The unimportance of Google+, the OnePlus 2 arrives, eBay Now is no more, Steve Jobs is The Man In the Machine, and everything wrong with Super Mario Bros.

Google+ Is No Longer Required

Google is dropping the need to have a Google+ profile in order to use its other services. While the change will happen gradually, rolling out over the next few months, YouTube is the first service affected. So, it only took the better part of two years for Google to take notice of YouTube users' complaints.

As it stands, your Google+ profile is used across the whole of Google, and your activities on YouTube and elsewhere are mirrored on Google's social network. This went down about as well as a smelly fart in a crowded elevator, and Google is finally listening to its users… at least on this one issue.

This represents a significant scaling back of Google+, which Google was previously forcing people to sign up to in order to use its other services. While Google+ isn't going anywhere, its tentacles are being hacked off, preventing it from being a part of the whole Google experience.

The OnePlus 2 Has Arrived

The OnePlus 2, the follow-up to the insanely popular and surprisingly capable OnePlus One, has arrived. The successor to the OnePlus One was announced in January, but is now available to buy. That is if you have an invitation to buy one, as, like its predecessor, the OnePlus 2 is being offered on an exclusive basis to a lucky few.

The OnePlus 2 features a 5.5-inch LCD screen, a 1.8GHz Snapdragon processor, 3-4GB of RAM, bwteen 16- and 64GB of storage, a 3,300mAh battery, a 13MP camera on the rear, and a 5MP camera on the front. The OnePlus 2 runs on OxygenOS, a custom ROM based on Android 5.1. So far, so samey, but it's the price tag that has people excited.

The 16GB version is priced at $329, with the 64GB version priced at $389. Which is a lot more affordable than any iPhone or Android handset with comparable specs. Those lucky enough to nab an invite to order could have the OnePlus 2 as early as August, with the Chinese manufacturer having reduced the wait time with this release.

EBay Culls Now, Valet, Fashion, & Motors

EBay is killing off a number of services in an attempt to simplify the customer experience. EBay Now, which offered on-demand, same-day deliveries, is being completely retired. The company maintains it "saw encouraging results with the eBay Now service," but "always intended it as a pilot".

Also being decommissioned are the eBay Valet, eBay Fashion, and eBay Motors apps, with their key functionalities being incorporated into the core eBay apps instead. This should mean customers can still use the features but without the need to download multiple eBay apps to do so. Which is actually a positive thing.

The Man in the Machine Trailer

If the Steve Jobs movie directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender isn't your cup of tea, then perhaps The Man in the Machine will be. Rather than presenting a glossy, fictionalized version of the life of the late Apple founder, The Man in the Machine is a gritty documentary that pulls no punches.

Made by Alex Gibney, most famous for Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, this documentary shows the two sides of Steve Jobs. His likable public persona, and his not-so-likable private side, the latter revealing a flawed human being just as fallible as the rest of us.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine is due to be released in the U.S. on September 4th, both in theaters and on various on-demand platforms.

Everything Wrong With Super Mario Bros.

And finally, if you haven't yet seen Super Mario Bros., the 1993 movie adaptation of the Nintendo game, then you're missing out on comedy gold. It isn't funny because of the writing, delivery, setting, or characters, it's funny because it's absolutely terrible.

Cinema Sins has noted everything wrong with Super Mario Bros., and you can tell just how bad this film is by the fact the video is 21 minutes long. The film itself has a runtime of 104, meaning at least one-fifth of it is wrong on some level. And that's being generous.

Suffice to say you should probably stick to these video game to movie adaptations instead.

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Are you pleased Google has dropped the need to have a Google+ profile? Will you be buying a OnePlus 2? Are you sad to see the end of eBay Now? Will you be seeing The Man In the Machine? Do you love or hate the Super Mario Bros. movie?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Image Credits: Zack Smith via Flickr