GM adds real-time theft alerts to OnStar
Ring! “Hello?” Car: “It’s your car.” You: “My what?” Car: “I’ve just been stolen and have alerted the authorities.” Okay, that’s a call nobody wants, but GM has just added a feature to its OnStar security system that does exactly that, called “theft alarm notification.” It works with appropriately equipped OnStar vehicles to contact you via text, email or phone if a bad guy activates the alarm on your GM vehicle. The feature is an add-on to GM’s existing security system, which already lets OnStar advisers contact the police, track your vehicle and even slow it down or shut it off if it’s safe to do so.
Since it’s probably not a good idea to chase after car-nappers yourself, we presume that the theft notification system is more to just keep you in the loop than anything else, or at least help you ensure the relevant authorities are contacted. Similar features are available on aftermarket alarm systems, but GM is one of the first companies to factory install it into vehicles. It’ll be available this summer to owners of most GM cars made after 2014, but if you’re not sure you qualify, check this list.
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
Filed under: Transportation
Source: GM
Apple yanks games with Confederate flags from the App Store
Following the lead of other major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Etsy and eBay in removing products featuring the Confederate flag, Apple has reportedly begun removing apps that feature the Stars and Bars from its online store. The apps most affected are, unsurprisingly, Civil War games like Ultimate General: Gettysburg and Civil War.
Ultimate General’s developer confirmed via tweet that it’s app had been pulled from the App Store for that reason:
Apple has pulled the tablet version of the game from Appstore because of the Confederate Flag. details coming…
– Ultimate_General (@GeneralUltimate) June 25, 2015
As Polygon points out, basically any depiction of the Confederate flag (even in its proper historical context) appears to be enough for Apple to nix an offending app. What’s more, Google looks to have taken the same action and removed all apps featuring the flag from Play. We’ve reached out to Apple for confirmation that the flag is the reason behind the removal of these apps and will update once they reply with comment.
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google
Via: Polygon
Source: Touch Arcade
IFTTT’s automation app can watch your Android phone’s battery
Thanks to a slew of updates, IFTTT’s automation apps just became decidedly more useful — especially if you’re religious about your smartphone’s battery. If for Android now includes a battery channel, so you can tell your phone to perform certain duties depending on your charge state. You can have the app mute your phone as soon as you plug it in, for instance. Also, the existing device channel now works with Bluetooth, music, navigation and WiFi, so you can turn off wireless features when your power is low or get directions to your favorite fishing spot every weekend.
The company’s task-starting Do apps for both Android and iOS are getting tangible upgrades, too. They now handle an unlimited number of instruction sets, offer personalized recommendations and (on Android) give you floating action buttons. And if you’re anxious about the security of IFTTT itself, you’ll be happy to know that the developer has added two-factor authentication so that intruders are less likely to hijack your account. All told, there’s plenty here to keep you (or rather, your devices) busy.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: IFTTT Blog (1), (2), (3)
Instagram update brings all new features
Instagram just announced two new features in their app that will help users connect to the world as it happens. The update includes an all new Explore page, with trending “Tags and Places” as well as a powerful search bar that will make it easy to find people and places that you’re looking for.
“We’ve completely reimagined the Explore page to make discovery on Instagram immediate and effortless. “
The all new Explore page will present you with “Trending Tags and Trending Places” as they emerge in real world, which will allow a user to connect to the events that are happening near them and around the globe. In addition to the “Trending Tags and Places”, at the top of Explore page, you will find new curated collections that will be updated regularly. This collection features interesting places, stunning architectures, and extreme athletes categories.
“We’ve dramatically improved the ability to find what you’re looking for“
Instagram has also upgraded the search capabilities of its application. The new top search bar lets you search across people, places and tags all at once. With the new Places search, you can now find images from just about any location on Earth. This allows you to scout out your next vacation spot in the South Pacific, get a look inside that hot new restaurant, or experience your favorite music festival.
The new update is rolling out today and will be available to you very soon. However, the new Explore page is only available for users in the US for now, but the Instagram team says they will work to expand these features worldwide once all of the bugs are ironed out. On the other hand, the new search functionality is available now to everyone worldwide.
Source: Instagram
The post Instagram update brings all new features appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Ford gets serious with self-driving and 3D printing tech
Ford’s new Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto must be doing well. The autonomous driving technologies the company’s been developing in the facility, which are all part of its “Smart Mobility” plan announced at CES this year, are entering advanced engineering and implementation phase. For starters, the company will work on making its sensing and computing technology viable for actual use. It will also bring Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection that’s already loaded on Ford Mondeos in Europe to a Ford vehicle in the US by next year. More importantly, the Detroit-based automaker plans to install driver assist technologies across its product lineup within the next five years. Those technologies include park assist, lane-departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
In the manufacturing side of things, Ford has partnered with Carbon3D, a startup from Redwood City, which developed an impressively fast 3D-printing technique. As we reported in the past, solid objects can emerge from a pool of resin within minutes using the Terminator-inspired method. According to Ford Group VP Raj Nair, Carbon3D’s technology will allow the company “to quickly create automotive-grade parts for product design prototypes.” But from the sound of it, the automaker’s also considering 3D printing production parts in the future.
