Periscope gets iMessage hearts, improved iPad support on iOS 10
Periscope’s been tweaking its service to better take on main rival Facebook Live, and with the release of iOS 10 today, the Twitter-owned app gets a big upgrade. The new version of the livestreaming app will come with native iPad support, improved global and home feeds, as well as hearts stickers that you can use in the iPhone’s messaging app.
The announcement also includes a feature that was already disclosed last week that lets you see when people you follow start tuning in to your broadcast. Now, you’ll see the avatars of your friends chilling out at the bottom of your screen while you cast your stream.
In iOS 10, you’ll be able to send stickers that resemble Periscope’s famous hearts that pop up when people like your stream. This is only on iMessage, though, which means it’ll only work between those on iOS (sorry, Android users).
The app’s global feed, which shows all the livestreams around the world at that time, will now display other broadcasts that are similar to what you’re watching. Videos will also be larger and autoplay in the home and global feed.
The new native iPad support means that instead of having to press a “2x” button to scale up the iPhone app to fit the larger screen, you’ll now get an app interface tailored for a bigger display.
As the world gets more and more dependent on livestreams for its news and entertainment, service providers are providing better tools to support content creators (and consumers). Just last week, Twitter added a new tool that will alert you whenever celebs and your friends start broadcasting, making sure you never miss a new stream.
Source: Periscope on Medium
Facebook, Google urge Congress to hand over internet control
On October 1st, the US is supposed to hand the “keys” of the internet to ICANN, and Congress is not happy about it. The mostly Republican lawmakers, led by Ted Cruz, feel that ceding control will stifle online freedom and give power to authoritarian governments. However, technology companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter penned an open letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to hand internet domain control to the international community as promised.
The final proposal, drafted by “proud and active members of the internet community,” goes well beyond the US Commerce Department’s original criteria, set in 2014, according to the document. “Furthermore, crucial safeguards are in place to protect human rights, including the freedom of speech,” it adds.
A global, interoperable and stable Internet is essential for our economic and national security, and we remain committed to completing the nearly twenty year transition to … [a] model that will best serve U.S. interests.
The internet is currently controlled by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and has been since its birth. However, many nations are understandably skittish about full US control over what is, after all, the “World Wide Web.” As such, the US agreed to cede control to ICANN, an international body with representatives from academia, government agencies like NASA, corporations and protocol bodies like the Internet Systems Consortium.
Congress will hold a hearing on the handover tomorrow, September 14th. Cruz is expected to grill the NTIA and ICANN on whether they’re fully prepared to deal with censorship attempts by China, Russia and other authoritarian nations. In support of Cruz, Senator Orrin Hatch said earlier this week, “charging ahead with the transition now could undermine internet freedom.”
However, the tech companies wrote that the transition is “ready to be executed,” and that it’s “imperative” that Congress not hold it up. “A global, interoperable and stable Internet is essential for our economic and national security, and we remain committed to completing the nearly twenty year transition to … [a] model that will best serve U.S. interests.”
Via: Reuters
Source: Circle ID
Amazon accidentally outs new, cheaper Echo Dot on Twitter
Amazon Echo’s official Twitter account made a blunder that may have given hope to followers waiting for new Echo Dot stocks with bated breath. It sent out a tweet introducing an all-new and cheaper Echo Dot, according to Recode, but it deleted the post as quickly as it went out. If the company’s social media team didn’t tweet on purpose to drum up interest — post-then-delete is a common tactic used by celebs — then someone may have fired it out a bit too early. If you’ll recall, the tech titan also accidentally posted an iPhone 7 accessories landing page before Apple announced the product on stage.
Either way, the post caught by @Indypodcaster says the new Echo Dot will set you back $50 — $40 less than the original one’s price. Clicking the link on what he quoted just takes you to the first Echo Dot’s listing, though, which has been sold out since July. You’ll just have to wait for the e-retailer to officially announce its new Alexa-powered speaker if you want to buy one.
