#Meta Threads is launching tomorrow.
The text app is launching tomorrow, as announced with a cryptic animation on threads.net and an Easter egg on Instagram - if you search "threads" and tap on the ticket icon, you can view your "boarding ticket" to the new app.
However, for a brief period of time, some profiles of Meta employees like CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri were visible, showing a few posts. Notably, a post from the latter confirmed that Threads accounts can be transferred to any Mastodon server once ActivityPub support launches.
Meanwhile, Twitter, the main competitor of the app, introduced rate limits - unverified users can only see 1000 posts per day, while Twitter Blue subscribers can see 10000. Head of product Elon Musk explains this by saying that "we are all Twitter addicts and need to go outside". Tweets can also no longer be read without signing into an account due to data scraping.
@thetechdroid
The text app is launching tomorrow, as announced with a cryptic animation on threads.net and an Easter egg on Instagram - if you search "threads" and tap on the ticket icon, you can view your "boarding ticket" to the new app.
However, for a brief period of time, some profiles of Meta employees like CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri were visible, showing a few posts. Notably, a post from the latter confirmed that Threads accounts can be transferred to any Mastodon server once ActivityPub support launches.
Meanwhile, Twitter, the main competitor of the app, introduced rate limits - unverified users can only see 1000 posts per day, while Twitter Blue subscribers can see 10000. Head of product Elon Musk explains this by saying that "we are all Twitter addicts and need to go outside". Tweets can also no longer be read without signing into an account due to data scraping.
@thetechdroid
#samsung trademarked "Galaxy Ring" and "Galaxy Glasses".
Samsung filed for a trademark application for "Galaxy Glasses" and "Galaxy Ring" on KIPRIS, Korea's trademark office.
"Galaxy Glasses", filed under categories like "headset for virtual reality experience" and "smart glasses", might refer to the AR headset Samsung teased at Unpacked in February. The headset is being developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm and will have an internal battery.
"Galaxy Ring" is described as a "smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of [a] ring." A recent Samsung Health beta version also mentions smart rings in a hidden menu.
Keep in mind that trademarks aren't a definite confirmation of upcoming products - they can just mean that a company doesn't want anyone else to make a product with a specific name.
@thetechdroid
Samsung filed for a trademark application for "Galaxy Glasses" and "Galaxy Ring" on KIPRIS, Korea's trademark office.
"Galaxy Glasses", filed under categories like "headset for virtual reality experience" and "smart glasses", might refer to the AR headset Samsung teased at Unpacked in February. The headset is being developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm and will have an internal battery.
"Galaxy Ring" is described as a "smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of [a] ring." A recent Samsung Health beta version also mentions smart rings in a hidden menu.
Keep in mind that trademarks aren't a definite confirmation of upcoming products - they can just mean that a company doesn't want anyone else to make a product with a specific name.
@thetechdroid
#Meta Threads has launched.
Threads from Instagram is Meta's answer to Twitter. The app has passed 2 million users in just the first hour and 5 million in the first four, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The app won't be available in Europe at launch, likely because of privacy concerns - according to the Play Store listing the app collects your health information, list of installed apps and location, among other things.
Even before the launch, the app started a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter ex-CEO Elon Musk - and not just in the social media market.
Threads is available in both the App Store and Play Store.
@thetechdroid
Threads from Instagram is Meta's answer to Twitter. The app has passed 2 million users in just the first hour and 5 million in the first four, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The app won't be available in Europe at launch, likely because of privacy concerns - according to the Play Store listing the app collects your health information, list of installed apps and location, among other things.
Even before the launch, the app started a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter ex-CEO Elon Musk - and not just in the social media market.
Threads is available in both the App Store and Play Store.
@thetechdroid
This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
It's official: #Galaxy Unpacked is on July 26th.
#Samsung has officially announced that Unpacked is on July 26th, live from Seoul, South Korea.
The company will likely announce the Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, Tab S9 and Watch6 series at the event, which is coming to the company's home country.
You can already reserve the upcoming devices and get $50 in credit for pre-orders.
