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Twitter says disappearing ‘Fleets’ are reported less often than tweets

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Interestingly, Twitter notes early testing has shown that Fleets might be leading to healthier interactions. “We’re seeing less abuse with Fleets as only a small percentage are reported each day,” the company tweeted of its Brazil testing. 

A Twitter spokesperson declined to elaborate on specifics, but if that trend holds up it could be an encouraging sign for the company, which has spent years trying to reduce harassment. Of course, Fleets is still an experimental feature the vast majority of Twitter users don’t have access to. And the fact that Fleets disappear after 24 hours could also be contributing to the fewer number of reports. 

But that Twitter is expanding the test to a new country shows the company is at least optimistic about the future of disappearing content. 



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Fortnite Party Royale will present Christopher Nolan’s new ‘Tenet’ trailer

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So what’s next for the big event space in Fortnite? If you thought it would be another concert or DJ set, guess again. Starting tonight at 8 PM ET and repeating at the top of every hour, the Party Royale space will show a trailer for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming time-travel movie Tenet. It’s not quite an IMAX screen, but with most theaters still shut down it’s an interesting form of a “Big screen” premiere event.

If you don’t catch it at first, Epic Games says the presentation will repeat until 8 PM ET tomorrow night.

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Fitbit’s in-app study will determine if wearables can detect COVID-19

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Fitbit is venturing beyond its research partnerships to launch an infectious disease study of its own that’s very easy to join. The device maker has introduced a study inside its app that will help determine if smartwatches and fitness trackers can spot early signs of COVID-19, the flu and similar diseases without waiting for symptoms. If you’re at least 21 years old and live in the US or Canada, you can volunteer by filling out a questionnaire regarding your health (such as whether you’ve had COVID-19). Fitbit will combine that with activity data to see if there are any telltale clues and, ideally, build an algorithm that alerts people before they infect others.

The study is available in the app’s Discover tab under Assessments & Reports, and you can withdraw at any time.

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Windows 10 is adding a slew of accessibility upgrades in May

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On that note, Narrator, Windows 10’s built-in screen reader, is likewise getting a couple of enhancements. To start, Microsoft says it has made the tool sound more natural by reducing the number of pauses it makes when reading a section of text. The company claims Narrator is also better at correctly pronouncing words thanks to the fact it will now process text one complete sentence at a time. If you depend on the audio cues Narrator gives to make the most of its functionality, Microsoft says it has created new sounds for the most common actions you’ll make while using the tool. At the same time, there are fewer total sounds. The idea here was to reduce the number of cues someone has to remember to use and master the feature. 

Additionally, there are a couple of enhancements to look forward to when using Narrator in conjunction with a web browser and Outlook. In both app types, Narrator will now, by default, automatically start reading from the top of the page. Microsoft made this tweak to give additional feedback that a webpage has successfully loaded. Another enhancement will see Narrator better able to handle links tied to phrases like “click here.” In those instances, you’ll be able to press your Narrator hotkey, ctrl, and d to get the tool to read the title of the inline link. Handily, that’s the same shortcut you can use to get an image description.  

If you depend on Windows 10’s accessibility features, you can look forward to trying out the enhancements Microsoft detailed today when the company starts rolling out the May 2020 update later this month. 

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Facebook creates Workplace Rooms for professional video calls

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Last week, Facebook launched Messenger Rooms, a video chat service and potential Zoom competitor. Now, Facebook is bringing video chat to Workplace, its Slack alternative. Today, the company introduced Workplace Rooms, a “virtual meeting space,” where users can host video calls with up to 50 people. 

There’s no limit on how long the meetings can be, and you don’t need a Workplace account to join a call. Workplace users can create video call links from Workplace Chat, Groups, News Feed or Portal and share them in a chat, post, email or text. The feature also offers screen sharing for easy collaboration, and you can lock a room to prevent others from joining it — no “zoombombing” here. You can also remove participants if necessary.

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Vivo explains the X50 Pro’s gimbal-like camera stabilization

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Specifically, this micro gimbal mechanism consists of a magnetic frame controlled by voice coils (similar concept to conventional OIS but further refined), along with a suspension bracket connected to the base with double ball bearings. Together, these enable X- and Y-axis tilt angles of up to 3 degrees each, which is apparently three times that of traditional OIS.

Vivo X50 Pro micro gimbal camera

Vivo

Another challenge here is that the sensor’s ribbon has to be extended and folded into a dual-S shape, in order to ease any tension from twisting during stabilization. Hence the extra surface area (363mm²) taken up by the entire module, though Vivo and its supplier managed to keep the thickness at 4.5mm.

