Software : Jawbone's DROP reckons your friends have better music taste than you |
- Jawbone's DROP reckons your friends have better music taste than you
- Twitter's 'Digits' lets you sign in to apps with your phone number
- Google tries to reinvent email again with new Inbox service
- Apple Pay is double-charging some users, but refunds are incoming
| Jawbone's DROP reckons your friends have better music taste than you Posted:  Jawbone made music mobile with the Mini Jambox and now it's trying to make it social too with the help of a new app called DROP. At its core it's a one-touch player which streams an endless playlist of music from Spotify or Rdio based on songs you like - great if it's just you listening. But tie it to your Twitter account and suddenly your friends can get in on the action too. All they have to do is tweet you the name of a song that they want to hear and DROP will automatically update its playlist based on requests, so it could be a great way to discover new music and an even better way to make sure everyone gets to hear what they want without having to spend the whole time manually taking requests. Free but notThe app itself is free, though currently only available on iOS and it requires a Spotify Premium or Rdio Unlimited subscription to use. The Twitter implementation is a great idea but there could soon be any number of apps with enhanced Twitter features thanks to Twitter Fabric, its new mobile development platform which DROP seemingly makes use of. Plus we've met our friends... and they're not the type of people to recommend new music. It's going to be wall to wall Bieber and Daphne & Celeste before you know it.
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| Twitter's 'Digits' lets you sign in to apps with your phone number Posted:  Passwords? Those are old hat, according to Twitter, which just launched a new service called Digits. The service, announced at Twitter's first developer conference in San Francisco, lets users sign in to apps using their phone numbers. Instead of having to use email and password combinations or sign in with Twitter, Google, Facebook, or another service, Digits lets you simply enter your phone number when signing up for a new app or service. You're all set after you enter a confirmation code sent to you via SMS. Back to one-stepIt's like the two-step authentication offered by many apps and services, which asks users to enter a code sent by SMS when they sign in on new devices - except Digits skips the first step. Twitter says Digits uses the social network's own security infrastructure and that signing in is both "simple" and "safe." But other than that Digits appears to have no tangible relationship with Twitter's other products; it's a standalone service that developers can implement in their apps independently of any Twitter support. It's actually part of Twitter's Fabric, a mobile development kit also announced at the Twitter conference. Among other new features Fabric brings are system-level sign in on Android, letting users sign in once to access all Twitter-enabled apps on their devices, and the ability for devs to let users send tweets directly within apps, Engadget reports. |
| Google tries to reinvent email again with new Inbox service Posted:  Google is currently sending out invites to a new service, called Inbox, that combines elements of Gmail and Google Now. Despite its name Inbox isn't just for emails - like Google Now, Inbox also handles things like flights, package deliveries, reminders, and more, according to a Google Blog post. "Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it's not Gmail: it's a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters," Google Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome & Apps Sundar Pichai wrote on the blog. To-do: download InboxInbox bundles emails together by category, highlights key info in important messages, and automatically gives you relevant info for items on your to-do lists. The service is reportedly designed to give you the information you need up front so that email feels like less of a chore. Check out the video above for a demo of Google's Inbox in action. Google is sending invites to "select" Gmail users, but you can also email the company at inbox@google.com to try and get one. Inbox will ultimately be available for Android, iOS and browsers, reports Reuters. |
| Apple Pay is double-charging some users, but refunds are incoming Posted:  Fancy paying the correct amount for good and services? Apple Pay might not be for you, then. The new point-of-sale payment method equipped on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is supposed to make paying easier, but some users, including a reporter at CNN, are reporting that they've been charged twice for the same transactions. The site's reporter experienced the bug himself when he was double-charged for every transaction he completed with Apple Pay on a single day. Bank of America is to blame, according to Cult of Mac, and they've issued a statement promising refunds to all affected parties. Telephone gameIt's worth noting, though, that the bank referred CNN's reporter to Apple, saying it wasn't a problem on their end. And guess what Apple said? Apple's policy of not keeping any transaction records may be in the best interest of consumers, but it also makes it impossible for the company to rectify situations like this. It's a good thing BoA has taken responsibility, but one has to wonder where the trouble really lies.
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