Twitter could be working on its own podcasting platform

Twitter has been actively developing and releasing new features lately. Earlier today, we reported that the company is rolling out the ability to create Communities directly from the website or mobile app — instead of having to fill and submit an application form. Additionally, the service is testing 1080p video uploads with Twitter Blue subscribers on the desktop website. Now, new traces reveal that Twitter could be planning on further enriching its versatile service by working on its own podcasting platform. Whether it eventually makes its way to end users and how it would potentially function is yet to be seen.

Twitter is working on Podcasts tab pic.twitter.com/64tTd3XPdu

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 2, 2022

Jane Wong — a trusted code spelunker with an accurate history of revealing upcoming features — has shared her findings in a tweet. As pictured above, Twitter is developing a new tab in the bottom navigation bar — dedicated for podcasting. When and if the feature gets released is unknown. It’s not uncommon for companies to work on new additions to their services, only to drop them before they see the light of day.

People have been reacting to this potential addition in different ways. Some users welcome the idea of having a podcasting section in the app. However, many believe that the service is becoming too unnecessarily complex. There are speculations on whether this new feature would allow users to publish recorded Twitter Spaces. In that case, the podcasting section would have a social aspect to it — where different strangers on the internet can contribute and share their ideas. Again, at this point it’s hard to determine the specific details of Twitter Podcasts. That’s because the screenshot doesn’t share anything apart from the tab’s name and icon. We will have to wait until more traces surface around to get a better idea of what’s to come.

Do you see yourself listening to podcasts on Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Twitter could be working on its own podcasting platform

Twitter has been actively developing and releasing new features lately. Earlier today, we reported that the company is rolling out the ability to create Communities directly from the website or mobile app — instead of having to fill and submit an application form. Additionally, the service is testing 1080p video uploads with Twitter Blue subscribers on the desktop website. Now, new traces reveal that Twitter could be planning on further enriching its versatile service by working on its own podcasting platform. Whether it eventually makes its way to end users and how it would potentially function is yet to be seen.

Twitter is working on Podcasts tab pic.twitter.com/64tTd3XPdu

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 2, 2022

Jane Wong — a trusted code spelunker with an accurate history of revealing upcoming features — has shared her findings in a tweet. As pictured above, Twitter is developing a new tab in the bottom navigation bar — dedicated for podcasting. When and if the feature gets released is unknown. It’s not uncommon for companies to work on new additions to their services, only to drop them before they see the light of day.

People have been reacting to this potential addition in different ways. Some users welcome the idea of having a podcasting section in the app. However, many believe that the service is becoming too unnecessarily complex. There are speculations on whether this new feature would allow users to publish recorded Twitter Spaces. In that case, the podcasting section would have a social aspect to it — where different strangers on the internet can contribute and share their ideas. Again, at this point it’s hard to determine the specific details of Twitter Podcasts. That’s because the screenshot doesn’t share anything apart from the tab’s name and icon. We will have to wait until more traces surface around to get a better idea of what’s to come.

Do you see yourself listening to podcasts on Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Amazon is closing all bookstores, pop-up locations, and “4-star” locations

Amazon is an online store first and foremost, but the company has attempted a few experiments with physical retail locations over the years. However, Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that most of those experiments are coming to an end, as the company aims to close all 68 of its physical stores in the United States and United Kingdom

Amazon told Reuters that the closed stores include all Amazon 4-star stores (a generic electronics store that sold items with 4-star ratings or higher), Amazon Books locations, and other pop-up locations. Amazon also owns Whole Foods Market, a chain of supermarkets in the United States and United Kingdom, but those stores are unaffected. Amazon declined to say how many workers are at those stores, but the company said it would offer severance payments, or the option to transfer to nearby Amazon stores and facilities, if some exist.

It’s not exactly clear why Amazon is closing the stores now, besides that they likely didn’t make as much money as the company had hoped. Amazon became one of the richest companies on the planet through online sales, displacing competitors (such as Sears department stores and Borders book stores) in the process, so expanding into physical locations was always more of a novelty than anything else. CNBC reports that all of Amazon’s physical stores, including Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations, had lower sales in 2021 than 2018.

