Twitter Considering Paid Subscription Tier for Professional Users on TweetDeck at $20/Month

Twitter is said to be “considering” whether to implement an all-new paid subscription tier that would be introduced in a premium package for TweetDeck, Twitter’s popular desktop client, and be aimed directly at professionals (via Reuters). If enacted, this would be the first time Twitter charges users for any part of its social media services, which began eleven years ago in March of 2006.

A mockup of what the premium TweetDeck subscription service could look like
Twitter is looking at providing a professional experience for people on TweetDeck that would pack in advance tools and features not found anywhere else on the service. The premium package would cost $19.99 per month, be accessible on both desktop and mobile, and include the following features:

– Exclusive news/alerts summaries personalized for you
– Content management tools like bookmarks, to-do lists, and ‘save for later’
– Cross posting to other social media platforms
– Advanced custom trend analysis and alerting tools
– Exclusive content on social media best practices and strategy
– Enhanced tools for managing and creating custom audience lists (e.g., by interest, customer, or region, etc.)
– Exclusive priority customer support
– The ability to manage multiple Twitter accounts
– Advanced publishing features (e.g., scheduling, collaboration, drafting, etc.)
– Advanced tools for sorting or filtering searches
– An ad-free experience
– Analysis tools for understanding topics or conversations on Twitter
– Ability to access this experience on both desktop and mobile devices
– Ability to securely manage the account across multiple team members
– Twitter customization such as color themes and layouts
– Access to pre-populated lists of users and influencers by interest topic (e.g., industry or subject experts)
– Additional account activity details (e.g., influence scores, account unfollows, or ability to see who is looking at your profile page)
– Ability to import user lists from outside sources
– Advanced analytics on my own content performance

The news was shared by The New York Times affiliated journalist Andrew Tavani, and in addition to the detailed list of features, he tweeted out an overall summary of what the service is said to encompass. With the premium additions, Twitter is aiming to help journalists, marketers, and other such professionals “get even more out of Twitter.”

“Twitter is considering offering a more advanced TweetDeck experience, with more powerful tools to help marketers, journalists, professionals, and others in our community find out what is happening in the world quicker, to gain more insights, and see the broadest range of what people are saying on Twitter. Whether you use Twitter for work or just want to be more informed on the latest news, sports, entertainment, political viewpoints, and information in today’s world, this more advanced TweetDeck experience will be designed to help you get even more out of Twitter.

This premium tool set will provide valuable viewing, posting, and signaling tools like alerts, trends and activity analysis, advanced analytics, and composing and posting tools all in one customizable dashboard.

It will be designed to make it easier than ever to keep up with multiple interests, grow your audience, and see even more great content and information in real-time. It would also offer extra features such as advanced audience insight and analytics, tools to monitor multiple timelines from multiple accounts and from multiple devices, including mobile, all in an ad-free experience.

Twitter confirmed that it is conducting a survey “to access the interest” in this premium version of the service, so no official decision has been made as of yet. It should also be pointed out that the company’s wording strictly stuck to the added value proposition for “professionals,” with no apparent intention to make a monthly subscription version of Twitter for its casual users.

In the past few years, Twitter has struggled to convince users to stay with the service, as well as faced difficulties in enticing new users to adopt Twitter over its competitors like Snapchat and Facebook. Changes to the service have done some good in improving certain annoyances users had with it — like removing handles and media attachments from the character count limit and improving anti-harassment tools — but Twitter has seen little growth from these initiatives. Twitter’s total worldwide users currently sit at 319 million, compared to Facebook’s 1.86 billion.

Tags: Twitter, TweetDeck
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Casetify Debuts Red iPhone 7 Case Collection

Casetify, a site that specializes in custom designed iPhone and iPad cases, today debuted a collection of shine-through design cases especially curated for Apple’s special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which also debuts on Friday.

