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Cracking up? Solutions for a broken smartphone screen
We've all been there. Most of us have experienced the gut-wrenching reality of losing control of our smartphone for a split-second before watching it crashing to the floor. Sometimes it escapes unscathed, but a cracked smartphone screen is all too often the result. The important thing is not to panic - there are plenty of options available for smashed phone displays, so it doesn't necessarily mean having to say goodbye to your beloved mobile.
Innovations transforming city breaks
Sponsored Content By Marriott Hotels Whether you are travelling to a city for business, pleasure or both, new technologies are finding ways to enhance and improve the experience. Apps for your smartphone and innovations in the hotel industry are making that trip to Berlin, New York, Singapore or any other metropolis full of previously undreamed possibilities. Here are seven ways in which technology, present and future, is revolutionising city breaks.
Apps that can change the way you travel
Sponsored Content By Marriott Hotels There are now hundreds of travel-related apps and many are becoming as valuable as a passport when it comes to travelling the world and enjoying all that your destination has to offer. Plenty of ideas are currently in development –- think pool-side drink ordering, apps optimised for slow networks abroad, watching your home Netflix account in your hotel room –- but here's seven great apps that you can download right now.
Google begins injecting ads into Play Store searches
While advertising still forms the bulk of Google's revenue, the company continuously experiments with different ways of serving ads to ensure people keep spending. Even after it realized that full-screen "interstitial" placements were turning smartphone users away, the search giant still believes mobile ads are the future, so it's followed through with its intention to bring sponsored listings to the Play Store.
The best touchscreen gloves
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com Over the past three winters, we've tested more than 20 pairs of touchscreen gloves while moving half a ton of stumps, climbing on ice, and just walking and biking around town. For the third year running and despite some stiff competition, the Winter Style Touchscreen Gloves by Glider Gloves are the ones we recommend for most people, offering up the best combination of warmth, dexterity, and grip for about $30 (also available direct). They're not the absolute warmest gloves you can buy, but they're warmer than anything that's better at handling touchscreens and better at handling touchscreens than anything that's warmer.
Twitch seeks transparency for promotional broadcasts
Twitch will begin instituting new policies that clearly label sponsored broadcasts on its channels, the video streaming platform announced on its blog. "We want complete transparency and unwavering authenticity with all content and promotions that have a sponsor relationship," Twitch wrote. Copy and graphics for future Twitch-driven campaigns will now have labels to indicate that they are promotional in nature. For instance, the front-page video carousel will include a new "sponsored" graphic when applicable, and Twitch will add sponsored labels to its content newsletters as well. Future tweets from the streaming platform's official accounts will also include language that indicates if the broadcast is promotional as well. Twitch isn't the only company opting for more transparency in how sponsored content is listed; Valve introduced new policies for Steam Curators to openly disclose paid recommendations this week as well. [Image: Twitch]
Steam now requires disclosure from sponsored Curators
Valve updated its policies for Steam Curators this week, requiring that curators disclose any compensation received for recommending games on the service. The company introduced Curators late last month, allowing any person or brand (such as good old Joystiq) to list their favorite games on the distribution service while linking out to reviews, videos or blogs about the games. Additionally, Gunpoint developer Tom Francis noted on Twitter that "Steam actually has just given devs the ability to curate which Curators appear on our Store pages" in its update. With Steam Curators being one large piece of a major shift in Steam's increasingly hands-off storefront, paid placement on curator's lists was among the biggest concerns both developers and the service's top Curator, TotalBiscuit, told Joystiq last month. Valve's updated rules alleviate those worries, providing curators adequately disclose sponsored placement: "If you've accepted money or other compensation for making a product review or for posting a recommendation, you must disclose this fact in your recommendation," the policies state. Valve also added that recommendations "should not link to or promote any stores other than Steam." [Image: Steam]
Instagram ads are coming to UK feeds very soon
While Instagram has been monetising its app for nearly a year, UK users have enjoyed scrolling through timelines that are completely free of ads. Until today, that is. The company has taken to the service to share the very first sponsored post with UK users (shown above), letting them know that "over the coming weeks" it will begin displaying paid content their streams, whether they like it or not. Users are invited to tap the "Sponsored" label to learn more about a specific campaign, but the majority are likely to become acquainted with "..." button, which quickly hides them from view. The dream might be over but Instagram says it's starting out with only a "few" businesses, meaning you shouldn't be bombarded with ads when they begin rolling out.
