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16 Fonts Similar to Georgia



Are you looking for font substitutes for the Georgia font family? In this article, we’ll be introducing to you the Georgia typeface and providing 16 Georgia font alternatives you can easily find on Envato Elements, to use in your upcoming projects



What Is the Georgia Typeface?
Georgia was designed by Matthew Carter as a serif typeface, tailored for on-screen display. It is similar in appearance to the Times New Roman font, with subtle differences, like being bigger than Times at the same point size, and displaying a much larger x-height in true size.
The Georgia font style is generous in width and character spacing. It features alternating thick and thin strokes, ball terminals, a vertical axis, and a larger x-height that makes it excellent for long on-screen text passages. Georgia is legible at any size and possesses a visual charm, making it easy to read.



Georgia typeface is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. It was released in 1996, as part of Microsoft’s “Core Fonts for the Web” collection. The typeface family was primarily designed to be used on computer monitors and the web, for the purpose of on-screen clarity and legibility at low resolutions. Despite that, the font usage was not limited to on-screen typography but also considered for print production. The Georgia typeface is quite popular in print production and is often used for printing body text and books.
This web safe font comes in four basic styles: Georgia, Georgia Italic, Georgia Bold, and Georgia Bold Italic. It has extended language support, including the Greek, Russian, and Latin alphabets.



Have a look at the image below for a style specimen of the font, and move on to discover some fonts like Georgia, which combine high legibility and charisma as much as the Georgia typeface.



16 Fonts Similar to Georgia
Now, let’s take a look at a collection of fonts similar to Georgia. Below you will find 16 fonts like Georgia. Dive in and discover some great alternatives to choose from that demonstrate the same charm and legible qualities as the Georgia typeface.
1. Wensley (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
A modern serif type font, Wensley is a common font similar to Georgia. It includes three font weights—Regular, Light, and Bold—and supports multilingual letters. This web font, like Georgia, reads well at any size, and it features upper and lowercase characters, numerals, punctuation, and non-English characters.
If you want to inject a little character into your design, try out Wensley. It has a high-class font style that makes it suitable for all types of design needs, such as presentations, logos, headers, web layouts, branding headlines, and more.



2. Naia (OTF)
Naia is a feminine, classy, and sophisticated web font style. The OTF format includes three weights and three italics, and it includes all Latin characters, accents, numbers, special characters, and punctuation.
Naia is slightly condensed and has wider serifs than the Georgia font, and is usually recommended for editorial, branding, presentations, and headers, as it’s readable at all sizes.



3. Maiah (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
Maiah is a serif typeface with a modern and minimalist style. The font family pack comes in four weight versions: Regular, Thin, Light, and Bold. It supports uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numbers, and basic punctuation, with multilingual characters.
The Maiah font is great at any size and is recommended for posters, headers, branding, presentations, packaging, web layouts, advertising, editorials, and most graphic design work.



4. Sharis (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
The Sharis typeface is a simple, modern, and tidy serif font family. The font pack includes seven weights: Regular, Light, Thin, Medium, Distorted, Bold, and Black. It features upper and lowercase multilingual letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as non-English character support.
Sharis is great for logo design, web layouts, magazines, and branding. For a classy look, work in all caps with a wide-set spacing, or for something timeless, try it on its own, with capital and lowercase letters.



5. Thomas Craft (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
Are you looking for an elegant font that’s similar to Georgia? Try Thomas Craft, a modern, sophisticated serif and web font with pointed serifs. It has four font weights: Regular, Thin, Round, and Bold. The font pack includes all the basic glyphs with non-English characters.
The Thomas Craft font can be used for branding, packaging, logos, posters, headers, presentations, logos, web layouts, advertising, invitations, books, and nearly any other type of creative design.



6. Sandover (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
Sandover is a neat, stylish serif typeface, and a common font similar to Georgia. Sandover comes in five weights: Regular, Thin, Light, Round, and Bold. It features all the basic glyphs along with non-English characters. This web font can be used for logos, headings, posters, packaging, presentations, branding, web layouts, books, and anything design-related.



