Spotted by The Verge, the toy maker will release a pair of Transformers toys — Optimus Prime of the Autobots, and Refraktor from the Decepticons. Refraktor comprises three separate robots; Spectro, Spyglass, and Viewfinder. Both can disguise themselves as Canon’s camera but they are, functionally, still toys.

When they’re not being iconic 80s animated characters, they are an 80% scale model of Canon’s full-frame mirrorless EOS R5. Takara Tomy says that the camera body and lens can be removed, but since these are toys, they cannot actually snap pictures. That’s a pity. There was a ‘Prime lens’ joke in there somewhere.

The lens cap resembles the one found on Canon’s actual cameras. It can be removed and wielded as a shield by your chosen Transformer. Basically everyone is choosing Optimus, right?

Prime focus

Both robots come with a small camera that each can hold when in their transformed state. It’s absolutely adorable, even when the Decepticon is holding it. Optimus Prime ships with a tiny EOS R5 while Refraktor comes with a three-part camera that mimics the Decepticon’s original concept.

The two Transformers are scheduled to be released in Japan on 25 February 2023. Pre-orders for Optimus Prime and Refraktor will open between 10 August and 28 September for about $150 (R2,435). Takara Tomy has not confirmed a global release, so these will probably be an import purchase.

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Images taller than the current 8:10 aspect ratio are already possible, but they have to be shared as a Story. These can be retained, provided they’re saved as a highlight, but Insta’s planning to make length more… normal.

Instagram’s tall tale

The platform will soon allow ‘grammers to post photos with a 9:16 aspect ratio to their feeds. According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s weekly Q&A, the company will test a new feed in “…a week or two”.

Mosseri said, “You can have tall videos, but you cannot have tall photos on Instagram. So we thought maybe we should make sure that we treat both equally.”

Instagram’s latest test follows its poorly-received full-screen layout, which was postponed following backlash from users. Users fond of the photo-centric aspects of the app were particularly vocal in their opposition. The social network has stepped back from the design for now, but it’s only a matter of time before Meta’s take on TikTok returns.

Read More: Instagram expands NFT support to more than 100 countries around the world

Instagram also recently launched Dual, a dual camera mode that lets users capture content and their reaction to it using a phone’s front and back sensors simultaneously. It hasn’t turned up in South Africa yet, but there’s loads of content using the feature.

Once you receive the update, you will find it under the drop-down menu in Reels. Tap the down arrow to bring up all of the options and select the camera icon marked Dual. Then, record a Reel as normal, edit and post.

Source: Engadget

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The unusual vehicle uses multiple cameras and sensors to check whether cellphones are in use. It’s also able to determine whether a driver is wearing their seatbelt.

‘Find my phone’

The “sensor test vehicle”, as it’s called, captures footage of passing vehicles. An artificial intelligence system analyses those images for phone and seatbelt violations. It’s apparently able to tell if a phone was in use, or if drivers and passengers weren’t wearing seatbelts. The van can also be fitted with a device that detects tailgating (driving too close to the car ahead) violations.

“During the trial the most serious breaches may be prosecuted, with others receiving warning letters, giving us the opportunity to explain how they have been caught and asking them to change their behaviour. Next time they may not be so lucky,” said Warwickshire police.

Inspector Jem Mountford said, “We are really excited to see the impact this new technology has on the behaviour of drivers in Warwickshire.”

Nicholas Lyes, of the Royal Automobile Club, said that 79% of drivers surveyed supported the rollout of this technology.

“For several years the RAC has been urging the government to explore how camera-based technology could reduce the scourge of drivers who put others at risk by using handheld phones while driving,” said Lyes.

In Britain in 2019, there were 420 collisions that involved a driver using a mobile phone. 23% of car occupants who died in crashes in the UK in 2020 were not wearing seatbelts.

This isn’t the first time UK police have used camera-based tech on misbehaving drivers. Operation Tramline is a British operation that uses three trucks (of the large variety) and their elevated positions to let cops watch drivers misbehaving. Police pull up next to cars on the road to film what’s going on inside. Up to 250 drivers a month are caught mucking around on phones or not wearing seatbelts. Sounds like a perfectly acceptable use of surveillance technology. Obviously.

Source: The Guardian

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In its announcement, Twitter said it was making Location Spotlight available to all professionals on Twitter.

“This is the first spotlight for professionals to become globally available. Location Spotlight allows professionals with physical business locations to display their business address, hours of operation and additional contact information so that customers can reach them via phone, text, email or Twitter Direct Message.”

