WhatsApp’s playing nice
WhatsApp is making friends with other messenger apps, according to the app’s latest beta version (and WABetaInfo). Tucked away in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.19.8, the messenger is opening itself up to other forms of communication, such as being able to receive messages from iMessage or Telegram senders and vice-versa.
This isn’t some kind-hearted gesture from Meta. This has to do with the recent obligations set out by the new EU Digital Markets Act, with the European Commission setting a deadline – saying that the company needs to comply and open itself up to third-party messengers by March 2024. Either that or get lost. It’s clear what WhatsApp has chosen.
Whether the new rules will apply only to those countries within the EU’s borders, we can’t be sure. Either way, Meta isn’t messing about, having already begun development on the changes. Users on the latest beta can access a new section dubbed ‘Third-party chats’. You won’t find much in there, besides apparent confirmation that the feature is being worked on.
There’s no telling when WhatsApp will push the feature out. Our guess? Meta will milk its “gatekeeper” privileges until it’s forced to make the change. We’ll likely only see this update hit the app store shelves come February or March 2024 but it’s certainly possible that Meta releases it sooner.
Samsung’s Fan Edition is finally making a comeback
If you’re still salty about the lack of a Galaxy S22 Fan Edition, Samsung seems to be righting those wrongs with a very probable S23 FE in the works. That’s according to multiple leaks of the thing, an FCC certification, and new images from TENAA – a Chinese certification database.
Those rather low-res images didn’t just reveal what the S23 FE looks like. The TENAA listing (via SamMobile) mentioned what sort of display and specs to expect come the official Samsung announcement. Those include a 6.3in 1,080 x 2,340 display, 8GB of RAM and the choice of 128/256GB for storage. It doesn’t mention a processor by name, but the “2.99GHz/2.4GHz/1.7GHz,” CPU clock speeds point to the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the same chipset found in the S22 line-up.
Camera and battery details were mentioned too, with the S23 FE reportedly rocking a 50MP main sensor coupled with a 12MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto. As for the selfie-cam, it looks like Samsung’s sticking with the same 10MP you’d find in the S22 range. There’s a 4,370mAh battery on board providing the juice.
There’s no word from Samsung that the S23 FE officially exists yet, meaning release details are scarce. In the past, leaks have pointed towards a September release, though Samsung seems to be cutting it quite fine if that is the case. Missing that, we could see an early Q4 release, possibly alongside the rumoured Galaxy Tab S9 FE.
Disney’s history comes to a head
Walt Disney’s been around the block a fair few times by now. It’s been releasing animated features since 1937, with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves kicking off perhaps the biggest multimedia company ever. Since then, it’s released plenty more movies under the Disney umbrella and it’s compiling one hundred of the best animated features into one massive Blu-ray collectors edition.
It’s called the Disney Legacy Animated Collection, and it’ll set you back $1,500 (R28,650) once it’s listed somewhere other than Walmart. It features some of Disney’s own hits along with a few from Walt Disney Animation (because that’s different, apparently), and a few of Pixar’s best offerings. It’s all bundled as a three-volume collection that’ll unfold to reveal art from each movie, a certificate of authenticity, and of course, the Blu-rays themselves.
Still, nearly R30,000 for a set of Blu-rays? We’d say Disney was a bit full of itself for setting such a high price if there weren’t already fans looking to place their pre-orders. We reckon most of that absurd price has to do with the addition of crystal Mickey Mouse ears. Disney hasn’t gone into specifics about the one hundred movies in the box set, though a list is available on The Wrap.
Goodbye Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, hello Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
For some reason, Ubisoft has quietly pulled Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag off the Steam store. Sure, the listing is still there, showing the usual trailers, reviews and images. It’s just the ‘Add to cart’ and price that’s missing, with all signs (and a rumour or two) pointing towards a remake or remaster for the best Assassin’s Creed game out there.
It’s possible that Ubisoft isn’t working on a remake or remaster at all. It did something similar with Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD being similarly delisted from Steam, before returning as a purchasable game, with the added caveat: “online features are no longer available for this product.” The same might be true for Black Flag.
We’ll have to wait and see, huh? According to rumours (via TechRadar), the Black Flag remake/remaster was still in the very early stages of development when reports surfaced in June, which makes the recent removal of its 2013 counterpart even more surprising.