X introduces audio and video calls and auctions its historical memorabilia. The auction starts on September 12th and ends on September 14th. Calls will likely be reserved for X Blue subscribers.
Xplatform Mr. microblogging which until recently was called Twitter, is undergoing a major transformation under the leadership of its new owner, Elon Musk. The forward-thinking entrepreneur, who acquired control of the service in 2022 for $44 billion, changed the company’s name to X in July 2023 at the suggestion of users themselves. But that’s not all: Musk also announced a number of new features and innovations that promise to make X more competitive and attractive than other social platforms.
Among these innovations is the introduction calls audio AND videoa feature that will allow X users to start a voice or visual conversation with another user directly from the private chat screen (or DM, to use the platform’s terminology). Interface video call appears a lot clean AND minimum: The other party’s video feed takes up most of the screen and there are only four buttons at the bottom to mute, mute, camera, or end the call. More advanced features such as group calls or screen sharing are not expected.
Reveal the test status was senior product designer of X, Andrea Conway, who shared a few screenshots and a short video on the platform showing this feature in action. Conway also said that he had successfully called someone through X, showing that the feature was already working for at least a select few users. It’s not yet clear when and how audio and video calls will be available to all X users, but it’s likely that, at least initially, they will be reserved for subscribers of X Blue, the service’s premium option.
XBlue offers its users a number of unique benefits, including the ability to edit tweets after posting, create tweets up to 25,000 characters long, customize the app icon and theme, support NFT, and access to Reader Mode for easier reading of long streams. Audio and video calls can be an additional incentive for users to subscribe to X Blue, which costs €11 per month (if you subscribe via the official Android or iOS app) or €9.76 per month.
This is a feature that could make X more competitive with other social platforms that already offered the ability to communicate by voice or visual with your contacts, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram or Skype. But the news does not end there: X also decided auction some of his historical memorabilia, including the famous blue bird logo that still adorns the San Francisco headquarters. Titled “Twitter Rebranded: Online Auction with Memorabilia, Art, Office Assets & More!” will start on September 12th and end on September 14th. Interested parties will be able to bid starting at $25 per lot. In total they 584 lots put up for sale from X, including coffee tables, oil paintings, musical instruments, dozens of desks, plenty of chairs, huge birdcages and a full-service DJ booth.
Between Oil Paintings, two very valuable works stand out: one depicts Ellen DeGeneres’ famous selfie with Hollywood stars at the 2014 Oscars, and the other includes a photo that Barack Obama tweeted after his re-election in November 2012. the former head of the White House, which depicts him in a tender embrace with his wife, was the most popular at the time. Auction lots start at $25, but we expect logos and memorabilia to bid much higher.
Just think that during the auction San Francisco, bids on the famous statue with the company’s logo rose to $100,000. X (formerly Twitter) is one of the most popular social networks in the world with over 300 million monthly active users. Founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass, it changed its name to X in July 2023 at the suggestion of Elon Musk, who took control in 2022. X offers itself as a space to share short and impactful, to follow the latest news and trends, and to connect with famous or interesting people.