Trends with Benefits: Note 7 owners get paid to stick with Samsung, Sony ships PlayStation VR

By Greg Nibler Published June 15, 2018

Our latest weekly episode of Trends with Benefits features Naomi Vo, Caleb Denison, Rick Stella and Greg Nibler.

Our topics this week:

Samsung wants to pay you for your Note: As Samsung struggles with the fallout from the Note 7, they are offering to pay customers a credit to return them. What does this mean for the Note line of phones how can they win back your trust?

PlayStation VR launch: The new VR system from PlayStation is receiving some pretty stellar reviews. What does it included and is this the system that finally brings Virtual Reality to the masses?

Atari founder’s adventure into VR: Noah Bushnell is one of the founders of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese (who knew!?) and has just come out with brand new VR system, called Modal VR. The goal is to create a multiple player VR experience that can work with up to 900,000 square feet of space!

Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Google seems primed to sweep into a number of burgeoning tech markets, including the Home sector. Google Home is a prime competitor to Amazon Echo and we go into the facets that may put them over the edge.

Facebook “Trending” algorithm gets fooled: After removing the human factor in curating news stories for “Trending”, Facebook is facing a backlash regarding fake articles. Can their algorithm be adjusted, or is a human editor necessary?

Stopping Mosquito bites with Science: If you are one of those people that ALWAYS gets bitten by Mosquitoes, you will understand the excitement here. Scientists have taken the first steps toward determine what “flavor” humans are to mosquitoes, in order to make us invisible.

Don’t forget to enter our great contest for a chance to win an Acer Predator 17 X gaming laptop!

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Former Host

Greg has worked as a Host, Producer, and Writer in radio and television since the early 2000s, working for such companies as…

Topics

Entertainment

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

Audio / Video

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.

Podcasts

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.