Instagram will soon be testing reposts, something that's never been available in the main feed part of the app but is a key feature on Facebook and Twitter. It was first spotted on the profile of Twitter CEO Adam Mosseri by social media consultant Matt Navarra, and Instagram later confirmed it with TechCrunch."

"We’re exploring the ability to reshare posts in Feed — similar to how you can reshare in Stories — so people can share what resonates with them, and so original creators are credited for their work," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. "We plan to test this soon with a small number of people."

A new screen describes the features as a way to recommend a post to friends, and spark conversations wiht follows, who can reply to your repost with a message. Feed reposts are "shown in a separate tab in your profile" along with posts, reels and tagged photos, and will be visible to followers.

Reposts have been available in Stories since 2018, but the only way to do it in feeds has been via third-party apps (clues about the feature were first spotted back in May by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi). Instagram's arch-rival TikTok recently introduced a repost feature for videos following tests early in 2022. However, reposted TikTok videos only appear in your friends' 'For You' feeds and not in your own profile.

Instagram has introduced a slew of updates recently to help it better compete with TikTok. It recently launched a full-screen TikTok-like feed and boosted the amount of recommended content you see. However, following complaints (including from celebrities), it backed off and said it would phase out the full-screen mode and scale back recommended posts.

Some social media experts worry that reposts may create similar issues by pushing content from strangers. "Reposting is another explicit step towards dismantling the IG that you know, in favor of one that Instagram thinks will be a better experience for you," wroteSocial Media Today's Andrew Hutchinson. "BeReal’s growth shows that there is a real desire for more authentic connection and community engagement, outside of the constant highlight reels of viral clips."

Tesla already has 35,000-plus Superchargers around the world, but it can be a mystery as to exactly how it chooses locations. Now via a new Twitter poll, the company is asking the public to tell it where they want the next superchargers to be installed, TechCrunch has reported.

Some of the top-requested sites are the least accessible, including US National Parks, Vancouver Island, Hawaii and Alaska. If you've ever been to British Columbia you'll notice a lot of Tesla EVs driving around, but there are only a pair of Supercharger stations on Vancouver Island in Victoria and Nanaimo. Similarly, there's only a single station in Alaska at Soldotna, and a lone six-bay facility in Honolulu. It would also make sense to install Superchargers at National Park gateways often located in remote regions.

Tesla has 1,469 Supercharger locations in the US, with the number of charge points varying widely per station. However, station growth has lagged behind Tesla EV sales — the latter grew 87 percent in 2021, but Supercharger installations increased just 35 percent. This could become a bigger problem soon, as the company said it will open up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla vehicles. 

Installing them isn't quite as simple as throwing money around, either. Tesla recently posted a job ad for its Canadian Supercharger design team, noting that applicants require experience in site permitting, construction feasibility, utility service requests and more. The company recently told sites hosting Superchargers that they're good for business, with average monthly charging visits between 2,000 to 5,000 at locations in Vancouver, BC. 

Electrify America has unveiled a redesign of its charging stations designed to make them more consumer friendly. The changes include labels that clearly indicate charging levels, a new "balanced charging" system that delivers the maximum charge possible to each vehicle and clearer payment options. The updates were made following EV driver surveys and are designed to create a more familiar "gas station"-like experience, the company said. 

One of the biggest issues with charging stations, they found, is that consumers often don't know the charging speeds of their own EVs — so the current labeling (CCS and CHAdeMO) may not make sense. To that end, Electrify America will keep the CHAdeMo for low-level (up to 50kW charging), but use new labels above that: Ultra-Fast (up to 150 kW and Hyper-Fast (up to 350kW), not unlike mid-grade and premium gas options. It also shows one, two or three lightning bolts for charging levels, the type of plug, and CHAdeMO or CCS labeling up top.

Electrify America

"We want to help make the transition to EV charging easier by translating kilowatt ratings into simple names like Hyper-Fast and Ultra-Fast with corresponding colors to help them make a selection at the charger," said Electrify America's Robert Barrosa. 

On top of that, the company is introducing something called "Balanced Charging" for each pair of chargers at a single power cabinet, to ensure your EV gets the maximum kilowatts possible. For instance, if a vehicle that can handle a 150kW charge pulls into a station, the charger will detect its capacity and deliver the maximum 150kW. If another with a 280kW capacity then pulls in, it will automatically deliver 200kW to the second vehicle until the first requests less than 150kW. Each charger supporting that system will be clearly marked as "Balanced."

Electrify America

Finally, it will make paying easier, too. You can charge at a station as a member (via NFC) or guest (credit/debit card terminal), but many users didn't know which to use. To that end, the company has created new labels to indicate that the NFC target area is where members should tap their phones. The credit card readers are more clearly labeled as well, so guests can more easily understand where to insert their card. The company also made it easier to access support in case of problems, making the phone number more prominent and adding a QR code. 

