Facebook is reportedly building a breaking news notification app
Right now, the easiest way to read breaking news on your smartphone is to download a dedicated news reader app, something like Paper or Flipboard — but rumor has it that Facebook is working on something different. According to Business Insider, Facebook is developing a decentralized news app that simply pushes breaking news notifications and links to your mobile device. The app is reportedly in its early stages, but could be a way for Facebook to displace Twitter as a favorite place to look for breaking news.
The app sounds relatively simple: users will subscribe to various news feeds from a curated list and wait. When breaking news hits, those publications will be able to push short alerts to their subscriber’s phones, complete with a 100-character blurb and a link to the coverage on the publication’s website. That’s about it. By reducing the news app to nothing but notifications and links, Facebook doesn’t force publications into formatting their breaking news content for a stylized reader app or its Instant Articles.
On the other hand, you could probably just set up mobile notifications for your favorite news website’s Twitter account, or install their app (you have ours — with breaking news push notifications enabled — right?).
[Image Credit: Getty Images/Tetra images RF]
Filed under:
Misc, Mobile, Facebook
Source:
Business Insider
Tags: apps, facebook, mobilepostcross, news, newsreader, rumor
An electropop band used fax machines to promote its new album
Always looking for a reason to dust off your office’s sad, unused fax machine? Here’s one: The band YACHT used faxes to initially distribute its new album’s artwork. No, really. It’s part of a weird, multimedia promotion that defies all expectations: the album was announced as a set of coordinates that led to a billboard bearing its name, reading “I thought the future would be cooler.” The track list was unveiled as a Buzzfeed listicle. Now the band held its cover art ransom until at least 300 people requested it via fax. With the 300 requests in, you can check out a high res version after the break (no landline phone required) or on Google Photos.
HELLO WORLD. We made a new album & this is the cover photo by Luke Gilford. Now high-res on @GooglePhotos📷: https://t.co/IsOXmE9QbD #ITTFWBC
— â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘â–‘ (@YACHT) August 11, 2015
Fortunately, the group made it relatively easy to take part in this marketing experiment — it’s created a web app called Fax.Ink that automatically sends a fax to your nearest Staples or FedEx store. If you have your own fax machine, you can simply enter the number. “We’re doing this because there are 17 million fax machines in the U.S. and they’re not having any fun,” explained the app’s preface. Okay then. The fact that the promotion still took a few hours should tell you something about how commonplace fax machines are these days.
[Image Credit: CSA Images]
Filed under:
Misc
Via:
The Verge
Source:
ittfwbc
Tags: fax, faxmachines, music, yacht, yachtmusic
Blizzard’s ‘Compete’ trademark hints at an eSports service
There’s no question that Blizzard is a cornerstone of the eSports world. StarCraft is so big in South Korea that it’s virtually an institution, and Heroes of the Storm was the first game to get a live ESPN2 broadcast. It only makes sense that the developer would create an eSports service of its own, then — and there’s a fresh hint that it might do just that. Blizzard has filed for a trademark on “Compete,” an online service that would help you “organize and promote” eSports tournaments and ladders. From the sounds of it, this would take the drudgery out of getting a competition off the ground. You’d focus more on the matches themselves, and less on finding out who’s on top.
Whether or not Compete becomes a reality isn’t certain. A trademark only confirms that Blizzard has been thinking about an eSports offering, not that it’s actively working on that kind of product. However, it’s hard to imagine the gaming giant willingly sitting by the wayside as eSports take off. A tournament platform could boost the popularity of Blizzard titles at smaller-scale events, and give it an edge over rival game studios that still make the organizers do most of the hard work.
[Image credit: AP Photo/David Goldman]
Filed under:
Gaming, Internet, Software
Source:
USPTO
Tags: blizzard, compete, esports, gaming, internet, software, trademark
LastPass now offers free subscription for Android devices
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Password management is becoming increasingly important in recent times with the advent of cybersecurity concerns, and one of the best apps that you can use in this regard is LastPass. For those who have yet to sign up for its service, it has just been announced that LastPass now offers free subscription on any device, be it mobile, tablet or desktop. The only catch (and it could be a big one) is that once signed up, you’ll only be able to sync your passwords across devices of the same category – i.e. mobile, tablet, or desktop. For individual users, this has limited benefit, but for those who have many devices or families who share accounts, this is a great time to see if LastPass suits your lifestyle.
