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Based on a successful feature on TikTok's sister app in China, Douyin, the social network is reportedly planning to launch a live shopping TikTok Shop in the US later this year. According to the Financial Times, Douyin hosts nine million live shopping broadcasts a month and sold over 10 billion products in a single year, from May 2021 to May 2022. That’s triple what it sold the previous year. The technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive and support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion, however.

The report comes just a day after Facebook announced it was abandoning its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now suggesting merchants showcase products via Reels. TikTok has had mixed success with the method already. Last year, it launched in the UK – the only country with availability outside Asia. TikTok Shop hasn't fared especially well so far, and TikTok postponed plans to expand elsewhere in Europe.

– Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• How Sony unintentionally defined the skate video

• Chrome's controversial new extension platform is coming in 2023

• Coinbase users were unable to withdraw funds to US bank accounts for six hours

• Twitter gives its DMs on the Android app a more modern look

• Disney's networks are back on Dish after reaching a 'handshake agreement'

It’s another Pixel Watch leak

This time: band designs, watch faces and Fitbit integration.

It seems an Amazon listing for the Pixel Watch went live early in Germany. The smartwatch is due to go on sale just after Google's October 6th event. There will be several colors in at least four band designs, including silicon, braided and leather. The Amazon listing, which has been removed, suggested users will receive six months free Fitbit Premium access, including deeper fitness metrics and other exercise goodies.

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USB branding could become a little easier to understand

Getting rid of certain names may not make a huge difference.

The group that oversees USB wants to make it easier for you to understand what various cables and ports actually do. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) wants cable makers to use “USB 10Gbps” instead of “SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps” and “USB 20Gbps” instead of “USB4 20Gbps." USB-C cables certified by the USB-IF will need to list both data transfer speeds and charging wattage. Knowing which cable you need is already complicated enough. Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 connectors and ports look exactly the same as USB-C ones, for instance. The updated guidelines don't clarify whether a cable supports DisplayPort or certain fast-charging standards, either.

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Tesla built almost 366,000 EVs in Q3

The figure was still below analyst expectations.

After pandemic-related disruptions in Q2, Tesla ramped up its manufacturing capacity again last quarter, leading the company to make a record number of deliveries between July 1st and September 30th. The company built 365,923 electric vehicles during that period. That marks a year-over-year production increase of nearly 54 percent.

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Magic Leap's smaller, lighter second-gen AR glasses are now available

They’re expensive.

Magic Leap

Magic Leap has started selling Magic Leap 2 in 19 countries, including the US, UK and EU nations. The glasses are still for developers and pros, with a design 50 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the original. This should ensure they're more comfortable to wear over long periods. Magic Leap also promises better visibility for AR in bright light (think a well-lit office) thanks to dynamic dimming, which makes virtual content appear more solid. The Magic Leap 2 Base model costs $3,299, and developers who want extra tools will have to pay $4,099 for the Developer Pro edition.

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NASA and SpaceX will study the possibility of boosting Hubble's orbit

It could add years to the aging telescope's life.

NASA and SpaceX have signed an agreement to study the possibility of using a Dragon spacecraft to lift the Hubble telescope to a higher orbit. The Hubble telescope's orbit decays over time due to atmospheric drag, and boosting it to a more stable one could add years to its life.

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The Pixel 7 is being unveiled this week, but if you're looking for a new but more budget focused phone, Amazon has an excellent deal on the Pixel 6a. You pick one up at just $349 for a savings of $100 (22 percent off) — $21 cheaper than the lowest price to date. That's a significant savings on a smartphone that only came out a couple of months ago. 

If you're in the market for a mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 6a is a top pick. It offers the same Tensor chip as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, while giving you the purest Android experience possible. At the same time, you get excellent camera quality for the price, thanks to the two 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor delivering bright, colorful pictures and video. It also comes with a distinctive design, sharp 6.1-inch OLED screen covered with Gorilla Glass 3, long-lasting battery, IP67 water/dust protection and more.

You don't get everything available in the flagships, of course. The 60Hz refresh rate isn't as smooth as the higher-end Pixels or Samsung's A53. Storage is limited to 128GB, there's no wireless charging and Google dropped the headphone jack we loved on the Pixel 5a — so you'll need a dongle for wired audio. Still, at this new low price, there aren't many other phones that can match it.

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Maserati has finally revealed its electric GranTurismo in earnest, and the most interesting part may be what you don't notice. The GranTurismo Folgore coupe offers plenty of power with a tri-motor 760HP system, but it's also as low-slung as the gas versions (the Modena and Trofeo) with a 53.3-inch height. This is the lowest-sitting EV on the market, Maserati claims, with the improved agility to match. If it weren't for the aerodynamic wheels and the lack of exhaust pipes, you might not know it was an EV — even Porsche can't quite manage that.

The Italian brand hasn't detailed range, but the electrified GranTurismo includes a 92.5kWh battery with an 800V architecture that allows up to 270kW charging. You can get 62 miles of range in five minutes, Maserati says. The two-door also beats its combustion engine counterparts' performance with a claimed 0-62MPH time of 2.7 seconds (versus 3.5 for the Trofeo and 3.9 for the Modena) and the same 198.9MPH top speed as the Trofeo.

