Facebook announces money transferring for Messenger
Soon, Facebook Messenger will expand to a messaging service that allows money transferring. The social network announced today that users will be able to conveniently and securely send or receive money between friends. Simply add a Visa or MasterCard debit card and setup a PIN to start transferring money. Since security has become increasingly important, especially when it comes to financial items, Facebook says that login approvals can be added for another layer of authentication.
To send money:
- Start a message with a friend
- Tap the $ icon and enter the amount you want to send
- Tap Pay in the top right and add your debit card to send money
To receive money:
- Open the conversation from your friend
- Tap Add Card in the message and add your debit card to accept money for the first time
The money transferring feature will be rolled out in the United States over the coming months. It will work on web, Android, and iOS platforms.
Source: Facebook Newsroom
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The NYPD is trying a more precise gunshot detection system
Zeroing in on the precise source of gunfire is next to impossible in densely packed cities like New York City. Shots reverberate off of building facades, obscuring the shooter’s location and costing law enforcement precious response time. But with a newly installed gunshot detection system, the NYPD will know exactly where those shots are coming from.
Nearly 20 percent of all violent crimes committed in New York City in 2013 (the most recent year for which stats are available) were perpetrated with a firearm — some 4,777 incidents in all. But, according to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, “on average 75 percent of shots fired are never called into 911.” So, as part of its ongoing effort to combat gun crime within the five boroughs, the NYPD recently installed a $1.5 million trial version of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system in multiple designated test zones throughout the Bronx and Brooklyn. The Bronx test areas have already come online; those in Brooklyn are expected to activate in the near future.
The ShotSpotter trial system relies on 300 audio sensors distributed throughout the 15-square-mile test area. Each sensor is tuned to pick up the distinct crack of gunfire and works with other sensors nearby to triangulate the source of the shot. Once the system detects a potential gunshot, the audio feed is verified by a trained professional and then forwarded on to emergency services via the city’s Domain Awareness System (DAS).
ShotSpotter is reportedly capable of not only recognizing shots and sourcing them to within about 80 feet (roughly half a city block) but also the number of shots, direction of the shooter’s travel and even the number of firearms involved. And unlike previous gunshot detection systems that NYC has experimented with (and abandoned due to flurries of false-positives), ShotSpotter accurately detects shots 80 percent of the time.
“Gunshot detection technology like ShotSpotter will add yet another tool to the NYPD’s technological crimefighting capabilities,” the commissioner said during a press conference. “It will enable us to respond to shooting incidents in a more timely manner, and provide us with the ability to help victims, solve crimes and apprehend dangerous suspects more quickly.”
Should the ShotSpotter system work as advertised, the NYPD said it will integrate the system integrate the system into the city’s overarching Domain Awareness surveillance scheme. There, the ShotSpotter’s data would be integrated with the city’s 8,000 or so CCTV feeds, NYPD license plate readers, Homeland Security radiation sensors and even 911 reports. That way, when police respond to a 10-10 call (Possible Crime in Progress), they’ll know exactly what they’re getting into before they even reach the scene.
[Image Credit: Getty, NYC Mayor’s Office]
Via: Gothamist
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office
Google Play adds age-based ratings to games, buckles down on reviewing apps
On its Android Developers Blog, Google has chronicled two changes coming to the Play Store.
The first of these changes is a global content rating system for apps and games. Starting today, developers will need to complete a content rating questionnaire of each of their apps and games in order for them to receive ratings. The official ratings will come from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), Australian Classification Board, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), and Classificação Indicativa (ClassInd).
Developers will need to sign into the Developer Console and complete the new questionnaire for their apps. Apps without a completed questionnaire risk being unrated and may be blocked in certain territories for some users. In May, all apps, whether new or existing, will need to meet this requirement.
Lastly, there is a new app review process. Starting some months ago, Google reviewed apps before they were published to Google Play. It has now added a team of experts who will be responsible for reviewing violations. Developers can view the status of their apps at any times and clearly will be able to understand why any are rejected or suspended,. They can resubmit those with minor policy violations.
