Starbucks app lets you reload your card with Apple Pay
No, you still can’t go into a Starbucks and pay for that double-blended frappuccino with your phone. But if you update the company’s app, you should at least be able to quickly reload a Starbucks card from within your iPhone using Apple Pay. The cafe has long been listed as one of Apple Pay’s app partners, but it’s not clear if it will ever accept the payment method in its stores. Other than giving you the ability to load your card with caffeine money, the update also adds more calorie information to the items on the menu. And trust us when we say you’d want to check it first before ordering a second venti double chocolaty chip crème frappuccino.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Via: MacRumors
Source: iTunes
Gabriel Aul teases release date of Windows 10 preview for phones with a puzzle
After announcing on Twitter that the Windows 10 preview for phones will be available sometime this month, Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul has teased the release date with a puzzle.
New ‘App Pins’ Allow Users to Install iOS Apps Right From Pinterest’s App
Pinterest today announced a new partnership with Apple to launch “App Pins” that will allow users to install iOS apps on their devices without ever needing to leave the Pinterest app.
Let’s say you’re Pinning workout inspiration to your Marathon Training board. If you see a fitness app that helps you reach your goals, you can download it right from Pinterest.
When you come across an app Pin, tap Install to download the app right to your iPhone or iPad without ever leaving Pinterest (you’ll only see app Pins when you’re using the Pinterest app on your iPhone or iPad).
As part of the rollout, Apple is also launching its own App Store board on Pinterest, giving the company a place to feature apps on a variety of topics within Pinterest. Apple is currently featuring a number of apps and other pins focused on fashion and recipes, playing into this week’s New York Fashion Week.
Huge news: we’re now on @Pinterest! This week we'll be pinning live from #NYFW. https://t.co/bSpUWUKPcK pic.twitter.com/oadXbauiIt
— App Store (@AppStore) February 12, 2015
Pinterest tells The New York Times it believes it can be an excellent place for app discovery considering its role as a place where people come to share and discover things.
“We can be a really powerful service for app discovery, which is a problem that still really hasn’t been solved,” Evan Sharp, a founder of Pinterest, said in an interview. “Our specialty is really connecting people to the things they want to do.” […]
Pinterest believes it is better positioned [than Twitter and Facebook] to help promote apps because of the nature of the service. People come to Pinterest, the company says, to find new things to do, see and buy. That is unlike Facebook, which has been used to connect with friends, or even Twitter, which is often about public discourse and news.
The new App Pins functionality is included in a just-released update to the Pinterest iOS app, which is available free of charge in the App Store. [Direct Link]
New BBM beta brings picture sharing in groups, read receipt for file transfers
Although the majority of users won’t be able to take advantage of this one just yet, a new limited BBM beta has been released to the BlackBerry Beta Zone that brings with it some new features for groups and file transfers.
Motorola is now pushing Android 5.0 Lollipop to Moto Maxx and Moto E
Motorola’s commitment to speedy updates continues to shine as they are now pushing Android 5.0 Lollipop to the Moto Maxx and Moto E.
The Moto Maxx in Brazil and Mexico has already started soak testing, while the Moto E in Brazil and India is getting the same treatment. The soak tests represent a small test groups, and assuming the results are positive, they will expand it to more handsets. Devices bought at the retail level will be the first to get the update.
Let us know if you receive the update.
source: Motorola
Come comment on this article: Motorola is now pushing Android 5.0 Lollipop to Moto Maxx and Moto E
Subway icon set from Pixle now available for free on Github
If you’re building an app one of the key elements of that app is the icons you use and, of course, you always want those to look good as they help end-users navigate their way and make your app look great. You could have the best app in the world, if it looks like crap, no one will care.
One icon set often seen in BlackBerry 10 apps is Subway from Pixle which was previously offered through their site for free in PNG but other formats required a fee of $9.99. Pixle has changed that up a bit now and has begun offering the 306 icon pack optimized for mobile devices on Github for free which includes SVG, XALM, PSD, AI and EPS formats.
Quantify almost everything in your life with Instant
Chances are that the key aspects of your life can be quantified by Instant. The lifestyle app is capable of tracking, or ‘lifelogging’, users’ everyday activities. Instant collects data involving device usage, fitness, and travel. From the time spent using your device to the distance traveled and more, Instant monitors activity. It is quite impressive just how many things Instant can manage. The app covers device management, fitness tracking, and travel recording.
The following are the key features in the new version highlighted by Emberify:
- Automatically track your device usage time & daily unlock count
- Track your app usage
- Integrated with Google Fit to track your fitness and travel time
- Graphs for a Quantified Self
- Get reminders as notifications according to usage time
- Widget for quick tracking
Everything that Instant has to offer is packaged in a beautiful user interface that follows Material Design. Colors are placed purposely and Instant has plenty of graphs to really quantify what is being collected.
Come comment on this article: Quantify almost everything in your life with Instant
Google wants to give you 2GB of Drive storage and keep you safer
On February 10th, Google made a post on its Drive blog about online safety in relation to Safer Internet Day. It hopes that users of the service will take a couple of minutes to complete their Security Checkup. If you do this before February 17th, you’ll receive 2GB of additional data in your Google Drive plan.
Clearly, the company is confident in Drive’s encryption since they’re willing to entice users to keep using the service or to use it for the first time.
The three steps you need to take are to: make sure your account recovery information is current, review your recent sign-in activity, and confirm apps and devices that access some account information. After that, you should see three green checkboxes, like in the image above, that confirm your eligibility. The additional storage will then come around February 28 and a confirmation will be sent via email.
Google notes that users of Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Education are not eligible for the upgrade, but they should still take the checkup.
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Dozens of Blizzard’s biggest game characters are getting figurines
You’re typically lucky if you get even a few figurines based on your favorite games. That’s certainly true with Blizzard — despite its deep game universes, you seldom get more than a handful of characters. Thankfully, that relative drought is about to end soon. The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) is launching a collectible line based around Blizzard’s multi-franchise online battle arena, Heroes of the Storm, and it’s planning figurines for all 34 playable characters. If you want to have a Diablo III demon hunter or StarCraft II‘s Tychus on your desk, you can.
Get ready to wait if you’re choosy about the heroes and villains you take home, though. NECA is releasing basic figurines in pairs, starting with StarCraft‘s Nova and Warcraft‘s Illidan Stormrage (shown here). You’ll have to pay extra for deluxe models like Warcraft‘s Stitches, and the only other collectibles lined up so far are Arthas (Warcraft) and Tyrael (Diablo). But hey, it’s a start… and if you’re really determined, you’ll eventually have your own pantheon of gaming miniatures.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Kotaku
Snap v3 Beta 2 now available for download
Although the announcement of a new release on Tuesday hit some snags, Red Light of Love has now been updated and you’ll find Snap v3 beta 2 now available for download and it’s packed with quite a few changes even from the previous release. Looking for the change log? Jump below and have a look for yourself.
AIVAnet 