TikTok is testing a new tipping feature that would give creators another way to receive gifts from their followers. The company already allows its most popular users to receive tips when live streaming, and now it's trying out something more direct.

The existence of the feature was first spotted by TikTok creator Jera Bean and later more widely shared by consultant (and former The Next Web writer) Matt Navarra. Per the clip Bean posted, those who TikTok has enrolled in the test can apply to get a Tips button on their profile page.

They need at least 100,000 followers and an account that’s in good standing for consideration. Notably, TikTok is not taking a cut of those tips. It’s possible that could change when and if the company rolls out the feature more widely.

TikTok told TechCrunch it has been testing the tool with a limited number of users. “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a spokesperson for the company said.

TikTok is far from the only social media platform to allow tipping. Twitter has had a “tip jar” feature since the start of May. More recently, it added the ability for users to send and receive Bitcoin tips. The push into tipping comes as companies look for ways to keep creators on their platforms.

While Teenage Engineering is best known for its synths, it frequently finds ways to surprise its fans. Its latest release is no different, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. It has announced an ITX PC case it’s calling the Computer-1. The company says it has been working on the design since 2014. “It’s not a ground-breaking PC case, but we like it, and use it every day,” TE says on its website. “Now we’d like to share it with you.”

The case is made from 1mm-thick powder-coated aluminum. Like TE’s recent synths, it comes in a build-it-yourself flat-pack design that involves bending some of the panels. “Think twice, bend once,” the company warns humorously. With chrome handles included, the case stands 322mm or about a foot tall. Width-wise, it measures 170mm or just over six inches wide. Inside, you have enough room for an SFX power supply, a dual-slot GPU that measures under 180mm long and a CPU cooler that’s about 120mm tall. It will be interesting to see what thermal performance is like on the Computer-1 since the side panels don’t feature a mesh design.

At $195, the Computer-1 is pricey, but about what you would expect to pay for an ITX case from a small company. You’ll find more affordable options in products like the NR200 from Cooler Master, but you can easily spend as much as $200 or more on a Dan A4 or FormD T1. If you’re interested in the Computer-1, you may have to wait to get your hands on one. It’s currently sold out, but you can sign up to get a notification once it is available.

The Oculus name may be no more, but there is at least one piece of good news in Facebook's decision to rebrand itself as Meta. You won't need a Facebook account to use its Quest headsets. That tidbit of information was nestled in a post from soon-to-be Meta CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth detailing what the rebranding means for the company's various products.    

"We’re working on new ways to log into Quest that won’t require a Facebook account, landing sometime next year," Bosworth said. "This is one of our highest priority areas of work internally."

Meta announced in August 2020 it would eventually require all Oculus owners to log into their devices with a Facebook account. At the time, the company said people it would start prompting people to merge their Oculus and Facebook accounts starting in October 2020. Under that plan, Oculus owners would have had until January 1st, 2023 to continue using their headsets without a Facebook account. After that point, Meta said the devices would continue working, but warned some games and apps would not. Unsurprisingly, the Oculus community immediately hated the decision. "What the fuck," said one of the more tame comments an Oculus owner posted in the comments section of the blog post detailing the policy change.  

Earlier today, Facebook announced it was rebranding itself as Meta. When CEO Mark Zuckerberg first shared the news during the company's Connect event, it wasn't clear how broadly it planned to adopt the name across its product portfolio. But now we have a much better idea thanks to a Facebook post from incoming CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth. For one, Meta is retiring the Oculus brand.    

Beginning in early 2022, the Oculus Quest will instead be known as the Meta Quest. Similarly, the Oculus App will be called Meta Quest App moving forward. According to Bosworth, the intention is "to make clear" to consumers Quest is a Meta product. "We all have a strong attachment to the Oculus brand, and this was a very difficult decision to make," Bosworth said. "While we’re retiring the name, I can assure you that the original Oculus vision remains deeply embedded in how Meta will continue to drive mass adoption for VR today." 

As part of the rebranding, Meta is also backpedaling on its unpopular decision to require Facebook logins to use Oculus headsets. Bosworth said the company is working on new ways to allow people to log into the platform, and that will roll out sometime next year. "This is one of our highest priority areas of work internally," he added. Additionally, the name will filter to other products, including Facebook Portal. Moving forward, the company plans to call its smart display Meta Portal.   

The possibility that the Oculus name would disappear is likely something fans have had in the back of their minds since Facebook acquired the company in 2014. For better and worse, the company that once existed is no more. It's now a cog in Meta's ambitions to create a metaverse.  

Facebook is working on a new high-end VR headset codenamed Project Cambria. The company teased the device during its recent Connect conference on Thursday. It plans to release the headset sometime next year. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it will be a separate "high-end" product from the company's $299 Quest 2 headset. It will also cost more than that device.

Cambria will include capabilities that currently aren't possible on other VR headsets. New sensors in the device will allow your virtual avatar to maintain eye contact and reflect your facial expressions. The company says that's something that will allow people you're interacting with virtually to get a better sense of how you're feeling. Another focus of the headset will be mixed-reality experiences. With the help of new sensors and reconstruction algorithms, Facebook claims Cambria will have the capability to represent objects in the physical world with a sense of depth and perspective.

