Tech Digest daily roundup: Facebook plans name change

Chris Price News
Share


Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The coming name change, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about at the company’s annual Connect conference on October 28th, but could unveil sooner, is meant to signal the tech giant’s ambition to be known for more than social media and all the ills that entail. The rebrand would likely position the blue Facebook app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more. A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment for this story. The Verge

@my.data.not.yours Reply to @ladyisabellemae #privacy #fyp #foryoupage #amazon #alexa #dataprivacy #bigtech #bigbrother #trending #bigdata #privacyrevolution #update ♬ Spongebob – Dante9k

A woman has discovered Amazon has thousands of recordings of her, accessed through her home devices. She has shared a video about the discovery on her TikTok channel @my.data.not.yours through which she has looked into many issues including Twitch data, Facebook information, TikTok privacy and Amazon. In this video (see above) the woman explains she requested all the information Amazon has on her through her two Amazon Dot devices and one Amazon Echo device as well as smartphones. Several Zip files came through and when she clicked on the audio file she says she discovered thousands of recordings of her. Honey 

Image: Fisher Price

Fisher-Price’s Chatter Telephone was an instant sensation among children when it debuted in 1961 and now, Mattel is reviving the nostalgic toy for adults. Now equipped with Bluetooth, the mobile phone can make and receive calls through the user’s existing phone plan. The Chatter Telephone still features the iconic smiling face, red wheels, connected handset and the retro rotary dial. Pre-orders are available only at BestBuy.com for $60, but a release date has yet to be announced. Daily Mail 

Treasures from some of the country’s biggest museums could be appearing in your home as 3D holograms thanks to pioneering new technology. Staff at the Science Museum and the Imperial War Museum are working with a Thai technology firm Perception on the project. They have already created holograms of a Merlin engine from a Second World War Spitfire fighter plane, from the museum, and Stephenson’s Rocket — one of the first working steam locomotives which is held at the National Railway Museum in York. The project requires users to wear 3D glasses to see the images projected through their regular computer screens. It is being tested in schools in both countries but could be rolled out more widely if it is a success. Evening Standard 

Instagram is finally going to let you post photos and videos under one minute in length using the app’s desktop version, the company announced Tuesday. Previously, the desktop version of Instagram allowed people to scroll through their feeds, check DMs, and reply to them. Other than that, the web browser didn’t provide many other functions. Along with the desktop feed creation, Instagram is rolling out a wealth of new features to the app. Last week, we reported that Instagram will now let creators test and practice their Live content. Mashable

WhatsApp’s group calls have been a blessing in the pandemic to connect with friends and family. The company has introduced many features related to it, including increasing the limit to eight people. Now the firm has rolled out a new button directly into the group chat that lets you join ongoing calls. The company said the feature is “a new spontaneous way to connect with their family and friends groups.” You can watch the new button in action in the video below. The Next Web

 

Chris Price
For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv