Month: November 2023
Threads globalizes keyword search, takes aim at Twitter
Threads, Meta Inc.’s emerging rival to Twitter, has expanded its keyword search feature to all markets where the app is
The post Threads globalizes keyword search, takes aim at Twitter appeared first on ReadWrite.
Threads, Meta Inc.’s emerging rival to Twitter, has expanded its keyword search feature to all markets where the app is currently available, according to a Nov. 30 TechCrunch report. The move signals Threads’ increasing competitiveness with Twitter as it aims to serve a global audience.
Initially tested in English-speaking countries, including Australia and New Zealand, in August, a keyword search was rolled out to most English- and Spanish-speaking markets in September. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced this week that search now supports “all languages” on Threads.
With the feature now broadly available, Threads becomes far more useful to its nearly 100 million monthly active users worldwide. Keyword search allows users to quickly find relevant content instead of relying solely on an algorithmic feed.
Threads is launching in the E.U
The news comes as Threads reportedly nears launch in the E.U., one of its few remaining untapped major markets. Citing sources familiar with the plans, The Wall Street Journal states Threads may debut a view-only mode in Europe, allowing users to read posts without an account.
Offering keyword search before entering the E.U. would prime Threads to serve users across the region’s array of languages immediately. But the global availability also caters to the over 100 countries where Threads already operates.
Threads has raced to match Twitter’s core features through continuous updates based on user feedback. In recent months, the app added a chronological feed, web access, polls, hashtag support, profile switching, and more.
However, Threads lacks Twitter’s mainstay Trending Topics feature for real-time news discovery. Instagram head Mosseri affirmed Threads does not emphasize amplifying breaking news like Twitter. Yet an influx of former Twitter users may influence the app’s path forward.
With keyword search reaching full global capacity, Mosseri says more search improvements are imminent. Threads still blocks select search terms, for now, pointing to CDC websites on sensitive topics.
The ambitious growth of Threads parallels mounting competition from Twitter, newly under the helm of Elon Musk. While Twitter currently touts nearly 550 million monthly active users, Threads has room to expand as it launches across Europe and other regions dominated by Twitter. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg projects Threads may one day amass a billion users, framing the app as Meta’s next potential breakout hit.
Featured Image Credit: The Threads Logo
The post Threads globalizes keyword search, takes aim at Twitter appeared first on ReadWrite.
Horizen EON partners with Ascent Exchange to boost DeFi ecosystem on EON with integration of simple liquidity opportunities
Horizen EON is boosting its DeFi game by teaming up with Ascent Exchange and integrating ICHI Vault for simpler yield opportunities. The partnership aims to level up the Horizen EON platform’s capabilities in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, bringing innovation
The post Horizen EON partners with Ascent Exchange to boost DeFi ecosystem on EON with integration of simple liquidity opportunities first appeared on TechStartups.
Horizen EON is boosting its DeFi game by teaming up with Ascent Exchange and integrating ICHI Vault for simpler yield opportunities. The partnership aims to level up the Horizen EON platform’s capabilities in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, bringing innovation […]
The post Horizen EON partners with Ascent Exchange to boost DeFi ecosystem on EON with integration of simple liquidity opportunities first appeared on TechStartups.
Adobe’s Buy of Figma Is ‘Likely’ Bad For Developers, Rules UK Regulator
Paul Kunert reports via The Register: Adobe’s $20 billion buy of web-first design collaboration start-up Figma will harm software developers if it goes ahead as proposed, according to a provisional ruling on the merger by Britain’s competition regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority launched a deeper investigation of the tie-up in July when it classified Figma as an “emerging threat to Adobe.” Now in the latest twist, the regulator says it found the merger would eliminate one of two major players in three software sub-markets: product design; image editing; and illustration.
Figma’s tools are used by well-known businesses that are key to the success of the digital economy, the CMA reckons, including Airbnb, Patagonia and Vodafone. Approving the acquisition “would remove the constraint Adobe exerts on Figma through its product design software, AdobeXD.” The CMA adds in its report: “The inquiry group also provisionally concluded that Adobe abandoned development of new product design software which could have competed even more closely with Figma and, given the timing of the decision, did this as a consequence of the merger. “This supports the CMA’s concern that this proposed deal would likely reduce innovation and the development of competitive new products.” Some software developers are worried that Adobe would up the price of Figma’s subsciption post merger, something Figma denied would happen.
As for image editing and illustration software, the “threat posed” by Figma has fueled product development of Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator applications, including web versions, and this dynamic would be altered by the merger. “This competition would be lost as a result of the transaction, harming designers and creative agencies who might have used these new tools or relied on future updates,” the CMA’s report adds. The nature of the ruling is provisions., and the CMA will now consult of them and consider potential remedies “which could include blocking the deal outright.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Paul Kunert reports via The Register: Adobe’s $20 billion buy of web-first design collaboration start-up Figma will harm software developers if it goes ahead as proposed, according to a provisional ruling on the merger by Britain’s competition regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority launched a deeper investigation of the tie-up in July when it classified Figma as an “emerging threat to Adobe.” Now in the latest twist, the regulator says it found the merger would eliminate one of two major players in three software sub-markets: product design; image editing; and illustration.
