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Metas paid verification service is no longer just for individuals. The social network is expanding its subscription service to businesses on Facebook, Instagram and, eventually, WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg announced during the companys Conversations event. Meta Verified first launched for Facebook and Instagram earlier this year, but wasn't available for those with business accounts. Thats now changing, though businesses will be paying extra for the service compared with everyone else. Verification for a single account (on either Facebook or Instagram) will cost $27.99/month for mobile sign-ups or $21.99 if the purchase is made via the web. Business owners signing up on the web can also bundle an Instagram and Facebook verification for $34.99/month. Thats significantly more than the $12- $15/month Meta Verified currently costs for individuals, but Meta is likely calculating that business owners will be more willing to shell out for the extra benefits. Meta Verified bears some similarities to Elon Musks X Premium. It grants subscribers a checkmark and higher ranking in search results, as well as a fast-track to customer support channels and proactive protection against impersonation. The company also plans to feature "Meta Verified businesses" in its in-app recommendations on Facebook and Instagram. Meta When Meta Verified launches for WhatsApp, it will include a few additional benefits, like multi-device support for customer chats and the ability to create a business page that will appear in web-based search results. (Meta hasnt said how much verified status will cost businesses on WhatsApp.) Of course, unlike X Premium, Meta does require subscribers to verify their identities. For businesses, this means subscribers will need to provide proof of their association with the business, via a phone number or email domain. The company also requires subscribers to opt-in to two-factor authentication and meet a minimum level of activity. Meta says it will begin by making subscriptions available to business owners in select test countries, but declined to name the specific locations. Meta Verified for WhatsApp, on the other hand, will roll out sometime in the future. In addition to the expansion of Meta Verified, the company also announced a few other updates for businesses that use its messaging tools. In-app payments on WhatsApp, which are currently available in Brazil and Singapore, will be expanding to merchants in India. The app will support credit and debit card payments, as well as other apps like Razorpay. The company also introduced something called WhatsApp flows so that businesses can create customized features like appointment booking directly from in-app chats. The feature will be available to WhatsApp Business users in the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-paid-verification-for-businesses-will-cost-almost-double-what-it-does-for-individuals-145733662.html?src=rss
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Apples iPhone 15 lineup isnt even out yet, but you can already save on the company's cases and other accessories for the devices, as well as earlier models. While there aren't enormous discounts in this sale on Amazon, you'll be able to save a few bucks if you prefer to go the first-party route with iPhone cases (though there are cheaper third-party options). For instance, the Apple iPhone 15 Plus FineWoven Case with MagSafe has dropped by five percent to $56, which marks an early record low for the product. FineWoven is a new material Apple is using in place of leather, which it is no longer employing in its accessories in order to make them more sustainable. FineWoven uses 68 percent post-consumer recycled content. The material looks fairly similar to leather in images that we're seen so far. Here's hoping it's just as durable. Meanwhile, MagSafe compatibility gives you more options for charging the device. If you're going to pick up an iPhone 15 Pro, you might like to consider a clear case with MagSafe functionality. That will run you $47, which is six percent off the usual $50. There's now a FineWoven version of the iPhone wallet with MagSafe support. This attaches to the back of any iPhone with MagSafe (iPhone 12 or later) and you can store your cards and ID in it. It works when you have a MagSafe case installed too. The wallet has Find My compatibility, which should make it easier to find if it's separated from your phone. The wallet costs $56, or five percent off the usual price. Elsewhere, you might need a new adapter to charge your iPhone. Apple has ditched the Lightning port in favor of USB-C charging in the iPhone 15 lineup. However, it's not including a USB-C adapter in the iPhone's box. If you need one, you can opt for Apple's 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter. You can use this to charge two devices at once (say, your iPhone and iPad or MacBook). The prongs can fold back into the body when you're not using the adapter for easier storage. The accessory currently costs $45, or 25 percent off the usual price. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-new-finewoven-iphone-15-magsafe-cases-are-already-discounted-145008254.html?src=rss
