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VR consultant John Carmack is leaving Meta

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Admin

John Carmack, who is famous for being Video game pioneer and was working for Meta, has left the company. In a Facebook post he said that he is leaving the company with mixed feelings. He feels that this is the end of his decade in VR. He was working in a consulting position.

Reason for leaving the company

According to CNN,”Carmack stuck around through the company’s more than $10 billion investment into virtual reality technology. And although he still believes in the potential value of VR, he questioned Meta’s efficiency, saying in his post that the company has a “ridiculous amount of people and resources, but we constantly self-sabotage and squander effort.”

They also said, “Carmack was celebrated for his work developing Wolfenstein 3D, Quake and Doom, and co-founded video game company id Software. He was an early advocate for virtual reality, thought it was not uncommon for him to criticize Meta.

Carmack became CTO of Oculus in 2013. Meta bought Oculus VR in 2014 for $2 billion, and now sells the Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets. Cormack has stood by the headset, calling it a “good product” despite his “complaints” about the software.”

“Successful products make the world a better place,” Cormack said. “It all could have happened a bit faster and been going better if different decisions had been made, but we built something pretty close to The Right Thing.”

Carmack’s History

According to Games Industry, “Carmack joined Oculus VR as chief technology officer in August 2013, less than a year before it was acquired by Facebook for $2 billion.

At first, he balanced his role at Oculus with his work at Id Software, the renowned studio he co-founded in 1991. After a few months, he left Id to focus fully on his work at Oculus.

In November 2019, he stepped down from his CTO position in favour of a consulting role.

Carmack has previously been critical of Meta’s strategy, especially around its goal of building a metaverse – a venture the firm has invested so much in, it changed its name to reflect this focus.”

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You can now keep contact cards in WhatsApp

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Admin

WhatsApp’s Beta and the Windows version is going to get the new feature of Contact Cards. According to Mint, “WhatsApp is a popular messaging platform with more than 2 billion users across the globe. The Meta-owned company keeps bringing new features to improve the app experience for its users. The instant messaging platform is now rolling out the ability to share contact cards on Windows beta version, as per a report.”

About one of their old articles concerning WhatsApp they have talked about too. “According to a WABetaInfo report, this new feature would let users share contact cards within the same chat share sheet. Notably, the entry point ‘Contacts’ will emerge if this feature is already enabled for the user’s WhatsApp account.

This feature will help the users as when someone shares a contact card, the recipient would simply be able to add it to their address book. As per the report, the new feature is rolling out to some select beta users after downloading the WhatsApp beta for Windows 2.2247.2.0 update.”

They also said,”Meanwhile, as per a latest report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is also rolling out the ability to track call history within its desktop app. For those unaware, WABetaInfo is an online tracker which traces new and upcoming features of WhatsApp.

According to the report, WhatsApp has released the beta for Windows 2.2246.4.0 update on the Microsoft Store which brings the ability to manage call history within the desktop app itself. This means that the feature is currently available for desktop beta users only.

Sharing a screenshot, the report shows a new calls tab that opens up when you use WhatsApp. In the new tab, users can see the list of their call history within WhatsApp’s desktop app. They will also be able to access information about the call by opening the call card. “Since this app is a beta version, the call history may not immediately be in sync with the one on your mobile device”, the report says. In fact, calls placed from the native desktop app may not show up on your phone, it further adds. The issue is likely to be addressed in a future release.”

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WhatsApp’s new feature of blocking alerts from Large Groups is on the way

Posted on November 15, 2022November 15, 2022 by Admin

WhatsApp is right now working on some new features like enabling the users to use the same account on different devices. One of the most remarkable feature that will help the users who are annoyed with group notifications are, “The ability to automatically mute large group chats to help reduce notifications has been released to some beta testers, and it is rolling out to more users over the coming days,”

Muting Feature for Large Groups

According to Tech Times, ”

WhatsApp to Release an Auto-Mute Feature for Groups With Over 256 Members, Along With Other Updates

By Trisha Kae Andrada, Tech Times Nov 13, 2022 10:58 AM EST

WhatsApp is continuously releasing new features via its beta version. Some of the most recent include the ability to automatically mute groups with a high number of members, message themselves and modify messages that have been sent out.

