Also today: Tech accessory maker Anker set to launch smart home ecosystem, Nissan to debut updated electric car.
Frozen out
Like a lot of relationships, we were pretty sure this one wouldn’ t last either. Entertainment giant Disney, which also owns ABC, ESPN, Lucasfilm/Star Wars, Marvel and a few little theme parks, says it’ ll be parting ways with Netflix by 2019 as it spools up it’s own streaming service – or services. That’s right, Disney is so big – they’ re the number 2 media company behind Comcast – that they may launch several streaming services in the future.
And what could they possibly be? How about a Marvel-only service? Or a dedicated Star Wars channel (honestly, we’ d be down for that) . Or a 24-7 Frozen stream? Yeah, OK, that may be a bit much, but the main takeaway here is that you’ ll most likely have to subscribe to yet ANOTHER streaming service to get your Disney fix, although head mouse Bob Iger told CNBC that they may continue to work deals with Netflix in regards to “other” content. So, we’ ll see.
Disney just recently invested heavily in streaming solutions company Bamtech, so the plan is already in motion. Netflix’s stock took a big hit on the announcement, so it’ ll be interesting to see who they try to make a content deal with next.
But, that name
Peripheral maker Anker, well-regarded for their various computer accessories and other tech bits, is pushing into the smart home hub space with a $35 device under the “Eufy” name .
Basically, the goofily-named Eufy is a less-spendy version of the Amazon Echo Dot, and it features pretty much all the functionality of its AI-powered friend Alexa. The difference here is that there will be a whole line of Eufy-connected smart-home products, and if they’ re on the same level as Anker’s other well-regarded and affordable tech offerings, it looks like it’s going to be cheaper to smarten up our dumb homes than we thought, so good news.
And fortunately, you don’ t have to say “Hey Eufy” to make it do stuff. You can buy the latest Amazon Echo Dot competitor on August 16 th – on Amazon.com. Other Eufy gear, including a robot vacuum, is already for sale.
Leafy goodness
Long before Tesla was the center of the electric car universe, Nissan rolled the dice and offered the fun and friendly Leaf electric car. It was a good bet – they’ ve sold a LOT of them – and now, the next generation Leaf is about to debut.
Autobytel accidentally published a spec sheet for the 2.0 Leaf, and it looks like the car is getting a bit of hot-rodding with a 40-horsepower bump to 147 ponies and 49 more pound-feet of torque for a total of 236. But there’s no mention of a battery pack change or range increase, which currently sits at just over 100 miles, putting it essentially in last place for electric cars.
That’s why we think there will either be a battery pack bump, or an option for a bigger storage cell that will push range up to 200 miles, which seems to be the new minimum. It will also get Nissan’s ProPilot Assist tech suite, which the company says will eventually allow the car to drive autonomously – after a lot of software updates. Oh, and it could be getting a style update as well, but this swoopy graphic is the only hint on the new look so far.
We’ re expecting the new Nissan Leaf to debut early next month at the Frankfurt Auto Show, but if we hear anything new in the meantime, we’ ll be sure to let you know.
We’ ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
