Items tagged with App
If you thought that the iOS ecosystem was completely safe from scammy apps and malware, you would be wrong. Apple's App Store certainly has fewer incidences of scammy apps being put up for download by users than Google Play does because Apple checks apps out before they can be offered on the App Store. Apple is now dealing with scammy apps that made it through review and leveraged the Touch ID platform to try and trick users into making payments they didn't want to authorize. Two apps were doing this with one called "Fitness Balance" and the other called "Calories Tracker." Both apps used the same...
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Apple has announced a strategic partnership with Salesforce that will combine iOS and the Salesforce customer relationship management platform to bring new features to business users. The two companies are working together to bring Salesforce developers a new Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS and a new iOS App Development course available via a free, web-based learning platform Salesforce calls Trailhead. Apple CEO Tim Cook notes that the new SDK and native Salesforce apps along with iOS on Apple device will give developers the tools they need to deliver better customer experiences. Salesforce...
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Hurricane Florence is expected to hit the East Coast of the United States at the end of this week. People are preparing for the hurricane’s landfall in a variety of ways, including downloading useful apps. One of the most popular apps is Zello, an app that allows people to use their phones as a two-way radio. Zello is a free app that is available in the App Store and Google Play. It is available on Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry devices as well as PC’s with the Zello for Windows PC program. Users are able to create their own channels with up to 2500 members or connect with...
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Love or hate Apple there is no denying that the company is a behemoth and it is the most valuable company in the world right now. While sales of smartphones have sagged globally because people are holding onto their devices for long and computer sales sag for the same reasons, Apple continues to grow. Much of that growth is laid at the feet of the booming app ecosystem and the fact that Apple takes a 30% cut of sales and subscriptions from the App Store, with that cut decreasing to 15% after the first year of a subscription. Netflix is running an experiment with its iOS app that is specifically...
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Microsoft seems intent on allowing you to access all the things from your Android device on your Windows computer. The biggest of these features has been the much talked about Your Phone app that is in testing and will be part of Redstone 5 build 1809. Your Phone will mirror content like recent Android photos over to your desktop to prevent users from having to email images to themselves. Eventually, it will allow users to text and answer calls directly on the PC. As Windows and Android users are waiting to get full Your Phone availability, Microsoft is also talking up another way to share...
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Google Maps is widely used all around the world and it has recently been pumped full of new features, like personalized recommendations. Google is adding another feature that at first glance might seem silly. This feature sends details on how much battery charge is left on your smartphone when you share your location with someone. Why would they care how much battery life is left on your device? Parents who have kids share their location with them during transit times to and from school or a friend's home will find the battery life feature useful. A parent would be more at ease if a child...
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Google has had a difficult time keeping its upcoming Pixel 3 smartphone a secret. There have been an abundance of leaks, with one from last week confirming that the device has a single rear camera and a notched screen. Previous leaks had shown what the device will look like in its black and white versions. A new Google app 8.14 beta has also rolled out, which features some code that references a companion device called the "Pixel Stand." The Pixel Stand is expected to launch along with the Pixel 3 smartphone this fall. The code suggests that the Pixel Stand will let users get "personalized help"...
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With Microsoft's own smartphone OS on its deathbed, the software giant is now focusing on Android and iOS devices. It's admittedly odd to see Microsoft making apps specifically for Android and iOS given that Apple and Google are two of its biggest rivals. Sources claim that Microsoft has been working on a new app for both iOS and Android devices called Microsoft Movies & TV. Currently, that app is only available on Windows-based devices like the PC, Xbox, and Windows 10 Mobile devices and supports content from the Microsoft Store. With a version of that app coming for iOS and Android, movie...
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Something interesting is going on with Google Maps regarding a “new” feature. Some people are claiming they have had this feature for a long time, others are seeing it for the first time. The feature in question is incident reporting, something that has made navigation app Waze popular with users. Google has long had traffic information integrated, but data on road work and closures hasn't been part of the app for most users. While some users are claiming, according to reports, to have had incident reporting for a year or more, others haven’t had it at all. I personally use...
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Android users who favor Android Messages as their default messaging application will be thrilled to hear that Google has begun the rollout of desktop browser support. That means that text messages can be sent and read on the PC. The rollout of the new feature will be staggered throughout the remainder of the week. The web version of Android Messages will support text, images, and stickers giving the full experience from the desktop. The process for using the web version requires users to hit up the Android Messages website where you will find a QR code that creates a link between the smartphone...
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Valve had many gamers excited when it announced that the Steam Link app would let you stream games from your PC to your iOS device. Not so long after the announcement, Steam Link landed in beta on Google Play for Android aficionados. Unfortunately for the iOS users, Apple blocked the app with Phil Schiller explaining that the app violated App Store rules. However, revised app store rules gave hope that Steam Link might still make it. Valve is now trying to get past Apple censors by removing the purchase options inside the app that was released to TestFlight. Reports claiming...
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Apple will give users a way to better report unwanted messages and calls as spam in iOS 12 using a feature called "Unwanted Communication." Documentation from Apple shows that the feature will allow developers to build in the ability to report unwanted calls and messages into their apps. If the iPhone owner chooses to enable Unwanted Communication, they would be able to swipe left on an item in the "Recents" tab of the Phone app and a new "Report" option would be listed there. The Messages app would also have a similar swipe left to report, or reports could be made with a long-press on the message...
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Philips heavily invested into tech that it integrated with some of its higher-end TVs years back called Ambiglow or Ambilight. That tech put a backlight behind the TV that would glow to match the action on screen with light that filled the room. Watch a flick with the Incredible Hulk and your room would glow green. It is slick technology that not only improved immersion in a movie, but the light also helped to bias the eye to prevent flicker from the screen from straining your eyes in a dark room. Philips is now doing something similar for owners of its Hue lightbulbs with a new app called "Philips...
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It looks like Android fans have another thing they can hold over the heads of their iOS-using pals. The Steam Link app launched in beta form on Android earlier this month. The app had originally been approved by Apple to launch on iOS, but this week the planned launch was quashed by Apple when it reversed its decision and blocked the app's launch. Apple listed the reason for blocking the app as "business conflicts with app guidelines." There is no clarification on exactly what business guidelines Steam Link app ran afoul of. Speculation suggests that the issue was that the Steam Link app allows...
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