Technology

Netflix has persuaded everyonefavorite naturalist, David Attenborough, to voice its forthcoming original nature documentary series, Our Planet, which is slated to put conservation squarely in the frame, not just offer glorious animal eye-candy.

Ita timely moment to focus on conservation with climate change posing existential threats to global biodiversity— unless humans act to limit temperature rises.

Since the 1970s Attenborough has voiced and frontedmyriad major BBC nature documentaries, including the recent critically acclaimed Blue Planet series.

Some of his output has been available to stream on Netflix. But now the on-demand video platform has signed the 92-year-old to voice an eight-part original nature series itbeen creating in collaboration with Silverback Films — whose director, Alastair Fothergill, was the creator of both Blue Planet and the also critically acclaimed Planet Earth documentary series —and conservation charity WWF .

Our Planet is due to premiere on Netflix on April 5 next year and is slated to showcase the planet&most precious species and fragile habitats&, making use of &the latest in 4k camera technology&.

Netflix said yesterdayit is &delighted& that Attenborough will voice the series whichwill be made simultaneously available to its subscriber base, spanning more than 190 countries.

Filming for the series has been taking place in 50 countries across all continents of the world, with 600+ crew members capturing more than 3.5k filming days to bring the project together.

Speaking at WWFState of the Planet Address event in London yesterday, Attenborough said:&Our Planetwill take viewers on a spectacular journey of discovery showcasing the beauty and fragility of our natural world. Today we have become the greatest threat to the health of our home but therestill time for us to address the challenges we&ve created, if we act now. We need the world to pay attention. Our Planet brings together some of the worldbest filmmakers and conservationists and I&m delighted to help bring this important story to millions of people worldwide.&

&We hope it will inspire and delight hundreds of millions of people across the world so they can understand our planet, and the environmental threat it faces, as never before,& added Fothergill in another supporting statement. &By launching on Netflix at the same time all over the world, this series will enable people to connect to and understand the shared responsibility we all have. We are genuinely all in this together.&

Netflixsays the partnership with WWF means the series will be part of a wider global project thatintended to promote conservation awareness, including via online resources and educational programmes for schools.

Xiaomiexpansion into Europe continues at speed after the Chinese smartphone maker announced plans to open its first retail store in London.

The company is best known for developing quality Android phones at affordable prices and already it has launched devices in Spain, Italy and France. Now, that foray has touched the UK where Xiaomi launched its Mi 8 Pro device at an event yesterday and revealed that it will open a store at the Westfield mall in London on November 18.

That outlet will become Xiaomi first authorized Mi Store. Styled on Appleiconic stores, the Mi store will showcase a range of products, not all of which are available in the UK.

Still, Xiaomi has shown a taste of what it plans to offer in the UK by introducing a number of products alongside the Mi 8 Pro this week. Those include its budget tierRedmi 6A phone and, in its accessories range, theXiaomi Band 3 fitness device and the £399 Mi Electric Scooter. The company said there are more to come.

That product selection will be available via Xiaomiown Mi.com store and a range of other outlets, including Amazon, Carphone Warehouse and Three, which will have exclusive distribution of Xiaomismartphones among UKtelecom operators.

Xiaomi hasn&t branched out into the U.S. — it does sell a number of accessories — but the European launches mark a new phase of its international expansion to take it beyond Asia. While Xiaomi does claim to be present in &more than 70 countries and regions around the world,& it has recorded most of its success in China, India and pockets of Asia.

CEO Lei Jun has, however, spoken publicly of his goal to sell Xiaomi phones in the U.S by &early 2019& at the latest.

Still, even with its focus somewhat limited, Xiaomi claims it has shipped a record 100 million devices in 2018 to date. The firm also posted a $2.1 billion profit in its first quarter as a public company following its Hong Kong IPO. However, the IPO underwhelmed with Xiaomi going public at $50 billion, half of its reported target, while its shares have been valued at below their IPO price since the middle of September.

Still crying in your Red Bull because you missed the deadline to compete inStartup Battlefield at Disrupt Berlin 2018 Don&t despair. You have one more chance to step onto the Main Stage and go head-to-head against some of the best pre-series A startups across Europe.

How Grab an exhibitortable in Startup Alley. Every exhibitor has a chance of being selected as a Wild Card winner. Who does the selecting, you ask Our crack TechCrunch editorial team designates the Wild Card from among the hundreds of early-stage Startups in Startup Alley, and that one amazing exhibitor will compete for $50,000 cash, the Disrupt Cup and potentially life-changing investor and media attention.

No one says this will be a walk in the park, but the opportunity is very real. Just last year at Disrupt NY 2017, RecordGram decided to exhibit inStartup Alley. They were chosen as a Wild Card company and wound upwinning the Startup Battlefield competition.What have you got to lose

Whether or not you win the Wild Card, Startup Alley is a landscape full of opportunity. More than 2,500 attendees pass through the Alley, and itthe perfect place to find your future customers, investors, partners, advisors, employees, marketers, media coverage — holy cats — the list is endless. You&ll find the names of companies exhibiting in Startup Alley here.

Herewhat two founders told us about their experience as Startup Alley exhibitors.

&We met so many people, I still can&t get over it. We got to demo our technology in front of hundreds of people. I&d say it was one of the coolest things we&ve ever done.& — Caleb John, CEO of Cedar Robotics.

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And you&ll have access to CrunchMatch, our free business match-making service that makes networking easier than ever. Plus, you&ll enjoy a terrific lineup of speakers, panels, Q-A Sessions and workshops. Check the full agenda here.

Disrupt Berlin 2018 takes place on 29-30 November. We believe in second chances and wildcards. Sign up for an exhibitortable today, show the startup world exactly what makes your company Wild Card-worthy and take another swing at Startup Battlefield. We&ll look for you in Startup Alley!