In total, 60 different designs make up the collection, which includes repeating pattern designs, favorite quotes, and vector graphics, among other illustrations. Individual cases cost $40 each for both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handset sizes.

The cases are made in a soft polycarbonate (TPU) Classic Grip, which safeguards the phone from any accidental drops. The matte, soft-touch frame enables a soft grip, while the semi-transparent back exposes the anodized aluminum red finish of Apple’s new iPhone colorway.

Using the site’s design feature, or the company’s mobile app, users also have the ability to create their own see-through designs, by adding photos from their computers, Instagram, or Facebook to personalize their case.

Tag: Casetify
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Moto G5 Plus is now up for pre-order on Amazon, Alcatel A30 on sale for $59

Amazon is offering a $45 discount on the G5 Plus if you’re willing to put up with lock screen ads.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here. After getting announced at the end of last month, the Moto G5 Plus is now up for pre-order as an Amazon Prime exclusive for $184.99. That’s for the ad-subsidized version with lock screen ads, much like last year’s G4 Plus.

The standard version is also up for pre-order for $229 for the model with 2GB of RAM and 32GB storage, with the variant offering 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage costing $299. Amazon mentions that the phones will be releasing on March 31.

• Moto G5 Plus hands-on
• Moto G5 Plus vs. Moto G4 Plus

Like last year, all versions of the G5 Plus sold on Amazon are fully compatible with the four major carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The handset itself has a lot to offer, sporting an aluminum back and a significantly upgraded 12MP camera with an f/1.7 lens and 1.4 micron pixels. Other details include a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, and a 3000mAh battery.

The phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and there are a few interesting additions, like One Button Nav. Overall, it’s one of the best options for under $300.

See at Amazon

If you’re looking for an entry-level phone, Amazon is selling the Alcatel A30 for just $59. You get a 5-inch 720p panel, Snapdragon 210, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, and Nougat out of the box.

See at Amazon

V-Moda Remix Bluetooth speaker has a built-in headphone amp and can cost up to $370,000

V-Moda is a company known for its headphones, headphones that perform rather well under review as it turns out. So with that product category taken care of for now, the company has turned its hand to creating a Bluetooth speaker. The Remix is just that, but it has a few little tricks up its sleeve.

• V-Moda Crossfade Wireless review: Big on the bass
• Best speakers 2017: Best wireless and Bluetooth speakers for your tunes

Just in the same way you can customise V-Moda’s headphones with different plates to go on the ear cups, you can customise all six sides of the Remix speaker with 3D printed parts. As a base product, it’s only available in CNC machined aluminium or vegan leather, but after that you’re able to choose from a wide range of pieces to swap out to create a completely unique speaker.

Materials start with a lightweight matte fiber, with prices ranging from $40 up to $250, you can choose from five different versions of steel from $140 – $2,000, the sides can be customised with raw brass or bronze for $3,500 or sterling silver for $4,500. If you have a really deep wallet and want to emblazon your Remix speaker with 14-karat gold-plated and rhodium sides, you can for $5,000, with pure 14-karat gold for $130,000, or for the super rich among you, you can opt for platinum sides for $370,000. We’d say the materials on offer could comfortably make the Remix one of the most expensive Bluetooth speakers we’ve come across.

Of course, if you’re spending that amount of money, you’re going to want your speaker to sound good. And thanks to a new glass-fiber diaphragm and long coil drivers, coupled with a rear-mounted bass reflex port, V-Moda says the Remix has the capabilities to be used for monitoring duties during mobile recording and production.

V-Moda

You can plug in a pair of headphones too and use the Remix as a headphone amplifier, with V-Moda claiming performance is comparable to headphone amplifiers costing $200 or more.

The built-in rechargeable battery – via USB-C – promises up to 10 hours of playback time and a built-in microphone will let you use it for hands-free calls. Two Bluetooth devices can be connected to the Remix at any one time and an unlimited number of speakers can be daisy chained together to create larger, more powerful sound. The Remix can also connect to the Amazon Echo Dot, either via Bluetooth or by using the included cable.