Automatic Muting Feature for Large Groups

WhatsApp Groups have been around for a long time, and it’s reasonable to assume that they can be both useful and irritating.

A user may now add more than hundreds of people to a WhatsApp group. However, one may get overwhelmed with group notifications, which may appear bad on their phone’s lock screen.”

News 18 said, “WhatsApp started Groups many years, and it is fair to say that the groups can be helpful and annoying at the same time. WhatsApp now lets you add more than 256 members to a group, with their consent of course. But that means you can be bombarded with hundreds of group notifications, which can a sore sight on your phone’s lockscreen.

So, people tend to mute groups to avoid such incidents, but WhatsApp is now bringing a feature that will automatically mute groups that have more than 256 members. The messaging app is now capable of having 1024 members in one group, and the Meta-owned platform clearly realises the importance of user’s having their privacy.”

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Meta’s avatars are getting legs

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Admin

Source: Engadget

Meta has announced several updates to the avatars that it wants you to use in the metaverse and beyond. And hey, the avatars will have legs! At least in the virtual sense, if not the physical or metaphorical ones.

On that note, Meta has created a software development kit so the avatars can be used in third-party virtual reality experiences and other apps. This actually makes a lot of sense. Meta will never be able to create a true metaverse by maintaining a walled garden. As such, the SDK will soon include Unreal Engine support for VR and iOS and Android support for Unity. The SDK will also enable what Meta is calling “natural facial expressions” on Meta Quest Pro — the high-end VR headset will be able to replicate your actual facial expressions on your avatar.

Meta’s new features for avatars

Elsewhere, Meta wants to make it easier for you to create an avatar in the first place. It says you’ll be able to get started by taking a video selfie with your phone camera. You’ll then be able to tweak the avatar to your liking. Of course, if you want to have an avatar that doesn’t look like you, there’s nothing to really stop you from creating that instead. There are pre-sets you can use as a starting point too.

In addition, you’ll soon be able to create and share your Meta avatar in WhatsApp. Avatars will be available on Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp video calls next year as well. They’ll replicate your expressions and movements during calls, seemingly in a similar fashion to Animoji.

It’s the legs, and better-looking avatars than ones we’ve previously seen from Meta, that’ll capture the most attention, though. In early August, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a screenshot of his avatar from Horizon Worlds and it was widely mocked. One person said it was akin to “a 2002 Nintendo GameCube release called like ‘World Baby.'” Zuckerberg swiftly claimed that “major updates” for VR visuals were on the way, and we learned more about those (which were reportedly fast tracked) during Meta Connect today.

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Meta cracks down on ad-free Instagram client a day after it launched

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Admin

A third-party Instagram app, called “The OG App,” which promised an ad-free feed more like the original Instagram experience, has been pulled from Apple’s App Store just one day after it officially launched. It’s not clear if Apple pulled the app at the request of Meta, but the social network confirmed it had taken “enforcement actions” against the service.

“This app violates our policies and we’re taking all appropriate enforcement actions,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson declined to elaborate on what those actions were, or if it had been in contact with Apple, but pointed to a blog post outlining Meta’s policies barring clone sites.

Meta’s Crack down on Ad-free IG Client

The OG App had been in the works for more than a year, according to TechCrunch, which reported its initial launch. The app’s founders told the publication they wanted to provide a “cleaner” version of Instagram without advertising. The app featured customizable feeds without Reels, suggested posts and other newer features that have at times been controversial among longtime Instagram users. The Android version of the app is currently still available.

Meta’s policies have long barred third-party Instagram clients, and in recent years the company has filed a number of lawsuits against developers who break its rules, including those barring clone sites. At the same time, the company has also been accused of using those same policies to shut down legitimate researchers’ attempts to study the platform.

However, in this case, it seems the creators of the OG App were clearly breaking Instagram’s policies. The company doesn’t offer a public API for developers to build their own versions of Instagram, and on Twitter, The OG App said they had to “reverse engineer” the Android API. The app also raised privacy concerns about how the developers were protecting users’ account information.

