-
Dusk’s new app lets you live stream anonymously
Online anonymity can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can give people a voice when they’d otherwise be afraid to speak up — whether that’s because of fear of government surveillance, discussing a topic that’s known to provoke cyberbullying or because the topic itself is sensitive — like a personal confession or health issue. But anonymity also… Read More
-
Twitter now lets mobile users make their own Moments
Earlier this fall, Twitter opened up access to its storytelling feature “Moments” to all Twitter users, allowing anyone to create their own stories using tweets and photos uploaded to the service. At the time, Moments creation was only available on the web, but the company promised that mobile support would arrive soon. Today, it has — Twitter has announced that the ability… Read More
-
Facebook has cut off Prisma’s Live Video access
Style transfer startup Prisma added support to its iOS app for livestreaming its art filter effects in real-time via Facebook Live earlier this month — but almost immediately the startup’s access to the Live API was cut off by the social media platform giant. Read More
-
Post-App Store developer platform Blackstorm’s first showcase instant games launch on Facebook
In Ernestine Fu’s future, you shouldn’t have to wait more than a few seconds to launch a game or an app to connect with a friend. In fact, a few seconds might even be too long. That’s what prompted the birth of Blackstorm, a development platform that has the tools to build high-fidelity applications — the same you might get from an app in the App Store — in HTML5… Read More
-
Facebook Messenger launches Instant Games
Bored while you wait for friends to text back? Now you can challenge friends for high scores on Facebook Messenger’s new Instant Games, like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends Frenzy. Available right from your message threads, they load in seconds since they’re built on the HTML5 mobile web standard, rather than having to be downloaded like clunky native apps. Read More
-
SocialBooks turns your social media into a lasting memento of your horrific year
If you’re anything like me you hate social media with a white-hot passion yet you feel oddly compelled to put garbage into it on a regular basis, to your great shame. Thankfully there is now a service that can create a book about your year in social media, allowing you to seethe both offline and online, a boon to this plugged-in generation. The service is called MySocialBook and… Read More
-
CNN buys Casey Neistat’s Beme app, brings the YouTuber in-house
CNN has acquired Beme, the social app co-founded by YouTuber Casey Neistat. As part of the deal, Neistat will lead the Beme team as a new standalone media sub-brand operating under CNN’s umbrella as executive producer, and all 11 members of the Beme team will join the ranks of the news network, according to Variety. Beme’s had an interesting history, with a founding vision of… Read More
-
Gong says it’s cracked news personalization
If you’re a little skeptical about trying out another news aggregator, Gong CEO Itzik Ben-Bassat knows what you’re probably thinking — after all, he heard the same thing when he was pitching investors. “They all kind of looked at me and said, ‘Not again,'” he recalled. But it seems like Ben-Bassat (who was previously an executive at Blizzard Entertainment and… Read More
-
Another Spectacle-selling Snapbot pops up at Brentwood Country Mart in LA
Snapchat now has not one, but two Spectacle-selling Snapbots deployed at the same time. The second dropped Wednesday morning at 10 AM ET (7 AM PT) at a spot near Santa Monica at the Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. The Brentwood Country Mart is a shopping and for spot in L.A.’s Brentwood district, which actually hosts a petting zoo, too. This is the third time a Snapbot has dropped… Read More
-
Facebook built censorship tool to get into China despite human rights risks
Facebook wants to be unbanned in China, so it’s built a censorship tool that could hide posts about prohibited topics from people in China, according to The New York Times‘ Mike Isaac. Rather than censor posts itself, Facebook would potentially provide the tool to a third-party in China such as a local partner company that could use it to prevent users in China from seeing content… Read More
-
Don’t know what they want? Give a pre-swappable Snappy Gift
Gift cards are soulless and buying the wrong gift leads to annoying returns. But you might not know if your loved one would prefer a drone, action camera or a VR headset. With Snappy Gifts, they get to choose. Snappy Gifts is a new startup offering a fresh new approach that takes the guess-work out of generosity. You go to Snappy Gift’s app, choose a price range and then select from… Read More
-
Facebook downsizes small business sales in Europe, reportedly 30 jobs affected in Germany
As Facebook’s advertising business continues to grow globally, the social network is also streamlining operations in certain markets. TechCrunch has learned that Facebook is consolidating sales operations in Europe focused on small and medium businesses. In the process has cut 30 jobs including in Hamburg, according to a source among those cut. The cuts are of… Read More
-
Universal plans to bring Wattpad stories to TV
Social publishing platform Wattpad is making its biggest move into Hollywood yet thanks to a new deal with Universal Cable Productions. UCP is a TV production company owned by NBCUniversal — it’s produced shows including USA’s Mr. Robot, SyFy’s The Magicians and Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. As a result of the deal, the company plans to develop… Read More
-
Why now, more than ever, we need a Twitter that works
Remember 2012, when we called it the “Twitter Election” due to Obama’s skill in exploiting the fledgling platform? It seems almost quaint now. 2016 will be remembered as the election where the power of Twitter was revealed in full as a platform that can enable an individual with little formal organization to bypass media institutions and speak directly to a populace all the… Read More
-
You rarely livestream, but 1M people livechill on Houseparty
Livestreaming doesn’t have to be a big performance or a one-on-one video call. Just ask the one million people who spend 20 million minutes hanging out each day on group video chat app Houseparty, the latest teen app phenomenon. Built from the ashes of Meerkat, Houseparty is leading the charge for a new kind of synchronous social networking. It’s the closest thing to being… Read More
-
This is Snapchat’s new Spectacles store in New York City
Snapchat surprised everyone this morning when instead of dropping its Spectacles vending machine in a remote location like the Grand Canyon or Oklahoma, it opened a legitimate storefront in New York City. The store is all white – and contains a sole Bot vending machine, as well as rotating TVs mounted on the wall that show off Spectacles’ 360-degree video capability. The store is… Read More
-
Instagram launches disappearing Live video and messages
Instagram is combining the best of Snapchat and Periscope to help you get comfortable on camera. Rather than overlap with Facebook Live and Messenger, Instagram is putting an ephemeral spin on video streaming and private messaging. Today, two big new features begin rolling out to Instagram Stories on iOS and Android over the next few weeks. Instagram Live lets you broadcast video to your… Read More
-
Uber debuts Compliments, letting riders give drivers specific positive feedback
Uber has a new product feature going live across its app today, called ‘Compliments.’ The new systems will prompt riders to give a specific, additional piece of positive feedback in addition to the star rating they assign their driver, including things like “Excellent Service” or “Awesome Music.” The new Compliments system will send a notification to the… Read More
-
Spectacles finally arrive in NYC with a Central Park Snapbot store
Snapchat has been dropping its Spectacles-selling Snapbot vending machines at various spots across the country, but Monday marks the first time it’s put them on the east coast – and the new location is smack dab in the middle of NYC at the southeast corner of Central Park. And the good news is this one will be operating through New Years’ Eve, marking the first time one… Read More
Message Us