Zac covers Apple news for 9to5Mac and hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast.
Facebook has officially announced its new Messenger Day feature for Android and iOS after previously testing the Snapchat Stories clone with a limited number of users. Messenger Day is rolling out globally to Facebook’s Messenger app beginning today.
Pocket, the popular read-it-later bookmarking service, has been acquired by Firefox developer Mozilla, according to Recode. Pocket has client apps on Android and Chrome including a browser extension.
Instagram is rolling out a new post format that lets you publish multiple photos and videos in a single entry on the social network. Posts were previously limited to single photos or videos with the exception of Stories which are ephemeral.
WhatsApp is introducing a new feature in its app called Status that uses a similar format to Snapchat Stories, TechCrunch reports. Like messaging through WhatsApp, however, Status will bring encryption to the popular format.
Pinterest is introducing a new feature for its Android app called Lens. Rolling out now as a beta feature, Lens lets you point your camera at your surroundings to discover new design ideas based on what it captures.
Just point Lens at a pair of shoes, then tap to see related styles or even ideas for what else to wear them with. Or try it on a table to find similar designs, and even other furniture from the same era. You can also use Lens with food. Just point it at broccoli or a pomegranate to see what recipes come up. Patterns and colors can also lead you in fun, interesting or even just plain weird new directions.
If there’s a holiday on the calendar, you can almost guarantee Pokémon Go will have an in-app event to promote the game. With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, Niantic announced today a special Valentine’s Day-themed event for trainers kicking off today through next week.
Satechi is launching a new USB-C Power Meter that can detect faulty cables, batteries, and chargers before they damage your Chromebook, Pixel or other hardware. USB-C Power Meter measures voltage, current, and power input over time so you can tell if an accessory is working as advertised or misbehaving.
Pokémon Go recently introduced second-generation characters to the mobile game through egg hatching, and now an in-game event starting Christmas morning will make acquiring those new Pokémon much easier. Pokémon Go is also doing an in-game event starting on New Year’s Eve to increase your chances of catching starter Pokémon…
Sony announced back in August that it was entering the Android Auto head unit scene with its $499 6.4-inch XAV-AX100 receiver, and starting today you can buy the sleek aftermarket screen for yourself.
Pokémon Go is teaming up with Sprint to turn businesses into PokéStops and Gyms as part of Niantic’s latest move to keep players in the game. The news comes just one day before Starbucks is expected to do the same while introducing a Pokémon Go-themed drink for trainers. Niantic has also teased out when we might start seeing new monsters appear in the game.
Netflix is bringing offline playback to its streaming video service for the first time starting today. This means you won’t need an active Internet connection to watch movies and TV shows which is ideal for travel or other low-connection situations.
Microsoft has a new Android app out today: Microsoft Solitaire Collection. The new mobile app is available for Android and iOS as a free download. PC users will recognize Solitaire as one of the classic Windows games pre-installed on Microsoft’s operating system…
Pokémon Go was a phenomenal hit over the summer when the app first launched on smartphones, but players have needed new reasons to keep playing the AR-based game after the initial hype calmed down. Hosting in-game events that reward players has been one strategy used to recreate the excitement, and this week Pokémon Go will see it’s second-ever holiday-themed event.
Twitter is rolling out new features targeted at combatting online abuse that should create a better experience for users on the platform. New privacy features announced today will expand muting beyond just accounts to notifications, keywords, and more.
Whether you’re a cord-cutter or just want to watch CBS shows on-the-go without ads, the network has a new option worth checking out. CBS All Access, the broadcast channel’s streaming video service, is introducing a commercial-free option for subscribers. The new tier will come at a higher price, of course, and still include commercials during live broadcasts.
CBS All Access with ads goes for $5.99/month while the ad-free version will cost $4 more each month. The pricier $9.99/month plan enters Netflix territory, although CBS focuses on recently aired content. For comparison, Hulu’s ad-free tier (which includes broadcast network shows but not CBS) costs $11.99/month.
CBS All Access is available on a variety of devices including Android, Android TV, and the web.
Dropbox Paper has been in private beta for about a year, and now the web service is gaining a dedicated Android app as it enters public beta for anyone to try. Paper is Dropbox’s take on a collaborative word processor — think Google Docs — that’s built on a robust cloud syncing service.
Facebook has been trying to recreate Snapchat’s success on its own ever since it tried and failed to buy the social app, and the latest feature it has developed for Instagram is no different. Instagram today unveiled Stories, a new photo and video sharing feature that borrows from the Snapchat-created feature right down to the name. Unlike traditional Instagram posts, Instagram Stories are more ephemeral and disappear 24 hours after being posted…
Snapchat’s latest update introduces a brand new feature called Memories which lets you save Snaps and Stories in your own personal collection. Memories lets you capture and save pictures and videos in Snapchat instead of the default photos app.
Late last year we got an early look at improvements coming to the next version of Bluetooth, and now the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has revealed the name of the upcoming version plus more specifics about the new standard. Bluetooth 5 will be the successor to Bluetooth 4.2, which was released at the end of 2014, suggesting a notable release this year. The new standard will be announced next week, and this is what we know so far.
Changes are coming to AT&T’s Next program starting in June. AT&T Next, the company’s monthly payment program for buying smartphones and tablets, is shifting from four options to two options and adding ways to lower the monthly payment.
Google has been making great efforts lately in bringing virtual reality to anyone with a smartphone, and the latest update to its YouTube app makes finding VR content super easy. YouTube for iOS now includes a dedicated Cardboard button, which automatically transforms any video into VR mode for watching with Google Cardboard.
Google parent company Alphabet has once again surpassed Apple in terms of value based on market capitalization. CNBC points out that Alphabet (GOOG) saw its market cap around $498.56 billion during trading today, while Apple (AAPL) saw its market cap down around $496.69 billion.
Third-party keyboards have been possible (but flaky) on iPhones since iOS 8 in 2014, and today Google has joined the likes of Microsoft and others that are trying to offer a better software keyboard to iPhone owners. Meet Gboard, Google’s brand new iPhone keyboard that’s launching today and packed with features including search, GIF lookup, and gesture typing.
After years of resisting the trend, Instagram has finally replaced their classic app icon with a trendier, flatter version that preserves some original color from the realistic icon in the form of a background gradient. In addition to overhauling its app icon, the Facebook-owned photo sharing social network has also shipped a new black and white user interface.
