Twitter now calls itself a news app, not a social network (CNET Update)
Twitter now calls itself a news app, not a social network (CNET Update)
2016-04-29
Twitter's having an identity crisis
Google is injecting things into eyeballs
and Samsung wants virtual reality
bedtime apps the tech world is going
crazy I'm Bridget Carey this is your
CNET update folks I'm worried about
Twitter the micro-blogging og is in
denial but it is a social network maybe
it's some sort of midlife crisis but the
Twitter app just reclassified itself in
app stores it no longer sits under the
social networking category instead it's
listed under news you know what listen
Twitter kik about hear it can you talk
all right I know you're under a lot of
pressure lately your stock plunged after
missing first quarter revenue
expectations and it can be hard
recruiting new users but you don't have
to lie about who you are just to make
friends I know you're dealing headlines
in moments and the other social media
kids like Facebook and snapchat they're
dabble in too but just because people
share news links doesn't make you a news
app like CNN or the New York Times don't
deny your roots Larry I can't give up on
that little guy you know sometimes other
social networks can get pushy with peer
pressure
take Facebook's Instagram for example
it's been bugging a non-profit app
called litter gram to change its name
lawyers sent letters claiming that eet
infringes on Instagram the poor litter
gram app was designed for residents in
England to report litter to a local
council it's not trying to compete with
Instagram in any way that's just rubbish
literally rubbish the creator of litter
Graham made a video pleading to Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg to call off the
fight to change the name powerful
Facebook lawyers attacking poor
nonprofits can seem terrifying but it's
not as terrifying as what Google is
working on Google has filed a patent for
a vision correcting electronic device
and it has to be injected directly into
your eyeball I mean a contact lens is
one thing but this is a wireless lens
inside the HAI that gets radio signals
and it works to help focus light onto
your retina nope nope I'll keep my
glasses and contacts thank you very much
and we end this report with a bedtime
story a bedtime story in virtual reality
Samsung has a prototype VR app designed
to be
used by kids and parents where parents
can read their kids a bedtime story as
they watched little animations
throughout the tale the idea is that mom
or dad would do this when they can't be
there in person so of course technology
can tug your little one into dreamland
with a warm bright glow of a screen in
front of their eyes how soothing that's
all for this tech news roundup you can
head to cnet.com for more from our
studios in New York I'm Bridget Carey
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.