The automaker has software news to share, as well: first, it’s following in the footsteps of its peers and bringing its app to smartwatches. It’s already confirmed the application for Android Wear, but there’s no word yet on whether it’ll be available for the Apple Watch. Second, the company has announced that it’s launching its SYNC 3 entertainment system with conversational voice recognition and sensitive touchscreen in North America on the 2016 Ford Escape, Fiesta, F-150, Mustang and Transit.
Ford, by the way, has also officially launched the 2016 F-150 truck at its Further with Ford event in Palo Alto. In addition to SYNC 3, the truck comes with pro-trailer backup assist to make it easier to navigate into narrow parking spots. Finally, the automaker has introduced its new split-view camera feature, which allows drivers to see around corners.
Filed under: Transportation
iPhone users can attach Drive files on Google Calendar
iPhone users can start associating files from Drive directly to Google Calendar events, thanks to the app playing catch up to its Android version. Those files can be documents, PDFs, work presentations and spreadsheets or photos you took at a party — whatever they are, Calendar will ask whether you want other people to be able to view or edit them. Just like the Android update that rolled out a few months ago, this one also comes with a seven-day week view so users can easily peek at their schedules. Plus, it intros interactive notifications that add an option to email guests and to open a saved location in Maps from the lock screen. That’s about it for now, but as always, iPhone owners who want to know what’s next can keep an eye out for the latest Android update… and then wait a few months to get the new features.
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Google
Source: Official Gmail Blog
Todoist’s Android update makes it easier to stay organized
Todoist may be one of many to-do list apps available for your mobile device, but it’s certainly a capable option. Today, the company announced a major redesign for its Android software that adds in features the iOS version received back in the spring. This means that rather than typing a reminder and having to tap a few different menu options to add a due date, assign to a project and more, you can just input all the information in the main task field. Once you do so, Todoist will sort out all of the info for you, right down to the necessary tags. In fact, the company says that users “can input almost any combination of details whatsoever into Todoist, and the app will know exactly what to do with it.” It’s a feature that should help you spend less time organizing and more time getting stuff done.
The ability to add start and end dates for a task was new to iOS a few months back too, and now it’s arriving on the Android version. Other new features include easily adding contributors when creating a task, creating sub tasks with a swipe and swiping left to schedule a due date for an item. In addition to all of the new productivity tools, the app got its Material Design overhaul as well, and now it looks just as good as all of the other apps that have already been updated with Google’s aesthetics. Yes, it’s a bit late to the Material Design party, but the company says new version of the Android app isn’t just a fresh coast of paint, it’s a complete overhaul. Was it worth the wait? There’s a video down below that’ll allow you to be the judge of that.
Source: Todoist
BBC’s Newsbeat app is its first aimed solely at young adults
BBC Radio 1 is struggling to keep young listeners tuned in. The station’s audience has shrunk to its smallest size in over a decade, but the BBC believes it has a strategy: expanding Radio 1 beyond traditional broadcasting. That means embracing YouTube, iPlayer and now, bite-sized mobile apps. The BBC is breaking out Newsbeat into a standalone app for iOS and Android, repackaging many of the stories it currently runs on the web. The design consists of three feeds — Latest, Popular and Topics — and individual news reports are shown as cards with large, bold photos. The BBC says it’s aiming the app at 16- to 24-year-olds and will be focused on entertainment news, interviews and social trends. While it’s true that millennials spend a lot of time on their phones, the broadcaster could have a tough time drawing their attention away from apps like Snapchat.
Filed under: Misc
Via: The Next Web
Source: BBC Newsbeat (iOS), (Android)
Foursquare brings Mayorships back via Swarm platform
Back when Foursquare split up their service to create a “new” Foursquare app and a new Swarm app, one of the features that was lost was the fun of claiming a mayorship. Mayorships were the way that Foursquare gamified their system to encourage check-ins at various locations. Although the app location has shifted, the idea of mayorships as originally implemented is back.
When Swarm was launched, check-ins to obtain a Mayor crown were relegated to a competition between friends. While enjoyable, that proved to not be as much fun as taking on the whole world which prompted Foursquare to bring the competition back to being against all takers.
Consistent with the changes to the apps, the “new” mayorship competitions are available through the Swarm app. Statistics have been compiled for the past month, so users can check now to see if they have any mayorships. To get a mayorship, users can rack up one check-in per day, results take into account the prior 30 days, and ties go to the reigning mayor.
source: Foursquare
Come comment on this article: Foursquare brings Mayorships back via Swarm platform
PlayStoreSales wants to keep you up to date on the latest app sales
Doug Lynch from Android Explained aims to keep you informed about all of the latest app sales on the Play Store with his latest blog site.
PlayStoreSales is a simple little blog site that only covers one type of news. App sales. Specifically those on the Play Store!
“A little site I have been working on for the past few days. The goal is to make a one-stop repository of all the current app sales(and possibly movie/tv/book/music sales in the future) in the Google Play Store. I’ve been watching the multiple sources that have been trying to do this over the last year or so and none of them seem to do it in a widespread way.“
He hopes to make sure that every significant app sale is represented on his site by monitoring current app sale sites and putting all of that information into one place for ease of access. The site is clean and simple with what appears to be zero ads cluttering up the site.
The only thing I am worried about is that Lynch won’t be able to maintain the site for an extended period of time, but I am hopeful. Currently, he aims to cut down on the one to two cent drops in prices by writing each post manually.
All I have to say is good luck and this is definitely a site I will be keeping my eye on. For personal usage…
The post PlayStoreSales wants to keep you up to date on the latest app sales appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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