7. Aadam (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
Or try Aadam: an elegant, condensed font, similar to Georgia. Aadam features a minimalist, modern style and serif typeface with charisma. It includes four weight versions: Regular, Thin, Light, and Bold. It contains uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numbers, and basic punctuation, with multilingual support.
The Aadam font pairs wonderfully with script, signature, or handwriting font styles. It can be used for all types of creative design.



8. Glamour Luxury (OTF, TTF, Web Font)
Glamour Luxury is a modern, minimalist serif font family with a wide choice of weights. It’s condensed in style and with a longer x-height than Georgia, but it has good legibility and is easy on the eyes. Glamour Luxury combines Regular, Light, Thin, Round, and Bold font weights. It includes all basic glyphs, multilingual plus non-English characters.
The luxury font is ideal for beauty or fashion projects.



9. Adren (OTF)
The Adren font is a modern, slightly more condensed serif typeface than Georgia. Optimum at any size, this refined font family includes 14 font formats plus Latin characters, numbers, punctuation, and special characters. Adren is mainly used for magazines, presentations, editorial headers, and subheaders.



10. Magnita (TTF, OTF, Web Font)
Magnita is a serif font that features uppercase and lowercase characters, numbers, and basic punctuation. The elegant web font is beautiful at small sizes, which makes it suitable to use with premium, luxury designs such as fashion, hotels, salons, restaurants, and more.



11. Zimra (OTF, TTF, WOFF, WOFF2 Formats)
A common font similar to Georgia would be Zimra. It’s a minimal and elegant serif type font that works well in any size. It comes as a set of five weights: Regular, Light, Thin, Black, and Bold. Zimra supports uppercase and lowercase alphabets, numbers, and basic punctuation, with multilingual characters.
This web font’s modern and clean style makes it gorgeous for creative designs. Zimra is suitable for creating logos, headlines, banners, etc. It looks lovely in wide-set spacing and in all caps with a wide-set spacing or on its own in capital and lowercase letter format.



12. Antique (OTF)
Antique is a classy font with a slightly curved serif typeface. The luxury Antique font family includes ten fonts in OTF format, plus Latin characters (with accents), numbers, special characters, and punctuation. Antique is wonderful when used for editorial, fashion, and luxury designs, or any design that requires a strong, bold, minimalistic style.



13. Grown (OTF, TTF, WOFF)
The Grown font is a serif, modern, display and web typeface. This elegant typeface supports multilingual characters and features 18 ligatures, 19 alternates, and basic numerals and punctuation. The Grown font is suitable for any design project, like branding, print templates, logos, etc.



14. Selma (OTF)
Introducing the slim, classy serif typeface, Selma, with strong, thick serifs. The font family includes ten fonts in OTF format, with four weights and four italics. It features all Latin characters (including accents), numbers, special characters, and punctuation.
Selma has a little bit of personality, which makes it great for sophisticated headers and editorial designs.



15. Alloy (OTF)
Alloy is a bold typeface with wider and more pointed serifs than Georgia. The font family includes eight fonts in OTF format: four weights and four italics. It features all the Latin characters (including accents), numbers, special characters, and punctuation. Alloy’s font style is wonderful when used for presentation headers and body text.



16. Lara (OTF)
The Lara font is a classier, thinner, and slightly more curved serif typeface than Georgia. Lara includes six fonts in OTF format: three weights and three italics. Its luxurious style makes it great for headers. This font family includes all Latin characters (including accents), numbers, special characters, and punctuation.
If you’re looking for a font like Georgia, with the same classic elegance and timeless appeal, use Lara for your web layouts, packaging, and other projects.



Still Looking for Another Georgia Font Style Alternative?
We hope you’ve found some great fonts like Georgia in the list of options above. Feel free to discover more serif fonts on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver. You will surely find plenty of font options that are similar to the Georgia font style.
And for more font inspiration, check out some of these articles:


FontsFonts Similar to Times New Roman (And Its History)Nona Blackman

Fonts14 Fonts Similar to HelveticaGrace Fussell

Fonts34 Best New Fonts for 2021Melody Nieves

FontsFonts Similar to Trajan You Can Use in Your DesignsGrace Fussell

Fonts15 Fonts Similar to Didot and Best Didot Font PairingsDaisy Ein
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How to Make a Good Fundraiser Flyer