Apparently not? @amazonecho: Introducing the all-new Echo Dot. Add Alexa to any room – now for just $49.99. https://t.co/AQkwY5xbHh/s/Z-sj
— Darrin (@Indypodcaster) September 12, 2016
Source: Recode
Twitter reportedly set to extend character limits on Sept. 19th
You’ll soon be able to pack more content into each of your tweets, according to a report from The Verge. The new changes, which should activate on September 19th, will no longer count media attachments such as gifs, pictures, video and polls against the message’s 140-character limit. What’s more, user names at the start of the message will supposedly not count against the limit either, though it will be interesting to see just how long of a canoe you’ll be able to construct if that is indeed the case. The Verge report does not specify whether all of these features will be implemented at the same time or gradually rolled out beginning next Monday.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that we’ve heard these sorts of rumors. Last September, news broke that the 140-character limit would soon be nixed in a new product offering (it wasn’t). And in May of this year, Twitter itself announced that it would soon ease the character-limit rules, though it did not set a specific date for implementing the change. We reached out to Twitter for confirmation but the company declined to comment so we’ll just have to wait until Monday to find out if the rumors are true.
Source: The Verge
Twitter Dropping Handles and Media Attachments From 140-Character Limit Starting September 19
Twitter’s planned update that will make additional characters available for tweets is coming on September 19, reports The Verge. As was announced in May, Twitter will stop counting Twitter handles, photos, GIFs, polls, and other media content within the 140-character limit allowed for each tweet, leaving more room for text.
All @names, such as @MacRumors, will no longer count towards the 140-character count, nor will media attachments, retweets, or quoted tweets, but links will still eat up 23 characters.
Twitter declined to comment publicly on The Verge’s leaked release date, nor is a source for the launch date given, but the change has been in the works for months. Twitter announced the news early to give its developer partners time to make any needed updates to products using the Twitter API.
Twitter has used a 140-character restriction for each tweet since it launched in 2006. Reports earlier this year suggested the microblogging site was considering eliminating the 140-character limit altogether, but Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey later said the limit will remain in place. Still, Twitter has been exploring ways to allow people to better express themselves and has said it has additional plans to make existing uses easier and enable new ones.
Tag: Twitter
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Twitter can tell you when friends and celebs start livestreaming
Twitter is all about live content on this fine Monday morning. First up, Twitter has added a new notification option that alerts users when someone they follow shares live video in a tweet. To enable the function on mobile, navigate to the page of someone you follow and tap the new notification icon next to the follow icon. Then select the final option, “Only tweets with live video,” and you’re all set. The next time that account goes live, a red alert bar will pop up along the bottom of your feed, allowing you to tap and start watching.
Don’t miss a live moment! Turn on notifications to join in when someone you follow shares live video on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/dddk81GuCH
— Twitter (@twitter) September 12, 2016
Second on Twitter’s totally live Monday to-do list is a partnership with Cheddar, a news network that specializes in live technology and business coverage. Twitter has the live broadcasting rights to Cheddar’s Opening Bell and Closing Bell shows, which are hosted daily from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ MarketSite. Both shows break down the daily markets and business news, alongside interviews with CEOs and in-depth earnings coverage. Twitter will be the only place to watch these shows live for free.
“Twitter is the fastest way to find out what’s happening in the world and to engage in the live conversation about it,” Twitter CFO Anthony Noto says. “Partnering with Cheddar will give people on Twitter another way to watch and discuss the day’s top stories as they unfold live all on one platform.”
Excited to partner with Twitter on live video @anthonynoto pic.twitter.com/rVS8rtAEhX
— Cheddar (@cheddar) September 12, 2016
Last week, Twitter rolled out an update that makes it harder to creep on your friends’ live Periscope broadcasts and another that essentially turns DMs into a chat app.
Source: @Twitter, PRNewswire
Tweetdeck adds location and date search filters
Twitter spews an amazing volume of information into the world, yet its search function has never been precise. To be fair, it’s faced far greater pressure to combat abuse, like it did releasing tools to cut trolls out of notifications last month. Today they’re enriching that functionality even further, but just for Tweetdeck: Users creating search columns can now filter by location and date.
