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NYT: Snapchat built its own drone
Snapchat's second or third reinvention was to describe itself as a "camera company," but really it wants to become a hardware maker. At least, that's the theory coming out of the New York Times, which has spoken to three anonymous employees who claim the startup has been working on a photography drone.
Snapchat is getting a reality TV show from A+E
The running theme for Snapchat this year? It wants to be seen as more than an ephemeral messaging service. One way it can accomplish that is by bringing on more original content, like with its exclusive Planet Earth II deal. Now Snapchat is planning to get an original reality TV series by partnering with A+E Networks, Techrunch reports. The show is called Second Chance, and it'll involve "emotional exes" getting together to figure out why their relationships fell apart. If that sounds entertaining to you, congrats! You're part of the demographic Snap is desperate to reach ahead of its IPO this year.
Snap Inc. quietly created a foundation to support arts and education
We've known for a while that Snap Inc. confidentially filed for an IPO, but the official paperwork (also known as the S-1) is out and full of juicy new details. In addition to insight on how many people use Snapchat on the daily and how much ad revenue the company has brought in, the document also confirmed the company's philanthropic ambitions.
Snap Inc. officially files for IPO
Snapchat's parent company Snap Inc. has officially filed for its initial public offering Thursday, giving a rare insight into what makes the ephemeral messaging service tick. Although Snap did not lay out the terms of the filing, the Wall Street Journal places the company's value between $20 billion and $25 billion. That would make Snap the biggest IPO since Alibaba hit the market in 2014 and well in excess of the $3 billion it reportedly turned down from Facebook in 2013.
Snap's newest Lenses could make any surface a billboard
The next evolution of Snapchat's Lenses could add more than just a flower crown to your selfies. According to a new report from The Information, Snap Inc. is working on a smarter version of its cartoonish filters and world lenses that could overlay images -- and advertisements -- onto a variety of real-world objects.
Xbox One update will ditch the console's signature Snap mode
The Xbox One's Snap mode was a major selling point on launch -- it was supposed to turn your console into a multitasking powerhouse that lets you play a game while watching TV or tracking achievements. It's a resource hog, however, and Microsoft now believes that it's time for a change. The company's Mike Ybarra has revealed that Snap is disappearing in order to boost performance. It'll improve multitasking, memory demands and "overall speed," he says. It'll also clear resources for "bigger things," although Ybarra offers no clues as to what that means.
Snapchat fights clickbait in Discover stories
Clickbait headlines and fake news aren't limited to the web and social networks. They're also problems in mobile services, and Snapchat wants to do something about it. The company is instituting rules that prevent Discover publishers from misleading users. Creators can't use headlines or images without editorial value, and they can't produce or link to fake news. The aim is to create an "informative, factual and safe" space for news, the company tells the New York Times.
Amazon and online grocery services will soon accept food stamps
Thanks to a pilot program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families who rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries will soon be able to use online services like Amazon and FreshDirect. When the two-year program goes live this summer, it has the potential to improve access to healthy food choices in communities that are often lacking in options.
Snapchat Groups will let you chat with 16 friends at once
Even though Snapchat has quickly become a huge communication platform, there are still basic features it lacks, like group messaging. With Snapchat Groups, announced today, the app is beginning to fill those gaps. It'll let you start group chats with up to 16 of your Snapchat friends. And, as you'd expect, the conversations will disappear after 24 hour. Recipients will also only be able to view Snaps sent to the group once.
ICYMI: Augment yourself with video glasses and exosuits
Today on In Case You Missed It: Between Snap Inc.'s more-buzz-than-Google-Glass sunglasses and exoskeleton suits for the workplace, we are officially future-living. Spectacles cost $130 and are dispensing in randomly placed vending machines. Meanwhile, SuitX, a robotics company from California, created three exosuit options designed to help physical laborers do their jobs and stay injury-free. Stanford researchers have a system that uses chemicals rather than electrons to send text messages, and Texas A&M's gymnastics team created an amazing mannequin challenge that must be seen to be believed. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Snapchat's fans, not the media, are telling the world about Spectacles
If you've spent any time on Twitter lately, you've probably noticed people going on about Spectacles, Snapchat's just-released camera sunglasses. But much of the conversation hasn't even focused on the launch -- it's been about the bizarre and delightful game Snapchat has made out of getting them. Rather than letting anyone buy them online, it's been dropping adorable Snap Bot vending machines around the country, providing a countdown and map on its website so fans can breathlessly await the next appearance.
