Meta to kill off NFT support on Facebook, Instagram

Image: Meta

Meta is ending its support for NFTs on both Facebook and Instagram. The move comes less than a year since it pushed to adopt these "digital collectibles" across the platform. This update comes as the social network laid off thousands of workers and shuttered numerous projects. It wasn't elaborated on why Meta is reversing course on NFTs, but it hasn't been the only product or initiative that the company has shuttered.

“We’re winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses,” Stephane Kasriel, Meta’s Head of Commerce and Financial Technologies wrote in an update shared on Twitter. “We learned a ton that we’ll be able to apply to products we’re continuing to build to support creators, people, and businesses on our apps, both today and in the metaverse.” In its place, the company would be focusing on “monetization opps for Reels” and “messaging payments across Meta.”

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Google Pixel's Magic Eraser feature comes to more devices

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As announced last month, Google is bringing some of its newer Pixel features to more devices. One of the notable rollouts is its Magic Eraser tool. The feature can digitally take out unwanted objects (or even people) in photos to get you the look you want. It launched on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro and came to last year's Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, which made us believe it was only available on phones running on Google's Tensor chipset.

But Google has started to roll it out to older Pixel devices, and those with Google One subscriptions on Android and iOS can access it, too. Your phone needs at least 3GB of RAM and runs on Android 8.0 or iOS 15.0 or later.

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Ninja launches new electric Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker

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Ninja's new electric grill will make it easier to host your next (or first) barbecue. The Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker won't have you worrying about charcoal, propane, or the risk of flare-ups. It's an all-in-one electric woodfire grill, BBQ smoker, and air fryer. It lets you create deep smoky flavours in your cooking or add a kick of woodfire flavour to any cooking mode using a handful of wood pellets, thanks to its Woodfire technology.

As an electric grill, it makes this appliance apartment and condo friendly. Its compact size makes it easy to move and place anywhere, including your backyard, patio, and even RV. The Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker features a durable, weather-resistant build that is made for outdoor storage and year-round cooking. It retails for CAD 479.99.

GM plans on developing a ChatGPT-like assistant for cars

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General Motors joins the fray of companies looking to use the machine learning models that power ChatGPT. The carmaker is working on using the technology for its in-car digital assistant. GM envisions using the assistant to support drivers in instances where they would typically turn to their vehicle's owner's manual in the past. For example, it can show you how to replace your car's tire. It can also offer integration and scheduling features with other devices, including garage door openers.

But GM is reportedly trying to add a "car-specific layer" on top of the large language models, which will make it operate differently than other chatbots like Bing Chat. Speaking of Bing, GM's effort in this space is part of its collaboration with Microsoft, which will most likely run on Azure. The company hasn't revealed the name of the software yet or the potential release date.

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