Category: Tech

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Tech

Instagram Added “Close Friends” Feature To Permit Users To Share Stories To A More Limited Group

While in June 2017 Instagram tested the new “Favorites” function that allowed users to share more but limited to a smaller group of their followers, now Instagram added “Close Friends” feature which permits people to share stories to a limited group of friends.

Practically, “Favorites” and “Close Friends” are the same thing, as “Close Friends” is, in reality, the final version of the former function which has been under testing since recently. However, “Close Friends” feature in Instagram comes out with several changes in comparison with “Favorites.”

To make use of this new function in Instagram, just open up your Stories camera within the app and take a photo or a video and, as soon as you’re done, you’ll notice a small green circle with a star inside it. When you tap that button, Instagram will redirect you to your list of close friends from where you can add people to your “inner circle.”

Instagram Added “Close Friends” Feature To Permit Users To Share Stories To A More Limited Group Of People

Also, Instagram will suggest you which friends you should add, depending on how many times you were interacting with them, while you can just use the search bar to look for specific friends in your list.

Different from the Finstagram close friends list, your followers cannot request you to add them to your new “Close Friends” list which is mainly designed for you only to permit you to share your Insta Stories to a more limited group of people. You can freely add or remove people from your lists, which is great news, too.

As more and more people move from Facebook to Instagram, every new feature in the Instagram social network is more than welcome by the users. Also, this new “Close Friends” feature helps actual friends keep in touch much closer than ever.

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News Tech

Weibo Wants To Become Global, Following The Example Of TikTok

The Chinese social network Weibo is monitoring foreign markets and plans to launch new products in different languages, says a senior company official, sweeping away any possible reservations about censorship and credibility. The platform, which is the second-largest one in China after WeChat, a social network, messaging, and mobile payment app, aims to attract those Chinese living outside the borders of the country, as Zhang Zhe, Weibo’s Director of Sports Operations, said. Also, Weibo plans to launch targeted products for global markets.

“We want everyone who speaks Chinese to use Weibo,” said Zhang Zhe, during a conference on the sports economy in Dongguan, in southern China.

But Weibo also wants to reach new audiences with niche products in different languages, partly inspired by the overseas success of another Chinese company, TikTok, which is a video sharing platform and social network that’s very popular among youngsters.

TikTok’s creator, Beijing-based Bytedance, announced this week a partnership with the NBA, the Nationa Basketball Association in the US, that will allow it to broadcast content in several countries, including the United States.

Weibo Wants To Become Global, Following The Example Of TikTok

“Weibo is a highly developed product. Not only do we have videos, but also images, graphics, articles and even live feeds. We have everything,” says Zhang.

Zhang Zhe also admitted that it would make “no sense” to engage in competition with social networks and media platforms that are already in a strong position abroad, such as the giants Twitter and Facebook.

“So, if Weibo is exported, we think we can enter the foreign markets with a targeted product, as TikTok has done,” added Zhang Zhe.

Coming from a country where censorship is affecting the Internet, however, Chinese technology companies are not always well-received outside China, where their presence raises questions of national security as it has happened recently in New Zealand which banned the use of Huawei equipment from developing the 5G network across the country.

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Games News Tech

Nintendo Switch Would Sell Better Than The PlayStation 4 in 2019

For the first time in 10 years, Nintendo could regain first place in terms of video game consoles sales worldwide, explains a recent press release issued by Strategy Analytics. And that because, according to the before-mentioned firm’s predictions, Nintendo Switch would sell better than the PlayStation 4 in 2019.

According to the company’s predictions, next year, Nintendo will sell 17.3 million Nintendo Switch consoles worldwide, while Sony will sell only about 17 million PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro consoles. As regarding Microsoft, its Xbox One console will come in the third place in 2019 with approximately 10 million Xbox One and Xbox One X.

After years of disappointing sales with the Wii U, Nintendo would finally come back on its position as a leader in the video games console industry. Nevertheless, even if 2019 could be Nintendo’s year, Sony will still be number one if you consider the number of consoles which are already in use.

