iWorld
Red FM brings ‘South Side Story – Kutty Edition’ to Mumbai
Mumbai: 93.5 Red FM has announced the ‘Kutty’ edition of South Side Story in Mumbai, taking place on 14 December 2024, at NESCO Center, Goregaon. Following the huge success of the two-day festival in Delhi, this edition will bring a more intimate South Indian experience to Mumbai, showcasing the best of South Indian music, culture, and food. The lineup features Vedan, Pal Dabba, Sooraj Santhosh, Yung Raja, Dopeadelicz, Baby Jean, and headliner Agam, all making their debut at South Side Story with unique musical styles.
The festival promises a full cultural experience, with attendees treated to a traditional Sadhya feast and a variety of South Indian delicacies, along with a curated selection of drinks and cocktails. Immersive South Indian experiences will further capture the essence of the south, offering festival-goers a rich blend of flavors and traditions right in the heart of Mumbai.
Red FM & Magic FM COO and director Nisha Narayanan said, “In a sea of larger-than-life concerts, this is our humble effort to bring South Side Story to Mumbai in a unique, bite-sized format. As a Kutty edition, it continues to be packed with several flavors of the South. The festival brings both cultural evangelism and Indie music space on one stage and we continue to support it in whichever way we can. For this edition, we are focused on bringing an eclectic mix of hip-hop/rap, folk fusion, and progressive rock. We are supremely excited to bring six debuts to this year’s edition, headlined by our South Side Story lucky charm – Agam the band. This festival is for those who seek out something special and niche. And as always, we look forward to hosting you all.”
Book your tickets here: https://bit.ly/3AgrhJC
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
