The Instax Wide gets a long-awaited update as the EU votes on chat encryption

It’s been a busy week in tech with Nvidia being named the world’s most valuable company, Nintendo announced more exciting titles coming to the Switch during its Nintendo Direct stream, and Apple ditching its Pay Later loan scheme less than a year after it was announced. 

In mobile news, Motorola unveiled a new flagship phone and Oppo announced the Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G, while Lenovo showcased a tablet with a built-in JBL Bluetooth speaker. 

Meanwhile, Nikon unveiled its mid-range Z6 III mirrorless camera and Fujifilm announced a minor but much-needed update to the 5-year-old Instax Mini LiPlay. 

Keep reading to learn who we named our winner and loser this week. 

Winner: Fujifilm 

While the Mini LiPlay refresh was certainly great news, it wasn’t actually the biggest Instax update Fujifilm announced this week. On Tuesday, the company unveiled an update to its Wide line of instant cameras for the first time in 10 years. 

The Instax Wide 400 is the name of the long-awaited follow-up to the Instax Wide 300, a camera that has been Fujifilm’s Wide film go-to since 2014. 

Not only does the Wide 400 bring with it a slightly smaller, more modern design, but it also includes some useful new features. 

Take the self-timer, for example, which makes it possible for everyone to squeeze into the group shots without asking a stranger to snap the photo. The self-timer allows you to choose between 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 seconds, giving you ample time to get into position and ready your pose. 

The Instax Wide 400 also comes with a new strap which ties onto the side of the camera and features two small blocks that can be used to prop up the camera on any flat surface and tilt it at the perfect angle. 

If you’ve been looking for a way to capture large instant photos with the whole gang, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this Instax camera. 

Loser: The EU 

The EU might not be a tech company, but it has been directing some major changes in tech by mandating them in Europe, especially these last few years. 

While some laws have had a largely positive effect (Apple finally adopting USB-C ports in its iPhones, for example), others could end up doing more harm than good. The most recent example of this is the Chat Control law which has drawn backlash from privacy experts worldwide. 

The Chat Control law would require users of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal and iMessage to agree to new terms and conditions that allow images and URLs in their chats to be scanned by the app to detect child sexual abuse. 

As many privacy experts and some experts alike have stated, if passed this law could seriously compromise the security of chats. Not only would it undermine end-to-end encryption in messages, but it would require apps to build a backdoor that could potentially be exploited by others.