In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basics of how to make a good fundraiser flyer. We’ll look at common elements for a fundraiser flyer, some tips and tricks, and some fundraiser flyer examples. I’ll also show you how to make a flyer for a fundraising event in InDesign. The result will be a versatile and easy-to-edit fundraiser flyer template that you can use for your future projects. You can easily swap out the images and text—or even change the fonts if you want to customize further—and you’ll be ready to go.
At the end of this tutorial, we’ll show you some awesome fundraiser flyer ideas that can help you spark your creativity for your own project.
Are you looking for fundraiser flyer templates or InDesign fundraiser flyer examples? Envato Elements offers an awesome selection of fundraising flyer design, as well as millions of assets that can complement any of your projects. Here, you will find some of the best fundraising flyers.



How to Make a Good Fundraiser Flyer
The goal of a fundraiser flyer is to attract a desired audience to help a cause. With the wrong elements, it’s possible that your audience will overlook your fundraising flyer. Here are a few important elements that can help you stand out to attract the target audience:
- Create a focal point. Engage the readers with a striking image that relates to the fundraiser event: one that is professional but still communicates.
- Have a title. It’s important for your audience to know at a glance what you’re trying to communicate.
- Keep the content simple. Straight-to-the-point content like date, location, and price are the first details your audience want to know.
- Use readable fonts. The goal of a flyer is to communicate. Use sans serif or serif fonts, highlighting certain information with display fonts (that are readable), but use them sparingly.
- Highlight information. There are many ways to do this. You can do it by using display fonts, using bold colors, or rotating text.


Flyers20 Best Free Fundraiser Flyer Templates for Charity & Benefit Events 2020Daisy Ein