The post Google Play adds age-based ratings to games, buckles down on reviewing apps appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Deal: Get $50 in Google Play credit with purchase of a Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Android Wear device
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, tablet or wearable, the newly-announced Google Store may have a deal for you. From now until March 31st, if you purchase a Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or any Android Wear device, you’ll receive $50 in credit to be used on anything in the Google Play Store. Once you purchase your new device, you’ll get a confirmation email from Google with your promotion code, which can then be added to your Play Store balance.
There are a few rules and regulations to go over before you make your purchase, though. Just to clarify, the $50 credit can be used in the Google Play Store, not the new Google Store where you buy devices. Your $50 credit can go towards anything, whether that be new apps, games, movies, shows, music or magazines. Your Google Play credit must be added to your account by April 20th and used by September 1st.
In addition to this sweet deal, Sony’s SmartWatch 3 can also be yours for a discounted price. Right now, the SmartWatch 3 is being offered at a $50 discount ($199.99), and includes the $50 in Google Play credit. That’s not a bad deal at all!
If you’d like to take advantage of any of these deals, head to the link below to start shopping. Is anybody picking anything up?
Buy the Moto X Pure Edition, get a free Moto E
Want to buy a smartphone for yourself, but also need to snag a cheap phone for family (or, let’s be honest, a backup for yourself)? Motorola might have you covered. It just kicked off an unusual promotion that gives you a free 3G version of the new Moto E when you buy a Moto X Pure Edition. That’s not so hot if you insist on LTE data for every device, but it’s a no-brainer if you were either set on getting a Moto X or don’t relish the idea of splurging on two phones at once. Don’t spend long deciding what to do, though — Motorola is only running the promo through March 24th.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo
Source: Motorola
eBay and Sotheby’s high-end auctions will launch next month
You wouldn’t expect to be let in to a fine art auction wearing nothing but tighty whities, but starting April 1st, no one’s going to be able to stop you. Sotheby’s has teamed up with its digital counterpart, eBay, to launch its long-promised digital sales channel. Now, online collectors flush with Beanie Baby sales cash can fight as equals against entitled Manhattan socialites for Ansel Adams’ photography and Andy Warhol watches.
For now, a single auction per day will be streamed live from Sotheby’s New York outfit, with catalogs from the April 1st and 2nd events available to view right now. The biggest item currently listed is the sign from Yankee Stadium from 1976, which is expected to fetch up to $600,000. Let’s just hope no one from overseas wins that particular auction — imagine the shipping fees!
[Image credit: Robert Orion Martin, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Reuters
Source: eBay
Google ditched the steering wheel because people are ‘unreliable’
If you’ve ever wondered why Google decided to build its own car, well, you have at least part of your answer now. During a talk at SXSW, Astro Teller, the head of Google X, told the crowd that they decided to remove the steering wheel and brakes entirely because humans are “not a reliable backup” for the self-driving system.
What does he mean exactly? Well, he believes that Google has already “mastered” highway driving. The company had put in hundreds of thousands of hours, autonomously cruising California freeways. The project had even reached the dog-fooding phase, in which Googlers test out the project in the real world. So employees that didn’t work in the semi-secretive Google X division were essentially invited to beta test the vehicle and commute to work in a robot car — under the condition that they pay very close attention and be the world’s best bug reporters.
Humans are “not a reliable backup” for the self-driving system.
Unfortunately, Teller and his team quickly learned that people are too quick to trust that the car will simply take care of everything. The car had to be driven to and from the freeway before the self-driving could be engaged and in between, passengers needed to closely monitor how the vehicle behaved. Instead, they would immediately check out and engage in what we can only assume is questionable behavior. Teller pointed out that people engage in plenty of stupid activities when actually driving, like texting. So imagine what they would do when able to put their trust fully in the car itself. Teller didn’t get specific; he only said it “wasn’t pretty.”
So now the challenge is to master city driving and completely remove people from the equation.
He also answered a few other burning questions about Google’s self-driving prototype. Specifically why, if the goal is to have no steering, no brakes and no way for a person to take control of the vehicle are there mirrors and a windshield wiper. Well, it turns out that’s just the law. Regulations require mirrors and a windshield wiper, even if they don’t benefit the actual driver. Go figure.
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Contest: Win a Spigen Capsule Solid case for the Samsung Galaxy S6 from Talk Android!