There’s certainly a lot going for the V-Moda Remix, and Pocket-lint hopes to get one in soon for review. In the meantime, you can buy your own for €300/$300, with customisable parts being available from V-Moda’s website.

Under Armour’s latest $300 3D-printed sneaker arrives March 30th

Last year Under Armour debuted a limited run (96 pairs) of Architech shoes with a 3D-printed midsole, and now it’s continuing the line with the Futurist. Once again, that 3D printing is used to create a “dynamic lattice network” for cushioning but this time it’s matched to a compression lace system that adds an external sleeve with a zipper and a UA SpeedForm upper for a very secure fit. Its “heel stability solution” is supposed to be steady enough for strength training, but versatile enough for whatever workout you’re willing to attempt in this limited edition $300 sneaker.

We’re still not sure when 3D printing techniques will make the leap to mass production, but WearTesters reports that printing the tooling for the shoe can take a full day. Adidas talked about designing custom shoes with its FutureCraft system but also has only produced limited numbers, and Reebok showed off “3D drawing,” but the tech hasn’t quite been figured out yet. Even Nike has only shown off 3D printing in terms of how it can help design new shoes for some of its athletes. For now, anyone who wants these Futurists can try to get a pair March 30th on UA.com or at select Under Armour Brand Houses worldwide.

Source: Under Armour

Ofcom proposes free cash for lengthy broadband outages

Under new proposals by Ofcom, Brits could soon receive automatic compensation for slow broadband repairs and missed engineer appointments. The measures are part of a larger crackdown on the UK’s telephone and internet service providers. Openreach, the arm of BT that handles broadband infrastructure, was forced to become its own, “legally separate company” earlier this month. Now, Ofcom is effectively saying that it needs to do better than before, or face financial repercussions.

The suggested penalties would cover landline and broadband connections which are “not fixed quickly enough” (Ofcom suggests two working days as the threshold), engineers who don’t show up for appointments, and new connections which aren’t ready on a promised date. Under any of these scenarios, customers would be entitled to automatic compensation, paid in cash or as credit on their next bill. Ofcom is proposing £10 for every calendar day that a service isn’t repaired, £30 for missed appointments and £6 per day for a new connection that’s hasn’t been installed on time.

“This would mean customers are properly compensated, while providers will want to work harder to improve their service,” Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director for Ofcom said. The new proposals are hardly a surprise, however. A little under a year ago, the Queen’s Speech mentioned a new Digital Economy Bill, which hinted at plans for “automatic compensation” when something goes wrong with a citizen’s broadband.

Internet providers have, therefore, had some time to prepare for today’s proposals. Ofcom says BT, Sky and Virgin Media have already put forward a draft counter-pitch which would introduce automatic compensation through a voluntary industry code of practice. The UK’s media regulator has rejected the suggestion, however: “At this stage, we do not consider that this proposal sufficiently meets our concerns, when quality of service falls short.” Ofcom is now holding a consultation, which will run until June 5th. The watchdog will make a statement towards the end of the year — so don’t expect any noticeably speedier broadband fixes anytime soon.

Source: Ofcom

The Morning After: Friday, March 24th 2017

Hey, good morning! It’s Friday!

We made it. This Friday, hackers are threatening Apple, read about experiences of online dating when as a woman in her 40s, the good and the bad in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Oh and how to dress like an adult — with some liberating online help.

Roll ’em back.Senate votes 50 – 48 in favor of letting ISPs sell your private data

Yesterday, the US Senate voted for “congressional disapproval” of an FCC rule that prevented ISPs from selling their customer’s personal data without getting permission first. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) wrote the resolution, claiming the rule made for an unfair burden on ISPs compared to companies like Google and Facebook. He is apparently unbothered by the idea that consumers have less choice in what ISP they can use than whether or not they maintain an account on those sites. In response, the ACLU argues that “The House must now stop this resolution from moving forward and stand up for our privacy rights.”

