A somewhat serious software snag seems to have hit a range of Samsung Blu-ray players in recent days, with owners complaining that their disc-playing devices are stuck in an endless reboot loop.

With reports from Reddit, Samsung support forums, ZDNet and elsewhere flooding in, it looks as though the issue affects a variety of different models – and at the time of writing there's no explanation or fix.

Users say their Blu-ray players are cycling through various screens with no way to get out of the loop, leaving the devices pretty much useless. That's not ideal when you've paid good prices to watch your high-resolution Blu-ray discs in the comfort of your home.

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According to what we've read online, restarting the Blu-ray players doesn't solve the problem, and nor does performing a hard reset to make the devices start up fully again from scratch.

Borked Blu-ray blues

From the user reports posted online, it sounds as though Samsung is aware of the problem, though it hasn't yet made an official statement about it or offered anything in the way of a fix.

Hopefully, a new software update might be enough to get all of these Blu-ray players working again. If not, it's possible that those with affected machines will have to send them back to Samsung to be repaired in-house.

While no one knows for sure what's causing these issues, the most likely culprit is an expired security certificate that means the players can't properly connect to the web. A botched firmware update might also be to blame.

Not everyone experiencing problems is seeing their devices stuck in a loop – some players are staying on, but won't respond to button pushes. If an expired security certificate is to blame, then it wouldn't be the first time.

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While Spotify has dabbled with video before, it's hardly an integral part of the music streaming app at the moment. That might be about to change, based on code hidden inside the current version of the mobile app.

As revealed by serial hidden-feature-revealer Jane Wong on Twitter, Spotify engineers are experimenting with a new Video tab on the now playing screen, to go alongside Album Art and Canvas tabs.

There's nothing there yet though – only a message that reads: "Thanks for your interest in video. We're still exploring what could happen here." Music videos would seem to be the obvious choice.

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If you're unfamiliar with Canvas by the way, it shows short, looping animations provided by the artist for selected songs. It's more visual art than an actual music video, and in the current apps you get to (if it doesn't start playing automatically) it by tapping on the album art.

The easy comparison to make here is with Google's up-and-coming YouTube Music, which has music videos front and center – you can switch between video and audio for tracks that have videos with a single tap, for example.

YouTube has been a fantastic music resource for years, way before YouTube Music launched. Besides having just about every music video of recent years, Google's video sharing platform also has a ton of rare audio, live recordings, and music uploaded by fans.

Now it seems that Spotify is keen to get in on the music video action. It would most likely have to tap up YouTube for access to the videos, which might pose a problem – though YouTube is usually okay with its content getting embedded, as long as it means more views for the clips.

As yet Spotify hasn't said anything official about the feature being tested, which comes with the usual caveat: it might end up getting abandoned even before it reaches users. Even if Spotify is only playing around with the idea of music video, it shows how it's thinking about ways to keep users in its apps.

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Via 9to5Google

We've known for a while that Google is working on an Android feature known as Nearby Share (previously Fast Share), for easy device-to-device file transfers in the style of Apple's AirDrop. Now it looks as though the feature will be coming to desktop computers too, courtesy of the Chrome browser.

Some detailed digging into Chromium (Chrome's software foundation) by XDA Developers has revealed references to the Nearby Share feature, though it's not clear at this stage exactly how it would be implemented.

It's not official until it's official – Google's plans can change, after all – but that should mean users will be able to quickly share files between Android devices and Chrome on Windows, macOS and Linux as well.

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And the feature has been a long time coming: Google engineers have been working on this for at least a couple of years, before Android 10 came out. A similar feature called Android Beam was discontinued before that version of the mobile OS was released.

It seems probable that we'll hear about Nearby Share at some point before Android 11 officially launches later this year – Google has already been teasing the feature's arrival with hints in videos for Android developers.

As yet there's no sign of it in the Android 11 public beta, but the full version of the operating system won't be out for a few months yet. It's likely that Google is keeping quite a few new features up its sleeves, metaphorically speaking.

When Nearby Share does arrive, we think it will use both Bluetooth and device-to-device Wi-Fi to send files from one phone to another (or one computer to another). It will have to go some way to match AirDrop, which is usually speedy and hassle-free.

While we wait for more news on Nearby Share and on the roll out of Android 11 in general, we'll continue to keep you posted on information that does appear – like the recycle bin hidden in the new OS, or support for the Microsoft Surface Duo.

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Bad news if you were planning some serious binge watching this weekend without having to hand over your banking details – Disney Plus has dropped the 7-day free trial offer that's been in place since its US launch last November.

