Sunday was Earth Day so remember to recycle your old phones, Google has revealed a new chat feature that looks similar to iMessage, and Netflix may be in the market to buy a movie theatre or two.
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From Google Trends – Yesterday was Earth Day, and the Canadian government wants you recycle your unused and old devices! Canada has a free cellphone recycling program Recycle My Cell. The program is calling for all Canadians to responsibly recycle their unused cell phones and accessories that may be hiding in their junk drawers. It offers almost 2,800 drop-off locations across the country and you can visit their bilingual website to get answers on how to do things like erase all personal info on an old device. A 2017 survey found that 62 per cent of Canadians say they have stored, unused cellphones in their possession, so be sure to make some time this week and recycle those phones!
Is Google's new Chat feature set to rival iMessage?
From Twitter – Google’s new Android Chat is coming, and it’s the company’s take on Apple’s popular iMessage. Revealed on the Verge, this is Google’s answer to it’s not-exactly popular SMS texting experience. The company has tried in the past with apps like Allo to replicate the iMessage experience, but has never quite figured it out. Now, Google is trying to completely replace SMS altogether with Chat, which is really just a consumer-friendly name for Rich Communication Services. This is a big undertaking for Google, and since it is carrier-based, hence the name Chat, and not Google Chat, Google is literally trying to change the texting standard on Android. The new service will be turned on for most Android users in the future, and Google is optimistic that Chat will be used by most carriers within 2018.
And on LinkedIn – Netflix is now considering purchasing theatres in Los Angeles and New York to screen feature films. This idea comes after the company decided not to go to the Cannes Film Festival this year after the film festival decided to ban movies from competition that don’t have theatrical distribution in France. By buying theatres that could host the company’s feature films and documentaries, Netflix hopes to gain more credibility on the awards circuit. Considering that Netflix has been investing heavily in original content, with 80 new feature films and documentaries alone in 2018, this doesn’t come as too much as a surprise.
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