Adding Twitter’s new feature

🚀 We’re going global! Now, any professional around the world can add a Location Spotlight to their profile to help customers find their biz location and get in touch faster. And☝️it has a new Google Maps integration to help customers with directions. pic.twitter.com/Uw5oLdJWXU

— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) August 4, 2022

If you want to add Location Spotlight to your business Twitter account, follow these steps on your smartphone:

• Go to your Profile in Twitter, and tap on Edit profile.
• At the bottom, tap Edit Professional Profile.
• You’ll see a section called “Profile Spotlight,” which you’ll need to tap on.
• Tap on the Location toggle switch, then enter your business address, hours, website, and contact information. This will be publicly displayed.
• Then tap Publish in the upper-right corner.
• Customers are now one step away from getting directions or contacting you.

While you’re there, you can also select an option that lets viewers browse your store or subscribe to your newsletter. These options are not new – they have been available to Professional accounts since last year.

Source: The Verge

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Facebook launched live shopping two years ago with the goal of making online shopping more convenient. It provided an interactive way to sell items. The Facebook Live feature will still be available to broadcast live events, but e-commerce merchants cannot create product playlists or tag products after 1 October. This means retailers will have to seek other ways of connecting with consumers.

This hasn’t mattered much to South African users and businesses, but it does mean that the function won’t turn up here. It’s also a serious pointer as to where the company’s going next.

Meta is Reeling

In a move to compete with TikTok, Meta has increasingly invested in short-form videos. The format has steadily become more popular for content creators and users.

Meta is using that popularity to convince retailers to use videos to tag products, use ads, and engage with their target audience via Reels. The point is to keep up with TikTok, but that might not be going as well as Meta would like. Regardless, Reels appears to be here to stay.

“If you want to reach and engage people through video, try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram,” Meta suggested. “If you want to reach and engage people through video, try experimenting with Reels and Reels ads on Facebook and Instagram. You can also tag products in Reels on Instagram to enable deeper discovery and consideration. If you have a shop with checkout and want to host Live Shopping events on Instagram, you can set up Live Shopping on Instagram.”

You can also tag products in Reels on Instagram, which works sort of the same way as it did in Live Shopping.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub Insta Reels receive 22% more engagement than regular Instagram video posts. That might have something to do with Meta prioritising videos as recommendations, which would drive traffic for those post types up.

Most Gen Zs also see these short-form videos and TikToks as “pretty much the same” says the same website. Shifting to Reels may not be the worst idea, from Meta’s perspective. But if you’re a regular or high-profile Instagram user, you might not be so thrilled with the push in that direction.

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“In June, we announced Clips to Reels, a new feature for gaming video creators on Facebook to convert live gameplay clips into Reels, was starting to roll out. Now, we’re excited to share it is available to all partners and Level Up Creators,” said Facebook.

Chase your stream

This tool allows creators to trim clips down to 60 seconds long from their favourite live streams and put them into a vertical format. Each Reel created includes dual visualisation; showing both gameplay and the streamer’s camera. In addition, Facebook points out that this option can share highlights of shorts and videos from a Creator Studio Clips Library.

Creators wanting to use this feature can do so by visiting the Creator Studio portal on their computer and browsing the Clips category. From there, they choose the snippet they’d like to turn into a Reel using the Create a Reel option from the dropdown menu. They can then choose the parameters of the video and cut out both the gameplay and camera areas of the creator’s face.

“The tool will do the rest of the work to line up the correct layout for Reels. When you’re done, just go to the Share tab to preview the Reel, add a caption, include hashtags, and post it directly to your page. If you want to add stickers, music, or GIFs, you can download the finished Camera Roll and then re-upload it to Instagram and Facebook to use each app’s creative tools,” said Facebook in a blog post.

Meta efforts for Reels

Facebook Gaming is adding what it hopes are attractive features for content creators in an attempt to gain more followers. It has three important rivals in the market for live broadcasts: Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and TikTok. Facebook Gaming faces an uphill battle, but perhaps this new feature will help level the climb a bit.

This function is set to roll out for all of Facebook’s content creators. Expect to see more Reels featuring streaming gameplay in very short order.

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Instagram Notes

According to TechCrunch, Instagram’s Notes can be shared with a list of Close Friends or mutual followers. In other words, followers who also follow you. Instagram is currently testing its new Notes feature with a limited set of users.

