YouTube finalizes massive London Space filled with ‘firsts’

Feeling a bit cramped in its initial quarters, YouTube Space London is about to sprawl out its new 20,000 square-foot facility that will be filled with "firsts" in new King Cross location. Already having the distinction of hosting YouTube's first production facility, the London location is also about to be the first to host a Creator's store.

It's been two years in the making. And while the new state-of-the-art facility still need to be furnished and finalized, YouTube spokesperson Theo O'Hear says it'll be ready soon. But it's already been inaugurated by a red carpet event, populated with press and YouTube personalities alike.

The new Space London, accessible from the ground floor, will include a trio of double-height studios with sound stages. And Google's YouTube division is kitting the studios out with 360 camera rigs and 4K capture devices and VR equipment, which includes YouTube's and GoPro's baby "Jump," along with HTC and Valve progeny the HTC Vive.

Another first for YouTube's global family of Spaces is 4K over IP — and that's a first for any production studio in the UK. That bandwidth intensive video will be complimented by Dolby Atmos sound.

And yet another "first" will control that sound. The London Space will include the first SSL Dante Audio Console. The system will include a 64 fader console and a desk with 16 faders.

And rounding out the first for what will be the flagship of YouTube presence in London and its Spaces worldwide, Space London will include a Creator's Store where fans can pickup gear from popular YouTube personalities.

O'Hear said there are no plans to open Creator's Stores at other Spaces, but indicated the performance of the London location would likely drive the decision to expand or hold the idea.

If you've secured more than 10,000 followers on YouTube and you happen to be in London, YouTube is encouraging you to stop by the studio to learn and produce content.

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NSFW: Google Allo will feature some scandalous stickers

Just kidding about the NSFW part. But, judging from the screenshots obtained by Android Police, it seems like Google Allo will feature some very sexually-suggestive stickers and (more importantly) it'll let you delete individual messages.

Google announced Allo and Duo a few months ago, and Duo – the video calling app – has been pretty successful since its launch. Allo is Google's new messaging app that is expected to launch very soon, and the folks at Android Police got to play around with it. And it seems like Google has some very cheeky stickers in store for us. To see all the screenshots, click here.

As you can see, you probably won't have trouble expressing yourself with Google Allo's stickers. On the one hand, we have all the familiar cute animal stickers. On the other hand, we have Julio the Bull, a "suave seducer," who seems to love touching his nipples and showing off his bubble-butt. He asks, "Who's your daddy?" LOL.

We also have a yellow bean with a condom over its head that urges you to "Rubber up!" While it's good to see Google promoting safe sex, we'd be curious to see if Google implements a parental control option to restrict some of the more suggestive stickers from showing up.

More importantly though, Google Allo will let you delete individual messages, a feature that is absent on Google Hangouts. This simply means that you will have an option to delete individual messages in a chat thread on your end only. Once the message is sent, you cannot unsend it.

Left: Allo. Right: Hangouts.

I'm not sure why Google Hangouts doesn't have the option, but it's definitely good to see that it's available on Allo, at least for now. Of course, things could change until the final release, but it's a sign that Google is at least considering including the option.

What are your thoughts on the Allo stickers? Cheeky or inappropriate? Let us know in the comments below!

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Even more leaked images of the Moto Z Play surface

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The upcoming Moto Z Play isn't the best-kept secret by any means. We've already seen a few leaks, but this time, we also get a glimpse of the white variation.

Earlier this month, we reported that the Moto Z Play will be joining the recently-announced Moto Z family. China's TENAA certification gave us a sneak peek at the device itself, including some of its specs: the upcoming Moto Z Play will sport a 5.5 inch 1080p AMOLED display, a 2GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage, all powered by a juicy 3,510mAh battery. It's expected to have a 5-megapixel selfie shooter and a 16-megapixel rear camera.

The leak didn't stop there. We saw some photos of a prototype device just a few days after the TENAA certification. And now, the Moto Z Play is back again with even more photos, and it is a sexy-looking device as you can see below:

Design-wise, not much seems to have changed. Just like the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force, it has a fingerprint scanner on the front and a huge camera hump on the back. However, it seems as though the back of the Moto Z Play will be made of either plastic or glass instead of aluminum. Let's hope it's glass.

And of course, with Motorola's current focus on modularity, it wouldn't make sense if the Moto Z Play didn't support Moto Mod accessories. As you can see in the leaked images, the back of the device feature similar connector dots that we saw in the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force.

With it being a mid-ranger, the Moto Z Play may be the answer to the future of modular phones. One of the concerns with the Moto Z – or any other modular phone for that matter – is that modular accessories are simply way too expensive. If the phone itself is cheaper, however, perhaps consumers will be more inclined to cough up a few hundred dollars.

See also: Motorola Moto Z Force vs LG G5 – Modular or Mods?23

What are your thoughts on the Moto Z Play? Black or white? Would you rather get a more affordable phone to use with modular accessories? Let us know by commenting below!

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US continues easing restrictions on ZTE as previous trade concerns wane

Earlier this year, ZTE got hammered with a number of trade sanctions after the US Commerce Department suspected the Chinese tech company of handing over American technology to countries like Iran. Needless to say, this put ZTE in something of a tight position.

