The COPPA rule prevents kids from having their personal information hoovered up and distributed online the way adults often consent to. Verifiable parental consent is required if that information is to be collected — but the FTC has just relaxed the rule just enough that common tasks like searches can be done for kids without risk to the operator. Read More
Firefox is making it easier for Android users to navigate the mobile web with Web App Manifest support, which will ship with Firefox 58 for Android. The feature supports Progressive Web Apps (PWA), the app-like interfaces displayed within mobile web…
It may have taken Facebook a while, but the company is starting to catch up on the 4K video front. According to a report at TechCrunch, Facebook is testing Ultra-High-Resolution video uploads that use the 2160p UHD-1 standard. The site also says that…
The Kindle app has gotten quite a bit less attention that Amazon’s namesake devices, but today the shopping juggernaut made some big changes. For starters, there’s a new light theme that gives “pages” a bit of a parchment look with some ornate flouri…
You might want to remember this if you’re planning on visiting Hawaii soon. A new law has been passed which makes it illegal for people to text while they’re crossing a street in Honolulu. The law allows the police to fine pedestrians up to $35 for this. Honolulu has been debating this move for quite some time now and the law has now been passed, meaning there’s no avoiding the fine if you’re caught doing this.
The New York Times reports that Honolulu is likely the first major city to ban texting while crossing the street. City officials are happy with the work they’ve done.
“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” said City Council member Brandon Elefante in an interview with the scribe.
The officials wanted to pass this law as pedestrian deaths surged almost 10 percent last year to nearly 6,000. That was the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the city since 1990. Not all of them were linked to smartphone use, but it was believed to be a major reason as it’s a source of mental and visual distraction for both walkers and drivers.
The law states that first-time offenders will be fined $15-35 and if they keep at it, they can be fined up to $99 for texting while crossing the street.
Texting While Crossing The Street Banned In Honolulu , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Instagram started testing a new feature over the summer which enabled users to add a friend to a live stream. It was the first time that the service allowed users to live stream with a friend. This feature has been in beta for a couple of months and it’s finally out of beta starting today. Instagram users can now go live with a friend whenever they want.
Instagram points out that for some users, live streaming can be intimidating if they’re doing it on their own. That’s why it’s making it easier for them to add a friend when they’re broadcasting.
When someone a user follows is going live with a friend, they’ll see two circles stacked together in their stories bar. They can then tap on it to watch like they would with any other story.
Users will find a new icon on the bottom right, tapping on it will allow them to add anyone who is currently watching their broadcast. Once the person joins, the screen will be split into two and the friend’s live stream will pop up right below the user’s.
It’s possible to remove the guest and add someone else at any time. The guest can also choose to exit the live stream whenever they want. The live video can be shared to stories once the broadcast has ended or it can be discarded so that it disappears from the app.
This feature is included in the latest version of Instagram that’s now available for iOS and Android.
Instagram Users Can Now Go Live With A Friend , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Google confirmed earlier this year that it’s going to launch add-ons for Gmail. The add-ons will enable third-party developers to integrate their services with Google’s email service. The add-ons will work directly in Gmail instead of through a Chrome extension so the user experience will be much better. This also means that they will work across the web, Android, and iOS. Gmail add-ons are now live.
Developers can now easily create add-ons for their apps and organizations. They just have to write their add-on code once and it will run natively in Gmail on the web and Android immediately.
The add-ons that are available now are business-focused. The first partners for Gmail add-ons include DialPad, Intuit QuickBooks, Asana, Wrike, ProsperWorks, Smartsheet, Trello, Streak, and RingCentral. Add-ons can be installed by clicking on the settings wheel at the top right of the inbox and clicking on “Get add-ons.”
Add-ons enable users to complete actions right from Gmail. The inbox can contextually surface the go-to app based on messages the users receive to help them get things done faster. They work the same across multiple platforms so users only need to install them once to access them on all of their devices.
The add-ons are live on the web and Android right now. Google is yet to confirm when they will go live on iOS.
Gmail Add-Ons Bring Third-Party Services To Your Inbox , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Facebook is quickly becoming a popular destination for people to consume video online. However, many weren’t impressed by the fact that it didn’t have support for 4K video. It’s getting easier than ever before to record video in gorgeous 4K, several flagship smartphones even offer this ability, so it was about time that Facebook embraced 4K video. The social network has finally confirmed that it has indeed embraced 4K video.
Some 4K video started popping up on Facebook recently, hinting at the possibility that Facebook was running a test of some kind. The world’s largest social network has confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing 4K video uploads and viewing using the 2160p UHD-1 Ultra-High-Definition Television standard.
It has allowed some Pages and profiles to post 4K videos to the social network and also watch them. As previously mentioned, it’s about time that Facebook added support for 4K video to its platform. It’s certainly late to the party when you consider that YouTube started experimenting with 4K support on its platform way back in 2010.
Facebook does support Live 360 videos in 4K resolution but it has long capped the standard 2D videos at 720p. That’s no longer good enough as Facebook attracts more content creators who demand support for the best.
Facebook Embraces 4K Video , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
If you like to take your sweet time in getting to your Uber when it has already arrived to pick you up, you might want to reconsider this behavior. As part of its ongoing efforts to become more driver-friendly, Uber is now adding a handful of driver-focused features. One of these features will allow the drivers to charge more for longer pickups.
Uber drivers in the United States and Canada can now charge an additional fee if they have to travel a long distance to pick up the customer. A per-minute late fee will also be applied if the driver has to wait for more than two minutes at the pickup point.
Passengers will have to pay the cancellation fee if they decide to cancel the Uber two minutes after booking it. Passengers were previously allowed five minutes to make up their mind and cancel without incurring a cancellation fee.
Additional driver-focused changes include a feature in the app that’s going to help drivers avoid tolls during pickups when possible. If there’s no choice but to pay the toll, it’s automatically going to incorporate the tolls into the driver’s fare.
This is certainly going to make riders a bit expensive for passengers but happier Uber drivers will essentially translate into more Uber drivers on the road, which means that passengers will ultimately be able to get an Uber in time when they just can’t afford to be late.
Uber Lets Drivers Charge More For Longer Pickups , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
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