@thetechdroid
#Samsung has officially announced that Unpacked is on July 26th, live from Seoul, South Korea.
The company will likely announce the Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, Tab S9 and Watch6 series at the event, which is coming to the company's home country.
You can already reserve the upcoming devices and get $50 in credit for pre-orders.
@thetechdroid
#Google is developing a fully custom Tensor chip.
Despite Google's claims about the Tensor lineup being made by Google, current Tensor chips are designed in partnership with Samsung System LSI, who also design Exynos chips.
But that's about to change. In 2025, Google is set to launch its first fully in-house Tensor, codenamed "Laguna" and likely branded as the Tensor G5. The chip will be based on TSMC's 3nm process, which is more efficient than the current Samsung process.
In the meantime, Google is replacing more and more Samsung-developed parts of Tensor - "everything from communications and audio to image and graphics processing" - with custom hardware every generation.
@thetechdroid
Despite Google's claims about the Tensor lineup being made by Google, current Tensor chips are designed in partnership with Samsung System LSI, who also design Exynos chips.
But that's about to change. In 2025, Google is set to launch its first fully in-house Tensor, codenamed "Laguna" and likely branded as the Tensor G5. The chip will be based on TSMC's 3nm process, which is more efficient than the current Samsung process.
In the meantime, Google is replacing more and more Samsung-developed parts of Tensor - "everything from communications and audio to image and graphics processing" - with custom hardware every generation.
@thetechdroid
#Meta Avatars are now available in calls.
Meta is launching the ability to use Meta Avatars in video calls in Messenger and Instagram, on both iOS and Android.
Users can choose between their avatars and some animals, like a futuristic cat and llama.
Meta is also releasing animated stickers with Avatars, available on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. And soon, avatar stickers will be able to have multiple people in Messenger chats and Stories.
@thetechdroid
Meta is launching the ability to use Meta Avatars in video calls in Messenger and Instagram, on both iOS and Android.
Users can choose between their avatars and some animals, like a futuristic cat and llama.
Meta is also releasing animated stickers with Avatars, available on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. And soon, avatar stickers will be able to have multiple people in Messenger chats and Stories.
@thetechdroid
xAI, #elon Musk's new company, wants to understand the universe.
Elon was the co-founder of #OpenAI, and his new company is built to compete with it. The company's employees have strong backgrounds with OpenAI itself, as well as Google DeepMind, Tesla and other companies.
What does Elon mean by "understanding the universe"? In a Twitter space, he said that we don't actually understand a lot of what we think we do about reality, like the true nature of gravity and why there is no evidence of aliens existing.
xAI will use heavy computing to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is an AI capable of performing any task that a human can. Currently, AGI remains an unsolved task, but several companies are working on solving it. According to Elon, the safest way to develop an AGI is to make it "maximum curious" and "truth curious", and to minimize the error between the actual truth and what you think is true. The goal is to make xAI useful for businesses and consumers, like Tesla, which will use xAI technologies for Full Self Driving.
For training xAI plans to use public data, like tweets (which, ironically, is something Twitter is trying to prevent with scraping limits). Once the model runs out of human-created data it will have to generate its own data and train on it. Elon believes that training an AI to lie is dangerous, so xAI will be trained to say what it thinks is true and not what is politically correct, which will result in criticism.
More information about the first release from xAI will be revealed soon.
@thetechdroid
Elon was the co-founder of #OpenAI, and his new company is built to compete with it. The company's employees have strong backgrounds with OpenAI itself, as well as Google DeepMind, Tesla and other companies.
What does Elon mean by "understanding the universe"? In a Twitter space, he said that we don't actually understand a lot of what we think we do about reality, like the true nature of gravity and why there is no evidence of aliens existing.
xAI will use heavy computing to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is an AI capable of performing any task that a human can. Currently, AGI remains an unsolved task, but several companies are working on solving it. According to Elon, the safest way to develop an AGI is to make it "maximum curious" and "truth curious", and to minimize the error between the actual truth and what you think is true. The goal is to make xAI useful for businesses and consumers, like Tesla, which will use xAI technologies for Full Self Driving.
