Kalakshar US

When Threads launched this summer, one of the more intriguing aspects of the new service was Meta’s promise to support ActivityPub, the open-source protocol that powers Mastodon and other decentralized social media platforms. But there were still many unanswered questions about how such interoperability would work, and just how committed Meta was to the plan.

Now, Meta is taking its first step toward making Threads compatible with the fediverse. A new test will make some Threads content available on Mastodon and other apps for the first time, Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post on Threads. “Making Threads interoperable will give people more choice over how they interact and it will help content reach more people,” he wrote. “I’m pretty optimistic about this.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how this would work or how much Threads content might be available on Mastodon or other services. But the company previously introduced the ability to verify your Threads profile on Mastodon, so Meta does have some insight into Threads users who are also active in the fediverse. We’ve reached out to Meta for more details and will update if we hear back.

The test is the latest sign of growing momentum behind decentralized social media, which advocates say could upend how we interact online. Because decentralized platforms like Mastodon rely on protocols rather than a single company’s platform, more mainstream adoption of say, ActivityPub, means that people would be able to interact with a wider variety of content in more places. Meta has also said ActivityPub support would allow users to “to stop using Threads and transfer your content to another service.”

Though some fediverse enthusiasts have been skeptical about Meta’s entry into the space, Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko has said he’s supportive of their efforts. “The fact that large platforms are adopting ActivityPub is not only validation of the movement towards decentralized social media, but a path forward for people locked into these platforms to switch to better providers,” he wrote in a blog post earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-tests-making-threads-posts-available-on-mastodon-and-other-fediverse-apps-190003236.html?src=rss 

It’s time to find out just how long you’ve spent playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, Pikmin 4 and Suika Game on your Nintendo Switch this year. Hot on the heels of Sony and Microsoft releasing their year in review tools, Nintendo has followed suit with one of its own.

Log into the web app with your Nintendo account and you’ll see the first game you played on your Switch this year. You can then scroll down to see how many different games you’ve checked out on the console on our most recent trip around the sun, as well as your total playtime.

Along with a breakdown of your most-played games this year, Nintendo will reveal your gaming trends — i.e. a chart breaking down your Switch gaming time by genre. Naturally, Nintendo will condense these details and info about your busiest months in terms of playtime into shareable cards.

Nintendo’s year in review app is fairly bare bones compared with the ones Sony and Microsoft put together this year. Still, it can be a fun way to help you look back at your year in gaming. And don’t worry about all the other things you could have done with the time you spent playing games. Self-care is important.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendos-switch-year-in-review-site-is-now-live-192907994.html?src=rss 

Gig workers in the EU will soon get new benefits and protections, making it easier for them to receive employment status. Right now, over 500 digital labor platforms are actively operating in the EU, employing roughly 28 million platform workers. The new rules follow agreements made between the European Parliament and the EU Member States, after policies were first proposed by the European Commission in 2021.

The new rules highlight employment status as a key issue for gig workers, meaning an employed individual can reap the labor and social rights associated with an official worker title. This can include things like a legal minimum wage, the option to engage in collective bargaining, health protections at work, options for paid leave and sick days. Through a recognition of a worker status from the EU, gig workers can also qualify for unemployment benefits.

Given that most gig workers are employed by digital apps, like Uber or Deliveroo, the new directive will require “human oversight of the automated systems” to make sure labor rights and proper working conditions are guaranteed. The workers also have the right to contest any automated decisions by digital employers — such as a termination.

The new rulings will also require employers to inform and consult workers’ when there are “algorithmic decisions” that affect them. Employers will be required to report where their gig workers are fulfilling labor-related tasks to ensure the traceability of employees, especially when there are cross-border situations to consider in the EU.

Before the new gig worker protections can formally roll out, there needs to be a final approval of the agreement by the European Parliament and the Council. The stakeholders will have two years to implement the new protections into law. Similar protections for gig workers in the UK were introduced in 2021. Meanwhile, in the US, select cities have rolled out minimum wage rulings and benefits — despite Uber and Lyft’s pushback against such requirements.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/european-commission-agrees-to-new-rules-that-will-protect-gig-workers-rights-175155671.html?src=rss 

Apple is slowly but surely getting rid of the Lightning cable as it transitions to having a USB-C charging port in more of its devices and accessories. On the same day it announced iPhone 15 devices (which have USB-C ports), Apple revealed that it changed the physical charging jack on the second-generation AirPods Pro. But to get a USB-C case for the earbuds, you’d need to buy a fresh set of AirPods Pro too.

That’s no longer the situation as Apple has started selling the USB-C AirPods Pro case separately. The case by itself costs $99, which is much less than the $249 you’d have had to shell out before. 

It might be worth picking up a case if you don’t want to have to deal with Lightning cables at all (and you perhaps aren’t a fan of wireless or MagSafe charging). Of course, if you’ve lost your previous case and need to replace it, you may as well switch to a USB-C version at this point. Of note, Apple says the case is only compatible with the second-gen AirPods Pro.

Apple’s transition away from Lightning and toward USB-C isn’t exactly voluntary. The European Union has mandated that most rechargeable devices sold in the region will need to have a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024. Apple was already moving to USB-C in iPads but making the switch on iPhone marked a significant sea change.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-now-selling-the-usb-c-airpods-pro-case-separately-182655258.html?src=rss