Netflix has released its earnings figures for the fourth quarter of 2024. While a lot of the results seem like good news for the company's shareholders, like operating income of more than $10 billion and a 16 percent revenue increase, there's a sting in the tail for its viewers. Subscription prices are going up yet again, starting today."As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix," the company said in its shareholder letter. "To that end, we are adjusting prices today across most plans in the US, Canada, Portugal and Argentina."Netflix later confirmed the specifics of the latest price hikes. The Standard plan with ads is inching up from $7 to $8 a month, while the ad-free version of Standard will rise from $15 to $18 a month. The monthly rates for Premium, which offers 4K Ultra HD and HDR, will increase from $23 to $25. Adding an extra member from outside your household to a streaming plan is also getting more expensive, changing from $8 a month to $9 a month.In 2023, Netflix eliminated its Basic plan in major markets. That change preceded the most recent increase in subscription costs, less than two years ago.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-plans-now-cost-between-8-and-25-after-yet-another-subscription-price-hike-234344042.html?src=rss

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has released a report about Meta's next steps in hardware, crediting sources familiar with the company's work. According to these insiders, Meta is developing at least three new smart glasses models and has set a roadmap toward releasing its first true augmented reality glasses. The company is reportedly also continuing efforts to implement AI tools in a wrist wearable and in earbuds.Meta already sells smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban, a product line internally called Supernova. Gurman reports that this existing lineup will be introduced to new markets, although he didn't offer specifics about where. Meta's technologies also be applied to frames from other brands owned by its partner, Luxottica Group. This will allegedly lead to the launch of glasses codenamed Supernova 2 based on the Sphaera glasses from Oakley. This set would be intended for cyclists and other athletes, and its camera would be placed in the center of the frames.The third model is internally dubbed Hypernova. This product would be another step closer to a genuine AR experience, giving wearers the capability to run simple software apps, view notifications and display photos taken by the device. The more advanced feature set would reportedly come with a more advanced price tag; sources told Gurman this set is currently projected to cost $1,000. Insiders had already revealed last month that Meta was working on bringing a display to its Ray-Ban glasses models.Alongside these smart glasses, Meta has also been developing an AR product dubbed Orion. Gurman reports that the Orion set will not receive a commercial release. Instead, he said that Meta plans to launch a different iteration of the hardware as early as 2027. This product is codenamed Artemis, and sources told Gurman that these prototype glasses aren't as heavy as Orion and are more advanced than the predecessor.Another item of note in Gurman's report is that Meta is developing a wrist strap that could control its smart glasses. Most of the company's models have controls at the temple, but a wrist option would be similar to the one used for the Orion prototype.Finally, he confirms that Meta is still working on prototypes of camera-enabled earbuds that could be a rival to Apple's AirPods. The Information reported on this project in May 2024, and it seems that the concept has faced some development challenges. If these "Camerabuds" do reach the market, it likely won't be for years.We've reached out to Meta for comment on this report and will update with any statement we receive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/report-meta-could-release-its-first-true-ar-headset-as-soon-as-2027-222502610.html?src=rss

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Stripe has cut 300 jobs, or about 3.5% of its workforce, CNBC confirmed.

Youve invested your time, energy, and resources into building your company. Now youre met with the new challenge of building your brand, telling your story, and gaining traction within your industry and among your target customers.Like the Cheers theme song, You want to go where everybody knows your name. But how do you get the attention of potential clients, partners, or the media when youre competing against household names?Throughout my career in public relations, Ive had the opportunity to work with entrepreneurs who are disrupting decades-old traditions, systems, and processes through innovation and modernization of industries that have historically resisted change. In working with these clients and helping them create narratives that stick, Ive learned the key to successful brand storytelling isnt necessarily about relying on your companys name from the start. Its about creating a compelling narrative thats authentic and that connects your audience with the value you bring and the problem youre solving, of course by way of your product or service.Heres how to craft a story that not only gets attention but that leaves a lasting impression:1. Understand your audience(s)The first step to telling your brand story is understanding your audiences and determining their order of priority. There may be many audiences you want to reach, but try to boil it down to the most essential groups to focus your efforts. People are consuming content all the time, so to help break through the noise, you need to be sure your messaging resonates with each specific audience.Pro tip: Evaluate who your core audiences are right now and determine their order of priority to inform the frequency of that messaging.2. Keep it realThe most compelling brand stories often stem from the real pain that a founder felt and their decision to invest time, energy, and resources into solving that problem. This kind of truly realnot social medias version of realis what resonates with audiences. Lean into your founder and cofounder stories to humanize your brand narrative and explain your value proposition authentically and simply. Whenever possible, avoid insider terminology and industry jargon to make an impression and help your audiences really understand the value your companyand youbring to the table.Pro tip: Move away from using other companies to describe what you do. Be specific and remember that every business has at least one competitor. Even if its the status quo youre up against, thats still a competitor and should be treated as such.3. Stay focusedFinally, focus on the channels of communication and which audiences are the most important to you at this moment in your companys life cycle. Are you currently trying to bolster your partnership roster? Doubling down on your sales efforts? Actively seeking investors?Whatever the case, avoid a scattershot approach and prioritize telling your story to the specific audience thats most impactful right now.Pro tip: Dont try to reach everyone all the time; be intentional about the frequency, channels, and messaging of your communications. After all, if youre trying to reach everyone, you arent really reaching anyone.These three steps are a starting point for telling your brand story in a way that will get your company to a place where everybody who needs to know its name does. Its not about everyone knowing your nameunless youre aiming to be the next behemoth in your industry. Its about making sure the right people know who you are. Once youve established your narrative and zero in on your priority audiences, lean on your community of partners and customers to help tell that story with you. Those who are true advocates of your brand can have a tremendous impact in helping to promote your business.Grace Keith Rodriguez is CEO of Caliber Corporate Advisors

