Tinder’s premium Boost feature is rolling out worldwide
Tinder’s latest idea to monetize its mobile matching service is rolling out worldwide, as users outside of Australia and the UK will be able to Boost to the top of nearby dater’s queues. Getting Tinder to put its thumb on the algorithm is free once a week as a part of the variably-priced Plus subscription, or it can be purchased individually. Either way, it lasts just 30 minutes, so Pokémon Go players can just treat it like a lucky egg — the company says it can result in as much as a 10x increase in profile views.
Of course, even if you pay the fee for extra exposure, that doesn’t guarantee any extra matches, so making sure you’re using the best picture or handing control over to a professional could be worthwhile. Cuffing season is upon us, so choose wisely — or don’t, Netflix is releasing Black Mirror season three this week anyway, you have so many other things to do.
Source: Tinder
German officials: Tesla shouldn’t say ‘Autopilot’ in its ads
Just days ago, Germany’s Federal Motor Authority sent letters to Tesla owners warning them that their cars’ “Autopilot” feature is strictly there for driver assistance, not driver replacement. As it turns out, those letters were just the opening salvo. According to a report from Reuters, the German government is asking Tesla to stop using the term “autopilot” in its advertising entirely out of concerns that people misinterpret its purpose.
To be absolutely clear, your Tesla will not drive you around town on its own… yet. A Tesla spokesperson maintained that the word “autopilot” has been used in the aerospace industry for years in reference to systems that assist pilots in flight, and that the company has always been clear that people still have to pay attention to the road.
Still, it’s not hard to see what German authorities are concerned about. After all, Tesla is clearly heading down the self-driving path: CEO Elon Musk said last year that he was aiming to have fully autonomous cars ready in 2018, though he later seemed to shy away from his claim. It’s completely feasibly to expect that some people, especially those who don’t follow advances in technology as closely as we do, could get a little confused. Thanks to near-constant coverage and announcements, it’s pretty common knowledge that Teslas can auto-steer to keep the cars running at a steady speed in the same lane, automatically change lanes when the turn signal is engaged and parallel park by themselves.
With any luck, some new changes to Tesla software should help make things more clear. An update issued last month disables the Autopilot mode if the driver keeps removing their hands from the wheel. It’s also worth noting that domestic authorities are probably keeping a close eye on Tesla’s response to this situation; a draft regulation released by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles in September prohibits advertising cars that can sort of drive themselves a la Teslas as “autonomous” or “self-driving.”
Source: Reuters
Even Windows 10 tablets get an Instagram app before the iPad
Instagram brought its filter-driven social network to Windows 10 mobile back in the spring and now it’s doing the same for PCs and tablets running Microsoft’s OS. The photo and video app is now available for desktops and slates, meaning its now an option across all Windows 10 devices and a true universal app. Just like the versions for other operating systems, Direct, Explore and Stories are all tools here for viewing photos and videos alongside capture and editing features.
There is one caveat with the Windows 10 version of Instagram. You’ll need a PC or tablet with a touchscreen in order to upload your images or videos. Yes, it sounds strange, but at least Microsoft’s Surface line will give you full functionality. “Keep in mind that other devices running Windows 10 may not support certain features, like the ability to capture and upload photos and videos,” the app’s page in the Window’s Store explains.
While Windows 10 users are able to use the app across all of their devices, iPad owners are still dealing with the iPhone version for Instagram on Apple’s slates. Further proof we can’t always get what we want, I suppose.
Via: The Verge
Source: Windows Store, Instagram
Twitter’s Flight developer conference was scrapped this year
For the past two years, Twitter has put on a big show called Flight to dazzle mobile app makers with new tools and highlight new shifts in strategy. This year, though, Flight is grounded. Twitter confirmed in a statement to Recode that instead of the usual big fete, the company plans to host smaller, more intimate events around the country — all the better to improve the Twitter’s dicey ties with developers.
“Somewhere along the line our relationship with developers got confusing, unpredictable,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said at last year’s Flight conference. “We want to come to you today and apologize for the confusion. We want to reset our relationship and make sure that we’re learning, listening, and that we are rebooting.” Dorsey’s words seemed earnest at the time, but it’s hard not to look at Flight’s cancellation as a sign of Twitter’s continuing struggle to figure out how best to work with its developer community.