Of course, if the free subscription isn’t enough for you, LastPass offers two paid subscription models, LastPass Premium and LastPass Enterprise which cost $12/year and $24/year/user respectively. If you’re not quite sure whether a Premium account is right for you, LastPass also provides a 14-day trial of LastPass Premium with every sign-up to help you decide if syncing across your various device types is what you need. If you want to take advantage of LastPass’ new free subscription, hit the Play Store link below to download the app:
What do you think about the news that LastPass now offers free subscription? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: LastPass via Droid-life
The post LastPass now offers free subscription for Android devices appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Updated Moto Hint shows its face on Motorola’s website
It’s been almost a month since Motorola was in the middle of their price-slashing spree. Caught in the midst of this price-slashing spree, was the Moto Hint, Motorola’s Bluetooth ear-piece. This was dropped from the normal price of $149.99 down to $79.99 indicating a possible refresh.
Later in the same day, a new Moto Hint magically appeared out of nowhere, on Best Buy’s website. However, the new Hint that appeared, had some changes in tow. According to the listing on Best Buy’s website, the changes that could be found were not cosmetic. Instead the new Moto Hint had the following improvements:
- Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR Technology
- CrystalTalk noise and wind-canceling technology
- Voice Control
- Rechargeable Battery up to 17 hours of talk-time
The original Moto Hint was still available via the Motorola website, for the reduced price of $79.99, however today, the updated version can be found. In addition to the improved battery life, and updated features, the Moto Hint also features a new price tag. Instead of being sold for $149.99, like the original version was, this updated Hint can be purchased for $129.99.
While $20 may not seem a lot, we can definitely agree on the fact that the $150 was a steep price for a blue-tooth earpiece. Regardless of what the Moto Hint can do. Let us know if you’re thinking about picking up the new Moto Hint, and if not, what bluetooth headset/ear-pieces do you use?
Source: Droid Life
The post Updated Moto Hint shows its face on Motorola’s website appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Adds New Flyover Locations Around the World to Maps
Apple today added 20 new Flyover locations to Apple Maps on Mac and iOS, highlighting new cities and landmarks in the United States, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Spain, France, Mexico, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Japan. With the new additions, there are now more than 150 Flyover locations available in Apple Maps.
For those unfamiliar with the Flyover feature in Maps, it lets users see photo-realistic 3D videos of select areas, which they can zoom, pan, and rotate through to get a close up look at notable landmarks and points of interest. Some of the locations below were previously available as Flyover destinations, but have just been officially added to Apple’s list of Flyover locations.
Budapest, Hungary
Here’s a full list of the new Flyover destinations:
– Graz, Austria
– Aarhus, Denmark
– Rotterdam, Netherlands
– Bobbio, Italy
– Turin, Italy
– Budapest, Hungary
– Cádiz, Spain
– Chenonxeaux, France
– Dijon, France
– Millau, France
– Nice, France
– Strasbourg, France
– Omaha Beach
– Ensenada, Mexico
– Loreto, Mexico
– Gothenburg, Sweden
РMalm̦, Sweden
– Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
– Sapporo, Japan
– Rapid City, SD
Flyover was first introduced alongside iOS 6 in 2012, and over the course of the last three years, Apple has been steadily adding new Flyover locations to the Maps app. As of February, some Flyover locations have been updated with real-time animated landmarks, making the Flyover experience more immersive, and many Flyover locations have an additional City Tour feature that walks users through different landmarks.
Apple Adds New Flyover Locations Around the World to Maps
Apple today added 20 new Flyover locations to Apple Maps on Mac and iOS, highlighting new cities and landmarks in the United States, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Spain, France, Mexico, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Japan. With the new additions, there are now more than 150 Flyover locations available in Apple Maps.
For those unfamiliar with the Flyover feature in Maps, it lets users see photo-realistic 3D videos of select areas, which they can zoom, pan, and rotate through to get a close up look at notable landmarks and points of interest. Some of the locations below were previously available as Flyover destinations, but have just been officially added to Apple’s list of Flyover locations.
Budapest, Hungary
Here’s a full list of the new Flyover destinations:
– Graz, Austria
– Aarhus, Denmark
– Rotterdam, Netherlands
– Bobbio, Italy
– Turin, Italy
– Budapest, Hungary
– Cádiz, Spain
– Chenonxeaux, France
– Dijon, France
– Millau, France
– Nice, France
– Strasbourg, France
– Omaha Beach
– Ensenada, Mexico
– Loreto, Mexico
– Gothenburg, Sweden
РMalm̦, Sweden
– Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
– Sapporo, Japan
– Rapid City, SD
Flyover was first introduced alongside iOS 6 in 2012, and over the course of the last three years, Apple has been steadily adding new Flyover locations to the Maps app. As of February, some Flyover locations have been updated with real-time animated landmarks, making the Flyover experience more immersive, and many Flyover locations have an additional City Tour feature that walks users through different landmarks.
