Greytech

Only contacts and those you’ve chatted with will see your status
WhatsApp is rolling out a new privacy measure that hides your “last seen” status from people you don’t know or haven’t chatted with in the app (via WABetaInfo). Previously, WhatsApp set the feature on “Everyone” by default, allowing anyone on WhatsApp to see your status. WhatsApp’s new update limits the visibility of your status to the people you’ve added on the platform, and sets the feature to “My Contacts” by default instead.
In a post on Twitter, a user explains that you may not be able to see other people’s statuses on the platform anymore, and also includes an email from what appears to be WhatsApp support that describes the new feature. “We’re making it harder for people you don’t know and haven’t chatted with from seeing your last seen and online presence on WhatsApp,” the email reads.

The “My Contacts” option for your “last seen” status was already available, but it’s never been the default on the app. It’s also worth noting that WhatsApp already has a “Nobody” option as well, preventing all users from seeing your status. Your status on WhatsApp lets other contacts know when you were online last, or if you’re currently using the app. While this may seem like a harmless way to keep track of your friends and family (and vice versa), WABetaInfo points out that some third-party apps actually exploit this feature.

These apps can aggregate the statuses of certain users, which may enable some to keep a little too close of an eye on others using the platform. Turning on the “My Contacts” options prevents third-party apps from logging your online status, as an app isn’t considered one of your contacts, and therefore, it won’t be able to see your status.

This isn’t the only change WhatsApp is making to its “last seen” status. In November, WABetaInfo found that the messaging app began testing an option, called “My Contacts Except ... which lets users hide their status from certain contacts. WhatsApp has also been working to bolster user privacy by introducing an option to make its disappearing messaging feature the default.
courtesy:

RTFKT makes shoes too, except these only exist digitally
One comparison I’ve heard repeatedly over the last year is that buying NFTs to “flex” on people in the metaverse is just like collecting sneakers, and now Nike is apparently trying to make sure it’s ready for the literal version of that possibility. The apparel giant just announced the acquisition of RTFKT Studios, which it calls “a leading brand that leverages cutting edge innovation to deliver next generation collectibles that merge culture and gaming.”

RTFKT claims that in February, a collaboration with teenage artist FEWOCiOUS to sell real sneakers paired with virtual ones managed to sell some 600 pairs/NFTs in just six minutes, netting over $3.1 million at the time. This was around the same early spring period when most of us were hearing about NFTs for the first time, as Grimes sold some $6 million worth of digital artwork on March 1st. It’s not clear if any of these digital items are worth as much now; looking at OpenSea and Nifty Gateway right now, I see a number of them are either listed for or have recently sold for less than their original prices.
But forget the past — and that time it photoshopped a pair of its sneakers onto Elon Musk — RTFKT is moving forward, and just yesterday the A16Z-backed startup launched the Clone X NFT collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, offering up a number of metaverse-ready digital avatars styled with various collectible traits.
The company’s website immediately asks visitors to link their Metamask wallets, which is one of the ways NFT owners can verify their purchases, with the idea that at some point in the future you’ll play games or enter other sorts of VR spaces where your items can materialize, once those spaces have read the blockchain to assess which items you own the rights to.

This is the kind of vision that Nike is buying into, crediting the company’s founder Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le, and Steven Vasilev with leveraging “the latest in game engines, NFTs, blockchain authentication and augmented reality to create one of a kind virtual products and experiences.”
While announcing the deal — without revealing how much it spent — Nike positioned RTFKT’s lightning bolt-style logo alongside its own iconic swoosh, Jumpman, and Converse marks. Those brands have decades of history, built on high-level athletic endorsements, distinctive designs, and a grassroots culture that actually exists in the real world. RTFKT, meanwhile, was founded in January 2020. It says that “the human development in consciousness has accelerated faster than anticipated. We are here to accelerate our digital future now.”

The amazingly-named “StanbyME” and the Objet are both coming next year.
CES 2022 is only a few short weeks away, and you can bet we’ll see a ton of news surrounding the latest, flashiest TVs with OLED, Mini LED, MicroLED, and more. But before we get there, LG is making an early announcement to put a spotlight on two unconventional TVs that are coming next year in addition to whatever the company has in store for CES.

