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WhatsApp Working on Audio Message Playback Speed Controls

Charlotte Henry ·

WhatsApp is seemingly working on a feature that will allow users to control the playback speed of audio messages, something that already exists for voice notes. iMore spotted the development on a WABetaInfo post. Audio messages seem to be becoming increasingly popular, so I imagine this feature will be a welcome addition on the widely used app.

Audio messages are essentially forwarded voice notes, but while the latter can have its playback speed manipulated by the user, that isn’t the case with the former. According to a WABetaInfo post, that’s going to change — and has already done so for those who are testing the WhatsApp beta release. “The feature to play voice notes using different playback speeds was a huge success. After releasing the feature on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.21.9.10 and WhatsApp Messenger beta for iOS 2.21.90.11 updates, WhatsApp is now working on a new version of the feature, making it compatible with audio messages.”

‘NeoFinder’ Digital Asset Manager for Mac Updated to 8.0 Release
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'NeoFinder' Digital Asset Manager for Mac Updated to 8.0 Release

Andrew Orr ·

After almost two years of development, NeoFinder for Mac 8.0 has finally been completed today and is now available for download. It offers a fresh user interface with new icons, and added color options. The Metadata Editor adds the Dublin Core XMP Contact fields, autocompletion with recently used field values, and the ability to copy or move metadata between fields. The updated Map shows satellite imagery, multiple geotags at once, and edit geotags by just moving them. Navigation of large catalogs is faster by having the folders of catalogs visible and selectable in the LIBRARY already. Machine learning tools and AI are used for OCR, AutoTags, and face detection, and a lot more tightly integrated into NeoFinder. The new version is a paid upgrade for NeoFinder or CDFinder customers who purchased their license before October 2020. Licenses purchased after October 1, 2020 will get this upgrade for free.

Loopring’s New Smart Wallet Can Help Recover Stolen or Lost Crypto
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Loopring's New Smart Wallet Can Help Recover Stolen or Lost Crypto

Andrew Orr ·

Loopring Wallet is a first-ever Ethereum smart contract wallet with zkRollup-based transfers. Gas-free, secure, and simple. It allows you to avoid gas fees and network congestion. It integrates Loopring’s zkRollup, a layer-2 scaling protocol to increase speeds and lower fees by 1000x relative to Ethereum mainnet. Completely self-custodial; only you control your assets. Say goodbye to seed phrases and paper backups, say hello to social recovery. Choose a combination of friends, your other wallets (hardware or software), or institutions as guardians of your wallet. If you ever lose access to your mobile, they help you recover your assets. As long as more than half of your guardians are trustworthy, your assets are secure.

Build a DIY Raspberry Pi Magic Mirror
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Build a DIY Raspberry Pi Magic Mirror

Jeff Butts ·

Forget about a magic mirror that tells you what you want to hear. This DIY Raspberry Pi magic mirror can update you on the news and weather while you prepare for your day. All3DP‘s Jackson O’Connell has just published an excellent walkthrough on building your own smart, or magic, mirror using Raspberry Pi, common building materials, and a code repository that’s just waiting for you to make the most of it. It’s hands-down one of the coolest and most useful Raspberry Pi DIY projects I’ve come across.

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Here's How The Apple Watch Series 7 Fares in the Scottish Highlands

Andrew Orr ·

Developer David Smith wrote how he tested the Apple Watch Series 7 while hiking in Scotland. Specifically, how the battery life compares to what he calls “adventure watches.”

What gives me some excitement about this experience is that it seems clear that an Apple Watch can already make a solid companion for a long backpacking trip. When I set off I was expecting to have to charge it completely every day, but in reality it is more like every third day. Which gets it under my threshold for consideration for use. Especially since bringing it means that I now have a fully programmable computer on my wrist.

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Gizmodo Plans to Publish the Facebook Papers, Explaining the Decision

Andrew Orr ·

Partnering with experts from NYU, Mass Amherst, Columbia, Marquette, and the ACLU, Gizmodo is planning to publish the Facebook Papers. It would be the first media outlet to do so.

We believe there’s a strong public need in making as many of the documents public as possible, as quickly as possible. To that end, we’ve partnered with a small group of independent monitors, who are joining us to establish guidelines for an accountable review of the documents prior to publication. The mission is to minimize any costs to individuals’ privacy or the furtherance of other harms while ensuring the responsible disclosure of the greatest amount of information in the public interest.

I look forward to storing a copy of the archive.

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Apple Expanding Footprint in Israel

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple is expanding its R&D footprint in Israel, AppleInsider reported. It is taking a lease one significant site in Herzliya Pituach, a city north of Tel Aviv. The company looks to be placing itself at the heart of the booming tech scene in the country (although many startups operate in Tel Aviv).

It’s not clear whether Apple will lease the entire building, but it is taking a reported 44,000 square meters, plus 650 parking spaces. This adds to the existing 31,000 square meters above ground, reports Globes, and 27,000 square meters underground. The original site housed 800 staff who worked for flash memory producer Anobit, and motion sensing company PrimeSense, both of which had been acquired by Apple. The mid-2015 expansion was reportedly intended to give those staff more room, rather than to make space for more employees.

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'The Morning Show' Stars And Showrunner Reflect on Season Two, Look Ahead to Season Three

Charlotte Henry ·

The stars and showrunner Kerry Ehrin of The Morning Show had a long conversation with The Hollywood Reporter in which they reflected on season two of the show. They also voiced their hopes and ideas for season three. What’s interesting is that the series has not been renewed at the time of this writing. Other big Apple TV+ hits like Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest have. If The Morning Show does return, future seasons will hopefully be more coherent than the one that just finished.

The Morning Show team is waiting on a renewal from Apple. “We haven’t had an official pickup for a third season. We’re waiting on that,” said Ehrin, who has an overall development deal with the streamer. When asked if she envisions one or more seasons, or plans to take a beat before returning to The Morning Show‘s writers room, Ehrin replied: “That’s a huge question. I feel like the show has a lot of different projections that would work for it. I think right now, I just finished a season that has taken two years. I am just taking a break!”