News

ASUS confirms launch date for ZenFone 6

Will ‘defy ordinary’

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Unlike last year, ASUS didn’t make a splash at Mobile World Congress this year with a new set of smartphones. Instead, the company is saving its hand for a grand reveal on May 16, 2019.

The news broke when ASUS released this teaser video while MWC 2019 was still going on. It clearly indicates that the upcoming ZenFone 6 series is on its way.

Watch the trailer here:

ASUS provides a quick timeline of the ZenFone’s evolution, from the original ZenFone lineup launched in 2014 to the latest models coming in May.

It’s followed by a silhouette of the phone in question, which appears to have no notch or blemish around its near-borderless display. We’ve become accustomed to manufacturers coming up with weird notch-avoiding implementations, so we’re curious to see what ASUS has in store for us.

It ends with a likely location for the event: Valencia, Spain. This probably means a Europe-first availability once the smartphone (or smartphones) experiences its first rollout.

Little else is known about ASUS’ next set of handsets. There were rumors several months ago, but nothing more has come to light since then.

Gaming

Grand Theft Auto VI gets its first-ever trailer

Coming in 2025

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Sometimes, Christmas comes early. Despite scheduling its release for December 5, Rockstar Games has uploaded the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI more than 12 hours earlier than expected.

Available now through its official platforms, the first trailer reveals our first official look at the next major entry in the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise. As expected, the sixth title will be set in the sunny shores of Vice City, a locale that hasn’t seen a revival in major platforms yet. Whereas the fifth game’s setting was a version of California, Vice City will take on modern-day Florida and all its various hijinks.

As was spoiled through major leaks in the past, Grand Theft Auto VI will feature two main protagonists, Lucia (the franchise’s first female lead) and Jason. The trailer focuses mostly on Lucia who ends up in prison at the start of the trailer. Based on the depictions in the trailer, the game will focus on the duo’s chase for the better life (through illegal ways, of course) in Vice City.

Besides the duo, Vice City will have sunny beaches, swamps, bike gang, mud clubs, hot cars, and crazy animals. It’s a departure from the Miami-Vice-like depiction in the original Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Instead, it will represent the city in a more contemporary fashion. Social media seems to be a prime focus, too; various fictional video platforms are in the spotlight in the trailer.

And now for the meaty part. The trailer ends with a release window (finally): 2025. Grand Theft Auto VI will arrive, at least, on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S. A PC version is still unconfirmed, but it’s likely arriving on the platform, too.

SEE ALSO: Netflix is getting three classic Grand Theft Auto games next month

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Apps

Facebook, Instagram will lose cross-platform messaging this month

For an unknown reason

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Over the past few years, Meta started integrating its various platforms into one ecosystem. Right now, Facebook and Instagram users can chat with each other on their respective apps. Unfortunately for fans of the cross-communication between the two platforms, Meta is taking the feature away this month.

Through a new support page, Instagram has announced that chatting between the two platforms will no longer be available starting in mid-December. The exact date of the removal is currently unknown, though.

When the undisclosed date arrives, Instagram users cannot start new conversations with Facebook users anymore. Additionally, all existing chats between the two platforms will become read-only, meaning users can’t add new messages to the conversation anymore.

On the flipside, Facebook users will stop seeing the Activity Status of Instagram users from their platform. Cross-platform conversations will not appear on Messenger, either.

Though the support page is conclusive against the feature, Meta has not explicitly explained why Meta changed its current cross-platform plans. It’s still possible that the company will implement a better solution in the future. As it stands, the European Union’s GDPR regulations require large companies to main interoperability between different platforms. Meta is an undeniable example of such a large company.

SEE ALSO: Meta now offers ad-free subscription for Facebook, Instagram

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Apps

Strava is getting a much-requested chatting feature

Individual and group chats

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What is your fitness app of choice? Though there are a lot of options available now for enthusiasts, it’s undeniable that Strava is making one hell of an impact lately. If you’re a fan of the social fitness app, you’re getting a new feature to boost the social part of Strava.

Today, Strava is getting a substantial messaging feature for users. In the new update, users can start chats with other users in single or group conversations.

It’s a comprehensive feature, too. Chats will include likes and GIF reactions. Additionally, users can configure their options to accept messages only from mutuals or only after they messaged the other person first. Additionally, group chat creators can manage the participants included in the chat.

When compared to other fitness apps today, Strava is arguably leaning more towards the social aspect of the experience. The app allows users to run and hike together as a community. Now, despite how social the core of the app is, it never really allowed users to communicate directly with one another. Users had to rely on external messaging apps just to coordinate with one another.

As of late, Strava continues to pile on more features and integrations with other apps. Earlier this year, the app started allowing users to integrate with Spotify.

SEE ALSO: Spotify can now integrate with Strava

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