Despite this, the app had already gained a lot of fans due to its more simplified — and ad-free — experience. Instagram has also been dealing with a backlash against its aggressive pushing of Reels and recommended content. The OG App said it had racked up more than 10,000 downloads before its removal from the App Store “because we listened to them and built what they wanted.”

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Meta has banned employees from discussing abortion rights internally

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Admin

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has put a restriction on its employees regarding the discussion about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on internal communication channels of the company. The company has asked its employees not to discuss abortion rights internally.

Meta’s excuse to not discuss abortion rights

According to New York Times, Meta issued a memo on May 12—after the draft opinion was leaked to Politico—saying that “discussing abortion openly at work has a heightened risk of creating a hostile work environment” so it “would not allow open discussion” among employees. One of the company’s policies has put “strong guardrails around social, political, and sensitive conversations.”

Criticism

Ambroos Vaes, a A software engineer of Meta, talked about the restrictions of the company, on LinkedIn. Times spotted the post which reads, “On our internal Workplace platform, moderators swiftly remove posts or comments mentioning abortion,” Vaes said in the LinkedIn post. “The ‘respectful’ communications policy that was put in place explicitly disallows it. Limited discussion can only happen in groups of up to 20 employees who follow a set playbook, but not out in the open.”

It is not the first time Meta has restricted its employees from discussing an issue. Earlier the company updated its Respectful Communication. In 2020 after the murder of George Floyd the company instructed the employees to stop discussing political and social issues in company-wide Workplace channels.

In this hour, Meta is being accused of banning employees from discussing abortion rights internally. But Meta is doing something which can dilute bad names in the media. According to Engadget, “On Friday, Meta also told employees it would reimburse the travel expenses of employees in need of access to out-of-state healthcare and reproductive services “to the extent permitted by law.” That’s a policy many tech companies, including Google, had in place before Friday’s decision and that they reiterated after the Supreme Court announced its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.”

Meta Introduces ‘Personal Boundary’ for User Safety in the Metaverse

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Admin

Recently, several series of reports on virtual sexual harassment in its metaverse have been reported. To create a safe space and environment within the intriguing world of Metaverse, Meta has taken a commendable initiative for the safety of avatars. Meta has responded to the cases in its metaverse by limiting how close avatars can get to each other. This feature is called “Personal Boundary”.

Restricting Privacy Invasion

Meta has added and launched a new feature that will restrict the avatars from being within very close proximity of each other. Dubbed as ‘Personal Boundary’, the feature will not by default permit the avatars in Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues to get within about four feet of one another.

Personal Boundary will prevent anyone from invading an avatar’s personal space. If someone tries to enter the Personal Boundary, the system will halt their forward movement as they reach the boundary. Users won’t feel it—there is no haptic feedback. This builds upon Meta’s existing hand harassment measures that were already in place, where an avatar’s hands would disappear if they encroached upon someone’s personal space.

Comprehensive Response to Reported Cases

Several women have reported cases of sexual harassment in the Metaverse. In Jan 2022, a 43-year-old British woman claimed she was virtually groped by a gang of male avatars in Horizon Venues. Prior to that, in December 2021, another woman had claimed she was virtually groped in Horizon Worlds.

On 4 Feb, Vivek Sharma, Vice President of Horizon, said in a blog post that Personal Boundary would create “more personal space for people and make it easier to avoid unwanted interactions.” He further added “If someone tries to enter your Personal Boundary, the system will halt their forward movement as they reach the boundary. You won’t feel it—there is no haptic feedback. This builds upon our existing hand harassment measures that were already in place, where an avatar’s hands would disappear if they encroached upon someone’s personal space.”

Establishing Norms through Added Features

Although the Personal Boundary feature will be turned on by default, users can still be able to high-five or fist-bump with each other by extending their arms. According to a spokesperson for Meta, users cannot choose to disable Personal Boundary since it is intended to establish norms for interactions in Meta’s metaverse.

Horizon World allows users to hang out with up to 20 people in a virtual space. Whereas, Horizon Venues allows people to create avatars that can watch online events together. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has told employees to focus on video content amid competition from TikTok and following a brutal post-earnings market cap loss.

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