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Trends with Benefits: Spotify world domination, KFC keyboards, a roll-up TV

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Spotify may already be your one-stop shop for music, but its ambitions don’t end there. This week, the company introduced video streaming of short clips from networks including ESPN and Comedy Central, podcasts, and curated content based on the time of day and your activities. Is this the content provider of the future?

4K UHD Blu-ray will soon be a thing. Sure, streaming 4K is nice, but it’s compressed content. To get the best quality possible, piped in to your 4K UHD TV, the disc is still the top option. Look for UHD Blu-ray players to arrive around the holidays.

The dream of thin, flexible TV panels is getting closer to reality. This week, LG displayed a roll-up OLED panel that sticks to the wall with magnets. Don’t expect to see it for sale on Amazon any time soon, but the prototype demonstrates what’s around the corner.

The “greasy fingers smudging your smartphone screen while eating” dilemma is finally solved, by KFC. Along with a 10 piece bucket, diners can now get a paper thin, rechargeable, Bluetooth keyboard to tap their greasy little fingers on. It’s dine-in only, but apparently you can take it home.

DT Staff
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The best scary podcasts to keep you up all night
amazon lumberyard game engine spooky

It doesn't feel like long since the start of summer, but believe it or not, Halloween is right around the corner. As the dark nights roll in, fall is the perfect time for Gothic novels, spooky horror movies, and, of course, hauntingly good podcasts -- mug of pumpkin-spiced chai optional. There are plenty of scary podcasts to choose from, whether you're looking for fictional dramas or strange-but-true tales of things going bump in the night. Whatever you're h(a)unting for, you'll find something in our list of the best scary podcasts. And if you're looking for something that won't leave you cowering under the covers, check out our roundup of the best podcasts.
Audio drama/fiction 
The No Sleep Podcast

This award-winning anthology of short original horror stories is now in its 18th season, with over 500 episodes to listen to. Each episode has a haunting, atmospheric soundtrack that ensures you're truly immersed in the tale. Be warned, though -- as the name suggests, this is definitely not a podcast to listen to in bed unless you plan on staying awake all night.
Apple Podcasts  Stitcher

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Spotify looks to lure podcasters, listeners away from Apple with polls, Q&As
Spotify app icon on iPhone.

It's no secret that Spotify has its sights set on total podcast domination, given its high-profile acquisition of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, along with several exclusive launches like The Michelle Obama Podcast and one that features the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But the streaming music giant is still looking for additional ways to attract both listeners and podcast creators to its platform, and its latest move is the introduction of podcast polls and Q&As.

If you're a podcast creator, polls and Q&As give you a free way to increase your engagement with your audience. Normally, a listener has few ways to directly interact with their favorite podcasts, given that most platforms like Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts are essentially no more than a way to find, subscribe to, and play podcast episodes. With Spotify's new tools, podcasts become interactive, with polls and the ability to ask listeners questions, right on the episode page.

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Apple’s Podcasts+ subscription service makes debut at Spring Loaded event
apple podcast subscriptions

Apple will make podcasts a more integral part of its ecosystem with the launch of Apple Podcasts+, a subscription-based service that will offer exclusive podcasts only available to subscribers, along with the wider library of shows available on its existing podcasts app. The entire Apple Podcasts app will also get a redesign, as announced during the Spring Loaded event on April 20.

The premium Podcasts+ service will launch in May with several new shows only available to Podcasts+ subscribers. Along with receiving additional curation options and recommendations for subscribers in the redesigned app via Channels, Podcasts+ subscribers will also enjoy ad-free listening settings, early access to certain shows, and more, yet-to-be-announced features.

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