Figma’s tools are used by well-known businesses that are key to the success of the digital economy, the CMA reckons, including Airbnb, Patagonia and Vodafone. Approving the acquisition “would remove the constraint Adobe exerts on Figma through its product design software, AdobeXD.” The CMA adds in its report: “The inquiry group also provisionally concluded that Adobe abandoned development of new product design software which could have competed even more closely with Figma and, given the timing of the decision, did this as a consequence of the merger. “This supports the CMA’s concern that this proposed deal would likely reduce innovation and the development of competitive new products.” Some software developers are worried that Adobe would up the price of Figma’s subsciption post merger, something Figma denied would happen.
As for image editing and illustration software, the “threat posed” by Figma has fueled product development of Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator applications, including web versions, and this dynamic would be altered by the merger. “This competition would be lost as a result of the transaction, harming designers and creative agencies who might have used these new tools or relied on future updates,” the CMA’s report adds. The nature of the ruling is provisions., and the CMA will now consult of them and consider potential remedies “which could include blocking the deal outright.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Resident Evil 4 remake will add VR mode in December
Image: Capcom
The Resident Evil 4 remake will soon get a change in perspective. On December 8th, the PS5 version of RE4 will get a free update adding VR mode to the game.
“Resident Evil 4 VR Mode supports the full main story campaign and delivers an added level of immersion to Leon S. Kennedy’s harrowing rescue mission,” read the press release. “The experience lets players see the terrifying world directly through Leon’s eyes and soak in his surroundings with the 4K HDR display of PlayStation VR2.”
If the prospect of gunning down zombies in VR feels a bit too challenging to you as it does to me, RE4VR will feature a shooting range game mode that lets you acclimate to the controls and test the kinds of weapons Leon will use. And if that still proves too much, the original Resident Evil 4 also has its own VR version available on the Meta Quest 2.
A VR version is only one part of all the special attention being paid to the RE4 remake. The game is one of the more unlikelier candidates for this year’s Game of the Year award, and it’s also one of the games selected to debut on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro alongside Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Resident Evil 4 VR Mode launches on the PSVR2 December 8th.
Image: Capcom
The Resident Evil 4 remake will soon get a change in perspective. On December 8th, the PS5 version of RE4 will get a free update adding VR mode to the game.
“Resident Evil 4 VR Mode supports the full main story campaign and delivers an added level of immersion to Leon S. Kennedy’s harrowing rescue mission,” read the press release. “The experience lets players see the terrifying world directly through Leon’s eyes and soak in his surroundings with the 4K HDR display of PlayStation VR2.”
If the prospect of gunning down zombies in VR feels a bit too challenging to you as it does to me, RE4VR will feature a shooting range game mode that lets you acclimate to the controls and test the kinds of weapons Leon will use. And if that still proves too much, the original Resident Evil 4 also has its own VR version available on the Meta Quest 2.
A VR version is only one part of all the special attention being paid to the RE4 remake. The game is one of the more unlikelier candidates for this year’s Game of the Year award, and it’s also one of the games selected to debut on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro alongside Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Resident Evil 4 VR Mode launches on the PSVR2 December 8th.
An oil exec, a climate crisis, and reparations: what’s going down at the United Nations summit in Dubai
COP28 logo on the opening day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on November 30, 2023. | Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Will there be a future for fossil fuels? How much money do the most polluting countries owe the rest of the world? That’s all on the table at the United Nations Climate Change Conference underway in Dubai. World leaders will debate a possible phase-out of fossil fuels during a United Nations climate conference in Dubai from November 30th to December 12th. With an oil baron presiding over the summit, the negotiations are sure to get heated. Countries hardest hit by climate-fueled disasters, meanwhile, are pushing for reparations through a fund for “loss and damage” and more financing to help communities adapt to new extremes.
The stakes are high at the summit, dubbed COP28 because it’s the 28th “Conference of the Parties,” a meeting of 197 nations and territories that ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Whatever is decided in Dubai will have consequences for the whole world. The Verge is tracking how the negotiations play out; stay tuned.
COP28 logo on the opening day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on November 30, 2023. | Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Will there be a future for fossil fuels? How much money do the most polluting countries owe the rest of the world? That’s all on the table at the United Nations Climate Change Conference underway in Dubai.
World leaders will debate a possible phase-out of fossil fuels during a United Nations climate conference in Dubai from November 30th to December 12th. With an oil baron presiding over the summit, the negotiations are sure to get heated. Countries hardest hit by climate-fueled disasters, meanwhile, are pushing for reparations through a fund for “loss and damage” and more financing to help communities adapt to new extremes.
The stakes are high at the summit, dubbed COP28 because it’s the 28th “Conference of the Parties,” a meeting of 197 nations and territories that ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Whatever is decided in Dubai will have consequences for the whole world. The Verge is tracking how the negotiations play out; stay tuned.