However, now the US government appears to be finding nothing particularly troubling as the investigation into ZTE. The sanctions came down in March, but just two weeks after they were issued, authorities gave the company a temporary reprieve that would allow them to continue doing business through June while their investigation into the matter continued.

See also: ZTE will unlock your Axon 7 or Axon Pro upon request24

As the June deadline approached, and the investigation into suspicions about ZTE's trade operations failed to unveil anything deeply troubling, the Department of Commerce extended the sanction until the end of August. Now with that deadline creeping up on us, the Department has elected to give ZTE yet another green light through November.

ZTE has been working closely with the US government and hopes to be emerge from this debacle with their reputation intact.

What do you think of ZTE and the Commerce Department's accusations of illicit trade? Does the company need to be restricted, or are these continued extensions evidence that research into their alleged violations are coming up empty handed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Previously: Submit your idea for ZTE's crowd-sourced device21

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Pandora reportedly prepping September launch of Spotify competitor

The battle of the music platforms continues to ramp up as major players are pulling out all the stops to make sure their tune provider becomes the go-to resource for all your jams. Long-time digital radio giant Pandora has decided that they're going to throw their hat into the dedicated subscription service circle, and it could arrive as early as September.

That's right. Over the previous months, Pandora has been quietly negotiating with a slew of record labels to build an on-demand streaming service that would pit it against the current big dogs in that field: Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company is reaching the end of finalizing these agreements, so Pandora's subscription service is likely coming soon.

See also: Apple Music vs Spotify vs Google Play Music85

We've known that Pandora had an interest in this endeavor for quite some time now. Even if the company hadn't have bought out Rdio last year, the writing is on the wall for specialized radio services. People are coming to expect curated playlists and custom music libraries to house their collections.

Although some are dubious of Pandora's ability to catch up after spending this long outside of the full library subscription model, they may be forgetting that the musical old timer has a hefty audience of users who are still on its free-with-ads model, meaning they have an excellent megaphone to get the attention of potential subscribers.

What do you think of Pandora's upcoming foray into the big leagues? Will they be able to match the competition, or are they doomed to follow the likes of Rdio? Let us know your take in the comments below!

Previously: Pandora picks up failing Rdio for $75 million5

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Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Samsung band together to kill automated telemarketing

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Who's this? Someone calling from an unknown number? This being 2016, it must be awfully urgent. You answer your phone only to have a ship's horn blare in your ear, then the jovial (if slightly grainy) voice of a recorded cruise ship captain tells you that it's your lucky day, because you might be eligible for the vacation of a lifetime!

Regulators are calling these increasingly common pre-recorded sales calls a "scourge," but the good news is that a slew of major tech companies have elected to put aside their respective differences in order to combat this greater evil.

See also: Police believe Google and Apple should censor encryption apps27

Being referred to tongue-and-cheek as the "Robocall Strike Force," this group includes the likes of AT&T, Alphabet, Verizon, Apple, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Samsung, T-Mobile, and Comcast. The team numbers more than 30 companies strong, and they have agreed to work in conjunction with the FCC to make these automated calls a thing of the past.

The group met for the first time this Friday, and they plan on reconvening with the FCC by October 19 with more concrete plans to put into effect. Although this initiative is still in its infancy, the team wants to increase caller ID verification standards and begin creating a "Do Not Originate" list that would make it harder for robocallers to impersonate banks, government agencies, or commercial entities.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler isn't one to mince words. "The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology," he said, "due in large part to industry inaction."

The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology.

"We have to come out of this with a comprehensive play book for all of us to go execute," said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. "We have calls that are perfectly legal, but unwanted, like telemarketers and public opinion surveyors. At the other end of the spectrum, we have millions of calls that are blatantly illegal."

What are your thoughts regarding this band of carriers, OS devs, network designers, device makers, and government agencies all coming together to take down the annoyance of robocalls? Will they be successful in their quest? Let us know what you predict in the comments below!

Next: FCC, FTC examining how carriers release mobile security patches19

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Honor commits to at least 24 months of update support for new and existing devices

New smartphones that pack attractive builds and neat components are always exciting for tech enthusiasts like ourselves. But it often is the case that once we get our hands on said phone and spend good time with it, the software experience can end up determining our ultimate satisfaction or remorse. Particularly, it's frustrating when companies don't give software updates the priority they deserve and that we want.

Fortunately, if you're a fan of Honor's developments as of late (Huawei's sub-brand), the company has just voiced its recognition over the importance of keeping software up to date. In an announcement dropped in the Honor Google+ page, a commitment to software updates for 'up to 24 months following each product launch' was outlined. It goes on to explain that the updates won't just be security improvements and bug fixes, but new features as well, 'at least once every three months during the first 12 months.'

Honor just launched the premium, affordable, US-bound Honor 8 smartphone, so this news is meant to be in conjunction with the promising release. You can now add reliable software updates as another plus to the phone's value. The word was meant specifically for the Honor brand, so we don't know if Huawei will adopt the same philosophy itself.

See also: Honor 8 hands on – a new stylish affordable flagship43

Now if only the big names in Android would join in as well. Are timely software updates a significant selling point to any Honor fans out there? Who's planning to give the Honor 8 a shot?

Next: Android 7.0 Nougat Update: When will get you it?

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