Google Photos intros smart themed movies and faster sharing
Google Photos already makes movies using your photos, but they don’t really have that personal touch. Where’s that Facebook-style ability to automatically create videos around major life events? Relax, it’s here: Google is trotting out a Photos update that introduces smart themed movies. The service now digs through your whole photo collection and creates clips based around concepts, such as your children growing up. In that case, it’ll find high-quality photos of your young ones (no blurry shots, thankfully) and stitch them together to show their progress over the years. Only a few concepts will pop up this week, such as a summer retrospective and a concept for formal events, but there are more “coming soon.”
On top of that, it’s now much quicker to share photos and videos with friends. There’s a new in-app share sheet on Android and iOS that focuses on people, rather than third-party apps. You just choose the photos, choose the recipients and fire away. Google Photos users will get a notification, while email and SMS users will get a web link. Frankly, that’s how it should be — you probably care more about who gets that album than where you’re sending it from.
Via: The Verge
Source: Google Official Blog
Twitter removes character limit for photos, videos and quotes
Right on schedule, Twitter’s long-anticipated announcement goes live today: photos, videos, GIFs, polls and quoted tweets will no longer count towards the 140-character limit. The company is also testing out some new changes to the way @-replies function on the service.
While the feature is still rolling out to all users today, users might notice that when replying to a tweet, the @names at the beginning of will no longer affect the number of characters remaining. Replies will also be seen by all of your followers, not just the ones who follow both accounts, which means a death of the “.@” reply convention. (But it’s still unclear for now whether you’ll be able to keep adding on usernames until you eventually build a never-ending Twitter canoe.)
If you’re tweeting through one of Twitter’s official apps, the usernames you are replying to will appear in the heading of the your compose window instead of being listed in the body of your Tweet. So, if you’re using an outdated app, Twitter says tweets might look a little weird or cut off for awhile. Finally, there’s no word yet on that rumored feature allowing users to attach longer text blocks or, you know, more useful anti-troll tools.
Say more about what’s happening! Rolling out now: photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward your 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/I9pUC0NdZC
— Twitter (@twitter) September 19, 2016
Source: Twitter, Twitter Blog
Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus Pre-Orders Shipping Sooner Than Expected
Many customers who pre-ordered a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus received shipping estimates ranging into October and November, but it appears Apple is working hard to overcome supply constraints and get shipments out earlier than expected.
Starting this morning, MacRumors began hearing reports from customers who originally had deliveries scheduled for a month or two out but will now be receiving their devices over the course of the next few days.
MacRumors reader Daniel was told to expect his Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus in November, but will be receiving it tomorrow, while another customer had a delivery scheduled for October 4 to 10, but will instead receive his iPhone on Wednesday. There are also multiple reports on Twitter from customers who have had similar good news, including some improved delivery estimates from carriers.
@MacRumors just got a shipment notification on my Jet Black 7+. Way ahead of schedule.
— Daniel (@drwebber) September 19, 2016
The new Jet Black iPhone offers both a unique mirror-like finish and a new deep black color, which has made it one of the most popular choices with customers. It uses a different anodization process than the other iPhones to achieve the shine, perhaps explaining why it is in shorter supply.
Reports of improved shipping estimates are encouraging for customers who are expecting to wait until November to receive a new iPhone. When pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus took place on September 9, shipping estimates for Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus models slipped to weeks and then months within a matter of minutes, leaving customers who wanted the new color waiting. If Apple can continue ramping up supply, orders may be going out much earlier. Orders placed today on Apple’s website for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus continue to have November delivery estimates.
For those who have ordered a Jet Black iPhone or plan to, Apple warns that the device is prone to significant scratching because of its finish, something that has indeed been seen in early reviews and in the wild already.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Photos, Videos, GIFs, and More No Longer Count Towards Twitter’s 140-Character Limit
Twitter today announced that its long-awaited changes to the Tweet character limit have been implemented, giving Twitter users more room for text when sharing media.
Photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count towards the 140-character limit, freeing up character space. Previously, media content took up approximately 24 of the 140 available characters.
Twitter originally said that all @names, such as @MacRumors, would also no longer count towards the 140-character limit, but that change does not appear to have been implemented. There is no mention of it in Twitter’s announcement and @names are still counting in the character limit.
Say more about what’s happening! Rolling out now: photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward your 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/I9pUC0NdZC
— Twitter (@twitter) September 19, 2016
It is not clear if Twitter plans to eliminate @names from character count in the future, but the company has said it is exploring additional ways to allow people to better express themselves, so more changes could be in the works.
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