Telegram Chat App Gains Reply/Mention Alerts, Twitch Video Support, and More

Encrypted chat platform Telegram pushed out a new iOS app update on Sunday, with a new reply/mentions alert system among several other tweaks and improvements.

Since 2015 when Telegram first introduced the reply feature, the maximum group chat size has increased from a maximum 200 members to 10,000. As a result, new user mentions and replies in group chats can happen several times a day.

To help users stay on top of these messages, Telegram 4.3 has introduced a new in-app notification badge. Now, whenever someone replies to a user or mentions them in a group, an “@” symbol appears in the chats list. A tap on the new “@” button takes the user to the new replies/mentions and disappears once all the relevant messages have been read.

Elsewhere, the “Invite Friends” section in Contacts has been completely redesigned. Going forward, contacts that are not on Telegram yet but have many friends using it are now listed at the top, making it easier to invite them to the chat platform.

Twitch videos are now supported in the Telegram in-app player, so it’s now possible to watch Twitch streams in Picture-in-Picture mode while chatting with friends. And when on a Telegram voice call, users can check the signal strength using the new indicator. It’s also now possible to edit any photo pasted directly to a chat from clipboard before sending.

For those who use stickers in Telegram, anyone with five or more sticker sets installed can now mark individual stickers as “favorites” and have them always accessible at the top of the sticker panel in the “star” section. And large groups with 100 members and more can now choose an official sticker set for all the members of the group to see and use while they’re chatting in the group, without having to add it to their panels.

Lastly, users can now switch between “This Chat” and “All Chats” when conducting a hashtag search, and when viewing Instant View pages in the app, it’s now possible to open the original articles in Safari.

Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Telegram
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Apple Pulls Popular Third-Party YouTube App ‘ProTube’ From the App Store

Hugely popular third-party YouTube app “ProTube” was quietly removed from the App Store by Apple last week. Apple’s decision to pull the app followed several takedown requests from Google that were received by the app’s developer.

ProTube was hailed by users during its three-year reign for several features either not available in the official YouTube app or not offered by other third-party apps, such as the ability to play videos in 4K at 60 frames per second, background playback, and an audio-only mode. Over its lifetime, the $5 app reached number 1 in the paid app charts in 11 different countries and the top 10 in 57 countries.

In a statement on his website, developer Jonas Gessner said he was “very sad to announce that ProTube was removed from the App Store by Apple on September 1, 2017”. The action reportedly came “after multiple requests and threats by YouTube which ultimately led Apple to suddenly pulling the app from the App Store”, said Gessner.

YouTube first requested Apple to remove my app well over a year ago, initially just stating that my app violates their Terms of Service. This was a generic takedown request they sent to many YouTube apps at once. They later started going into more detail, even stating that I could not sell the app as that alone violates their ToS. They basically wanted me to remove every feature that made ProTube what it is – that includes the player itself that allows you to play 60fps videos, background playback, audio only mode and more.

Without those features ProTube would not be any better than YouTube’s own app, and that is exactly what they want to achieve. YouTube wants to sell its $10/month [YouTube Red] subscription service which offers many features that ProTube also offered for a lower one time price, so they started hunting down 3rd party YouTube apps on the App Store.

Gessner said he initially considered several options to end the dispute with YouTube, including removing all the contested features and making the app free, but ultimately he decided against this because “everyone who paid for ProTube’s standout features would suddenly get an app update that removes all those features, resulting in a useless app”.

The developer also tried to negotiate with YouTube to come to some sort of agreement, but found the process “very difficult” and claimed he was unable to get a direct response to his questions. After threats of legal action, “I knew that getting sued could cost me more than I ever made with ProTube,” he said.

“While it is absolutely awful seeing ProTube getting pulled from the App Store, it was the best solution when it comes to the users that already purchased the app,” admitted Gessner. “I was getting screwed either way but I at least didn’t want to screw my users.”

Many other third-party YouTube apps on the App Store have been targeted by YouTube with takedown requests, according to the developer, who signed off by thanking ProTube’s “big and passionate fanbase” and warning that dozens of fake ProTube apps have appeared on the App Store since it was removed.

