Gmail Updating to V4.8, Brings Rich Account Switching and More [APK Download]
Google is pushing out an update for Gmail this evening. The update moves the app from V4.7.2 to v4.8. That is pretty hefty jump in version number and it certainly bring a number of great changes. Among the changes you will see a number of visual alterations that help move GMail more inline with the looks of the other suit of Google apps. For instance, you now have the richer avatar account look in the left slider. No more little radio button dots to change accounts.
You will also notice that the animation when you pull down to refresh is not clue, but instead the yellow, red, green and blue that you are familiar with in G+ and other apps.
You will also be greeted with a new ‘no conversations’ page that has a sad cloud on it. Google also shifted the Settings, Help and Feedback buttons to the slider at the bottom.
A few other note worthy changes include visually being able to an entire truncated message instead of only part of it and you can directly print an attachment or send it to your Drive account.
All-in-all, a pretty good update and one that was long over due. You can kick back and wait for the typical staged rollout to hit your device, or you can hit the link below to download the APK now and get it up and running.
Source: AndroidPolice
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Rdio is now streaming in nine more locales
Spotify isn’t the only music streaming service looking to blanket the globe. In fact, Rdio has surpassed its primary competition in that tally. The latter outfit is now available in 60 countries after it announced the additions of Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Slovakia And Slovenia. For reference, Spotify currently tallies 56 countires worldwide. “We’re thrilled to have been able to expand from two to 60 countries in less than four years, while also pairing this rapid growth with regular catalog increases reflective of the amazing and distinct music that impacts the culture of each country we serve,” said CEO Anthony Bay. Heck, Rdio even made a playlist to celebrate.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Rdio (Facebook)
Whisper app now includes related posts, still keeps your identity anonymous
Whisper, the anonymous secret-sharing app, now delivers a more personalized experience — but don’t worry; your identity will still be hidden. To show you relevant posts without revealing who you are or using your phone’s address book, the Whisper team redesigned the app to show related content after you submit a new secret. In other words, the app isn’t personalized to display confessions from people you know, but instead it delivers content related to your own anonymous secrets. Additionally, the app now sorts Whispers by location, so you’ll be able to zoom into general (not super-specific) areas to see what users are talking about.
This is admittedly a pretty smart solution for personalizing an app that is identity-free by design, and it has the side benefit of encouraging users to share more. According to Whisper CEO Michael Heyward, only 50 percent of users who post secrets will see related content, and lurkers who are only there to browse will never see any. The update is already available at the App Store (see source the link below), and it will arrive on Android in about two weeks.
Filed under: Software
Via: Re/code
Source: Whisper (iTunes)
Twitter eyes SoundCloud to get folks sharing more music
Twitter’s usage stats have shown its growth slowing for quite some time, and now it seems buying a social-minded audio-sharing outfit could be part of the plan for a turnaround. Recode reports that SoundCloud may be part of that strategy, bringing its 250 million users to the 140-character microblogging platform. SoundCloud offers free audio hosting and sharing via its website for socialites to scatter however they see fit — with a paid tier for those who need a extra features. The purchase would carry a steep price tag though, as the site was valued at $700 million after a round of funding back in January. This wouldn’t be Twitter’s first foray into music either, as its failed #Music app sought to bring tunes to users based on their popularity on the social platform. That effort was officially decommissioned last month.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Source: Recode
Android-to-Android Streaming Made Simple With New AllCast Receiver App
A secondary app to AllCast by developer Koushik Dutta, ClockworkMod, has been released to the Play Store today. The new app, AllCast, Receiver is more of a companion app vs a standalone app. You do need to have the original AllCast app installed on your casting device to utilize it. In a nutshell, AllCast Receiver allows you to cast your videos, photos and music from one Android device to another. For instance, share a movie from your phone directly to your tablet for streaming.
As the apps description also points out, it would be a great app to install on your Amazon Fire TV, Ouya, Android Stick or a Google TV. The app is free, but you do need the base AllCast app installed on your casting device in order to ship the content out. The AllCast app is free to try, but has limitations until you get the premium license. Well worth the money of you have a Chromecast and now even more worth the money if you have a tablet, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV or other Android based devices. Pick up the AllCast Receiver app via the Play Store and give it a whirl.
via Phandroid
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What you need to know about net neutrality
The internet! It’s a truly wonderful place, a reflection of humanity that encompasses the breadth of our achievements and failures as a species. It’s at the center of modern life in the United States: from birth/early life education for parents to educational tools for kids, interacting with networks of friends and family, the entire college experience, managing finances into adulthood and building a business. It is ubiquitous. And the internet, as we know it, is open. The concept of “net neutrality” is simple: to keep the internet open.
WHAT IS IT?
“Net neutrality” is a dreadfully boring phrase, sadly. All credit to the very smart coiner of the term, Tim Wu, but “net neutrality” sounds like a combination of nerd jargon and hippie protest movement. The concept is thankfully very easy to understand: The internet is an open forum where all websites and services are created equal. Access to the internet means equal access to all websites and services, big and small, as legally allowed.
That is the idea of “net neutrality,” and it’s especially easy to understand in the context of reality: As of right now, the internet is open, and access to all websites is available (big and small, as legally allowed).
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Doesn’t it stink when you’re trying to marathon House of Cards and the stream keeps stuttering? That’s no coincidence: Netflix recently inked deals with two internet providers (Comcast and Verizon) to pay cash for more reliable service. Previously, both Comcast and Verizon were noticeably slipping in Netflix speed tests; Netflix said the two companies weren’t throttling internet speeds, but connect the dots as you will. Anyway, Netflix speeds are improving on those providers and you’re back in business with Frank Underwood, right?
