New Details on Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset; Facebook Adds Features to End-to-End Encryption; Amazon Launches Rx Pass for Prime Members; Twitter Getting More Pricy Ad-Free Twitter Blue

More details have leaked out about Apple’s Mixed Reality headset. Macrumors.com reports that the headset will have an iOS like interface, and will feature advanced hand tracking. Also…it will function as a second display for a mac. The interface will look almost identical to the one on your iPhone and iPad. You will be able to rearrange the home screen with app icons, and customize widgets to your taste. Wearers should be able to control the headset by looking at an on-screen item to select it, then use gestures to activate the app. There will not be physical controllers. Most leaks point towards the device being dubbed Reality Pro, and it will be able to switch from augmented reality to virtual reality…AND you can dial between those functions with a crown on the side like the Apple Watch has. It will be tethered to a battery pack the size of 2 iPhone Pro Maxes strapped together that will run the headset for a couple hours. Apple is reported to be working on VR content with media partners like Disney and Dolby, and will be updating Apple TV Plus to work with the headset. The price of the unit, expected to bow this year, is still expected to be about $3,000. 

Facebook Messenger has had an end-to-end encryption option for some time now, but when it’s turned on, the chats are very generic. That is now changing. According to mashable.com, now you will be able to use chat themes, custom chat emojis and reactions, group profile photos, link previews, and active status. Also, android bubbles will now show up when you get a new message in and end-to-end encrypted chat. You will still have to select end-to-end encryption…it isn’t the default. Facebook claims it is still expanding testing of that, and that end-to-end-encryption will ultimately become the default. 

Amazon continues to expand in the drug business, a couple years after launching Amazon Pharmacy. Now, techcrunch.com says the online giant has unveiled RxPass, a $5 per month add-on for all-you-need generic drugs. The plan covers some 80 conditions. The drugs are some for treating many common conditions like high blood pressure and depression. According to Dr. Vin Gupta, the chief medical officer for Amazon Pharmacy, more than 150 million people in the US already take one of more of the medications that RxPass offered. The plan is for Prime members, and interestingly is NOT open to people on government medical plans like Medicare or Medicaid. That’s because Amazon Pharmacy is a provider for those, than therefore can’t offer direct. Amazon notes that it’s not insurance…you just pay $5 a month for whatever supply is prescribed for you for each drug. 

Twitter will be getting a higher-priced tier for Twitter Blue…one that Elon Musk says will be ad-free. Bgr.com reports that so far, no details are out on how MUCH more or when it will be launched. Musk said that ads on Twitter are ‘too frequent’ and ‘too big.’ It seems that there has been a flood of repeat ads…probably since losing almost half the advertisers, Twitter has been bonus-ing remaining sponsors with free ads to keep them on board. The more expensive, ad-free Twitter Blue level wouldn’t have worked before Musk blocked third party clients like Twitterific and Tweetbot that stripped out ads. This new tier is probably the only reason those clients were cut off from the platform’s API. It’s a good guess that the new tier will be several dollars more than the $8 a month for the present Twitter Blue

I’m Clark Reid, and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.