Snapchat Launches TikTok-like Feature Spotlight
Snapchat has rolled out a new feature called “Spotlight” that would allow users to share short-form videos publicly in its Snapchat app, adding a service that would compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Introducing Spotlight ?
The best of Snapchat. Sit back and take it all in, or submit your video Snaps and you could earn a share of more than $1,000,000 a day. Happy Snapping!https://t.co/U7eG7VNJqk pic.twitter.com/mxGWuDSdQk — Snapchat (@Snapchat) November 23, 2020
Snapchat announced that it would give about $1 million every day to users whose snaps make it to top of the platform.
Furthermore, the users who could previously share snaps or stories with friends, can now share them directly to Spotlight and attract more followers.
Facebook Inc earlier this year launched “Instagram Reels,” the company’s version of TikTok wherein users can record short mobile-friendly videos, then add special effects and soundtracks pulled from a music library.
Elon Musk Surpasses Bill Gates to Become the World’s Second-Richest Person
Elon Musk, the 49-year-old entrepreneur’s net worth mounted $7.2 billion to $127.9 billion, driven by yet another surge in Tesla’s share price.
This comes as one of the biggest gains in the ranking of the world’s 500 richest people. Musk has added over $100.3 billion to his net worth this year. In January he ranked 35th.
The huge advances were driven about three-quarters of his net worth is in Tesla shares, which are valued more than four times as much as his stake in Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX.
Another surge in Musk’s wealth would also place him second to Jeff Bezos, whose $183 billion fortune makes him the richest person in the world.
Musk and Bezos have been locked in a rivalry for over 15 years that started over their competing rocket companies; SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively.
A Good Change for Pakistan with Lahore’s Orange Line Train
The Orange Line train started functioning in Lahore at the end of October and has grabbed people’s attention. After five years, the train is finally on the tracks.
This service has been one of the most awaited projects for all the Pakistanis and now that it’s functional, it has grabbed good attention and reviews from all around.
According to the report, the Dera Gujran station and Raiwind’s Ali Town are the first and last stops of the Orange Line respectively, which covers a 27km track in 45 minutes at a speed of 80km/h.
It has 26 stations, including two underground ones. Passengers have to pay 40pkr for their journey. The whole ticketing system is digitized striding towards setting a benchmark in the tech world for Pakistan.
People have been coming and experiencing the Orange Line train journey with their families. The SOP’s are being followed on every step which is commendable, considering the pandemic and the curfew situation throughout Lahore.
App of the week: Mealime – Meal Planner, Recipes & Grocery List
It is a simple way for busy singles, couples, and families to plan their meals and eat healthier. Mealime application provides meal plans and recipes that are highly customizable so you can easily make a plan that works with your unique tastes and lifestyle. Mealime designs meal plans for the users according to their basic health information to eat healthier, reduce stress, lose weight, save money, and live happier, more productive lives. You can now prepare meals quickly with their step-by-step and hassle-free cooking instructions. Moreover, it optimizes super fast grocery lists according to your meal plans. So you can simply grab your phone and head to the supermarket!
Ratings: 4.7 out of 5
OS: Android
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Tech giants and Other Stakeholders Reject New Social Media Rules in Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan announced new social media rules yesterday which included heavy fines up to Rs. 500 million and aggressive deadlines to remove content.
The stakeholders, local Internet Service Providers along with top social media giants have rejected the proposed social media laws and have threatened to leave the country if they are not amended.
The rules titled, “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020,” have been framed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca) in the past.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to initiate a “broad-based” consultation on content regulation after a strong backlash from stakeholders over the release of formally known as the Citizen Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020.
According to a recent statement from “Asia Internet Coalition,” they regretted that the government didn’t involve all stakeholders to form social media laws. PM Imran Khan had earlier committed that the government will consult to frame a flexible strategy but now it seems they have taken another U-Turn. The new policies give a lot of power to PTA and the AIC has warned that if this continues, it will be extremely difficult for them to continue to provide services in Pakistan.
Apple to Pay $113m to Settle iPhone batterygate
Apple has agreed to pay $113 million to settle litigation with more than 30 US states over its slowdown in performance of older iPhones to manage battery power. The latest ‘batterygate’ settlement will divide it among California and 33 other states, according to a statement by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
The settlement resolves complaints that the tech giant made misrepresentations about iPhone batteries and software updates that throttled processing performance to manage insufficient battery power, according to the state official.