Yes and no. You are indeed able to laze away Sunday watching Anthony Bourdain tour the world, but Netflix is upping its prices pretty soon. Hey, that stinks! This is the very base level of why you should care.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Netflix has enough money to pay off the internet service providers (ISPs). How many others do? And what does it mean for the rest of the internet service you receive from an ISP that provides a separate lane for specific websites/services? These questions are at the heart of the battle over the future of the open internet.
More than just streaming issues, the stakes are innovation. So the argument goes: Though Netflix has the money to pay for dedicated internet speed, it could be using that money for, say, expanding its 4K offering. And if the company couldn’t pay? Then perhaps it wouldn’t make it in the long run, further entrenching the ISPs. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that supports net neutrality, “New websites that can’t afford expensive fees for better service will face new barriers to success, leaving users with ever fewer options and a less diverse internet.”
WHAT’S THE ARGUMENT?
On the flip side of the innovation argument in favor of net neutrality, ISPs argue that regulation to enforce it impedes their ability to innovate. After the Federal Communications Commission voted recently in favor of proposing new rules, AT&T said, “Going backwards 80 years to the world of utility regulation would represent a tragic step in the wrong direction.” For some, the argument is against putting control of internet regulation in the hands of the government; for others, it’s a question of destabilizing stock markets as a result.
In either case, something has to give: The previous regulations set up by the FCC were shot down in court earlier this year. In so many words, the FCC has to do something to address net neutrality. After last week’s vote, we’re waiting to hear what exactly that something will be.
WANT EVEN MORE?
We sure hope you do, because there’s a ton of supplemental reading to do on the subject. Why not start at the beginning with the original paper by Wu (who coined the term “net neutrality”). Vox‘s breakdown of net neutrality digs into the legislative history and challenges the FCC faces in implementing regulations on how the internet operates, much of which we skirted here. Our own Richard Lawler explains why Comcast’s deal with Netflix doesn’t mean the end of the net neutrality fight. Or maybe you wanna get super serious and dig into the history of communications regulation in the US? Here’s the original text of the Communications Act of 1934 (PDF), which is the basis for much of the legal arguments over ISP regulation.
[Image credit: Bebeto Matthews/Getty Images, Brand X]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, Software, Verizon, AT&T
Groupon lets merchants process cards, track customers with iPad-based Gnome
Gone are the days when restaurants and retailers needed to drop five figures for the privilege of tracking and ringing up customers. Square’s Register app has been letting merchants process transactions with “cheap” consumer hardware since 2012, and now Groupon’s reinforcing its own position in the point of sale game with a new iPad-based solution. Gnome, which is expected to cost merchants $10 per month, will let customers redeem their Groupons via Bluetooth, or simply by providing their name at checkout. Customers can receive email or printed receipts, and they can pay entirely with cash or a credit card whenever they’re not redeeming a voucher. The company plans to move all merchants over to Gnome within the next few months, so expect a more streamlined Groupon experience soon.
Android 4.4.3 could be out soon after internal build existence is leaked Out
We’ve been expecting the release of software build Android 4.4.3 for some time now, but the rumours have died down greatly. Today, however, is our lucky day as it appears a screenshot of Android 4.4.3 being released internally at Google has been leaked out (despite the obvious irony of the screenshot). The device being updated appears to be a Nexus 5, and we have heard that one of the fixes rumoured to be in the new software update is supposed to specifically address a bug only found on the Nexus 5 camera.
Apart from fixing the Nexus 5 camera bug, Android 4.4.3 is supposed to address quite a few more issues such as data connection and Wi-Fi dropout issues, Bluetooth fixes and many more (see a partial list of the changes here). While we do see the internal rollout of the software update here, there’s no telling when the public build will be made available, but here’s to hoping it will be sooner rather than later.
Are you excited to hear that Android 4.4.3 may almost be here? Are you affected by any of the issues that required the update to fix? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Google+ via Android Ice Cream Sandwich
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Shazam baffles UK users by dropping Spotify integration
If you, like us, regularly use of Shazam to tag and add tracks to Spotify for later listening, we have some bad news: you may now find that option has gone. It comes as one of the unexpected consequences of a deal between the music discovery company and streaming service Deezer, which has now replaced its bigger rival in free versions of Shazam in Germany, Mexico, UK and Brazil. TechCrunch spotted that Deezer and Rdio now hold the two main “free” positions within the Shazam app, but also notes that the ad-free premium version Encore retains Spotify integration. In our tests, Shazam had removed Spotify tagging from the Encore Android app, despite still displaying the feature in screenshots on both the UK App Store and Google Play.
Given Shazam’s response, the move appears to be a purely business decision: “The streaming space is getting extremely competitive and we are excited to see a lot of companies in this space interested in working with Shazam,” company CRO told TechCrunch. “Every country is different and is its own market and its own opportunity, which is why streaming companies – as well as Shazam – need to take a country-by-country approach as we evaluate integration.” The company’s support pages suggest that it may be part of a trial and that “Spotify integration (which we’re currently working on to improve) may be returned at a later date.” But, if you’d rather not wait for Shazam to figure out its allegiances, rival Soundhound will suitably handle your tagging and Spotify playback needs.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: TechCrunch
Facebook may launch ‘Slingshot’ Snapchat competitor this month
Facebook could be gearing up to introduce a Snapchat-like video message tool later this month, according to a Financial Times report. The app, known to staffers as ‘Slingshot,’ would enable users to send short video messages, and it would likely not be integrated with the social site’s other applications, such as Facebook Messenger. Based on the timing of Slingshot’s potential release, it’s possible that a team within the company began working on the app shortly after negotiations to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion failed late last year, leaving Facebook to build its own competitor from the ground up. Still, while the new app appears to be nearly ready for primetime, the launch apparently has yet to be approved — it’s possible that Slingshot may never see the light of day.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Via: Verge
Source: Financial Times
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