You’ll have to create the column first before tweaking its area-specific settings and only unprotected tweets that are geotagged will show up. But that’s still better than the erratic results when folks deign to include place names in their precious 140 characters.
New! Location and date filters so it’s easy to find Tweets from a specific place or time. https://t.co/VADmrWrctc pic.twitter.com/CfxmBJEE4m
— TweetDeck (@TweetDeck) September 12, 2016
Source: Twitter support blog
Deezer tracks now play in your Twitter timeline
As Deezer pushes hard for a subscriber base in America, it’s teaming up with Twitter to ensure its music can be easily shared online. Similar to Spotify and SoundCloud, you can now tweet a track with an embedded player from inside the Deezer mobile app. Anyone that sees your tweet has the option to listen to a short snippet — about 30 seconds — or press the shortcut underneath to listen to the rest on Deezer’s platform. The audio card integration is available in all countries where Deezer operates, including Canada and various parts of Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Deezer has ferocious competition in Spotify and Apple Music. Both are pushing into video at the moment, as they try both to broaden their appeal and one-up each other with desirable exclusives. Deezer is a solid alternative, with a focus on podcasts and high-res streaming, but there are few reasons to switch across from its rivals. Google Play Music, which comes with YouTube Red in the US and Australia, is a far more intriguing perk. Spotify has its Discover Weekly and Release Radar personalized playlists. Soon, Amazon will have a $5 music service for Echo owners, if rumors are to be believed. To put it mildly, Deezer has its work cut out.
— Nick Summers (@nisummers) September 12, 2016
Source: Deezer
Elon Musk seeks public footage for SpaceX investigation
Earlier this month, SpaceX lost a Falcon 9 rocket (and a Facebook satellite) on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral. Naturally, Elon Musk is not taking the explosion lightly, and the outspoken CEO has already turned to Twitter to help his company find the cause of the explosion.
Over a couple tweets from Friday morning, Musk noted that the company was “still working” on the investigation which was “turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years.” The biggest mystery, apparently, is how the explosion occurred during a routine filling operation, when there was “no apparent heat source.” According to Musk, SpaceX is trying to get to the bottom of a bang sound that can be heard a few seconds before the explosion and the company is seeking any third-party recordings of the event so they can get a better view, or at least a different angle, on the incident.
Support & advice from @NASA, @FAA, @AFPAA & others much appreciated. Please email any recordings of the event to report@spacex.com.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2016
If you have audio, photos or videos of our anomaly last week, please send to report@spacex.com. Material may be useful for investigation
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 9, 2016
As TechCrunch notes, the call for outside sources indicates SpaceX’s own data must not be very helpful in this case. The company is also exploring one theory from a Reddit user who was allegedly at the site that suggests the explosion was caused by another object striking the rocket.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Elon Musk/Twitter
Amazon’s Alexa can tell you what’s trending on Twitter
Twitter has announced a new “skill” for Echo devices called Twitter Reader. The company tweeted that you can now “use the Twitter Reader to hear trends, top Tweets, notifications & more!” A report yesterday revealed that Amazon might open up its Alexa ecosystem to allow push notifications, so that it could interrupt to warn you about a traffic jam, for instance.
However, Twitter also added “Just #AskAlexa” hashtag, so the new feature apparently doesn’t support push notifications just yet. It does give you a lot of options — you can ask Alexa to read back recent tweets, trending topics and even your own tweets. The device is surprisingly prudish and censors profanity, as PC Mag discovered, so if your feed is like mine, that could be a lot of beeping. However, it should be handy for Twitter addicts who want to stay on top of current events while cooking or doing other tasks.
New on Amazon Alexa! Use the Twitter Reader skill to hear trends, top Tweets, notifications & more! Just #AskAlexa. pic.twitter.com/BvXRS4NiQu
— Twitter (@twitter) September 9, 2016
Source: Twitter
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