Remember Vine? Back in the earlier days of social media just as apps like Snapchat and Musical.ly (now called TikTok) were taking off, Vine captured everyone’s attention with the ability to only record six-second videos. This forced users into somewhat of a corner when it came to what kind of content they could make. It was wildly popular, and now, it’s back after being shut down by Twitter.
More below.
Vine gets rebooted as Byte, launches on iOS and Android
The app formally known as Vine has launched on iOS and Android after being shut down in 2017. Now called Byte, the app’s creators are framing this project as a sequel to Vine. It works the same way: you record six-second videos that endlessly loop. But this time around, the app is promising to pay creators for their talents. It’ll work through some sort of advertising platform (obviously), but we don’t have all the details just yet. Those will come later.
In the mean time, if you wanna reminisce and mess around with one of the worst video length constraints in the mobile industry, you can download Byte for free from your device’s app store.
In other news…
Google will host I/O 2020 May 12th-14th in Mountain View
Google has announced the official dates of its annual I/O developer conference for 2020. This year, the event will be held from May 12th to the 14th, with the 12th serving as keynote day. You can expect to hear a lot about Android 11, the upcoming Pixel 4a smartphone, and the Google Assistant. It’s possible the company has some surprises up its sleeve, so keep your eyes peeled.
Every iPhone running iOS 13 will also run iOS 14, says report
A report surfaced over the weekend from iPhonesoft which indicates Apple won’t be dropping any iPhones from its supported devices list for iOS 14 later this year. That means every device capable of running iOS 13 (dating all the way back to the 2015 iPhone 6s) will also get this year’s upgrade. I wrote up an article explaining all the details, including some iPads that reportedly won’t make the cut, which you can read here.
Motorola Razr foldable now available to pre-order for $1,499.99
Yesterday, Motorola made the its rebooted Razr foldable phone available for pre-order. The device costs a very pretty penny at $1,499.99 and comes with a foldable display, 128GB of storage, a single rear camera, and specs that are a step down from the best you can get nowadays. That being said, this phone is built with nostalgia in mind, and I know some Razr fans are more than willing to pay a premium for it.
For more details on the new Razr,, including a list of supported carriers (spoiler: it’s only one), click here.
Motorola has a phone with a stylus coming soon, according to leak
In other Motorola news, the company will soon take the wraps off a phone with a stylus. This is according to a leak out of Evan Blass via Twitter. The device will sport tiny bezels, a hole-punch display, a presumably plastic stylus, and likely mid-range specs. We don’t know much about this mysterious phone, but at least according to its lock screen, it could debut on April 3rd. We’ll have to wait and see to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will have proprietary ultra-thin glass
Rounding off the news for this morning is a rumor out of Max Weinbach at XDA. According to the developer-turned-Samsung-leaker, the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung’s upcoming clamshell foldable, will be covered in ultra-thin glass called “Samsung Ultra Thin Glass.” This will make the phone much mroe durable compared to foldables that use plastic for their displays, including the Galaxy Fold, and Motorola’s Razr. I have more details in an article linked here if you’re interested.
[From the January 27th, 2020 Wiretapped newsletter.]
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