WhatsApp already offers a disappearing messages feature that deletes a sent message after a set amount of time. WhatsApp users can also send photos and videos that can only be viewed once before being erased from the chat. The latter feature, however, is currently available only to Android and iOS users. The feature was previously offered on desktop and Web versions of the application but was removed for security concerns. Now, a report suggests that the social media platform is reintroducing the “View Once” photos and videos feature for WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp desktop versions.
According to a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is rolling out the view once feature for photos and videos on Web and desktop versions of the app. In a screenshot shared in the report, the button to set the “view once” option for the media is seen within the caption bar in the drawing editor on the WhatsApp for Windows platform. The report added that the company is enabling this “view once” photos and videos option for Windows, macOS and linked devices like iPads. The app is also extending this feature to the WhatsApp Web platform, according to the report.
The feature is now rolling out to eligible users. It has already rolled out to some users over the past few weeks as per the report. If you do not see the option on any of your desktop or Web apps yet, it is likely to come around eventually. Make sure that the applications are updated to their latest versions.
The report noted that the Meta-owned platform is reintroducing this feature on desktop and Web that they initially did away with, upon public suggestions and demands. The initial removal cited security issues. Feedback from users, however, suggested that the “view once” feature is a helpful aspect as it helps one view a media file without it eating up the storage space of the phone.
In related news, starting in December, WhatsApp backups on Android will continue to work, as long as users have available cloud storage space on their Google accounts. If someone reaches their storage limit, they will need to free up space on Google Drive to resume backups. Notably, if you do not want your chats to take up storage, you can turn on the “Disappearing Messages” option in the app.
WhatsApp has also added a service to prompt users to add their email address to their WhatsApp account. However, it will not be visible to your WhatsApp contacts but will rather work as a secondary identifier, after your phone number, where the app can send verification codes and the like.
Cyber Monday deals: If you have been waiting to snag a new phone all year, your patience is about to pay off big time as Cyber Monday deals are raining al around. There are fantastic deals on popular and latest smartphones including iPhone 15 series, Google Pixels, and Samsung Galaxies, with many selling for way less than their regular prices. Even if you got a new phone recently, it’s the perfect time to grab some cool accessories too. And don’t forget to explore other top-notch Cyber Monday deals on your favorite smartphones. Here we list a few Cyber Monday leas including on iPhone 15, Google Pixel 8 Pro and more.
Contents
1. iPhone 15
Apple’s latest handset, the iPhone 15, is packed with all the cool features fans love. You can take this beauty home for just $21.90 a month for 36 months or a one-time payment of $788.49 with activation. Plus, Best Buy offers up to $830 in trade-in credit if you trade in a similar device.
2. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, released this year, is now available at a $300 discount on Best Buy. This flagship phone is the only one in the S23 line that comes with the S Pen stylus, and its 200MP camera takes amazing photos. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra factory unlocked available at 889.99 on Amazon.
3. Motorola Moto Edge+
For an affordable price of $599.99 on Amazon, the Motorola Moto Edge+ delivers excellent performance and battery life. With its almost bezel-free 1080p 6.6-inch display and improved 165Hz refresh rate, it’s a great deal.
4. Google Pixel 7a
If you’re all about affordability, the Google Pixel 7a is unbeatable. Compact and lightweight, it operates on the Tensor G2 chip, also used in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Known for its superior imaging, the 7a outperforms other mid-range phones, and it’s now available for just $374 on Amazon.
5. Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro brings solid upgrades over the standard Pixel 8. With a 5x telephoto lens, a larger 6.7-inch screen, and the promise of seven years of OS updates, it’s the best mainstream Android phone to get right now. You can grab it on Amazon for $799.
So, what are you waiting for? Just decide which smartphone meets your requirements to the full, including price, and go right ahead. Whether for yourself, or gifting purposes, these are likely to be the deepest discounts to be made available till next year.