Read more: Twitter Notes (or Articles) entering beta, could arrive in the coming weeks

When users post Notes, followers can see the messages for a short period of time. There’s no notification that an update has been made, however, making it a little like WhatsApp’s status updated. As with WhatsApp’s feature, Notes disappear after 24 hours. Users can also reply to Notes via messages. These replies may be up to 60 characters in length.

Sounds familiar?

Twitter also has a new feature called Notes. It’s not really similar to Instagram’s tool, at all. Twitter’s feature allows users to post long-format content, whereas Instagram’s Notes works more like Snapchat or (as noted) WhatsApp’s disappearing messages. It’s sort of like an Instagram Story. But a written one. So just a story, then.

“We’re always working on ways to help you better connect on Instagram. We’re now testing Notes so people can quickly share thoughts with their friends, with a small group of people to star,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.

As for when it’ll launch to everyone, that’s still a mystery. We’re sure Meta will drop it just as soon as the company is sure it won’t break everything if they do.

Source: TechCrunch

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The new WhatsApp beta is native to Apple Silicon (M1 and M2) machines, but it’ll also work on Intel-sporting Macs that support Catalyst. It features a unique design over the app currently available in the Mac App Store.

What’s Up

The updated WhatsApp for Mac will eventually replace the existing app,  says WABetaInfo. The older app is built on the Electron framework. It’s basically a wrapper for WhatsApp Web, making it slower and more resource-heavy than it should be. It’s certainly less efficient than WhatsApp for iOS. This new desktop beta will probably have a fair bit in common with the upcoming iPadOS version of the app — which isn’t hard, since Catalyst is designed for this sort of thing.

As you can see in the above screenshot, there are some new features. A new sidebar, on the left, and shortcuts to Starred and Archived messages are among the new features. According to 9to5Mac, features such as status, group calls, location sharing, and audio messages are still a little buggy. That’s to be expected from a very early beta, but you can still try it if you want to.

Read more: Here’s how to send a disappearing message using WhatsApp

How to get WhatsApp beta for macOS

The new Catalyst beta version is available via TestFlight. To install the beta, you will need to install TestFlight on your Mac first, and join using this link. The pairing process works similarly to WhatsApp Desktop. Keep in mind that slots are limited, so they might all have vanished by the time you attempt to sign up.

There are no details on when the app will become widely available to users.

Source: WABetaInfo

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Spaces in certain places

The service’s new custom navigation function lets users determine the number of tabs. This is perfect for decluttering the navigation bar or setting up exactly the tabs you need, in the order you need them. Custom navigation lets users display as few as two tabs at a time or maintain all five that are displayed by default.

Spaces is perhaps the first to go, though. The Spaces tab was first tested on iOS last year and appeared on Android in May. Its central placement seems almost designed to irritate users into signing up for the $3/m (R50/m) Blue plan introduced last year. Well, it does fix the problem.

Not out of the woods yet

Twitter Blue can’t shield users from all the new features clogging up the app, though. Last week, Twitter said it would be adding more information to the banner that displays active Spaces at the top of your timeline. The company seems really invested in getting its users to use voice chat.

The new section will soon display information about a given Space’s host, everyone who tweets in the Space, and important Topics. If you’re unhappy about that, you’ll have to learn to live with it. There is currently no option to completely disable this banner. Not even Blue subscribers can escape it — at least, for the moment.

Source: The Verge

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What does Snapchat+ include?

According to initial leaks and a subsequent interview with The Verge, Snapchat+ includes access to exclusive Snap icons and a new profile badge to show that you are a Snapchat+ user. It also includes new data insights, including the capacity to see your friends’ location history over the previous 24 hours. Details on anyone who has re-watched your Story (important stuff) are also available. And finally, subscribers gain the ability to pin a user in the app as their BFF. Uh… okay.

According to Snap, a lot of the features will head on over to Snapchat Normal later, while others will stay exclusive to Plus.

“This subscription will allow us to deliver new Snapchat features to some of the most passionate members of our community and allow us to provide prioritised support,” said Snap in a blog post.

Pin a BFF, anyone?

These features are not must-haves but are designed for the passionate Snap user. The program is very similar to Twitter’s ‘Twitter Blue’ add-on package. Twitter users can currently pay $2.99 (R49) per month for access to similar tools. Guess we’ll see how Snap’s Plus does.

Snapchat+ will be available at launch in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Snap says it plans to expand to more countries at a later stage.

Source: Engadget

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