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“Introducing MacOS Sequoia: An Exciting Reveal by Apple”

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The latest version is MacOS Sequoia. Notifications on Mac bring up iPhone mirror mode, and iPhone audio comes through the Mac as well — but the paired iPhone stays locked. Elsewhere, MacOS Sequoia introduces automatic window tiling, and a presenter preview mode for video conferencing with a built-in background replacement. On the gaming front, Apple announced Game Porting Toolkit 2, the newest version of its game porting toolkit. The MacOS Sequoia beta will be available this month, with final releases to come this fall.

Facebook’s Latest Move: Introducing a Vertical-First Video Player to Compete Against TikTok

Meta Company Loses Net Worth After Facebook Lost Daily Users
Facebook is introducing a new, full-screen video player on Wednesday, which offers a more consistent design and experience for all types of video lengths, including short-form Reels, long-form videos, and even Live content. These improved recommendations will also appear outside the player, on the Facebook Feed and Video tab. Facebook says its upgraded player will also offer new controls like a full-screen mode for horizontal videos and a slider to skip around in longer videos. TikTok, by comparison, has also tested horizontal videos and long-form content of 30 minutes as it looks to compete with YouTube and other sites. The timing of the video player change also comes at a time when U.S. lawmakers are weighing a possible TikTok ban, which, if enacted, could increase video consumption on other social platforms.

“Enhance Your Instagram Feed with Google’s Newest Pixel Drop – Upgraded Photo and Video Posting Capabilities Now Available!”

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Pixel phone updatesThe company is now allowing users to capture and upload 10-bit HDR videos on Instagram. This feature is available to users on the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold. Later in the month, the company made the feature available to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro users. Google today said the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users will be able to use this feature soon. Pixel Watch updatesGoogle is rolling out two updates to the original Pixel Watch to help users train better, namely Pace training and Heart Zone training.

“Maximizing Battery Life: The Power of Dual Chips and Wear OS Tweaks in the OnePlus Watch 2”

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Officially unveiled this morning at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona after a few months of teases, the OnePlus Watch 2 does get some points for originality. Battery continues to be the lowest hanging fruit in the smartwatch world. Like the Apple Watch, OnePlus’ Watch 2 has a Power Saving Mode. The company notes,WearOS apps and the Always On Display will not work when the device is in Power Saving Mode. Other features such as calling, messaging, and exercise modes will still work on Power Saving Mode however some of their more power intensive functions will be limited to preserve battery life, eg.

“Etsy Unveils Revolutionary ‘Gift Mode’: An AI-Driven Tool with 200+ Curated Gift Suggestions”

Etsy Gift Mode
E-commerce site Etsy today launched “Gift Mode,” a new AI-powered feature to match you with tailored gift ideas based on specific preferences. Gift Mode is essentially an online quiz that asks about who you’re shopping for (sibling, parent, child), the occasion (birthday, anniversary, get well), and the recipient’s interests. At launch, the feature has 15 interests to choose from, including crafting, fashion, sports, video games, pets, and more. It then generates a series of gift guides inspired by your choices, pulling options from the over 100 million items listed on the platform. Etsy hopes Gift Mode will relieve the stress that comes with selecting the perfect present.

Flagship Specs and Premium Price: The Upcoming OnePlus 12

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The Oppo-owned phone maker just debuted its latest flagship, the OnePlus 12. Zoom goes up to 120x, but you’re going to start introducing noise into the photo after around 6x. Meanwhile a new “Master Mode” brings additional options to OnePlus’ Pro Mode feature, including adjustments to things like contrast, saturation, sharpness and tint. Flagship specs at flagship prices. If that’s a bit too step, the new OnePlus 12R starts at $500 – less than half the price.

Iowa Lawsuit Accuses TikTok of Deceiving Parents in Handling of Children’s Information

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The state of Iowa is suing TikTok, alleging that the social media company misleads parents about the kinds of content available to young users. The lawsuit from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird accuses TikTok of hosting “sexual content, drugs, alcohol, intense profanity, self-harm messages, and other X-rated content,” making videos that aren’t age appropriate easily accessible for children and teens in the state. “TikTok represents to Iowa parents and Iowa children that inappropriate content on its platform, including drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity, is ‘infrequent,'” the lawsuit states, slamming those claims as “lies.”The state specifically takes issue with TikTok’s age rating in app marketplaces. Providing age ratings for social apps that surface endless waves of niche algorithmic user-generated content has always been more of an art than a science, but Iowa argues that TikTok intentionally misrepresents itself to parents. Iowa is the latest state to sue the app over concerns around the content it serves to underage users, joining Indiana, Arkansas and Utah.

“TikTok Enhances Tablet and Foldable App Experience with Latest Update”

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TikTok has rolled out an update to enhance the app experience for viewers on tablets and foldable devices, the company announced on Monday. The company says the app is now better optimized for larger screens, as viewers can now experience a clear video feed, streamlined navigation bars and orientation support. By rolling out a landscape mode on larger devices, TikTok is inching further into YouTube’s territory, which it has already been doing by supporting longer videos. It’s worth noting that TikTok’s optimization for foldables and tablets comes as Instagram, one of its main competitors, still lacks an iPad app. By rolling out updates for the app experiences on larger devices, TikTok is able to move beyond its mobile-first approach at a time when the competition is still behind.