Flyers20 Best Free Event and Party Flyer Templates (Design Ideas for 2021)Daisy Ein
What You’ll Need to Create Your Cancer Fundraiser Flyer Template
You’ll need access to Adobe InDesign. You’ll also need a couple of fonts and an image:
Download the fonts and images, and make sure the fonts are installed before you start.
1. How to Set Up the Fundraiser Flyer
Step 1
Open Adobe InDesign and go to File > New > Document.
Choose Print from the options at the top of the New Document option window. Select the A4 preset. Deselect Facing Page.
Set the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right Margins to 1.5 cm.
Set the Bleeds to 0.3 cm. This will help to print the flyer design seamlessly, without any white borders.
Click Create.
Step 2
Head over to the Layers panel (Window > Layers). Rename Layer 1 as Background.
Select New Layer from the panel’s drop-down menu, and rename this new layer Images. Repeat this step and rename the new layer Copy.
Lock the Copy and Images layers. Click on the Background layer to activate it.
Step 3
Go to Layout > Create Guides. In the Create Guides option window, set the Rows to 5 and the Columns to 3. Under Options, select Margins.
Click OK.
Step 4
Go to Window > Color > Swatches to open the Color Swatches panel.
Select New Color Swatch from the panel’s drop-down menu. Set the Type to Process and the Color Mode to CMYK. Add the cream swatch: C=5 M=0 Y=10 K=0.
Repeat this step and add the following swatches:
- Brown: C=55 M=70 Y=70 K=70
- Yellow: C=15 M=35 Y=85 K=0
2. How to Add an Image to Your Fundraiser Flyer Template
Step 1
With the Background layer selected, select the Rectangle Tool (M) from the toolbar. Drag across the whole page, making sure the shape touches the bleed marks. Set the Fill Color to the cream color swatch.
Step 2
Select the Rectangle Tool (M) from the toolbar and create two rectangles.
Set the top rectangle width from bleed to bleed and a height of 4 cm. Set the bottom rectangle width from bleed to bleed and a height of 1 cm. Set both elements’ Color Fill to the brown color swatch.
Step 3
On the Layers panel, lock the Background layer and unlock the Images layer.
Using the Rectangle Frame Tool (F), create a rectangle that’s the same width as the bleeds of the page, and set the Height to 15 cm.
Step 4
Select the frame you created, and go to File > Place (Command-D). Navigate to the folder your image is located. Select the file and click Open.
On the Control panel, set the image size to 40%.
3. How to Add Text to Your Fundraiser Flyer Template
Step 1
On the Layers panel, lock the Images layer and unlock the Copy layer.
Using the Text Tool (T), create a large text box across the width of the page that goes from margin to margin. Type in the name of your event—in this case, it’s Movember.
From the top Control panel, set the font to RNS Sanz Black, the Size to 87 pt, and the Tracking to –10pt.
Step 2
Select the text, go to the Swatches panel, and select the yellow swatch as the Fill Color. Set the Stroke Color to the brown swatch.
Open the Stroke panel by going to Window > Stroke. On the Stroke panel, set the Weight to 8 pt, the Join to Round Join, and Align Stroke to Outside.
Step 3
Using the Text Tool (T), create two text frames for the words “The” and “fundraiser”.
Place the first word at the top left of “Movember” and the second at the bottom right.
Go to the Control panel, setting both text frames to Raidand Regular and the Size to 40 pt.
On the Swatches panel, set both Text Fill Colors to white and the Stroke Color to brown.
On the Stroke panel, set the Weight to 6 pt, the Join to Round Join, and Align Stroke to Outside.
Step 4
Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame that’s the same width as the document and a Height of 1.3 cm. Place the frame under the image.
Add details to this frame, for instance the date and time. On the top Control panel, set the Font to RNS Sanz and the Size to 22 pt. Go to the Swatches panel, and set the Fill Color of the frame to yellow. Set the Text Color to brown.
Step 5
Select the text frame and go to Object > Text Frame Options.
In the Text Frame Options pop-up window, set the Inset Spacing on the Top, Bottom, and Right to 0.3 cm. Set the Inset Spacing on the Left to 1.8 cm.
Step 6
Using the Text Tool (T), create a test frame.
Add the words “Entry” and “15$” for the event pricing. Set the “Entry” text Size to 30 pt on the Control panel. Set the “15$” text Size to 50 pt.
Select the text box, go to the Control panel, and set the Rotation Angle to 11°. Place the text box to the right side of the text frame we created previously.
Step 7
Select the text, and go to the Swatches panel. Set the Fill Color to brown and the Stroke Color to yellow.
On the Stroke panel, set the Weight to 6 pt, the Join to Round Join, and Align Stroke to Outside. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a circle that measures 3.5 cm in diameter.
Step 8
Using the Text Tool (T), create a text box that fits the width of the margin on the fundraiser flyer. Place the text box under the yellow bar.
Double-click in the text frame, and then right-click > Fill with Placeholder Text. This will allow you to add Lorem Ipsum text until you’re ready to add real content.
Go to the Control panel, and set the Font to RNS Sanz Semibold and the Size to 14 pt. Set the Align option to Centered.
On the Swatches panel, set the Text Color to brown.



Step 9
Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame that fits the guides on the first column of the flyer template. Place it under the text box we created previously.
Add a sub-headline. On the top Control panel, set the Font to RNS Sanz Black and the Size to 14pt. Set the Alignment to Centered.
On the Swatches panel, set the Text Color to yellow.



Step 10
Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame that fits the guides on the first column of the flyer template. Place it under the subheadline we created above.
Fill it with placeholder text. In the top Control panel, set the Font to RNS Sanz Medium and the Size to 10 pt. Set the Alignment to Centered.
In the Swatches panel, set the Text Color to brown.



Step 11
Select both text boxes, press Option and drag to duplicate the elements. Place the duplicates in the second column. Repeat the action once more for the third column.



Step 12
Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame that fits the margins of the flyer template. Place it under the three columns of text we created.
In the top Control panel, set the Font to RNS Sanz Bold and the Size to 12 pt. Set the Alignment to Centered.
In the Swatches panel, set the Text Color to yellow.



4. How to Export Your Fundraiser Flyer Design
Step 1
For Print: Go to File > Export, on the Export pop-up window, and select Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format menu.
Name the file and click Save.



Step 2
In the Export Adobe PDF pop-up window, set the Adobe PDF Preset to Press Quality.



Step 3
Select the Marks and Bleeds option from the left-hand menu. Check both All Printer’s Marks and Document Bleed Settings. Click Export.



Step 4
For online: Go to File > Export, and choose Adobe PDF (Interactive) from the Format menu. Name the file and click Save.



