Bloomberg: Google improving controls for Android app permissions soon
It’s always a little concerning when a battery management app needs access to your location and contacts. According to Bloomberg, Google’s poised to ease that anxiety by improving control over what apps can access in Android. According to its sources, an update to the operating system — possibly coming ant Google’s I/O event this month — would allow users to switch off access to things individually, similar to how app management in Facebook works. Features like those described were discovered in Android, hidden, as far back as 2013. If you’re using one of Android’s most famous forks, you’ve had them since 2011. Google eventually removed the hidden controls, perhaps to prevent incomplete tools from interfering with apps not primed for the change, but now it seems they’re ready for prime time. How will your torch cope without knowing all your friends’ names, and where you are? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Filed under: Cellphones, Google
Source: Bloomberg
Logitech remotes can turn down Hue lights before movie night
Logitech’s Harmony remote just got considerably more useful when you’re setting the mood for a movie. A recent hub firmware update (available through the Android and iOS apps) for its Smart Control and Ultimate remotes lets you adjust Philips’ Hue lights at the start or end of an activity. You can set a colorful backdrop before kicking off a house party, for instance. Frankly, this makes Logitech’s Hue integration considerably more useful — you can now light up a dark room and turn on your TV before you even reach the couch.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, HD
Via: Dave Zatz (Twitter)
Source: App Store, Google Play, Logitech
Woman uses Pizza Hut’s mobile app to escape a hostage crisis
It’s sometimes too dangerous to call 911, but one Florida woman just found a potentially life-saving alternative: a food delivery app. When Cheryl Treadway’s boyfriend threatened to hurt her and her family if they left home, she used Pizza Hut’s mobile app to send a request for help under the pretext of ordering food. Thankfully, staff caught the message and sent police to Treadway’s home, getting the hostages out safely. This kind of stealthy, app-based plea won’t be as necessary once text-to-911 rolls out in earnest, but it’s good to know that it’s an option in dire circumstances.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Alan Diaz]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: Daily Dot
Source: WTSP
What’s in Town Android app review
I travel a lot so often resort to apps with points of interest to determine my surroundings, and What’s in Town is an app with a difference that aims to provide information about not only the standard shopping and eating places, but also historic locations.
The user interface is incredibly straight forward and easy just to pick up and use. It’s this particular point which is one of What’s in Town’s strength – I don’t want to have to sit and try and figure out how an app works; I want to open it, see what’s around me, and go and this app does just that.
The different types of points of interest are colour coded and you’re able to filter on the type of location depending on your preference.
The points of interest are designation on the map that when clicked display additional information. The historic landmarks, for example, popup a Wikipedia page to give more information on that monument. What’s in Town also allows you to search for a specific landmark and search for locations within a certain radius of your location.
The database seems to be constantly updated with new points of interest appearing regularly.
Current towns in the app include:
Abingdon-on-Thames, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Aylesbury, Bedford, Beverley, Cambridge, Carlisle, Cumbria, Chelmsford, Chester, Chichester, Derby, Dorchester, Durham, Exeter, Gloucester, Guildford, Hereford, Hertford, Huntingdon, Ipswich, Lancaster, Leicester, Lewes, Lincoln, Maidstone, Matlock, Morpeth, Newport, Northallerton, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oakham, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Taunton, Trowbridge, Truro, Wakefield, Winchester, Worcester, York.
What’s in Town is a great start to a great idea and if the developer keeps the information expanding then this is a must-have app for anyone interested in historic landmarks around the UK, as well as the regular shopping and eating locations.
The app is available for free from the Google Play Store, and is supported by in-app purchases.
The post What’s in Town Android app review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Foursquare is planning on bringing “global mayorships” two Swarm
Foursquare has just announced that it will finally bring “global mayorships” to its Swarm application later this month. All current check-ins will now count towards a mayor badge, which is great news for all active users.
If you’re one of the many who don’t know what Swarm is, it’s essentially Android’s version of Find my Friends. After downloading the app and creating an account, you’re given the facility to see which of your friends are nearby who may want to hook up.
To find out more about mayorship integration, hit the source link below.
