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This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about the streaming industry, follow Emma Roth . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started Streaming was once a reprieve from cable. Not only could you watch whatever you wanted at any given time, but you didn't have to sit through five-minute-long commercial breaks. And the best part was the price: Netflix, for example, cost just $7.99 / month when it launched its standalone streaming service in 2010. Amazon's Prime Video was the same, offering ad-free streaming as a p … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/b4MsGtS

Four years ago, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam, the smart home industry collectively launched Matter , the one interoperability standard to rule them all. Heralded as the solution to the industry's struggles, Matter was built on open standards and existing technologies and is the result of years of collaboration between traditional rivals, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. Matter promised an end to walled gardens and ecosystem lock-in. It promised to make a smart home device, like a lock, lightbulb, or sensor, easy to buy and set up. It promised you could choose any brand, use any platform, no expertise required - it would just … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/2UnSpsy

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 134, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you're okay in all this heat, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been reading about Polymarket lies and Jalen Brunson and the Arts and Crafts Movement , watching Not Suitable for Work and way too much of the World Cup, trying to catch up on The Bear before the final season starts, playing a bunch of Hank Green's 4×3 game , trying my absolute hardest not to preorder this amazing Stanley Kubrick collection even though I'm obviously going to, buying a bunch of … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/mWiwlDY

From October this year Samsung will roll out a variety of new paid tiers for access to its SmartThings API, including a $4.99 monthly plan for "non-commercial, individual developers." It won't just be developers that pay the price though. Some more advanced smart home users are likely to fall afoul of the rule change if they directly access the SmartThings API for more flexible smart home controls, or use third-party tools that do the same. "Use of the Home Assistant integration will be affected by their changes and will fall under their new 'personal plans,'" wrote Paulus Schoutsen, founder of open-source smart home platform Home Assistant … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/CKi5IV2

We’ve arrived at the final day of Prime Day, which at this point should probably be called “Prime Week.” We’ve found discounts on all manner of gadgets, including TVs , smart home tech , chargers , headphones , and more . Some of the best deals have started selling out at some retailers, so if you’ve been craving a popular upgrade like the AirPods Max 2 , time is running low. The good news is that our team is still hard at work, and in addition to the deals that remain in stock, the retailers sometimes save up a few extras for the last day (like this Echo Spot that got a little cheaper). This roundup is our pride and joy; the culmination of over four days of deal hunting by our entire team. We’ve worked tirelessly for the last week and arrived at a list of over 120 discounted items (and growing) that we’re happy to share with you. Of course, our Prime Day coverage spans every category The Verge staff touches, and is a great place to explore the fu...