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Holiday shoppers in the U.S. are seeking out the best deals and strategically nabbing the deepest discounts ahead of Cyber Monday, according to data from retailer websites aggregated by third parties. Cyber Monday, as the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday has become known as merchants step up online promotions, is set to be the biggest online shopping day of the year in the United States.
Strong online traffic on Black Friday demonstrated a notable pattern of shoppers putting time and effort into selecting the lowest-cost, best-value merchandise, said Rob Garf, vice president and general manager for retail at Salesforce, which tracks data flowing through its Commerce Cloud e-commerce service.
Despite an earlier start to retailers’ holiday promotions this year, there weren’t a lot of great deals initially, Garf said. Yet “consumers were patient, diligent, and they played a game of discount chicken. And they won once again.”
On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, retailers “stepped up the discounting” to roughly 30% on average in the U.S., he said. And “consumers clicked the buy button,” spending $16.4 billion online in the U.S. and $70.9 billion globally that day, according to Salesforce.
“We saw a big spike,” Garf said, adding that the strong Black Friday online outlay would “pull up” the overall tally for the entire Cyber Week, which started on Tuesday and ends on Monday.
On Cyber Monday, Salesforce expects to see discounts averaging 30% again. The risk for consumers, however, is that products may not be available if they wait, he said.
Salesforce says it derives its benchmarks for online traffic and spending from data flowing through its Commerce Cloud e-commerce service, which it says provides a window into the behavior of 1.5 billion people in 60 countries traversing thousands of e-commerce sites.
Other firms use different measurements to gauge online shopping patterns.
Rival Adobe Analytics forecasts that shoppers will spend a record $12 billion Monday, 5.4% more than last year, representing what it says will be the largest-ever e-commerce shopping day in the U.S. Retailers are set to dangle average price cuts of 30% on electronics, and 19% on furniture, said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights.
Last-minute Cyber Monday shoppers could spend $4 billion between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST alone “because consumers are going to be concerned about discounts weakening after that,” Pandya said.
Adobe provides merchants with Experience Cloud, a service which powers their e-commerce platforms, giving Adobe a window into aggregate transaction data at 85% of the top 100 internet retailers.
Overall, “consumers are being very strategic, wanting to maximize their shopping when they think they’ll get the best discounts,” Pandya said. “The online retail sector is one of the few where the consumer is a bit more in the driver’s seat,” he said, particularly with toys and seasonal holiday merchandise.
“There are a lot of online merchants vying for their dollar and they can easily compare prices.”
Mastercard, which measures retail sales across all forms of payment, said e-commerce sales rose 8.5% on Black Friday, while in-store sales rose 1%.
“Digital grew dramatically during the pandemic and then it had a reversion to the mean, when people went back to stores,” said Steve Sadove, senior adviser for Mastercard and former CEO of Saks Inc. “Now you are seeing an acceleration in digital, once again. It’s becoming more important.”
Pentagon’s replicator initiative aims for mass deployment of AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026; Spain’s AI sensation: Aitana, the virtual model, earns up to €10,000 monthly; AI robots revolutionise Japanese agriculture, easing labour shortages in smart farms; California Governor advocates statewide GenAI training to navigate shifting job landscape- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.
Contents
1. Pentagon’s replicator initiative aims for mass deployment of AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026
The Pentagon has accelerated AI integration in military operations, aiming to deploy thousands of cost-effective autonomous vehicles by 2026 under the Replicator initiative. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks emphasises the need for innovation in small, smart, and affordable platforms. While concerns about funding persist, the move raises questions about the maturity and trustworthiness of AI technology, especially in potential weaponized systems, as the era of fully autonomous lethal weapons approaches, ABC news reported.
2. Spain’s AI sensation: Aitana, the virtual model, earns up to €10,000 monthly
Spain’s first AI model, Aitana, is making headlines, not for her looks, but her nonexistent reality. Created by designer Ruben Cruz and The Clueless agency, Aitana was born out of the need to overcome influencer-related challenges. Cruz emphasised the desire for independence, stating, “We unintentionally created a monster.” According to a report by Euro news, Aitana, representing a sports supplement company, earns up to €10000 monthly on platforms like Fanvue.
