Posts Tagged: days
I’ve had the Galaxy S24 Ultra for 3 days, and I’m already impressed
I’ve spent the weekend with the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and although it may not look all that different from the S23 Ultra, it has really impressed.
Digital Trends
These iPads are still discounted following the Prime Big Deal days event
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days 2023 is done, but that doesn’t mean you already missed out on discounts for various models of Apple’s iPad. Check them out here.
Digital Trends
Americans can now try the OnePlus 11 5G free for 100 days with “No Regret” returns
You know how it is, you want to upgrade your handset but which phone should you choose? Do you stick with what you know or try something new but take the chance of not enjoying the software or design as much and be stuck with it for a couple of years? Well, OnePlus is coming […]
Come comment on this article: Americans can now try the OnePlus 11 5G free for 100 days with “No Regret” returns
You can now try the OnePlus 11 for free for 100 days — here’s how
OnePlus is running a promotion that lets prospective OnePlus 11 buyers try the phone out for free. Here’s how to get in on it.
Digital Trends
Twitter delays API changes again, this time ‘by a few more days’
Twitter is once again delaying the rollout of its paid API. In a tweet spotted by AppleInsider, the company said Tuesday it needs more time to complete work on the redesign. “As part of our efforts to create an optimal experience for the developer community, we will be delaying the launch of our new API platform by a few more days,” Twitter posted.
When the company first announced it was shutting down its free APIs, Twitter said it would cut access off on February 9th. It later pushed back the cutoff date to February 13th without warning. Elon Musk hasn’t said much about how paid access to Twitter’s APIs could work other than to suggest the company will charge $ 100 per month and add “ID verification” to limit bot abuse. The company has also said it plans to introduce a free access tier that will allow “good” bots to tweet up to 1,500 times a month.
There has been an immense amount of enthusiasm for the upcoming changes with Twitter API. As part of our efforts to create an optimal experience for the developer community, we will be delaying the launch of our new API platform by a few more days.
More information to follow… https://t.co/FUZcwJqf9p
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 13, 2023
It’s worth noting that third-party clients and the creators of automated accounts aren’t the only people who use Twitter’s APIs. Researchers frequently use the data the platform generates for a variety of purposes. For instance, in the aftermath of the recent 7.8-magnitude earthquake that has killed at least 36,000 people in Turkey and Syria, members of the Turkish diaspora have used tweets to create heatmaps that show where survivors could be located, with the intention of sharing their findings with rescue crews and aid organizations.
In a recent interview with Time, data scientists and people involved with the rescue effort said Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures, including the multiple rounds of layoffs he has ordered since taking over the company in October, have slowed their work. The company’s API changes are likely to further impact the rescue effort. “If the API stops, the flow of data will stop and people will have to rely solely on slower ways of coordination for the relief efforts,” Sedat Kapanoglu, one of the software engineers involved in the project, told Time. “That can have life-altering effects. It’s that important.”
New Twitter accounts will have to wait 90 days before subscribing to Blue
Twitter may not be restoring Blue verification for a couple of weeks, but it hopes to be more careful when the feature comes back. The social network has updated its FAQ site to warn that new accounts will have to wait 90 days before they can subscribe to Blue. The company also says it reserves the right to demand waiting periods “at our discretion without notice.”
The new policy comes shortly after Twitter blocked new accounts from joining Blue. Within two days of Twitter adopting its pay-to-verify system, the social media service grappled with a flood of impersonators and trolls using their new checkmarks to confuse users. The firm tried using a secondary “official” checkmark for public figures and organizations, but new Twitter owner scrapped the system mere hours after it launched.
Musk added that a “new release” would discourage fraudsters by dropping the Blue checkmark if they change their name — they wouldn’t get it back until Twitter confirmed that the new handle honored the Terms of Service. There isn’t yet any official policy to this effect, however.
There’s plenty of pressure for revised policies like these. Senator Ed Markey has grilled Elon Musk over the ease of creating fake accounts under the new verification system, and suggested that Congress might intervene if the entrepreneur doesn’t fix Twitter and his other brands. Twitter is also dealing with internal chaos as employees resign en masse in response to Musk’s demands for “long hours” from “hardcore” staff.
Elon Musk gives employees two days to commit to ‘hardcore’ Twitter or lose their jobs
Twitter might lose even more employees following the mass layoffs that halved its workforce and shortly after the company fired engineers who publicly called out its new owner. According to The Washington Post, Elon Musk gave remaining staff members an ultimatum and asked them to commit to an “extremely hardcore” Twitter going forward. “If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,” he reportedly wrote in an email that links to an online form.