Electrify America previously announced that it'll expand to 1,800 fast charging stations and 10,000 individual chargers across North America by 2026. Many of those chargers will accommodate the latest EVs like the Porsche Taycan that can handle up to a 270 kW charge. It also recently unveiled its charging station of the future, with customer lounges, solar canopies and more. The company will replace the speed, contact and payment labels on all charging stations, and said that any "new stations will feature balanced charging functionality."

At the 2022 Code Conference, Tim Cook responded to a journalist's question about RCS text messaging by suggesting they buy an iPhone, The Verge reported. Asked how Apple could improve communication between iPhone and Android users, he said "I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that." When the journalist replied that he couldn't send certain videos to his Android-using mother, Cook joked "buy your mom an iPhone." 

That's bound to add fuel to the debate about a common smartphone messaging format. Google has long promoted the RCS (Rich Communications Service) as a way to allow for better interoperability between iOS and Android users, even shaming Apple about it last month. Doing so could help eliminate the dreaded "green bubble" seen by iPhone users when they receive a text message from an Android phone.

Apple considered offering iMessage to Android users but quickly shut the idea down, as internal documents revealed during the Epic trial. Former marketing chief Phil Schiller famously said that porting iMessage to Android "would hurt us more than help us," and another former Apple exec said in an email that "iMessage amounts to serious lock-in." 

Cook did say that Apple isn't addressing RCS "at this point," appearing to not entirely rule the idea out. In any case, the green bubble issue is largely US-centric, as users in other countries tend to favor non-SMS apps like Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal. 

Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has revealed that Microsoft offered to keep Call of Duty available on PlayStation for three years beyond its current Activision deal. "After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers," Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. 

Last week, the UK's competition authority said it was concerned that Microsoft's $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition could "harm rivals" by shutting them out of popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Xbox chief Phil Spencer essentially responded by saying the company made a deal with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for "several more years" in an offer "that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements."

However, Sony is apparently concerned about the arrangement. "I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum," Ryan said. "Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle."

Activision's current deal with Sony is reported to cover the next three Call of Duty releases, including Modern Warfare II set to arrive on October 28th. Last month, Microsoft made an interesting argument about monopoly concerns around the Activision acquisition, saying that the company it wants to pay $68.7 billion to acquire makes no "must have" games. Sony, meanwhile, called Call of Duty an "essential" triple-A game "that has no rival." As analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed out, Sony was Activision Blizzard's biggest customer in 2020, while Microsoft was the fourth largest behind Google and Apple.

Last week Twitter announced that it would finally be introducing an edit button that users had been requesting pretty much since the app came out. While we knew that it would let you make changes for up to 30 minutes after posting, we're now learning that you'll only be able to make up to five edits too, TechCrunch has reported. 

A legitimate concern about editing is that users could alter the contents of a tweet after it's disseminated widely, significantly altering the meaning. That could then potentially be abused to spread misinformation, scams and more, experts told The Washington Post. As such, the five-edit limit might be a way to prevent such abuse, though Twitter told TechCrunch that the number of edits could change based on user data it's currently collecting.

We already knew that the feature would be coming to Twitter Blue subscribers first "in a single country," Twitter said earlier. Now it confirmed that it'll launch in New Zealand later this month, and once the company learns more about how it's being used, it'll roll out to Twitter Blue users in Australia, Canada and the US. So far, the paid service is only available in those four countries. 

Sony has rolled out the latest PlayStation 5 system update globally with a much-requested feature: 1440p video output. The feature, first previewed in beta last July, will finally provide an option between less-sharp 1080p and demanding 4K that can reduce framerates. It will be especially beneficial to users with PC monitors that natively support 1440p QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution. 

Your monitor or TV will need to support 1440p/60Hz or 1440p/120Hz, Sony said. You can select the setting from the "Screen and Video" menu in the settings, and a "Test 1440p Output" button lets you check to see if your monitor is supported. However, using 1440p will disable variable refresh rates (VRR) that sync game and monitor framerates. That means you may see screen tearing and other issues that reduce smoothness.

The update also includes Gamelists, essentially folders to store games. You can have up to 15 Gamelists with 100 games each that include a mix of digital and disc games. Other new features include the ability to request a Share Screen from a fellow party member, view new friends' profiles and receive notifications to help you join a friend's game from a party chat. A new feature in preview in the UK and US, meanwhile, lets you do YouTube searches using Voice Command from anywhere on PS5, including during gameplay.

Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has hired former Google manager and tech critic Meredith Whittaker as its first president, it announced in a blog post. She's already on the board of directors, along with WhatsApp founder, interim CEO and Facebook critic Brian Acton and former CEO/encryption evangelist Moxie Marlinspike. Her focus, she said, will be on strategy, communication and the foundation's long-term financial health.

