Facebook rolls out GIF comments to everybody

Facebook has had strange relationship with GIFs over the years. For a long time, they weren’t supported at all, but as the social network grew, they came to Messenger and then to comments — as long as they were shared via a service like Giphy or Imgur. Earlier this year, Facebook made things more official by launching a dedicated GIF button, but again it was hamstrung by the fact it only extended to a small subset of users.

To celebrate 30 years of the Graphics Interchange Format, the company has lifted that restriction, making GIFs available to all. Now, when you visit Facebook.com or open the official Facebook apps, you will notice a small GIF icon that sits alongside an emoji inside the comment box. This opens up a small box that contains a search function and a collection of trending GIFs. Bear in mind that Giphy and Tenor are powering things underneath the hood, so there’s an extensive selection of reactions to choose from.

Source: Facebook

Twitter launches its biggest iOS redesign in years

Ever since Twitter decided it was more of a place to find out what’s going on in the world rather than just another social network, it’s made quite a few changes. It invested more in live video, opened up its Moments feature to all users, ramped up its safety efforts, removed @names from replies and got rid of those egg avatars. Some of these changes have received mixed reactions, to say the least. Now, the company is ready to make another set of adjustments, and this time, the focus is on design. iOS users, especially, will get a whole new look on their Twitter app.

The main change for those on iOS is that there’ll be fewer navigation tabs — instead of five, there’ll now be four. By default, those four tabs are for Home (your timeline), Search, Notifications (or Mentions) and Direct Messages. To access your profile, lists, settings and other accounts, simply swipe right to see a new side navigation menu. Those on Android are likely already familiar with this, as they saw this design change last year. But now iOS users get to enjoy it too.

Another change to the iOS app is that links to articles and websites will now open in Safari’s viewer rather than the in-app web viewer. According to a Twitter spokesperson, this is so you can easily access accounts on websites you’re already signed into, like if you have a New York Times subscription for example. Using the Safari view also gives you the option of using Safari Reader and you can get to use private browsing mode too if you wish.

There’ll also be design changes that go beyond just the iOS app. For one thing, the reply icon has been changed from a curved arrow to a speech bubble. Apparently this is because some people thought the curved arrow meant “delete” or “go back to a previous page.” The icons underneath each tweet are lighter as well. Typography will be more consistent, headlines will be bolder and profile photos will now be rounded instead of square. The reason for the round profile photos is to better distinguish them from in-line images in tweets. These design changes will be on the iOS app, Twitter.com, Twitter Lite, the Android app, as well as TweetDeck.

A particularly interesting change is that reply, retweet and like counts underneath tweets will now update in real-time right in front of your eyes. So if a tweet goes particularly viral, you’ll see the retweet and like count on it go up rapidly without you having to refresh your timeline. This particular design change will only be on TweetDeck and the mobile apps; it won’t be on Twitter.com or Twitter Lite.

Twitter says it’ll listen to feedback on these changes and it’ll have more design updates soon. In the meantime, we’ll continue to hold our breath for that much-requested edit button.

‘Destiny 2’ on PC is nothing like the first game

Destiny, like Bungie’s Halo before it, was a relatively slow-paced shooter. That was ideal for console controllers, but it wouldn’t have translated well to PCs, where gamers expect everything to move much faster. Now that Destiny 2 is finally bringing the series to PCs on October 24th, I couldn’t help but wonder how Bungie would adapt it for mouse-and-keyboard play. Would it retain the slow and methodical pacing that we’re used to, or would Bungie ramp things up?

After spending some quality time with the PC version at E3, I can attest it’s a much speedier, more intense experience. That’s partially due to some gameplay improvements — switching between weapons and reloading feels a lot quicker than before — as well as the fact that I was playing the game in 4K at a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. That frame-rate bump alone makes the entire experience feel more immediate, as there’s less of a lag between what you’re inputting and how the game responds. (Check out a 4K clip of the game in action below.)

I played countless hours of the original game on the Xbox One, but Destiny 2 feels fundamentally different with a mouse and keyboard. As you’d expect, looking around and targeting enemies is much faster than with a controller. PC gamers might even find it a bit too easy at first, as it’s not that tough to blow away Destiny 2’s slower enemies if you’ve got fast mousing reflexes. The game’s combat also feels a bit more involved than before, because you can now unleash a powerful melee attack, in addition to the charged-up super moves from before.