If you haven't already dipped your toes into the Disney Plus waters, you now need to pay $6.99 / £5.99 / AU$8.99 for a month's worth of streaming instead. As with comparable services, you can drop your subscription whenever you like.

For a lower monthly fee you can stump up for a whole year at once – in that case you'll be parting with $69.99 in the US, £59.99 in the UK, and AU$89.99 in Australia to get everything streamed on Disney Plus for 12 consecutive months.

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In a statement to CNET about the move, Disney said that its streaming platform "was set at an attractive price-to-value proposition that we believe delivers a compelling entertainment offering on its own" – so make of that what you will.

Pay to press play

Considering the likes of Netflix, Hulu (which is owned by Disney) and Apple TV Plus continue to offer a free trial (if you buy an Apple hardware device, you get a year of its video portal for free), it's disappointing that the option no longer exists to give Disney's main service a go for free.

To be fair to Disney, you've had seven months in the US to decide whether or not to sign up to Disney Plus (though the service only launched in the UK in March). The monthly fee isn't too steep, and should give you enough time to figure out if Disney Plus is for you.

It's perhaps notable that a filming of smash hit musical Hamilton is premiering on Disney Plus in a couple of weeks, on July 3 – Disney would obviously prefer new subscribers to pay up for a month to watch it, rather than viewing it for free.

Of course this doesn't rule out the 7-day free trial coming back at some point in the future, or some other kind of promo deal, perhaps when Disney needs to tempt in another wave of subscribers. For now though, you'll have to either pay up or look elsewhere.

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Via Numerama

Samsung's next hardware launch event – rumored to be happening on August 5 – is shaping up to be pretty significant. We're expecting three handsets to be unveiled, plus some other goodies, and we just got news of the colors of some of the phones.

According to the usually reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal on Twitter, the Galaxy Note 20 5G phone is coming in gray, green and copper shades, while the more expensive Plus or Ultra model will be available in white, black and copper.

Not only does that match up with rumors we heard back in May, the leaks were confirmed by another well-respected leaker, John Prosser – he says that the green color will actually be mint green, but that the information is otherwise all correct.

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We're also expecting a new version of Samsung's flip foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, to appear at the August event. According to Agarwal, this is going to come in black, gray and copper colors, though Prosser only mentions black and copper. The original Galaxy Z Flip comes in black or purple.

That selection should be wide enough to offer something for everyone, and we're looking forward to the official unveiling. We've already seen leaked renders of the two Galaxy Note 20 models that are in the pipeline, and there's talk that a periscope camera will be on board to ensure high-quality zooming.

As for the new version of the Galaxy Z Flip, with 5G on board, it sounds as though the Snapdragon 865 chipset will be inside, which is a slight step up from the original. An upgraded triple-lens rear camera is also being talked about.

In addition to the Note 20 and Galaxy Z Flip handsets, there have been numerous predictions that Samsung is also going to show off the Galaxy Fold 2 when August 5 rolls around – this would be an upgraded version of the original Fold that was first unveiled back in February 2019.

And if that's not enough hardware for you, a new Samsung Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet are also being tipped to make an appearance – unless Samsung decides to unveil these two devices sometime next month instead.

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We were originally expecting to see the Google Pixel 4a appear in May, as part of the Google IO 2020 event. Since that event got moved online and then canceled, the launch date for Google's mid-ranger has been a bit of a mystery – and now we're hearing that it might not show up until October.

News of the latest delay comes from serial tipster John Prosser, who has been a reliable source of inside information in the past. He says an announcement about the phone will be made on July 13, but that it won't go on sale until October.

That will put the phone firmly into Pixel 5 territory in terms of timing, which has some commentators wondering whether the Pixel 4a might indeed get renamed as the Pixel 5a – though we're unlikely to know any of this for sure until the handsets appear.

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Prosser actually goes on to say that the Pixel 5 launch might get pushed back too, although he admits himself that this is all subject to change. Finally, he suggests that the blue version of the Pixel 4a has been canned altogether, so the phone will only show up in a standard black color.

The new predictions aren't too different to the most recent rumors we'd been hearing from Prosser on Twitter: he'd already claimed that after a July 13 announcement, new Pixel 4a phones wouldn't go on sale until August and October.

We can only speculate as to what is prompting Google to keep pushing these dates further and further back, but presumably it makes bad business sense to launch a handset in the middle of a global pandemic.