Indie games are vast, varied and very 80s in this Megabooth trailer
There is no single definition of an “indie” video game. “Indie” doesn’t mean free, cheap, mobile, 8-bit, 3D, platformer, shooter or any other thing. Thanks to the recent, rapid evolution of game-making technologies, more people than ever are able to craft and sell their own video games with help from friends and without involving a large publisher. That’s what “indie” means — independent, but not alone.
The development community has plenty of avenues for people to gather and support one another, and one of the largest such organizations is the Indie Megabooth. Every year since 2012, the Megabooth has set up stalls at PAX East and PAX Prime showing off a selection of stellar independent games. It started with 16 games in 2012, took a trip around the globe in 2014, and will now boast a lineup of more than 70 games at this year’s PAX Prime from August 28th to 31st. The list includes beautiful digital board game Armello, intense Xbox One game Below, gorgeous space shooter Galak-Z, poetic point-and-click That Dragon, Cancer, wacky competitive game Gang Beasts (shown above), and tons more.
- Armello – League of Geeks
- Awesomenauts – Ronimo Games
- Barkley 2 – Tales of Game’s
- BELOW – Capybara Games
- Butt Sniffin Pugs – SpaceBeagles
- Captain Forever Remix – Pixelsaurus Games & Future Crayon
- Chasm – Discord Games, Inc.
- D4 – PLAYISM
- Darknet – E McNeill
- Death Road to Canada – Rocketcat LLC
- Distance – Refract
- Due Process – Giant Enemy Crab
- Eco – Strange Loop Games Inc
- Galak-Z – 17-BIT
- Gang Beasts – Boneloaf
- Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
- Infinifactory – Zachtronics
- Kathy Rain – Clifftop Games
- Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes – Steel Crate Games, Inc.
- La-Mulana 2 – PLAYISM
- Ladykiller in a Bind – Love Conquers All Games
- Mini Metro – Dinosaur Polo Club
- Moon Hunters – Kitfox Games
- Mushroom 11 – Untame
- Nova Blitz – Dragon Foundry
- playsets. – the playsets team, llc
- Rising Thunder – Radiant Entertainment
- Shoot Shoot Mega Pack – Jon Remedios
- Sometimes Always Monsters – Vagabond Dog
- Stonehearth – Radiant Entertainment
- That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games
- The Magic Circle – Question LLC
- The Westport Independent – Double Zero One Zero
- Through the Woods – Antagonist
- To Leave – Freaky Creations
- Tumblestone – The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
- Ultimate Chicken Horse – Clever Endeavour Games
- Universe Sandbox ² – Giant Army
- Viking Squad – Slick Entertainment Inc
- Wattam – Funomena
- XING: The Land Beyond – White Lotus Interactive
- YIIK: A Postmodern RPG – Ackk Studios
Plus, check out the accompanying Minibooth and the rest of Indie Megabooth’s plans for PAX East right here.
Source:
Indie Megabooth
Tags: hdpostcross, Indie, IndieMegabooth, megabooth, PAX, PaxPrime
LastPass is now free on mobile, but cross-device syncing costs extra
If you’ve been wanting to play around with LastPass on your mobile device without paying the $12 annual fee for premium support, today is your day: the password manager just added mobile to its free tier. What’s the catch? You only get it on mobile. Starting today, LastPass users will get unlimited use of the password manager on desktops or smartphones or tablets — but if you want to sync passwords between your devices, you’ll have to pony up for a subscription.
There’s an extra caveat, too — existing free LastPass users can continue using the service as they always have, but new users will be locked into the devices they start on. If you start using LastPass free on your phone, for instance, you won’t have free access on your desktop. Check out the company’s official announcement for the full run-down of subscription changes.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile
Via:
Android Beat
Source:
LastPass
Tags: lastpass, mobilepostcross, passwordmanager, passwords
Netflix is making ‘Mascots,’ a film from Christopher Guest
A group of “unusual” men and women with big heads and furry suits? We’re in. #Mascots is coming to Netflix in 2016. pic.twitter.com/zKl9L1LChg
— Netflix US (@netflix) August 11, 2015
[Image credits: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via:
Variety
Source:
Netflix (Twitter)
Tags: ChristopherGuest, Film, hdpostcross, hdpostmini, Mascots, minipost, Mockumentary, Movie, Netflix
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