Step 5
In the following window, set the Pages to All or choose a specific page.
Select Compression from the left-hand menu. Here you have the option to choose the quality of your file. For the best online quality, set the Compression to JPEG 2000 (Lossless) and Resolution (ppi) to 144.
Click Export.



Conclusion: Your Finished Fundraiser Flyer Template
Your fundraiser flyer design template is finished! Save the document as an InDesign file so you can customize it for another flyer project. You can change the colors, add a new image and even change the text fonts, and you’ll have a completely new fundraising flyer design.



In this tutorial, you learned how to make a good fundraiser flyer that’s easily customizable. You learned some useful skills to get you started creating print document templates in Adobe InDesign. Working with grids, a tidy and organized document and color swatches, can help you design templates that are worth sharing with others.
Are you looking for the best fundraiser flyer ideas? These easy-to-customize fundraiser flyer templates from Envato Elements are great if you’re short on time.
Cancer World Flyer Set (AI, PSD)



This cancer fundraiser flyer set is fully customizable and editable. If you’re running Photoshop or Illustrator, this fundraiser flyer is easy to edit. The file contains artboards for a printed fundraising flyer design, Instagram post, and Instagram story.
Charity/Fundraising Flyer Design (AI, EPS, PSD)



Try this elegant, modern, and fresh fundraising flyer design. It’s completely customizable and easy to edit. This fundraising flyer design is perfect for a company—just swap the brand colors and add your own corporate fonts.
Charity Flyer (AI, PS, INDD, EPS)



Do you need a fun fundraising flyer template? This design is awesome for personal and corporate use. All the elements are resizable and editable, and it’s ready to print. If you don’t know how to use InDesign, this fundraising flyer template also comes with files for AI and PS.
NGO Flyer (AI, PS, INDD, EPS, DOCX, PAGES)



If you have a little more information to fit than on a single-page flyer, this double-sided fundraising flyer design is colorful, clean, and minimal. It’s perfect for advertising any kind of event that’s related to fundraising.
Charity Flyer (PSD, AI, INDD, DOCX, PAGES)



Here’s another double-sided fundraiser flyer template that’s completely versatile and easy to use. This flyer design is excellent for advertising events and services. The files are perfectly organized, so you can edit them quickly.
Charity, Non-Profit Flyer (PSD)



