Twitter Blue Plans $20 a Month Verification Charge; Europe to Ban Gas & Diesel Cars from 2035; No More Mac Product Releases This Year; Samsung & AT&T Launch Kids Tablet

In a move that would definitely verify that you have $20 a month to burn, Twitter is planning to charge that fee for Twitter Blue, the optional service that has been $4.99 which unlocks some Twitter features. More importantly, the Blue checkmark comes with it, which is Twitter’s way of verifying users. Under the new regime, verified users you have 90 days to subscribe, or lose the blue checkmark. This really is a sure fire way to verify that you are willing to pay the $19.99, but could open things up to numerous accounts spreading false information who appear more legit because they sport the blue checkmark. 

**Update Tuesday morning. Now, Elon Musk is saying he will raise Twitter Blue to $8 a month, not the almost $20. He also called the present checkmark system bullish*t, but hasn’t fleshed out how it might be changed. He said fixing it is essential to control spam and ‘bots. Musk also again asserted that the platform can’t rely just on advertising revenue to pay the bills.

Following California’s decision to ban the sale of new gas or diesel cars by 2035, now the European Union has joined the party…banning combustion engine cars and vehicles from 2035 on. According to mashable.com, this agreement…which still has to be formally adopted….would have the intended effect of a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions for new cars and 50% for new vans by 2030…then achieving a 100% reduction in those emissions from both new cars and vans by 2035. Very low volume vehicle makers, like sports car companies, would get to skip the 2030 reductions, but still would have to comply by 2035. 

Despite lots of earlier rumors that there would be new MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and other devices released in November, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says it’s not happening. Apple has decided to with until next year to drop those upgrades…according to Gurman’s Power On newsletter, we can expect them in the first quarter of 2023. The Mac Pro had already been reportedly delayed until summer…now it appears the other M-2 powered Macs will join it as 2023 models. 

It’s a bit pricey for a kid gift, but not bad for a tablet. Samsung and AT&T have partnered on the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite Kids Edition tablet. Androidcentral.com reports that the tab has an 8.7 inch screen, and importantly…a wrap around ruggedized case that really protects said screen. The tablet is $250, but you can get it for junior for just $7 a month on a payment plan. It has a kickstand to make watching videos easier, and has LTE connectivity so can work during those car trips. The Galaxy tablet is available starting November 4th.