Happy Friday! I'll be taking a break over the holiday period, so the next edition of the newsletter will come out in the first week of Jan. Until then, I hope you have a fun and relaxing holiday period - it's been quite the year!

New features & products (12/23)

Social

• Trust & safety

  • TikTok ships a feature telling users why videos entered their FYP

• Communication

  • WhatsApp lets users undo "delete for me" button

  • Switched unveils a discovery feature

• Other

  • Twitter launches Blue for Business in beta

  • Instagram rolls out a Reels template for end-of-year shareable content

  • YouTube tests a feature to watch videos in multiple languages

Creator

• Engagement

  • Alfalink launches a weekly engagement reports feature

  • UltimatePlayerHQ announces a structured coaching sessions feature

  • Tumblr launches a live-streaming feature in the US

• Monetization

  • YouTube tests educational courses from creators

  • Meta kills Super, it's Cameo-like app

Artificial intelligence

• Models

  • Open AI ships Point-E, a 3D model generator

• Writing

  • Jasper ships a chat interface for its AI-copywriting product

  • Lex launches a command bar for its AI-powered word processor

• Other

  • Quora beta tests a general purpose AI chatbot

  • Neeva launches a Chat-GPT like feature for its search engine

Web3

• Wallets

  • MobulaFi ships a feature to track users wallets and assets

  • WazirX launches a nominee custody feature

• DeFi

  • Qredo launches a suite of scalability features

  • Dolomite unveils DeFi borrowing capabilities

  • KOGs introduces a new staking platform

• Other

  • Dappify launches NoCode blocks for building dApps

Engineering, product, and data tools

• Data analytics

  • Ascend ships a Snowflake data ingestion feature

  • Vercel introduces data storage for configuration data

  • Sigma launches live editing for collaborative analytics

• Product and design

  • ShapesXR launches snap to curves design functionality

  • June ships a GPT-3 based lead-qualification tool

  • Zeda ships shortcuts for its product management software

• Dev

  • Vercel rolls out a preview deployment commenting feature

  • Databricks ships Python formatting and Notebooks UX upgrades

  • Digibee launches an interactive product demo feature

• Other

  • Wiz unveils a DNS protection product

  • Zapier introduces version previews for zaps

General tools

• Cloud storage

  • Google integrates Files with India's DigiLocker service

  • Google launches Gmail with client-side encryption in beta

• Productivity

  • Obsidian launches an infinite Canvas product

  • Smart Launcher ships a Widget Stack tool

• Other

  • Placer unveils a retail store visit tracking tool

  • Omnify launches a suite of booking and reservation tools

Rideshare, AVs, & delivery

• Cruise launches robotaxi rides in Phoenix and Austin

• Waymo opens Phoenix airport rides to the public

• Kuri launches a climate friendly meal-planning feature

Other

• E-commerce

  • Rally rolls out a new product launch experience

  • HulkApps introduces an Enterprise Plan

• Ads

  • Triple Whale launches an augmented advertising feature

  • Amazon announces ad-supported content for Fire TV

• Other

  • Google beta tests digital State ID cards

  • Google Play lets children send purchase request to guardians

  • Oura launches end-of-year reviews

  • Wasder ships leaderboard functionality

And that’s a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more!

-  Amol