In addition to playing much more smoothly, Destiny 2 also looks incredible in 4K at 60FPS. Every aspect of the world was rendered perfectly, with no signs of jaggy edges or blurry textures. At times, the sheer amount of luscious imagery and visual effects on screen makes it seem like Bungie is showing off. Don’t fret if you can’t run the game in 4K, though — it’ll still look significantly better than the console versions at 1,440p or above at 60 FPS. And if you’re the lucky owner of an ultrawide monitor, you’ll be able to enjoy it in a native 21:9 resolution as well.

Destiny 2 can also go beyond 60 FPS on PCs if you’ve got the hardware to support it. The PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X versions of the game, on the other hand, will be locked at 30 FPS, and it’s still unclear what resolution they’ll be running at. So, as powerful as the Xbox One X is, it’s still lagging behind what a fully kitted-out gaming PC can offer. The demo rig I was using was powered by NVIDIA’s flagship GTX 1080Ti GPU — you’ll definitely need something on that level if you want to play in 4K with high frame rates. And speaking of NVIDIA, the company also announced that it’ll be including a copy of Destiny 2 with its video cards for a limited time.

While I only had around 15 minutes with the PC version of Destiny 2, I’m already eager to make it my primary platform for the game. As usual, though, the ideal platform for a multiplayer shooter is the one where all of your friends are. There’s no doubt the game’s single player campaign will look great on PC, but it remains to be seen if it’ll actually attract a solid multiplayer community.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Survey Suggests Mac Developers Continue to Be Dissatisfied With Mac App Store

Setapp, a company that offers a Mac app subscription service, recently polled 742 developers to get their thoughts on the Mac App Store and the state of Mac app development. The survey is a follow-up to a survey that was conducted last year, which concluded many Mac developers are unhappy with Apple’s platform.

That same anti-Mac App Store sentiment can be seen in the results of this year’s survey. Of Mac developers polled, just 23 percent use the Mac App Store as their sole distribution platform, while 47 percent use the Mac App Store alongside another distribution method. 30 percent don’t bother with the Mac App Store at all. The number of developers using both the Mac App Store and another distribution method is up slightly from last year, but the Mac App Store only category is stagnant.

Developers who don’t use the Mac App Store cite reasons like the long app review process, the 30 percent revenue split with Apple, and the inability to offer trials.

The majority of money made from Mac apps is made outside of the Mac App Store among developers polled. Revenue from the Mac App Store accounted for 44 percent of app earnings, while revenue from outside of the Mac App Store accounted for 56 percent.

Developers were asked how likely they were to recommend the Mac App Store as a primary distribution channel to a friend or colleague, and the results were tallied using a Net Promoter Score that can range from 100 (everyone recommends) to -100 (no one recommends). A higher negative score means a more negative opinion.

Mac App Store developers had Net Promoter Score (NPS) of -34, non-Mac App Store developers had a score of -97, and developers who sell their apps both in and outside of the Mac App Store had a score of -48.

69 percent of developers polled said that sharing 30 percent of their revenue with Apple was not worth it based on what the Mac App Store provides, while 31 percent said it was worth it. In 2016, 62 percent said not worth it and 38 percent said worth it.

Sandboxing, a lack of analytics tools, no app bundles, no upgrades, and no ability to respond to reviews were seen as major factors limiting developers’ businesses. As of iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, developers have been able to respond to customer reviews, eliminating at least one factor keeping developers from using the Mac App Store.

On the plus side, developers were happy with improvements to the Mac App Store review process and the speed with which apps go through the review process, while opinions on Mac App Store communications, review guidelines, and the appeal process saw smaller positive changes.

Going forward, developers would like to see faster app approval times, more flexibility when it comes to Apple’s sandboxing policies, better communication with the Mac App Store approval team, and clearer explanations when an app is rejected.

Additional topics, like the new subscription options, are covered in the survey and can be viewed over on the main survey page. There are also comparisons between the 2016 survey for a clearer look at the state of the Mac App Store.

Tag: Mac App Store
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Microsoft Updates iOS Photo App ‘Pix’ With Artistic Filters Powered by AI and Deep Neural Networks

Microsoft is today updating its smart camera app for iOS devices, Microsoft Pix, with new features that overlay artistic filters on top of user photos. The company said that the Pix team used neural networks to browse massive datasets of classic paintings in order to “learn the essence of what makes a given style of painting recognizable,” all in an effort to fuel Pix’s new features.

The first feature is called “Pix Styles” and it transforms pictures into styles inspired by popular works of art, or has the ability to add certain effects to a photo like making it look like it’s on fire. Microsoft said that Pix Styles differs from traditional “filters” because it adds and alters texture, pattern, and tones to the picture to turn it into something completely different, instead of simply altering the image’s colors.

