Clubhouse

New capabilities allow for greater social interaction and engagement Sendbird, the leading mobile engagement and communication company across in-app chat, voice, and video, today unveiled its new group calls capabilities for voice and video. With the latest Sendbird Calls API, it’s easier than ever to integrate high-quality group calling functionality to web and mobile applications. It enables developers to create another social interaction channel for users and extend chat experiences. Marketing Technology News: Agile Marketing Software and How They Help Marketing and Sales Teams “Everyone wants the magic of Clubhouse integrated into their digital experiences, that ability to have real, authentic group conversations within an app, and people are increasingly expecting these types of highly personal interactions,” said John Kim, CEO and co-founder of Sendbird. “Our group calls API makes it so simple for any company to build its own Clubhouse, preventing users from exiting the app in search of another messenger application, video service, or phone call.” The Sendbird platform scales chat from 1-1 to multi-user conversations at massive scale through its channel features,  » Read More

VIDEO: This Week's Top Stories May 7 published : 7 May 2021 at 13:41 Digital nomads, Klong Toey Covid, Chiang Mai plans and Thaksin's claims Bangkok is the most popular city in Asia for digital nomads and ranks fourth globally. A study revealed that digital nomads - who can work anywhere - chose Bangkok for its cheap living costs and warm weather.             Bangkok’s Klong Toey district has seen a Covid outbreak this week.             The infection cluster in the slum community came after the government claimed the Covid third wave was under control. Chiang Mai is hoping to follow Phuket and welcome international tourists in October. The sandbox plan needs 400,000 vaccine doses for local residents before it can begin. The government denied claims by Thaksin Shinawatra that the Pfizer vaccine was already being used in Thailand.  » Read More

General Electric Co. Chief Executive Larry Culp drew a salary last year of $653,409 before voluntarily giving up the remainder of his annual salary beginning in April 2020. In some editions Wednesday, a Page One article about shareholders’ rejection of the company’s executive compensation plan incorrectly said Mr. Culp gave up his annual salary of $653,409. Joseph Daly, a retired law professor, commenting on the duty of prospective jurors during voir dire, said: “You’re not going to confession. You just have to answer the questions you are asked.” In some editions Wednesday, a U.S. News article about a motion seeking a new trial for Derek Chauvin incorrectly attributed the quotation to Brandon Mitchell, one of the jurors in the trial. Lina Khan, who is 32 years old, could become among the youngest people ever confirmed to a commissioner post at the Federal Trade Commission. An April 22 U.S. News article about Ms. Khan’s nomination incorrectly said she would be the youngest. Chinese drugmaker Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine has been approved in some Western countries.  » Read More

La Russa's rule flub in Sox late loss won't end narrative originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago This was not the week for Tony La Russa to admit he was unaware of a rule. NBC Sports Wednesday's extra-inning loss in Cincinnati wasn't defined by the White Sox skipper sending closer Liam Hendriks out to run the bases in the top of the 10th inning. The fact that the South Siders mustered only two hits against Sonny Gray and the Reds bullpen had a lot more to do with the 1-0 final score. But La Russa was the subject of a pair of national reports earlier in the week, both ESPN's Jeff Passan and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writing that some in the White Sox clubhouse are becoming impatient with La Russa's in-game decisions as the team tries to chase a World Series championship in 2021. RELATED: La Russa in headlines,  » Read More

Fireside is a new made-in-India app by the founders of TikTok-rival Chingari, which enables its users to join virtual chat rooms and have conversations in an audio-only format. It is essentially an audio-only social media platform that’s catered for the Indian audience. The app is available as a free download on both iOS and Android platforms. It is a direct response to the Clubhouse app, another audio-only social media platform that has seen massive growth in recent times. Fireside appAccording to CEO and Co-Founder Sumit Gosh, Fireside will cater to Indians with groups and virtual chat rooms that are designed to meet local needs. Users can do all their regular chores such as playing games, working out, create art, and more while being sure that their voice is heard. The app has a common virtual room that has shared interests and topics that can be used to have discussions and conversations.The founder’s vision for Fireside is to enable every Indian’s voice to be heard.  » Read More

