It’s only been two weeks since The Division 2 announced it was leaving Steam for the Epic Games Store, and now we have our next noteworthy defection. Metro Exodus, arguably one of February’s most-anticipated games (at least for the hardcore PC crowd) is skipping Steam and releasing exclusively on the Epic Games Store as well.
But there’s a twist this time: Deep Silver is releasing Metro Exodus for $10 cheaper than usual, $49.99 instead of the usual $59.99, and claiming it’s because of Epic’s revenue split terms. Epic only takes a 12 percent cut for sales made on its store, versus Steam’s 30 percent standard. According to Deep Silver CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, “Epic’s generous revenue terms are a game changer that will allow publishers to invest more into content creation, or pass on savings to the players.” Emphasis mine.
Now, whether that’s actually happening here? Hard to say. There’s every chance Deep Silver planned a $10 launch discount on Steam as well, and the Epic Games Store decampment just gives them a chance to posture on a larger stage.
It sets a huge precedent though. We haven’t seen the era of $50-as-list-price video games in over a decade, ever since the start of the Xbox 360 era. Hell, publishers have been arguing games need to increase in price this generation as budgets skyrocket.
Having a major storefront start selling games for $10 less as a matter of course seems exciting on the consumer side, but perhaps dangerous for the long-term viability of the industry. Maybe the revenue split math really does work in Deep Silver’s favor though, and maybe it does become the new standard. I haven’t run the numbers yet.
In any case, it’s another huge move by Epic. I’ll repeat it every time we write about this: Epic doesn’t need to convince players to leave Steam, it needs to convince publishers. Now, less than two months after the announcement of the Epic Games Store, it’s convinced both Ubisoft and Deep Silver to jump ship with two of the spring’s hottest games. That’s one hell of a shakeup—though just like with The Division 2, time will tell if this is a one-off experiment or a new expectation for Deep Silver’s games.
And there’s one interesting wrinkle in this story as well: Metro Exodus has already been available for preorder from a number of storefronts. This morning’s press release says, “Any customer with an outstanding pre-order for Metro Exodus on PC through any digital retailer will receive their game as expected.” In other words, if you preordered Metro Exodus through Steam anytime before this morning, congratulations—you’re now the owner of a collector’s item, the ultra-rare Metro Exodus Steam version.
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Despite the title and having the same book author, this will not be a sequel to A Dog’s Purpose (2017). However, Universal Pictures is planning to release a sequel to that film titled A Dog’s Journey (2019) scheduled to be released the same year as this film. See more »
A phone’s “low battery” message can strike dread (or at least annoyance) into even the most unmoved of hearts. But it doesn’t have to spark a desperate search for an outlet. A power bank can help keep your device charged up wherever you go, and today you can grab one near its lowest price ever. The popular Anker PowerCore 13000 is $30 today on Amazon, down from a list price of $37.
[ Further reading: Best power banks of 2019: The top USB portable chargers for your phone ]
This 13000mAh power bank brings a massive amount of juice in a tiny package, with its sleek wallet-sized form carrying enough power to charge an iPhone X or a Galaxy S9 three times. Two ports allow you to plug in multiple devices at once, while PowerIQ high-speed charging capabilities mean your device will be powered up in no time.
We haven’t tried this exact power bank ourselves, but we generally love Anker and its other accessories. Even before that vote of confidence, though, the PowerCore 13000 is a hit on Amazon, with 4.6 stars out of 5 across more than 6,000 user reviews.
[Today’s deal: Anker PowerCore 13000 power bank for $30 at Amazon.]
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In 1962, Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, a tough bouncer, is looking for work with his nightclub is closed for renovations. The most promising offer turns out to be the driver for the African-American classical pianist Don Shirley for a concert tour into the Deep South states. Although hardly enthused at working for a black man, Tony accepts the job and they begin their trek armed with The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for safe travel through America’s racial segregation. Together, the snobbishly erudite pianist and the crudely practical bouncer can barely get along with their clashing attitudes to life and ideals. However, as the disparate pair witness and endure America’s appalling injustices on the road, they find a newfound respect for each other’s talents and heart to face them together. In doing so, they would nurture a friendship and understanding that would change both their lives. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
-A friendship out of the ordinary:–The friendship between Don Shirley and Tony Lip lasted more than 50 years. After the initial two-month trip, the duo ended up on a tour of about a year. The musician then asked Tony Lip to become his driver and bodyguard during his European tour, but he refused because he did not want to be separated from his family any longer. Both men died in 2013, 3 months apart. For Nick Vallelonga, Don Shirley was a friend of the family. See more »
Goofs
In the scene with a wrong piano – not a Steinway – provided for the concert, the piano lid is opened the wrong way. The correct way would be to flip the front part first, and then to raise the lid on the stick. But maybe it was done deliberately to illustrate the stupidity of the stage hand. See more »
Quotes
Tony Lip:
You know, if this got out, it would kill your career.
