Twitter shows how its bots keep your timeline spam-free
Have you noticed that you’re getting a lot less spam on Twitter these days? You may have to thank a bot for that. Twitter has just shed light on BotMaker, a recently developed system that (as the name suggests) lets the social network create anti-spam bot code with very little effort. Within a few seconds, engineers can set up rules that automatically take down and track spammers, in some cases before they’ve even managed to post anything. Besides barring known spam links, the bots can flag suspicious behavior — if a lot of people block an account after it sends a tweet, it’s going to be watched very closely. BotMaker will also look at long-term behavior, so spammers that slip through the cracks aren’t necessarily safe.
Importantly, you shouldn’t notice that BotMaker is working; it’s designed to only fight certain forms of spam as they arrive, and saves more time-consuming tasks for later. Whatever its impact on performance, it’s proving to be effective. Twitter is reporting a 40 percent drop in spam since its new tool kicked in, and it can improve any less-than-perfect rules within seconds instead of hours. It’s doubtful the technology will ever completely rid the world of pitches for fake followers and cheap drugs, but it should help staff police a rapidly growing user base without hurting your day-to-day experience.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter Engineering Blog
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Skype chat notifications will now only hit the device you’re using
Chances are you have a smartphone, tablet and computer combo, so it could get pretty annoying to get pinged simultaneously on those devices when you’re exchanging messages with someone. Skype and iMessage both do this, but now the Microsoft-owned service is keen on changing that. Today, Skype announced that it’s found a way to reduce all the noise for people who are logged in to their accounts on multiple devices, thanks to a new feature called “Active endpoint.” Now when you’re messaging back and forth on your phone, those chat notifications will only be sent to that device — as opposed to before, where it would also send them to, say, your tablet or laptop at the same time. Skype says that, while notification are set to hit that one active device, the chat history is still being synced across multiple devices, making it easy for you to keep your conversations going from anywhere. This new feature is coming to Skype “over the next few weeks,” so expect to see the changes soon.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Skype
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Twitter to delete photos of deceased upon family request
After saying it would take a more hands-on approach to bullying, Twitter will now remove images of deceased persons upon family request in “certain circumstances.” That follows an atrocious instance of harassment, in which several users sent Zelda Williams fake images of a body in a morgue following the death of her father, Robin Williams. After she decided to leave the social network, Twitter said it “(would) not tolerate abuse of this nature.” The new policy states that users can request the removal of such images “from when critical injury occurs to the moments before or after death” by emailing privacy@twitter.com. However, Twitter added that it would also consider “public interest factors” and may not accommodate all requests.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Twitter
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‘Ignore No More’ app makes sure your kids can’t dodge your calls
Once you tiptoe past a certain age, ignoring calls from mom and dad sort of becomes de rigueur as you go about your day. That sort of filial nonsense doesn’t fly when you’re younger though, and now there’s an app to make sure you return you young’uns return your parents’ calls – it’s called Ignore No More, and it essentially works by locking down your smartphone until you call them to verbally check in.
For better or worse, the setup process takes just a bit of doing. Parental units need to create an account and make sure the app is installed on all the phones in question (at a cost of $2 a head). Once that’s done though, all it takes is a few taps to lock down access to nearly everything else on the device — the only way to regain access is for the phone’s owner to place a call to someone on a preset list of contacts. Voilà: parents have a surefire way to get junior on the phone whenever they’d like. Fortunately for the Apple faithful, this app is Android-only for now; feel free to dodge your folks with impunity until the iOS version is released.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: Digital Trends
Source: Ignore No More
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ADT wants to automate your home with the help of IFTTT
Now that home automation is all the rage, household security outfit ADT is looking to dive further into the fray with a hand from If This Then That (IFTTT). Using the home alarm company’s Pulse system and the appropriate channel from the recipe-based app, you’ll be able to leverage automated chores from IFTTT’s library of tasks including disarming the alarm when your wearable switches out of sleep mode. You can also set a coffee maker in your kitchen to start brewing when your phone alarm wakes you and get a real-time video clip when the doorbell rings. ADT Pulse allows for remote control of a home security system from a mobile app, sending alerts and sorting remote video monitoring, too. It can the wrangle the connected thermostat and outlets for lighting and small appliances as well. Right now, the cooperative effort is looking to enter beta testing shortly with plans to open up a channel to the public afterwards that’s full of pre-made recipes alongside the ability to create your own.
