Month: November 2018
Apple Music is coming to Alexa – in US from December 17
(Yui Mok/PA) Amazon’s Alexa voice-powered assistant is preparing to gain another high profile music service in the form of Apple Music. Support for Apple’s own music streaming service will be available to Amazon Echo devices across the US from December 17 with “additional countries coming next year”, the company said.…
Snapchat ‘avoids popularity contest pressure of social media’, founder argues
Yui Mok/PA Unlike other social media platforms, Snapchat puts less pressure on people to be popular, app co-founder Evan Spiegel has argued. The 28-year-old entrepreneur believes that the social messaging app has an advantage over the likes of Facebook and Twitter because it does not include public likes or comments. “That’s…
Regulator approves thousands of electric cars on UK roads to test energy grid
Uber is one of the partners on the project (Laura Dale/PA) Up to 3,000 electric cars are set to be deployed on UK roads in a bid to understand what the increased demand in electric power will mean for the country’s energy grid. Regulator Ofgem has approved the three-year project…
Instagram Stories adds Close Friends feature
Instagram users can now post Stories to a chosen close friends as part of an update to the social media app. The platform has introduced Close Friends, a new customisable list of friends which users can choose to share Instagram Stories with, instead of posting to all their followers at once. Instagram says it provides…
Tesco to roll out free electric car charging points for shoppers in partnership with VW
Tesco is to roll out free charging points for electric cars at hundreds of its stores from next year. The supermarket chain, which is the largest in the UK, will work with Volkswagen to develop more than 2,400 electric vehicle (EV) charging points by 2020. A standard 7kW charger will be free, with a faster…
What is the Hollie Guard safeguarding app? How you can use it to stay safe
BBC regional news presenter Alex Lovell revealed that an app called Hollie Guard provided her with great comfort during two years of rape threats from 68-year-old Gordon Hawthorn. The app in question uses a number of safeguarding features designed to help those in a threatening situation, and has been downloaded more than 25,000 times. #HollieGuard…
Smart keyboard app SwiftKey adds search engine feature
Keyboard app SwiftKey is adding a search engine to the Android version of its software, enabling users to search the web from directly within the keyboard. A new search option has been added to SwiftKey for Android, with search results gathered using Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The app says it now means users will be…
Instagram adds accessibility tools for visually impaired users
Instagram has announced the introduction of new accessibility tools designed to help users with visual impairments. The photo-sharing platform is introducing “automatic alternative text” which will describe photos posted to the platform to those who need it. Working with screen readers, it will describe images that appear in the Instagram feed, explore and profile sections.…
GCHQ reveals process behind shielding software flaws
GCHQ has revealed for the first time how it makes decisions over which software flaws to keep secret to use for intelligence. The service has teams of researchers that find vulnerabilities in a variety of computer software and systems, from the most popular used by millions of people to niche technical kit. If weaknesses are…
Big Mouth Billy Bass is back – this time with Alexa!
Looking for a novel Christmas gift for a loved (or maybe not so loved) one? How about this Big Mouth Billy Bass with a 2018 twist - Alexa connectivity! The animatronic singing prop, made popular in the early 2000s for singing and tapping its tail, is being released again - this time with Alexa compatibility…
