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Spotify is testing a new feature called Discover that lets users scroll through a feed of vertical videos and skip or like them, much as you do on TikTok, TechCrunch has reported. The feature was spotted in the latest version of Spotify’s beta iOS TestFlight build by Chris Messina, who tweeted that it appeared as a fourth icon in Spotify’s iOS toolbar. 

Discover looks to be a way for users to find new music in an intuitive, rapid way, by swiping up and down to move through the feed. You can tap on a heart to like the song, or hit the three-dot menu to bring up Spotify’s standard information card about the song. 

The format may use Spotify’s Canvas format, Messina notes. That allows artists to create videos to go along with songs, rather than just static images, and appears on certain songs instead of the standard album art when you play a video. They can be in the form of standard video and mixed media, along with 2D and 3D graphics. In pitching the feature, Spotify tells artists that Canvas boosts key engagement metrics like sharing, adding to playlists and visiting profile pages. 

Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing the feature, but declined to share further details like how it would curate feeds. “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” a spokesperson said. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We don’t have any further news to share at this time.”

Spotify is far from the first platform to flatter TikTok through imitation. Instagram’s Reels and YouTube Shorts are virtual clones of TikTok, and even Netflix recently introduced a TikTok-like comedy feed called Fast Laughs. It’s not clear yet if Spotify’s discovery feature will make it out of beta, but it looks like a useful way to find new music.

The tubular adenoma was similar to one removed from Biden in 2008 and required no further action, said the president’s doctor.

If you’re in the market for a budget-friendly smart speaker or two (or three) this Black Friday, it might be worth casting a glance in Amazon’s direction. Several Echo devices went on sale last week, and now you can save on more. Among them is the Echo Dot with Clock. It’s $35 at the moment, which is $25 lower than the regular price and an all-time low. 

Buy Echo Dot with Clock at Amazon – $35

The Echo Dot is a smaller version of the Echo speaker. Amazon changed the design last year from a flat hockey-puck look to a spherical one. The Echo Dot with Clock is pretty much the same device save for the addition of an LED clock display. It’s dropped to $30 as part of Amazon’s Black Friday sales, but falls a dollar short of the lowest price we’ve seen.

We gave the Echo Dot a score of 88 in our review, finding that it offered decent sound quality for the price. The 3.5mm audio out jack is a plus, as is the option to tap the speaker to snooze the alarm. There are physical volume controls, a mic mute button and a button that activates Alexa without having to say the wake word. The voice assistant is the main way people will interact with the device, of course.

Elsewhere, Amazon has discounted a bundle of the Echo Show 8 and a Blink Mini camera. They typically cost $165 when buying them together, but the bundle is available right now for $95.

Buy Echo Show 8 and Blink Mini bundle at Amazon – $95

Amazon upgraded the Echo Show 8 over the summer with a faster processor and better camera than the previous model. When you’re on a video call, the device can follow you around a room using digital panning and zooming. In our review, we highlighted the quality of the display and audio.

Nicole Lee/Engadget

You can use the smart display to watch a live feed from the Blink Mini. The indoor camera captures video at a resolution of 1080p, and it offers motion detection and two-way audio. Users can control the Blink Mini with another supported Alexa-enabled device or the Blink app too.

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Dune has exited HBO Max a month after it came out on the streaming service, but you may soon have the chance to watch it on a much bigger screen. The Denis Villeneuve adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel is returning to IMAX theaters on December 3rd for a limited time only. As Deadline notes, most IMAX locations will show the film with a 1.90:1 aspect ratio, which adds up to 26 percent more picture. Select locations will show it in 1.43 aspect ratio, though, which adds up to 40 percent more picture for the film. 

Villeneuve and his crew filmed Dune with IMAX cameras, capturing sceneries and backgrounds with the format’s massive screens in mind. Like we said in our review of the movie, this adaptation of Dune demands to be seen on something bigger that a TV if you want to truly be able appreciate Villeneuve’s visual world-building. 

In case you’d really rather not go to theaters, you’ll get more chances to stream the movie in the future. Dune hit HBO Max on October 21st, the same day it came out in theaters. It was only available for streaming on the service for a month, as per Warner Bros. current release strategy, but it will be out on other digital platforms on December 3rd and will be back on HBO Max sometime next year.

Mysterious elites may be plotting to release a new virus because “their little plan with COVID didn’t work,” the former national security adviser said.