The convertible dream will never die.Apple explores using an iPhone or iPad to power a laptop

Apple has filed a patent filing this morning detailing how an iPhone, or an iPad, could be used to power an ultraportable laptop. One diagram features a slot near the trackpad area where you can drop in an iPhone, which provides all of the hardware necessary to run the Macbook-looking ultraportable. And, in a truly unique spin, the iPhone would also serve as the actual trackpad.

This is not a drill.Hackers are threatening to erase iPhones if Apple doesn’t pay up

A hacker group claims it has accumulated credentials for hundreds of millions of iCloud and Apple ID accounts (likely due to leaks on other services where people used the same passwords). While Apple maintains that its systems have not been breached, ZDNet has been able to authenticate a few credentials provided by the group. Now the group claims it will use the Find My iPhone tool to wipe devices unless it’s paid a ransom. What does this mean for you? If you have an Apple account (or Google, or anywhere else, really) make sure you’re using strong, unique passwords, and enable two-factor authentication — right now.

Would you pay for Twitter?Twitter floats the idea of a $20 subscription version of Tweetdeck

As a service, Twitter is indispensable for information addicts but still struggles to make money. One thing that could bring cash in is finding new ways to profit from heavy users like businesses and news outlets, and it looks like Twitter has an idea: subscription Tweetdeck. It’s currently surveying users to find out how they feel about the plan, which could run $20 per month for things like personalized news summaries and alerts, priority customer support, an ad-free experience and more.

The right clothes for you are out there, but you might not find them in stores.What the internet taught me about dressing like an adult

Nicole Lee bought a pair of jeans from Uniqlo — and that was the only time she’d purchased clothing from a brick-and-mortar store in all of 2016. For the past few years, her clothes shopping has happened online. Not just because it’s convenient, but because the internet provides her with fashion alternatives that she said she would have never have discovered otherwise. She explains how and why.

Brands are upset over their ads appearing on content related to terrorism and hate.AT&T, Verizon join companies pulling ads from Google and YouTube

YouTube video creators are fighting against the video service’s filter screening out LGBTQ+ voices, while on the other end, advertisers are worried about a different type of content. In a movement that started with several UK brands (McDonald’s, BBC, Channel 4, Lloyd’s and others), companies and regulators have become concerned that ads are being placed by Google on websites and videos promoting extremist and hateful views. Although Google has promised new tools will give partners more control over where ads appear, it may not be moving fast enough. Now, AT&T and Verizon (parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget), are pulling online ad campaigns.

A series veteran and a newcomer walk into a bar…What we love and hate about ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’

How does Andromeda compare to previous Mass Effect games? Does it stand on its own as a worthy addition to the sci-fi genre? Are the animations always this messed up? In the following conversation, Tim and Jessica discuss Andromeda’s highs and lows from two vastly different perspectives — and somehow, they end up with similar conclusions. There might be a few narrative spoilers, but nothing too awful.

But wait, there’s more…

• Adult Week: The panic and pleasure of online dating as a woman in her 40s
• Corsair makes a gaming desktop so you don’t have to DIY
• Alaska Airlines: Goodbye ‘Virgin America,’ hello comfier flights
• Leaked poster suggests ‘Destiny 2’ will arrive this September

Apple Store Down in Advance of (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and New 9.7-inch iPad Launch at 08:01 PDT

Apple took down its online store early this morning as the company prepares to launch its special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in more than 40 countries around the world.

Internet users attempting to access the store section of the U.S. site are being met with the familiar “We’ve got something special in store for you” placeholder, accompanied by a relaunch time of 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time, which is when Apple previously said it would officially be launching the new red colorway iPhone.