Pix Styles will still optimize the faces of the subjects in a photo to keep people recognizable, which was one of the flagship features of the app when it launched last July. Microsoft called the app “people-centric” when it debuted, since Pix could focus in on faces in a picture to adjust the focus, color, and exposure to ensure each subject looked their best.

One of the Pix team members, Josh Weisberg, said that Microsoft Pix is still a high-quality app with a focus on automatically providing users with the best shots possible, but the new features were added to generate fun moments for users that can be shared on social media.

“These are meant to be fun features,” said Josh Weisberg, a principal program manager in the Computational Photography Group within Microsoft’s research organization in Redmond, Washington. “In the past, a lot of our efforts were focused on using AI and deep learning to capture better moments and better image quality. This is more about fun. I want to do something cool and artistic with my photos.”

Microsoft calls the second feature “Pix Paintings” and it creates a time-lapse animation of the picture being painted in whichever artistic style the user chooses. The Pix team said that the app’s artificial intelligence and deep neural networks fuel both the photo transformation in Pix Styles and animated redrawing in Pix Paintings.

Pix Styles specifically will work directly on the iPhone with no cloud requirements needed to run the feature. Microsoft said that this is “part of a broader shift” to push AI away from the cloud and to user devices at the “edge of the network.” The user benefits with the update since it lets them play around with Pix Styles “without using your data plan,” saving money and lowering load times in the process.

Microsoft Pix is available to download on the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link].

Tag: Microsoft
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Tim Cook Talks HomePod, AR, and How America is ‘More Important Than Bloody Politics’ in New Interview

Bloomberg Businessweek sat down with Apple CEO Tim Cook last week to discuss a collection of topics related to Apple and the tech industry, including augmented reality, the legacy that Steve Jobs left behind, the HomePod, and the opinions he has following his work with U.S. President Donald Trump. Bloomberg Businessweek’s full interview with Tim Cook will appear in the Sunday, June 19 edition of the magazine, but for now the site has shared a few interesting snippets from the talk.

One of the major talking points of the interview centered around the HomePod, Apple’s new Siri-based speaker for the home that the company says will have a focus on high quality audio playback. When asked whether or not he thinks people will actually pay $349 for a HomePod, Cook pointed out the same question that gets brought up heading into the launch of every new Apple product.

Image via Bloomberg Businessweek

If you remember when the iPod was introduced, a lot of people said, “Why would anybody pay $399 for an MP3 player?” And when iPhone was announced, it was, “Is anybody gonna pay”—whatever it was at that time—“for an iPhone?” The iPad went through the same thing. We have a pretty good track record of giving people something that they may not have known that they wanted.

When I was growing up, audio was No. 1 on the list of things that you had to have. You were jammin’ out on your stereo. Audio is still really important in all age groups, not just for kids. We’re hitting on something people will be delighted with. It’s gonna blow them away. It’s gonna rock the house.

The main iOS topic covered in the new interview was augmented reality and its upcoming addition in iOS 11 thanks to ARKit. Cook said that he’s so excited about the possibilities for the future of AR that he just wants to “yell out and scream,” while admitting that there are limitations to the technology in its current state. But he thinks that those limitations are the building blocks of an “incredible runway” with a bright future, and said that, “When people begin to see what’s possible, it’s going to get them very excited—like we are, like we’ve been.”

Bloomberg Businessweek asked how much time Cook spends thinking about his own legacy — in the context of Steve Jobs — to which Cook plainly stated, “None.” Cook hopes that people simply remember him “as a good and decent man,” and wants Jobs’ DNA to remain the heart of the company for any future CEO over the next 100 years. Cook explained that while Apple as a whole will adjust and change with the times, this “Constitution” created through Jobs’ beliefs and actions should be set in stone.

His ethos should drive that—the attention to detail, the care, the ­simplicity, the focus on the user and the user experience, the focus on building the best, the focus that good isn’t good enough, that it has to be great, or in his words, “insanely great,” that we should own the proprietary technology that we work with because that’s the only way you can control your future and control your quality and user experience.

And you should have the courage to walk away and be honest with yourself when you do something wrong, that you shouldn’t be so married to your position and your pride that you can’t say, “I’m changing directions.” These kind of things, these guardrails, should be the basis for Apple a century from now.

