O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: conversion

  • Meta launches Threads app as an alternative to Twitter

    Meta launches Threads app as an alternative to Twitter

    Meta on Wednesday officially launched Threads, its now social media app that the company has been developing as an alternative to Twitter.

    Meta is linking Threads to Instagram, which means Instagram usernames port over to Threads, and Instagram users have the option to follow the same people they follow on Instagram.

    The launch also seems to be taking advantage of Twitter’s recent gaffes. Over the last few days, the company introduced rate limits for Twitter users, cutting down on the number of tweets that are visible per day. With this decision, Twitter spiked interest in alternative apps. Mastodon and Bluesky are already positioned as Twitter alternatives but have not widely taken off as of yet.

    From its own end, Bluesky, which is still in development, has been slowly ramping up and adding beta testers.

    Threads allows for simple Instagram conversion and integration, which can help its installation numbers. The application also supports posts that are up to 500 characters in length, with photos, videos, and links supported.

    In spite of all this, concerns have been expressed as to the user data Threads may be collecting, and the App Store entry suggests information like usage data, location, contacts, identifiers, purchases, health & fitness, browsing history, and more will be collected and linked to users, but it has the same disclosures as Instagram. Twitter collects and utilizes similar data as well.

    Meta has stated that Threads does not appear to be using any data to track users across websites and apps owned by other companies now, making it more private than Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

    Threads has launched in the United States, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and 100 other countries, but it will not be available in European Union countries at this time due to the Digital Markets Act.

    Threads can be downloaded from the ‌App Store‌ for free.

    If you’ve tried the app and have any feedback to offer, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via MacRumors and the App Store

  • Apple requests Developer Transition Kit Mac minis to be returned by March 31, offers $500 credit per unit

    Apple requests Developer Transition Kit Mac minis to be returned by March 31, offers $500 credit per unit

    If you have a Developer Transition Kit Mac mini from Apple, it’s almost time to ship it back. Apple has confirmed that developers have until March 31, 2021, to send the Developer Transition Kit (DTK) back to Cupertino.

    Per a new email sent out to members of its Universal App Quick Start Program, Apple says that developers need to return these Mac prototypes with Apple Silicon chips by the end of March:

    Thanks again for participating in the Universal App Quick Start Program and committing to building great apps for Mac. We’re following up with shipping instructions to return the Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that was loaned to you as part of the program. Please take a moment to review these details and ship all DTKs back to us by March 31, 2021.

    The Mac minis with A12Z Bionic chips were leased out so that developers could create and update apps compatible with the Apple Silicon platform, which surfaced with the new M1-based Macs.

    Developers had to pay $500 to receive a DTK Mac mini, with Apple initially offering only a $200 credit to developers after requesting the units back. Following several prominent complaints, Apple has upped the return credit to $500 per unit for a return of the computers.

    The $500 credit will be offered as a one-time promo code that can be redeemed in the Apple Online Store to purchase a new M1 Mac or any other Apple product, except Gift Cards or AppleCare+ plans. Developers have until December 31, 2021 to use the $500 credit:

    As we mentioned in our last email, upon confirmed return of the DTK, you’ll receive a credit for 500 USD in the form of a one-time use promo code valid until the end of 2021. You can use it toward the purchase of a new M1 Mac or other Apple products ordered through the Apple Store Online. 

    Promotional codes are provided for 500 USD or equivalent in local currency based on January 2021 exchange rates, and valid until December 31, 2021. Apple Gift Cards and AppleCare+ are excluded. Purchase total must be greater than 500 USD to be eligible for this discount.

    Should a developer refuse to return the DTK kit, they will not receive the $500 credit, and could possibly be banned from the Apple Developer program. Apple has stated that the DTK Mac minis will no longer receive any software updates, which may make them unusable after a certain period of time.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • TSMC looks to make $25 billion investment towards manufacturing A-series chips

    Although both TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Samsung are vying to be the primary chip supplier to Apple, TSMC has reportedly invested $25 billion to produce the next A-series chips on a 5-nanometer process. No timeframe has been announced for the investment.

    TSMC has been the exclusive supplier of the A-series chips since 2009, its conversion to a 5-nanometer process indicating that it’s gearing up to compete for future markets.

    (more…)

  • HandBrake updated to 0.9.8


    Handbrake, Eric Petit’s incredibly useful open-source DVD ripping/conversion utility, has been updated to version 0.9.8.

    The new version, a 7.1 megabyte download, offers a list of fixes and changes available at this changelog.

    HandBrake 0.9.8 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback, please let us know in the comments.

  • HandBrake updated to 0.9.7


    Handbrake, Eric Petit’s incredibly useful open-source DVD ripping/conversion utility, has been updated to version 0.9.7.

    The new version, a 7.1 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:

    Supported Sources:
    – VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD (unencrypted — CSS is not supported internally and must be handled externally with third-party software and libraries), BDMV folder (unencrypted), and some .VOB and .TS files.

    – Any multimedia file it can get libavformat to read and libavcodec to decode.

    Outputs:
    – File format: MP4 and MKV.

    – Video: MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264 or Theora (1 or 2 passes or constant quantizer/rate encoding).

    – Audio: AAC, HE-AAC, AC3, MP3, Vorbis, FLAC or AAC, MP3, AC3, DTS and DTS-HD pass-through (supports encoding of several audio tracks).

    Misc features:
    – Chapter selection.

    – Soft subtitle support (DVD/VobSub in DVD/MKV/MP4, SRT files, SRT/UTF-8 in MKV, ASS/SSA in MKV, TX3G/3GPP in MP4 – DVD/VobSub and ASS/SSA subtitles can also be burned-in the picture).

    – Picture deinterlacing, cropping and scaling.

    – Grayscale encoding.

    WHAT’S NEW:
    – Fixes several small bugs from the previous version.

    HandBrake 0.9.7 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.