Not only are consumers less likely to have money to spend on a new phone at the moment, tech supply lines have been thrown into disarray as well. While software developers can work from home without too much disruption, it's a different story when it comes to physical hardware.

We're hoping that the Google Pixel 4a does eventually see the light of day, as we'd been hearing positive noises about it – and the Pixel 3a was an excellent, affordable handset. As soon as we hear anything more, we'll let you know.

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Via Android Central

The Android 11 public beta is out and available for anyone to try – anyone with a compatible phone, that is – and we're seeing a steady stream of new features come to light. The latest is a potentially very useful recycle bin for recovering deleted files.

As noted by 9to5Google, this trash folder has apparently been around since the developer preview launched in February, but it's largely flown under the radar until now.

It works exactly as you think it might, in the classic Windows Recycle Bin or macOS Trash folder tradition: files and photos you delete aren't fully deleted for a period of 30 days, giving you a window of opportunity to bring them back.

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That's a significant improvement from the current way that Android works, where files deleted from the local storage are immediately wiped and can't be recovered unless you have a backup somewhere.

Bring it back

It'll be a reassuring safety net if you happen to accidentally delete a whole folder of audio files you were planning to listen to, or all the photos from your recent vacation – you should be able to get them back with a couple of taps.

App developers are going to have to implement the user-facing features however, so this recycle bin might look slightly different between apps. It's part of a more general change to the way Android handles files called scoped storage, and Google has a video on it here.

Some apps already have these features built in of course – Google Drive and Google Photos are two apps that can recover your files from the cloud if you mistakenly delete them from your Android phone and tablet. It's similar with many apps on iOS.

To have the feature built into the operating system adds some extra peace of mind though, and will be helpful for files that are only stored on your device (like downloads from the web). A full launch of Android 11 is expected later this year.

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We now know more about the hardware specs for Google's next video streaming device – either a cut-down Android TV dongle or an upgraded Chromecast, however you prefer to think about it – thanks to the early firmware code that's leaked out.

Details spilled by XDA Developers show the dongle will come with a Amlogic S905X2 chipset and 2GB of RAM, which is fairly standard for other Android TV devices currently on the market. That will enable 4K and 60 frames per second output, with support for HDR and Dolby Vision.

The code also reveals that the device – codenamed Sabrina – will have an "auto low latency mode", part of the HDMI 2.1 spec, designed to get video up on your TV more quickly when needed – no doubt useful for reducing lag if you're thinking of a Google Stadia gaming session.

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Another interesting nugget of info shows that the special 'star' button we saw in previous leaks is going to be user-programmable – so you'll be able to set it to go straight to Netflix, or YouTube, or whatever your favorite streaming service happens to be.

Google itself has never put out a fully fledged Android TV device – leaving it to others instead – but it has released three generations of the Chromecast, along with the 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra.

It would appear this combines the two ideas: a dongle as small as a Chromecast, that slots into the back of your television set, but which also has its own software interface and storage. In other words, you wouldn't have to control it with your phone.

Rumors about such a device have actually been floating around for years – it seems exactly the sort of device Google would be interested in making. In March we heard from inside sources that an Android TV+Chromecast dongle was on the way, and then earlier this month we got a host of leaked images as well.

With tech launch schedules all up in the air at the moment, it's more difficult than it would usually be to predict when such a device would arrive, but it seems a good bet that it's going to land this year – and we'll let you know as soon as it does.

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Considering the original Samsung Galaxy Watch launched all the way back in 2018, anticipation levels are high for its successor – though it seems Samsung is skipping a number and calling the new device the Galaxy Watch 3.

We had previously been calling the upcoming wearable the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2, but for whatever reason, that moniker has apparently been ditched, as per new filings made at Thailand's NBTC (Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) regulatory body.

As spotted by MySmartPrice, the filings feature product code numbers that match up with recent documentation logged at the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the US, so it seems a good bet that the Galaxy Watch 3 is what we're dealing with here.

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It seems strange to skip a number completely, but it would avoid confusion in regards to the sportier Galaxy Watch Active 2 that Samsung makes as well. At the moment the original Watch is cheaper than the Active 2, but it's also a year older.

What to watch out for

Whatever the name of the new Samsung wearable, the rumors we've heard about the device so far still apply. Apparently, the rotating bezel that we saw on the original Galaxy Watch is making a return (it was dropped on the Watch Active 2).

We've also heard speculation about the Galaxy Watch 3 (previously known as the Galaxy Watch 2) coming in a new titanium casing, alongside the more conventional aluminum and stainless materials that we've seen before.