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So theres a new GoPro in town. Maybe you saw a bunch of new features and wondered if the new camera is worth the upgrade from an older model? Maybe you want to know if its a better fit than a rival camera like DJIs Action 4? Here well go through everything thats new with the Hero 12 and hopefully, by the end of it, youll feel ready to make an informed decision. There are some useful new tools, some neat hardware tweaks and of course, an important aesthetic update this time around. All of which well get to below. Battery life Okay, deep breath for this one as theres a bit to unpack. Battery life has always been a bit of a pain point for action cameras. Their smaller form-factor, exposure to different and high performance needs (shooting 4K slow-mo, and so on) means they are constantly battling basic physics. GoPros claim then, that the Hero 12 offers 2x runtime will have seen even the most ragged of outdoor filmers crack a smile. But remember, runtime isnt the same as record time. What were seeing here is an extension of the amount of time the camera can run at high power drain modes before it reaches its thermal limit and has to stop. So the claim is really that you should get about twice the recording time at the most demanding settings. If youre shooting at good ol 1080p/30, for example, battery performance is only extended by a few minutes. Photo by James Trew / Engadget To test this, I pitted the Hero 12 against the Hero 11 in two scenarios, each at the opposite ends of the intensity spectrum. On the high end, we set the cameras to record at 4K/120 while walking with the camera on a standard grip. On the other end of the scale we recorded a basic 1080/30 video for as long as the camera could. Both were performed outside to allow for airflow, which is what the camera was optimized for. The average duration for one continuous video was 35 minutes with the Hero 12 while the Hero 11 came in at just over 20 minutes. Those times are shorter than GoPro's own tests and projections, but mine were in static, slightly hotter conditions thanks to the local weather. Importantly, that represents over a 50 percent improvement over the Hero 11. Whether the conditions were ideal or not is less important than a noticeable difference between the two cameras. Initially, both cameras were giving similar runtimes, but I had left the Hero 12 on higher bitrate settings from previous tests which was bringing it back down to parity with the older camera. (This section has been updated after further testing: 9/20/23 12:40pm ET) Bluetooth audio I dont think anyone was expecting this one, but its a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Using a microphone with a GoPro typically involves using the Media Mod, which is usually an $80 additional purchase. Even with that, going wireless requires having a compatible microphone. With the new Bluetooth capability, you can use the AirPods (or other Bluetooth headset) that you may already own. I wouldnt recommend using a microphone over Bluetooth if you can avoid it, as theyre typically designed for calls rather than delivering a standup to camera. That said, the quality is good enough for impromptu vlogs and or live commentary as you take part in your activity of choice. Either way, its a neat new feature thats really easy to set up. I was worried about latency a common problem with Bluetooth audio generally but any there might be is barely perceptible. This functionality also allows you to control your GoPro from afar using voice commands. I might wager that this is equally, if not more useful to a lot of people. GoPros voice commands are fairly reliable, so its nice to be able to ask the camera to take a photo from a distance so you dont need to set a timer. Likewise, you can end a video without having to record those final seconds of you walking back to the camera to press the button. All these little time saves add up! 8:7 everywhere Photo by James Trew / Engadget The big news with the Hero 11 Black was a larger sensor that meant you could do cool things like punch out different aspect ratio videos in 4K from the same source material. That source video was also usable on its own, if square-ish 8:7 video was something you needed. With the Hero 12, 8:7 mode is now available everywhere, including TimeWarp, TimeLapse and Night Effects modes. An 8:7 TimeWarp is a fun addition, but the real gain here is the option to shoot in that mode, capture every pixel available to you, and then have the flexibility to do more with it later. For Night Effects, for example, you could output a vertical version for social media, and a 16:9 one for YouTube and both of them