Stellantis

As with the Grecale Folgore SUV, the GranTurismo's cabin tech represents as much of an upgrade over previous models. You'll find a 12.2-inch digital dash, a 12.3-inch central infotainment screen and an 8.8-inch "comfort display." A heads-up display keeps your eyes on the road, and a digital rear-view mirror can use the back camera to help with tricky parking maneuvers. Alexa, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available. And while this is a sports car, you'l find driver aids like active lane assist, a 3D road view (including nearby vehicles) and a 360-degree view to help navigate tight spots.

Maserati didn't mention pricing or exact availability, although it's safe to presume the GranTurismo Folgore will be expensive. Not that the company necessarily minds. In some ways, this is a shot across the bow of local sports car rivals like Ferrari and Lamborghini. While both those brands have offered hybrids like the SF90 Stradale and Sian, they've been reluctant to embrace full EVs. Maserati is effectively the only option if you want an Italian exotic without the massive emissions and equally large fuel bills.

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is the best e-reader for the money bar none, and you can now pick one up at the lowest price we've seen. It's back on sale at its Prime Day price of $135, for a savings of $55 (29 percent). Amazon has also knocked 29 percent off the regular Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis devices, so if you're in the market for an e-reader, it's a great time to pick one up.

The Paperwhite Signature Edition scored an exemplary 97 in our Engadget review thanks to a number of nice features. With smaller bezels, it has a big and responsive 6.8-inch E Ink touchscreen, with gentle backlights you can turn on and off or adjust to suit your reading conditions. It offers USB-C and wireless charging (with up to 10 weeks of reading on a single charge), 32GB of storage, waterproof reading, automatic brightness and warm light options. The only complaint we had was the $190 price, but it's an easy decision at the $135 sale price. 

If you don't need quite that much storage, the regular Kindle Paperwhite is also on sale with 8GB of memory ($100, or $40 off) and 16GB ($105, or $45 off). You get most of the features of the Signature Edition, like the warm light, 10 weeks of battery life and waterproof reading, though it lacks the wireless charging and extra storage. 

Also on sale is the Kindle Oasis, available at $200 for the 32GB model instead of the regular $280 price. We called it "the perfect e-reader for the 1 percent" in our review because although it's insanely thin and light and comes with a charging case, $280 is quite expensive. The sale goes a fair way to mitigating that problem by knocking $80 or 29 percent off the price, making it a far more affordable indulgence.

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Disney stations including ABC, ESPN, FX and Disney Channel are back on Dish and Sling TV after the two parties reached a tentative agreement, Deadline has reported. A total of 17 Disney channels disappeared from the services on Friday, October 1st over a carriage disagreement.

"We have reached a handshake agreement with Dish/Sling TV, which properly reflects fair market value and terms for The Walt Disney Company’s... content," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. "As a result, we are pleased to restore our portfolio of networks on a temporary basis while both parties work to finalize a new deal."

Dish had accused Disney of holding "viewers hostage for negotiation leverage, claiming that it wanted to include ESPN and ESPN2 into non-sports packages." At the same time, Disney said Dish failed to give it a fair offer to keep ESPN and National Geographic on Dish/Sling TV. "After months of negotiating in good faith, Dish has declined to reach a fair, market-based agreement with us for continued distribution of our networks," the company told Variety in a statement on Friday.

Last year, Disney channels vanished from YouTube TV in December over a similar dispute, but returned just a day later. Meanwhile, HBO and Cinemax went dark on Dish in 2018, and only reappeared last year (along with HBO Max). As of Q2 2022, Dish and Sling TV had around 10 million US subscribers combined, according to Statista. 

Coinbase users were unable to carry out US bank account transactions for around six hours on Sunday. An issue with the Automated Clearing House Network, which is used for electronic transfers between bank accounts in the country, emerged just before 7AM ET. The company said on its status page that it identified the problem, described as a "major outage," by 8:23AM and resolved it by 12:41PM.

During the outage, users were still able to buy cryptocurrency with a debit card or PayPal account, as Decrypt noted. However, they weren't able to make withdrawals to a US bank account.

“We’ve fully resolved this issue and ACH transfers are now processing. We apologize for the inconvenience,” Coinbase wrote on Twitter. The company said users' funds were safe during the outage (at least if you don't factor in the volatility of the crypto market).

As Web3 is Going Great points out, Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US. It's in seventh place worldwide in terms of trading volume, per CoinCecko. At the time of writing, Coinbase users had traded $572 million over the previous 24 hours.

TikTok plans to bring its live shopping "TikTok Shop" feature to North America using outsourced technology, according to The Financial Times. It'll reportedly be launched "over the next month with large brands" to take advantage of holiday shopping. 

TikTok Shop is based on a similar, successful feature on TikTok's sister app Douyin in China, and is available in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. Last year, it launched in the UK — the only country with availability outside of Asia. 

A similar feature on Douyin has reportedly hosted 9 million live ecommerce broadcasts per month, selling over 10 billion products in a single year from May 2021 to May 2022 — triple what it did the previous year. However, TikTok Shop apparently hasn't fared as well in the UK, and because of that, TikTok postponed a planned launch elsewhere in Europe. 