So what does an “extremely hardcore” Twitter mean? The report didn’t quite delve into the specifics of Musk’s expectations, but the executive apparently said that it means “working long hours at high intensity.” He added: “Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” It’s not quite clear if the move is legal for workers in countries that have rigorous labor laws. Regardless, the email said that those who don’t sign the form by 5PM Eastern on Thursday, November 17th, would be let go and would receive three months of severance pay.
In addition to reporting about the Musk’s email, The Post said that Twitter will be doing a postmortem on the launch of its $ 8 Blue subscription over the next couple of weeks, in an effort to understand why and how it had led to an influx of impersonators. If you’ll recall, things got so bad that Twitter had to suspend its subscription service, which offered instant verification and, hence, gave fake accounts a semblance of legitimacy. Musk had just announced yesterday that the company is pushing back the return of Blue verification to November 29th to make sure that it’s “rock solid.”
The Post also saw internal information and data externally compiled by a software developer that showed Twitter Blue only had around 150,000 users by the time the website paused subscriptions. That’s a tiny fraction of the 238 million daily active users Twitter said it had in the second quarter of 2022 and would only bring in $ 14.4 million in annual revenue.
Further, the new Blue subscription could potentially impact the website’s ad revenue. Twitter earned 79 percent of its ad revenue in the US from merely 10 percent of its most valuable users, with the top 1 percent earning the website $ 40 a month. They’re also the ones most likely to pay for a subscription, however, which means they’re bound to see fewer ads as one of the perks they’re paying for.
Twitter ditches its tabbed timeline mere days after rolling it out
Just days after introducing a feature that made an algorithmically-generated feed the default for iOS users, Twitter is changing things back to the way they were before. “We heard you,” the company said. “Some of you always want to see latest tweets first. We’ve switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options.”
We heard you –– some of you always want to see latest Tweets first. We've switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options. https://t.co/euVcPr9ij6
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 14, 2022
If didn’t follow the controversy Twitter created for itself, it all started last year when the company began testing a new tabbed interface for switching between its algorithmically-generated “Home” feed and reverse-chronolgical “Latest” feed. On March 10th, the company began rolling out the feature to iOS, promising it would come to its Android app and web client soon after. But what many people found, and ended up complaining about, was that the feature would default their feed to the algorithmic one every time they opened the app.
This isn’t the first time an internet company has rolled back a feature, but it shows that many people still want a chronological feed and dislike it when companies try to take that functionality away from them. When it comes to Twitter, there’s a case to be made that many people come to the platform to get first-hand accounts and information when there’s breaking news. So making that version of the website difficult to access isn’t doing anyone any favors.
Microsoft opened Activision acquisition talks three days after CEO harassment report
When Microsoft announced it would spend $ 68.7 billion to buy Activision Blizzard to bolster its Xbox gaming division, the news came as a surprise to many. For months, the troubled publisher had been in headlines stemming from the workplace sexual harassment lawsuit filed by California’s fair employment agency in July. The bad press hit a fever pitch on November 16th after The Wall Street Journal published a report that asserted Activision CEO Bobby Kotick had not only known about many of the incidents of sexual harassment that had occured at the company but had also acted to protect those who were responsible for the abuse.
Days after that article came out, Xbox chief Phil Spencer reportedly told employees he was “distributed and deeply troubled by the horrific events and actions” that allegedly took place at Activision Blizzard and that Microsoft would re-evaluate its relationship with the publisher. It’s one day after that email that Spencer called Kotick to start the process that would end with Microsoft announcing plans to buy Activision Blizzard some two months later, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing first spotted by CNBC.
Starting on page 31 of the document, Microsoft devotes nearly 10 pages detailing the timeline of its talks with Activision. According to the filing, Spencer told Kotick during their November 19th phone call that “Microsoft was interested in discussing strategic opportunities” between the two companies and asked if he had time to talk to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the following day. That Saturday, November 20th, Nadella made it clear Microsoft hoped to purchase the publisher, stating the company was “interested in exploring a strategic combination with Activision Blizzard.”
It turns out the quick pace at which the talks moved was mainly due to all the other companies interested in buying up Activision Blizzard after its stock dived in November. At least four other companies contacted the publisher about a possible acquisition. None of them are named in the SEC filing. However, one notably wanted to just buy Blizzard. Activision didn’t move forward with that option because the company’s board of directors deemed the sale would have been too difficult to pull off.
The document also details the terms of the purchase agreement. If the deal doesn’t go through due to antitrust complications, Microsoft has agreed to pay Activision Blizzard a termination fee of up $ 3 billion. A few years ago, that’s a possibility Microsoft probably wouldn’t have had to worry about too much, but 2022 finds the company in a very different regulatory environment. At the start of the month, NVIDIA abandoned a $ 40 billion bid to buy ARM after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the purchase. President Biden appointed Lina Khan, the Commission’s current chair, to the position on the strength of her experience in antitrust law. When the NVIDIA-ARM deal fell through, the agency specifically noted it was "significant" because it "represents the first abandonment of a litigated vertical merger in many years."
