Since the existing blue verified check mark no longer means an account is authentic, Twitter may soon roll out special badges reserved for certain people.
Many people use WhatsApp to shop, and now they might not have to leave the app to find a store. WhatsApp now lets you search for businesses (those using the service’s Business Platform, that is) by category or name. The feature is initially available in the UK, Colombia, Indonesia and Mexico, while Brazil will get an expanded version that also indexes small businesses.
WhatsApp also wants to handle the purchases. After a launch in India this August, the messaging app is now testing in-chat payments in Brazil. You can use your credit or debit card to check out directly instead of visiting the web, using another app or making a face-to-face transaction.
WhatsApp didn’t say when it expected these search and payment options to reach the US and other parts of the world. In a statement, WhatsApp only said it would expand access “in the future.” However, the debut is clearly focused on countries where WhatsApp is popular, such as Brazil. The South American nation is frequently one of the first to get new features, such as sending and receiving money.
It won’t be surprising if the technology spreads to other regions. WhatsApp owner Meta has made a point of building shopping features into its core products, including Facebook and Instagram. These latest additions could help Meta provide a more consistent commerce experience across its apps — and, of course, make some extra profit.
If you’re looking for an excuse to throw more cash at all things Diablo Immortal, ASUS has got your back. Following the ROG Phone 6 Batman Edition, the Taiwanese brand has since teamed up with Blizzard to bring us the ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition, which is basically a specced-out ROG Phone 6 decorated with elements from the mobile game — both externally and internally, down to the notification sounds. In other words, you’re getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, along with the ROG Phone series’ signature AirTrigger 6 shoulder controls and front-facing stereo speakers. You’ll be missing out on the 6 Pro’s tiny screen on the back, but then again, there’s plenty else for showing off here.
The ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition features a “Hellfire Red” semi-matte finish on the back, which gives off a special flame effect when viewed at different angles. There’s also an RGB-lit Diablo Immortal logo next to the game’s titular demon, though I personally would have preferred some light trick on the Lord of Terror itself instead. Everything else — including the 65W charger and cable — remain the same.
This wouldn’t be a special edition phone if it didn’t have matching accessories. In addition to the gold-colored “Immortality Ejector Pin” for the SIM tray, there’s also a “Fahir’s Light” UV torch for revealing hidden details on the Diablo-themed phone case. You can pull the same optical trick with the “Map of Sanctuary,” though its real purpose is for wrapping the charger and cable — a handy bundle for travelling. The phone, case and pin are tucked inside a blood red “Worldstone” phone box, which is itself packaged alongside the map in a larger “Horadric Cube” box. Alas, much like the original ROG Phone 6, the Peltier-powered AeroActive Cooler 6 isn’t included here — it’ll cost you an extra $100.
The ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition will be available on ASUS’ online store from November 18, though it’ll cost you $1,299 — that’s $200 more than the regular version. For the same price, you can actually get a specced-out ROG Phone 6 Pro (with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage), but if you understood all the aforementioned Diablo references, then chances are you don’t mind.
After years of buildup, Fisker has finally started building its ambitious electric Ocean SUV in Austria. The company pledged to start production by the end of 2022, so it has met that target with around six weeks to spare.
If you didn’t lock in a pre-order for the EV swiftly, you may still be in for quite a wait before you get your hands on the Ocean. Fisker will ramp up production gradually. It plans to build more than 300 units in the first quarter of 2023, increasing to more than 8,000 the following quarter. For Q3, the aim is to make more than 15,000 units. All told, Fisker expects to assemble around 42,400 units in 2023.
Two of the Ocean trims have sold out in the US for 2023 and the company has received more than 63,000 reservations in total. The limited-edition Ocean One trim, which is based on the high-end Ocean Extreme, required a $5,000 deposit and sold out within 30 days earlier this year. Fisker will crank out 5,000 units of the Ocean One before moving on to other variants.
The Ocean Extreme, which starts at $68,999, is capable of traveling 350 miles on a single charge, according to Fisker. The SUV boasts what the company claims is the first digital radar system as a safety feature. The Ocean Extreme has dual-motor, all-wheel-drive with 550 horsepower, which can accelerate the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. It also includes three driving modes, a 17.1-inch rotating screen you can play games on and a solar roof.
