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After weeks of speculation, X has confirmed its plans to charge new users for the service previously known as Twitter. The company shared details about a new subscription called “Not a Bot,” that it’s currently testing in New Zealand and the Philippines.

The subscription, which was first reported by Fortune, requires new users to pay the equivalent of $1 USD per year in order to be able to post. “As of October 17th, 2023 we’ve started testing ‘Not A Bot,’ a new subscription method for new users in two countries,” X explains. “This new test was developed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity. This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.”

Under the scheme, new users will be required to verify their phone numbers and pay the $1 fee if they want to use core features like tweets, retweets, bookmarks and likes. Those who who don’t pay will only be able to use X in a “read only” mode.

The company said that for now the fees will not apply to existing users. “It is not a profit driver,” X said.

However, the initial test will likely fuel speculation that X does plan to one day charge all users. During a livestreamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Elon Musk suggested he was considering some kind of mandatory payment as part of an effort to combat bots and spam.

“Subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale,” X said in a post from its support account. Musk’s earlier comments proved unpopular and on X rival Bluesky saw a surge in activity following the remarks.

Others have also reported that Musk has long had ambitions to gain access to users’ credit card and billing information, which would further his plan to bring banking and other financial services to X. According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Musk’s push to sign-up subscribers was very much intertwined with his quest to build an “everything app,” and Musk grew angry when he learned Apple doesn’t share credit card details of those who sign up with their iPhones.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-is-starting-to-charge-new-users-1-per-year-to-send-tweets-000925191.html?src=rss 

We still have months to wait before Dune: Part Two hits theaters, so what better time to reminisce about David Lynch’s intriguing adaptation of Frank Herbert’s masterpiece? Reviled at the time, Lynch’s Dune has now firmly established itself as a cult sci-fi epic, a film with boundless creative energy hampered by studio interference.

In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with film journalist Max Evry, author of A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune. We explore why he devoted two years of his life towards researching an unloved film, as well as how it’s a refreshing departure from the superhero films dominating theaters today.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

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Credits
Host: Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Max Evry
Music: Dale North

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-max-evry-on-his-oral-history-of-david-lynchs-dune-195809003.html?src=rss 

Politicians and awkward SNL hosts have long-relied on the humble teleprompter to get their lines out, and now there’s a device that lets the rest of us get in on the mealy-mouthed fun. The Elgato Prompter is basically a shrunken-down teleprompter, complete with a scrolling display, side hoods to minimize unwanted ambient lighting and simple connectors that attach to an external camera, built-in webcam or just about anywhere else.

Unlike other prompters on the market, you don’t need your own tablet or phone, thanks to a built-in screen and the company’s proprietary Camera Hub software. Once activated, the device not only displays video scripts, but also mirrors any window or app via a simple drag and drop. This lets you see both the script and live feeds from chat participants at the same time, all while looking directly into the camera. It’s a bona fide cornucopia of human social cues.

Of course, you aren’t relegated to live feeds from fellow chat participants. You can drag and drop anything to the Prompter, with Elgato suggesting that users place a window of “the big match” so people can sneak glances during those endless work meetings. We would never, however, recommend such a blatant display of truancy.

The Prompter is an Elgato product, so it offers some deep integration with the recently-discounted Stream Deck. There’s a plugin for the device that offers control and adjustment options at the touch of a button, all of which should come in handy for livestreamers and YouTubers looking for that perfect take. To that end, Elgato says it built the device to be the “true all-in-one solution for content creators.”

Elgato, which is owned by noted peripheral manufacturer Corsair, says the Prompter integrates with more webcams, cameras and smartphones than any other similar device on the market, so you likely won’t need to buy additional hardware to use it. If you’re worried, there’s a list of supported cameras and devices right here.

Setup seems simple enough, with included attachment clips and a stand, interchangeable backplates and a single USB connection to both power the device and transfer data. The Elgato Prompter is available right now and costs $280.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgatos-new-teleprompter-is-designed-for-streamers-184546932.html?src=rss