As for sizes, that's something else spilled by the NBTC listing: it looks as though the Galaxy Watch 3 will come in a choice of 41 mm and 45 mm variants, slightly smaller than the 42 mm and 46 mm sizes that its predecessor offered.

The smartwatch is being tipped to launch on August 5, alongside a plethora of other Samsung hardware, including the Galaxy Note 20. We will of course keep you informed as soon as anything is made official.

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Via SamMobile

Apple already offers an installment payment plan for the iPhone, but it could extend similar plans to all kinds of other Apple hardware in the near future – as long as you make your purchases through the Apple Card.

According to sources speaking to Bloomberg, the plans would be interest-free, giving you more time to pay off your latest Apple gadget purchases without penalizing you with interest repayments along the way.

Apparently the plan is to give customers 12 months to pay on more expensive items like Macs and iPads, while cheaper gadgets such as AirPods and the HomePod would be paid off over six months.

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None of this is official until it's confirmed by Apple of course, but it seems a smart move – not only would it give people more flexibility when it comes to buying Apple hardware, it would also be likely to generate more interest in the Apple Card.

Coming soon

The details obtained by Bloomberg suggest the scheme could be unveiled within the next few weeks, with payments made through the Wallet app. We might get an announcement at the virtual WWDC 2020 event happening on June 22.

It shouldn't take Apple too long to implement the new plans either – customers can already buy an iPhone over 24 months, interest-free, using an Apple Card. For now though, that deal is only available in the US.

Apple hasn't commented officially on the rumors, as you would expect, though CEO Tim Cook has previously hinted that more installment plans could be introduced in the future.

As well as being a way to drive up sales of Apple goods and Apple finance plans, the various payment options might help gadget buyers through the current global pandemic – which continues to affect most areas of life, including the tech industry.

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Via Engadget

When the English Premier League kicks off again on Wednesday June 17, Sky viewers in the UK will have the option to watch matches with simulated crowd noises developed in partnership with EA Sports.

"A range of bespoke and team-specific crowd noises and chants" will be on offer "to bring the vibrant atmosphere of the Premier League to the restart" according to Sky, though we're assuming they're all going to be family friendly.

If you're not keen on the simulated cheers and boos – which we expect will sound a lot like they do on FIFA – then you can turn them off with your remote, but they might just add a little more atmosphere to the occasion.

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"With live sport on hold for over two months, we've spent a lot of time thinking about how we broadcast in new ways to bring fans together, even if they can't meet up to watch the match," says  Sky Sports managing director Robert Webster.

Behind closed doors

With lockdown restrictions starting to be eased in most parts of the world, some sporting contests are now able to get back underway, with appropriate social distancing and other health and safety measures in place.

The German Bundesliga has been running since the middle of May, with games playing out in front of empty stadiums. Some broadcasters have started piping in recorded crowd noises on top of the feed, including Sky Deutschland.

According to ESPN, that fake audio was put together by Sky Deutschland itself, using recordings from earlier in the season. Engineers are able to adapt the crowd noise if there's action in either penalty area.

Presumably the UK version will run along similar lines, though Sky hasn't revealed much in the way of detail. The involvement of EA Sports suggests there will be some artificial crowd noises, but we'll have to wait until June 17 to hear what it sounds like.

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Via The Verge

We might finally have a date for the next pair of Samsung flagship phones, the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2: the two handsets are rumored to be launching on Wednesday August 5, according to multiple sources.

Those sources are the often reliable Ice Universe on Weibo as well as Korean news site the Dong-A Ilbo, so these rumors carry some significant weight – even if nothing is certain until it's official (just in case you're thinking about booking the day off work).

The August 5 date wouldn't be a huge surprise, because August has previously been mentioned as the month when these devices would break cover. It seems Samsung is keen to get everything unveiled as early in that month as possible.

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With a global pandemic upon us, the launch event will of course be online only, but we'd expect it'll be in a format where everyone can tune in, so you'll be able to see the hardware for yourself as it's shown off by Samsung.

What to expect

Interestingly, Ice Universe also predicts that Samsung is going to reveal the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet, a 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip, and the Galaxy Watch 2 at the same time – so we're in line for a plethora of new devices.

Recent leaks have suggested that the Galaxy Note 20 models won't vary too much from the Galaxy S20 phones that Samsung launched back in February, although there might be some tweaks to the configuration of the on-board cameras.