It’s like the Constitution, which is the guide for the United States. It should not change. We should revere it. In essence, these principles that Steve learned over many years are the basis for Apple. It doesn’t mean the company hasn’t changed. The company’s going to change. It’s going to go into different product areas. It’s going to learn and adjust. Many things have changed in the company, even in the last six to seven years. But our “Constitution” shouldn’t change. It should remain the same.

Cook was also directly asked about his experience working with President Donald Trump, including a tech summit late last year that saw a group of CEOs attending a meeting in Trump Tower to discuss trade, immigration, vocational education, and more. Ultimately, Cook admitted that he and Trump have “dramatically different” beliefs in most areas, and he argued that above all else, “America’s more important than bloody politics.”

I feel a great responsibility as an American, as a CEO, to try to influence things in areas where we have a level of expertise. I’ve pushed hard on immigration. We clearly have a very different view on things in that area. I’ve pushed on climate. We have a different view there. There are clearly areas where we’re not nearly on the same page.

We’re dramatically different. I hope there’s some areas where we’re not. His focus on jobs is good. So we’ll see. Pulling out of the Paris climate accord was very disappointing. I felt a responsibility to do every single thing I could for it not to happen. I think it’s the wrong decision. If I see another opening on the Paris thing, I’m going to bring it up again.

At the end of the day, I’m not a person who’s going to walk away and say, “If you don’t do what I want, I leave.” I’m not on a council, so I don’t have those kind of decisions. But I care deeply about America. I want America to do well. America’s more important than bloody politics from my point of view.

Rounding out the questions for the interview snippets posted today, Bloomberg Businessweek asked Cook to respond to critics who say Apple isn’t innovating anymore. Cook answered with the long-time Apple argument that it’s not about being first to a product category, it’s about being the best in the category, while focusing on what particularly will elevate its users’ lives: “It’s actually not about competing, from our point of view. It’s about thinking through for the Apple user what thing will improve their lives.”

The rest of the interview includes Cook’s comments on the enterprise market, Apple’s $1 billion advanced manufacturing fund, and his opinions on a tax plan for repatriating the international earnings of U.S. companies. More topics are expected to be covered in the full interview on June 19.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Tags: Tim Cook, bloomberg.com, Donald Trump, ARKit, augmented reality
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Facebook Introduces Native GIF Support in Comments on iOS

Facebook is today rolling out a long-awaited feature within its iOS app, which will allow users to post GIFs directly into comments using a native GIF button. To share a GIF, users will find the button sitting next to the emoji button in the text field of the Facebook comment window, and from there they can search for a GIF by typing, horizontally scroll through the results, and tap to share.

The company said that the update is in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the GIF format, which was created by Steve Wilhite on June 15, 1987. The celebration will also include exclusive GIFs in collaboration with popular service GIPHY, and a user survey that will appear on Facebook’s feed that intends to put to rest the GIF pronunciation debate once and for all. In 2013, Wilhite said the word is pronounced with a soft g, or “JIF,” but many users continue to use the hard g alternative.

Facebook said that GIFs in comments will debut today “for all people on Facebook globally,” so it should begin appearing across mobile devices and on the web soon. Facebook is available to download on the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link].

Tag: Facebook
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Twitter Reveals Major Redesign With Faster Navigation, Cleaner Interface, and Subtle Design Tweaks

Twitter today revealed a new design coming to twitter.com, Twitter for iOS, Twitter for Android, TweetDeck, and Twitter Lite over the next few days and weeks. The company said the redesign was intended to make an app that’s faster and easier to use, while also fixing things that users didn’t like about the current design.

The first new change is a new side navigation menu with profile, additional accounts, settings, and privacy, which Twitter said results in fewer tabs at the bottom of the app and reduces clutter. This brings all of Twitter’s various apps more in line with the current iteration of the service on Android.

On iOS, links to articles and websites will now open in Safari’s viewer within the Twitter app, which will let users easily access accounts on the websites they’re already signed into. Subtler design updates include a more universal typography shift with bolder headlines and rounded profile photos. The company said that all of these visual overhauls make it easier for users to navigate Twitter and “focus on what’s happening.”

Last year, we told you exactly who we are (Twitter is what’s happening!) and refreshed our brand. Today, with lots of feedback and ideas from you, we’re refreshing our product too and making it feel lighter, faster, and easier to use. We listened closely and kept what you love. And for the things you didn’t, we took a new approach to fix and make better.

