iWorld
Sooperfly launches kayaking web series ‘Paddle Hard’
MUMBAI: After launching the mountaineering series – Mission Everest 2015 last week, Sooperfly is now gearing up to retell the story of a lone sea expedition with Paddle Hard – an eight episode YouTube web-series starting 10 September, 2015.
The 120 Media Collective’s content creation and distribution arm has partnered the sea-farer and IIT graduate Kaustabh Khade to tell his story of weathering storms and wild creatures at sea.
Sooperfly business head and senior vice president Vishal Nongbet said, “Paddle Hard is in line with our interest supporting fresh and compelling content through bespoke distribution. Kaustubh’s trip to the party capital has all the elements intact; only, we view it from the other side of the beach!”
Accomplishing the challenge in the shortest possible time, the 17 year old seafarer has entered the Limca Book of Records and has dedicated the funds to support underprivileged children and youth.
Khade said, “Magic Bus uses sports to change lives, which is what motivated me to work with them. Engaging with anyone, child or adult, through sports helps cross many boundaries over the long term that can prove otherwise difficult to surmount.”
Khade was inspired by Magic Bus, which aims to take children out of poverty through a programme of mentoring and coaching. He associated with the NGO to help these children by raising funds for Magic Bus India.
Magic Bus founder and executive chairman Matthew Spacie added, “We are extremely delighted to have Kaustubh take this challenge in support of the lakhs of children whose lives we are part of. Together, we hope to create a new generation of economically independent and socially aware citizens who are fully equipped to participate in shaping their country’s future.”
Watch the Paddle Hard preview here – https://youtu.be/u-7SNUjZHMc
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.