Tags: App Store, Google, YouTube
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VR throwback ‘Duck Season’ arrives September 14th

Stress Level Zero’s Duck Season caught our eye for a number of reasons. It’s not just a VR callback to the NES hit Duck Hunt, it’s a broader celebration of ’80s culture… with a horror twist, to boot. And now, you’ll get to see whether or not it’s as fun as it is weird. The studio has announced that Duck Season will be available on both Steam and the Oculus Store on September 14th. Yes, despite the early Vive-focused experience we saw in June, it’ll be available for the Oculus Rift as well.

The game starts out with a simple premise: you’re a kid who’s playing through a rented copy of Duck Season on a long summer’s day in 1988, blasting ducks while your companion dog collects your kills. However, you gradually learn that the dog isn’t what he seems, and a much deeper story emerges. There are seven unique endings, and even multiple subplots and short videos to find. In theory, the title a good showcase for VR — it takes advantage of the format with a (very) familiar setting, an accessible concept and a few reasons to come back once the novelty is over.

Via: Road to VR

Source: YouTube, Steam

Security lapse exposed thousands of military contractor files

Thousands of files containing the private info of US military and intelligence personnel have been exposed online. The documents (which included a mixture of resumes and job applications) were found on a public Amazon Web Services server by cybersecurity firm UpGuard. A research analyst for the company traced the files back to a North Carolina-based private security firm known as TigerSwan. In a statement on Saturday, TigerSwan blamed the lapse on TalentPen, a third-party recruiting vendor.

The roughly 9,400 files contain the personal details of TigerSwan’s prospective employees, some of who had applied for work as far back as 2008. The resumes include info such as an applicant’s home address, phone number, email address, driver’s license, passport and social security numbers.

They also reveal sensitive details about individuals who were (and may still be) employed by the US Department of Defence, and US intelligence agencies. Others who may have been exposed include several Iraqi and Afghani nationals (who worked as translators for US and Coalition forces), a former UN worker in the Middle East, and a former US ambassador to Indonesia. TigerSwan insists the documents were not leaked as part of a data breach.

Many of the timestamped files seem to have been uploaded to the public server in February. They were left there, available for anyone to download, for at least several months. In July, UpGuard’s director of cyber risk research Chris Vickery discovered the files and alerted TigerSwan to them. However, as the server did not belong to the private security firm, it took almost an additional month before it was shut down on August 24. TigerSwan confirmed this timeline of events.

According to the statement, TalentPen set up a secure site to transfer the resumes to the TigerSwan sever, following the closure of its contract. The private security firm learned that its former vendor had used a bucket site on Amazon Web Services for this process. But, TalentPen apparently failed to delete the documents after TigerSwan’s log-in details expired.

“Since we did not control or have access to this site, we were not aware that these documents were still on the web, much less, were publicly facing,” TigerSwan said. “The resume files in question have now been properly secured and no additional risk of exposure exists.”

Via: UpGuard

Source: TigerSwan

Capcom’s classic ‘Puzzle Fighter’ goes free to play on mobile later this year

Why it matters to you

For puzzle fans who spent hours in the arcades in the ’90s, Puzzle Fighter will bring back some fond memories.

At the PAX West show in Seattle this week, Capcom announced a new installment in its classic Puzzle Fighter series. The free-to-play mobile title is coming to Android, iPhone, and iPad later this year. This latest version lets you swap tiles and collect Capcom characters to use in melee battles against the computer or other players.

The original Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was released in 1996 and was an incredibly popular coin-op game that borrowed characters and music from the popular Street Fighter series and Darkstalkers games. Originally a PlayStation exclusive in the U.S., an HD remake version, titled Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, was released in 2007 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

The new mobile version was built from the ground up by Capcom Vancouver, and it looks like there are many more characters from the Capcom universe to unlock. The game was available to play on the show floor at the Camcom booth, and some eager gamers gave it a try.

You start the game  by picking one main character, which has his or her own strengths and abilities. You also choose two additional characters that will supplement the skills of your main character. You can pick from “chibi” (literally, small, or miniature) versions of Capcom stalwarts such as Ryu, Ken, or Chun-Li (Street Fighter), Morrigan (Darkstalkers), Jill (Resident Evil), X (Mega Man), Dante (Devil May Cry), and Frank West or Chuck Greene (Dead Rising).

