collections
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Apple Fitness+ will add an audio-based running feature on January 10th
A curated series of workouts and meditations called Collections debuts on the same day.
WhatsApp users can now shop for items by category using 'Collections'
WhatsApp has made it easier to buy products directly from a chat with the addition of Collections to its Catalog shopping feature.
Google's Area 120 reveals Pinterest-like app called Keen
Keen, the latest experiment to come out of Google’s Area 120, sounds an awful lot like Pinterest.
Facebook tests easier sharing for its Pinterest-like Collections feature
Facebook is testing changes that make it easier to share Collections publicly.
‘Minecraft Earth’ adds seasonal challenges for its AR builders
Minecraft Earth, Microsoft’s blocky answer to Pokémon Go, continues to evolve despite still being in Early Access mode. The latest update adds three important new features to challenge players and make it easier to keep track of past feats.
Google Collections will save and organize your searches
If you've ever attempted to find something you searched for on Google but didn't save, you know how frustrating that process can be. Google recognizes this, and it's introducing a new AI-powered Search feature that's meant to help. Today, it's launching Collections, which will group similar pages you've visited in Search. You'll be able to save the Collections, so that you can easily revisit them in the future.
Netflix test brings human-curated 'Collections' to streaming
Netflix leans on algorithms for virtually all of its show suggestions, but it's trying something radical: curation from real, honest-to-goodness humans. The service is testing expert-crafted Collections that, much like music playlists, offer selections based around certain themes. You can check out a collection of light-hearted fare if you're looking for relief from a stressful week, or go for prizewinning titles if you only want critically-praised pieces.
Instagram code hints at Pinterest-style public collections
Instagram hasn't been shy about borrowing a page from Pinterest's book through its Collections feature, and it might be ready to take things a step further. Software sleuth Jane Manchun Wong has discovered that Instagram for Android includes hidden code for public Collections. You could not only share favorite travel destinations or fashion items with the world, but add contributors to help fill out your list.
Some questions for the guy selling more than 20,000 films for $1 million
Who does this, who has the time? How did eBay seller Adam "kilamad" Malik manage the stunning feat of collecting some 21,000 rare, out of print, 4K, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, DVD, Laserdisc, VHS and Beta films? Is this really all from desperate sods hawking titles to the pawn shop he worked at for 25 years? Did Han shoot first?
Facebook could fight fake news with curated articles
The proliferation of fake news on its network has haunted Facebook since the presidential election. Initially downplaying its impact, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has come around to start speaking on the social platform's action plan, including cutting off ad money. But now they have a new plan to ensure their users get quality content with actual facts: Handpick publications themselves.
VSCO Cam adds Collections to curate photos from other users
VSCO Cam has offered some community features powered by its Grid tool on top of its regular photo-editing chops for some time now. Today, though, the company added a new way to interact with your fellow VSCO snapshot enthusiasts. With updates to both the iOS and Android apps, VSCO Cam delivered Collections: a feature that allows you to curate your favorite photos from other users. Grid provides a place to share your images in a minimalist format for all to see, but with Collections VSCO pulls in snapshots you like from other photographers to build a separate library. When you're scrolling through the photos in Search or Explore, simply double tap to save one before publishing it to your Collection.
Twitter tests pages that collect tweets about places and products
Twitter started life as a way to let your friends know what you were doing and thinking. But everyday the glorified status update service evolves in an attempt to be all things to all people and, more importantly for its bottom line, all companies. Twitter is experimenting with pages dedicated to specific products and places. This is a little different from the new event specific feeds and the dedicated buy button that debuted last year. Rather than just a button a company can embed in a tweet, this is basically a profile dedicated complete to a product. That includes a photo or a video about it, plus a description, price and, obviously, the option to buy it. But, just as important, below that you'll find a bunch of relevant tweets, including posts about the product from people you follow, news updates from the company itself or other related content. And of course, similar pages can be built for places such as restaurants or museums. Twitter is also allowing tastemakers and brands to curate their own collections of places and goods. So, if you needed to find all of the products that Demi Lovato has endorsed you could in one quick trip to Twitter.
Google+ launches Collections, a Pinterest-style sharing board
The new Collections tab on Google+ offers a way to organize and share your interests with other people on the network, a la the mother of all cutesy-sharing sites, Pinterest. You're able to create a customized Collection about anything that you like (suggestions: Hello Kitty accessories, Harry Potter spells, summer books, League of Legends champions), complete with photos, videos, links and commentary. Fellow Google+ users are able to follow any Collection set to "public," or you can start a private Collection and keep all of those adorable Hello Kitty backpacks and phone cases to yourself. The Collections feature is live for many users right now, and you should be able to find it in the dropdown tab on the left side of your very own Google+ page.
Keep personal photos out of collections with iOS 8's "hide photo" feature
Apple's Collections feature for photos in iOS is a wonderful way to keep track of your memories and easily present them when it's time to show off. Photos are automatically sorted into smart groups based on the time and location they were taken, making it a breeze to quickly find every picture you've taken in Florida or during December. Of course, there are certain pictures you probably don't want people to see. Let's be classy and just call them "personal" photos. Thankfully iOS 8 makes keeping your personal photos out of your Collections quick and easy. All it takes is two quick steps. Locate the photo you want hidden, select it, and hold down your finger on the image. When the "hide" option pops up press it, and confirm that you'd like to hide the image. Now the "hidden" image is left out of your Collections folder while still being viewable from the Albums portion of the Photos menu. You can rest easy when displaying your Collection over AirPlay during the Holidays. If you take care to hide the right (or wrong, depending on your perspective) images, your family never has to know what you really did in Vegas.