For training xAI plans to use public data, like tweets (which, ironically, is something Twitter is trying to prevent with scraping limits). Once the model runs out of human-created data it will have to generate its own data and train on it. Elon believes that training an AI to lie is dangerous, so xAI will be trained to say what it thinks is true and not what is politically correct, which will result in criticism.
More information about the first release from xAI will be revealed soon.
@thetechdroid
Easily replaceable batteries are coming back.
The European Parliament approved new rules that will require devices with batteries to be designed in such a way that their batteries can be easily replaced by June or July 2025.
The new rules also make production of batteries more sustainable. In an effort to reduce e-waste, spare parts shall be available for up to 7 years, and need to be replaceable with no tools, tools that are supplied with the product or part, or basic tools. This is where the EU's efforts differ from Apple's Self Service Repair program, which requires people to rent expensive proprietary equipment.
Despite the European Parliament's successful vote, the new rules are not a part of EU law yet.
(Image: part of iFixit's Nokia G22 battery replacement guide)
@thetechdroid
The European Parliament approved new rules that will require devices with batteries to be designed in such a way that their batteries can be easily replaced by June or July 2025.
The new rules also make production of batteries more sustainable. In an effort to reduce e-waste, spare parts shall be available for up to 7 years, and need to be replaceable with no tools, tools that are supplied with the product or part, or basic tools. This is where the EU's efforts differ from Apple's Self Service Repair program, which requires people to rent expensive proprietary equipment.
Despite the European Parliament's successful vote, the new rules are not a part of EU law yet.
(Image: part of iFixit's Nokia G22 battery replacement guide)
@thetechdroid
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Google brings Space Invaders into real life.
The classic game is getting an AR version in honor of its 45th anniversary, developed by Taito, film and XR studio Unit9 and #Google.
In "SPACE INVADERS: World Defense", players must defend Earth from the aliens from the original game. Players explore their city, destroy Space Invaders and earn points. In this aspect the game is similar to Pokémon GO. Players can also compete for earning the top score for a location and take AR selfies.
The game was developed using Google's ARCore and Geospatial API technologies, which allowed them to place virtual objects in specific places in the real world.
"SPACE INVADERS: World Defense" is available now on iOS and Android.
@thetechdroid
The classic game is getting an AR version in honor of its 45th anniversary, developed by Taito, film and XR studio Unit9 and #Google.
In "SPACE INVADERS: World Defense", players must defend Earth from the aliens from the original game. Players explore their city, destroy Space Invaders and earn points. In this aspect the game is similar to Pokémon GO. Players can also compete for earning the top score for a location and take AR selfies.
The game was developed using Google's ARCore and Geospatial API technologies, which allowed them to place virtual objects in specific places in the real world.
"SPACE INVADERS: World Defense" is available now on iOS and Android.
@thetechdroid
#EXCLUSIVE: More information about the #Galaxy Tab S9.
A version of the Galaxy Tab S9+ firmware was leaked. In it, Technodroid could find the following:
- The tablet will run One UI 5.1.1.
- The firmware has the popular note-taking app GoodNotes, digital painting app Clip Studio Paint and video editing app LumaFusion pre-installed. Notably, GoodNotes launched for Android this year in beta, and the tablet's announcement might be a good time to release the app officially.
- The tablet is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
- We also found the default wallpapers of the new tablet.
Some of the information here isn't new, but the firmware confirms it.
@thetechdroid
A version of the Galaxy Tab S9+ firmware was leaked. In it, Technodroid could find the following:
- The tablet will run One UI 5.1.1.
- The firmware has the popular note-taking app GoodNotes, digital painting app Clip Studio Paint and video editing app LumaFusion pre-installed. Notably, GoodNotes launched for Android this year in beta, and the tablet's announcement might be a good time to release the app officially.
- The tablet is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
- We also found the default wallpapers of the new tablet.
Some of the information here isn't new, but the firmware confirms it.
@thetechdroid