3. AI robots revolutionise Japanese agriculture, easing labour shortages in smart farms
AI-based robots are revolutionising Japanese agriculture, particularly in large-scale greenhouse farming. Developed by startup Agrist, these robots use cameras and AI to identify the perfect time to harvest crops. Takamiya No Aisai, a farm in Saitama Prefecture, leased Agrist’s cucumber harvester, which accurately recognizes ripe cucumbers and cuts them off every two minutes. This innovation addresses labour shortages, marking a transformative shift in the future of agricultural production, according to a Japanese Times report.
4. California Governor advocates statewide GenAI training to navigate shifting job landscape
California Governor Gavin Newsom emphasises the urgency of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) training for residents. The report proposes providing educational opportunities to state government workers, aligning skills with the evolving GenAI landscape. Addressing the potential impact on jobs, the initiative aims to prepare the workforce for the GenAI economy, citing Goldman Sachs’ forecast of 300 million jobs worldwide affected. Education initiatives are recommended to start at higher education institutions and vocational schools, Cointelegraph reported.
5. Google Dream Track: AI-powered music for YouTube shorts with artist collaborations
Google’s Dream Track for Shorts, a collaboration between YouTube, Google’s DeepMind AI lab, and renowned artists like Charlie Puth and John Legend, introduces AI-generated music for YouTube Shorts. Users can select unique tracks by specifying themes like “Upbeat acoustic song” or “Intense jazz-infused R&B,” adding a creative touch to their content. With a vast music catalogue and artist partnerships, Google aims to set YouTube apart in the realm of AI-powered music for short-form videos, according to a Moneycontrol report.
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Black Friday sale is live and several online and offline electronic retail stores have also participated in the sale. During the sale period, stores are offering good discounts on smartphones, laptops and TVs and if you are planning to buy one, here are some handpicked deals for you.
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Vijay Sales
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro is currently available at a price of Rs 1,27,900. For those seeking a powerful yet more budget-friendly option, the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G is available at Rs 63,990. Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 9 is priced at Rs 36,699, offering a sleek and functional smartwatch experience. Lastly, the Apple iPhone 15 comes in at Rs 71,990 during the ongoing sale.
The iPhone 15 is being offered by Croma, with prices starting at Rs 71,900. Laptops are available for as low as Rs 25,000 during the promotional period, providing budget-friendly options. Additionally, the starting price for 4K smart TVs is Rs 19,999 and Apple Watches are also part of the promotion, beginning at Rs 19,999.
Imagine, an Apple authorized reseller has unveiled a Black Friday Bonanza, where purchasers can enjoy discounts on a range of Apple products, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more. Furthermore, there’s an extra Rs 5,000 discount available for HDFC cardholders. To sweeten the deal further, Imagine is also providing an exchange bonus of up to Rs 10,000.
Amazon is also offering discounts on headphones, TWS earbuds and projectors as a part of Black Friday sale. Apart from that, Amazon is also offering discounts on a wide range of products including laptops, smartphones, TVs and more.
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The TVs won’t be subject to these epic Black Friday deals for much longer, so hit the widget above to shop it while you can.
Apple announced its brand new Journal app during WWDC in June this year. The app is said to help users to write down their thoughts, keep a daily log, and as Apple says, a “new way to reflect on and relive special moments”. It can also give you suggestions on what to write about, and that’s done by using data from your phone. Now, that sounds scary, but it’s actually not. The Journal app is currently available in iOS 17.2 Public beta 2 and will be available to all compatible iPhone users when iOS 17.2 is released.
I’ve been using Apple’s Journal app for a couple of weeks now, and here’s what I think of it.
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Journal app features
I’ve never been one to write down my thoughts, but the Journal app made me want to. It has been proven that journaling or writing down your thoughts is good for your mental health. To me, writing things down was and is mostly associated with remembering things. And I’ve mostly used the good old Notes app for all note-taking endeavors. I’ve got notes going all the way back to my iPhone 4, which is when I first started using the Notes app.