The game has plenty of hidden strategy, which made it a favorite among puzzle game aficionados. You can stealthily build up gems and then launch epic combos that can knock out your opponent. The new mobile version should make it easier than ever to find human opponents to challenge.

The developers are promising real-time player-versus-player gameplay on mobile devices, with all the action of head-to-head Puzzle Fighter on the go.

Apart from the two short teaser trailers, there aren’t many details about when the game will be available, though there is a promise of a “soft launch” in some countries soon, and a global release later in the year.

Capcom’s classic ‘Puzzle Fighter’ goes free to play on mobile later this year

Why it matters to you

For puzzle fans who spent hours in the arcades in the ’90s, Puzzle Fighter will bring back some fond memories.

At the PAX West show in Seattle this week, Capcom announced a new installment in its classic Puzzle Fighter series. The free-to-play mobile title is coming to Android, iPhone, and iPad later this year. This latest version lets you swap tiles and collect Capcom characters to use in melee battles against the computer or other players.

The original Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was released in 1996 and was an incredibly popular coin-op game that borrowed characters and music from the popular Street Fighter series and Darkstalkers games. Originally a PlayStation exclusive in the U.S., an HD remake version, titled Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, was released in 2007 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

The new mobile version was built from the ground up by Capcom Vancouver, and it looks like there are many more characters from the Capcom universe to unlock. The game was available to play on the show floor at the Camcom booth, and some eager gamers gave it a try.

You start the game  by picking one main character, which has his or her own strengths and abilities. You also choose two additional characters that will supplement the skills of your main character. You can pick from “chibi” (literally, small, or miniature) versions of Capcom stalwarts such as Ryu, Ken, or Chun-Li (Street Fighter), Morrigan (Darkstalkers), Jill (Resident Evil), X (Mega Man), Dante (Devil May Cry), and Frank West or Chuck Greene (Dead Rising).

The game has plenty of hidden strategy, which made it a favorite among puzzle game aficionados. You can stealthily build up gems and then launch epic combos that can knock out your opponent. The new mobile version should make it easier than ever to find human opponents to challenge.

The developers are promising real-time player-versus-player gameplay on mobile devices, with all the action of head-to-head Puzzle Fighter on the go.

Apart from the two short teaser trailers, there aren’t many details about when the game will be available, though there is a promise of a “soft launch” in some countries soon, and a global release later in the year.

Jaguar’s steering wheel of the future revolves around AI

The steering wheel as we know it doesn’t have a bright future — in fact, it might disappear altogether as self-driving cars hit the road. Jaguar Land Rover, however, has an idea as to how it might survive. The British automaker has unveiled a concept steering wheel, Sayer, that’s designed for an era where cars normally drive themselves and personal ownership is a thing of the past. The wheel would have its own AI system, and would follow you from car to car — you’d just hook it in to bring your experience with you.

The AI would largely serve as a concierge. It would link you to an on-demand service club, whether or not you own your car, and would help you get a ride when and where you need it. If there’s a must-attend meeting, for example, you could tell the wheel while it’s still in your living room and it would figure out when a car needs to arrive and tell you when you might want to take control.

Sayer (named after influential designer Malcolm Sayer) will be a core feature on an upcoming concept car, the Future-Type.

Will something like this wheel ever reach production? Probably not. Jaguar Land Rover is making a few assumptions about self-driving cars, such as the likelihood that you’ll have a steering wheel and the need to integrate AI into a dedicated device. Your phone and a cloud service might be all you need. Instead, we’d treat this as a thought exercise. It might never come to pass, but it could give engineers something to consider when they design the first wave of autonomous vehicles.

Source: Newspress

The reborn Lily drone isn’t what you were expecting

To say that Lily drone backers were disappointed would be an understatement. They were promised a cutting-edge machine only to watch the $34 million crowdfunding campaign go up in flames, and only some contributors have received their funds so far. However, Lily is back — sort of. Mota Group (which bought the brand name) has introduced a reborn “Lily Next-Gen” that includes the the same cute black-and-chrome look as the original, but not much else. You’re not going to launch the drone by throwing it, and it’s definitely not waterproof. Its biggest selling points are 4K video and one-button takeoff.

The machine will normally sell for $699, but early adopters can buy it for $499 during the drone’s “first few days” on sale.

