In the wake of the ongoing Cambridge Analytica scandal and questions around its ability to impact elections, Facebook’s been trying to reassure both users and governments that it takes its responsibilities seriously.
The latest remedy the company has released to try and deal with its public image problem comes in the form of a new video, which looks fondly back on what made the platform so successful in its earlier days, and self-critically examines what factors have caused its downhill slide since.
Aside from some rather vague ‘we need to do better’ statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the new advert is the closest the company’s come to admitting that it has a serious image issue and that it has substantially strayed from its initial intentions.
“We came here for the friends”, the video’s voiceover begins, before rolling through a string of examples of simpler online interactions that apparently made us feel “a little less alone”.
“But then something happened,” it continues, before explaining that problems started when “we had to deal with spam, clickbait, fake news, and data misuse.”
The crux of the ad is that the company will at least try to return its focus to the ‘friends and family’ aspects of the service, and in doing so, steer away from the current affairs and political news content maelstrom that it has become.
Network repair
The video will apparently run on TV, online and in cinemas through till July, and forms part of a massive campaign that the company is undertaking to restore its image in the wake of the recent scandals.
Physical adverts railing against fake news, spam and clickbait have also been seen around various major US cities over the last month and are expected to start hitting more locations as the campaign continues.
People and their pockets
Despite the ongoing crisis that the company faces, Facebook’s reported earnings for the first quarter of 2018 have beaten Wall Street’s estimates, although they are still down since the previous quarter.
After having consistently risen by between $1-2 billion each quarter throughout 2017, the first three months of 2018 saw earnings fall from $12.97 to $11.97 billion. The company’s quarterly report reveals that 98.5 percent of that came from advertising revenue.
Despite the drop in earnings, the number of daily and monthly active users also continues to climb, with a jump of 50 and 70 million users respectively, quarter-on-quarter. This brings the numbers up to 1.45 billion daily and 2.2 billion monthly active users.
Fire TV Cube is a new device soon to be released by retail giant Amazon.
Now, nobody could accuse Amazon of not making enough Alexa devices. At time of writing there are seven devices (not including third-party units) dedicated to the voice assistant.
But we could be about to see one more added into the fold. Unlike the other smart speakers, this one looks like it isn’t going to bear the Echo moniker, instead being called the Fire TV Cube.
Official details are pretty thin on the ground at the moment, but given that Amazon has confirmed the name, we’re confident that it’s going to be a Fire TV device, and are fairly certain that we know what type of device it’s going to be thanks to a leak.
Fire TV is Amazon’s video streaming device, that allows you to plug-and-play your way to Amazon’s vast depository of content. You can already use Alexa on certain Fire TV devices, but only by pressing a button, or using a separate Echo device.
In this piece we’re going to be taking through everything we know for certain, the leaks, the rumors, and the things that we’re hoping to see from this new device.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Currently unconfirmed – most likely a Fire TV / Echo hybrid device
When is it out? No fixed date, but seeing as Amazon’s talking about it we think 2018
What will it cost? Given how aggressively Amazon prices the Echo range, we’re thinking it’ll be around $100
Fire TV Cube: official announcements
At time of writing, the only official announcement comes from Amazon’s website; there is a single, cryptic page emblazoned with the words: ‘What is Fire TV Cube?’
The words are backlit by a blue line, an obvious homage to the blue ring of light that sits at the top of the Echo devices, hinting that this is going to be an Alexa-powered device.
Under that, it teases that there are more ‘details coming soon’ and then there’s a button for signing up to a mailing list.
That’s it. We told you it was thin pickings. But, you’ll be happy to hear we’re pretty confident we know more about the device thanks to a leak from 2017.
Fire TV Cube: leaks and rumors
We have a fairly solid idea of what the Fire TV Cube is going to look like (yes it’s a cube) thanks to a leak from AFTVNews.
In the leaked image (above) you can see a device that has the same buttons and blue rim of Amazon’s Echo speakers, but in a square box.
We have faith that this leak is genuine thanks to the device that it’s sat next to. That’s the 2017 Amazon Fire TV, which at the time of the leak hadn’t been revealed yet.
In the leak, AFTVNews confirmed that the device will have a far-field microphone array and speaker built in, as well as infrared emitter that will allow it to control televisions and A/V equipment.
In terms of specs, we’ve not had a leak to the same extent of the other Fire TV devices (yet), but seeing as this is a flagship device we’re expecting 4K, with the ability to stream at 60fps like the 2017 Fire TV.
Fire TV Cube: what we want to see
Good sound quality
As a speaker specifically designed for television enthusiasts, we’re hoping that the sound quality is good enough that it can act as a television speaker, rather than a glorified television remote.
As there have been a number of smart speakers hitting the market recently (notably the Sonos One and HomePod), it wouldn’t be completely outside the realm of possibility for Amazon to make the Fire TV Cube their hat in this particular ring.