Source: Foursquare
Come comment on this article: Foursquare is planning on bringing “global mayorships” two Swarm
Foursquare is bringing mayorships back for Swarm
When Foursquare split its app into two separate services, Swarm and Foursquare, some users were unhappy that their favorite gamification elements had been nuked. If you were checking in with Swarm, for instance, it was no longer possible to unlock badges and compete for mayorships with the entire community. Well, it seems Dennis Crowley’s startup is finally relenting and giving the people what they want. The company says global mayorships with be added to Swarm “soon” and that henceforth, all check-ins will count towards them. While badges are still noticeably absent, Foursquare is rolling out 100 new stickers which users can add to their check-ins, photos and messages. Will it be enough to win back those that checked out after the Swarm-Foursquare split? Maybe not, but at least the company has recognised what made Foursquare such a hit in the first place.
Filed under: Misc
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Foursquare
Sharing app Droplr wants to woo you back with a ‘free’ tier
In case you dropped Droplr when the sharing app went from free to paid-only the company has a plan to potentially woo you back. How’s that? It’s going freemium starting tomorrow. Links and files you spread around with the free plan will have a week-long lifespan before evaporating. Should you want any long-term storage or whatnot, TechCrunch reports that you’ll have to shell out basically double the price from before for Droplr Pro: $9.99 per month now versus the previous $4.99 action. Refreshed iOS and Mac apps are en route as well and the outfit has a few promotions going on to help take the sting out of the increased monthly price.
For starters there’s a referral program that’ll get you a $10 credit for a friend signing up, and it’s applicable to either a monthly or yearly subscription. And speaking of the latter, by upgrading to an annual plan via an in-app purchase on iOS you can save 40 percent off your subscription through June 5th. If you need a quick, free sharing system and aren’t worried about permanent storage or links, Droplr’s free tier could be for you — especially if Jing or Skitch aren’t doing it for you currently.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Software, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Droplr blog
Pinterest wants to turn your pinned dreams into app realities
You may have carefully crafted a Pinterest board to plan your dream vacation, but how are you going to make that trip a reality? Pinterest thinks it can help. The social site has launched an app developer platform that lets you take action based on your boards and individual pins. You could book an itinerary in a travel app based on your pinned destinations, for instance, or create a dinner board based on recipes in a cooking app. The platform is in a US-only beta phase at the moment, so it could be a while before you’re using Pinterest-savvy apps. However, it could be worth the wait if you’ve spent more time yearning for pinned goods than getting them.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Making Pinterest
NBC finally adds more cowbell to SNL app, brings it to Android
The 40th anniversary season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live may be drawing to a close with only 3 episodes left, but that has not stopped the network from finally making their companion app, SNL: Saturday Night Live, available for Android. The app makes a variety of clips from the show available for viewing so users can watch their favorite moments all over again.
NBC has built in a recommendation engine that examines the sketches you choose to watch and uses that to make even better recommendations. Once a clip is loaded up, users will find they can easily swipe from one clip to another. The embedded video player also has features available so users can mark their favorite sketches or share them via Facebook.
Along with all of the sketch content, NBC includes a special SNL emoji keyboard so users can include their favorite characters in messages. Users can also use the app to quickly launch full episodes of SNL on the NBC web site.
The app is free and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Come comment on this article: NBC finally adds more cowbell to SNL app, brings it to Android
Warby Parker wants to replace your optometrist with an app
Warby Parker, the eyewear company that sends you frames to try on before you make a purchase, has some lofty goals for the near future. In addition to plans that’ll almost double its current retail footprint, the start-up has an app in the works that will save you a trip to the optometrist for an eye exam. “We think that would increase access to eye exams,” co-founder Dave Gilboa told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s early in the process but we are excited about the potential.” Of course, besides the convenience, it’ll also provide an avenue for folks who really need their eyes looked at to get some help at home.
Both the new stores and the software project will get a boost from Warby Parker’s recent $1.2 billion valuation, coming on the heels of a funding round that took in $215 million. The company started as a web business that ships a box frames for eager shoppers try on at home before having a pair made with the proper prescription. In 2013, it began opening physical stores, now totaling 12 locations in 9 cities around the US.
[Image credit: Brian Ach/Getty Images]
Filed under: Misc, Science, Software
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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