Check out our guide on the best mirrorless cameras, and dive deep into all of WIRED’s camera coverage.
The Unmentionables
Twitter may be a nightmarish dumpster fire even when it’s not being sabotaged by a bored and horny billionaire. But luckily, now you can remove yourself from some portion of the toxicity that thrives on the social media service.
On Monday, Twitter announced a new feature called Unmentioning. It lets you untag yourself from conversations, meaning confabs you don’t want to be involved in won’t pop up in your notifications. If someone @’s you and you’d rather not read all the angry ramblings of them and their followers, just tap the three dots in the corner of the tweet and select “Leave this conversation.” It will untag you and leave you blessedly free of whatever rabid responses are indirectly lobbed at you. Twitter says the feature is available for everyone on the platform.
It’ll be a blessing for Bean Dads everywhere.
Android 13 Gets a Final Beta Update
On Wednesday, the latest beta update to Android 13 rolled out to developers, giving app makers the ability to complete a few more tweaks to ensure their programs work on the mobile operating system. It’s the final release for the beta version. All that’s next for the Android 13 road map is a final launch sometime this fall.
There’s a bunch of new features coming with Android 13, including big updates focused on privacy and productivity settings like app grouping and individual language support for apps. There’s also an abundance of new visual customization options, and better support for large screens.
BMW Bets Big on Booty Burners
Hey, do you like it when your butt’s warm? Cool—that’ll be $18, please.
That’s the deal BMW is offering customers in a few countries, including South Korea, Germany, and the UK. Customers can pay to unlock features in BMW vehicles, activating hardware components that are already built into the cars, such as the aforementioned heated seats. Other options include heated steering wheels and the ability to play engine sounds in your car. (Vroom Vroom!) You’re already paying for a BMW, right? What’s a few more subscriptions to keep your high beams on or use cruise control?
After Jalopnik broke the news about the implementation of these micro-transactions, BMW issued a statement clarifying some details. The company said it has no current plans to bring these charges in the US, but it is currently offering the options in South Korea, the UK, Germany, South Africa, and New Zealand.
It’s a growing trend; Tesla has been charging subscriptions and unlocking fees for years, and GM has launched a similar program to deliver software-enabled upgrades. Welcome to the future.
Blowing Smoke
Last month, the FDA delivered what seemed like a death blow to e-cigarette manufacturer Juul. It ordered the company to stop selling its controversial vape sticks in the US, which would effectively end the company’s reign over the vaping market. Juul fought back, and a judge stayed the order. Now, the company has found itself mired in a legal battle that could shape the state of the nicotine industry. But even as Juul may be drawing its last breath, competitors are moving in to claim the vape crown.
On this week’s episode of the Gadget Lab podcast, WIRED senior writer Arielle Pardes joins the show for a conversation about Juul, public health, and the future of techy nicotine products.
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