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QR code attacks probably aren’t coming for your scan-to-order menus
The fanfare around these attacks, however, mostly outweighs the threat of using QR codes in your daily life.
WhatsApp makes it easier to send messages to unsaved numbers
The update is rolling out to all WhatsApp users.
Telegram adds iMessage-style reactions and hidden text for spoilers
You'll be able to translate messages as well.
New York rolls out first digital COVID-19 vaccine passports in the US
New York state has launched the US' first vaccine passports in the form of the mostly digital Excelsior Pass, but it's bound to stir ethical debates.
Businesses on WhatsApp can share their info with QR codes
Contacting a business on WhatsApp is about to get easier.
WhatsApp lets you add new contacts with QR codes
WhatsApp rolls out new features like the ability to add contacts with a QR code.
South Koreans can now store their driving license on their smartphones
South Koreans can use their smartphone as official ID.
Apple Clips lets you use an app's best features without downloading it
Among the numerous pieces of new hardware and software debuted at Apple’s WWDC 2020 remote event on Monday, showed off a handy new iOS 14 feature that will enable users to view and interact with dynamic content from third party developers simply by scanning a QR code.
GoPro Labs gives users access to experimental features
The official GoPro Labs sandbox gives users access to tricks GoPro is testing behind the scenes.
WhatsApp test lets you add contacts with QR codes
The days of typing in people's numbers to message them is coming to an end.
iOS 14 may let you run app snippets to complete tasks
A leaked 'Clips' feature in iOS 14 would download a small piece of an app to run a given task.
eBay opens QR code-powered shop in the UK
Today, eBay opened a brick and mortar concept store in the UK's Wolverhampton. The month-long retail experiment will offer wares from 40 small, local businesses and will host a series of free, interactive workshops. While eBay has opened pop-ups before, this is the first of its kind in the UK, and it's meant to test how physical and online retail might work together.
How to hide tiny artworks in your URLs
We all know the humble URL; it tells the internet where we want to go. But, as digital artist Alexander Reben discovered, it can do so much more. It turns out that entire webpages can live within its character string -- you just need to know how to build them. Reben does, and has been using a technique he developed to hide tiny works of art -- like digital treasure chests -- in your browser bar.
Comcast's new 'Gateway' will manage your smart home
Comcast already dominates many people's living rooms, and now it's looking to expand its reach to the rest of your house. Today at CES, the company announced it will release a series of Gateway smart-home hubs throughout the year. In particular, as you might expect, these hubs will allow Comcast's Xfinity customers to manage the menagerie of Internet of Things devices that inhabit the modern home.
IntelliPaper SwivelCards: Business cards with brains
TUAW usually doesn't talk about crowdfunding campaigns until they're live, but in the case of IntelliPaper SwivelCards, I thought I'd make an exception. The company is hoping to launch a Kickstarter campaign later this month and sent me a pack of their business cards to try out. What's so special about the cards? Well, they fold origami-like into a USB drive with a tiny amount of capacity -- Get Info showed it to be about 5.1MB -- that can hold a link to custom landing web pages, Dropbox folders, or even screen sharing software for demonstrations and presentations. Here's a video explaining how it works: What's impressive about the SwivelCards is not just the technology -- printing a USB drive onto paper -- but the fact that it enables those who hand out the cards to pull up analytics on exactly who has actually looked at the information. Having brought home a gaggle of USB flash drives from trade shows that usually have tons of empty space and a few marketing brochures on them, I think this is a great idea. Rather than wasting a perfectly good USB drive, just give the person an inexpensive paper business card that contains a clickable link to those same marketing materials. I did notice one oddity in the video and on the card -- a QR code. This makes sense, since it's quite easy to use any one of a number of iOS apps to read those codes from an iPhone or iPad since those devices don't have USB ports. So for mobile devices, the QR code serves the same purpose as the linked and configurable file on the USB drive. If you're interested in backing the SwivelCards Kickstarter campaign once it goes live, be sure to visit swivelcard.info and sign up to be notified.