Dr. Don Shirley:
OK Tony, I need you to stop it with the phony altruism and concern for my career.
Dr. Don Shirley:
You were only thinking about yourself back there because you know if I miss a show it’d come out of your pocketbook.
Tony Lip:
Of course I don’t want you to miss a show, you ungrateful bastard! You think I’m doing this for my health? Tonight I saved your ass! So show a little appreciation, maybe! Besides, I told you never to go nowhere without me!
“Larry the Crow” gets a mention. This was an actual crow that Viggo Mortensen found injured near the set, and tried in vain to nurse back to health. He was no doubt named for Viggo’s favorite soccer team, San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence in Spanish). The team nickname is “The Crows”. See more »
Six years after the events of “Wreck-It Ralph,” Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.
The Incredibles hero family takes on a new mission, which involves a change in family roles: Bob Parr (Mr Incredible) must manage the house while his wife Helen (Elastigirl) goes out to save the world.
Director:
Brad Bird
Stars:
Craig T. Nelson,
Holly Hunter,
Sarah Vowell
The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Miles Morales is a New York teen struggling with school, friends and, on top of that, being the new Spider-Man. When he comes across Peter Parker, the erstwhile saviour of New York, in the multiverse, Miles must train to become the new protector of his city. Written by Tom Daly
Miles, strangely, blames himself for ‘being followed’ to Aunt May’s house, when by then it was public knowledge that May’s nephew was Spider-Man. (The memorials placed in front of her house are evidence of this ubiquity; although, as another plot hole, the obviousness of the backyard shed being a brightly glowing, emblem-showing Spider-Cave entry door would have tipped off the neighbors long before Spider-Man’s passing, that May knows Spider-Man). Either way, it makes perfect sense to assume the villains would go to May’s to find the Spider-Men they were pursuing. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Peter Parker:
[narrating]
Alright, let’s do this one last time. My name is Peter Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for ten years I’ve been the one and only Spider-Man. I’m pretty sure you know the rest. I saved a bunch of people, fell in love, saved the city, and then I saved the city again and again and again… And, uh… I did this.
[shot of Spidey doing the emo dance from “Spider-Man 3”]
Peter Parker:
We don’t really talk about this. Look, I’m a comic book, I’m a cereal, did a Christmas album…
The Columbia Pictures, Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation and Pascal Pictures logos are affected by the Super Collider device, causing them each to shift between various alternate versions. See more »
Amazon’s running another of its famous one-day PC sales until just before midnight on Tuesday morning, Pacific time. This time it’s a “PC products” saleRemove non-product link with only four deals. Still, all of these items are at their all-time low prices—some of which we’ve seen before, some we haven’t.
First up is a 27-inch 1080p Samsung gaming monitor for $128, down from $180. It has a 1 millisecond response time and a 60Hz refresh rate. The display doesn’t have FreeSync or G-Sync to synchronize refresh rates between the monitor and your graphics card, but it does have a generic game mode that is supposed to deliver better blacks, optimized screen colors and contrast, and a “flicker free” technology to reduce eye fatigue.
Next, is an Acer Chromebook 14 CB3-431 bundle for $240, down from $300, the all-time low for this package. That’s not the cheapest Chromebook you’ll find, but it’s a great deal on a good computer–one I happen to own. It’s packing an Intel Celeron N3160 processor, a 14-inch 1080p display, 4GB of RAM, and 16GB of eMMC flash storage. The Chromebook’s also rocking 802.11ac Wi-Fi and an aluminum chassis. For the price, it would be better if this laptop came with 32GB storage instead of 16GB, but it does come with a snazzy laptop sleeve.
Finally, we’ve got two different gaming PCs. Both of these desktops are back at their Black Friday prices. The first desktop is the CyberPower Gamer Master GMA1394A for $1,200 featuring a Ryzen 7 2700 processor with liquid cooler, 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, a 240GB SSD, and a 2TB hard drive. That’s a solid configuration for a powerful PC that can handle work and play.