Mota’s version of Lily is bound to be a bit frustrating if you poured hard-earned money into the crowdfunded project, especially knowing that another company (LR Acquisition) holds the patents for what made Lily special. With that said, the very fact that it exists could be important if you’re a former backer. The sale of the Lily badge could help more people get refunds and put an end to the whole tragic tale.

Via: Fstoppers, Droning On

Source: Mota

Here’s how Xbox One games will handle mouse and keyboard support

Microsoft has been promising mouse and keyboard support on the Xbox One for ages, but it’s finally getting close. As part of a PAX West panel, the company’s Mike Ybarra revealed that the first Xbox One games to support these peripherals are coming “soon,” and that the company already has an idea as to how it’ll handle support. A lot of it will be “up to developer choice,” Ybarra says, but Microsoft will “coach” studios to make sure they add the feature responsibly — it’s aware that there are potential balance problems.

The big concern is in multiplayer, where mouse and keyboard players could have advantages in some games (they can maneuver more quickly in shooters, for example). Microsoft would prefer that developers offer the choice of playing only against rivals with similar controllers, so players who can’t or don’t want to buy extra peripherals won’t be at an automatic disadvantage. Also, support won’t be mandatory. Ybarra says that’s “based on developer interest.”

To some extent Microsoft has already been experimenting with support between Gears of War 4 (where there have been mixed-input online playlists) and Minecraft’s Better Together update (which has some mouse and keyboard functionality). However, it’s difficult to say how well support will pan out once compatible games arrive in earnest. Will studios honor Microsoft’s recommendations? And if they do, will they risk splitting the community? There’s also the temptation to offer ‘lazy’ ports of PC games where the gamepad interface is almost an afterthought. It’s likely that creators will accommodate both control methods in order to reach as many players as possible, but there could be some hiccups as producers get used to the concept.

Mouse and Keyboard are still coming… pic.twitter.com/jbzcQvAsyS

— Xbox E3 Fans (@XboxE3Fans) September 2, 2017

Via: Windows Central

Source: Xbox E3 Fans (Twitter)

Augmented reality bottle labels could change the way you view beer

Why it matters to you

Augmented reality is finding its footing in our world through its implementation in everyday products and activities.

No, you haven’t had too much to drink — that beer label is moving, thanks to augmented reality. You don’t need to visit a high-end market or tavern to see that craft beer is on the rise.  Suds of all types from every corner of the country can be found at the corner deli or your favorite dive. Microbreweries peddling their wares in cities like Seattle, a city whose love of craft beer is on the rise, can get lost in a sea of delicious foam. That’s why one brewer turned to tech to augment its visibility.

As reported by GeekWire, Snoqualmie Brewery and Taproom of Snoqualmie, Washington, has implemented augmented reality bottle labels for one of its products. A nearby art studio called The Medium was brought on to help.

“When you’re staring at crowded shelves full of great offerings, you can’t taste the beer like you can in a pub, so the design is really all you have to attract that hand toward the bottle neck,” brewery manager Dave Eiffert told GeekWire.

When seen with the naked eye, the Sno Falls American Pale Ale labels look could be compared to any other colorful label. But if you download the free mobile app Layar, you can scan the label and watch it come to life.

A YouTube video shows the waterfall come to life; fish swim upstream against its current; a flock of birds flies by; and the brewmaster rides a barrel over the falls.

“The Medium has worked with the brewery for years creating new fun label design ideas and we had the idea to do an augmented reality label,” Josh Tuininga, creative director at The Medium, said. “After presenting the concept to the brewery we began design with Snoqualmie Falls as the theme. For the AR, we did some testing to make sure the technology would work on a bottle surface. After testing and design approvals, we started the fun part — animation.”

Unless you live in the area, you’re out of luck if you’d like to view these bottles firsthand. The beer can currently be found at Snoqualmie Safeway, Crescent Market at Snoqualmie Casino, Pourhouse in North Bend, IGA in Snoqualmie, the North Bend and Snoqualmie 76s, Family Grocer in Fall City, and the Snoqualmie Market.

You can also try your hand at brewing your own beer at home and find someone to help you make your own cool labels. Once this is done, try one these augmented reality apps to view your masterpiece!