November 17, 2023

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IN THIS ISSUE

📱 Texting between iPhone and Android is about to improve

🟦 X rival Bluesky set to raise its profile in a big way

🛒 New addition to Amazon's shopping site may surprise you

UP FIRST

It's finally happening – your iPhone is getting RCS in 2024

The move will improve the experience of texting between iPhones and Android phones

Apple has confirmed that RCS (Rich Communication Services) texting is finally coming to the iPhone in 2024.

It means that from later next year if you have an Android phone and are texting someone with an iPhone, you’ll be able to text each other over RCS instead of SMS. That means you’ll get many iMessage-like features such as typing indicators, read receipts, higher-resolution photo/video sharing, and so on.

To be clear, this is not Apple bringing iMessage to Android phones. iMessage will remain exclusive to the iPhone and other Apple devices, but with RCS replacing SMS as the texting standard between iPhones and Android devices, texting between an Android phone and an iPhone will be a significantly better experience than it is today ...

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Tech of the week: An adorable mini gaming PC

A new mini gaming PC designed to look like a classic Mac is launching soon, and it could be seriously impressive. Ayaneo revealed the AM01 mini PC on Friday, and it’s among the first mini PCs the company has ever released.

Ayaneo is mostly known for making handheld gaming PCs like the Ayaneo 2S, but it’s introducing two mini PCs as part of its new Remake concept.

The series is meant to “interpret retro, reshape classic,” according to the company, which furnished its portable gaming devices with the powdery whites and grays of classic electronics ...

SOCIAL MEDIA

X rival Bluesky to launch public web interface as it reaches reaches 2 million users

The decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter) could be about to raise its profile in a big way

A year after it launched as a rival to X (then Twitter), Bluesky has picked up 2 million users.

It would have many more if it wasn’t for the fact that the platform is still taking things at a steady pace, only allowing people to sign up via an invite.

In an update shared on Thursday, Bluesky said that later this month it will launch a public web interface that will allow people without an account to read posts. This is likely to raise the profile of the platform significantly and will also be “especially useful for real-time commentary and breaking news," Bluesky said.

It’s also heading toward a system similar to Mastodon where people will be able to migrate their account and content to another provider, which, in a dig at Elon Musk's ownership of X, it says will make the service “billionaire-proof” ...

ON THE HORIZON

Cars are coming to Amazon's online shopping site

The e-commerce giant will start by offering Hyundai vehicles

From next year, folks looking for a new car will be able to order one through Amazon and then pick it up or have it delivered by a local dealership.

At launch, Amazon’s shopping site will offer vehicles only from Hyundai, allowing customers to complete the buying process online without ever having to visit a dealer.

You'll be able to search Amazon for available vehicles in your area based on various preferences, including model, trim, color, and features, and then check out in the usual way.

If the Hyundai partnership goes well, it seems likely that other automakers will be added over time.

Amazon's site already includes a comprehensive auto section offering parts, accessories, and installation services, so the move to include car sales seems like a natural step ...

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