Findables: iPhone cases with an identity
There's something new in the crowded iPhone case market: cases with an identity. Findables has a line of iPhone cases that include a small, unique QR code that can be tied -- through a free iPhone app -- to your social network accounts. That same code can even help others return a lost iPhone to you. Let's take a look at the Findables FlexWrap (US$29.95) and FlexStand ($29.95) cases, and then you can have a chance to win one courtesy of Findables and TUAW. Both the FlexWrap and FlexStand cases look like run-of-the-mill iPhone cases, crafted out of the usual polycarbonate material in multiple colors. The FlexWrap is a protective shell, while the FlexStand has a fold out stand to make watching videos a breeze. But as I noted earlier, the big selling point for both of these products is the tiny QR code on back of the case. When you get one of the Findables cases, you download the free app from the App Store and then use it to scan the QR code and create a Findables profile. That profile can contain links to a number of social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ and more. Now when you meet someone and they just happen to have a QR code reader app on their device (standard for Android, not so much in the iOS world), scanning that little code on the back of your iPhone case sends them to your Findables profile. From there, they can link to you on all of those social networks, so it's akin to a QR code business card. The Findables app also gives iPhone users a way to read QR codes if they don't currently have an app that will read them. Of course, a quick glance at the App Store reveals a number of other QR-friendly apps that your friends can download to read your Findables case. Findables also touts the cases as being useful for returning a lost iPhone to you, although I frankly can't see how it would be any more useful than Find My iPhone. Conclusion Findables has produced an iPhone case with an interesting twist; tying a personal profile to a QR code imprinted on the case. The cases are reasonably priced and should do a good job of protecting your iPhone investment. Pros QR code provides a link to a personal profile; show someone your case and let them scan it to get information about you. Reasonably priced and well made. Findables FlexStand has a very usable flip-out stand design that's great for watching video without holding your device. Cons New friends and business associates will need to have a QR code-reading app installed on their device to be able to access your information. Who is it for? Anyone who would like an inexpensive iPhone 5 case that provides a relatively simple way for others to find out more about you through a web-based profile. Giveaway TUAW and Findables have two cases to give away. One's a FlexWrap, while the other is a FlexStand. Both cases work with the iPhone 5 or 5s. 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 October 20, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Two winners will be selected. One will receive a Findables FlexWrap case (black) valued at $29.95, while the other receives a Findables FlexStand (blue with orange highlights) valued at $29.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
App featured on Shark Tank reaches App Store's top spot
ABC's entrepreneur investor reality show Shark Tank is currently the number one TV show in its Friday time slot, drawing 6.4 million viewers total and 1.7 million in the ever-important 18-49 demographic. A panel of millionaires and billionaires listen to pitches from entrepreneurs looking for investors in their companies. Some people walk away with millions of dollars in investments, others with nothing. But how does an appearance on the show impact your company when you don't win over the investors? For one app developer, the answer is swimmingly. Garret Gee's startup Scan appeared this past Friday, October 12, on the show seeking US$1 million for his QR-code scanning mobile app. While his pitch was denied by the investors, viewers were sold, and his app has jumped wildly in the charts since the show aired. On Thursday, Scan, which sells for $1.99, was 150 out of all paid apps in the App Store and number five out of the utilities apps. After the appearance on Shark Tank, the app hit number one on the paid utilities apps and 25 out of all paid apps. On Friday, Gee wrote to AllThingsD to explain his motives for going on the show. "We were open to a deal, but exposure was definitely a top priority/perk." While the investors on the show weren't impressed, the company has been noticed by some powerful players in the tech world. Recently Entree Capital, Google Ventures and Menlo Ventures valued Scan at $21 million, and the company has raised over $7 million dollars to date. Even without the investors' money, it seems like the Shark Tank appearance was a wise investment of Gee's time.
Microsoft Tag closing on August 19th 2015, reminds us all crappy things must end
You know how QR Codes still aren't really a thing? Just imagine how popular Microsoft's proprietary alternative to the format has been. In a letter to its users, Redmond has conceded that Microsoft Tag will pass the way of all things on August 19th, 2015. That said, if you can't live without the system, QR Code company Scanbuy will be supporting certain Tag components from September of this year. We've included a suitably redacted version of the company's letter after the break, but be warned -- it contains toe-curling phrases like "digitally engage with brands in their everyday surroundings through smartphones." [Thanks, Carter]
Xbox One's Kinect can read QR codes in place of download codes
Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox One can scan QR codes to save players the hassle of typing in download codes, Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten confirmed via Twitter. Whitten was responding to a picture posted to Reddit that demanded players be given the option, given the notion that Kinect will be required for the new system. Whether QR codes will be made widely available in place of download codes on Xbox One is unknown, but the possibility has existed for some time, as Kinectimals even used QR codes on the current iteration of Kinect.
New iOS SDK features for developers
Some of the iOS SDK features that were quickly touched on by Craig Federighi today sound fascinating, although we won't get details on some of them until later. Here are some that I found to be the most interesting: New multitasking APIs -- this should enable apps that you use most often to update themselves in the background. Secure Game Center scores -- as Erica Sadun pointed out, people know how to hack the leaderboards right now; this may eliminate that. MFi game controllers -- this is HUGE for gaming. MFi, of course, means "Made for iPhone / iPad / iPod," and this API should make game controllers that work with our devices become more prevalent. Dynamic type size -- Devs can build in user-directed font scaling so us old folks can read our Helvetica Neue Ultra Light in BIG letters. 60 fps video capture -- want to include slow-mo video in your app? Capture at 60 frames per second. Barcode scanning -- finally, an API for reading barcodes and perhaps those pesky QR codes? Sprite kit -- sprites are a collection of related images grouped into a single image, i.e., frames for an animation or a group of icons. This sounds like it could be something useful for writing side-scrollers or perhaps any game, reducing the number of CPU cycles required to move something across the display. UI dynamics -- the ability to get some of the beautiful transparency and 3D feel we saw in the demos. Peer-to-peer connectivity -- build local WiFi or Bluetooth connections with other iOS devices and Macs(?) into apps easily. Background asset downloads -- automatic updates of app assets that normally take a bit of time upon connection to grab new data. Directions API -- giving developers the capability of building step-by-step directions into their apps. AirDrop from Activity sheet -- so cool, allowing things like photos or videos or artwork you've just created to be sent to another person via AirDrop. Geodesic Polylines -- as Erica points out, this is a "Google Maps" kinda thing you can do right now to show distance lines from a particular point. This could be very helpful in Maps-related apps to show distances from a point. Any other ideas on what these SDK updates may offer? Let's hear your comments below!