As for the Galaxy Fold 2, we've been hearing that it's going to come in at a cheaper price point than the original Galaxy Fold. Rumors also suggest that Samsung won't be including a stylus with the phone when it eventually breaks cover.

Whatever we've got in store – and whatever date these products actually show up – it looks like being a busy month or two for Samsung, and we will of course bring you the latest rumors and leaks before the big reveal.

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Via Gizmodo

Right now Google Stadia only works on a limited number of smartphones, including newer Pixel models, but that could be about to change. Code spotted in the latest Stadia app for Android suggests support for devices that haven't been "certified" is coming.

As discovered by 9to5Google, the change would mean you could at least give Stadia a go on any Android phone you like, even if it hasn't been specifically approved by Google. The new feature would likely be marked as experimental.

While Stadia also works on TVs and the Chromecast Ultra, as well as in Google Chrome on computers, letting more phones into the fold would undoubtedly add to the game streaming service's appeal – and probably get more subscribers on board.

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Google Stadia remains a work in progress to some extent, with new features and new games rolling out regularly. A few weeks ago, for example, we saw support for wireless controllers added to Stadia on computers.

Coming soon... maybe

A more relaxed approach to which mobile devices can play Stadia isn't the only change spotted by 9to5Google, though it's worth bearing in mind that there's no guarantee that these hidden features will ever become official.

The latest app teardown reveals more hints of a "touch gamepad" so you can play on a phone without a separate controller – which would certainly make it easier to switch to your phone for a quick gaming session without any extra hardware.

There are also signs that Stadia's voice chat function is finally going to show up on Android, a potential upgrade that has been coming for quite some time now. Of course adding chat is a little more complicated on smaller devices.

Finally, the code mentions numerous promotions and sales events, so it looks as though Google is going to spend plenty of time advertising the platform in the coming months. One possible future feature is being able to play a game for free over a weekend.

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Here's another reminder that the gadgets you buy aren't necessarily going to be supported forever: Amazon has decided to discontinue its Echo Look smart speaker/camera device, and existing Looks will stop working on July 24.

As reported by Voicebot.ai, people who've bought an Echo Look should already have been notified about the move, and a lot of the functionality first offered by the device has since made its way into other Amazon apps and hardware.

If you've never heard of the Echo Look before, the smart camera worked together with your phone and some computer learning magic to give you an assessment of how good your outfits looked.

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The device and its companion app could also help you keep track of what you wore when, and of course tapped into Amazon's various shopping services to help you pick out new outfits to suit you as and when needed.

Don't Look now

"When we introduced Echo Look three years ago, our goal was to train Alexa to become a style assistant as a novel way to apply AI and machine learning to fashion," Amazon said in an email to customers.

"Customers will still be able to enjoy style advice from Alexa through the Amazon Shopping app and other Alexa-enabled devices. We look forward to continuing to support our customers and their style needs with Alexa."

According to Android Central, at least some Echo Look owners are being given discount codes to get an Echo Show 5 for free, though that hasn't been confirmed by Amazon. The Echo Show devices can to some extent duplicate the functionality of the Echo Look.

While the Echo Look was hardly one of Amazon's biggest sellers, it's interesting to see the company abandoning an Alexa-enabled product even as it continues to get the smart assistant pushed into as many new devices as possible.

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Via Engadget

Uber has announced it's giving users in selected US cities the option to hire drivers by the hour, so you can get a feel for what it's like having your own personal chauffeur on call.

The new feature will set you back $50 (about £41/AU$75) per hour, with a variable add-on fee if you cover a lot of miles. Passengers will be matched with a vehicle that fits the Uber Comfort guidelines, with more headroom and legroom.

Uber Hourly is going live on Tuesday, June 2, in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Tacoma, Tampa Bay, and Washington DC, with a wider roll out planned eventually.

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"We built this feature for riders that anticipate needing additional flexibility when taking care of essential tasks, and for drivers so that they could access an additional earning opportunity," says Uber in a blog post.

Safety first

Apparently the hourly option has already been attested in cities across Australia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, so presumably it will eventually make its way to most or all of Uber's markets. As yet there's no word on pricing internationally.

Uber will be hoping to ramp up ride numbers as countries across the world emerge from self-isolation and lockdown, and has been putting new safety measures in place to protect drivers and passengers.

Both drivers and passengers are being asked to wear face masks or covers, while passengers are also requested to sit in the back seat and to keep the windows open. The maximum number of suggested passengers for an UberX ride is now three rather than four.

Uber says it has been providing face masks and sanitizing kits for drivers, and will continue to do so over the coming months.

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