"I will be working with Signal’s CEO and leadership, with a particular focus on guiding Signal’s strategy, ensuring our financial sustainability, sharpening and broadening Signal’s public communications, and whatever else is needed to strengthen the app and the org," she said. Whittaker will also aid in the search for a permanent CEO to replace Acton.

Whittaker rose to prominence as the founder of Google's Open Research Group and organizer of a walkout after it emerged that Google had paid off executives accused of sexual harassment, including Andy Rubin. She left the search giant in 2019, and went on to form the AI Now Institute at NYU, aiming to "ensure that AI systems are accountable to the communities and contexts in which they’re applied," according to its mission statement. She's also a senior adviser on AI to the Federal Trade Commission and joined the Signal Foundation's board in 2020.

Signal currently counts over 140 million users after receiving a significant boost following a backlash against WhatsApp's privacy policy changes last year. Along with Firefox, Signal is one of the few apps committed to privacy rather than revenue via data collection. To that end, Whittaker plans to focus on maintaining the company's health via small donations from millions of users who "kick in a little bit," she told The Washington Post. "We do have growth goals, but they are driven by our mission, not by a desire for profit," she added.

Sony has unveiled an unusual mirrorless camera that essentially marries the FX6 cinema camera's tech with remote-controlled robotics. Called the FR7, it's the "world's first" pan-tilt-zoom full-frame interchangeable-lens camera with pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) robotic technology, according to the company. 

Priced at nearly $10,000 without a lens, it's designed for professional productions including reality shows, concerts, dramas, music videos and more. For instance, it could be mounted on dolly tracks, a crane or a tripod and remotely follow subjects around without getting in the way. It could also be fixed to a vehicle, with the pan-tilt-zoom capabilities giving the director more interesting angles and shots.

Sony

The large sensor allows for a more cinematic image than typical robotic TV cameras, too. "The cinematic look and feel is rapidly becoming the norm in broadcasting and live production as it opens up new ways to tell a narrative," said Sony Electronics VP Yang Chen. "In parallel, over the last 2 years, we’ve seen a steep rise in content created remotely or in small locations where access is difficult."

The FR7 looks a bit like Sony cut the back off an FX6, leaving the mount and small body fixed to a compact motorized system. It's designed to smoothly pan and tilt at speeds ranging from .02 to a rapid 60 degrees per second, while moving from plus or minus 170 degrees (pan) and -30 to 195 degrees (tilt). You can store up to 100 camera presents and control it using a web app or the optional $2,625 RM-IP500 remote controller. 

The 10.3-megapixel sensor is an unusual choice, as it may not be suitable for some high-end productions due to the 4K resolution limit. However, it does offer 4K recording at up to 120 fps or 1080p at 240fps. On top of that, it has a native ISO range up to 409,600 with 15+ stops of dynamic range, making it suitable for shooting in low light. It also comes with S-Log3 gamma, wide S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3.Cine color spaces for HDR and enhanced color grading capabilities.

Sony

It offers the same autofocus capabilities as the FX6, including Fast Hybrid AF, Real-time Eye AF and Real-time Tracking, with touch focus available via the web app. Sony promises fast and accurate eye-detect AF, which will be key for things like reality shows or live streaming with no physical operator. It also comes with a built-in electronic variable ND filter, dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots, an ethernet port for remote control (and power) and SDI/HDMI video outputs. 

The FR7 costs $9,700 without a lens, or $12,200 with Sony's FE PZ 28-135mm f/4 cinema lens. It's set to go on preorder in the US on September 7th and Sony will show it off at IBC 2022 in Amsterdam later this week. 

Samsung's 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 can act not only as a monitor with a webcam, but a smart TV as well thanks to the built-in speakers and support for cloud gaming and streaming platforms. Now, you can grab one for $590 ($110 to $140 off) at Amazon in white or green and $590 at Samsung in all colors. That beats the previous low price we saw earlier this year at Amazon. 

As a computer display, the Smart Monitor M8 offers UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution at up to 60Hz, along with HDR10+. With a VA panel, it's decently bright at 400 nits, offers a 4-millisecond response time and displays up to a billion colors, with 99 percent sRGB coverage. Input-wise, you get USB-C and Micro HDMI 2.0 inputs, along with a USB-C charging interface. Finally, it has a a detachable SlimFit Cam for video calls, making it a solid choice for work or light content creation.

That's just the half of it, though. It's a WiFi-capable smart TV that supports Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV, as well as cloud gaming platforms. It comes with built-in dual 5W speakers and a home hub that allows you to use it to control SmartThings-compatible IoT devices like lights and thermostats. It even has built-in support for Microsoft 365, so you can edit documents or browse the web without having to connect it to a computer.

Other features include the ability to change the angle and position with the high-adjustable stand, along with a game bar that makes it easy to switch between cloud services. Normally the white model sells for $700 and the color models for $730, so the latter (green at Amazon; green, pink and blue at Samsung) are a particularly good deal at $590. 

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