The main benefit of this micro gimbal camera is obviously the more powerful optical stabilization, especially when shooting videos in low-light conditions — the combination of the dual-axis micro gimbal and 3-axis electronic stabilization vastly reduces shakiness. You can see for yourself in Vivo’s demo clip.

Likewise, still photos apparently work a lot better in the dark as well thanks to this technology, with Vivo claiming that a 1/50-second shutter speed here closely matches the results of a 1/8-second setting with traditional OIS. That’s a 6.25-time boost in capture speed under that test condition. Vivo added that even when extended to 1/4 seconds, the X50 Pro’s shots looked just as good as the 1/8-second shots with traditional OIS. And when pushing to 1/2-second long exposures in the same low-light condition, the X50 Pro still maintained a 64-percent performance, whatever that means.

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Google releases Action Blocks to aid people with cognitive disabilities

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Google’s flurry of accessibility updates goes well beyond improvements to Maps. It’s releasing its long-promised Action Blocks feature (above) as an Android app, greatly simplifying Google Assistant tasks for people with cognitive and motion disabilities. You can call a family member, turn the lights off or take a selfie with a single tap on the home screen.

Live Transcribe is also considerably more useful for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Its updated Android app can vibrate your phone when someone nearby says your name, allows custom names for places and objects, and makes it easier to search through past conversations. Seven new languages are available, too, including Albanian, Estonian and Punjabi.

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Snag discounted Nest routers in Google’s Memorial Day sale

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Engadget gave the Google Nest WiFi a score of 84 when we reviewed the device last fall. Google’s latest router is easy to set up, and its new, more attractive design allows it to fit in neatly in almost any home. The router also doubles as a Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker — though some people will consider that more of a con than a pro. Another potential drawback is that the router doesn’t support the latest WiFi 6 standard. Overall, the Nest WiFi is a compelling router option, particularly at its current discounted price.  

Buy Nest WiFi at Amazon – $149

Buy Nest WiFi (2-pack) at Amazon – $239

Nest Cam Outdoor

Amazon has also reduced the price of Google’s Nest Cam Outdoor. At the moment, you can get a two-pack of the security cameras for $238, down from their usual $300 price tag. For context, that’s only $10 more than the lowest ever price we’ve seen the two-pack sell for on Amazon. If you only want one camera, you’re in luck; the retailer has discounted the single-camera option by $50 to $149. 

The Nest Cam Outdoor can capture footage at 1080p. Each one also comes with two-way audio, night vision capabilities and IP66-certified water-resistant housing. One thing to consider before taking advantage of this deal is that the Nest Cam Outdoor needs to be plugged into a wall outlet to function. If the power goes out, the camera won’t work. 

Buy Nest Cam Outdoor (2-pack) at Amazon – $238

Nest Learning Thermostat

Lastly, BuyDig has discounted the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat by $50, making it $200 currently. To sweeten the deal, the retailer will also give you a free Deco wall plate cover for the device and a pair of Deco WiFi smart plugs. The two freebies are worth about $40 together. It’s been several years since we reviewed the Nest Learning Thermostat. What was a compelling product then has gotten better through software updates, but one common thread in almost every Nest Thermostat review you’ll read online is that it’s best to install one in a heating system that includes a C-wire. You can save a lot of potential headaches down the road if you do a bit of research beforehand.  

Buy Nest Learning Thermostat at BuyDig – $200

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Netflix will start canceling long-dormant subscriptions

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Only a few hundred thousand accounts (less than 0.5 percent of total Netflix users) meet these criteria, and Netflix has already accounted for them in its financial guidance. If you decide to cancel but later change your mind, all of your preferences, profiles and so on will be on your account just as you left them — as long as you rejoin within 10 months.

This is a slightly unusual move from Netflix, as companies that adopt a subscription model rely on regular income from their members, including those who continue to pay every month without actually using the service. Ultimately, it might help Netflix earn some goodwill without damaging its bottom line too much.

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Samsung lets you enjoy nature with its 2,000-nit outdoor QLED TV

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If hosting barbeques and backyard parties is your thing, you may want to up your game with an outdoor TV. And if picture quality is a concern, Samsung’s new Terrace TV could be worth checking out. It’s built specifically for the outdoors, has a 4K resolution and uses QLED technology for precise color fidelity. In terms of standing up to nature, the Terrace has a weather resistance rating of IP55, provides 2,000 nits of brightness — enough to see clearly in daylight — and an anti-glare coating.

Samsung is also offering the Terrace Soundbar, which can be mounted to the wall or directly onto the Terrace TV. It has the same IP55 weather resistance rating as the TV, so you don’t have to worry about rain. Samsung says the soundbar features distortion cancelling technology, which means you can pump up the volume without garbling bass frequencies.

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