Hoping to make the service accessible to newcomers, more intuitive icons intend to make it easier to engage with Tweets. The reply icon (currently an arrow) will now be a speech bubble because people thought the arrow meant delete or go back to a previous page. All of the icons are now lighter, and all Tweets update instantly with reply, Retweet, and like counts (except on twitter.com and Twitter Lite) so it’s easier to see updates on a Tweet in real time.

Twitter is also adding more accessibility choices, including a mode that introduces increased color contrast throughout the app. In terms of iOS-specific additions, users will be able to choose an option that always opens supported links in Safari Reader View.

The Twitter update will begin appearing for users today as an update for those on the iOS version of the app [Direct Link].

Tag: Twitter
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Foxconn may open Wisconsin manufacturing plant, but maybe not for iPhone

Why it matters to you

A Foxconn manufacturing plant in the U.S. could bring many new jobs, and different working conditions than it’s seen elsewhere.

Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing company best known for building Apple’s iPhone, is apparently in talks to open a plant in the state of Wisconsin. Neither the state nor Foxconn has commented officially on the supposed negotiations, and the leak comes from a person with direct knowledge of the situation, but unauthorized to discuss them, according to the Associated Press.

Despite Foxconn’s direct tie to the iPhone, there’s no firm indication the new plant will build Apple products. It’s likely this is a continuation of Foxconn’s plans to invest $7 billion in a U.S. facility dedicated to producing flat panel screens. It’s not clear whether these screens will be for smartphones, televisions, or monitors. In January, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou did suggest Apple was interested in investing in the plant, due to a shared need for the panels. Foxconn acquired display maker Sharp in 2016, which it has also said will be involved in the new plant.

Wisconsin isn’t the only name on the list. When news of the $7 billion investment first spread, Pennsylvania was mentioned, and officials from the state were noted as attending Foxconn events. Now, Michigan is also possibly on the list. However, President Donald Trump may have hinted Wisconsin has the deal, after he was quoted as saying the state’s governor may get, “a very happy surprise,” following negotiations with an unnamed electronics manufacturer. The surprise may bring with it the potential for 50,000 new jobs.

Foxconn operates manufacturing plants in China and India, and has other facilities all over the world. It has often been surrounded by controversy over working conditions, particularly after a spate of worker suicides several years ago. United States law would see a Foxconn plant in the United States operate in a different manner than those elsewhere in the world.

Nothing regarding the Wisconsin factory is official yet, and there aren’t any hints when the final news may be made public.

These smart home speakers will kill Alexa and Google Home with cuteness

Why it matters to you

More competition for Amazon, Google, and Apple means varied designs, more features, and potentially lower prices in the smart home speaker market.

Messaging app Line is working on a range of smart speakers to take on Amazon’s Echo range, Google Home, and Apple’s newly announced HomePod. It has more than one version in the works, and all incorporate its Clova artificial intelligence platform. The Wave will arrive first, and will be followed by the Champ, which promises to beat all the challengers when it comes to cuteness.

Modeled on popular Line characters Brown the bear and Sally the chick (Cony the rabbit is sadly absent from the initial press pictures), the Champ speaker is referred to as a, “more casual and more portable version,” of the Wave speaker. The features are likely to be shared between them, and will unsurprisingly provide immediate access to the Line Music streaming service, providing both search features for a song or artist, plus a recommendation system based on mood and environment.

Line Wave

Like other smart speakers, the Wave and Champ can be controlled by voice, providing information on calendar appointments, weather, to-do lists, and more. It’s not known which services Line will integrate yet. Additionally, the speaker will be able to control smart home devices, and apparently learn remote codes to operate those not connected to the internet. Interestingly, you’ll be able to control Line chats through the speaker, and have, “casual conversations,” with Clova too. Line is also working on a a concept Clova product called Face, which incorporates a display.

Line Face

Line isn’t limiting Clova to its own products either. Sony is first on the list to potentially include the AI technology in the company’s smart products, which have already been revealed as concepts without Clova. Yamaha will cooperate with Line to use Clova’s AI brains in its Vocaloid voice synthesis platform, while Toyota and FamilyMart stores will also work on bringing Clova to apps and services.

These partnerships are forward-looking, but the Wave speaker will arrive before then, with the full release expected in the fall. Line will release a music-only version without the Clova smart features in the summer, which will receive a software update later in the year. The price will be 15,000 yen ($136) for the full version, and 10,000 ($91) for the music-only model due in the summer. The cute Champ versions will follow in the winter, with prices to be announced.

Line operates globally, but is most popular in Japan, so expect the Clova-powered speakers not to speak English immediately.