The underlying technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive, which will also support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion and "no contracts have been signed," according to the FT.

TikTok didn't deny or confirm upcoming US availability. "When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our community, creators and merchants in markets around the world," the company told the FT. "These efforts include exploring partnerships which further support a seamless ecommerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem."

The report comes just a day after rival Facebook abandoned its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now asking merchants to showcase products via Reels, Reels ads and product tagging on Instagram Reels. Last year, TikTok started testing a Shopping tab, letting business users add their profiles, sync their product catalogues and link to their online stores. It has also previously piloted live shopping in the US, most notably with Walmart. 

After pandemic-related disruptions in Q2, Tesla ramped up its manufacturing capacity again last quarter, leading the company to make a record number of deliveries between July 1st and September 30th. The company built 365,923 electric vehicles during the period. That marks a year over-year production increase of nearly 54 percent, as Tesla manufactured 237,823 cars in Q3 2021. Production was also up by 41.5 percent from Q2 2022, when the automaker built 258,580 vehicles.

The company produced 19,935 Model S and Model X cars in Q3 and delivered 18,672. For the Model 3 and Model Y, those figures were 345,988 and 345,988, respectively. In total, Tesla says it was able to deliver 343,830 vehicles in Q3, the most it has delivered in any quarter to date. However, that was below expectations, according to Reuters. On average, analysts anticipated that Tesla would deliver 359,162 EVs during the quarter.

Tesla built around 20,000 more vehicles that it was able to deliver during Q3. "As our production volumes continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks," Tesla said in a statement.

CEO Elon Musk noted last year that Tesla sees a significant increase in deliveries at the end of every quarter. That's because the Shanghai Gigafactory, which recently built its 1 millionth car, manufactures EVs bound for Europe and other countries in the first half of each quarter, "then cars for far away parts of China, then cars for nearby parts of China," Musk said.

"In Q3, we began transitioning to a more even regional mix of vehicle builds each week, which led to an increase in cars in transit at the end of the quarter," Tesla said. "These cars have been ordered and will be delivered to customers upon arrival at their destination."

The number of cars Tesla manufactured and delivered dropped dramatically in Q2 2022. It was forced to suspend work at the Shanghai factory in March due to a COVID-19 outbreak in China. Production at the plant has resumed, while recently opened Gigafactories in Berlin and Texas have helped the company significantly improve its manufacturing numbers. We'll learn more about what the uptick in production and deliveries means for Tesla's bottom line when the company announces its Q3 financial results on October 19th.

Google has slowly but surely been marching towards a new extension platform called Manifest V3 for Chrome. And now there is a firm timeline for its rollout. Starting with Chrome 112 in January of 2023 the company may start turning off support for Manifest V2 in the Canary, Dev and Beta channels. Then in June with Chrome 115, it will begin experimenting with turning off support in the stable channel as well. 

To coincide with the transition of Chrome stable to V3, all Manifest V2 extensions in the Chrome Web Store will be switched to unlisted. And eventually in January of 2024, the remaining V2 extensions will be removed completely. 

The transition has not been without controversy however. While Manifest V3 includes a ton of changes, many of which Google claims are in the name of privacy and security, it's draw particular ire for how it would affect ad-blockers. It would essentially prevent them from working as they currently do, and render them all but useless. 

Most modern ad-blockers like uBloc Origin and AdGuard rely on Chrome’s “webRequest” API to block entire categories of HTTP requests from being made. But this method can add significant delays to load and render times for sites, which Google is obviously eager to avoid. Instead Manifest V3 requires developers to use a “declarativeNetRequest” which essentially forces them to use a blocklist of specific URLs. The problem is that list of "rules" is limited to 30,000 entries. And many ad-blocking lists can be in excess of 300,000 entries. 

Enterprise users are at least getting some reprieve, and will be able to continue using Manifest V2 extensions until January of 2024. 

Twitter has started rolling out some changes for its Android app that gives people sliding into DMs a more visually appealing interface. The social network's Android app has remained largely the same over the years, but this update, while pretty minor, was meant to give users "a smoother, more consistent experience overall." Twitter says it set to work redesigning its DMs on Android after its teams evaluated the experience on the OS and determined that it needed an improvement. 

As you can see in the screenshots below, the messages view on the app look cleaner now, with rounder speech bubbles and text box at the bottom. The inbox itself also looks much less cluttered and is devoid of line breaks. Ditto for the message requests view, which now also shows an "x" button for each request that makes it easy to delete them. 

Twitter

Twitter didn't just give DMs on Android a shiny new veneer, though. The company said it also worked on its back-end and rebuilt it with proper architecture, improving its responsiveness and its scrolling performance. Twitter said it also redesigned the message composer, as well as the app's tweet forwarding capabilities. 

The company has historically been slow to bring new features to the Android app — search, for instance, had been available on iOS and the web for almost a couple of years before it came to the mobile platform. Earlier this year, Twitter expanded search's capability to make it easier to find the exact conversations users are looking for. That feature is available for both iOS and Android users.

Twitter