To me, the standout is the LG StanbyME, a 27-inch TV that can operate wirelessly on battery power and be wheeled around on its height-adjustable stand. (You can also detach the screen from the stand if you want to plop that sucker onto your lap.) When attached to the stand, the display can swivel, tilt, or be rotated to portrait orientation.
LG says the StanbyME can last for up to three hours on a charge, so while it’ll handle a movie or two without issue, you’ll have to be mindful of runtimes and keep it plugged in for Titanic or Lord of the Rings marathons. LG doesn’t make 27-inch OLED panels, so we’re looking at an LCD screen here. The company isn’t yet sharing details on its resolution or other features like HDR.

The StanbyME has a touchscreen interface and will offer streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. It will also support NFC for smartphone mirroring. As for connectivity, there’s a USB port and at least one HDMI input. And the back of the set has a fabric finish.

LG is also tonight announcing the Objet, a high-design OLED TV that’s meant to be leaned against a wall instead of mounted or put on a traditional stand. The fabric cover under the 65-inch screen can be raised or lowered with the remote. According to LG, it’s interchangeable and will come in three colors that are all the work of “Danish textile innovator, Kvadrat.”
Similar to the ultra-luxury rollable OLED, this gives the TV different modes including Full View, which is self-explanatory, and Line View, which shows widgets like the weather and music when part of the display is covered by the stylish fabric. The Objet feels like an attempt from LG to further take on Samsung’s “lifestyle” TVs like The Frame.

The Objet uses an OLED Evo panel, which first debuted in 2021’s G1 Series and offers higher peak brightness than LG’s older OLEDs. As for audio, there’s a 80-watt, 4.2-channel sound system built into the device.

LG isn’t announcing pricing or release details for either the StanbyME or Objet right now; we should hear more about them when they’re available to stand around in homes in the months to come.
courtesy: The Verge

The latest revelation concerning Tesla’s lax approach to safety

Tesla updated its software allowing vehicle occupants to play video games on the center touchscreen while in motion, raising questions about safety and driver distraction. Previously, video games were only playable while the vehicle was in park.

But according to The New York Times, an over-the-air software update was pushed out last summer enabling the ability to launch some games regardless of whether the car was stationary or not, raising serious concerns about safety.
The Verge confirmed in a Tesla Model 3 that Sky Force Reloaded, Solitaire, and The Battle of Polytopia are playable on the center touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion. A notification asks the player to confirm they aren’t the driver before launching the game, but the message is hardly a deterrent. A driver could easily tap “I AM A PASSENGER” and play a complex action game like Sky Force while in motion.
Some interactive apps in the car worked in motion even before the update, including the drawing pad and the Karaoke mode in music — which also warns the driver not to participate.
A Model 3 owner told the Times that he had filed a complaint to the NHTSA upon discovery of the games being playable while driving in his car. That complaint won’t be a first. Tesla currently has 59 complaints from owners regarding the Model 3.

A spokesperson for NHTSA told Reuters that it was “discussing” the issue of playable video games in moving cars with the company. “Distraction-affected crashes are a concern, particularly in vehicles equipped with an array of convenience technologies such as entertainment screens,” the spokesperson told Reuters. “We are aware of driver concerns and are discussing the feature with the manufacturer.”
Tesla has a reputation for regularly skirting safety rules and ignoring regulator recommendations for improvements. The company offers a version of its Level 2 advanced driver assist system called “Full Self-Driving,” which does not make its vehicles autonomous and requires drivers to stay vigilant while in use.

The US government has taken a renewed interest in Tesla, recently announcing that it was investigating incidents involving Tesla cars operating Autopilot that have crashed into parked emergency vehicles.

NHTSA is also seeking more information from Tesla about the growing public beta test of FSD, the recently launched “Safety Score” evaluation process for entering the program, and the nondisclosure agreements Tesla was making participants sign up until recently.
Touchscreens in vehicles are quickly becoming the norm as manufacturers continue to remove tactile buttons and k***s from their vehicles. Many vehicles are becoming more dangerous as a result. According to a 2019 study, drivers can get distracted and look away from the road for up to 40 seconds per task.