This fundraiser flyer template is a classic, tried-and-true design that delivers results. This design is great for donations, charity events, and promoting services and products. The file is already set in CMYK, so it’s ready to print and easily editable.
Discover the best fundraising flyer ideas and fundraiser flyer examples to keep sharpening your skills:
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Federal judge blocks Florida’s social media ‘deplatforming’ law
Florida's social media 'deplatforming' law that would've taken effect on Thursday has been temporarily blocked by a federal court. US District Judge Robert Hinkle has granted a preliminary injunction to stop "the parts of the legislation that are pre-empted or violate the First Amendment" from being enforced, according to AP and The New York Times. The law would give the state the right to fine social media companies like Facebook up to $250,000 a day if they ban or remove the account of a statewide political candidate. They could also be fined up to $25,000 a day for banning a local office candidate.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed the law shortly after Facebook, Instagram and Twitter banned former President Donald Trump. Republican politicians have long accused mainstream social media platforms of having an anti-conservative bias. After the bill successfully went through Florida's legislative house and senate, DeSantis signed it into law back in May. While the law targets the world's biggest social networks, the authors made sure Disney+ won't get caught up in it by making an exemption for theme park owners. As AP notes, the Walt Disney World located outside Orlando is one of the state's biggest employers.
The entities that filed the lawsuit to challenge the legislation were NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association — lobbying groups that represent Facebook, Google and other tech giants. Judge Hinkle explained that the plaintiffs would likely win the lawsuit on their claim that the new law violates the First Amendment if the case went to trial.
According to Hinkle:
"The legislation compels providers to host speech that violates their standards — speech they otherwise would not host — and forbids providers from speaking as they otherwise would…
The legislation now at issue was an effort to rein in social-media providers deemed too large and too liberal. Balancing the exchange of ideas among private speakers is not a legitimate governmental interest."
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Spotify is reportedly thinking about expanding into ticketed events
Spotify is reportedly “considering” expanding into events, according to The Information. The outlet reports the company could sell tickets for both virtual and live concerts as it looks to diversify its business. However, making money off of ticketed events isn’t necessarily Spotify’s short-term goal. Its more immediate plan is to use them as a way to improve its relationship with artists.
The Information suggests Spotify thinks there’s an opportunity to leverage the data it has to help musicians plan successful concerts in places most promoters avoid. In this way, the company is said to believe it can better show those artists it’s invested in their careers. It would also be a way for it to differentiate its platform from Apple Music.
Spotify has already dabbled in live events. This past spring, the company put on a handful of prerecorded virtual concerts featuring artists like The Black Keys and Leon Bridges. It sold tickets to those shows for $15 each. The Information reports the results of those concerts “validated” Spotify’s thinking on what events could do for it in the future, and it’s been thinking about next steps ever since. Of course, we wouldn't say that makes an expansion is a done deal. Selling tickets to concerts might make a lot of sense for a music streaming platform, but it would still represent a massive business shift for Spotify.
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Twitch Watch Parties now work on iOS and Android
Following last year’s expansion beyond the US, Twitch users can now access the platform’s "Watch Parties" feature on Android and iOS devices. Watch Parties allow Twitch users to stream content from Amazon Prime Video much like they would a video game. Viewers can follow along with the TV show or movie as it unfolds and take part in chat.
Watch Parties are now rolling out on an Android or iOS device near you.
To learn more about Watch Parties, including how to host your own, check out the help article at https://t.co/YvqLMCD5c6. pic.twitter.com/5aQC9It02G
— Twitch (@Twitch) June 30, 2021
Previously, Watch Parties were only available through Twitch’s web client. As you might imagine, there are some limits in place to prevent people from watching Prime Video content for free. To start, both the person streaming the video and watching it need an active Prime Video subscription to take part. Regional restrictions also apply, so someone can’t stream a TV show or movie that’s not available in their local Prime Video library. But even when you take those restrictions into consideration, there aren’t a lot of features out there that match what Twitch has with Watch Parties. After all, it’s something the company can only offer because it’s owned by Amazon.
Maine bans facial recognition technology from schools and most police work
Maine has passed the strongest statewide law regulating government use of facial recognition to date. The state’s House and Senate voted unanimously in favor of rules that prohibit law enforcement from using the technology unless they have probable cause that an unidentified person in an image committed a serious crime. Once the law goes into effect later this year, it will also limit how police conduct facial ID searches. They won’t have direct access to the tech. Instead, they’ll need to go through the FBI and Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) in the few instances where they’re sanctioned to use it.
