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Mike Gurman, a noted Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) analyst, spent a week with “Ray-Ban Stories” smart glasses from Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and has been left less than impressed. What Happened: Gurman used the latest edition of his newsletter to highlight a difference between the approach taken by Apple rivals — Facebook and Snapchat parent Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) — in the release of such eyewear missing augmented reality features.  “Apple could launch a pair of smart glasses without AR today. They’re not doing that, however — they’re going to wait until that technology is ready,” noted Gurman. “I just don’t see the point of this pre-augmented-reality era of smart glasses. That’s not specific to Facebook either: I feel the same way about similar offerings from Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Snap Inc,” wrote Gurman. See Also: How To Buy Apple (AAPL) Shares As per the analyst’s “math,” purchasing a pair of Ray-Bans plus earbuds costs the same as a single pair of Ray-Ban Stories and the functionality of the smart glasses is inferior to regular Ray-Bans plus AirPods plus phone camera combo. Why It Matters: Gurman also touched on the cumbersome process of transferring and sharing photos from the Ray-Ban Stories, which requires a…

A MAN has been found guilty of raping a woman and choking her until she fell unconscious, following a five-day trial in the Royal Court.The jury spent 5½ hours yesterday returning a verdictThe jury spent 5½ hours yesterday returning a verdict in the case of Alex John Hill (21). He pleaded not guilty to all seven charges he faced and was cleared of two other rape charges and three common-assault charges against the same woman.Hill was found guilty by a majority verdict of the second rape charge he faced, which Crown Advocate Simon Thomas said related to the victim giving evidence that on a number of occasions in 2019 she had asked him to stop during sex and he had not. During the trial, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, quoted from messages between Hill and the woman on the Snapchat social-media platform, including ‘I was a rapist and I did abuse you but nothing is going to change the past and I am sorry for that’ and ‘No, it wasn’t just once when you asked me to. I did not stop like five times’.And the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the grave and criminal assault charge in which…

The late American author David Foster Wallace had an idea about “videophony”. In his 1996 novel Infinite Jest, long before phones became an extension of our selves, he imagined a world where video calls had become commonplace. He predicted that this would lead to widespread self-consciousness, which in turn would give rise to digital masks that would brighten skin, erase wrinkles, delete dark circles and give us the perfect smile. Eventually, people would become so obsessed with these digital masks that they would avoid going out and letting people see their real selves. That prescient idea now has a name. Snapchat dysmorphia is a term coined by British cosmetic surgeon Dr Tijion Esho, first used in a report in 2018. He coined it, he has said, when he started noticing that patients were bringing in filtered pictures of themselves as references for cosmetic procedures. How much is too much? With the swipe of a finger, filters on phone camera apps and photo-driven apps such as Instagram and Snapchat let users acquire the biggest eyes, the smoothest skin, cute freckles, long lashes, luscious lips. It’s easy to fall in love with this version of one’s face. But when you start seeing…

Kara SwisherSept. 10, 2021Credit...Arsh Raziuddin/The New York TimesA lot of important words are being written about the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, marking that major and tragic turning point in history.For those of us who lived through the harrowing time in 2001, it is an event that’s indelibly seared into our memories, having taken in so many devastating images and videos — and raw feelings.“Never forget” became a rallying cry to counter the heinous terrorist attacks. And we never have. Yet, today, it’s so easy to forget what’s most important to us.Social media has a lot to do with that. As hard as it may be to imagine, social networks weren’t around in 2001. Now they seem to govern every news event we experience — from elections to troop withdrawals to how we think about that suitcase scene in “White Lotus.” News flies by on social media, we obsess over it, then we move on.Social media records, chronicles, broadcasts. It forms, and then warps, our reactions and, more important, our memories. For example, the links between services like Twitter and Facebook and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol seem impossible to unwind. It’s a…

Her newly created role is part of an expanding communications department, anticipated to more than double in size. by Betsy Kim / Added 9 hours ago LONDON: Laura Clare is joining Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat and Spectacles, to lead communications for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, effective on September 27. Reporting to Snap CCO Julie Henderson in the newly created role of senior director of communications for EMEA, Clare will be based in London and work on building an international team to provide corporate, brand, product and policy comms across the region. Her responsibilities will also include developing strategies to convey the company’s values, product innovations and its commitment to protecting Snapchat users’ privacy and safety.Previously, Tanya Ridd, Snap director of communications, international, handled these duties. She is moving to Spotify this month to lead EMEA comms.Clare (below) will supervise a team of six people, which is anticipated to expand to 13 staff members. The team includes communications heads in the U.K., France and Dubai, with open positions for comms heads in Germany and the Netherlands. Snap is also planning to fill additional comms jobs in France and the U.K., according to a Snap spokesperson. She is coming…

Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist|September 9, 2021To be honest, I thought that the pandemic situation would have improved by now, but sadly I must admit that, like during quarantine, I still spend an embarrassing amount of time staring at myself in the mirror. I’ve picked myself apart, criticizing the size of my pores and the shape of my nose, among other minor imperfections that have pervaded my day-to-day life. In the era of social distancing, former simple pleasures like traveling, going to a bar and attending concerts halted. Forced to transform our homes into hubs for work and play, life has hit peak virtual. We go on FaceTime dates. We attend Zoom weddings. We have telemedicine checkups with doctors, and, my gosh, how I hate to celebrate my little brother’s birthday each year on Zoom. Screen time is now all the time. Though, to me, it feels like my insecurities have heightened out of the blue. I imagine it has a lot to do with the fact that stay-at-home orders have sent phone screen time reports through the roof. Spending more and more time on social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat has made me acutely aware of just how corrosive…

Women’s magazine Marie Claire is ending its US print edition after 27 years, The Post has learned. The magazine, which was sold by Hearst to British publisher Future Media in May, quietly informed its subscribers via a letter that its Summer 2021 issue would be its last. Marie Claire subscribers will instead receive a print copy of Harper’s Bazaar, the fashion publication owned by Hearst, for the rest of their subscription terms, according to the letter, which was signed by Bazaar editor in chief Samira Nasr. “I have some news to share: After the Summer 2021 issue, Marie Claire will no longer be available as an annual subscription but will instead focus on its vibrant digital platforms– Marieclaire.com, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.,” Nasr said. Nasr added that Marie Claire would publish select special editions available for purchase at newsstands. Subscribers not wishing to receive Bazaar would be offered refunds if they contacted Hearst. Although Hearst no longer owns Marie Claire, it is responsible for refunding or offering an alternative magazine, as customers who subscribed to the women’s glossy already paid for a full year’s subscription in advance. The news marks the end of an era for the celebrated women’s magazine, which…

A third of Irish children aged between eight and 12 post videos of themselves online, according to a primary school study. he research was conducted among 4,000 children between those ages. It also revealed 84pc use at least one social media or messaging service such as Snapchat or TikTok, despite minimum age restrictions on all of the popular apps of at least 13 years. And 93pc of pre-teens now have some kind of phone, tablet or other smart device, with almost a third saying that they have been bullied online. The figures from CyberSafeKids have been released as the Government’s online safety commissioner now looks unlikely to be appointed until 2023. Meanwhile, TikTok and YouTube – the two most popular social platforms among children under 13 – have had to introduce measures to stop predators and abusers on their video platforms. According to CyberSafeKids’ figures, 61pc of children say that they have been contacted by a stranger in an online game. And one in three pre-teens play online with people they do not know, an annual rise of 16pc. In total, online gaming is played by 80pc of eight to 12-year-olds, according to the research. The most popular apps are YouTube (74pc), TikTok (47pc), WhatsApp (39pc) and…

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh, right, takes a selfie with volunteers in Montreal on Aug. 23. ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP/Getty Images The NDP is working to capitalize on Leader Jagmeet Singh’s social-media savvy in the final stretch of the campaign with plans to feature him in the video game Animal Crossing, on streaming service Twitch and by even projecting his image on the side of buildings in Toronto. Party officials are also preparing to push back on the usual late-campaign efforts by the Liberals aimed at persuading NDP supporters to switch their vote to block the Conservatives from winning. These details were shared with media on Wednesday afternoon, when NDP strategists outlined how the party is working to expand its voter base ahead of election day on Sept. 20. They are also releasing an election-themed feature on SnapChat, a messaging app through which the party connects with mostly younger Canadians. Jagmeet Singh vows to eliminate interest on student loans, forgive debt Federal election poll tracker: Follow the latest Nanos-Globe-CTV numbers ahead of the Sept. 20 vote How to vote by mail in Canada’s federal election The party’s social-media strategy is just one part of how the NDP plans to engage voters…

September 7, 2021 | 8:44pm Enlarge Image Jasmine Tookes and Juan David Borrero at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Getty Images Victoria’s Secret model Jasmine Tookes married Juan David Borrero — a Snapchat exec and member of Ecuador’s second family — in Quito, Ecuador, this weekend. Sources tell us the event was the buzz of the South American country. Tookes and Borrero, the app’s director of international markets and son of Ecuadorian vice president Alfredo Borrero, wed at the historic 16th-century Church and Convent of St. Francis in front of fellow Angels Josephine Skriver, Shanina Shaik, Lais Ribeiro, Sara Sampaio and Kelsey Merritt. Tookes wore a long-sleeved lace gown by Zuhair Murad, reports Arab News. The couple got engaged last September, with Tookes announcing the news on Instagram in a series of pictures showing off her custom seven-carat Ritani ring, pebbles spelling out “WYMM” (for “Will you marry me?”), and the pair toasting with champagne. “Si, mi amor!” she captioned the shots. (We wonder why she didn’t announce it on Snapchat.) “It was a complete surprise!” Tookes told Vogue, saying Borrero blindfolded her and brought her to their first date spot, The Rose in Venice, California, and then took her on a plane for a special…