Amazon announced last month that the price for Amazon Prime subscriptions was increasing, starting on February 18 for new customers and March 25 for existing subscribers. The cost jumped from $119/year to $139/yr, and for people who pay monthly, from $12.99/month to $14.199/mo. Amazon said that the price increase was due to “the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs.”

Source: Reuters, CNBC
Via: Engadget

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Moto G22 design and specs leaked, could pack an OLED display and a 50MP primary shooter

Motorola is gearing up to launch a new affordable smartphone under its Moto G series. Dubbed the Moto G22, the phone will reportedly succeed the last year’s Moto G20. Now ahead of the official launch, a new leak has revealed the design and key specifications of the device.

WinFuture has shared high-res renders of the Moto G22, giving us a closer look at the phone’s design. There are some notable cosmetic changes here. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is gone, replaced by a side-mounted sensor embedded into the power button. The rectangular camera module on the back sports an updated design; the primary sensor and the LED flash module are placed together inside a ring, with the remaining three sensors sitting just below. Over on the front, the phone sports an OLED panel with a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.

While the Moto G20 had an LCD panel, the Moto G22 reportedly sports an OLED display. At 6.53-inch, it’s roughly the same size as the last year, and the screen resolution (HD+) and refresh rate (90Hz) are also unchanged. Under the hood, the phone is powered by MediaTek’s Helio G37 chipset, a step up from the Unisoc T700 chip on the Moto G20. The primary camera has been upgraded from a 48MP sensor to a new 50MP f/1.8 sensor, and it’s joined by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and two 2MP depth and macro shooters.

The Moto G22 reportedly packs a 5,000mAh battery and charges via a 10W charger. Finally, we’re told the phone will run Android 12 out of the box, offers Bluetooth 5.2 and 4G LTE support, and has a microSD card slot.

Motorola hasn’t officially confirmed anything about the Moto G22 at this point. WinFuture says the phone will be priced under €200 and will be available in only black color initially.

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Source: WinFuture

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Pixel Watch & Pixel 6a launch imminent as both devices appear in US carrier’s inventory system

Google’s upcoming Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch have leaked extensively over the last few months. While the company is yet to reveal any details about these devices, both devices have now been spotted in a US carrier’s back-end inventory system, pointing towards an imminent launch.

Sources with access to the details have told Android Police that devices codenamed “Rohan” and “Bluejay” have popped up in an unspecified US carrier’s inventory system. These codenames correspond with previous leaks about the Pixel Watch and Pixel 6a, with “Rohan” referring to the upcoming wearable and “Bluejay” to the affordable Pixel smartphone.

Supposed Pixel Watch internal render (Credit: FrontPageTech)

The listings reveal that Google will sell the Pixel Watch in three colors — gray, black, and gold — with 32GB of onboard storage. Android Police speculates that since the unnamed carrier is yet to sell a non-cellular smartwatch, the upcoming Pixel Watch could come in a cell-enabled model. As far as the Pixel 6a is concerned, the inventory listing states that the phone will also be available in three colors — black, white, and green — with 128GB of onboard storage.

Pixel 6a leaked render (Credit: OnLeaks)

Although the listings don’t shed light on the pricing or availability of the upcoming Google devices, previous reports suggest that the Pixel 6a will hit the market sometime in May this year. Given that the Pixel Watch was added to the carrier’s inventory list at the same time as the Pixel 6a, it’s safe to assume that the smartwatch could launch alongside the device.

If you missed our previous coverage of the Pixel Watch and Pixel 6a, here’s a quick rundown of everything we know about the devices so far. According to previous leaks, the Pixel Watch will feature a circular design with no physical bezel and plenty of health and fitness tracking features. The watch will likely run Wear OS 3 out of the box, feature the next-gen Assistant, and pack an Exynos chip. The Pixel 6a, on the other hand, is rumored to feature a Google Tensor chipset like its more premium siblings, a similar design, a 6.2-inch display with a centered hole punch cutout, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

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Source: Android Police
Featured image: Leaked render of the Pixel 6a (Credit: OnLeaks)

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Pixel Watch & Pixel 6a launch imminent as both devices appear in US carrier’s inventory system

Google’s upcoming Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch have leaked extensively over the last few months. While the company is yet to reveal any details about these devices, both devices have now been spotted in a US carrier’s back-end inventory system, pointing towards an imminent launch.