would be in full resolution. This is the only new direct video feature this time around, which will disappoint some potential upgraders, but for fans of those specific modes its good news. Vertical capture Photo by James Trew / Engadget Now that 8:7, full-sensor recording is available across the board, GoPro is seeking to make some of its use cases even easier. One such example is vertical capture mode. In short, since the Hero 11 theres no technical reason why you need to rotate or mount the camera vertically as you can achieve full resolution 9:16 videos even with the camera positioned horizontally. Essentially, this feature provides a way to record a video for social media without having to either remount it or to punch it out in 9:16 via the app. Thus, vertical capture greatly smooths the proess from shooting on the camera to sharing with your followers. Theres not much more to say here other than it works as advertised and should save a fair amount of time for those who use that aspect ratio frequently. HDR video in ultra-high resolutions Dynamic range may sound like a technical setting for pro photographers, but its important even for casual users. As a camera tries to capture a shot, it will assess the lighting and adjust its exposure to maintain the best balance (unless youre using all manual settings). When there are bright and dark areas in the same shot, the camera has to make a best guess. To improve on that, modern cameras have HDR modes specifically for times when theres a High Dynamic Range (HDR). In short, the Hero 12 Black claims to be better than its predecessors in these situations. Technically, the Hero 11 is capable of outputting HDR video (the Hero 12 and Hero 11 share the same internal hardware), but you usually had to do some legwork in post to get there. The Hero 12 has HDR as one of the shooting modes right in the menus making it a simple button push to get those more natural tones. Photo by James Trew / Engadget In side by side testing, theres a marked difference between the Hero 12 and last years camera. In the same, sunny conditions during the day I found the sky was sometimes blown out on the Hero 11 when there were also a lot of shaded areas in shot as the camera tries to expose for both. The Hero 12 was able to handle the same lighting conditions without blowing out bright areas or under exposing the shade giving a more balanced image overall. (Speaking of HDR, the GoPro 12s implementation isnt true HDR in the sense that it captures using the BT.2020 HDR color space i.e., if you plug it into your Samsung HDR TV you wont see it in HDR, but just regular TV mode. Rather, it takes two images of each frame in quick succession like bracketing on a photo camera one exposed for shadows and one for highlights, and combines them into a single image. The end result is more detailed skies, shadowy areas, etc.) Better selfies Back in the olden days, there was a light hack for getting the best selfie out of a GoPro: put the camera into Time lapse Photo mode and grab multiple shots just to be sure. In newer GoPros you have to grab a frame from a time lapse via the app as the camera automatically outputs a ready-to-share video. Interval Photo, then, revives some of that old functionality in a new, improved way. The basic gist is that you don't need to use a timer, instead you can capture multiple photos and pick the one you like best, such as the one below where I had all the time in the world to perfectly place my hand on top of the towers. Photo by James Trew / Engadget To prevent confusion, Interval Photo is a setting under the Photos menu and not the Time Lapse menu. From there you can set a wide range of intervals from half a second up to two minutes and use this with all photo types, including HDR and SuperPhoto (GoPros auto mode). This differs from a time lapse where the images are processed in a way that prevents sudden changes in exposure between photos for a smooth video. Thats to say, images are optimized for the resulting video. With Interval Photo, theyre standard photos for use as photos with no further processing. Night Effects come to photos (kinda) Another feature that builds on something that was introduced in the Hero 11 is the extension of the Night Effects (Star Trails, Vehicle Lights and Light Painting) to create a photo. These three effects use long exposures and witchcraft (maybe) to create videos with these dramatic light-based effects. With the Hero 12, you will now be presented with a photo alongside the video. Theres no extra action required to get this, itll just show up in your gallery automatically. What you wont see are any controls or any way to choose at which point of the video the image will be extracted from, the image appears to be based on the final frame of the video, which makes sense. That said, in our testing it generally produces good results (assuming your video was good in the first place!). Again, youve pretty much always had the option to extract