Cox Communications has quietly been testing a mobile online video service called Flare Kids, which recently launched as an iPad app. Flare Kids offers free and ad-free access to clips and full episodes from 10 networks and publishers such as the Disney Channel, National Geographic Kids, Nick Jr. and PBS Kids. “However, Cox didn’t actually strike licensing agreements with these publishers,” notes Variety, “but instead is just aggregating content already available elsewhere, with some of the videos being pulled from YouTube.” The app, designed to help parents “safely navigate the multitude of existing, free online content for children,” plans to add e-books, games and music in the near future.

As numerous startups introduce drones for recreational and commercial use, and tech giants including Amazon and Google plan delivery projects based on UAVs, concerns have emerged regarding various safety, privacy and security issues. Now policy groups tied to tech firms are working to block new legislation in California that could impact the deployment and use of drones. Senate Bill 142, which passed the California Assembly on Monday, restricts operation of UAVs under 350 feet above properties without permission of the property owners. Continue reading California Legislation Could Have Impact on Drone Deliveries

Amazon has launched a new Android shopping app called Underground that provides access to free apps and games available via the Amazon Appstore. “Underground gathers and displays apps and games that are ‘actually free’ as Amazon calls it — with no hidden costs like in-app purchases,” reports The Verge. “But unless you are one of the hundreds of people still using the Fire Phone, it’s still a pain for most people to install any apps from the Amazon Appstore on an Android device.” To offer apps and games for free, Amazon has deals with developers to pay them on a per-minute played basis. Those interested in Underground can download the app from Amazon’s website.

As part of its effort to meet the entertainment needs of the postmillennial generation, Netflix is adding exclusive films and TV series to its service that target teenagers and tweens. Netflix has picked up a half-hour original series about a group of musicians called “Lost & Found Music Studios,” a series called “Degrassi: Next Class” that addresses the issues teens face as they get ready to enter adulthood, and “Fuller House,” the sequel to the popular 90s sitcom “Full House.” Netflix has also licensed two movies featuring YouTube stars — “Smosh: The Movie” and “Bad Night.” Continue reading Netflix to Offer Original Programming Produced for Teenagers

Best Buy, the world’s largest electronics chain, announced it plans to offer the Apple Watch in 900 stores come September 4, and expand availability to all of the company’s 1,047 big box stores in the U.S. by the end of the month. “The chain began offering the watch — offering models for between $349 and $700 — less than three weeks ago on its website and at 100 locations,” explains Bloomberg. “It has performed so well that, together with Apple, we’ve decided to roll it out,” said Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly. How the device sells through the retailer could help Apple decide whether the wearable will become a mainstay in its lineup.

While new immersive technologies are expected to significantly impact a variety of industries, retail could face the largest immediate transformation. Virtual and augmented reality headsets at the retail level could become the norm in as little as three years, suggests data from CCS Insight. According to Advertising Age, “Brands are in the early stages of using virtual reality to create fully immersive, contextual experiences that reach beyond existing physical and digital channels to create a very new, and very real, type of shopping experience: v-commerce.” The article offers the following strategic recommendations: Start playing and testing, focus on mobile-enabled VR, and integrate technology.

A recent Check Point Software survey determined that enterprise network vulnerabilities often result from the ease in which company employees can now connect their mobile devices to insecure wireless networks. The study suggests that the threat level increases with larger organizations. For example, companies that use 2,000 or more devices experience a 50 percent chance that at least six devices have become infected with malware (something to consider since 82 percent of companies now have a BYOD plan in place). Continue reading Mobile Devices Now the Largest Threat to Enterprise Security

The auto industry is combining its resources to address security issues in connected vehicles with a new alliance and anti-hacking hub. “Through the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers, automakers are working to establish an Information Sharing and Analysis Center to act as a secure, industry-wide clearinghouse for intelligence about cyberthreats to vehicles and their networks,” reports Automotive News. The Center will include representatives from major automakers, as well as associated vendors and telecom companies.

The LA Dodgers Accelerator program, in partnership with R/GA Ventures, kicks off this week with 10 startups “at the intersection of sports, technology, entertainment and media.” The 10 companies (selected from nearly 600 applicants from 34 countries) represent industry segments such as stadium management, mobile ordering, wearables and connected health software, according to TechCrunch. “Our definition of sports is much broader than just the major leagues; it touches on things like fan engagement and data analytics that really have a global application,” says Stephen Plumlee, managing director of R/GA Ventures.

Google recently unveiled a $200 app-controlled Wi-Fi router designed to manage home networks. The OnHub router is built in partnership with TP-LINK, and includes Bluetooth and ZigBee connectivity to communicate with smart home appliances. “It intelligently seeks ways to reduce Wi-Fi congestion, and lets you allocate bandwidth to devices that need it most, like your Netflix-streaming Roku or Apple TV,” The Wall Street Journal notes. “It can diagnose connection problems, distinguishing between what’s happening on your home network and what might be happening with your service provider.”

Cord cutting continues to impact the pay TV industry. According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, the top 20 cable and satellite TV providers lost 479,000 subscribers in the U.S. between April and June, while operators in Canada lost 53,000 customers, marking the highest rate of decline experienced thus far in North America. The report comes after the first net drop of pay TV subscribers for the first three months of a year, following a disappointing Q1. Additionally, digital IPTV subscriptions fell by 62,000 in the U.S. and 9,000 in Canada. Continue reading Pay TV Industry Loses 532,000 Subscribers in North America

GameFly’s $6.99 per month streaming game rental service is now available via select Samsung smart TVs. The Netflix-like service, which launched in June on Amazon Fire TV boxes, provides access to a bundle of seven games each month. “Game streaming has been an ambitious dream since the ill-fated days of Onlive, but the concept is starting to finally gain traction once again,” according to The Verge. “Gamefly is joining an increasingly crowded field that includes Nvidia’s Grid service, as well as PlayStation Now, which gives you access to more than 100 PS3 games for $19.99 a month.”

Sony plans to take on fitness trackers such as the Fitbit Charge and Polar Loop with the new SmartBand 2, a waterproof wearable device that monitors heart rate and sleep patterns in addition to delivering phone notifications. “The company already released the Android companion app, showing that you can pause your music, go to your previous or next track by tapping once or twice,” reports TechCrunch. “Sony also created a special feature that lets you monitor your stress level, or your level of excitement.” A night mode disables notifications and there is also an alarm clock. The $130 SmartBand 2 will hit shelves next month.

According to the new “Mobile Messaging and Social Media” report from the Pew Research Center, Facebook is now more than three times as popular as Twitter among adults in the U.S. The report notes that 72 percent of adult Internet users are on Facebook, while 31 percent use Pinterest, 28 percent use Facebook-owned Instagram, 25 percent use LinkedIn, and about 23 percent use Twitter. The figures represent slight increases over 2014 for Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest; no change for Twitter from the previous year; and a 3 percent decrease for LinkedIn. Continue reading Facebook Three Times as Popular as Twitter with Adult Users

According to a new report from Okta, Microsoft’s Office 365 has beaten Salesforce.com as the most widely used cloud application for businesses. Okta analyzed use of 4,000 cloud applications across 2,500 companies in 185 countries. The report notes that Box was the third-most widely deployed platform, followed by Google Apps and Concur. “Google for Work president Amit Singh has responded to Okta’s report saying via Twitter that the study focuses on large companies and has an emphasis on email services,” notes Re/code. “He says that if you expand the size of the sample, Google for Work and Dropbox would top the list.”