Tesla has pioneered the use of over-the-air software updates in the auto industry, using smartphone-style updates to add features like improved driver assistance to silly Easter eggs like “James Bond mode” to its electric vehicles. The company has also rolled out a whole suite of video games it calls Tesla Arcade (we tried it out on a Model 3 back in 2019).

Tesla has started using an interior camera to monitor drivers for its Full Self-Driving beta program, which allows drivers to use automatic steering, lane-keeping, and adaptive cruise control on local, non-highway streets. But the vast majority of Tesla vehicles do not use any cameras to track driver eye movements to ensure they are keeping their attention on the road.
coutesy: The Verge

A new FAA rule may lead to flight delays

Verizon and AT&T are hoping new swaths of C-band cellular radio spectrum will help make the 5G hype closer to reality, but the big mid-band 5G rollout may have a side effect. Airplanes rely on radio altimeters to tell how high they are above the ground to safely land when pilots can’t see, and the FAA is now instructing 6,834 of them to not do that at certain airports because of 5G interference.

The FAA ruled on Tuesday that those thousands of US planes (and some helicopters) won’t be able to use many of the guided and automatic landing systems that are designed to work in poor visibility conditions, if they’re landing at an airport where there’s deemed to be enough interference that their altimeters aren’t reliable. “Landings during periods of low visibility could be limited due to concerns that the 5G signal could interfere with the accuracy of an airplane’s radio altimeter, without other mitigations in place,” FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford tells The Verge.
That likely means flight delays: “These limitations could prevent dispatch of flights to certain locations with low visibility, and could also result in flight diversions,” reads a portion of the FAA’s written explanation.
“We are engaged with the wireless operators, as well as our interagency partners, to do everything possible to make sure the mitigations are tailored to prevent disruptions,” Lunsford tells us.
courtesy: Verge

It also gives creators access to the Reels Play bonus program

Facebook is rolling out professional mode for profiles, letting creators take advantage of additional monetization tools. The new mode also gives creators access to features that help track the growth of their audience, something that was previously only available with Pages.
Turning on professional mode allows creators to partake in the Reels Play bonus program. Reels, Instagram’s short-term video feature, became available on Facebook in September. The bonus program lets creators earn up to $35,000 / month, all depending on how many views their Reels rack up. However, all creators aren’t eligible for the program — it’s currently invite-only, and creators must comply with Meta’s Partner Monetization Policies to qualify.

Additionally, Facebook says it’s working on more advanced editing features for Reels, such as an easier way to create a Reel comprised of multiple clips, as well as the ability to save your Reel as a draft while you’re in the process of editing it. The platform is also considering extending the length limit of Reels from 30 seconds to one minute on Facebook, as only Instagram supports one-minute Reels at the moment.
Outside of Reels, professional mode also unlocks audience, post, and profile insights, which lets creators keep track of any activity on their profile. Creators can review the total number of shares, comments, and reactions that their posts have received and can also see how their follower count has changed over time.

Similar to Pages, enabling professional mode makes all the content you post public and means that anyone can view your profile and start following you. Meta says that you can still choose to make certain posts visible to friends only, however. Professional mode is only available in the US for now, but Meta says it’ll be coming to more countries “in the coming months.”

Just yesterday, Facebook introduced the Stars store, a dedicated website for purchasing Stars — otherwise known as the virtual currency that users can buy with real money and use to tip creators. While Stars are available for purchase within the Facebook app, the Stars on Facebook’s new store are offered at a discounted price. The platform may be trying to entice users to purchase Stars on the web-based Stars store, likely to skirt the 30 percent commission that Apple takes for purchases made in third-party apps on iOS.

Spaces become more like podcasts

Twitter is now letting all users across iOS, Android, and web listen to recordings of Spaces, which can come in handy for listeners who are late to a live broadcast. This comes after Clubhouse rolled out recordings for its audio-only chatrooms in September.