The base-level Ocean Sport is selling for $37,499, while the mid-tier Ocean Ultra will set you back $49,999. The Sport has one 275 hp engine that can take the car from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The dual-motor Ultra has 540 horsepower and a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.9 seconds.
Fisker claims the Ocean is the planet’s “most sustainable vehicle.” The SUV is being assembled in a carbon-neutral factory. The vehicle also includes more than 50 kg (110 pounds) of recycled, biodegradable and overall eco-conscious materials.
Internet service providers (ISP) will soon have to be a lot more transparent with what their plans come with and how much they truly cost. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced new rules that will require ISPs to display easy-to-read-and-understand labels that show key facts about their products at the point of sale. These labels will resemble the nutrition labels at the back of food products and should include, among other things, the price, speed, data allowances and other aspects of a company’s wired and wireless internet services.
In a statement, FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said that by requiring the companies to display their rates clearly, the agency is “seeking to end the kind of unexpected fees and junk costs that can get buried in long and mind-numbingly confusing statements of terms and conditions.” As you can see in the FCC’s example above, providers will have to itemize each one-time and monthly fee you’ll have to pay.
The FCC will require providers to prominently display these labels on their main purchasing pages, and in close proximity to an associated plan advertisement. They can’t be hidden behind multiple clicks and can’t be camouflaged by other elements in the page that they’ll likely be missed. The labels also need to be accessible from your customer account portal, and the provider must give you a copy when you ask. Further, the FCC is requiring the broadband companies to make the labels machine readable, so that third-party developers can easily create tools that would make it easier to compare ISPs.
The commission proposed rules for broadband labels back in January in response to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed into law last year. After the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act reviews and approves the FCC’s requirements, ISPs will have six months (or a year, if they’re a smaller company) to comply.
In Colorado, a mandatory recount is triggered when the margin of votes between the top two candidates is at or below 0.5% of the leading candidate’s vote total.
True, Black Friday isn’t for another week, but as we expected, Amazon is launching some of its best deals early. Right now, we’re seeing steep price cuts on Fire tablets, with discounts between 33 and 50 percent. That puts the new-for-2022 Fire HD 8 Plus tablet down to just $65 from its list price of $120, and Amazon’s largest tablet, the Fire HD 10, at $75, instead of its usual $150.
This year, Amazon revamped all of their 8-inch tablets, giving them a thinner profile and faster processors. The Black Friday sale marks the first time Fire 8 tablets have gone on sale since their release in September.
Shop Amazon’s Black Friday Fire 8 tablet sale
While you’ll usually see moderate, 20 percent discounts on brand new devices, Amazon is going all in with up to 47 percent off the new Fire 8s. The biggest discount goes to the kids tablets, putting them at $80 each. The Fire HD 8 Kids tablet is geared towards kids aged three to seven and has a more robust case and web browsing that includes a selection of safe sites. The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is also $80, but this one is for kids aged six to twelve. It has a slimmer protective case and an open but filtered web browser. Both come with a year of Amazon Kids+, a service granting access to age-appropriate e-books, games, and audiobooks.
A handful of Amazon’s other tablets are seeing up to 50 percent discounts, with half price deals on the 2021 Fire HD 10 tablet. The 10 series are the only full HD tablets Amazon offers, featuring screens with 1080p resolution, and the only model Amazon makes a keyboard for. If you’re looking for a tablet to help with productivity, go for the the Fire 10 or even the Fire 10 Plus, which is 42 percent off and offers wireless charging and an extra gigabyte of RAM.
Shop Amazon’s Black Friday Fire tablet sale
There’s also a half-price deal on the 2022 Fire 7 Kids tablet. Like the Fire 8 Kids tablet, the Fire 7 Kids tablet is made for younger kids, aged three to seven, but with a one-inch smaller screen, which might be easier for little hands to use.
Amazon tablets are already among the most affordable slabs out there, and these markdowns could be enough to put them in stocking-stuffer territory. For less than $100 you can get a casual-use tablet to give as a gift or keep for yourself for laidback couch surfing.
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The Japanese defense minister says a North Korean missile test-launched Friday could potentially reach the entire continental United States.
If you have certain details filled out on your Facebook profile, you’ll soon see a notification warning you to save the info before it disappears.
Elon Musk’s recent email telling employees they had to agree to work “extremely hardcore” or resign has reportedly not gone according to plan.