The second desktop is an iBuyPower Desktop Trace 9220 for $1,400. This is an Intel-based gaming PC that’s otherwise very similar to the CyberPower one. The big difference is an Intel Core i7-8700K processor instead of a Ryzen chip. It also has 16GB of RAM, a GeForce RTX 2070, a 240GB SSD, and a 1TB hard drive.
Whichever machine you choose, the GeForce RTX 2070 is a great graphics card for 1440p gaming at 60fps with all the settings maxed, 1080p gaming on a ultra-fast monitor, or entry-level 4K. It’s also future-proofed thanks to its capability to use ray tracing and deep learning super sampling (DLSS).
[Today’s deal: Amazon’s one-day PC products sale.Remove non-product link]
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Old school magic meets the modern world in this epic adventure. Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) thinks he’s just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical sword in the stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Sir Patrick Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be. Written by https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-kid-who-would-be-king
Netflix has become a verb (“let’s netflix tonight”), everyone knows about Amazon, and Hulu is a force to be reckoned with. You could even refer to them as the new Big Three, given their growing influence over the industry.
As these behemoths flex their muscles by repeatedly raising prices, consumers looking for alternative sources for online movies, TV shows, and other forms of video entertainment would be wise to sample some of these alternative services. Most of them target niche audiences, but they’re all inexpensive—indeed, some don’t charge any fees at all.
Incidentally, there are a few sites operating in the darker corners of the web that we don’t recommend visiting. We’re talking about the ones that offer Hollywood movies that are still playing in theaters. All the services listed here—in alphabetical order—are completely above board.
Archive.org
Archive.org
Archive.org offers free, public domain movies.
This amazing resource is absolutely huge, with billions of sound files, ebooks, and video files, all of it free and in the public domain. A huge number of both cheesy and quality movies are available, ranging from Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space to the Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn thriller Charade. The “Feature Film” section alone promises more than 5,000 titles. Because of the sheer number of files, searching for things can be a headache, and there are many duplicates, but patience pays off. All files can be downloaded and saved in various formats. Archive.org
Big Five Glories
Big Five Glories
Big Five Glories curates several free public domain movies.
Big Five Glories is another public domain site, but it’s a little better organized, focusing mainly on feature films. Highlights on the home page include F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise and Jame Whales’ The Old Dark House. Viewers can search by any number of criteria (including silent-era films and color films), and the site has a clean, simple design that gives screenshots of the movies as well as opportunities to buy the actual DVDs if the need arises. The videos are powered by YouTube, plus there’s no need to sign up or log in. It’s all free. Big Five Glories
Boomerang
Boomerang
Boomerang is a service for cartoon lovers.
If live-action entertainment doesn’t provide enough escape, here’s Boomerang, for cartoon lovers only. It includes a generous, but sadly not complete, selection of classic theatrical Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Popeye, and Droopy cartoons, plus TV shows like Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Garfield, Bunnicula, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and many Hanna-Barbera shorts (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, etc.). The service also offers a small number of feature-length films, and many holiday specials. It runs $4.99 per month or a yearly fee of $39.99 (an average of $3.33 per month). It’s a lot of fun, but the content doesn’t appear to be updated regularly, so it might be a bit pricey for what’s actually here. Boomerang
Britbox
Britbox
Britbox is essential for fans of BBC programming.
Anglophiles will want this streaming service, consisting entirely of fine TV series from the BBC. Highlights include Brideshead Revisited (with Jeremy Irons), Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth), Prime Suspect (with Helen Mirren), Blackadder, Father Ted, Fawlty Towers, The Office, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, State of Play, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple, Hammer House of Horror TV specials, plenty of Doctor Who, and much more. Subscriptions for U.S. customers are $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually (roughly $5.83 per month), with a seven-day free trial period. Britbox
Crackle
Crackle
Crackle has a selection of Sony movies streaming free, with ads.
Owned by Sony, Crackle is free, and you don’t even need to register, unless you’d like to keep a queue. There are ads every so often during streaming, which is annoying, but depending on your pocketbook, it can be a worthy exchange. Their selection isn’t huge, but what they have is fairly high profile, and the percentage of good movies vs. bad ones is pretty solid. They also offer some sitcoms (Married, with Children, Just Shoot Me, etc.) and a selection of anime. They are producing more and more original content, like the series Snatch (starring Harry Potter‘s Rupert Grint) and StartUp (starring Martin Freeman), or the original movie Party Boat (not that we really needed the latter). Crackle
Scheduled to launch in spring of 2019, this is the mother lode for film fans, likely with access to most of Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman’s films, as well as the cream of the crop of world cinema and many of the greatest films in history. Criterion had previously collaborated with FilmStruck, but it shut down at the end of November, 2018.