‘Red gold’: Why saffron production is dwindling in India
The spice saffron fetches huge sums of money, but is hard to grow and Indian production is falling.
The spice saffron fetches huge sums of money, but is hard to grow and Indian production is falling.
9 Best Dutch Ovens We Tested – CNET
Should you spend $400 on a fancy Le Creuset or bag a $50 Lodge pot and save the rest for a rainy day? We put several pots to the test to find out.
Should you spend $400 on a fancy Le Creuset or bag a $50 Lodge pot and save the rest for a rainy day? We put several pots to the test to find out.
Tesla delivered the Cybertruck: here’s how to preorder one
A newer showcase model of the Cybertruck in New York City. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Cybertruck is here — for real this time — and for those who haven’t reserved one already, Tesla has a new ordering process. Today, you can preorder the visually perplexing, low-poly pickup truck on Tesla’s website with a refundable deposit of $250.
A small batch of early preorder holders took delivery of the first production Cybertruck models at an event in Texas. Since reservations went up on Tesla’s website in 2019, the automaker happily accepted $100 deposits to get in line to buy a non-configured Cybertruck model. During the last earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed there were over 1 million preorders.
For a short while earlier this week, the price to hold a place in line for the Cybertruck went up to $250. Afterward, Tesla shut off preorders and added a countdown timer for the delivery event. Now, Tesla has reopened preorders and is inviting interested buyers to drop $250 to join the back of the line. It lets you choose between a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and new high-end “Cyberbeast” version of the truck, with a new starting price of $60,990. The Cybertruck options are as follows:
Once you pay your “refundable” deposit, you’ll get an invitation when your Cybertruck is ready to be configured. It’s not confirmed if the Cyberbeast model carries the previously announced tri-motor setup.
Tesla originally promised a single-motor Cybertruck model with 250 miles of range on a single charge for $39,900, a dual-motor version capable of 300 miles for $49,900, and a top-tier triple-motor one with an almost unbelievable 500 miles of range for $69,900.
The Cybertruck has made its mark in 2019 as Tesla’s sixth production vehicle and one of the first announced all-electric pickup trucks for consumers. Since then, Ford released the F-150 Lightning and Rivian delivered the R1T, and people can actually buy them right now. But there’s a completely separate appeal to the Cybertruck, and it’s certainly looking better today than it did as a prototype on the road.
Related:
A newer showcase model of the Cybertruck in New York City. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Cybertruck is here — for real this time — and for those who haven’t reserved one already, Tesla has a new ordering process. Today, you can preorder the visually perplexing, low-poly pickup truck on Tesla’s website with a refundable deposit of $250.
A small batch of early preorder holders took delivery of the first production Cybertruck models at an event in Texas. Since reservations went up on Tesla’s website in 2019, the automaker happily accepted $100 deposits to get in line to buy a non-configured Cybertruck model. During the last earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed there were over 1 million preorders.
For a short while earlier this week, the price to hold a place in line for the Cybertruck went up to $250. Afterward, Tesla shut off preorders and added a countdown timer for the delivery event. Now, Tesla has reopened preorders and is inviting interested buyers to drop $250 to join the back of the line. It lets you choose between a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and new high-end “Cyberbeast” version of the truck, with a new starting price of $60,990. The Cybertruck options are as follows:
Once you pay your “refundable” deposit, you’ll get an invitation when your Cybertruck is ready to be configured. It’s not confirmed if the Cyberbeast model carries the previously announced tri-motor setup.
Tesla originally promised a single-motor Cybertruck model with 250 miles of range on a single charge for $39,900, a dual-motor version capable of 300 miles for $49,900, and a top-tier triple-motor one with an almost unbelievable 500 miles of range for $69,900.
The Cybertruck has made its mark in 2019 as Tesla’s sixth production vehicle and one of the first announced all-electric pickup trucks for consumers. Since then, Ford released the F-150 Lightning and Rivian delivered the R1T, and people can actually buy them right now. But there’s a completely separate appeal to the Cybertruck, and it’s certainly looking better today than it did as a prototype on the road.
Related:
Automatic bike transmission concept is wild and spiky—and could be a big shift
Solo inventor says he’s not out to replace gears, just offer an alternative.
Enlarge / Haven Mercer’s prototype front assembly for an automatic bike transmission. (credit: Haven Mercer)
Depending on how you look at it, either a lot or not very much has changed about the way bikes shift gears since the mid-19th century.
A lot has been refined along the transmission path, in which your feet push cranks, those cranks turn a big gear, and a chain connects that big gear to a smaller gear on the rear wheel. Shifting has picked up lots of improvements, be they electronic or wireless, as have derailleurs and internal gearboxes. Materials and tolerances have only improved over the decades.
But in almost all cases, you’re still manually adjusting something to move the chain and change gears, depending on the resistance you’re feeling on the bike. Even the most outlandish recent ideas still involve indexed movement between different-sized gears.
[CNN] Tiny living robots made from human cells surprise scientists
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