Patch 6.0.2 preview highlights upcoming UI changes
Those bags in that header image may look like a disorganized wreck now, but they're about to get cleared out a little sooner than expected. Blizzard released a preview of upcoming UI changes for patch 6.0.2 yesterday -- that's patch 6.0.2, the pre-patch for Warlords of Draenor, not the expansion itself. Along with all the pre-expansion content quests, the new character models, and the preview of Upper Blackrock Spire, we also get all those lovely space-saving improvements ahead of time. That's on top of a host of other really cool UI improvements, including a new and improved Group Finder that includes the Premade Groups function. In addition, the new map and quest log will make an appearance, the new Void Storage tab will be unlocked, you'll be able to check out your handy new reagent tab in your bank, and you'll be able to sort your bags more easily than ever before. I have to admit, while I'm excited about being able to sort my mounts and pick a few favorites, I'm far more excited to see rows and rows and rows of empty bag slots. For more of what to expect in patch 6.0.2 and how this will change the way you play, check out Blizzard's full preview on the official site.
Lord of the Rings Online Update 14.2 adds collections system
Update 14.2 might not be the biggest that Lord of the Rings Online has ever seen, but it's substantial enough that the developers took the time to livestream some of the additions and changes that it will be bringing. Coming in 14.2 is a new collections system to reward players for snapping up mounts and pets. The new system will also help to point you in the direction of where and how to find these creatures as well as give a preview of each one. The team also gave a preview of a rarely visited Middle-earth location, the Dead Marshes. You can watch the full stream after the jump!
Guild Wars 2 adds in collections achievements
Pack rats, completionists, and oddballs of the gaming world, Guild Wars 2's upcoming features pack will celebrate you and your lifestyle. One of the new additions coming with the update is the collections achievements category, which is pretty much as it sounds. Following the update, players will be able to fill out collections in the achievements tab by finding, equipping, or consuming certain items. If you collect all of a collection set, then you'll get a reward chest for your trouble. Some collections will be visible from the start, while others will need to be discovered or triggered during the course of gameplay. When the patch goes live, the game will attempt to fill out collections retroactively, although it will not be able to identify every item looted in the past. Due to this new category, ArenaNet is making some minor organizational changes to the achievement UI and will be renaming the bank collections tab "material storage."
Warlords of Draenor: Bag space solutions, illustrated
I will be the first to admit that I am probably a little overzealous when it comes to collecting items and carrying stuff around in WoW. Most of what I collect is one of two things -- armor and weapons for transmogrification, or toys and little trinkets that were pretty cool while I was leveling. Because of this, I was ridiculously excited to hear about getting a new Void Storage tab, as well as the new Toy Box tab. Anything that opens up more bag space for the stuff I like to collect is automatically a good thing. That image above is my main character's bags and my bank when I first logged on to the beta servers. It's a chaotic mess, I know. At the time of that screenshot, I had 20 bag spaces free, and one spot in my bank. As for Void Storage, it's completely full on live. So how much bag space can you expect to get with just the Toy Box and Void Storage tabs available to play with? If there was anyone to test that out on, it was me and my admittedly insane collection.
Get started collecting mounts in WoW
It's a slow time in World of Warcraft right now, without new raids, dungeons, or anything else. But this is the perfect time to focus your attention on collecting in-game items. This is a time-consuming hobby that doesn't provide the kinds of rewards you might get from running a dungeon or winning a PvP match, but it can be fun -- assuming you've got that "gotta catch 'em all" personality that drives you to collect in the first place. We've talked about collecting in-game titles, and now we're moving on to another collection favorite: mounts. The World of Warcraft is packed with different in-game mounts that can compliment your transmog or just look awesome. Though even the most casual player has probably collected quite a few mounts by the time they've hit level 90, there are always more to pick up. Typically, special mounts require either grinding up to exalted reputation with a particular faction or getting a lucky drop in a dungeon or raid -- but many can be acquired completely solo, so long as you're patient. And best of all, as you collect more mounts, you unlock even more mounts with rewards for achievements when you've collected 50, 100, 150, and 200 mounts. If you're just getting started, expect it to take some time to get all the way to 200, but whether you're looking for quantity or quality, we've got you covered with a bunch of ways to build your mount collection.
Breakfast Topic: What do you collect?
For a game that's not really about collecting -- it's no Animal Crossing -- there's a lot of collecting to do in World of Warcraft if you're of a mind to collect things. And when there's not a lot of new content to occupy players, collecting things can take center stage. After all, there's tons of things you could collect, from the straightforward pets, mounts, transmog gear, toys, or tabards, to the more challenging reputation, achievements, or level 90s. Fortunately for those of us who collect pets or mounts, there's an in-game storage system to keep our inventories from overflowing -- but those of you who collect tabards, toys, or other items that don't get the same treatment are probably finding your bank overflowing with items. So today we're talking collections. Do you play the collection mini-game? And if so, just what do you collect?