Criterion says it will be entirely in charge of its new direction, which sounds like great news. The price tag is still shocking, but it’s a few pennies less than FilmStruck’s premiere price was. Viewers who sign up now to be a “charter subscriber” will get discount prices: $9.99 per month or $89.99 annually (or $7.49 a month), plus a whopping 30-day free trial period. Regular prices will be $10.99 a month or $100 annually. The Criterion Channel
DC Universe
DC Universe
DC Universe offers animated shows and movies, feature films, and eComics for superhero fans.
A cornucopia for comic book fans, DC Universe not only includes just about every DC related TV show, cartoon, and movie you can think of—from the 1940s full-color Fleischer brothers Superman animated shorts to the animated feature Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It also offers original content, such as the currently-running Titans TV series, and the upcoming Swamp Thing. Subscribers also have access to an enormous library of eComics, a social media site to connect with other comic book fans, and tons of other nerdy, fun stuff. It’s $7.99 per month or an annual subscription for $74.99 (an average of $6.25 per month), with a seven-day free trial period. DC Universe
Disney+
Disney
Disney+ promises streaming heaven for all fans of the Mouse. Pictured: Wreck-It-Ralph.
Not much is known yet about Disney+. It could just be a niche market for Disney nerds, but if it succeeds, it could be as big as—or bigger than—any of the Big Three. There are no pricing plans as of yet (some pundits are guessing that it will be cheaper than Netflix), and not even a firm launch date. But the website displays logos for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, which seems like a pretty good mix. As of now Disney has a deal with Netflix, so expect a lot of that content to shift over to the new service. Also expect lots of original content, starting with a proposed Star Wars series, set before the events of Rogue One. Here’s more of what about Disney+ we know so far. Disney+
Though Epix has an impressive selection of movies from Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM—Fences, Arrival, and A Quiet Place are available—users must sign in with their cable account, if they have one. But anyone can sign up for a free 14-day trial to check it out. Epix appears to have some original content, including the Get Shorty series, and there are even sections for LGBT and erotic films. Epix
Fandango Now
Fandango
Fandango Now allows viewers to rent or buy new releases not yet on Netflix.
The service boasts that it has titles not available on Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Netflix, with thousands of them available for individual rental or purchase, with no paid subscription necessary. But Fandango Now is essentially like Vudu or the iTunes store, with virtually the same selection and prices. A major difference is that viewers can join the Fandango VIP+ club and get points toward free movies. Not to mention that it could appeal to those that are not fans of Apple or Walmart, Vudu’s parent company. Fandango Now
Fandor
Fandor
Fandor has been a place for hardcore cineastes to stream non-mainstream fare.
Based in San Francisco and launched in 2011, Fandor is for hardcore cinema buffs. It specializes in arthouse films, weird cult and horror flicks, indie cinema, and foreign titles, as well as a massive silent era library, but nothing mainstream. It allows users to write their own reviews and keep and share movie lists, and it also includes well-produced online movie magazine with original articles and videos. Viewers can buy a yearly plan for $49.99, which averages to about $4.17 per month, or pay $5.99 per month on a month-to-month basis. (Note: Fandor was recently sold to a new company, and it’s unclear as to how or if the service will continue.) Fandor
Film Movement Plus
Film Movement Plus
Film Movement Plus will offer a large collection of unsung international cinema.
Film Movement began as a DVD-of-the-month club, sending its members interesting foreign and indie films in the mail. The company moved into distribution, built a fine library, and launched its first streaming service in 2018. Titles include the excellent, Oscar-nominated adventure film Theeb, the wonderful coming-of-age film Alamar, and After the Storm, by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. Film Movement Plus also has bonus features and exclusive content, including the premiere of Takeshi Kitano’s new Outrage Coda (the third chapter in his Outrage action series). Categories include “Family,” “Directed by Women,” “LGBTQ,” and many others. Pricing is $5.99 per month, with a 14-day free trial. Film Movement Plus
Hoopla; Kanopy
Hoopla
Hoopla allows library card holders to “check out” and stream movies for free.