Twitter is also giving “some” hosts the ability to record Spaces on iOS and Android. Previously, only iOS users could listen to and record Spaces.
Hosts can start recording a Space by toggling on the “Record Space” option. When recording is enabled, a (REC) icon will appear for the host and participants — listeners will see the icon, too, although they won’t be displayed in the recording. After the Space ends, hosts can see how many people were in the Space and tweet out a link to the recording. Hosts can choose the time that the Space starts playing as well, allowing hosts to edit out any silence at the beginning of the recording.

On Twitter’s help center, the platform notes that recordings will be publicly available when a recording-enabled Space ends. The only way to make a recording private is to delete it. Keep in mind that Twitter holds onto recordings for 30 to 120 days to check for rule violations.

Twitter has been continually expanding its audio-only chatrooms since the feature’s launch in 2020. In September, Twitter started letting hosts add up to three Topics to their Spaces, such as Music, Gaming, and Entertainment, giving listeners the ability to find Spaces that align with their interests. It also started launching Ticketed Spaces on iOS for hosts to charge listeners for entry and later began offering a Spaces accelerator program that provides creators with resources to promote their Spaces.

Rolling out on iOS and Android
One-on-one voice and video calls are now rolling out for Google Chat inside the Gmail app on iOS and Android, Google has announced. The feature was first announced in September, but as of December 6th it’s started rolling out for anyone with Google Workspace, G Suite, or personal Google accounts.

It’s previously been possible to start calls from within the Gmail app, but until now it’s involved sending an invite to a Google Meet video conferencing call, which feels excessive for a one-on-one conversation. Going forward, however, there’ll be simple phone and video icons in the top right of every one-on-one chat which can be used for calls.

It’s a simple addition, but it’s one that furthers Google’s goal of making Gmail the central hub for all its communication services. In fact, Google’s post says you’ll be redirected to the Gmail app, even if you start a call from within the Google Chat app. As my colleague Dieter Bohn pointed out in September, emails now take up just one of the four tabs in the current Gmail app, alongside Chat, Spaces (Google’s Slack-style messaging service), and Meet (its video conferencing service).

Uber is also releasing audible seat belt alerts and enhancing RideCheck

Uber is releasing its audio-recording feature to three US cities later this month, Uber said in its press release.

At the beginning of a trip, riders and drivers can enable this feature by clicking the shield icon in the app’s Safety Toolkit and selecting “Record Audio.” While both riders and drivers can record individual trips, drivers have the option to leave the feature on while they’re actively seeking rides. The app will notify the rider if the driver is using the feature. Uber first launched audio recording in Latin America in 2019.

The move is the first in-app feature that provides audio documentation of rides. Uber allows drivers to use their own dashcams to record rides on their own if local laws permit it.

As for audio file privacy, the file is encrypted and stored on rider and driver’s devices, but no one can listen to the audio, even Uber. If either the rider or driver decides to submit a safety report, they can attach the audio file, and a trained Uber safety agent will decrypt and review the recording.

Along with audio recording, Uber is releasing audible seat belt alerts soon, according to the press release. The seat belt alert will come from the driver’s phone, and the rider will receive a push notification reminding them to put on their seat belt. Uber said that this feature will be available in the US in early 2022.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — or NHTSA — reported that in 2020, the national seat belt use rate was 90.3 percent. NHTSA also reported that of the 22,415 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 47 percent were not wearing seat belts. NHTSA said they found no significant changes in seat belt use from 2019 to 2020.
Uber also announced enhancements for its RideCheck feature, first launched in 2019 to detect accidents and unusual long stops. Now, RideCheck can now detect when Uber drivers take an unexpected route or when a trip ends abruptly before the final destination. If detected, riders and drivers will receive a notification to make sure everything is safe.
Uber first published a safety report in 2019 looking at data between 2017 and 2018 following increased complaints from occupants regarding its safety practices. Ultimately, these observations included the safety of drivers who have also complained to the company about rider behavior.

Uber has been steadily releasing new safety features in response to both riders and drivers experiencing unsafe conditions during their trips, including allegations of sexual assault. In March, Uber, along with its competitor Lyft, announced that it would share information about drivers who were deactivated for committing serious offenses.

