago, AppleInsider compared the iPhone X to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 while playing Fortnite, but some complained putting a just-released phone against last year’s model. With the release of the iPhone XS and XS Max, is there as much of a difference between the flagship models of both companies as last time?

PlayStation 4 gets cross-play with Nintendo Switch and Xbox One

Sony Interactive Entertainment boss John Kodera announced the news in a blog post today. “The first step will be an open beta beginning today for Fortnite that will allow for cross platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems. We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation, while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective. ”

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

Join The Community & Get FREE Perks!

!Shownotes:

Meet Meltan, Pokemon Go’s Weird New Creature; Here’s What We Know

The Pokemon Company has confirmed that the strange, Ditto-like monster is a brand-new species of Pokemon called Meltan. In a new trailer the company shared, Professor Willow from Pokemon Go calls Professor Oak, the most prominent researcher from the main series, with news that Ditto masquerading as an unidentified Pokemon had been sighted recently. Oak says he recalls seeing the monster in ancient texts and that it’s a Mythical Pokemon known as Meltan.

Mark Zuckerberg Blamed for Instagram Founders’ Departure

On Monday, the founders of Instagram announced they were leaving to focus on new opportunities. To the surprise of no one, it’s looking like the problem was the CEO of Instagram’s parent company, Facebook. And with those meddlesome founders out of the way, users should worry about a Facebook-ified Insta.

Apple Alienates the World’s Second-Largest Smartphone Market

The iPhone X was a really expensive product in India. It launched at a base price of around $1,400 in India last year, way higher than the U.S. retail price of $999. In fact, India was the second most expensive country in which to buy an iPhone X, thanks to import duties and a weak currency. Not surprisingly, Apple lost its footing in India’s premium smartphone market last year. During the second quarter, the company’s share of premium smartphones in India fell to 13.6% compared to 29.6% in the prior-year period, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple has shipped 40% fewer iPhones in India during the first six months of 2018 as compared to a year ago, with OnePlus’ and Samsung’s phones occupying the top two spots thanks to a smart pricing-and-product strategy.

Speedrunner Achieves ‘Impossible’ Super Mario Bros. Record Time

The original Super Mario Bros. is tightly optimized, as far as speedruns go. Runners have been shaving off milliseconds using highly-skilled play and glitches, all in the hopes of someday reaching a theoretically perfect run. Previously, this was only achievable using special programs, but last night, a runner did what some people thought impossible, matching those computer-assisted performances with nothing but grit and skill.

Mark of the Ninja: Remastered – Release Date Trailer – Nintendo Switch

Join The Community & Get FREE Perks!

!Shownotes:

Spotify Teams With Ancestry to Make Playlists Based on Your DNA

Spotify has teamed with Ancestry.com to offer users playlists based on their own DNA. By signing up through the genealogy company, you can trace your family history and input results to Spotify. It’ll then generate a playlist based on your family tree and listening habits. The program will “encourage [Ancestry’s] audience to explore the soundtrack of their heritage,” Danielle Lee, global head of partner solutions at Spotify, told Quartz.

Netflix still intends to produce Stranger Things game despite Telltale collapse

Last Friday, Telltale Games, the developer behind IP-driven, point-and-click titles like The Walking Dead series, Game of Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy, laid off most of its staff with the intention of eventually shutting down the company. For both fans and employees, surprised by the move, it was a crushing turn of events.

Apple Watch’s Walkie-Talkie is practically useless

If you have a new Apple Watch Series 4, or have upgraded your existing Apple Watch to watchOS 5, you’ve probably noticed you have a new app on your device called Walkie-Talkie. This particular app uses the FaceTime Audio APIs, so you can instantaneously voice communicate with someone else that has Walkie-Talkie, much like the way Sprint Push To Talk/Direct Connect (PTT) works with those phones that support it.

A Weird Pokemon Briefly Appeared In Pokemon Go And No One Knows What It Is

Pokemon Go’s latest Community Day took place this past weekend, and by all accounts, it was a fairly standard event. However, something rather unusual happened right after the Community Day ended: a strange, never-before-seen Pokemon briefly appeared in the wild.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 – Launch Gameplay Trailer

Join The Community & Get FREE Perks!