Instagram Direct messaging arrives to challenge Snapchat and Whatsapp

Instagram Direct messaging arrives to challenge Snapchat and Whatsapp

  5:35:00 PM    Science Lover

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HIPSTER PHOTO SHARING SERVICE Instagram announced a messaging service called Instagram Direct on Thursday, as it looks to challenge Snapchat and Whatsapp.

Rumours surfaced at the end of November claiming that Instagram was plotting a messaging service to rival send-and-delete photo service Snapchat, and the firm put an end to the speculation on Thursday by announcing Instagram Direct.

The service does what it says on the tin, allowing Instagram users to send images and videos in direct messages to one another.

Instagram Direct lets users of the service send messages to up to 15 friends at once, much like Whatsapp, and allows groups to talk in real-time chats. Only people you follow can send you images and videos, Instagram said on Thursday, so you shouldn't have to worry about your inbox filling up with spam.

There's now an inbox logo on the top right hand corner of the app to access Instagram Direct, replacing the previous refresh button, which has been replaced with a pull to refresh function.

Instagram said, "There are moments in our lives that we want to share, but that will be the most relevant only to a smaller group of people - an inside joke between friends captured on the go, a special family moment or even just one more photo of your new puppy. Instagram Direct helps you share these moments.

"From how you capture photos and videos to the way you start conversations through likes and comments, we built Instagram Direct to feel natural to the Instagram experience you already know." Instagram Direct arrives in an update to the existing Instagram app, which is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store and Google Play store. The feature is not available yet for Windows Phone devices.

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Bangkok designers draw attention for air-purifying bike idea

Bangkok designers draw attention for air-purifying bike idea

  9:18:00 PM    Science Lover

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Some observers are calling it "the photosynthesis bike." The bike of interest is only a concept, not even a prototype yet, from designers in Bangkok. Nonetheless, in concept alone, it has captured a lot if imaginations, press coverage, and even picked up an award in the 2013 Red Dot competition for design concept. Dubbed "Air Purifier Bike," from Bangkok-based Lightfog Creative and Design, the bicycle presents a next-level functionality to bicycles as environmentally sound vehicles—to the point where the rider not only uses a clean mode of transport but also helps to purify the air along with the ride. (The Red Dot Award for design concept is part of a professional design competition for design concepts and prototypes worldwide.)

Silawat Virakul, Torsakul Kosaikul, and Suvaroj Poosrivongvanid are the designers behind the award-winning idea. They said their Air-Purifier Bike incorporates an air filter that screens dust and pollutants from the air, a photosynthesis system (including a water tank) that produces oxygen, an electric motor, and a battery. "While it is being ridden, air passes through the filter at the front of the bike, where it is cleaned before being released toward cyclist. The bike frame houses the photosynthesis system. When the bike is parked, the air-purifying functions can continue under battery power."

According to a report on the bicycle and the designers behind it on the Fast Company Co.Exist site, the designers presently have mock-ups, but they have not yet built a prototype; they plan to build one soon.

"We want to design products which can reduce the air pollution in the city. So we decided to design a bike because we thought that bicycles are environmentally friendly vehicles for transportation," said creative director Silawat Virakul in an email to Co.Exist.

"Riding a bicycle can reduce traffic jam[s] in a city," said Virakul. "Moreover, we wanted to add more value to a bicycle by adding its ability to reduce the pollution."

If they were to advance their concept, they would be responding to many urban dwellers who are growing increasingly aware that bicycles ease pollution and are taking to bicycles for short-distance transportation. Earlier this year, Lucintel, a consulting and market research firm, analyzed the global bicycle industry in "Global Bicycle Industry 2013-2018: Trends, Profit, and Forecast Analysis." They noted that government initiatives to promote cycling to reduce carbon emissions and noise pollution are a strong growth driver. In addition, bicycles' energy efficiency, coupled with cycling as a fitness activity, will help propel demand during the forecast period.

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