The hottest thing in entertainment these days is original programming by companies not traditionally associated with, well, original programming. HBO actually started the trends years ago when it was still a “cable channel” and still leads with show like Game of Thrones. Netflix and others have piled on with House of Cards, Handmaids Tale and so on, and it looks like there’s about to be another very big player in the mix: Apple.
Sure, Apple has dipped its toes in the water with Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps, but now they’re making bigger moves, like reeling in a couple of top Sony execs who were responsible for shows like Breaking Bad and The Crown. Rumor is they’re also in talks with some well-known Hollywood types to get the ball rolling, and no surprise, Apple’s ball is reportedly filled with cash to the tune of a billion dollars to finance multiple future production runs.
There’s even rumors of yet another actual “Apple TV” TV under development, but we’ll wait and see if that’s really happening. We could know more about Apple’s show of shows come next month at the big iPhone 8 reveal.
Must not read spoilers, must not read spoilers….
Speaking of HBO, and original programming and Game of Thrones, it looks like the next episode of the explosive seventh season has leaked online, but this time, it’s not due to the HBO hack, it was accidentally leaked by… HBO.
According to BuzzFeed, who has reviewed the video and says it’s the real deal, a third-party vendor working with HBO accidentally uploaded the show to HBO Nordic and Espana platforms, and the downloading commenced immediately, as you can imagine. HBO pulled the episode, called Death is the Enemy, as soon as it could, but to no avail; the new episode is now all over torrent sites and other back channels.
So if you’re a big Thrones fan and want to wait for the official airing this weekend, we suggest you essentially stay off the internet until then. Yeah, good luck.
Boots on the (camp)ground
If you’ve been near any large bodies of water lately, you’ve probably seen folks out on one of these: an “S-U-P,” or stand-up paddle board. Not exactly super-techie, but DT’s headquarters are located in Oregon, so we’ve been comparing the best outdoor tech you can get these days, and that includes fun toys like paddle boards, which are surpassingly high tech. Also, we have some of the world’s greatest scenery, which helps makes all this testing bearable.
And yes, there is a difference when it comes to paddle boards, tents, coolers, backpacks, boots, lanterns, mountain bikes and more. Oh, so much more. So hey, there’s still a lot of summer left to go, so check out our list of winners from DT’s Outdoor Awards, pack up that Tesla and head for the Northwest. We know where all the best camping spots are.
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.
