Today’s tech news live: the latest on Meta’s Twitter killer Threads and more

by #AI July 5, 2023 · Automatic

Keeping up with the latest tech news can be a fun but energy-sapping challenge. Luckily, our new Fast Charge liveblog is here to give you blast of all the latest headlines in minutes, so you can stay on top of today’s stories – including the imminent launch of Meta’s potential Twitter assassin Threads.
The Threads app is expected to officially launch on July 6, according to a new App Store listing, but the web version prematurely went live earlier with Mark Zuckerberg’s first post. Meta has also been hiding little personalized invites in Instagram to get you excited about its “text-based conversation app”.
Search for ‘Threads’ in the Instagram search bar and you’ll see a little red ticket that you can tap to be taken to a personal invite countdown. But not everyone will be invited to the Threads launch party, with rumors claiming that the app will launch in the US and UK, but not in the EU (more on that below).
Not that Threads has all of the tech news tied up today – we’re also seeing yet more leaked images of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and rumors suggesting that the iPhone 15 lineup are likely to get some serious battery life upgrades. For all of the latest news on those and more, plug into our feed below for a quick hit of all the breaking tech news today…
(Image credit: Future)
Meta’s Threads has gone live (kind of)
The Threads app isn’t due to go live until tomorrow (July 6), but we were given a sneak peek of the interface earlier today. That’s because the web version went live early, seemingly accidentally as it’s no longer available. A small band of influencers and brands were merrily posting away – no problem, Meta, our early invite must have got lost in the post…
I had a quick tinker and it’s, well, a text-based Instagram. You can go into dark mode by clicking the Threads logo at the top. And your options are mainly writing posts, liking posts and replying. But it’s clear this will give Twitter a massive shove when it’s already very off balance – this week we’ve already seen Twitter spring ‘rate limits’ on users with no warning, and put a new version of the popular Tweetdeck behind a paywall.
This week’s rumblings are the real billionaire cage fight, it seems…
(Image credit: Future)
Has Meta’s Threads got snagged on EU laws?
In less good news for Threads (or anyone living in the EU), it looks like the app won’t be launching outside of the US and UK to start with. According to the Irish Independent, a Meta spokesperson has said that the Twitter rival won’t be rolled out in the EU “at this point”. We’re just confirming this with Meta and will update here when we hear back.
This explains why the app hasn’t been appearing in the App Stores of EU countries. The reason is apparently Europe’s tougher privacy laws – while the EU regulator hasn’t blocked the app, Meta seemingly needs more time to prepare it for a full launch in Europe.
Still, a Meta spokesperson told Bloomberg that it’s preparing to roll out Threads in 100 countries with “more coming soon”, so hopefully it won’t be too long before the EU can join the chat.
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
Juicy iPhone 15 rumors suggest a battery life boost
If one of your main reasons for an iPhone upgrade is battery life (which is the case for most people, according to a new TechRadar survey launching tomorrow) then you’ll be happy to hear that the latest iPhone rumors are predicting a big boost in stamina – for the whole series.
As the owner of an increasingly tired iPhone 11 Pro, that sounds good to me. One of the main temptations of a Plus or Max has been their battery life, but according to a Foxconn employee (reported by iTHome) even the iPhone 15 will get an 18% larger battery, with the iPhone 15 Pro getting a 14% boost in capacity.
The question now is whether or not to wait for the iPhone 16, which will likely cram the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s periscope zoom into a smaller phone – a decision that’s likely to give photographers a serious dilemma…
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Leaked: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s lovely gapless design
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to make its official debut at the Galaxy Unpacked on July 26, but as is tradition we’ve been given a good glimpse of its design thanks to some leaks. And the latest one has revealed a gapless design that means there’s no unsightly space between the two screen halves. Lovely.
Since we wrote the story, WinFuture has also unleashed a torrent of press images of the Z Flip 5, alongside the Z Fold 5. As we’d seen before, the latter has a much larger cover screen that could help you do much more with your favorite apps (I’m particularly liking the idea of using Google Maps without opening the phone, while a Google Keep to-do list would be handy, too).
Whatever kind of phone you’re after, it looks like July 26 will definitely be worth circling in your calendar.
(Image credit: Future)
Time-sink of the day: Picsart’s new AI GIF generator
It was only a matter of time until AI came for our GIFs – and that’s good news, if Picsart’s new animated GIF generator (spotted by Engadget) is anything to go by. Rather than leafing through libraries of existing gifs, it lets you create your own by typing a description into the text box.
As you can see from my sloth creation above, the results aren’t always perfect. And Nvidia’s impressive text-to-video tech looks like it’ll take AI-powered GIFs to another level. But Picsart’s new tool is a free on its web, iOS and Android apps, and it’s surprising how much time you can spend in it when you’re supposed to be doing other things…
(Image credit: Amazon)
We review the Amazon Echo Pop (spoiler: wait for the discounts)
The reviews are in for Amazon’s new entry-level smart speaker – and our Amazon Echo Pop review says that despite its “fun new form factor, great selection of colorways, and decently rounded sound for its size” the Pop just feels “a little too pricey for its specs”.
While it’s now certainly one of the best Alexa speakers around, it doesn’t find its way into our list of the best smart speakers overall. That’s largely because, at $40.99 / £44.99 / AU$79.99, it’s only marginally cheaper than the Amazon Echo Dot (Generation 5), which sounds better and has more features.
In other words, wait for those possible Amazon Prime Day discounts before splurging…