The Samsung Galaxy S6 will be one of the hottest devices on the market when it launches around the world next month. Millions of consumers will rush to purchase the device that takes Samsung in a new direction. The Galaxy S6 features a metal and glass body, two materials that just scream high-end. With that high-end look, however, comes concerns with how durable the device is. That is why protecting the Galaxy S6 will be important for many consumers.
Among the various cases that are capable of protecting the Galaxy S6 is the Spigen Capsule Solid. The accessory maker, which is known for its stylish and quality products, designed the Capsule Solid with simplicity and functionality in mind. Spigen notes that the minimalistic look is met with a gold kickstand for stylish functionality. The primary material used is a flexible, shock-absorbing TPU. There is also a slightly raised lip so the display will not sit on a surface and risk scratching. Nothing about this case is bulky and it looks great keeping things simple.
We want to make sure that your Galaxy S6 is protected, too, and that is why we are giving away the Spigen Capsule Solid case. The exact case we are giving away comes in black (pictured above) and usually retails for $14.99. Just last week, we gave away a similar Spigen case.
Here’s how the contest works:
- Leave a comment below telling us what you feel is the most important specification a smartphone has. Make sure your account is using a valid email address since that is how we will contact you.
- Comments can be posted until Sunday, March 22, at 11:59PM EST
- On Monday, March 23, we will select a winner at random and contact them
- Another winner will be selected if we do not hear from the initial winner within the first day or two
We will update this post once a winner has been selected, so check here often on March 23. Good luck!
[Capsule Solid for Galaxy S6 – Spigen]
Come comment on this article: Contest: Win a Spigen Capsule Solid case for the Samsung Galaxy S6 from Talk Android!
Apple Releases Safari 8.0.4 With Stability and Security Improvements [Mac Blog]
Apple today released Safari 8.0.4 for OS X Yosemite, bringing stability and security improvements to the browser. Apple has also released Safari 7.1.4 and Safari 6.2.4 for Mavericks and Mountain Lion users, respectively.
In addition to bringing stability improvements, the update fixes vulnerabilities in WebKit, which could allow a malicious website to unexpectedly terminate an application or execute code. It also fixes an interface inconsistency in Safari that could have allowed attackers to misrepresent URLs.
WebKit
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an
unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: Multiple memory corruption issues existed in WebKit.
These issues were addressed through improved memory handling.WebKit
Impact: Inconsistent user interface may prevent users from
discerning a phishing attack
Description: A user interface inconsistency existed in Safari that allowed an attacker to misrepresent the URL. This issue was addressed through improved user interface consistency checks.
Today’s 8.0.4 release comes several months after the release of Safari 8.0.3, which was bundled into the OS X 10.10.2 update in January. The new Safari builds can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Mail Pilot 2 for Mac on the way; Apple Watch app in the works
Mindsense has annoucned that Mail Pilot 2 for Mac is on its way. The app has added a number of new features, including a revamped interface for OS X Yosemite, and will be a free update for existing users.
The interface has been simplified, with your inbox, reminders, drafts, and more all located on the translucent, collapsable source list. Everything is less cluttered, even with the redesigned inbox, which shows more of your messages, letting you get a quick glance of your mail.
From Mindsense:
We redesigned version 2 to have an intense level of simplicity & focus. We stripped out every unnecessary interface element, collapsed views when they aren’t needed, and redesigned the interface to put your life’s content center stage.
Mail Pilot 2 has made a number of improvements to existing features. Search has been rebuilt for speed, and you will be able to drag and drop attachments inline with your message. The app also allows you click one button to collapse all messages that have been sent by bots, which the app automatically detects.
During the beta for Mail Pilot 2 for Mac, Mindsense is offering a public preview. You can sign up on their website here.
In addition to Mail Pilot 2 for Mac, Mindsense has also announced Mail Pilot for Apple Watch as an update to Mail Pilot 2 for iPhone and iPad. You’ll be able to check your inbox, view notifications, and use the watch’s Glances feature to look at your reminders for the day.
Finally, the developer is working on a new email tool, called Periscope. Details are scarce at the moment, but Mindsense says that the all-new product will give you control over your inbox in a way that can’t be matched by email clients. You can sign up to the Periscope newsletter for more information.
No date has been released for the launch of Mail Pilot 2 for Mac, and Mail Pilot for Apple Watch is expected closer to the actual release of the device on April 24.
AIVAnet 