Author: Carla Mouton

WhatsApp is introducing the ability to filter conversations on standard WhatsApp accounts on iOS, Android, and the desktop app. The ability to filter chats is already available on WhatsApp Business Accounts. Filters for chats The screenshot above, via WABetaInfo, shows the filter button on a WhatsApp Business account. With this feature, users with a long list of chats no longer need to worry about missing messages. Its introduction will make it easier to search for unread chats, contacts, non-contacts, and groups. This will help tidy up your chats or find a chat when you’re in a hurry. We do wish…

China intends to build a hydroelectric dam on the Tibetan plateau using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and 3D printing. When completed, the dam will provide five billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year to China. The really remarkable bit? The project, which will apparently be done by 2024, won’t need humans keeping an eye on matters. The Yangqu Dam, when complete, will be the world’s largest 3D-printed structure, according to The South China Morning Post. Currently, the tallest 3D-printed structure is a 9.5m tall building in Dubai, printed by Apis Cor 3D. But Apis’ robots used a very…

Recently we heard that Netflix was planning to introduce an ad-supported tier in the next two years. It looks like that’s now happening sooner than expected. The company is also reportedly planning to lock down account sharing a little more rapidly than expected. The company indicated to employees that an ad-supported version of Netflix will be available later in 2022. This memo was obtained by the New York Times. The publication claims employees were told that an ad-supported tier would turn up in the last three months of this year. After dismissing the idea of ads on the service for…

The rear of our Oppo Reno 7 5G sparkles more than the vampires from the Twilight movies. It’s called Startrail Blue and is the first thing you notice about this curved, thin phone. These visually striking whimsical colours may be the reason some buy the phone. Oppo claims that this is the first phone to use LDI (Laser Direct Imaging) processing. It’s chiseled with over 1.2 million micro-rasters that look like tiny shooting stars or meteors on the plastic chassis. However it’s done, it might be the most stylish phone in its price range. That magical matte finish also helps…

Facebook will soon no longer notify you about the weather, or a friend in your area. That’s because Meta is changing how its location services work in the app. Users started receiving notifications last week saying that Nearby Friends and other location-based services will be eliminated on 31 May 2022. More info: pic.twitter.com/UCO1e8R6Lr — Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) May 5, 2022 “Nearby Friends and Weather alerts will no longer be available after May 31, 2022. Information you shared that was used for these experiences, including Location History and Background Location, will stop being collected after May 31, 2022, even if you…

Twitter is apparently working on a new feature that will allow tweeters to post Twitter Articles. Remember the days of 140 characters? Yeah, they’d be long gone. This update could permit long-form posts within the app, unencumbered by Twitter’s current 280-character limit. So far, you have had ‘enough’ characters to get your message across, but we guess everything has to change sometime. Twitter Articles was first seen by Jane Manchun Wong. Wong has an excellent track record of spotting new features earlier than basically everyone else. Article angles Twitter Article looks pretty polished at this stage pic.twitter.com/oAc6LXCKOy — Jane Manchun…

This year, Comic Con is doing something that it’s never done before. No, not mandatory Covid masks. A Sew-a-thon competition. The eight-hour Sew-a-thon will be broadcasted live on YouTube with contestant interviews throughout the event. This competition isn’t just for the professionals, though. Intermediate and advanced sewers can also win their share of a prize pool valued at over R23,000. Sew-a-thon deets The event will take place on 11 June 2022 at the STADIO School of Fashion. Entry deadline is 27 May and they will announce the theme on 30 May. The entry fee is R150, so get your sewing…

WhatsApp is working on a new feature allowing group admins to delete messages in a group. This is part of new tweaks being rolled out with WhatsApp Communities. It’s already possible to delete messages… for yourself. This change will permit group admins to delete the offending message for everyone. Control-alt-delete According to WABetaInfo  the feature is called Delete Messages For Everyone. How it works is very simple. When a message is deleted by a group admin, the rest of the group will see who deleted it, and when. The admin will be notified that they are deleting someone else’s message for…

Twitter is finally testing Twitter Circle, a feature that lets users send tweets out to a limited number of followers. The test is ongoing, with a few members of the public being able to use Circle right now. How selection for the test was made isn’t known, but you probably need more than 150 followers in order to qualify. Make the Circle bigger? Some Tweets are for everyone & others are just for people you’ve picked. We’re now testing Twitter Circle, which lets you add up to 150 people who can see your Tweets when you want to share with…

Remember all the years of rumours that VW would be joining F1? They’re finally official. Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess revealed that Audi and Porsche will join Formula 1 in 2026. Diess shared the news in a live stream titled “Dialog with Diess” on the official Volkswagen Group page on YouTube. According to Diess, regulation changes, announced for the sport last month, will allow sufficient time for both Porsche and Audi to begin development. In other words, 2026 is the perfect opportunity for the brand to enter Formula 1. “Game-changer” Regulation changes will permit Porsche and Audi to get involved…