Curiously, Recode also points to unnamed sources who said that a Flight conference was actually in the works for a while before the plug was unceremoniously pulled. It’s not clear how far along plans for another Flight conference were, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Twitter ultimately didn’t want to devote time and energy to a big show. After all, power players like Alphabet, Salesforce and the Walt Disney Company were exploring the possibility of buying Twitter, at least before their enthusiasm died down (dinging Twitter’s stock price in the process).
Make no mistake: giving developers the tools they need to turn this “people’s news network” into something truly indispensable is hugely important for Twitter’s future. Dorsey also admitted in a company-wide memo that his goal is to turn Twitter into “the first place people check to see what’s happening,” a vision that is only helped by developers splashing that firehose of information all over the place. Still, as schizophrenic as Twitter’s stance with its developers might seem, you can’t really blame Jack and his crew for focusing on more short-term priorities.
Source: Recode
Microsoft’s reworked Paint app lets you draw with 3D objects
Microsoft is working on an overhaul of its Paint app for Windows 10, and it might just be worth a look if you’re a casual creator. WindowsBlogItalia has leaked an early test version of the software that reveals both a much-needed modernization of the interface (it’s easier to use with your fingers, The Verge notes) as well as some big feature upgrades. For one, it supports 3D objects — you can incorporate fish and other shapes to spice up your otherwise flat drawings, including items from the community.
You’ll also find 2D objects and freehand drawing features. This won’t make you forget professional creative tools (there’s no layering in this version, for example), but that’s likely not the point. As with other versions of Paint, this is more for sketching, illustrating photos and other quick tasks.
It’s not certain when you’ll see the finished version of Paint for Windows 10. However, Microsoft is holding a big Windows 10 event on October 26th. While there are no guarantees as to what will happen, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company used Paint to show off new Surface hardware.
Source: WindowsBlogItalia (translated), The Verge
Chrome’s December update will be less of a memory hog
Google has spent a while reducing Chrome’s sometimes notorious demands on your system, but it knows that its web browser still needs some work. Accordingly, the upcoming Chrome 55 will include an upgraded JavaScript engine that significantly reduces the memory footprint. Given that many modern websites thrive on JavaScript, this should lead to some dramatic improvements — Google says its test sites (including the New York Times, Reddit and YouTube) used 50 percent less RAM on average than Chrome 53.
You’ll have to wait until December 6th to try the finished version of this update on the desktop, although you’ll almost certainly get to try it earlier if you’re willing to run pre-release code. Whatever you try, it’s important to stress that this won’t improve performance across the board. You’ll mainly notice the difference if your device doesn’t have much memory to start with, or if you’re juggling Chrome alongside other apps (especially if you have many browser tabs open). Take heart if Chrome is still chewing up resources, though — the V8 team still expects more improvements ahead, and it’s particularly interested in lightening the load for entry-level devices with under 1GB of RAM.
Via: CNET
Source: V8 JavaScript Engine, The Chromium Projects
Learn a new language with Duolingo’s chatbots
Duolingo has been offering language learning tools for a while now, but today the company debuted a new tool inside its iPhone app that could make the task a bit easier. Thanks to AI-powered chatbots, the language-learning app offers a way to have conversations while you’re trying to learn French, German and Spanish. That’s a short list of languages for now, but Duolingo says more options are on the way.
Right now, you can only interact with the chatbots via text, but the company does have plans to add spoken conversations in the future. Duolingo gave these bots a bit of personality to make them more like real people and created them to be flexible with the answers they’ll accept when there’s multiple ways for you to respond. For the times when you can’t think of the words you need to say, the app has a “Help My Reply” button that offers a few suggestions.
The new feature gives users of the free iOS app a way to learn through conversations without the anxiety of making mistakes when speaking with a real person. The chatbots are available now via the latest update, but just be sure your iPhone has an internet connection before you try to use them.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Duolingo (iTunes)
Search ads show up on Apple’s App Store
While we’ve known for months that Apple would start placing adverts in App Store search results, only a small percentage of iPhone and iPad users have seen them so far. From today, however, all device owners running iOS 10 in the US will see targeted apps whenever they search for popular terms like “taxi,” “to do” and even “Pokémon” on Apple’s app marketplace.
Should you search for a common keyword that Apple has allowed advertisers to target, the App Store will show the familiar app card — detailing its name, developer rating and price — but sponsored listings will show a light blue background and a small badge labelled “Ad.”
When Apple SVP Phil Schiller first confirmed that developers could influence the visibility of their apps, the company wanted to be “fair to developers and fair for indie developers,” allowing smaller studios with limited budgets to make their creations more visible to the hundreds of millions of iOS device owners.