These amazing services are connected to your local public library. Once you sign up (free) with your library card, you can “check out” a certain number of titles per month, which then expire after a certain amount of time. Kanopy is for more serious movie buffs, with plenty of high-class, arthouse films, and a limit of eight checkouts per month. Hoopla has a wider range of services, including audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and music, and 20 checkouts per month. Kanopy is more family-friendly, with a wider range of lesser titles to comb through before finding the good stuff. There are no ads on either, and both services offer Roku apps now, for easy streaming. Hoopla;Kanopy
MUBI
MUBI
MUBI lets subscribers view a great, personally-chosen movie each day.
With offices in San Francisco, London, Munich, and Istanbul, MUBI is one of the most acclaimed movie sites for serious cinephiles. It operates on a subscription-based service, either $8.99 per month or a discounted yearly rate of $71.88 (an average $5.99 per month). There’s also a seven-day free trial period available. Their content is comparable to Fandor, with classics, cult movies, and art-house movies, as well as current items like Quentin Dupieux’s Keep an Eye Out. The MUBI staff offers a “film of the day” each day, and the site also carries an online magazine called the Notebook. MUBI
Open Culture
Open Culture
Open Culture is a blog that curates lists of free movies available on the web. Pictured: Charlie Chaplin in Shoulder Arms.
Yet another site that curates public domain movies, Open Culture simply has a long list (1,150 titles) of free movies with links and descriptions; many of the links go back to Archive.org, but there are others. If you’re up for browsing through the list, there are some surprising picks, such as Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s wonderful A Matter of Life and Death, or one of Natalie Portman’s more daring efforts, Free Zone, as well as a curated selection of free Charlie Chaplin films. The site also contains a plethora of information relating to cinema, free online courses, lectures, books, and other stuff. Open Culture
Ovid.tv
Ovid.TV
Ovid.tv is an upcoming service that combines the libraries of six indie film companies.
This service, intended for hardcore cineastes, is scheduled to launch in March, 2019. It assembles the film libraries of no less than six independent distributors—Bullfrog Films, Distrib Films US, First Run Features, Grasshopper Film, Icarus Films, and KimStim—with “more companies expected to join soon.” If filmmakers like Chantal Akerman, Pedro Costa, Claire Denis, Eric Rohmer, Raul Ruiz, or Jean-Marie Straub and Danielle Huillet stimulate your palate, then keep an eye out for this one. Pricing and other details are not yet available. Ovid.tv
PopcornFlix
PopcornFlix
PopcornFlix offers free movies for those who don’t mind ads.
Here’s another free service for those budget-minded viewers who don’t mind watching ads. PopcornFlix has its own Roku app and a wide selection of used-bookstore-type movies. Even if you can’t find something you’re specifically looking for, odds are you’ll find something pretty good. As a bonus, the service offers an “Asian Action” section and a Spanish-language section, as well as the first eight Friday the 13th movies! The TV section is skimpier, offering Rosanne and a bunch of other stuff you’ve probably never heard of. PopcornFlix
Don’t stop now: We have even more recommendations on the next page!
On the run in the year of 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.
Director:
Travis Knight
Stars:
Hailee Steinfeld,
Jorge Lendeborg Jr.,
John Cena
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many entities who have invaded Earth. But the entity takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Directors:
Anthony Russo,
Joe Russo
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.,
Chris Hemsworth,
Mark Ruffalo
T’Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country’s past.
Director:
Ryan Coogler
Stars:
Chadwick Boseman,
Michael B. Jordan,
Lupita Nyong’o
Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy with supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling cyborg, Cable.
Director:
David Leitch
Stars:
Ryan Reynolds,
Josh Brolin,
Morena Baccarin
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
Thor is imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, and must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
Director:
Taika Waititi
Stars:
Chris Hemsworth,
Tom Hiddleston,
Cate Blanchett
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.
Director:
Jon Watts
Stars:
Tom Holland,
Michael Keaton,
Robert Downey Jr.
As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.
A war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling action-adventure packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight choreography, and a timeless romance.