Journaling is different though, and if you’re looking to start, but don’t want to use a pen and notebook, you could give the Journal app a try. You will have it with you almost all the time, since it’s on your phone, and all you need to do is pick up your phone and type. But why not just use the Notes app, and why Journal?
The Journal app has a simple user interface that shows your entries and suggestions
Well, Apple’s Journal app, apart from being a simple journaling app, also features some AI and machine-learning tech that make it a little bit smarter than the Notes app. When you first open the app, there’s not much happening. In fact, you’ll only see a ‘+’ button at the bottom of the app. Tap on this button and you have three options here. You can start writing a new journal by tapping ‘New Entry’ or you can choose to write using a topic suggested by Apple. These suggestions are sorted under ‘Recommended’ and ‘Recent’.
Apple lets you add photos, videos, voice memos, and location tags to an entry. There’s a filter that lets you choose between all your entries, entries with photos, or bookmarked entries. And that’s about it.
Journal app Suggestions
Let’s talk about the Suggestions feature in Journal because this is what makes it different from all the other journaling apps. When you want to write a new entry, Suggestions can help you. Your iPhone comes up with these suggestions using on-device machine learning. It uses your photos, videos, music, health data from your Apple Watch, and more to offer journaling ideas.
In ‘Recommended’, you’ll see some suggestions for what you can write about, along with something called ‘Reflections’. This lets you reflect on your day or life and includes questions such as ‘Write about something great in your life that you don’t always think about’.
On the other hand, the ‘Recent’ section, as the name suggests, simply shows you your recent activities, which may include a visit to a park nearby or a walk that you went on recently.
There’s also something called Moments, which Apple says your iPhone can learn to recognise over time. After using the Journal app for a while, you will be shown these special moments or memories from your life. It will include photos or videos from one of those romantic dates, a fun outing with friends, a bike ride, a marathon, a family get-together, and so on.
Memories are what we humans live for, but to go back isn’t realistically possible unless someone invents a time machine. The Journal app can give you a look back at those memories or moments and even let you write down things related to the memory. Using all the data that you allow Apple’s Journal app to tap into, it can figure out memories by itself and help you write them down.
Apple is also making this available to third-party journaling apps in the form of Suggestions API. Third-party apps can also tap into the API and show you suggestions, but they only get access to what you agree to share. The processing and machine learning will happen on your phone, which means that your data will be safe. Your Journals are only uploaded to iCloud for backup, but that is also end-to-end encrypted.
You can also share from other apps currently and write in Journal. For example, I was listening to a song on Apple Music, and I wanted to write down something related to the song. I simply opened the Share sheet and was able to add the track as an entry in the Journal app. I was also able to share a web page from Safari and add it as an entry in the app.
Journal app Settings
Since the Journal app has access to all your data, it may be concerning to some. What if it suggests you write about something that you don’t want to write about? Well, there are plenty of Settings that can help the app avoid such instances.
Journal app offers users plenty of control over their data
To access all the settings, you’ll need to open the Settings app and scroll down to Journal. Here, you can choose what Photos the app can access and whether to include Location and Captions. You have the option to Lock the app using Face ID, which is recommended, and you can also have the app help you keep a schedule. In Journaling Suggestions, you can choose what data can be accessed by the Journal app. There are toggles for Activity, Media, Contacts, Photos, and Locations. You can turn off all these, but I wish Apple had given even more granular control over things here.
Journal app – Should you use it?
Yes, if you’re someone who already keeps a journal. The Journal app lets you add media to your moments, and that’s great. If you’re new to journaling, you should still give the Journal app a try. The suggestions feature is really powerful, the app is easy to use thanks to the simple user interface, your data is safe, and you can protect everything with Face ID. However, it’s currently only available on the iPhone and on the iOS 17.2 Public beta 2. Apple did not mention if it’s coming to iPad or Mac, but who knows, it might. There’s also no search option to find an entry.
Overall though, I’d totally recommend using the Journal app on your iPhone app to journal. It’s been great!
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