Jun 27
Jun 27
Facebook brought the Status feature to WhatsApp a couple of years ago after it saw considerable success with it on properties like Instagram and Facebook proper. However, the feature didn’t really take off as much as one would have expected on WhatsApp. Nevertheless, the company continues to push this feature, and it now has the ability to also share your status to Facebook and other apps.
For those who are unaware, WhatsApp Status is essentially the stories feature that you are already accustomed to on Instagram. Users can post images, videos, and text on their profile which disappears automatically after 24 hours.
WhatsApp beta users will now start seeing a new sharing option beneath their status. They can use this option to post their Status directly to their Facebook Story or even share it with other apps like Instagram, Gmail or Google Photos.
Even though there’s a direct link to share a WhatsApp status on Facebook, WhatsApp tells The Verge that it’s not linking users’ accounts together on the services. It’s just making use of the same Android and iOS data-sharing APIs like every other app which means that the data is transferred on-device between the apps. There’s also no option to have a WhatsApp Status automatically shared to Facebook every time, it has to be done manually by the user.
WhatsApp Now Lets You Share Your Status To Facebook , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Jun 27
The Philips Hue smart bulbs have long been a fixture in the smart lighting market. You would need to purchase a hub in order to take advantage of their connected features, though, but that’s no longer going to be necessary. The new Philips Hue smart bulbs come with Bluetooth and no longer require the $60 hub to function. They can be controlled entirely over Bluetooth.
The biggest benefit of adding Bluetooth to the bulbs is that for starters, customers don’t have to spend $60 on a hub. Secondly, anyone who has a smartphone can simply screw in these light bulbs and start controlling them right away using their device.
However, there is one downside to this as well. Bluetooth’s range is much shorter than the Zigbee wireless system used by Hue bulbs traditionally. They wouldn’t be connected to the internet remotely as well. So you won’t be able to turn them off when you suddenly remember at a party that you left way too many lights on at home. You’ll have to be within the Bluetooth range of the bulbs in order to control them.
Just because the new bulbs have Bluetooth support doesn’t mean Zigbee’s out. They still support it and once you make up your mind about the Hue system, you can always go ahead and buy the hub to get all of that extra functionality. The prices remain almost the same as before with $15 for the single white bulb and $50 for a full color bulb.
New Philips Hue Bulbs Have Bluetooth And Don’t Need A Hub To Work , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Jun 27
Amazon today announced the launch of its in-store Counter pickup service in the United States. It works in a similar fashion to its Locker service where customers can have their packages shipped. With this service, you just get your package delivered to more than a hundred Rite Aid stores across the United States and just head over there to pick it up.
Amazon had originally launched the Counter service in the United Kingdom and Italy. It says that the service has been positively received in those markets. Amazon says that it will expand this service to more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores in the country by the end of this year. This network of staffed pickup points will allow customers to pick up their packages in the store.
Customers will be able to get tens of millions of items available on Amazon’s online store shipped to a Counter location. It works with same-day, one-day, two-day, and Standard Shipping. Amazon is providing this service to customers at no additional cost.
The Counter service won’t just be limited to Rite Aid stores in the country. Amazon is looking to bring more partners on board for this service including both large chains as well as small to midsize businesses.
You Can Now Pick Up Your Amazon Packages At Rite Aid , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Jun 27
Some of your favorite social media personalities might be heading to Washington, D.C. A new report mentions that the White House is going to hold a social media summit next month. No further details have been confirmed at this point in time, but White House spokesman Judd Deere said the summit will “bring together digital leaders for a robust conversation on the opportunities and challenges of today’s online environment.”
The New York Times first reported that the White House is going to conduct a social media summit in July. The event hasn’t been officially confirmed by the White House just yet. There’s also no word on the people who will be invited to attend the summit that’s reportedly scheduled for July 11th.
Social media has played an increasingly important part in the political discourse. It also played a major role in the previous election. So it’s unsurprising that such an event may be conducted by the White House as the nation approaches an election next year.
What’s not known at this point in time, though, is what might be the agenda for this summit and whether it will only be administration officials and not the president who will interact with the participants. It’s also unclear if representatives from social media companies like Facebook and Twitter will be present as well.
A Social Media Summit May Be Hosted At The White House Next Month , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Jun 27
Smartphone manufacturers often offer incentives to customers in order to get them to pre-order their new phones. Samsung enticed customers with a free pair of Galaxy Buds for the Galaxy S10 series. Sony is doing something similar but the product it’s offering is in a different league. Prospective Xperia 1 customers stand to receive a free pair of Sony’s latest premium wireless headphones if they place a pre-order for the device when they open on June 28th.
Customers in the United States can get a pair of Sony’s WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones for no additional cost if they just pre-order the Xperia 1. That’s a $350 incentive. Yes, the wireless headphones cost that much on their own.
It’s a pretty good incentive as far as pre-order gifts go. The Xperia 1 itself doesn’t cost more than what you’d expect a flagship in 2019 to cost. For $950, it provides you with a 6.5 inch 4K OLED 21:9 aspect ratio display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
There’s a triple camera system at the back with a 12 megapixel 26mm wide-angle lens, a 52mm telephoto lens, and a 16mm super wide-angle lens. There’s also a 3,300mAh battery, which is fairly modest when compared to some of the other flagship phones on the market.
Sony Offers Its latest Premium Headphones With Xperia 1 Pre-Orders , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Jun 27
Philips Hue bulbs are getting a Bluetooth upgrade, opening the door to easier installation without requiring a hub. One of the earliest smart bulbs on the market, Hue’s new bulbs have so far used Zigbee for mesh networking, a system which has both strengths and drawbacks. The advantage of a Zigbee mesh is range, each bulb interconnecting so that even … Continue reading
Jun 27
It’s probably not a good sign when once small-time players from China are getting more attention and especially more sales than former industry giants. That, unfortunately, is the position that LG has found itself in, even after the dual launch of the LG G8 ThinQ and the LG V50 ThinQ. Some have considered the phones dead on arrival in face … Continue reading
Jun 27
Waymo is starting its slow autonomous drive into existing ride-hailing services, with a partnership with Lyft seeing some users of the service offered self-driving minivans for their journey. The collaboration builds on Waymo’s existing pilot scheme for Waymo One, the autonomous ride-hailing service it has been offering since late last year. Waymo One is the first commercial push for the … Continue reading
Jun 27
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.