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The latest news on all your favorite apps.
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Korg Konnect: A smart amp for small audiences
For large gatherings, PA systems keep you from just yelling at a group of people to share your message. For musicians, a PA is necessary to amplify your voice and instrument to an audience. On the surface, Korg's Konnect PA speaker does pretty much what every other speaker with a few mics attached to it does, make things louder so folks can hear them. But look a little deeper, and you'll see the Konnect takes what Korg knows about sound and performances and shoves it into a four-channel speaker. One you can control via a companion app that's surprisingly robust.
Uber is forcing six-hour rest breaks on busy US drivers
With its latest app update, Uber is forcing US drivers to take a six hour break after working 12 straight hours. The company implemented a similar feature in the UK earlier this year, but lets American drivers work two hours longer. The app will issue three warnings, starting after 10 hours of straight driving, before going offline and forcing drivers to stop. The aim is to put a halt to drowsy driving that causes 4,000 accidents a year, the company said in a statement.
Microsoft makes it easier to preview Windows apps
If you're looking to get a peek at what cool features are coming to Windows apps in the future, then you pretty much need to run an Insider build. But Microsoft realizes that some folks don't want to run beta software on their machine, which is why it's developing a way to test apps inside retail versions of the OS. Right now, a handful of Windows 10 apps have been opened up to let users see what's coming down the pipeline, regardless of their Insider status.
WhatsApp starts digital payment tests in India
WhatsApp has finally started testing the digital payments feature it's been working on since early 2017. The Facebook-owned chat app is currently giving a limited number of users in India the chance to give its built-in payments feature a spin. Based on the screenshots shared by UI designer Nagender Rao Savanth, testers will have to verify their phone number via SMS to be able to use the government-backed Unified Payments Interface within the app. They can then choose among the pretty large list of banks available, including the State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank, which are some of the biggest in the country.
Microsoft's Windows 10 Store is getting more web apps
Thanks in a roundabout way to Google, you're about to see more apps on the Windows 10 Store. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are like app versions of websites that work even when you're offline and offer services like push notifications -- minus the installation fuss of regular apps. Android popularized them by letting you add them to your home screen when you load certain websites. Now, Microsoft is introducing Progressive Web Apps to the Windows 10 Store, making them "first-class app citizens in Windows," on par with Universal Windows Apps (UWAs).
Amazon’s Echo Look taps into Vogue and GQ for style help
Magazines are constantly looking at ways to bridge the gap between their paper-based and digital audiences, especially with an ecommerce slant, which has demonstrated its potential in a number of innovative areas, including augmented reality. Now, Condé Nast fashion bibles Vogue and GQ are experimenting with content on the exclusive Amazon Echo Look, which is basically Alexa with a camera (and is only available to purchase by invitation at this stage). From February 19, readers can take a selfie with the Look, send it to the app and get a host of celebrity and fashion content in return, some of which they can buy through the app, with Condé Nast getting a cut of the sale.
Google adds AR objects to its GIF-making Android app
Google is the latest company to borrow Snapchat's augmented reality features, although this time it's not grafting them on to a social app. The company has released a new version of Motion Stills for Android that brings AR objects to your animated GIFs and videos. You can add chickens, dinosaurs and other objects to any horizontal surface in your shot, whether it's your hand, a plant or a table. And importantly, you don't have to be finicky when capturing your footage to make the result seem 'natural' -- it's using instant motion tracking tech that avoids the jarring visual anomalies you sometimes get in AR.
Patreon lets creators share progress through Snapchat-like stories
Even Patreon is getting into the trend of cloning Snapchat. The funding service is introducing a mobile Lens feature that lets creators produce Snapchat-like stories that disappear after 24 hours, giving backers a behind-the-scenes look at a project without the hassle of shooting a formal video. And unlike Snapchat (or Instagram, or...), you can limit posts just to backers without having to create a special account, share private links or otherwise jump through hoops.
Google+ for Android gets rebuilt for the few that still use it
Remember Google+? The search giant's take on a social network, complete with 'Circles' for organising contacts and 'Communities' for connecting with like-minded people? Well the site is still up and running, even if its active user base remains low. If you're a holdout, however, good news — Google is working on a "brand new" version of the Google+ app for Android devices. Though it "closely resembles" the current app, the underlying rewrite means the team should be able to build new features "on a modern tech stack." That's according to Leo Deegan, anyway, an engineering manager for the Google+ team, who explained the changes in a public post.