“Apple withheld information about their batteries that slowed down iPhone performance, all while passing it off as an update,” said Becerra.
“This type of behaviour hurts the pockets of consumers and limits their ability to make informed purchases. Today’s settlement ensures consumers will have access to the information they need to make a well-informed decision when purchasing and using Apple products.” He added.
Apple had no immediate comment on the matter. In the court documents, the iPhone maker said it agreed to the payout “solely for the purposes of settlement,” without any admission of wrongdoing.
New Features Rolled Out for Instagram and Messenger
The first feature is ‘Watch Together’ in which users can tune into IGTV, Reels, TV shows, movies, and trending videos in real-time over video chat. The second feature will make the users to activate the TinyTAN chat theme on Instagram and Messenger and express their affection with love emojis. The third feature, ‘vanish Mode’, is coming soon and is an opt-in feature that makes seen messages disappear after you leave a chat thread.
The users can be able to turn it on by just swiping in an existing chat thread – and you will enter into the Vanish Mode. Swipe up again and the feature will be turned off.
“We’re also bringing two new shows,’Post Malone’s Celebrity World Pong League’ and ‘Here for It With Avani Gregg,’ exclusively to Messenger and Instagram through Watch Together,” Facebook said in an official statement.
Apple Launches M1 MAC MINI along with MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
It’s a historic day for the Mac. It’s the first in a family of chips designed by Apple specifically for the Mac. And it is claiming to be the most powerful chip Apple has ever made, as it transforms the Mac experience for the users.
With its industry-leading performance per watt, together with macOS Big Sur, M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU, up to 6x faster GPU, up to 15x faster machine learning (ML) capabilities, and battery life up to 2x longer than before. And with M1 and Big Sur, users get access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac. With spectacular performance and exceptional new features, the new lineup of “M1-powered Macs” are an incredible value, and all are available to order.
“The introduction of three new Macs featuring Apple’s breakthrough M1 chip represents a bold change that was years in the making, and marks a truly historic day for the Mac and for Apple,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “
“M1 is by far the most powerful chip we’ve ever created, and combined with Big Sur, delivers mind-blowing performance, extraordinary battery life, and access to more software and apps than ever before.” He added.
He concluded with, “We can’t wait for our customers to experience this new generation of Mac, and we have no doubt it will help them continue to change the world.”
Twitter Appoints Top Hacker Mudge as Head of Security
Social media giant Twitter, under increased threat of security plagued by breaches, is appointing one of the world’s best-known hackers to tackle everything from engineering missteps to misinformation.
The organization named Peiter Zatko, also goes by the hacker name ‘Mudge’ to the new position of head of security on Monday. Zatko answers to CEO Jack Dorsey and is expected to take over management of key security functions after a 45 to 60 day review.
In an exclusive interview, Zatko said he will examine “information security, site integrity, physical security, platform integrity – which starts to touch on abuse and manipulation of the platform – and engineering.”
Zatko further added that he appreciates Twitter’s openness to unconventional security approaches, such as his proposal for confusing bad actors by manipulating the data they receive from Twitter about how people interact with their posts.
Zatko most recently oversaw security at the electronic payments unicorn ‘Stripe.’
SpaceX Launches Second Crewed Mission For NASA
On Sunday, November 15th, the company Crew Dragon spacecraft “Resilience” lifted off atop a Falcon9 rocket. NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Michael Hopkins, and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi left launch pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida bound for the ISS.
Resilience is the second crewed flight for Elon Musk’s company, following the successful “Demo-2” mission in May this year that took two astronauts to the ISS on a test flight.
Minutes before launch, Michael Hopkins addressed the astronauts’ colleagues at NASA and SpaceX. “By working together through these difficult times, you’ve inspired the nation, the world, and in no small part, the name of this incredible vehicle, Resilience, now it’s time for us to do our part. It’s going to be exciting to see how much work we’re going to be able to get done where we’re there,” Hopkins said.
With so many astronauts on board, the crew expects to get a lot done during their six-month stay.