Creators have complained about the claims and appeal process
Over 2.2 million YouTube videos were hit with copyright claims that were later overturned between January and June of this year, according to a new report published by the company today. The Copyright Transparency Report is the first of its kind published by YouTube, which says it will update biannually going forward.

The 2.2 million incorrect claims represent less than 1 percent of the more than 729 million total copyright claims issued in the first half of this year, 99 percent of which originated from Content ID, YouTube’s automated enforcement tool. When users disputed these claims, the case was resolved in favor of the uploader of the video 60 percent of the time, according to the report.
Though mistaken copyright claims are a drop in the bucket on a larger scale, YouTube creators have long complained about how the platform handles claims, saying overly aggressive or unjustified enforcement can lead to lost income. Copyright claims can result in videos being blocked, audio being muted, or ad revenue going back to the rights owner. This new report gives shape to a problem that YouTube itself has acknowledged needs updating.

In 2019, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said in a blog post that the company heard the concerns from creators and that YouTube was “exploring improvements in striking the right balance between copyright owners and creators.”

The new report notes that “no system is perfect” and that errors happen even with established guardrails in place to prevent abuse of enforcement mechanisms. “When disputes take place, the process provided by YouTube provides real recourse, and over 60% of these disputes were resolved in favor of the uploader,” the report says.

Its disappearing messages feature is getting an upgrade
WhatsApp is adding new functionality to its disappearing messages feature, which lets users set messages in a chat to automatically be deleted after a set period of time. WhatsApp says users will now have the option to turn on disappearing messages automatically for all their new one-on-one chats, so that all future messages will be automatically deleted from the service.

The Meta-owned messaging service also says it’s giving users more options for how long before a message is deleted. When the feature first launched in November last year, users only had the option of having messages disappear after seven days. Going forward, however, there will also be the option of deleting them after just 24 hours or 90 days. The new functionality was previously reported as being in development by WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp notes that turning on disappearing messages by default won’t affect existing chats. When you start a new one-on-one chat, a notice will appear to say that the disappearing messages feature is turned on, alongside a note that says it’s on by default (so your contacts don’t think it’s anything personal). You also have the option of turning the setting off for individual chats.

Although the new default setting doesn’t affect group chats, WhatsApp says it’s added a new option when creating groups to let you enable the disappearing messages feature.

WhatsApp says the new features are available now across all platforms. Instructions for how to use them3m4 can be found in WhatsApp’s FAQ.

It’s interesting and a little scary

Engineered Arts, a UK-based designer and manufacturer of humanoid robots, recently showed off one of its most lifelike creations in a video posted on YouTube. The robot, called Ameca, is shown making a series of incredibly human-like facial expressions.
At the start of the video, Ameca appears to “wake up,” as its face conveys a mix of confusion and frustration when it opens its eyes. But when Ameca starts looking at its hands and arms, the robot opens its mouth and raises its brows in what it looks like is amazement. The end of the video shows Ameca smiling and holding a welcoming hand out towards the viewer — if that’s how you want to interpret that gesture.

Sorry to disappoint, but Ameca doesn’t walk, flip, or do parkour like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot does. That said, we likely won’t see Ameca walking and talking among us anytime soon. Engineered Arts says the bot is currently unable to walk, although it wants to give it that ability at some point. As for whether Ameca operates using AI, Engineered Arts explains that it leaves AI capabilities up to developers — it just handles the ultra-realistic bodies.

If Ameca doesn’t creep you out enough, Engineered Arts also developed another realistic bot, named Mesmer. The company says that it used 3D scans of actual humans to give the bot accurate bone structure, skin texture, and lifelike facial expressions. In a video posted just days after the Ameca showcase, Mesmer makes a series of expressions that looks even more convincing, given that this bot has more lifelike skin and facial features than Ameca does at the moment.

Since Engineered Arts focuses on creating humanoid robots for entertainment, Ameca and Mesmer will likely be the center of attention at venues and events, rather than robots designed to do a specific job or take over all of humanity. If you want to see Ameca in real life, Engineered Arts says it’ll be on display at CES 2022 in January.