ICYMI: Snap Inc. knows people want its video sunglasses
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Snap Inc. dropped a Spectacles vending machine in Southern California and the sunglasses were snapped up in no time. If you don't have the thousands of dollars handy that you'd need to pay for them on eBay, you can virtually try them on inside Snapchat by taking a photo of the ghost logo on the Spectacles site (which is what I did in today's photo. Ugh.). The video of the vending machine giggling to earth is here. The story about Samsung filing a patent for a smartphone that folds in half is here. The Nature study about monkeys being able to walk again after paralysis is here. And while there are many things to catch up on this week, we recommend reading up on President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the Environmental Protection Agency's transition team. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Snapchat ends our long nightmare by killing Story Auto Advance
Before Instagram copied it, Snapchat's rolling 24-hour Story feature was a quick way to keep up with anyone you follow on the app. There was just one problem: Viewing a new Story would play not only that person's post, but any other new posts in the queue. That means a (completely theoretical) viewing session could jump between a random celebrity selfie, video from a concert, something X-rated and then a video of someone's kids playing with their pets, and there was no way to know for sure what would be next. Now, Snapchat is pulling back on the Auto Advance feature in favor of Story Playlist.
ICYMI: Roller coasters will be recommended by urologists
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers at Michigan State created a lifelike 3D model of a patient's kidney, with stones inside, and took it on a roller coaster after the man said the crystals cleared after riding Big Thunder Mountain. Turns out, the model backed it up and now, doctors will probably start recommending folks with smaller kidney stones ride roller coasters as treatment. The inner child of every adult just did a happy dance.
AT&T uses loophole to deny low-income internet discounts
AT&T is using a technicality to refuse its FCC-mandated "Access From AT&T" discount program to low-income families that should qualify for it, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). In an absurd twist, the loophole is that its broadband speeds in the affected areas are too slow.
Snap makes your Android widgets reachable from any app
Android's widgets are certainly helpful, but you have to duck out to your home screen (where they also consume valuable real estate) to see them. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just take a quick glance? You can, with the right tools. Francisco Barroso's Snap lets you stuff widgets into a notification bar drawer, where they're accessible from any app. It's a bit like iOS' Today view, only more customizable -- if you want a giant, always-available Flipboard widget, you can make it happen. Snap is free if you only need quick access to three widgets, and it'll cost you a modest $2 to remove that cap.
Polaroid's latest instamatic doesn't use ink to print photos
Cubes, unwieldy squares, bulky cameras of yore. Regardless of form factor, when the Polaroid name is on a camera it means you're getting instant photos. With the company's latest shooter, the Snap, you're getting what looks like a pocketable device that uses proprietary tech to print photos using zero ink. Instead, the ZINK (get it?) paper you load in the 10MP pictograph box uses heat to activate color crystals and reproduce your 2-inch by 3-inch masterpiece. And of course, since this is camera made in 2015 there's a selfie timer and filter presets (color, black and white, vintage) in addition to a Micro SD card slot. Interested? All it takes is $99 to sate your curiosity sometime later this year.
Score Snapchat videos with songs from your phone
Have the perfect song in mind for a Snapchat video? Well, now you can play music from your phone while filming it. Thanks to an update, the ephemeral sharing app no longer pauses whatever track is playing while it captures a few seconds of video footage. Of course, the music is recorded with your handset's built-in mic, so don't expect high-quality audio. However, you can play tunes stored on the device or streamed from services like Spotify. The update is available now for iOS devices, and we expect it'll arrive for Android soon enough.
The Big Picture: a closer look at live rodent nerve cells
What you're looking at up above isn't a crazy anaglyph 3D image. Well, at least not intentionally. It's actually the result of a decade-old tagging method that researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Italy are now using in live mice. The method, called SNAP-tagging, uses proteins that latch onto specific chemical structures and don't let go. To explore rodent nerves, researchers genetically engineered the mice to produce SNAP proteins and then injected the vermin with fluorescent probes that the proteins would attach to. This allows them to be followed through the body with a microscope. For example, in the picture above, the thick blue lines are hairs and the red bundles are nerves.
Snap up Xbox One's October system update now
Microsoft rolled out the new October system update for the Xbox One, which we've verified is available to download now. As detailed last month, the new firmware overhauls the Snap feature, which lets you view a main and side window on screen simultaneously. Now, bringing up the Snap Center brings links to Friends, Achievements, Party, Messages and Game DVR apps, as well as a wee battery icon and clock. Also, double-tapping the Xbox button brings up a Snap quick menu, cutting down the hassle of bringing apps in and out. Snap now supports the Messages and Friends apps, with the latter spruced up including the addition of GamerScore leaderboards. The boards are based on your GamerHaul over the last 30 days, so long-term Achievement hunters just have to console themselves with their six-figure scores. Or, they could use the new captioning feature when sharing Achievements to rub it in friends' faces - you know, things like "Hah, look at 50G you're never getting, bub" or "I spent the last 42 hours getting this cheevo and I regret nothing!"