The topic of critical materials and where they are sourced is at a pivotal point in the world of lithium-ion batteries. The United States challenges around developing a domestic supply chain for these materials needs to be at the forefront of conversations. Our countrys national security and global competitiveness in sourcing the critical materials that go into producing batteries depends on itand we must act now.By 2030, more than 900 GWh of capacity will be built in the U.S., with cell manufacturers, gigafactories, and original equipment manufacturers requiring more raw materials than are currently available to meet the expected battery demand. Since raw materials make up the largest category of battery manufacturing costs, we can shift the paradigm by restructuring how we acquire materials domestically, which includes critical mineral recycling and refinement, ultimately keeping them in our supply chains.Furthermore, North America and Europe are each anticipated to produce about 20% of all global battery cells by 2030. By using recycled content via refinement to support this manufacturing need, alongside virgin raw materials, we are setting the stage now for those future needs. Policies will play an integral role in regulating how much recycled content is required in new battery manufacturing. For example, as part of the European Unions Green Deal, minimum levels of recycled lithium content must be 6% by 2031 and 12% by 2036.The foreign and domestic supply chainThe Department of Energy funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law focused on the clean energy sector. This has been instrumental in moving that mindset and this industry forward. However, to keep the momentum, more needs to happen to strengthen our domestic supply chains in 2025. China currently refines 85% of rare earth metals, as well as 70% of global capacity for battery cathodes, and 70% of lithium-ion cells. Without building these supply chains in new markets, producers outside of North America will only become even more powerful in the critical minerals sector. While these challenges may seem large, they are not insurmountable, and private and public sectors partnerships are the key to solving these challengers. The battery industry has attracted billions of dollars of investments, driven job growth, is creating positive economic impact, and in the long-term will greatly benefit our national security. At the same time it is enhancing the United States global competitiveness, ultimately reducing our reliance on foreign sources of these materials.Its important to recognize that foreign prices of mined materials do not always reflect their full or true costs. Instead, they may bear a given countrys geopolitical costs and its desire to corner the market for critical materials, allowing foreign pricing to more easily undercut domestic pricing.How to move forwardThe Department of Energy efforts to support U.S.-based businesses growth, expanding economic development and technology advancements, are commendable. These partnerships between public and private organizations are necessary to create and strengthen a fully circular, closed-loop domestic supply chain that prioritizes the recycling, critical mineral refinement, and reuse of these materials. We have the opportunity today to build a domestically-sourced supply chain that utilizes both recycled and virgin raw materials to positively impact generations to come. The largest global operating mine for these critical minerals today is driving around our roads. So, lets take whats on our roads or found in our junk drawers, and using sustainable solutions, create a closed-loop supply chain that integrates recycled content as a necessary component into the overall strategy. David Klanecky is president and CEO of Cirba Solutions

Graphene batteries are developing into the next big improvement in our everyday devices. As opposed to Lithium-ion, these have the potential to improve the performance of our gadgets, but their disposal (like that of their counterparts) is also going to be a hazardous problem. This is where a new biodegradable fungal battery from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) may help.Courtesy of this breakthrough by Swiss researchers, fungi which can feed on sugar instead of charging could be used to power devices in the near future. This is achieved through a 3D printed fungi for battery, which is biodegradable. It can digest itself from the inside once it has served its life purpose, a researcher suggests.Designer: EmpaThe fungal battery is 3D-printed using fungi cells mixed with printing ink (which is nutritious for the fungi and completely biodegradable) that can feed on sugar and be stored in a dried state for transportation and activated by adding water and nutrients. This is for the first time, according to the researchers that two types of fungi yeast fungus for negative (or anode) side and a white rot fungus on the positive (cathode) side have been combined to create a functioning fuel cell.Strictly speaking, the cell is not a battery, but amicrobial fuel cell. Empa researcher Carolina Reyes informs. The fungi fuel cell has been developed over a period of three years. It does not generate a lot of electricity to maybe power your smartphone today, but can produce enough to power a temperature sensor for several days.So, if you were thinking, these fungi cells are not going to replace the batteries in your everyday devices, instead such batteries when encased in beeswax can power small sensors to monitor temperature, light, and humidity in agriculture and environmental research in remote areas. In addition to running devices in the outdoors, these can decompose safely leaving no harmful traces behind. There is no information about making these cells commercially available anytime soon, but the research opens new horizons for the use of fungi to produce electricity and become probable battery alternatives for our portable devices.The post 3D printed, biodegradable battery made of fungi powers sensors, feeds on sugar instead of charging first appeared on Yanko Design.

Policy experts say the implications of Donald Trumps executive order for EV ownersand the EV-curiouswont be clear for a while.

In the days before TikTok went dark, Instagram and Facebook released a flurry of new features and ran advertisements promoting its platforms as a comparable alternative.