Google today moved its App Maker tool out of beta and made the simple coding service available to educational institutions and small businesses. The idea, says Google, is to help schools and SMBs to create custom apps that work more directly for them. Beyond building the apps, schools and businesses that put App Maker to use will be […]
Verizon Communications subsidiary Oath has announced that it would shutter the Yahoo Messenger service in just over a month. Yahoo Messenger will shut down on July 17th. Oath acknowledges that Yahoo Messenger has many loyal fans, but the company wants to move away from antiquated messaging platforms and “focus on building and introducing new, exciting communications tools that […]
Facebook this week began notifying about 14 million users that posts published to Facebook during the period of mid-May might have been made public due to a bug. The company claims the audience selector tool was accidentally set to public for a large group of users. Normally, the tool reflects whichever setting the user last selected, […]
Facebook has introduced several new music features meant to enrich users’ experience on the social network. First, people will be given more latitude to share videos on Facebook that include music. Facebook is working with record labels so people can upload posts that contain licensed music, “opening up more options for creativity and sharing memories with […]
Google is preparing to more broadly roll out its new Gmail design to users on the web and mobile devices. For the moment the new Gmail is opt-in, but that is going to change over the next few months. The new Gmail will become generally available to everyone starting in July, though people will still need […]
Facebook has made it easier for people to secure their with a better system for two-factor authentication. Previously, Facebook required people to supply their phone number to set up two-factor authentication and prevent lockouts. Moving forward, Facebook has made it possible to use third-party apps, such as Google Authenticator or Duo Security, for authentication purposes. […]
Facebook today made it easier to find a local plumber, electrician, or house cleaner. The social network says people in the U.S. are constantly asking friends for recommendations on home services providers. Facebook worked with companies such as HomeAdviser, Porch, and Handy to add home services recommendations to Facebook Marketplace. With this new tool, […]
Twitter is stepping up its efforts to clean up conversations on its platform. The company is using a combination of human review processes, machine learning, and policies to find and hide tweets that “distort and detract from the public conversation.” Specifically, it is seeking tweets that come from accounts that don’t have any followers, or from […]
Google said its artificial assistant-powered “nudge” tool is going live for most Gmail users today. The tool is meant to remind people to respond to emails that may have fallen through the cracks. Gmail “will now ‘nudge’ users to reply to emails they may have missed and to follow up on emails for which they haven’t […]
Google today introduced Tour Creator, a tool that allows people to create and share their real-world experiences via virtual reality. Google explains that to make a VR tour people can use their own 360-degree photos and supplement them with imagery from Google Street View. It is easy enough that anyone can put Tour Creator to use. “The […]