Stereo link-up
On a similar subject, if the Fire TV Cube is going to be a TV speaker, we’re hoping that there’ll be some way of linking multiple devices together to make a tannoy (or even surround-sound) system.
This is a feature that Apple has been touting for the HomePod, but is yet to deliver. Amazon already has the ability to create a network of Echo devices, so we’re hoping this technology can be used to solve the problem that is still taxing Apple.
High frame rate
The 2017 Fire TV dongle is capable of streaming at frame rates as high as 60fps, but considering some TV sets are coming out now that can handle 120fps, we’re hoping that a flagship television device is going to be ready to handle this new format.
Voice search and control
With Alexa integration on current Fire TV devices you can search for shows by name, star, genre, and more. We’re hoping that this device will have full functionality, including the ability to control playback.
Smart home control
Given the Cube is likely to have IR, we’re holding out hope that it may also have Zigbee, the wireless protocol present in the Echo Plus, also making the Fire TV Cube a smart home hub.
If you’re looking for the best laptop for video editing, then finding the right machine can be tricky. After all, video editing is one of the most taxing tasks you can perform on any computer, let alone a laptop.
That’s where our list of the best laptops for video editing in 2018 comes in, as our expert advice means you can shop in confidence.
We also have a price comparison tool that will make sure you are getting the best deals for the best laptops for video editing.
So, read on to find out what we think are the best laptops for video editing in 2018…
Once you go Apple, you are pretty much locked down when it comes to your hardware options. Fortunately, this MacBook Pro is hands-down the best Mac laptop ever designed for video editors. The innovative Touch Bar makes it easier for videographers to intuitively access commands, while the Retina display on the 15-inch model offers more than enough pixels should you want to edit at native resolution in Full HD on the move.
We’d advise that you opt for a quad-core model rather than a dual-core one and choose as big a hard disk drive as your budget will allow. The laptop’s video subsystem is powerful enough to drive up to four 4K monitors if needs be, and with a 76Whr battery, it has enough oomph to last longer than most rivals.
2. Dell XPS 15
A great 15-inch laptop for video editing
CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ – i7-7700HQ | Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 | RAM: 8GB – 16GB DDR4 | Screen: Up to 15.6-inch Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge touchscreen | Storage: 1TB HDD – 512GB SSD
Amazing power
Sublime screen
Slim design
Poor webcam position
The Dell XPS 15 is a brilliant laptop it its own right, and it really excels when it comes to video editing. It comes with a gorgeous 15-inch InfinityEdge screen, and the very top end version has a 4K color-accurate display which makes it perfect for video editing. It’s also got plenty of processing power as well, making it a dab hand at rendering video files, which is important when looking for a laptop for video editing.
The HP ZBook Studio G3 laptop easily fits in the Ultrabook category with a weight of a tad under 2kg and a thickness of only 18mm, slightly heavier and a smidge thicker than the Precision 15 5000 but more portable and svelte than Lenovo’s laptop. Where HP manages to score highly is when it comes to sheer value for money when it comes to powerful components, with a high performance processor and gorgeous 4K screen, which makes it one of the best laptops for video editing.
Very few laptops on the market can compete with this model. Dell’s Inspiron range is aimed at business and consumers with a definite nudge towards the former. For the price, you get a laptop with an aluminium chassis and a long list of impressive features, and thanks to a decent discrete graphics card in the form of the Nvidia GTX 960, and a vibrant 1080p display, the Dell Inspiron 15 7566 is a great laptop for video editing if you’re on a budget.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Plenty of options to build your dream video editing rig
Lenovo’s ThinkPad P70 was one of the first notebooks featuring Intel’s Skylake processor, which should give it a boost in performance compared to Broadwell or Haswell chips. Equipped with ample storage and plenty of RAM, an excellent keyboard and a wide selection of ports for connectivity, Lenovo is positioning the ThinkPad P70 as the ultimate workstation that you can take on the go without missing your desktop. Also worth mentioning is the X-Rite Pantone calibration tool, available as an option, which is great to keep your screen accurate for production work, as well as the Quadro GPU that comes with all the P70 SKUs.
The Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch) is one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the world. While 2-in-1 laptops may not be the first choice for video editors, the Surface Book 2 has some powerful enough components to handle video editing if you go for a model with a dedicated graphics card. Brilliant build quality and excellent battery life makes this a wonderful device for using as either a laptop, or as a powerful Windows 10 tablet. The tablet mode is convenient if you want to shoot footage and edit it while out and about.
OK, so the MSI GS65 Stealth is primarily a high-end gaming laptop – with a price tag to match – but it also doubles as an absolutely brilliant laptop for video editing. This is because it comes with an excellent array of cutting edge components, which includes an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. This means multi tasking and video editing is handled with aplomb – and if you also want to do a bit of gaming on the side, then it’s a no-brainer.
Watch the video below for the top 7 things to consider when buying a laptop.
