[Tech Hub] First Day After Holiday

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2017-10-09 23:35

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Hi guys, today is the first day after a nice and long 8-day holiday. I assume you guys understood the difficulties in concentrating on work or study after such a relaxing vacation.
Anyhow, these are the major tech news from last week:


Facebook launches Mac and PC Workplace Chat apps
Facebook has quietly launched official desktop PC and Mac chat apps with screen sharing — two features users have been begging for. Right now, they’re only available for Workplace, Facebook’s enterprise collaboration software that competes with Slack and other business apps. But users would surely enjoy if the consumer Messenger app got its own desktop app and screen sharing options one day.


Google's press conference on October 4th
Google held a press conference in San Francisco on October 4th and multiple devices were released including Google Home Mini, Google Home Max, Google Pixelbook, Pixelbook Pen, Pixel 2, new Daydream VR headset, and Google Pixel Buds.

Netflix raises subscr iptions prices
Beloved movie and TV streaming service Netflix is raising its subscr iptions prices starting this month, as Mashable first reported and TechCrunch confirmed. The most popular plan is going to be $1 more expensive. Netflix currently has three plans. For $7.99, you can stream in small definition on one screen at a time. It can be your TV, your phone or your laptop — anything. If you pay $9.99, you can stream in high definition on two devices at once. And for $11.99, you get 4K streaming and four devices.
The cheapest plan is still going to be $7.99, while the most popular plan which supports HD has changed to $10.99 from $9.99, and the 4K plan is getting a lot more expensive as it now costs $13.99.


Instagram now lets you do polls
Polly blew up with teens last month by tacking multiple-choice polling onto Snapchat. Instagram is following suit with its own polling feature within Stories. Now just like adding a location sticker, you can add a two-answer poll on top of your Stories that friends can answer with a tap. Instagram Stories lets you write your own question and defaults the answers to Yes and No, though you can edit those to be whatever you want. Friends will see results as soon as they answer, and you’ll find who voted for what in your Stories view count page.

Tesla electric semi truck possibly spied in new photo
 
A recently-posted photo on Reddit (then deleted, then re-posted) has shown a truck, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the image shared in a teaser released by the automaker itself.
 
Tesla’s officially revealing its semi truck on October 26, at an event teased by Elon Musk himself. The truck is rumored to have a range of between 200 and 300 miles on a single charge, which would be very impressive for an all-electric heavy-duty transport vehicle, though not something that’s suitable for long-haul trips. The big question will be how it charges – and how fast.


Snapchat to launch augmented reality art platform
Snapchat plans to launch a new augmented reality art platform featuring pop artist Jeff Koons and others. It will allow art to be pinned to specific locations in augmented reality so users can see it when they hold up their phones in the right spot. Snapchat will solicit sign-ups from artists who want their art added to the platform.



Facebook will share Russian-bought election interference ads with U.S. congress
Facebook will release over 3000 ads bought by a Russian entity to interfere in U.S. politics and the 2016 presidential election with U.S. congressional investigators. Facebook’s disclosure to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the Senate Judiciary Committee will include information on the ads’ content and targeting as well as the accounts that paid approximately $100,000 for them to run between 2015 and 2017 in the U.S. It previously announced these ads were tied to 470 accounts and Pages “associated with a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency.”