Sources with access to the details have told Android Police that devices codenamed “Rohan” and “Bluejay” have popped up in an unspecified US carrier’s inventory system. These codenames correspond with previous leaks about the Pixel Watch and Pixel 6a, with “Rohan” referring to the upcoming wearable and “Bluejay” to the affordable Pixel smartphone.

Supposed Pixel Watch internal render (Credit: FrontPageTech)

The listings reveal that Google will sell the Pixel Watch in three colors — gray, black, and gold — with 32GB of onboard storage. Android Police speculates that since the unnamed carrier is yet to sell a non-cellular smartwatch, the upcoming Pixel Watch could come in a cell-enabled model. As far as the Pixel 6a is concerned, the inventory listing states that the phone will also be available in three colors — black, white, and green — with 128GB of onboard storage.

Pixel 6a leaked render (Credit: OnLeaks)

Although the listings don’t shed light on the pricing or availability of the upcoming Google devices, previous reports suggest that the Pixel 6a will hit the market sometime in May this year. Given that the Pixel Watch was added to the carrier’s inventory list at the same time as the Pixel 6a, it’s safe to assume that the smartwatch could launch alongside the device.

If you missed our previous coverage of the Pixel Watch and Pixel 6a, here’s a quick rundown of everything we know about the devices so far. According to previous leaks, the Pixel Watch will feature a circular design with no physical bezel and plenty of health and fitness tracking features. The watch will likely run Wear OS 3 out of the box, feature the next-gen Assistant, and pack an Exynos chip. The Pixel 6a, on the other hand, is rumored to feature a Google Tensor chipset like its more premium siblings, a similar design, a 6.2-inch display with a centered hole punch cutout, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

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Source: Android Police
Featured image: Leaked render of the Pixel 6a (Credit: OnLeaks)

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Google Play system update for March 2022 updates the Play Games Services profile, fixes bugs, and more

There was no way to track features and changes in Google’s monthly Play system updates up until this year. That finally changed in January when Google set up a dedicated support page to highlight various changes included in each monthly update. Today, the company disclosed new features and improvements coming in the March 2022 update.

According to the updated support page, the Google Play system update for March 2022 will bring critical bug fixes for device connectivity, developer services, and utilities-related services. In addition, the new update brings an update to the Play Games Services profile to make it easier for users to manage their privacy settings.

There are tons of new changes for the Google Play Store, including improvements to the Play-as-you-download feature, new features for the Play Pass (which recently expanded to India) and Play Points programs, and various other enhancements and optimizations to security stability and accessibility. Finally, the March 2022 update also brings improved user experience and “feature education” for NFC/HCE devices.

The full update changelog for the Google Play system update for March 2022 is as follows:

• Critical Fixes
  • [Auto, Phone, Tablet, TV, Wear OS] Bug fixes for device connectivity, developer services, safety & emergency, and utilities related services. [1][2]
• Games
  • [Phone, TV] With the update to the Play Games Services profile, users will be able to better manage their privacy settings. [2]
• Google Play Store
  • Improvements to Play-as-you-download feature to let gamers start playing mobile games while the app download continues to reduce waiting times. [3]
  • New Features to help you discover the Apps & Games you love.[3]
  • Optimizations allowing faster and more reliable download and installation.[3]
  • New features to the Play Pass and Play Points programs. [3]
  • Enhancements to Google Play Billing. [3]
  • Continuous improvements to Play Protect to keep your device safe. [3]
  • Various performance optimizations, bug fixes and improvements to security, stability and accessibility. [3]
• Wallet
  • [Phone] Improved user experience and feature education for NFC/HCE-enabled devices. [2]
• System Management
  • Updates to system management services that improve device connectivity, network usage, stability, security and updatability. [1][2]
• Developer Services
  • New developer features for Google and third-party app developers to support ads, accessibility, analytics & diagnostics, machine learning & AI, and security & privacy-related developer services in their apps.

The Google Play system update for March 2022 will be rolling out to Android phones, tablets, Android TV and Google TV devices, Wear OS, and Android Auto devices in the coming days. Google notes that the updated Play Games Services profile, improvements to NFC/HCE devices, and critical bug fixes will arrive with Google Play services v22.09 while the Google Play Store improvements will go live with Google Play Store v29.5 starting March 3.

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Source: Google System Updates support page

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