Starlink Has 1500 Satellites; Zoom Gets Real-Time Translation; T-Mobile Expands Test Drive with eSIMs; Twitter Dropping Chronological Feeds

Elon Musk said his satellite internet venture Starlink now has more than 1,500 active satellites in orbit above Earth. He also claimed that by next month, service will encompass virtually the entire globe. According to mashable.com, Musk shared the news during an interview at Mobile World Congress, touting Starlink’s ability to reach individuals who don’t have access to decent or affordable internet connections in remote areas. Starlink has plans to launch as many as 30,000 more satellites. 

Zoom has announced plans to acquire Karlsruhe Information Technology, also known as Kites, a German startup that specializes in machine learning-based real-time translation. Engadget.com reports that the acquisition should help the company keep pace with competitors like Cisco, which recently added a real-time translation feature to its Webex software. While Zoom experienced impressive growth throughout the pandemic, its rivals have tried to match and surpass its feature set as a way to grow at its expense. 

T-Mobile is offering a new, low-stakes way to try out its network for free for 30 days with no additional equipment required. According to theverge.com, T-Mobile’s existing Test Drive program now works over eSIM with compatible iPhones. All you need to do is download an app, follow the instructions to start the trial with eSIM, and you’re up and running — no billing information required. There’s no change to your current carrier plan or phone number, but you’ll be using T-Mobile data on your device. This is a new wrinkle on T-Mobile’ Test Drive program 1st introduced in 2014. 

Until recently, Twitter on the web allowed users to easily switch between an algorithmic feed and a chronological feed with a single click, but that option is now being removed completely for people who use Twitter in their browser. 9to5mac.com reports that Twitter has started to remove the ability to view Latest Tweets first from the Twitter.com web application. For many users, the toggle between “Latest Tweets” and “Home” has been completely removed. Users who are interested in breaking news are expressing outrage on Twitter and elsewhere.