Filed under: Household, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: ADT (Businesswire)
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The 49ers’ high-tech fan experience falls short in first real test
When an NFL team builds a brand new stadium, it’s usually packed with the latest tech to insure a flashy introduction. The Dallas Cowboys have absurdly large video screens over the field and the Arizona Cardinals can move the entire playing surface outdoors to soak up some rays. This season, the San Francisco 49ers moved from Candlestick Park to Levi’s Stadium: the first of the NFL’s venues to be LEED certified, thanks in part a solar collection system that will power all ten home games. To enhance the fan experience, there’s a smartphone app that sorts tickets, concessions and wrangles instant replay. In fact, you can use it to scout the line at the nearest beer cart or place an order in advance for pickup or seat-side delivery. As you might expect, this past weekend’s first game action put the new system to the test, and as is common with most new large-scale tech, fans felt the bugs pretty quickly.
The ability to pay for food and have it delivered right to your seat sounds like a welcome change… if the system works. Fans reported issues with concessions portion of the app not receiving orders, leaving one particular season ticket holder rather hangry. Also, the instant replay portion of the app wasn’t switched on for the first preseason game in Santa Clara, so fans weren’t able to access what’s sure to be a popular feature of the stadium’s software — especially for those folks in the nosebleeds. To lend a hand with the issues, so-called Ninerds are on hand to help troubleshoot tech troubles that may arise.
The Levi’s Stadium WiFi and network at large held up pretty well today. More work to do but we feel good.
– Dan Williams (@danw49) August 18, 2014
Deadspin reports that the stadium’s WiFi network peaked when 20,000 devices hit it at the same time, but the venue seats 68,500 fans — of which I’d surmise 75% are likely to be carrying a smartphone. For those who were able to connect, speeds hovered around the 2-3 Mbps mark until the blowout loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos sent some fans home early lessening the burden on the system. According to a tweet from 49ers VP of technology Dan Williams, wireless access worked admirably in its first go, but the necessary improvements are on the way. So it seems that while coaching staffs work out the bugs with the sideline Surface tablets during the preseason, the folks at Levi’s Stadium will look to do the same with its remaining exhibition. A regular season crowd will put the app and its network to the test during Week 2′s matchup with the Chicago Bears.
[Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Deadspin, Mobile Sports Report
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Sprint to offer ‘App Pass’, a subscriptions based all you can eat app Service
In the Sprint announcement this morning for the Sharp AQUOS Crystal there was an interesting section that out lined a “App all you want” with App Pass. I looked it over and moved along as it was separate to the device its self. In the simplest terms possible, it is a subscription based app store that is provided by a company called Mobiroo. Mobiroo has their own store front and offering that OEM’s, carriers and others like them can use on devices around the globe. Sprint is handling the bulk of the service, where as Mobiroo is just the company behind it all.
In the press release Sprint is sure to point out that the service is an exclusive to the carrier. Horray! More bloatware! Moving right along. The app will be called App Pass and will be pre-installed on all new Android devices going forward and becomes available August 29th. Current Android device owners with Sprint can find the app in the Sprint Zone app and grab it if they want to. App Pass will offer up a 14-day free trial prior to the activation of a monthly subscription. The subscription will set you back $4.99 a month, but lets you install any app you want from the hand-picked titles to install and use on up to two devices. The point being that the apps that you will have access too will include paid apps as well. Sprint mentions companies like Gameloft and Oceanhouse Media being involved. Knowing that many Gameloft games are $4.99 and up each, once could see the benefit of a subscription service vs one time purchases.
I am pretty apprehensive myself, but there is a little more to it that might make you lean towards giving it a run. Sprint will also be offering $5 per-month credit for customers to spend on in-app purchases. So, you pay $5 and they give you $5.
The official web page for App Pass, http://www.sprint.com/apppass, isn’t live yet, but it is in place.
