It’s Meta Enough: Threads

By now you must’ve heard about it, but in case you haven’t, Threads is the new competitor to Twitter. But the big deal is that it is made by Meta, the largest social media platform in the world.

On July 5, Threads was launched. But this wasn’t a careless launch. Meta deliberately launched Threads after a series of horrid mistakes from Twitter, including limiting the number of posts people see and forcing users to pay for certification. Threads bet on Twitters dip to propel them forward, and they were right. As of now, there are 117 million users, 19 days after launch. That number is practically unheard of. So what makes Threads better than Twitter? Well, a lot of things. Threads has unlimited amount of posts you can see and certification through Meta (meaning if you’re certified on Instagram, you’re certified on Threads. Oh yeah, and no adds. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said that there wouldn’t be any form of monetization until the site reaches 1 billion users.

Maybe it’s a fad, but as of right now people are flocking to Threads. It’s been made clear that Meta’s played at least some cards right, because Twitter just became X.com, supposedly the new “everything” app, with the name (purposefully or otherwise) harkening back to Elon’s online bank he made in 1999. But if Meta can stoke the fire that is Threads, then welcome to Musk v. Zuck: Part 1.

Highlights of WWDC

WWDC, Apple’s developer conference, ended two days ago, on June 5. As the chaotic scene settles, what stands out and what is important? Let’s start with the small updates:

iPadOS: Nothing crazy. We will now get interactive widgets, which is actually pretty nice. We also get multiple timers, which is a feature that should’ve come out a long time ago, but at least it’s here now.

MacOS: Widgets. All of Apple’s computers will all now be able the have widgets, which will fade into the background when a window is open. Subtle, but smart touch. Also, there will be slight upgrades to the current presentation of slideshows on video meeting sites.

WatchOS: There will now be better features for hikers and cyclists, the biggest thing being the new waypoint for hiking. It will now show where on the path was the last place you had cell coverage and the last place SOS calls were available to you.

iOS: Firstly, contact sharing. This is the new alternative to switching phones with people to get their contact. Instead, we will soon be able to hold our phones close to each other in order to share contacts with each other. Super convenient. Call posters. These are banners that show up as the background when somebody is calling you. What’s awesome is that you get to chose what poster people see, so if you want your family to see a different banner than your boss, that is possible. Next, we have live voicemail transcription. Now, instead of listening to the voicemail after someone calls, you will be able to read what they are saying instead of picking up. Super helpful if you’re not sure if you want to answer a call from someone. Same thing goes for audio messages on text. You can just read it instead of trying to listen to it. We will also be able to download maps, instead of having to take a screenshot of the map. Lastly, Apple announced they have been working with some hotels in order to allow AirPlay on their TVs, so you can cast your shows and movies, as opposed to signing in on the built in services.

Okay, now the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro is Apple’s new AR/VR headset. It looks incredible. The resolution looks great, and people can see your eyes on the outside screen to see if you are looking at them. There is a dial to control the amount of reality you allow in your vision. Also, to unlock the headset, they have this thing called Optic ID, where it scans your eyes, which is so Sci-Fi, but I guess it works nonetheless. But here’s the thing: no controllers. You use your hands and eyes to control it. You use your eyes as your mouse on a computer, and your fingers select. Crazy. Now what am I forgetting? Hmmmm…oh yes! The price! Just a nice cheap $3499. So yeah. That’s WWDC 23.

Google is Getting Better

Google just had their Google I/O event, and their products get better and better each year. If they fixed the kinks, I would be willing to switch. Here’s why:

1. Phones

Google’s Pixels are simply amazing. What tech YouTuber calls the “smartest smartphone”, the pixel has been running away in design, cameras, and software, with a respectable battery to go along with it. Also, price. The most premium Pixel is $200 cheaper than the most premium iPhone. If you think it’s just a feature gap that makes the iPhone more expensive, you’re wrong. In Marques Brownlee’s annual Smartphone Camera Test, (I recommend checking you the video) the Pixel 7 Pro had the 2nd best camera, preceded only by its little brother, the Pixel 6A, Google’s cheaper lineup. The Pixel 6A started at $499, which is an incredible price.

2. Software

Google’s software is truly great. I love Google’s esthetic, simplicity, and generally minimalism. It looks amazing, and I like it more than Apple’s less intuitive software.

3. Ecosystem

Let’s start with the Pixel Tablet. My needs for a tablet are very slim, so this tablet fits all my desires. A large screen that looks good. Except it is trash, so that’s bad but I don’t really care. Finally, I like the Pixel Watch a lot. The circular design, the…well that’s kind of it. I’ve never appreciated Apple’s square watch design. It gives more mini-phone vibes than a smartwatch needs to. And based on my limited experience and research, the Pixel Watch’s software doesn’t seem to different than Apple’s.

So there you go. Obviously, Google is not perfect yet. But I love seeing them getting better, at the very least pushing Apple to try more.

Kia: How to Go Back to the Drawing Board Well

Kia was a run-in-the-mill type of car brand. The Korean car brand has done well, making good cars, in my eyes being like a Nissan, you’ll see some, and won’t be surprised when you do. However, back in 2021, they changed their logo. But not just their logo. They scrapped most of their previous work and went back to the drawing board… and it looks great.

Their new logo looks more like KN than it does Kia (if you haven’t seen it, I recommend searching it up). This leads to people wondering what this new car brand is, searching about what the KN car brand is, which is great for their brand. In addition, their new cars look great. They have real cleaned up their cars, making them look higher end, with their sharper edges and nice headlights. They really turned that ship around, and I’m excited for the future of Kia.

(This is my opinion. If you want to read about a more negative view on the redesign, check out inc.com’s article on it.)

The Pixel Fold: Rumors Confirmed

The Google Pixel Fold is finally announced, at a weird time at that. With only a few days left before the Google I/O event, their newest phone has been made official. Rumors have been spreading for a while now, and now we finally see that all the suspicions were correct.

The new Pixel Fold resembles the Samsung Fold 4, which folds from a thick normal phone to a small tablet. Although no specs have been announced by Google, NBC reported back in April that it would be a 5.8-inch phone that transforms into a 7.6-inch tablet when unfolded. This phone would also carry the G2 Google Tensor chip, and in addition, have “the most durable hinge on a foldable”. Now, the worst part is that it also will have a price tag above $1,700. That is at least twice the current price for the baseline iPhone 14. This was expected, with its main competitor being the Samsung Fold 4, costing $1,799 at launch. Despite the horrific price that no average user will be able to be okay with, it is nice to see the foldable market having a new player. Although the iPhone Fold is at least a long way away from happening (if ever), it is great to see this new market flourish with new faces.

Welcome to the TechTabloid!

Welcome. This is a blog, sure, but I truly hate saying that I run a tech blog. I feel so cringy saying that. But in all honesty, that’s what this is. So welcome to the TechTabloid.

I am a guy who doesn’t think he wants his name to be on the internet. I love Jesus, tech, and interesting things. In a nonchalant world, writing this blog is very chalant, so I try to be myself when writing and not come across as a try-hard, however I do like getting fancy sometimes.

This is simply a place for me to be creative about a topic I love, and I hope you care to follow along and read whatever my brain decides it wants to talk about.

God bless!