Firefox brings its tracking-resistant private browsing to everyone
Psst: the private browsing mode in your current web browser probably isn’t that private. It’ll (usually) get rid of your history and cookies, but it won’t prevent cross-site trackers from getting a feel for what you’re doing. However, you now have an easy way to deal with that — Mozilla has released a finished version of Firefox with its promised stricter Private Browsing mode. Switch it on and you’ll get tracking protection that blocks code from those ads and social services that follow you from site to site. There’s also a central control panel on the desktop for managing privacy and security, including the option to turn tracking protection off if it’s breaking an important page.
Source: The Mozilla Blog, Firefox, Google Play
Adware found in MacUpdate’s Skype Installer package
Long-trusted software site MacUpdate has apparently gone the way of its competitors: It has been tainted by adware. A Twitter user tried to download a Skype Installer package from the site and discovered that all was not as it appeared. The file looks normal at first and when opened you’re prompted with a user agreement that people generally just click past, but it’s here that gives the installer the right to change browser settings and add a “search-assist” browser extension. This type of software-trickery is identical to those used by InstallCore adware and as soon as the Skype agreement is confirmed, an InstallCore browser is added to Safari. It’s usually wise to download software from the developer’s site but the appeal of MacUpdate was that it acted like a one-stop-shop of sorts, carrying with it a strong reputation for reliable downloads. Now, with this news coming to light, maybe it will have to be added to the boycott list right under Download.com and Softonic.
Source: Ciro Urdaneta (Twitter)
Pinterest’s shopping pins arrive on Android for the holiday frenzy
After launching its Buyable Pins on iOS earlier this summer, Pinterest is looking to let the Google faithful in on the goods, too. As of today, the online repository is rolling out the feature to Android users. This means that you’ll be able to purchase goods from retailers large and small without having to leave the app. We’re talking stuff from the likes of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and more. In fact, the tally of Buyable Pins now numbers 60 million and a new Pinterest Shop curates trends for easy access. Just like regular ol’ pins, you can search for the shopping items and filter them based on price and other criteria to find the exact items you’re after. While today’s news means Buyable Pins are available on both Android and iOS, they remain absent from the web for now, but Pinterest plans to employ them in your browser “in the future.” Slideshow-338498
BBC Radio 1’s new show is designed specifically for iPlayer
Now more than ever, Brits are discovering new music through streaming apps such as Spotify, Rdio and Apple Music. Specifically, listeners are tuning in to playlists that are themed around artists or music genres they’re already interested in. The BBC seems to have recognised this and is doing something similar with a new, downloadable “Playlist” show on Radio 1. From January the programme will air every Thursday from 9 to 10pm, but more importantly, it’ll also be available to download in the iPlayer Radio app. The show will rotate every week, covering different themes and moods, like “Ellie Goulding’s Running Mix” and “Annie Mac’s Ibiza Classics.” The BBC already offers some show downloads in the iPlayer Radio app, so this idea isn’t entirely new. The difference, however, is that the broadcaster seems to be thinking iPlayer-first, rather than radio-first now. It could be an early glimpse at the new, playlist-centric music service that the BBC has in the works.
Source: BBC
Google’s Inbox gets a ‘Smart Reply’ tool that suggests short responses
Gmail’s Inbox app packs a number of features aimed at helping you better tackle your email load. Starting this week, it’s getting one more. The new tool is called Smart Reply and it automatically suggests short responses to messages where a lengthy discourse isn’t needed. After using machine learning to analyze the emails you receive, Inbox comes up with some appropriate responses to save time by allowing you to respond with fewer taps. And just like it does to wrangle spam, the app learns how you reply over time so it can offer better suggestions the more you use it. Smart Reply will be hitting both the Android and iOS versions of Inbox this week, so keep your eye peeled for the update to arrive.
Source: Official Gmail Blog
Twitter replaces stars with hearts because it loves new users
Say goodbye to favs. The Twitter stars you’ve so desperately collected over the years with your witty status updates are being replaced with hearts. Starting today, both Twitter and Vine will start transitioning to “likes.” According to Akarshan Kumar, Twitter product manager, stars could be confusing to new users, “you might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favorite.” The social network has been testing hearts since June and says that those people love it and that the heart symbol transcends languages and cultures.
Source: Twitter
Google’s VP of design rips into Windows 10 on Twitter
Shortly after recording his first podcast, Google’s vice president of design Matias Duarte has publicly slammed Microsoft and Windows 10 on Twitter. After the latest episode of Joshua Topolsky’s Tomorrow went live, Duarte tweeted that he had tried the Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10 — and that in his opinion, it felt like “XP with a flat design skin.” Needless to say, this triggered quite a response from the Twittersphere, and Duarte quickly followed up with: “Windows 10? More like Windows 10 years ago!” The tweets were partly sent in jest, as he later described them as “overly clever tweetbait.” However, Google’s design lead clearly has some issues with the way Microsoft’s desktop OS has evolved. Specifically, Duarte claims he has “no beef” with how Windows 10 looks, and is instead disappointed with how it works. As far as he’s concerned, the functionality is similar to the now ancient Windows XP: “I understand that’s a feature for many,” he later tweeted. “Not for me!”
Microsoft gives retailers another year to sell Windows 7 PCs
If you still want your next PC to run Windows 7, better act soon. Microsoft has updated its “Windows lifecycle” fact sheet, and the last day you’ll be able to buy a PC with Windows 7 preinstalled is October 31, 2016. Microsoft would have shelved Windows 7 awhile ago, since it normally sells previous versions just two years after the next one arrives. However, many people treated Windows 8 like it was radioactive, so Windows 7 Professional (OEM) was extended, and will actually come off the market after Windows 8, and on the same day as Windows 8.1. Apart from pre-installed copies of Windows 7 Professional, all other Windows 7 versions are already off the market.
Source: Microsoft
Google swears it won’t phase out Chrome OS
That talk of Google merging Android and Chrome OS, effectively killing Chrome OS as you know it? Google would rather that you forget about all that. In a follow-up to its early rebuttal, the search firm acknowledges that it’s working on ways to “bring together” the two platforms, but insists that there’s “no plan to phase out” Chrome OS. The web-focused software is still popular in classrooms and offices, Google says, and there are plans to upgrade it with everything from a more substantial Material Design makeover to a new media player. There are “dozens” of Chromebooks launching in 2016, the company adds.
Source: Google Chrome Blog
Google thinks it can make translated apps fail less
While often hilarious, mistranslations can be embarrassing or even dangerous. Google, which is no doubt responsible for a large number of those, has come up with a way to help developers ensure their apps make sense in other languages. The problem is that machines don’t understand context — as an example, Google cites the word “auto,” which can be translated to French either as automatic or automobile, depending on how it’s used. That prompted the search giant to develop the Language Quality Survey (LQS), consisting of 10 questions that developers can pose to foreign users.
Source: Google
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