The Roundup
Every Sunday
RIP emojis. The future of communication.
This newsletter was brought to you byElevenLabsRIP emojis. The future of communication.
A few months ago, singing cats, unicorns, and turds filled our social feeds: Apple had launched the iPhone X, the TrueDepth camera, and Animoji. The future had arrived.
These animated characters is a preview of our immersive avatar future, an evolution of digital self-expression and communication. The OASIS isn't far away. 😉
In the early days of the internet, online communities were text-based. We hung out on bulletin boards, IRC channels, and on AIM (RIP). As broadband and smartphones became more accessible, that’s dramatically changed.
Existing platforms, like Twitter and Messenger, adopted photos, GIFs, and stickers. Newer entrants like Instagram and Snapchat flourished as visual mediums, eventually introducing face filters, inspiring a waves of rainbow throw-up around the world. 🌈
The next evolution of communication will be driven by expressions, mirroring the fidelity of IRL interactions, without the anxiety and privacy concerns inherent with traditional video communication. All of the major players are weighing in: Apple’s ARKit, Google’s ARCore, Facebook’s AR Studio, and Snap's recently announced Lens Studio.
In the meantime, here are a few fun avatar apps to try:
💃 Gabsee: Put your 3D avatar in the real world
📺 Toonstar: Host a TV show with a cartoon (yes, this is weird)
😮 Mirror AI: Turn your selfie into an emoji (backed by YC)
🗞 Genies: Create a next gen bitmoji that reacts to the news
🎤 MyIdol: This is just creepy and awesome
Now for some fun: Share your avatar creation with us on Twitter as a photo or video. We’ll RT the most creative. 😸
These animated characters is a preview of our immersive avatar future, an evolution of digital self-expression and communication. The OASIS isn't far away. 😉
In the early days of the internet, online communities were text-based. We hung out on bulletin boards, IRC channels, and on AIM (RIP). As broadband and smartphones became more accessible, that’s dramatically changed.
Existing platforms, like Twitter and Messenger, adopted photos, GIFs, and stickers. Newer entrants like Instagram and Snapchat flourished as visual mediums, eventually introducing face filters, inspiring a waves of rainbow throw-up around the world. 🌈
The next evolution of communication will be driven by expressions, mirroring the fidelity of IRL interactions, without the anxiety and privacy concerns inherent with traditional video communication. All of the major players are weighing in: Apple’s ARKit, Google’s ARCore, Facebook’s AR Studio, and Snap's recently announced Lens Studio.
In the meantime, here are a few fun avatar apps to try:
💃 Gabsee: Put your 3D avatar in the real world
📺 Toonstar: Host a TV show with a cartoon (yes, this is weird)
😮 Mirror AI: Turn your selfie into an emoji (backed by YC)
🗞 Genies: Create a next gen bitmoji that reacts to the news
🎤 MyIdol: This is just creepy and awesome
Now for some fun: Share your avatar creation with us on Twitter as a photo or video. We’ll RT the most creative. 😸
Highlight
Black Mirror tech: Today Mango Mirror just launched a $500 smart mirror. Watch the video.
Ad
So we’re just… talking to software now?
ElevenLabs has been the go-to for voice for a while. Now they've turned that expertise into agents that actually get things done. You set one up, it talks like a real person, listens, responds, and helps handle the task — support calls, bookings, whatever the job is. Not a demo, not a "press 1 for sales" situation. It's ready to deploy. Feels like one of those shifts where the interface quietly changes. Less typing, less clicking, more just saying what needs to happen and letting it play out.
The Roundup
Every Sunday
Everything you missed this past week on Product Hunt: Top products, spicy community discourse, key trends on the site, and long-form pieces we’ve recently published.