Threads could start getting ads much sooner than Meta has let on. The company is now planning to bring ads to its newest app early next year with the first ads arriving in January of 2025, according to a new report in The Information.
That suggests Meta is looking to start making money on the rapidly growing service far sooner than Meta executives have previously suggested. In August, when the app reached 200 million users, Mark Zuckerberg said Threads could become the companys next billion-user service. He said making money off the app would be a "multi-year" effort.
All these new products, we ship them, and then there's a multi-year time horizon between scaling them and then scaling them into not just consumer experiences but very large businesses, Zuckerberg said. In the companys most recent earnings call, Meta CFO Susan Li said the company doesnt expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of 2025 revenue at this time.
According to The Information, Meta is planning a slow rollout for ads on Threads. The company will start with a small number of advertisers in January. Its unclear how quickly the effort may expand. "Since our priority is to build consumer value first and foremost, there are no ads or monetization features currently on Threads," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Metas reported plans highlight just how quickly the service has grown in recent months. Threads has 275 million monthly users and is seeing more than 1 million new sign-ups a day, according to Zuckerberg. That makes it by far the largest of the X alternatives that have sprung up over the last couple years.
Bluesky, another popular Twitter-like service, has also seen significant growth recently, adding a million new users in the last week, the company said Tuesday. It is still much smaller than Threads with 15 million users. Like Threads, it also currently has no advertising and the company has said it plans to experiment with subscription-based features.
Update November 13, 2024, 2 PM ET: Added a statement from a Meta spokesperson. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-reportedly-bring-ads-to-threads-as-soon-as-january-183044211.html?src=rss
AMD has confirmed its laying off roughly four percent of its global workforce, according to reports by TechCrunch and others. Its not entirely clear how many people will be impacted by this move, or which divisions the laid off employees will be pulled from.
We can, however, do some math. The company had around 26,000 employees last year, according to an annual filing by AMD. Four percent of 26,000 comes out to just over 1,000 people. Thats a lot.
So that leads us to why. You already know the answer. Its a bunch of corporate gobbledygook. As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps, an AMD spokesperson told CRN.
Dont worry. The company also said its committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition. Engadget reached out to AMD for more information as to what that respect and help will look like. Well update this story if we find out anything.
This news comes after a fairly mixed Q3 earnings report. The company grew revenue and profit, but the gaming division saw a massive year-over-year decline of 69 percent, according to Wccftech. The company has also struggled to compete with NVIDIA in the world of AI chips.
Experts still predict that AMD will make nearly $33 billion in 2025, thanks to forthcoming next-gen GPUs. This isnt enough for investors, however, as its just an increase of around $7 billion when compared to 2024. The companys stock is down around four percent this year, and dropped further today. Capitalism demands massive and endless growth.
Rival (and occasional bestie) Intel has faced similar headwinds. The company announced over 15,000 layoffs earlier this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amd-lays-off-4-percent-of-its-global-workforce-182534044.html?src=rss
Sony has revealed the latest slate of PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for Extra and Premium members, and it's a dang solid lineup this month. The biggest name, of course, is Grand Theft Auto V. That's returning to the Game Catalog after Sony removed it in June. GTA V has now sold more than 205 million copies (not a typo), but if you've yet to dive into the game or its perennially popular online mode, here's your chance. GTA VI, meanwhile, is set to arrive next fall.
In case you're all GTA'd out for the time being, there are lots of other PS Plus additions to explore. One of those is the open-world zombie survival action RPG Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which I've been meaning to check out for a long time. Like A Dragon: Ishin (which, coincidentally, is leaving Game Pass this month) and Chivalry 2 are among the other big names on the list, but I'm especially happy to see Overcooked! All You Can Eat make the cut.
That's a terrific bundle of both Overcooked games and all of the expansions. For years, I've been calling these games the perfect relationship test. Just, uh, maybe don't play with your partner if you're going through a rough patch.
Elsewhere, The Sims 4 expansion pack Island Living is included. Naturally, you'll need the free-to-play base game to access that. Moto GP 24, Digimon Survive, Stick Fight: The Game, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, the intriguing Killer Frequency and Hungry Shark World round out the newcomers to the PS Plus Game Catalog's Extra tier.
The Premium lineup is pretty exciting this month as well. I spent many hours playing the multiplayer modes of Resistance: Fall of Man in the PS3 era. Insomniac Games has been on an incredible run for the last six years, so it should be fun to hop back into that game and its sequel, Resistance 2, for a hit of nostalgia and to see how far the studio has come. Note, however, that these two games are streaming-only.