Apple is also launching a new lower priced 9.7-inch iPad to replace the iPad Air 2, new Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases in new colors, and new storage tiers for the iPhone SE and the iPad mini 4. Apple is also due to discontinue the iPad mini 2.

The PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7 will be available in 128GB and 256GB storage capacities for the same $749/$849 and $869/$969 prices as the equivalent iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models in standard colors. The anodized aluminum’s vibrant red finish has a white Apple logo and white front bezels.

It’s very unlikely that the message relates to anything other than updates to the online ordering process to reflect the new products, but we’ll keep readers updated as soon as we learn more.

(Thanks, Andrea!)

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: (PRODUCT)RED
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Twitter considers offering a Tweetdeck subscription service

Twitter has always been free to use and will likely remain free. But the company is now considering offering its first paid subscription service through Tweetdeck. The social network has recently sent emails to select users, asking if they’d be willing to pay for a “more advanced Tweetdeck experience.” Based on the email posted by journalist Andrew Tavani, a premium experience will add new viewing, posting and signaling tools in one customizable dashboard that you can see above.

They include bookmarks, to-do lists, a “save for later” option, cross-posting capabilities, the ability to manage multiple accounts and to customize tweets for different groups of followers. The ad-free premium tier will also come with analytic tools and be available on mobile and desktop. Since these features obviously target social media professionals and companies, it’s unclear if the company will offer the option even to casual users.

What we do know is that you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription fee to access these tools, and it might cost you $20 per month. Twitter will likely have to offer everyone the chance to subscribe if it’s depending on the tier to make money for the company, though: It missed Wall Street’s revenue estimates for Q4 2016 and its ad business isn’t doing so well either.

2 more notes on ‘advanced TweetDeck’: 1. Monthly subscription fee Twitter is exploring in the survey is $19.99. 2. Complete list of features pic.twitter.com/YEOf9AQ9bt

— Andrew Tavani (@andrewtavani) March 24, 2017

A Twitter spokesperson has confirmed the survey to Engadget, though he was tight-lipped as expected and didn’t offer more details:

“We’re conducting this survey to assess the interest in a new, more enhanced version of Tweetdeck. We regularly conduct user research to gather feedback about people’s Twitter experience and to better inform our product investment decisions, and we’re exploring several ways to make Tweetdeck even more valuable for professionals.”

Source: Andrew Tavani (Twitter)

Moto G5 Plus is now available in an Amazon-subsidized flavor

Amazon may have given up on the Fire phone, but the company’s line of low-cost “Prime Exclusive” ad-subsidized smartphones is getting a refresh today. The program launched last year with a respectable lineup of discounted, unlocked handsets that have topped Amazon’s sales charts for ever since. This week, Amazon is adding more choice to that lineup with the recently launched Moto G5 Plus and the thrifty Alcatel A30, which will retail for $184.99 and $59.99 respectively.

Both phones come unlocked out of the box and are compatible with any carrier you choose. You’ll need to be a Prime subscriber to get the deal, but in exchange for about $45 off the retail price, you’ll be get “personalized offers and ads, including deals and product recommendations,” showing up on your lock screen.

Assuming you don’t mind dismissing ads along with your unread emails, the Moto G5 Plus is another solid smartphone, boasting Android Nougat, a 5.2″ 1080p display, fingerprint reader, 2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor and 4G LTE speeds. It also carries the same flagship-level 12-megapixel rear camera as the Galaxy S7 along with a wide angle 5-megapixel front camera for group selfies. Motorola claims the device has an all-day battery and there are two memory sizes available: one version with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage, and another with double the memory across the board.

The Alcatel A30 is also joining the program. Although you won’t get any of Alcatel’s quirky new handsets at this price, you do get a Nougat-ready phone with a 5-inch 720p HD display, directional speakers, 2GB RAM a quad-core Snapdragon processor, 4G LTE, 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. The Alcatel also offers some gesture control features and its 16GB of internal storage can be expanded up to 32GB with microSD support.

Source: Amazon