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Amazon Fire TV introduces ‘Dual Audio’ feature for simultaneous listening via hearing aids and TV speakers

Amazon announced on Wednesday new accessibility features for Fire TV, including a notable “Dual Audio” capability for the newly launched Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, which was unveiled in November. The new feature allows one user to listen through a hearing aid while others in the same room can enjoy audio through the TV’s built-in […]

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Google experiments with a new image generator that remixes three images into one creation

Google Labs, Google’s experimental arm, is testing a new image generator called Whisk. This tool allows people to prompt with images instead of text, allowing them to remix a photo by altering the subject, scene, and style. Whisk uses Google’s image-generation model, Imagen 3, to combine three images: one for the subject, another for the […]

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The founders of SlideShare are making sharing docs more social with their new platform, Jaunt

When SlideShare, the presentation-sharing service acquired by Scribd, launched in 2006, generative AI technology was significantly less advanced than it is today, and social networking platforms were just beginning to take off. Recognizing the evolution of AI and the increasing desire for innovative ways to share documents, the founders of SlideShare — Amit Ranjan (COO), […]

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Here’s how to create a custom emoji with the Apple Intelligence feature Genmoji

Apple’s latest iOS 18.1 software update introduced a series of Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and notification summaries. However, some features were missing from the lineup, like Genmoji, which allows users to create emojis from written prompts.  Now, with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 officially available, the highly anticipated AI-generated Bitmoji […]

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Mantel’s app lets collectors show off their sports cards and other treasures

Back in February, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian teamed up with Brent Montgomery (“Pawn Stars” producer) and Evan Parker (former general manager at The Athletic) to launch Mantel, a social network allowing collectors to share their latest finds, such as sports cards, TCGs (trading card games), comic books, coins, stamps, sneakers, watches, and more.  Initially available […]

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YouTube’s new auto-dubbing feature is now available for knowledge-focused content

YouTube announced on Tuesday that its auto-dubbing feature, which allows creators to generate translated audio tracks for their videos, is now rolling out to hundreds of thousands more channels.  YouTube first introduced its AI-powered auto-dubbing tool at Vidcon last year, which was only being tested with a limited group of creators. This tool could help […]

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Duolingo teams up with Netflix to help ‘Squid Game’ fans learn Korean

Attention, players. You are about to compete in a new challenge—but first, do you know how to speak Korean? In preparation for Season Two of “Squid Game,” one of Netflix’s most popular Korean thriller series, the streaming giant announced on Tuesday that it has teamed up with the language learning app Duolingo to help viewers […]

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Spotify has disabled Car Thing streaming devices

Spotify has officially discontinued Car Thing, its in-car streaming device, with all units now disabled, the company confirmed to TechCrunch.  Earlier today, an X user noticed that their Car Thing is indeed no longer functioning, displaying a message that it’s “no longer operational,” along with a reminder of the refund terms valid until January 14, […]

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Connyct, an exclusive social media app for college students, emerges amid potential TikTok ban

Do we really need another social media app for college students? With the looming TikTok ban in the U.S., a new app called Connyct seems to think so.  Connyct closely resembles the popular short-form video app, providing all the features you would expect, such as a personalized content feed, private chatting, as well as video […]

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Queer-founded brand discovery platform Famm launches a LinkedIn for the LGBTQ+ community

Famm, the discovery platform for queer-owned brands, was created by BIPOC queer married couple Cat Perez and Marianna Di Regolo to help users find LGBTQ-owned businesses. Now it’s launching a new social networking app for LGBTQ+ professionals and business owners to connect and collaborate.  Famm Connect, now available on iOS and Android devices, includes common […]

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Nectir lets teachers tailor AI chatbots to provide their students with 24/7 educational support

More than 100 colleges and high schools are turning to a new AI tool called Nectir, allowing teachers to create a personalized learning partner that’s trained on their syllabi, textbooks, and assignments to help students with anything from questions related to their coursework to essay writing assistance and even future career guidance.  The company announced […]

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Threads users can now follow profiles from other fediverse servers

A new update from Meta’s X competitor Instagram Threads allows users to connect more with the fediverse, which is also called the open social web and includes services like Flipboard, Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, and more. On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that users can now follow profiles from other fediverse servers. Starting today, users […]

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Walmart completes $2.3B acquisition of Vizio to help grow its ad business

Walmart just closed its acquisition of popular television maker Vizio in an effort to boost its advertising business. The acquisition was initially reported back in February; however, it took a few months to complete due to the waiting period under federal regulations.  The all-cash deal is valued at $2.3 billion.  With this strategic move, Walmart […]

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Amazon Music launches 2024 Delivered, its take on Spotify Wrapped 

Amazon Music announced on Tuesday the launch of 2024 Delivered, a new personalized yearly recap feature inspired by Spotify’s popular Wrapped experience. The feature delivers a summary of your listening habits, including your top artists, songs, genres, and more.  To see your 2024 Delivered, open the Amazon Music app on your iOS or Android device […]

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After you check out your Spotify Wrapped, explore these copycats 

Spotify’s annual Wrapped feature just dropped, giving listeners a fun, personalized summary of their listening habits, and it has gained immense popularity over the years. As a result, many companies have seized the opportunity to create similar year-in-review experiences, offering users a recap of their habits, preferences, or interactions from the past year. Here are […]

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Learn how to use Apple Intelligence’s ‘Image Playground’

Apple announced Wednesday that iOS 18.2 is now available, which comes with exciting image generation features, such as “Image Playground,” Apple’s image creation feature that creates cartoon-like images from text descriptions. Here’s what you need to know about the Apple Intelligence feature, including what it is and how to use it.  What is Image Playground? […]

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Google Gemini’s Imagen 3 lets players design their own chess pieces

Google Labs, the experimental arm of the tech giant, has introduced a new online project that offers an entertaining variation of the game of chess. The web experiment is named GenChess, which, as the name implies, uses Gemini Imagen 3, Google’s image generation model, allowing players to customize their own chess pieces using text prompts. […]

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Spotify tests a video feature for audiobooks as it ramps up video expansion

Spotify is enhancing the audiobook experience for premium users through three new experiments: video clips, author pages, and the ability to add visuals that appear while users listen. These initiatives are part of Spotify’s effort to improve its audiobook offering and bring listeners closer to their favorite authors and stories. One notable feature being introduced […]

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Tubi hops on the short-form video bandwagon with its ‘Scenes’ feature

Tubi, the free ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, has unveiled a new feature designed to set it apart from its rivals, such as Pluto TV and the Roku Channel, as well as put it in closer competition with short-form video-sharing platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.  Called “Scenes,” the feature allows viewers […]

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Reddit is down again

This morning, at around 7 a.m. PT, the social media platform Reddit experienced yet another outage after experiencing one yesterday afternoon. Thousands of users are currently unable to access its website and app. As of this writing, 51,221 users reported problems on Downdetector.com, up from the 47,000 users who reported problems yesterday. According to its […]

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