Additionally, the law affords citizens the right to sue the state if they believe a government agency has used the technology unlawfully. It also prohibits Maine from deploying facial recognition systems in schools, and mandates that both Maine State Police and the BMV will need to maintain public records of search requests from law enforcement.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the bill “stands in sharp contrast” to Washington state’s SB 6280, the only other statewide law in the US governing the use of facial recognition. That bill was sponsored and primarily written by a current Microsoft employee. It has also been criticized by privacy advocates for giving police too many opportunities to use the technology for surveillance purposes.
Amazon calls for FTC chair Lina Khan’s recusal from antitrust investigations
Amazon has requested the recusal of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan from the agency's antitrust investigations into the company. "Amazon.com, Inc. respectfully petitions the commission for recusal of Chair Lina Khan from any antitrust investigation, adjudication, litigation, or other proceeding in which Amazon is a subject, target or defendant for which Chair Khan's prior public statements create the appearance of her having prejudged facts and/or legal issues relevant to the proceeding," the company said in a 25-page filing.
President Joe Biden appointed Khan as FTC chair this month on the same day she won confirmation as an agency commissioner. She came to prominence as a critic of major tech companies, including Amazon. Khan published a Yale Law Journal article in 2017 titled "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," in which she argued that US policies and laws weren't enough to keep giants like Amazon accountable.
"Given her long track record of detailed pronouncements about Amazon, and her repeated proclamations that Amazon has violated the antitrust laws, a reasonable observer would conclude that she no longer can consider the company’s antitrust defenses with an open mind,” Amazon said in the filing, as The Wall Street Journal notes.
The FTC is looking into Amazon as part of a series of investigations against major tech companies. The agency is also reviewing Amazon's plan to buy movie studio MGM for $8.45 billion.
Khan previously worked with the House Judiciary's antitrust subcommittee on a 16-month probe into Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. Last year, Democrats on the panel called on Congress to consider breaking up those companies. During her confirmation hearing, Khan said she would speak with FTC ethics officials regarding a possible recusal if needed.
watchOS 8 beta hands-on: Subtle but useful changes
With the iOS 15 and watchOS 8 public betas now available for testing, it’s time for us to get an early look at some of the features coming to Apple’s biggest platforms. While the next watchOS might not represent as significant a change as iOS 15, it does bring new health and fitness tools, along with tighter iPhone integration.
If you’re thinking of checking out the public beta for yourself, make sure you’ve considered the risk of running preview software. Those who simply can't wait for a stable public version of the upcoming platform can sign up for Apple's beta program and install the builds now, provided you have an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer, along with an iPhone running the iOS 15 beta.
Mindfulness, health and fitness
Apple's new health-centric features could interest those looking for a more wholistic approach to wellbeing. The company has renamed its Breathe app to Mindfulness, adding "Reflect" to the existing breathing exercises. You can set each Reflect session's duration from one to five minutes. A prompt appears before each session to help you focus your thoughts, along with a button to begin.
So far, I've seen prompts similar to other meditation guides that tell you to be aware of your thoughts and let them pass without judgement. Some other examples include "Think of someone you care about. Imagine you can feel your connection with them" and "Consider the values that matter to you in something you’re focused on."
Then, a colorful swirling animation takes up the screen. I usually just lean back and close my eyes at this point, but if you continue to stare at your watch, the animation is a nice distraction that's almost hypnotizing. When your time is up, the watch vibrates and shows a closing thought tied to the opening prompt, like "Bring this sense of open awareness with you." You'll also see your heart rate and your total Mindful minutes for the day (which includes time spent doing Breathe exercises). After two Mindfulness sessions, my Apple Watch SE said my pulse plummeted from 64 to 47bpm, which is great, I guess.
It does at times feel like a glorified timer, meets fortune cookie, meets Magic 8 Ball, all set to Windows Media Player visualizations. But combined with reminders throughout the day that you can customize, Mindfulness can be a valuable tool for checking in with yourself and your state of mind.
A few other health-centric additions to watchOS include two new Workout categories: Tai Chi and Pilates. I've yet to do a session of either exercise so I can't say how accurately Apple tracks these yet. There are also a couple more features I need more time to get a better sense for, like respiratory rate tracking overnight and walking steadiness. To be clear, the latter isn't specifically a watchOS feature — it uses your iPhone stashed somewhere on your body, but I thought to include it as part of Apple's health updates here. Walking steadiness requires at least two weeks of testing before delivering an assessment, so it'll take some time before I get results.
Messaging, new apps and integration with iPhone
A big part of the watchOS 8 update is improved communications tools and integration with your iPhone. Notably, the Messages app now allows you to compose via Scribble, Dictate and Emojis all within the same screen. I scrawled out part of a message, dictated longer parts of it, and added emoji from one page easily. Editing is also less of a hassle than before, thanks in large part to the ability to use the Digital Crown to control the cursor. Hallelujah! Scrolling back to insert a space or fix a stray "v" got so much easier.
