snooze
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Twitter may let you snooze its push notifications
Twitter is testing a new feature that will mute all the app's push notifications for a certain period of time. The experimental feature was first discovered by Jane Manchun Wong, who found it by looking at the code underneath the social network's Android app. Wong found a built-in bell-shaped snooze button at the top right corner of the notifications tab -- tapping it brings up the Snooze Notifications panel that lets you mute push notifications for up to 12 hours. Just tap it again to unsnooze or to change the snooze duration.
Google gives its Slack rival the ability to snooze notifications
You can now stop Hangouts Chat notifications from breaking your concentration when you're in the zone... or taking a short nap after a stressful task. Google has updated its Slack rival with the ability to block notifications for a set amount of time -- just click on your status button and choose from the snooze notification options in the drop-down menu. You can choose to block alerts for as short as 30 minutes to as long as 8 hours, but you have to do so manually each time and can't set a schedule for it.
Facebook's Keyword Snooze will help you avoid spoilers in News Feed
Last year, Facebook introduced a "Snooze" option that allows you to mute a friend for 30 days on your News Feed. Now it's extending that feature to keywords. According to Facebook, "Keyword Snooze" allows you to automatically hide any post that features a keyword you don't want to see for 30 days. You can access the feature the same way you find regular Snooze options -- through the post's upper right-hand menu in News Feed. It's currently being tested with a small percentage of people in the US and will roll out more broadly later this year.
Instagram’s ‘mute’ feature hides annoying accounts
We've probably all been there: After a dating situation goes sour, you don't want to see your former flame's posts in your Instagram feed, but haven't quite ripped the Band-Aid off yet and unfollowed or blocked them. After all, there's still a chance you could patch things up. Well, to make things less awkward, Instagram has introduced a mute feature that sounds almost exactly like Facebook's.
Gmail for iOS now sends money and snoozes emails
Gmail on your iPhone can now help you settle a tab with a friend. A quiet update to the iOS app has introduced the ability to send and receive money using Google Pay. As on Android devices, Gmail sends the payment as an attachment -- the recipient only needs an email address to receive their money. The feature might not be as simple on iOS given that you need to download an app to use it, but it's easier than some third-party apps and more widely available than Apple Pay Cash.
Facebook's 'snooze' button mutes a friend for 30 days
A sad truth of Facebook: many of us follow people who annoy us pretty frequently. Rather than going through the social pain of un-friending someone, however, Facebook has offered the option to stay friends with someone but mute all of their posts in your News Feed. Today, Facebook is rolling out a similar feature that's a little less severe -- you can "snooze" friends, groups or pages for 30 days by clicking the drop-down menu on a post. It's a smart addition; Facebook itself says that many people want to stop seeing posts from people, but only for a temporary amount of time. Imagine having a friend whose vacation pictures are giving you serious FOMO, or you just need a break from your crazy uncle's MAGA rants (you might be better off unfollowing him entirely, but the choice is now up to you). While Facebook still relentlessly uses its algorithms to show posts in your News Feed, there's at least a decent amount of customization users can do here. Besides snoozing and unfollowing friends, you can also pick specific pages or friends that'll show updates at the top of your feed when you visit, or hide a post if you get sick of it popping in your feed. Of course, life would be easier if we all felt more comfortable just unfriending people we got tired of on Facebook, but one step at a time.
Google Inbox adds two time-saving snooze options
One of the great things about Google Inbox's snooze function is being able to set the exact date and time to resurface emails you intend to read and reply to later. Sometimes, though, you just want to get non-urgent emails out of the way without thinking too hard. This latest Inbox by Gmail update allows you to do just that. Now, when you choose to toss a digital missive into your read-it-much-much-later pile, you can choose from two new snooze times: Later this week and This weekend. And since different people have different weekends, you can choose a particular day when you think you'll be ready to face what you've put off.
Google Inbox suggests the perfect time to resurface 'snoozed' emails
When you snooze an email in Google's Inbox app, you're normally given a few different reminder options: three customised defaults, "someday," the last custom time you used, and a manually set place or time. For many emails, that means tapping the latter option and choosing a time slot the old fashioned way. It can be a little tiresome, so now Google is introducing contextual reminders. If you snooze an email that contains a date and time, Google will automatically suggest when to resurface it. So if you've booked a table at a restaurant, that might be an hour beforehand, or if you're waiting on a package it could be the morning that it's due to arrive. It's not the most earth-shattering addition, but Inbox is all about smarter email management -- and now it's just a little bit smarter.
Google adds a snooze button to Inbox emails (updated)
No, you don't need to reply to that email immediately in the middle of dinner. Now Google's trying to help that happen, with Snooze. A new addition to its Gmail Inbox app, users can "snooze" emails with automatic quick settings or their own customized reminders. You can delay a message for later the same day, tomorrow or even a week from now. There's also the hilarious someday option -- we're going to assume it'll reappear later in the week, but don't hold us to that. You can even "geo-snooze" a message to remind you when you're at a place, rather than a prescribed time. You can still access any reminders or snoozed messages if you manage to make time and adjust reminders if needed. Inbox zero could be within in your grasp in 2015. Well, kind of. (Update: Seems like we slept through the original feature announcement -- snoozing emails has been inside the app since launch. Apologies.)
