Spotify to launch new podcast subscription model, will not take a membership cut from creators

It looks like Spotify is getting into the podcast business. In a recent report on Variety, Spotify announced that it would be taking on Apple’s brand new podcast subscription service. But, unlike Apple, Spotify will not charge a fee, nor will it take a membership cut from creators. The Swedish company made huge strides by signing on names like Joe Rogan to its service. The deal cost Spotify an insane $100 million. They even debuted a new video player with the app. 

The company will launch its podcast subscription feature next week but will refrain from taking any cut of the profits, giving creators a much better deal than Apple. With a 30% cut, Apple follows other platforms like Youtube, Twitch and more by taking a portion of the profits. It looks like Spotify really wants to disrupt the system with this move. The company will be testing out paid subscription models for podcasters, giving them the ability to offer special content to paid subscribers. There are no details yet on how it will all work out. 

The company is branching out through various deals with popular celebrities and podcasters. Who knows how this will shape up for Spotify, but it looks like the company is going to shake things up with this business model. Even Facebook plans to launch an integrated version of Spotify's audio player through a feature called ‘Project Boombox”. With the kind of service Spotify is currently offering, we could see a mass migration of content creators to the platform, but that is just speculation at this point.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Collector’s Edition Has Actor Shruti Haasan Brimming With Excitement: Watch

Shruti Haasan is excited to have received her Cyberpunk 2077, a highly anticipated game from Polish studio CD Projekt. The actor posted a short clip on her Instagram where she is seen unboxing the gaming merchandise. Shruti captioned the post, “It’s here! Straight from night city! Finally! It’s the time to unbox this beauty”.

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COVID-19 Vaccination registration for 18 & above starts April 28 in India: How to register & book appointments

The third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive is set to begin on May 1 in India. The Indian government has announced that every citizen above the age of 18 will be eligible to get vaccinated in the third phase of the vaccination drive. Until now, people only above the age of 45 were eligible to get inoculated against the Coronavirus but from the next month, the government has extended the eligibility criteria. This comes after the country is reeling from a sudden spike in new cases of the COVID-19. As of April 22, India recorded 3,32,503 new cases of Coronavirus with a total recovery in 1,36,41,606 cases.

Let’s get #Vaccinated! In phase 3 of the world’s #LargestVaccineDrive starting from 1st May 2021, all citizens above 18 years will be eligible for the vaccination. The registration to start from 28th April 2021 through the #CoWIN platform and Aarogya Setu App. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/yhaLCGKBfy

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 23, 2021

The Indian government has announced that all citizens above the age of 18 will be eligible to receive vaccination against COVID-19 starting May 1. However, the registrations for eligible people will begin a bit earlier on April 28 so the system does not tax with a lot of requests on the first day.

BIG BOOST TO WORLD'S #LargestVaccineDrive!  Everyone aged 18+ will be eligible to get #COVIDVaccine from 1st May  Vaccination shall continue as before in Govt. vaccination centres, free of cost to eligible population, i.e. Health Care & Front Line Workers & citizens aged 45+ pic.twitter.com/hJYneskPo6

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 19, 2021

Furthermore, the government has announced that people will have to first register online on the CoWIN website or Aarogya Setu app to schedule an appointment as on-sport registrations lead to a crowded situation at the vaccination centres. So if you are above the age of 18, here is how to register for the COVID-19 vaccine from April 28 in India.

How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India?

The government has announced that the third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive will begin from May 1, the registrations for which will begin from April 28. Everyone who is above the age of 18 has to register themselves on the CoWIN website or Aarogya Setu app to schedule an appointment to receive the first shot of the vaccine. Currently, India is administering two vaccines: Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech and Covishield which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

To register for the COVID-19 vaccine follow these steps:

1. Go to the CoWIN website using any browser

2. Click the “Register/Sign In yourself” to begin the self-registration process

3. The website will ask you to enter your phone number for receiving an OTP

4. Enter the OTP you receive on your phone

5. The website will then ask for details for a Photo ID proof

6. Select a valid photo ID proof from the list (Aadhaar Card, Driving License, Pan Card, Passport, Pension Passbook, NPR Smart Card or Voter ID)

7. Enter the Photo ID Number, Name, Gender and year of birth

8. Once all fields are filled, click on register.

9. After registering, the website will let you schedule an appointment with your nearest vaccination centre

10. You can also add three more members to the same account

11. Enter the Pin Code in the search bar to select your nearest vaccination centre and select the available time slot

12. Click confirm and you will have scheduled the vaccination appointment. You will receive a text message on the registered mobile number with the appointment details.