Tesla will halt Model S and X production for 18 days
Tesla has plenty of demand for its electric cars despite the pandemic, but that doesn’t appear to extend to its highest-end EVs. CNBC has obtained an internal Tesla email revealing that the automaker will shut down production for the Model S and Mode…
Engadget
T-Mobile Test Drive reintroduced, allows potential customers up to 30 days try before they buy
T-Mobile Test Drive has been reintroduced, giving potential customers up to 30 days or 30Gb to test the carrier’s coverage and signal quality. After signing up, T-Mobile will ship you a portable hotspot completely free of charge, and yours to keep or give to a friend after the Test Drive completes. T-Mobile reintroduced their Test […]
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile Test Drive reintroduced, allows potential customers up to 30 days try before they buy
MIUI 11 is releasing in just a few days
Xiaomi’s Indian Twitter account has just announced the date for their upcoming MIUI 11 software update, albeit with pretty limited details. The teaser on their Twitter account drops the October 16th launch date, but it leaves us in the dark about what devices can expect the update. Since the tweet came from Xiaomi’s Indian account, […]
Come comment on this article: MIUI 11 is releasing in just a few days
What’s on TV: ‘Days Gone,’ ‘Alien’ 4K, and ‘She-Ra’
Engadget RSS Feed
Amazon’s 12 Days of Deals promotion starts December 2nd
With the craziness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday out of the way, you’ll no doubt be excited to learn that Amazon contrived to come up with yet another way to separate you from your hard-earned money. The online retailer has unveiled its 12 Days of Deals promotion that predictably runs for twelve days starting December […]
Come comment on this article: Amazon’s 12 Days of Deals promotion starts December 2nd
Check out Tidal’s music streaming completely free for 12 days after Christmas
If you’ve been itching to test out Tidal’s music streaming service to potentially replace Spotify or Google Play Music, you’re going to have a chance this Christmas. Starting on the 25th, Tidal will be giving everyone access to their streaming catalog for 12 days, no credit card required. All you’ll need to do is sign […]
Come comment on this article: Check out Tidal’s music streaming completely free for 12 days after Christmas
Nintendo Switch Online app pops up a few days before the service is live
The true, full-fledged online gaming platform from Nintendo is approaching showtime. Nintendo won’t begin offering the service until Friday, but the company is already letting owners of the Switch grab the companion app for their mobile devices. The Nintendo Switch Online app went live on Google Play and the Apple App Store three days before the […]
Come comment on this article: Nintendo Switch Online app pops up a few days before the service is live
Andy Rubin says the Essential Phone should ship in about 30 days
Now we know when you should expect to see the Essential Phone ship in the United States. Speaking with Walt Mossberg at the Code Conference hosted by Recode, Essential’s Andy Rubin revealed that its first phone should ship in around the next 30 days. Neither Essential nor Rubin would share anything about availability beyond pricing in […]
Come comment on this article: Andy Rubin says the Essential Phone should ship in about 30 days
The Github for eco-housing builds $25k homes in just five days
Marcin Jakubowski and Catarina Mota are the great minds behind the Open Building Institute. Think of it as the Github for green housing — an “open-source eco-building toolkit to make the construction of ecological housing easier.”
The post The Github for eco-housing builds $ 25k homes in just five days appeared first on Digital Trends.
Toshiba scraps Wearvue smart specs just days before launch
Toshiba has scrapped its Wearvue smart glasses just days before the product was due to go on sale. Aimed at businesses looking for hands-free solutions, the Glass-like gadget has been ditched as the embattled tech firm looks to make cost savings.
The post Toshiba scraps Wearvue smart specs just days before launch appeared first on Digital Trends.
LG says it sold 450,000 V10 units in its first 45 days of availability
According to LG, the company managed to sell 450,000 V10 units in the U.S. during its first 45 days of availability. This was reason enough to celebrate for a company that had a mediocre 2015.
The post LG says it sold 450,000 V10 units in its first 45 days of availability appeared first on Digital Trends.
Eight days of DT Giveaways
Wouldn’t holiday shopping be a lot more fun if you didn’t have to, you know, pay for stuff? We thought so too. That’s why we’re giving away some of our favorite gadgets – from drones to smartphones – for the eight days leading up to Christmas. Enter to win as many giveaways as you want, […]
The post Eight days of DT Giveaways appeared first on Digital Trends.