Apple continues to reinforce the claim that its Featured sections are “not for sale,” so this could be seen as a fair compromise. The company follows Google, after the search giant introduced a similar feature in May 2015. It now remains to be seen how closely Apple’s marketing teams will monitor the placement of apps so that users aren’t shown spoofed apps or are tricked into downloading a third-party app purporting to be the real deal.
As VentureBeat points out, Pokémon Go already has a clone called Catch ‘Em sitting in the paid top spot. However, the real app is listed below, so just be sure to double-check before you download anything.
Via: The Verge
Source: Venturebeat
Kohl’s is the latest retailer to roll out its own mobile payments
If you like to shop at Kohl’s and need an alternative to Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay, you’re in luck. The retailer announced today that its own mobile payments platform, Kohl’s Pay, is now available to all customers nationwide. The company revealed last month that its take on payments would complement its existing mobile wallet app that gave customers a way to store payment info, organize rewards and collect promotions in the same spot.
Unlike retail mobile payment platforms from Walmart and CVS, Kohl’s Pay doesn’t allow customers to add their credit and debit cards to the app for use in stores. Instead, you’ll have to sign up for one of the company’s own Kohl’s Charge cards. While that might seem like an odd choice, TechCrunch reports that the retailer has 25 million customers actively using its credit cards with 60 percent of in-store purchases being paid for with Kohl’s Charge. That’s a substantial number of people you could bring to the mobile platform even if they can’t add any payment method they want.
The payments system is available inside the store’s existing mobile apps for Android and iOS. The Kohl’s app also doesn’t support NFC or tap-to-pay like Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Instead, it displays a QR code that’s scanned by the cashier at checkout. That code is used to not only handle payment, but to apply any savings a customer has stored in the app, too. When you combine the ability to pay to for items, organize discounts/promotions and track returns, exchanges and regular purchases, Kohl’s is giving its customers a handy shopping companion. And that’s on top of using the app to browse items, save gift cards to the mobile wallet and scan barcodes will looking around in stores.
Kohl’s still supports Apple Pay, including the ability to earn loyalty points when using that payment method on an iPhone or Apple Watch. It was the first retailer to do so and it was also the first store to allow customers to use its own credit cards with Apple’s payment platform.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Kohl’s
Google baked its AI ‘Assistant’ into the new Pixel phones
The Pixel and Pixel XL may look new on the outside, but just like grandma says, it’s what’s inside that counts. Google has tweaked the underlying software that powers the Pixels, baking its AI Assistant directly into the phones and launching them with Nougat 7.1.
Assistant is Google’s conversational AI helper, similar to Microsoft’s Cortana or Apple’s Siri. Assistant’s machine learning capabilities already power Allo, Google’s mobile-only messaging app, and it also shows up in products like Google Home. In Allo, Assistant allows users to search for things like directions, restaurant suggestions and weather conditions with conversational phrases, and it even suggests responses (a la Inbox). Chatting directly with Assistant activates even more features, like the ability to receive top news stories from around the world, see your own work emails, pull up your calendar agenda and navigate other personal items.
During its Made by Google event today, CEO Sundar Pichai described how Assistant will help users operate within a “personal Google” that understands context unique to each individual. This means you can quickly pull up local sports scores, your own bike-lock combinations and other specialized features. On the Pixel phones, Assistant remembers your personal preferences, such as listening to music via YouTube rather than another player.
The Pixel phones are the first to launch with Assistant. The Nougat operating system provides automatic updates and the Pixel features a built-in, 24/7 customer support system.
Additionally, Pixel comes with Google Photos built-in and it relies on the cloud, meaning you’ll never run out of storage for photos and videos at full-quality, even 4K. Google Duo, the company’s video chat service, will be available on the Pixel out-of-the-box. The phone is also made for mobile virtual reality, which suggests it’s Daydream-ready.
The main Pixel and Pixel XL screens are going to look a little different, too. Google has redesigned its launcher, which covers all of the Pixel’s apps, add-ons and home screens. Pixel software lead Brian Rakowski took the stage and showed off the the phone’s new launcher, including circular icons with white backgrounds for Google’s own apps.
It’s nice to see there were still some surprises around the Pixel and Pixel XL, after many of their hardware and software details were outed in a handful of leaks this week.
Click here to catch all the latest news from Google’s fall event.
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