Arthur Curry, half human half from Atlantis, goes on a trip of a lifetime. Not only does this adventure compel him to come to terms with his real identity, but it also forces him to discover whether he is entirely worthy of fulfilling his own destiny: becoming a king. Written by Domingo Alvarez
Ocean To Ocean
Written by David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, Pitbull (as Armando C. Perez), George Bechara, James Saaib, Bianca Oechsle and Gabriel Dunn
Performed by Pitbull feat. Rhea
Produced by George “GWizard” Bechara and James Saaib
Courtesy of Mr. 305 Records
Contains an interpolation of “Africa” written by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro See more »
While polishing your resume is still as much about relevant experience and skills as ever, finding a job now involves targeting the right keywords and SEO, too. That’s how Microsoft Word’s Resume Assistant can help: tapping LinkedIn to assist your work experience.
Resume Assistant is now part of Microsoft Word, assuming you have an Office 365 subscription and subscribe to LinkedIn. It’s part of Microsoft’s combination of apps and services, and a key part of justifying Microsoft’s $26 billion purchase of the business networking service.
It’s important to note that Resume Assistant doesn’t actually alter or correct your resume; it merely suggests ways to improve it. Resume Assistant can tap into other LinkedIn profiles and mine them for what made them successful.
Be aware that there’s far more assistance further down the Resume Assistant column. Scroll down to see suggested skills, helpful articles to assist your resume writing, and a list of open jobs near you in that specific field. Finally, there’s a link to LinkedIn to submit your resume, and let the world know that you’re looking for a job.
If that seems like a lot of LinkedIn references to a feature within Word—well, you’re right. It’s probably fair to say that Word’s Resume Assistant (“powered by LinkedIn”) is geared more toward uploading your profile to LinkedIn than to helping you ship your resume around the web…and away from Microsoft’s services.
How to get started with Resume Assistant
Though you can manually turn on Resume Assistant within Word, the easiest way is to launch Word, then select an existing resume template. Resume Assistant should launch in a sidebar to the right. If you have an existing resume, you can also open it within Word. If Resume Assistant doesn’t open automatically, you may launch it manually via the Tell me what you want to do search box, where you can type in Resume Assistant. Also, make sure you’ve enabled LinkedIn integration via File > Options > General > Show LinkedIn features in my Office applications).
Mark Hachman / IDG
Resume Assistant is the big, blue sidebar—you can’t miss it.
When you’re ready to move on, click the Get Started button in the blue Resume Assistant pane to the right. It’s here that LinkedIn will begin suggesting ways to frame your work experience.
LinkedIn will autofill your most recent position as a way to start hunting down relevant information, but you can select whatever title and industry you’d like. (If you don’t identify one on the list, though, LinkedIn won’t be able to suggest any examples.) Click the Read More link for the full listing.
What Resume Assistant first does for you is anonymously suggest language to help you write your own resume, specifically work experience. For example, in this snippet, the employee responsible for leading the ThinkPad X-series delivery team lists their accomplishments. The idea isn’t for you to copy them, but to think about using similar language in describing your own skills.
Mark Hachman / IDG
You can click on each one to get the full description.
Directly below the work experience examples are a suggested list of relevant skills. This is all about SEO: Not only are you telling a prospective employer that you can perform as expected, but these are also the search terms that prospective employers may be using. From there, Resume Assistant and LinkedIn jump into the good stuff: available jobs, and how to apply for them.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Resume Assistant will tap LinkedIn for a list of jobs close by.
Based on your stated position and location, Resume Assistant will tap LinkedIn to suggest nearby jobs that may be a good fit. You can then click on the job position to open a LinkedIn page, where you can do everything that LinkedIn allows you to do: read more information about the position, and even apply—where you’ll share your information that you’ve already stored within LinkedIn.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Clicking on an available position will take you right to a LinkedIn page…
Finally, at the very bottom of the Resume Assistant column, you can also click into LinkedIn, to a separate page that signals your interest to allow recruiters to contact you.
At this point, you may wonder: What good is my resume, exactly? You know, the whole reason I began the process? That’s an excellent question. In fact, Resume Assistant doesn’t really facilitate the formatting or uploading of a resume anywhere in the process that I could see.
Instead, you’re tacitly encouraged to take your newfound knowledge and apply it to your LinkedIn profile—what you might call a traditional resume in LinkedIn’s lingo. “Applying” for a position within LinkedIn simply signals the prospective employer that you’d like to be considered as a candidate, and makes your profile available to the recruiter.
Sure, you may submit a resume at some point in the process, and perhaps to an employer who doesn’t use LinkedIn’s network. But the implicit suggestion is: Why would you want to work there?
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