Flappy Bird’s creator says he pulled the app for your own good
If you were hoping Flappy Bird would find its wings and fly back onto the App Store or Google Play, its creator has some tough news for you. Less than 48 hours after he pulled the explosively popular game, developer Dong Nguyen briefly emerged from his self-imposed exile to talk to Forbes about why that little bird will flap no more. According to Nguyen, the game was designed to help people relax, let players blow off some steam when they had a spare few minutes. Instead, Flappy Bird became an “addictive product” that was causing him, and its players, issues. Nguyen became the subject of intense media scrutiny, while players became enraged by their tragically low scores. “To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever,” he told Forbes, shortly after he’d had an impromptu sit down with Vietnam’s deputy prime minister.
Since it disappeared, owners of the app have put their phones and tablets up for bidding on eBay, with prices reaching $1,000 for an iPhone with the app pre-installed. Despite its popularity, and reports that Flappy Bird was reportedly making $50,000 a day in ad revenue, Nguyen says he has no regrets: “I don’t think it’s a mistake,” he said. “I have thought it through.” If you didn’t manage to grab the app before it was pulled, there’s no shortage of Flappy clones on the App Store or Google Play — just in case you need a Flappy Angry Bird fix.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Forbes
Shazam Testing Redesigned iOS App Aiming for Deeper User Engagement [iOS Blog]
Music recognition app Shazam was today updated to version 7.4.0, adding a few minor enhancements and laying the groundwork for a larger content rollout happening later this month. With the update, Shazam is aiming to refocus its app on content, offering quicker, more integrated access to song lyrics, TV results, and music videos.
Shazam, which is designed to “listen” to a song and identify its name and the artist from a large database, has given some “test group” users access to its upcoming redesign. That means some users who download the new 7.4.0 update will have immediate access to the app’s new features while other users will need to wait for the update to rollout later.
The revised Shazam app includes a new card-style layout that gives more prominence to lyrics, other recommended songs, and tools to listen to songs within other apps such as Rdio or Spotify.
The new experience means Shazaming becomes the beginning of a journey, giving users effortless access to:
– A brand new look and feel for music and television results with easy access to previewing, buying, and sharing a track;
– Quick access to lyrics with a preview as soon as a track is matched;
– Direct access to the music video and additional videos related to a song; and,
– Recommendations unique to Shazam.
Users who were not selected to be members of the test group will see few changes to the app, aside from more information within the news feed and improved handling of pending tags. The update is available for both the free and Encore (ad-free) versions of the Shazam app.
Shazam is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Shazam Encore is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $6.99. [Direct Link]
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Shazam’s new iPhone app gives you faster access to lyrics and music videos
If you’re like us, you usually stop using Shazam as soon as you’ve identifed that catchy tune — while the software has a lot of features under the hood, they haven’t been easy to find. That’s why the company is rolling out the first phase of an iPhone app redesign. Its new song interface (available later today) puts real-time lyrics front and center, and a song’s music video is just a short hop away. Shazam is also making it easier to buy or stream content, whether it’s a hit song or a TV show. iPhone owners should expect further big updates later this month. Android-based listeners will have to be more patient, however, as today’s interface revamp won’t hit their devices until sometime in the “coming weeks.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: App Store
IMO messenger enables video calls right from your browser
There’s a big surprise waiting for IMO users who log into the redesigned website today: a new video chat feature that works right from a browser. Yes, that means there’s nothing to download, as the messaging service can now make and receive video calls (using WebRTC) on its web interface. It’s supposed to work even between platforms, so friends can call each other from a computer to a mobile device (via IMO’s Android or iOS app) or vice versa. The problem, of course, is getting friends married to other messengers to join you on IMO, but that’s another story.
Source: IMO
Kim Dotcom’s Mega cloud app for iOS now auto-uploads your snapshots
Sure Kim Dotcom recently dropped an album, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving his other projects to rot. His Mega cloud storage app for iOS just got a refresh, and it now comes with PhotoSync, which enables the app to automatically upload any new pictures you take, just like Dropbox and other backup services. It’s pretty customizable, and you can toggle on cellular data upload in the absence of WiFi, as well as turn on an option that instructs Mega to sync images whenever you change locations. In an effort to protect those images (and other files) from prying eyes, Mega also added a four-digit passcode protection system. It has the power to erase all data after ten failed attempts at guessing the combination, so no nosy friend can see the selfies you took while rocking out to Change Your Life.