Press release snippet details below, additional info at Mobiroo.com
“App All You Want” with App Pass
Exclusive to Sprint in the U.S., App Pass is a subscription service that allows customers to access a hand-selected catalog of premium apps and games for $4.99 per month – after a 14-day free trial. App Pass offers unlimited access to these apps and games across two devices, and additionally, customers are given a $5 credit each month to spend on in-app purchases.“Many customers find value in premium apps, but hesitate to make the purchase without knowing more about the app,” said Wayne Ward, vice president-business and product development at Sprint. “With App Pass, Sprint makes it easier for our customers to ‘app all you want’ with a curated list of popular premium apps.”
App Pass will host a curated selection of apps and mobile games from some of the world’s top developers including Gameloft and Oceanhouse Media. Select titles from other developers include OfficeSuite 7 Pro, Camera Zoom FX, Minuum Keyboard, CamScanner and Color & Draw for Kids.
App Pass, powered by Mobiroo, which develops and manages app subscription platforms globally, will be pre-installed on all new Sprint Android devices beginning Aug. 29. App Pass can also be found under the “Apps” tab of the Sprint Zone app, on supported devices, for current Sprint customers using an Android phone. After the launch on Aug. 29, Sprint customers can visit www.sprint.com/apppass to learn more and download the app. New apps and games will be regularly added to the storefront.
To receive the 14-day free trial, customers will need to open the App Pass app and then register by tapping on the menu button, then selecting ‘My Account,’ tapping on the ‘Sign up now’ button on the Featured page or tapping on the ‘download’ button on an App Details page. App Pass will not be available on prepaid devices.
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The post Sprint to offer ‘App Pass’, a subscriptions based all you can eat app Service appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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Uber’s Corner Store delivery service takes aim at Amazon in Washington, DC
Uber leveraged couriers in NYC to deliver goods a few months back, and now it’s offering drop-offs of convenience items to folks in certain areas of Washington, DC. The company’s Corner Store “experiment” uses its drivers to take over 100 items — like toothpaste, vitamins, allergy medicine and others — to folks in need who make a request through the smartphone app. Along the bottom of the UI, there’s now an appropriately-named option that allows you to set/confirm your location, and if a driver is free for a delivery, you’ll get a list of what’s available before they call to take your order. The system is already in place in cities across the US for its car service, so leveraging idle Uber drivers for a diaper run takes aim at Amazon’s (and others) same-day delivery. Right now, the service is available during the week from 9 AM to 9 PM and the outfit says the program is only slated to run for a limited time. Unless, of course, it’s super popular.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Uber
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RunKeeper will now bribe you to beat your best
You tell yourself you’re gonna go running. You might even have an app that gently prods you to get your lazy keister up off the couch. But let’s be honest, the most effective motivator is the good ol’ fashioned bribe. That’s why RunKeeper is teaming up with Kiip, a company that delivers ads and rewards through games and mobile apps. The idea isn’t just to get you casually jogging though, but to actually get you to push yourself. Through the new workout rewards program, RunKeeper will deliver discounts on Propel Water, Secret Deodorant or even a Pebble smartwatch when you reach a personal best in distance or pace for instance. All the rewards are specifically chosen to appeal to RunKeeper’s athletic market niche, so you shouldn’t have to worry about being offered discounts on Transformers Blu-rays. You won’t get bombarded by offers either, they’ll only pop up sometimes — and you’ll really have to work for them. But it might be nice to get something at the end of a long marathon than a smug sense of self satisfaction.
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Scottish Power is the latest energy provider to offer its own smart thermostat
Not to be outdone by British Gas and nPower, Scottish Power has become the latest energy supplier to jump aboard the smart thermostat bandwagon. While its rivals are either pushing their own controls or have teamed up companies like Nest to help customers automate their heating, Scottish Power is doing a bit of both by spinning off a white-label version of the Climote thermostat. Unlike nPower, which part-subsidises the cost of the Nest, Scottish Power is offering the Climote under its own “Connect” branding, starting at £10 per month for two years (with a £66 upfront payment). The thermostat lets customers set up heating schedules or control temperature in real time using an app, browser or even by SMS. Good news if you’re looking to make your home smarter, but aren’t keen on switching providers or letting Google into your place of rest.
Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Internet, Software
Source: Scottish Power Connect
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AIVAnet 