Cambria will also feature new optics that the company said will increase visual fidelity. Facebook promised to share more details about the headset next year. In the meantime, it mentioned that third-party developers are already working on experiences for the device.

One of the most-loved entries in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series is coming to VR. On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a port of 2004's GTA: San Andreas is in development for the company's Quest 2 VR headset. "This new version of what I think is one of the greatest games ever made will offer players an entirely new way to experience this iconic open world in virtual reality," Zuckerberg said during the event.

Zuckerberg didn't go on to say when Quest 2 owners can expect to play the game, and the blog post the company published after the event didn't provide many other details either. "This is a project many years in the making, and we can’t wait to show you more of it," the company said. Whatever form the final product takes, it's likely to look a lot like the Resident Evil 4 remake Facebook and Capcom released last week.  

Since the start of the year, Oculus Quest and Quest 2 owners have had the ability to use Messenger to chat with their Facebook friends. When using the app today, you can type out a message, send pre-written phrases or use voice-to-text to communicate. Soon, you’ll also be able to call your friends. 

At its Connect conference, Facebook announced it plans to bring audio calling to the platform. Later this year, the app will allow you to call contacts on any other Messenger-enabled platform. In the future, it will also allow you to invite your friends to hang out in VR destinations together.

Developing...

If you’re a Google Fi subscriber, the next time you phone someone your call may be protected by end-to-end encryption. The MVNO will start rolling out support for the privacy-minded feature to Android phones in the coming weeks. Once it’s available on your device, it will kick in automatically anytime you call another Fi subscriber.

You’ll know you’re about to make an encrypted call thanks to the special audio and visual cues Google has added to the phone app. A lock icon will appear on your screen as you’re about to be connected to your contact, and it will remain on-screen during the call. You’ll also hear a different ring tone when you’re dialing someone who has a compatible device.

If it wasn’t already clear, how much value you will get out of encrypted calling will depend on how many of your friends and family also happen to be Fi subscribers and they’re using Android phones. As things stand, there’s a chance you may never hear the ringtone that indicates your call is secure.

In that way, encrypted calling on Fi is much like RCS was a few years ago. It’s a protocol without support from carriers. If you’re concerned about keeping your calls private, your best bet is to look elsewhere. That said, it’s a nice-to-have and way for Google to differentiate its wireless service. 

Following months of pressure from employees and workers, Activision Blizzard says it will no longer employ forced arbitration in sexual harassment and discrimination claims. CEO Bobby Kotick announced the policy change in a letter to employees the company shared on Thursday. Kotick said the publisher will also implement a new company-wide zero-tolerance harassment policy. In the future, any employee who is found to have violated the rule will be fired immediately. Additionally, they’ll forfeit any future compensation, including equity awards.

“Our goal is to have the strictest harassment and non-retaliation policies of any employer, and we will continue to examine and tighten our standards to achieve this goal everywhere we do business,” Kotick said.

The executive outlined three other steps Activision Blizzard will take to create a safer and more diverse workplace. Over the next 10 years, it will invest $250 million in programs that create opportunities in tech and gaming for under-represented communities. Additionally, the company to plans to hire more women and non-binary people. According to Kotick, approximately 23 percent of all employees at Activision Blizzard identify as part of those groups. Its goal is to increase that number by 50 percent to more than one-third across the entire company within the next five years. Kotick also promised the company will share annual reports on progress it makes toward pay equity.

Separately, the executive said he has asked Activision Blizzard’s board of directors to reduce his total compensation to $62,500 per year until it feels like he has met the diversity and safety goals outlined above.

Today’s announcement sees Kotick and Activision Blizzard meeting many of the demands employees put before the company when they began protesting its actions in the wake of California’s sexual harassment lawsuit. When employees first staged a walkout in July, they demanded the end of forced arbitration, greater pay transparency and new hiring policies designed to increase representation across the company. “This is a great start, and there’s still work to do,” said Jessica Gonzalez, one of the employees involved with the A Better ABK advocacy group. “We can lead the charge as an industry standard. Victories and still pushing.”

It may not be a household name, but one of the more important players in the semiconductor industry is Imec. It’s a nonprofit research organization that has been around since 1984 and frequently works with companies like ASML, currently the only manufacturer in the world that makes the EUV lithography machines necessary for making 7nm, 5nm and 3nm chips. 

On Thursday, the organization announced the creation of the Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems program. As part of the initiative, Imec says it will work with the semiconductor industry to reduce its carbon footprint by helping partners analyze and anticipate the environmental impacts of their manufacturing decisions. With today’s announcement, the program also has its first partner: Apple.

If the program is to have a positive effect on the environment, Imec will need to attract more partners, but attracting Apple is a good first step. The company may not produce its own silicon, but there’s no denying it’s on the bleeding edge of chip design. More importantly, it’s among the most powerful buyers of manufacturing capacity in the industry. It frequently monopolizes the top-end processes of TSMC, the most important chip foundry in the world. Working together, Imec and Apple are well-positioned to inform other companies how to make their manufacturing more sustainable.