Recommended Reading: the decline of Wikipedia, safecracking the brain and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Decline of Wikipedia by Tom Simonite, Technology Review Wikipedia is still far and away one of the world's biggest websites but, as Tom Simonite explains in this piece for MIT's Technology Review, it's not without its share of problems -- problems that have been holding it back from becoming the trusted, authoritative source it's strived to be. Simonite looks at the roots of those problems and what they've meant for the site, and also what it's doing to address them, including a new initiative that promises to bring some of the biggest changes yet to a site that has tended to steer clear of change over the years.
Snooze: Minimalist iPhone alarm dock gets the job done
I've seen a lot of iPhone alarm docks, and for the most part I haven't been impressed. Most have built-in speakers, some add in an AM/FM radio, and the majority have apps that are used to program a dizzying array of settings. Snooze (US$39.99) is an iPhone alarm dock that uses a minimalist design approach and works surprisingly well. Let's take a look at what Snooze is and why it does a great job of turning your iPhone 4/4S/5 into an alarm clock. Design If Snooze looks familiar, it could be that you saw it on Kickstarter where it achieved its funding goal and became a real product that is now being sold through the BiteMyApple.co online store. The product was designed by Charleston, South Carolina-based Distil Union, the same people who made the Wally iPhone wallet case I raved about last weekend. This design team has a knack for distilling a product idea down to the basics and making things that just plain work. For an alarm dock, what do many people want? Since the device is near your bed, you probably don't want it to take up a lot of nightstand space, you want it to charge your iPhone while you sleep, you'd like to be able to glance at the time occasionally, and you'd want to have an easy way to tell the iPhone that you want to snooze for just a little longer. The wood, silicone and plastic Snooze is compact, taking up a 4.5" x 2" space on the nightstand. It uses your own charge cable and AC adapter, smartly looping the cable through a port on the back of the unit so it doesn't flop down behind that nightstand. Buyers have a choice of four color schemes: maple and white, maple and black, white, and black. One thing that made me smile was the series of Z's molded into an interior plastic strip... Your iPhone will pretty much have to be "naked" or have a very minimal case installed in order to work in the Snooze. It's convenient that Distil Union's Wally just happens to work quite well with Snooze ... that's what's on the back of the iPhone 5 you see below. The wooden base has some high-friction type of rubberized material on it, so despite your best sleep-dazed attempts at knocking it all onto the floor, it's probably going to stay in one place. There's a groove to hold your iPhone 4/4S/5 horizontally in the Snooze, and atop the device is a flexible silicone "snooze button" that's the same size as the base of the unit. Whack that button, and you have another few minutes to sleep before the alarm goes off again. It's this snooze button and the free Snooze Alarm App that work together to work their magic. The app displays a clock with large white letters on a gray background. Don't worry about the screen being too bright in your darkened bedroom, because with the swipe of a finger you can turn down the brightness. The app allows users to set multiple alarms, each with their own snooze length and tone. One negative about the app is that it doesn't allow users to select their own favorite music or built-in tone. Distil Union notes that they're having the app rewritten and the new version will address some shortcomings of the existing one. Functionality I put this one to the test -- the snooze test, that is. With the lights out I used the app to set an alarm with a 10 minute snooze, then swiped to reduce the brightness of the display. The choice of a neutral gray and white was a good idea for the app, as the display is readable but not obtrusive. Sure enough, when the alarm went off I blindly reached out with an arm and managed to bump the top of the Snooze, at which time the alarm went off for the requisite 10 minute period. Conclusion Snooze works, it's fairly inexpensive, and it looks surprisingly good with an iPhone installed in it. If you're looking for a way to replace that ancient clock radio with its glowing red LEDs, Snooze is a great way to add more utility to your iPhone by turning it into a useful alarm clock while it's charging. Pros Simple design ensures that there's little to go wrong Clean and attractive lines look good Much less expensive than an "active" alarm dock with speakers, a radio tuner, etc... Doesn't take up a lot of room on a nightstand Cons App should let users select their own music or other tones as a wake-up sound Who is it for? Fans of good design who want a simple and effective way to charge their iPhones while they're asleep Giveaway As much as I'm going to regret giving this Snooze away, that's our policy here at TUAW. I guess I'm going to have to buy one! Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before March 1, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Snooze valued at $39.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Insert Coin: Alarm clock makes you enter a code to silence it, in another room (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. We love the snooze button as much as everyone else. But we've all postponed exiting the comfort of our Tempur-Pedic one too many times. Enter the Ramos alarm clock, a rise-and-shine solution that integrates a Defuse Panel in order to silence your wake-up call. Don't expect to stay in bed to enter the code either, as the keypad can be wirelessly situated in another room to prevent further slumber. Two time keeping options, LED and Nixie models, await your minimum pledges of $160 and $350 before the April 1st deadline. The latter features a nixie tube display that will put any regular ol' alarm clock's digits to shame. You can spring for a long-range kit if you need to place your key panel more than 50 feet away from your nightstand. If you're feeling extra generous, a pledge of more than $800 will allow you to select the type of wood used for your Ramos. In need of a bit more convincing? Peep the video on the other side of the break for a closer look.
Hit the iPhone snooze button and help charity
There's no shortage of interesting and creative iOS apps and Snooze is one of them. It's an alarm clock app developed by Letgive, a charitable donation company. The app lets you set an alarm and will donate money (US$0.25) to one of Letgive's non-profit organizations each time you press the snooze button each time you press the snooze button. Charities supported by Letgive include The Nature Conservancy, Music for Tomorrow and Classwish. Whether you love or hate the snooze button, you have to admit that Snooze makes donating money fun. The charitable giving app is available from the App Store for free. [Via Mashable]