Grammarly patches bug that could expose everything you write (update: not everything)
Grammarly, a copyediting app/extension for Chrome and Firefox that points out typos and grammatical mistakes, had a major bug that allowed any website you visit to log into your account and read everything you ever wrote. It made all your documents, history, logs, tweets and blog posts vulnerable to high-tech snoops. Google's Project Zero, which unearths and tracks vulnerabilities and reports them to software-makers, revealed the bug on February 2nd. Thankfully, the Grammarly team has quickly patched it up and has already auto-updated the program used by over 20 million users.
The only thing Equifax's new credit app locks is itself
Equifax still appears to have trouble wrapping its head around the concept of trustworthy software following its massive security breach. The company has launched its promised free credit report locking service, Lock & Alert, but there's one overriding problem: at least initially, the mobile app associated with it doesn't appear to work. The New York Times and Ars Technica both report pervasive problems with the app, ranging from the basic login to... you know, locking your credit report. In the NYT's case, the tester gave up after the locking attempt stalled five times in a row.
US appeals court says Tinder Plus pricing is discriminatory
They say all's fair in love and war, but those that have used Tinder will probably disagree. And that includes Allan Candelore, a man suing the dating app over the pricing of its premium service, Tinder Plus. Candelore and his lawyers argue that charging $9.99 a month to users under 30, and $19.99 a month to those over 30, is age discrimination, and violates two California laws: the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law.
Spotify is testing a Pandora-esque standalone Android app
Spotify apparently has plans to launch another music app -- one that's more like Pandora's original service, or like a radio, if you will. The company has begun testing a playlist-based app called "Stations" for Android, and according to its Google Play listing, it plays music as soon as you launch it. You'll have to "like" tracks in the app so it can create personalized stations for you, but like Spotify's main app, Stations learns what music you prefer the more you listen. All you need to do to switch stations and automatically start playing other music is to scroll through your playlists.
Experimental tools make Google's VR art app easier to use
When Google launched its VR drawing app Blocks, the tech titan said it's simple enough that even those with no prior 3D modeling experience can use it. Now, the big G has rolled out new features that apparently make the app "even easier to use." To start with, you can now pick between four environments if you're tired of making 3D models with a virtual desert in the background. You can choose to go with a plain black or a plain white environment, but you can also go for the night version of the desert background if the original one is too bright for you.
HQ Trivia scraps $20 minimum requirement to withdraw prizes
Got a few bucks sitting in HQ Trivia limbo these past couple of months? You'll be happy to hear this, then: the app no longer requires a minimum balance for withdrawal. You can get your prize money no matter how small it is, so you don't have to endlessly try to win again and again just to be able to collect $20. HQ Trivia, which debuted to great success late last year, is a trivia app that takes on a gameshow format. Gameplay is live, and you can only play at specific times twice a day.
DuckDuckGo upgrades apps to block hidden ad trackers
DuckDuckGo has given its browser extensions and apps a boost with more features meant to protect you from prying digital eyes. To start with, they now come with a built-in tracker blocker that prevents ad networks from following you around and collecting data on what you're doing. It even lists all the hidden networks it blocks, such as Google and Facebook, which you can access when you expand that section of the updated extension/app.
Pioneer's new iOS app can power your next DJ livestream
Pioneer's DJ mix recording app is now available for your iPhone and iPad. Cleverly named DJM-REC, the free-to-download app connects to any mixer with a USB send/return channel to record, archive and even livestream your mixes. The app gives you a 30-day trial, after which you'll need to purchase the full app for $10.
Uber security flaw compromised two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication only works if it's strictly enforced in software, and it sounds like Uber might have fallen short of that goal for a while. In a chat with ZDNet, security researcher Karan Saini has revealed a flaw in Uber's two-factor verification that reportedly rendered it useless. Saini has been keeping the exact details of the exploit under wraps to prevent abuse, but it revolved around a vulnerability in how Uber authenticates users when they sign in. The net effect was clear: an intruder might have only needed your username and password to sign in, giving them the chance to swipe personal info or misuse services.
This chat app only works when your phone battery is low
We spend a lot of time trying to eke out a few more minutes from our smart phones. Apple is offering cheap battery replacements and apologizing for iPhone slowdowns, while Android may update to show you which apps drain your battery the most. It's not too surprising, then, that a developer might take a darkly humorous approach to the impending loss of battery power. Called Die With Me, this new app offers users a chat room when their phone has less than 5 percent battery left.
BMW buys a parking app in hopes of tackling urban traffic
Automakers increasingly see parking as the next great frontier, and BMW is no exception. It just bought Parkmobile, which it says is the largest mobile parking services provider in North America. This isn't BMW's first parking initiative, but it promises to help the German brand craft a parking offering it can market around the world. And notably, this isn't just about finding a way to profit beyond selling cars -- if you ask BMW, it's about solving traffic woes.