The registration for the COVID-19 vaccine can also be done through the Aarogya Setu app. If you have the Aarogya Setu app installed on your phone follow these steps:

1. Open the Aarogya Setu app on your phone

2. Select the CoWIN tab in the app

3. Tap on the ‘Vaccination’ option and then tap Register Now

4. The app will ask you to verify the phone number via OTP

5. After verifying, people need to enter Photo ID proof and more details as mentioned above.

6. You will receive a text message with appointment details after a successful registration.

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Battlefield Mobile coming in 2022: Heres what you need to know

Activision and EA have been fierce rivals in the PC and console space when it comes to their respective franchises, Call of Duty and Battlefield. Now though, it looks like the rivalry will hit the mobile space as well. EA has announced that it plans to launch a new Battlefield mobile game in 2022. 

The publisher did not mention details about the game as such. However, it did note that the game will be developed by Industrial Toys, who will be working closely with DICE. Industrial Star has previously worked on the shooter, Midnight Star, and its sequel, Midnight Star: Renegade. Both games were exclusive to iOS.  

In the blog post, Oskar Gabrielson, General Manager, DICE notes that the upcoming Battlefield game will be a standalone title and not a ported version of an older title. He also notes that it will be different from the PC and console games and will be developed from the ground up specifically for mobile. 

“Make no mistake, this is a standalone game. A completely different game from the one we’re making for console and PC, designed specifically for the mobile platform. It’s being built from the ground up by iToys to make Battlefield-on-the-go a reality and you can expect a fully-fledged, skill-based experience. This mobile game is now entering a testing period ahead of launching next year, so expect more details to come,” Gabrielson wrote. 

Battlefield Mobile: What to expect

Unlike Call of Duty, Battlefield is known for offering large and expansive maps with extensive vehicular combat thrown into the mix. Battlefield maps have offered everything from jeeps and tanks to helicopters and fighter jets. They have also offered drivable ships and submarines too. So it will be interesting to see what Battlefield brings to the table.

Of course, Battlefield isn’t the only mobile game that EA plans to launch. The publisher is expected to launch Apex Legends on mobile soon. It will be interesting to see how the two games will differ from each other. 

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PlayStation Now to Add Support for Streaming 1080p Capable Games This Week

PlayStation Now users will be able to stream certain games at 1080p resolution from this week. The development was shared by Sony through a tweet from its PlayStatin account. Currently, the service is capped at 720p.

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Police Officers Find Lost Nintendo Switch in Utah Park, Beat All High Scores: See Hilarious Tweet

When the Bountiful City Police Department in the US state of Utah found a Nintendo Switch left behind at a park that was returned to them, they announced on Twitter that the owners, Mason and Ali, should collect it back. However, they also joked that they had already made good use of the gaming console and their skills were far better than the owners.

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Indian teams unable to partake in Free Fire World Series in Singapore due to COVID fears

The upcoming Garena Free Fire World Series in Singapore was supposed to be a return to normalcy for the game following the COVID lockdowns in 2020. However, it looks like at least two of the teams would not be making it to the tournament. Free Fire has announced that both the teams from India will not be partaking in the Free Fire World Series. This was put in place following restrictions imposed by the Singapore Government following the second wave of COVID in India. The teams in question include Galaxy Racer Esports and Team Elite.

Why Indian teams could not make it to Garena Free Fire World Series

“On Thursday (Apr 22) evening, the Singapore Government announced that all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore from 11.59 pm, April 23,” the post on Facebook notes. Since the Play-Ins are scheduled to start from May 22, it seems unlikely that the players will be able to make it as unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the second wave of COVID in India will stop any time soon.

Garena notes that they tried exploring all the possible options they could, but there wasn't any breakthrough. The company notes that it empathises and shares the disappointment of both teams and will award them with a share of the prize pool. This is done to recognise their efforts and achievement in qualifying for the World Series. 

Garena plans two further international tournaments this year. In July, the company plans to host Free Fire All-Stars. This event aims to bring together top influencers and professional players from around the world. It will then pit them against each other to see who is the best. Then in November, the company plans to hold the second edition of the Free Fire World Series. Hopefully, the situation in India and the world will have improved enough to host the event without any issues

To recall, Galaxy Racer and Team Elite were selected to represent India following their performance in the recently concluded Free Fire India Championship 2021 tournament. While Team Elite was one of the six teams that directly qualified via the group stage, Galaxy Racer qualified via Play-Ins. 

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