Additionally, there's a new option now to send GIFs in Messages, from the same place you'd send a Digital Touch (just hit the search glass button and type in your keyword).
Communicating with people is also easier now thanks to the new Contacts app, which lets you find specific friends more quickly. If you've set one of iOS 15's new Focus modes on your iPhone, the same settings will apply to your watch. People and apps that have been blocked will remain muted on your wrist, and a symbol at the top of the screen indicates which Focus mode is active.
Contacts isn't the only new app for watchOS 8. Apple is also redesigning Home to make interacting with your connected appliances easier, and bringing Find Items, Find Devices, and Tips to your wrist. The new OS will also add support for ultra wideband to enable more precise car key functions like spatial awareness. Plus, the update lets you use your Watch as a key for hotels and offices in addition to your home and car, though naturally it only works with compatible buildings and locks. I haven't had a chance to test those features yet.
Like its counterpart on iOS, the watchOS Wallet app will also support adding your driver's License, which you can use in participating states and agencies in the US when that's more broadly rolled out. In addition to privacy and security concerns around Apple storing your ID on your device, there are also questions here about how likely law enforcers or various authorities are to welcome these digital cards. But that's not something I was able to test with this preview build, given this feature is not accepted in most places at the moment.
Portrait watch faces, multiple timers and Fitness+
In addition, I tried out a few other new features on the watchOS 8 beta: portrait watch faces and multiple timers. Similar to how you could create a Photos face for Apple Watch before, hit Share on a picture on your iPhone, then tap Create Watch Face. If you want the faux depth-of-field effect on your wrist, you'll need to pick an image shot using your phone's Portrait mode. The effect will animate when you rotate the watch dial. Currently, there are only three clock styles available for these, and I found "Modern" the least offensive. You can also add a single complication to Portrait faces.
As for multiple timers: It works. I set a countdown for three minutes, then hit back and set another for a minute. They both went off without a hitch. It's funny that something as simple as this took eight whole updates to get, but at least it's here. Those who use their Apple Watch for cooking timers will appreciate this one.
Finally, this isn't quite a watchOS update but since you need an Apple Watch to use Fitness+, the two are intertwined. When you use Fitness+ on your iPhone or iPad, you'll now be able to watch the exercise videos in Picture-in-Picture mode. I was also able to resize the panel that was overlaid atop my other apps simply by pinching to zoom.
Wrap-up
This isn't the biggest update to watchOS, but Apple has made some subtle improvements to its communication apps and it's also tightened its iPhone integration. I also appreciate the attention paid to different takes on health and wellbeing. There are still more features to test, like walking steadiness and ID support, but for now the watchOS 8 beta feels like a thoughtful, if small, update.
Update (at 7:45pm ET): This article was edited to clarify that Walking Steadiness is an iOS 15 feature, not a watchOS 8 feature.
AT&T will soon enable RCS messaging for all Android phones
AT&T is the latest carrier to make Messages by Google the default messaging service for all customers on Android devices. The move will replace the default messaging system, SMS, with Rich Communication Services technology, an open standard that prioritizes media, eliminates character limits, and generally upgrades the traditional texting experience.
RCS unlocks the ability to share full-resolution photos and send larger media files than SMS can handle, it streamlines group chats, enables end-to-end encryption for one-on-one conversations, and it works over Wi-Fi or data. The transition for AT&T customers will take place soon, according to Google.
Google has been nudging the mobile industry toward RCS for years, and it's finally catching on. T-Mobile is making the switch to Messages by Google, and therefore RCS messaging, by the end of the year, and now AT&T is doing the same.
However, Verizon hasn't announced plans to adopt RCS — and neither has Apple, for that matter.
Instagram is working on a paid Stories subscription feature
Instagram has confirmed it's working on a new feature called "Exclusive Stories." Since June 21st, images of the Stories offshoot have circulated online after software developer Alessandro Paluzzi shared on Twitter that they had found references to the feature in Instagram's codebase. On Wednesday, the company told TechCrunch the screenshots showcase an internal prototype it's working on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, Instagram didn't reveal any other details about the project, noting it had nothing more to share when Engadget reached out.
#Instagram is working on stories for fan clubs, exclusive stories visible only to fan club members ?
?? It is not possible to take screenshots of exclusive stories. pic.twitter.com/GAYvRFVBss
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) June 21, 2021
But what we can gather from the screenshots is that the feature is Instagram's take on Twitter's paid Super Follow subscription. When regular users stumble upon an Exclusive Story, Instagram will tell them "only members" can view the content. It also appears the company will prevent people from trying to screenshot what they see. At the same time, it will push creators to save their Exclusive Stories to a Highlight so that new members have something to view as they subscribe.
As with any insight that comes courtesy of someone finding early references to a new feature, there's the possibility Instagram may never release the feature Paluzzi found. But the images clearly show the company is thinking about how it can entice creators to stay on the platform. If that means adapting a feature from one of its rivals, so be it. Facebook and Instagram have done that plenty of times in the past.
