Facebook’s looking to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger chats

BBC

Facebook is looking to compete with the likes of Google and Apple with its newest plans. The social media company is considering integrating its messaging services on Instagram with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The three services will remain as standalone apps, but each will be linked in a way that will let messages travel between the services. Facebook is said to be at the start of what it considers a “long process.” If successful, this means a Facebook user can communicate directly with someone who has a WhatsApp or Instagram account. The timeline to complete this project is end of 2019 or early next year.

What Facebook can gain with this project is it’ll no longer need to develop competing versions of new features (like Stories) or allow businesses to reach more potential customers across the different platforms with its ability to share data easily. Facebook wants people to spend more time on its products, and this is one way they think that could happen. "We want to build the best messaging experiences we can; and people want messaging to be fast, simple, reliable and private," said Facebook in a statement. "We're working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks." But this also raises a lot of questions, which Wired has detailed in this story.

Source: BBC

iOS12.2 beta reveals Apple might be ready to offer subscription service for Apple News

Aside from finding hints that AirPods 2 might be coming out soon, 9to5Mac’s Guilherme Rambo also might have uncovered what looks like a new subscription service for Apple News. It would let users access newspapers and magazines for a monthly fee, which has been rumoured in the past. It also makes sense given that Apple acquired digital magazine subscription service Texture earlier last year. The company would sure want to put that to use.

The splash page shows that this service might be called “Apple News Magazines” and payments are going to be made through the iTunes store. There is no word on pricing just yet but there are a lot of mentions of “bundle subscription” in the beta, which suggests Apple might be coming up with an “all-in-one media subscription” offer for everything from Apple Music to TV to magazines.

Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ gets new trailer

Netflix’s adaptation of former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way’s and illustrator Gabriel Bá’s The Umbrella Academy comic book series is coming less than a month away so the streaming service is hyping up the 10-episode show with its newest trailer. The story follows what happens when 43 not pregnant women suddenly give birth on the same day. It takes place in an alternate timeline that has been shaped by major historical events. Seven of the surviving children were adopted by mysterious and wealthy philantrophist Sir Reginald Hargreeves. He wanted to help each of the children harness their superpowers to help save the world. But his untimely death leaves them as orphans and then they’re left to save the world from the impending apocalypse.

The cast is composed of big names like Ellen Page and Mary J. Blige as well as a talented bunch of actors and actresses like Robert Sheehan, Cameron Britton, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Aidan Gallagher, Colm Feore, Adam Godley, John Magaro, Ashley Madekwe, and 13 Reasons Why's Kate Walsh. Bá and Way co-executive produce the show, which is lead by Steve Blackman. The Umbrella Academy starts streaming on Netflix on February 15^th.

Source: Refinery29 + Screen Rant

ION Audio's ode to classic the Ford Mustang is an inspired music solution

Few cars are more iconic than the 1960's era Ford Mustangs and ION Audio has brought back the glossy red paint, gleaming chrome and the tactile details of a Mustang dashboard in an all-in-one music player. This colourful ensemble features a quiet belt-drive 3-speed turntable. Sensitive AM/FM radio. Headphone jack.  The Mustang LP also comes with EZ Vynyl converter software to rip analog sources into digital files. Mustamg LP's SRT in US dollars is $129.00.