Ahead of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered arriving next month, you can warm up by playing Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2. Last but not least, there's one PS VR2 addition to the lineup in the form of action shooter Synapse. PS Plus Premium and Extra subscribers can play these games at no extra cost starting on November 19.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstation-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-november-include-gta-v-again-and-dying-light-2-174646227.html?src=rss
Following an earlier campaign in July 2024, fast fashion brand Mango is presenting its current crop of sportswear for teens using AI models. Set in a dance studio as well as outdoors, the lookbook images are marked as generated by AI. The move is part of Mangos self-described earn lever, aiming to add value through better use of tech and data management.The upsides for Mango are clear: creating AI images, once technology and processes are up and running, is quicker and cheaper than hiring human talent saving not just on models but also on bookers, photographers, make-up artists, set designers, runners... In theory, AI models also make it easier to show clothes on a more diverse cast of people. So far, Mango seems to be skipping the opportunity to explore a range of sizes and ethnicities, sticking instead to a traditionally waifish, light-skinned young woman.AI models arent just a natural fit for large (fast) fashion brands, though. Gen AI could be a significant driver of efficiency and creativity for smaller labels, too sustainable knitwear brand Sheep Inc, for example, started experimenting with artificially generated models and backgrounds in 2023.In an interview with Country and Town House last year, co-founder Edzard van der Wyck explained how AI benefits Sheep Inc: AI offered us an innovative, energy-efficient way to create a campaign with high production values without leaving a trail of carbon and waste behind. Its been a real game changer for us, as it means we can combine detailed product photography with computer generated design, to create stunning visuals that showcase our products and world view in a much richer manner. It has also allowed us to make the sheep themselves central to our campaign without animal welfare issues. Hard to argue with that ;-)
Everything old is new again. Turntable Labs just launched Hangout, a social music platform thats eerily similar to that champion of 2010s internet, Turntable.fm. The app is available as a web client or via an app for Android and iOS. It allows users to play virtual DJ, with over 100 million songs to choose from.
It not only functions like the old-school Turntable.fm. It even looks the same. Theres a stage, record players and cartoon avatars that sort of look like characters from South Park. I started my own room just to check things out and am pleasantly surprised at the sheer number of songs here that I actually like.
Turntable Labs
This is because those 100 million songs have been secured through partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The catalog also pulls from Merlin, which represents a vast array of indie labels and rights holders.
The company likens the experience to gathering around a jukebox or listening to albums with friends. It seems that way to me, as someone I dont know just jumped in my room and started playing their own stuff. To that end, folks take turns playing DJ. There looks to be room for five people at the same time to play a game of round robin with their favorite songs.
The robust catalog is one major difference from Turntable.fm. The platform didnt have agreements in place with labels, instead relying on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and a partnership with ASCAP. This forced a number of rules on users as to how many people could be in a room at once and how many songs could be played each hour. It looks like those rules are now dunzo.
Turntable.fm originally went dark all the way back in 2013, before showing signs of renewed life in 2021. This could be a fun retro throwback to an age when we actually got our music recommendations from people, and not algorithms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/turntable-labs-just-launched-a-new-social-music-platform-called-hangout-172013909.html?src=rss
Xbox is exploring a PC gaming handheld, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told Bloomberg. In an earlier interview with IGN, Spencer had mentioned a hypothetical Xbox gaming handheld PC device, which now appears to be in the early research and prototyping stage.
Spencer told IGN that he liked his Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and Steam Deck and that local play would be important to include if Xbox were to design a handheld console. As Kotaku noted, it's not clear what unique features an Xbox handheld would bring to the table. Still, any new piece of hardware is years away, Spencer told Bloomberg.
For now, work on the Xbox app which works on existing handhelds would be the priority, Spencer said, admitting it leaves room for improvement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox-is-considering-a-pc-gaming-handheld-165515761.html?src=rss
Amazon has released a new trailer for Secret Level, the upcoming Prime Video show that tells stories set in the worlds of beloved, popular or even upcoming games (and also Concord). Given that its an anthology series, theres unlikely to be an overarching plot, so theres not much to grok here from a narrative perspective. And the sooner there's a mortarium on trailers being soundtracked to that overused M83 song, the better.
However, the visuals sure do look pretty. The quality of the animation is genuinely impressive. At least in some cases, the art style apes that of the game the episode is based on. Thats particularly true for what we see of the Sifu episode, but Secret Level is not, for instance, retaining Spelunky's aesthetic.
Other episodes are based on the likes of Armored Core, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, Pac-Man, The Outer Worlds 2, Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000, along with "various" PlayStation Studios games. One of those is Concord, which Sony unceremoniously killed for good after its disastrous debut.
Some major mainstream stars have lent their voices and even likenesses to the series, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves (who appears in the Armored Core episode), Ariana Greenblatt and Gabriel Luna. Video game stalwarts, including The Last of Us stars Merle Dandridge and Laura Bailey, are involved too.