Nintendo Switch Would Sell Better Than The PlayStation 4 in 2019

“Sony remains the market leader in terms of consoles used. It represents nearly half of the video game consoles used. 84% of them are now PS4 or PS4 Pro devices,” writes Strategy Analytics.

Otherwise, the good news is that video game consoles are not about to die, according to Strategy Analytics analysts. That is despite the arrival of mobile video games and video games streaming services. While console sales are expected to decline by 10% in 2019, they will return to this year’s performance in 2021-2023, thanks to the release of the next-generation consoles.

“Contrary to some expectations, the global gaming console market remains healthy,” said David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics. “In fact, some would argue that the persistent appeal of the video games console, now in its sixth decade, continues to demonstrate the weaknesses and limitations of alternative game platforms,” he added.

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Tech

Samsung Galaxy A8 Series Would Be The First To Ditch The Popular 3.5-mm Headphones Jack

It looks like the Samsung Galaxy A8s is going to be a turning point for the South Korean company just as the Samsung Galaxy A7 with its triple camera has been. However, this time, there is not good news, as the Samsung Galaxy A8 series might be the first to ditch the famous 3.5-mm headphones jack.

According to some recent leaks, Samsung has been planning to eliminate the 3.5-mm jack for a long time, following the example set by Apple. New rumors say that Samsung Galaxy A8 series would be the first to come out without the minijack, in what the South Korean company dubs as an effort to enhance the use of the USB-C port.

If consumers accept this change and the reception of the change is positive, we could presume that other future Samsung devices would also come out without the 3.5-mm headphones jack.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Series Would Be The First To Ditch The Popular 3.5-mm Headphones Jack

The fact that Samsung is going to eliminate the headphone port of their phones is something that has been speculated for a long time, following the strategy of other brands such as Apple, who has decided to eliminate the minijack from their phones since the iPhone 7.

However, it’s not the first time we’ve heard rumors saying that the South Korean company is going to eliminate the 3.5-mm jack.

A couple of years ago, some rumors also said that the Samsung Galaxy S8 series would come out without the popular minijack for headphones, but, eventually, Samsung released its flagship with the 3.5-mm jack. However, things have changed in 2018 regarding both the technology and smartphone users’ desires, so it might be better for Samsung to ditch the minijack.

Samsung Galaxy A8 series, which would be the first to come out without the popular 3.5-mm jack, would be presented at the next CES in Las Vegas.

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Tech

Opera 57 Brings “Smart News” Based On Artificial Intelligence and Netflix Recommendations

Opera 57 is the new version of the renowned Internet browser for PC and, continuing with his unique way of bringing surprising functions, it arrives with some curious new features, including “smart news” based on artificial intelligence and Netflix recommendations.

Opera 57 Bring “Smart News” Function, Based On Artificial Intelligence

Opera 57 releases what they have called “smart news” which is the same news function incorporated within the browser, but personalized via artificial intelligence. Thus, in addition to being able to choose the type of information and even sources that are most interesting for you, Opera has added the possibility of rating the news with the typical thumbs up or thumb down, so that the system learns what the user is interested in.

Of course, to make use of “Smart News,” it is necessary to accept the new privacy agreement since the Opera artificial intelligence system needs to collect some of your data to work. However, they claim that “Opera collects completely anonymous data.”

“We only collect information about the frequency and duration of viewing articles on the personalized news page,” Opera devs stated.

Opera 57 Also Added Netflix Recommendations

Netflix recommendation is the second surprising feature that Opera 57 boasts. These recommendations are provided via The Movie Database and are adapted to the country where the users reside. So far, Opera 57 supports North American countries and most of the European states, while other countries would be supported soon.

On the other hand, the Netflix section is a section dependent on the news feature in Opera 57.

Other new features of Opera 57 include several bug fixes and technical and stability improvements. Also, there is now an option to close the anchored tabs directly without having to restore them before closing them. TThe new Opera 57 is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac, and is downloadable on the Opera official website.

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