Source: iTunes, MegaPrivacy (Twitter)
Flappy Bird faces imminent extinction
Flappy Bird went from obscurity to chart-topping success overnight, but that’s all coming to an end. After over 50 million downloads, developer Dong Nguyen said on Twitter that he’s going to take the incredibly tough game down tomorrow… and probably not for the reasons you’d expect.
It’s not because of any legal pressure. It’s not because he sold for some hefty sum. It’s not even because he’s tired of making games. Nguyen said Flappy Bird will cease to be simply because he just “cannot take this anymore”. What exactly he means by that is unclear, but going off an earlier tweet it looks like Nguyen has grown weary of all the attention he’s been getting lately. Who could blame him for shunning the spotlight? He created the app in just a few days in 2013 and it languished before exploding in popularity a few weeks back.
The suddenness of the move prompted some to wonder if this is actually some strange publicity stunt. After all, Nguyen told The Verge just a few days ago that he was mulling over a Flappy Bird sequel, and an official Windows Phone version was in the works. Oh, and it’s a little hard to fathom a one-man app studio walking away from $50,000 in daily ad revenue.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Twitter
OpenTable Testing Ability to Pay Restaurant Checks In-App [iOS Blog]
OpenTable is testing a new feature to allow customers to pay their restaurant checks in the OpenTable iPhone app. The feature is being beta tested at select restaurants in San Francisco, but the company says it does plan a broader launch in the future, including Android support.
We’re pleased to announce that it will soon be just as easy to pay for your meal. Rather than waiting for a check or, worse yet, being late for the theater, with the new OpenTable payments feature, you will be able to tap to pay – and be on your way.
OpenTable mobile payments are currently being tested by diners at select restaurants in San Francisco. Over the next few weeks, we will be adding more diners to the test program and will provide you a way to request access. If you receive an email invitation to be part of our pilot program, you can get started by making a reservation at a participating restaurant. Simply add a credit card in the OpenTable iPhone app before your meal and you’ll be able to view and pay your check. There’s no scanning or bar codes involved.
In addition to its online reservation system, OpenTable offers full point-of-sale and register services to restaurants, meaning rollout of an online-payment system should be a relatively straightforward feature addition for the firm.
Supported restaurants include Jardiniere, Dosa on Fillmore, Out the Door on Bush Street, Boxing Room, Chouquet’s, Radius, Bask, Chambers, Café Bastille, Plouf, and Garcon — though users must have a beta invite to try it.
OpenTable is a free download for the iPhone and it is also available through Siri. [Direct Link]
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Mozilla reveals an adaptive Android home screen built around Firefox
We hope you haven’t had your fill of adaptive Android home screens, because Mozilla is throwing its hat into the increasingly crowded ring. The company has just offered a sneak peek at Firefox Launcher for Android, a front end that revolves around its mobile browser. The upcoming software mates Firefox with EverythingMe’s context-sensitive app search, personalizing both your web surfing and your software in one shot. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a while to know exactly how this combination works; Mozilla doesn’t plan to reveal more details about Firefox Launcher until it’s ready to start beta testing at an unspecified point in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Source: Mozilla
Chrome apps may soon run without any trace of the web browser
Chrome web apps may behave like native software at times, but they still require some form of the Chrome browser to run — even if it’s just a basic process. They may not need that component for much longer, though. The Next Web has discovered a batch of experimental code for an “App Shell” that would include only those Chrome elements that are absolutely necessary. In theory, you’d get lightweight, browser-independent web apps that still have the advantages of native code. The company isn’t saying whether or not its new technology will reach the public. Given Google’s efforts to package web apps for mobile without requiring Chrome, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if App Shell gets a formal release.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: The Next Web
Source: Chromium Code Reviews
Music Inc. is anti-piracy propaganda posing as a casual game
UK Music and Britain’s Intellectual Property Office don’t believe that most music games tell the whole story — while they show the tunes, they omit labels struggling to find good artists and deal with piracy. To help widen the public’s perspective, they’ve just launched Music Inc. for Android and iOS. The label management game challenges you to foster talent while keeping your company profitable in a market that doesn’t always pay for your songs. The free title underscores a real problem for labels, and it may have you thinking twice about swiping that new album. However, it’s also very one-sided. The game sees every pirated copy as a lost sale, and it doesn’t question the copyright model or the need for labels in the first place. As long as you’re aware of the broader issues, though, it won’t hurt to try the game today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Internet, Mobile
Source: App Store, Google Play
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