Secret Level which is from the creative team behind Netflix's Love, Death and Robots will debut on December 10. More episodes will be released over the following week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/animated-video-game-anthology-show-secret-level-sure-looks-pretty-163009316.html?src=rss
Amazon Haul will be the ecommerce titan's new discount storefront designed to compete against Temu and Shein, CNBC reports. This new corner of Bezos's empire is mobile-only and promises items at crazy low prices.
Unlike Amazon Primes fast speeds, Amazon promises its Haul orders orders will arrive in less than two weeks. Previously, CNBC mentioned in a previous report that Amazon was exploring a storefront where goods would be sold to US customers directly from China, though now it seems the company itself is doing the importing and acting as an intermediary.
Speed isn't the only alteration to the typical Amazon arrangement customers will have to get used to. It seems, regardless of if they subscribe to Prime or not, buyers will have to purchase $25 of goods per order with Haul to get free shipping. For lesser orders, the shipping fee will be $3.99. Amazon also won't accept Haul returns if the value of the items is $3 or under.
If customers take to Haul, the new storefront could put Amazon in a favorable position in a seemingly crowded market. Both the US and EU have set their regulatory sights on Temu.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-haul-wants-to-be-the-new-temu-161344035.html?src=rss
The Federal Trade Commission will get a chance to argue its case for Metas breakup in court. On Wednesday, US District Judge James Boasberg allowed the FTCs lawsuit against the social media giant to move forward (PDF link). The FTC first sued Meta in 2020 in an attempt to force the company, then known as Facebook, to divest itself of Instagram and WhatsApp. Alongside dozens of attorneys general, the agency alleged Meta acquired the platforms in 2012 and 2014 to stifle growing competition in the social media market.
This past April, Meta asked Judge Boasberg to dismiss the case. In addition to noting that the FTC had previously approved both acquisitions, Meta argued that the agency had failed to show that the company held monopoly power in the social networking services market, and that, in buying Instagram and WhatsApp, it had harmed consumers. Additionally, the company claimed that it had invested billions of dollars in both platforms and made them better as a result, to the benefit of social media users everywhere.
While he did not entirely dismiss the lawsuit, Boasberg did force the FTC to narrow its case, dismissing an allegation that Facebook had provided preferential access to developers who agreed not to compete with it.
We are confident that the evidence at trial will show that the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp have been good for competition and consumers. More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared these deals, and despite the overwhelming evidence that our services compete with YouTube, TikTok, X, Apples iMessage, and many others, the Commission is wrongly continuing to assert that no deal is ever truly final, and businesses can be punished for innovating, a Meta spokesperson told Engadget. We will review the opinion when its filed.
Judge Boasberg will meet with the two sides on November 25 to schedule the trial. The FTC lawsuit, it should be noted, was filed under the previous Trump administration, though whether it moves forward and in what form will depend on who President-elect Trump appoints to lead the agency.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-have-to-defend-itself-from-antitrust-claims-after-all-155730259.html?src=rss
This is Lightfoot, a solar scooter conceived by San Francisco-based R&D outfit Otherlab that, it claims, will be available to buy in the US from January. The most eye-catching feature are the two side panels covered in solar cells that will hopefully keep you from needing a charger. In the gap between the two, however, is a fairly capacious cargo compartment with almost 1.6 cubic feet of space. That should be more than enough to haul your gear to and from work, or to pick up some groceries when youre out and about. The padded seat and footplates, too, are designed to carry the rider and an additional passenger when required, too.
Specs-wise, theres a pair of 750W brushless DC motors with a top speed of 20 miles per hour, generating 90Nm of peak torque, which should hopefully be enough to scale the hills around SF (and wherever you are). Theyre wired up to a 1.1kWh battery that the company promises will deliver a range of 37 miles on a single charge. The two 120W panels on either side will trickle charge the battery when on the road or parked up outdoors. Otherlab claims this idle solar charging will add three miles of charge per hour, or 18 miles if you leave it for a whole day.
Lightfoot / Otherlab
Aside from the solar hardware, Otherlab claims that you or a qualified technician will be able to keep this running without any outside assistance. It said most of the components are off-the-shelf motorcycle parts and that they can be repaired or replaced just as easily. Theres also a one-year whole-bike and two-year mechanical guarantee, as well as a no-question buy back policy. Well reserve judgment on every facet of this until were able to test it for ourselves, but were looking forward to doing so just to see what this thing feels like to ride.
Pre-orders for the Lightfoot are opening today for $4,995, with Otherlab pledging to make the first deliveries in January 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/im-kinda-in-awe-of-this-goofy-solar-scooter-150041980.html?src=rss