frames from videos and with the Quik app thats easier than ever before, but having one ready for you, is another welcome convenience. Log Steve Dent contributed the following section. GP-Log is designed to give creators more control over images by increasing dynamic range, specifically by allowing more detail in shadows and highlights. That can be combined with 10-bit encoding which boosts the total number of colors to billions, meaning subtle gradients (mainly in skies) will show less banding. Photo by James Trew / Engadget As ever with log, it can be a challenge to get a nice image out of it. The LUTs supplied by GoPro do an OK job, but significant tweaking is still required by the editor to gain any major benefits. Plus, its not a very aggressive log setting, so the boost in dynamic range is small, akin to DJIs D-Log M setting. It does give editors who know what theyre doing more options, but if youre unfamiliar with log, HDR is a much easier way to improve dynamic range with no adjustments required. New mounting option Photo by James Trew / Engadget If youve been using GoPros for any amount of time, youll be familiar with the finger mount system. Its fine. Its certainly sturdy, which is what you want in an action camera, but its also fiddly and those thumb screws can get real tight, so tight that sometimes it feels personal. Sometimes you wish you could just use the tripod or selfie pole you already have without having to dip into your bag of adapters. Well, now you can. Flip the GoPro Hero 12 Black over and lo and behold, youll be presented with a 1/4 inch thread (along with the sound of angels harmonizing, possibly). I have a bunch of the aforementioned GoPro-to-tripod mount adapters, but I can never seem to find them hen I need them. I also have a bunch of small tripods that will get a lot more usage now that they are directly compatible with the GoPro. Not to mention, if you use your GoPro as a webcam, its not a lot easier to use with other streaming mounts and boom arms. Im not sure what it says about the Hero 12 when this is my personal favorite new feature, but here we are! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gopro-hero-12-review-new-features-143039315.html?src=rss
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The original Apple Watch Ultras price has dipped on Amazon just shortly after the release of the second generation during Apple's September 12th "Wonderlust" event. You can now snag the older model Ultra for $732, down eight percent from its original price tag of $799. While the deal is only applicable to the medium-sized (for 145-190mm wrists) green alpine loop, it's worth considering. The corrosion-resistant titanium case and this specific models rugged look may be ideal for an outdoor enthusiast who likes to get their hands dirty. It may even be a good time to start thinking ahead to gifts for the holidays. If you're an iPhone user, the Apple Watch Ultra offers some pretty compelling perks that make it an ideal companion for outdoorsy wearers. But Apple didnt just design the Ultra for hikers and swimmers its advanced metrics in the workout app, which includes heart rate zone and running form" monitoring, make it a solid choice for anyone looking to track or improve their workout regimen. The new Apple Watch Ultra 2 will go on sale for $799 in just two days, however. And the newer, more expensive iteration will run with the help of the companys S9 chip, which will enable the new double tap feature, among other improvements. So if you're keen on the new updates, this deal may not be right for you. But for those looking for a solid smartwatch at a somewhat reduced price (or a very generous gift for a loved one) the Apple Watch Ultra is a more than serviceable option. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-ultra-is-8-percent-off-right-now-141505238.html?src=rss
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After Apple's iPhone event and just before Microsoft shows off new Surface devices, Amazon is set to reveal its latest arsenal of hardware. As it typically does every September, Amazon is hosting an event to unveil the goods, only this time it's doing so not in Seattle, but at its recently opened HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia. We'll be on the ground to cover all of the news live, bringing you the details on whatever Echo, Fire TV and Kindle devices the company has on the docket. Of course, there are likely to be new items from Amazon's brands like Blink, Eero and Ring too, along with some surprises. You'll want to keep it locked right here at 11AM ET as this event won't be livestreamed to the public. But rest assured, our batteries are charged and our keyboards are primed to report all of the announcements as soon as they happen. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-hardware-event-2023-liveblog-live-updates-on-new-devices-and-services-140009216.html?src=rss
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