The secretive dating app Raya has gained attention recently, after a viral TikTok video involving Ben Affleck sliding into a comedian's DMs.It's put Raya — jokingly known as Illuminati Tinder — in the eye of a public it was never pitched to, which is bound to erode some of its exclusive qualities. Wait, celebrities have their own dating app?Not really.Raya isn't just for A-listers, but it's reportedly quite popular with a number of household names.Ok, so what is Raya then?Raya was launched in 2015 to minimal fanfare, and bills itself as a "community" of people interested in "dating, networking and making new friends".And you probably aren't invited.While the app's user base isn't restricted to Oscar winners and supermodels, about 92 per cent of membership applications fail, according to the New York Times.And it's not as though there are wall-to-wall celebrities inside. The app trades on exclusivity.TikTok user and comedian Nivine Jay matched with Ben Affleck,  » Read More

Homegrown short video company, Chingari, today announced an audio-only social media app meant to take on billion dollar startup Clubhouse. The company’s new app is called Fireside and will be available on both iOS and Android smartphones. The app is a near replica of Clubhouse and emulates the logo of Twitter’s Spaces platform, which is another audio-only social media that’s based on Clubhouse. Unlike Spaces and Clubhouse though, Fireside will be available in both English and Hindi, making a play for the growing vernacular space in India. “Fireside enables users to listen to the voice of their loved ones by bridging emotional gaps, leaving them emotionally touched and connected, with a keen focus on building rich communities, fireside aims to cater to the Indian market with clubs and groups that are tailored to suit local needs and sensibilities,” said Sumit Ghosh, CEO & Co-Founder, Fireside. Fireside continues Chingari’s tradition of trying to take advantage of burgeoning markets. Chingari itself was created to take advantage of the growing short video market,  » Read More

STOCKHOLM: Sweden's Ericsson on Tuesday unveiled a subscription service for remote working in North America that would allow employees of small businesses to start working from home in minutes with access to licensed apps, cloud storage and security tools. The company, known for selling telecom equipment to phone companies, has been benefiting from the sale of 5G gear and is now looking to diversify into other business areas.A business customer can buy applications from a marketplace, access the platform from any device and would not need a dedicated IT technician to set up the system. Not only can one activate workers in minutes, they can decide which employees can get access to certain apps or capabilities, said Asa Tamsons, head of business area technologies and new businesses.And subscription starts at around $100 per employee, per month, she said.Ericsson has tied up with various companies to offer access to business applications such as Microsoft Office suite to cloud-based graphic design software.  » Read More

Bringing you quick updates on the tech space, policy making and digital rights from India and across the globe. Twitter rolls out Spaces through India Twitter has finally rolled out Twitter Spaces, it’s audio-based networking feature, to all its mobile users, both of Android and iOS, in India. Twitter said it is still working on the ability to bring the feature to its desktop website. Spaces is a direct competitor to Clubhouse. Twitter announced its entry into the space in March, when it started rolling out the feature to beta users. Twitter Spaces has already gotten quite popular in India, since Clubhouse continues to be an invite-only app only for iOS users. Twitter’s sizeable user base in India — around 1.75 crore — has surely helped engagement. Top stories on MediaNama The Fake Loan App Scandal Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon Don’t Clamp Down On Citizens Seeking COVID-19 Help On Social Media, Supreme Court Tells States Exclusive: Centre Allows State Govts,  » Read More

Sometimes small updates have big smiles associated with them. This time Instagram has come up with a small update to its app but users are really happy about it. Now Instagramers will be able to Turn Off video or sound in Instagram Live Rooms. The photo-sharing app has taken one feature from both Zoom and Clubhouse, so users will be able to turn off the sound like Zoom and switch off a video like Clubhouse. Don’t want to show your Face? Now Turn off your Video in Instagram Live Rooms For those who do not know about Instagram Live Rooms, these were launched in March helping people to communicate with a group of people, throwing away their Covid related stressful worries. While telling about Live rooms, Instagram said: “By giving people the option to mute their audio or turn off their video, hosts will have added flexibility for their Livestream experience, as the added functionality could help decrease pressure to look or sound a certain way while broadcasting live. This feature gives creators a “quick,  » Read More