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Share your latest Netflix binge on Instagram Stories
We've all had that moment when we've just watched a great show or movie and simply have to tell everyone about it. If you're eager to show your friends why Marie Kondo has changed your life or urge them to check out a documentary about the disastrous Fyre Festival, you'll be pleased to know you can share Netflix titles directly to your Instagram Stories.
EU agrees to data deal with Japan as US pact hangs in the balance
The EU and Japan have reached an agreement that will allow businesses in both regions to freely share and transfer data without additional safeguards or authorizations. The deal, which covers information such as credit card details and browsing habits, will help to fortify links between the EU and Japan, which recently signed the world's largest free-trade agreement.
Firefox 12 for iOS includes file downloads and easier syncing
Firefox 12 for iOS is available today and it offers three new useful features. First, the browser now allows users to download files, which can be viewed in a dedicated section in the Firefox menu, through Apple's Files app or through other third-party apps. Secondly, link management functions are now all gathered into one spot. One menu will give you the option of opening a link in Firefox, bookmarking, adding to your reading list or sending to another device that you've connected to your Firefox account.
You can see your friends' HQ Trivia answers, but only on Fridays
Now that hit mobile game HQ has become more social, the company is reportedly planning to let you see your friends' answers on Fridays. TechCrunch says the feature has been in testing for a while, now, and will roll out to all HQ players this week.
Google Drive will help you figure out who needs access to a file
One of the tricky things about coordinating an email chain is always making sure everyone has access to the right files, but Google said it's making that easier in Drive. The next time you go to share a document or other file through email or a calendar invite its built-in access checker will be updated to show the names and email addresses of anyone you're including who doesn't already have permission to view it. Apparently it also "will anticipate who needs access to a file and intelligently default to sharing with those recipients only."
Chrome cleans up messy URLs when you share from your phone
Google keeps making the web easier to use with its Chrome browser, from filtering ads on the desktop to getting rid of pop-ups and redirects on Android. The company just made sharing messy URLs nicer, too, thanks to the latest version of Chrome on mobile, v64. Now when you grab a long, complicated web address, Chrome will trim off the unnecessary bits from the end. That way, you won't muck up a chat with a whole bunch of personal tracking info at the end of an Amazon link, for example.
Instagram test lets some share other users' posts in Stories
Instagram is currently testing a feature that would let users share others' posts in their Stories, TechCrunch reports. It's only being tested with a small number of Instagram users and there's no guarantee that it will see a full rollout, but since people tend to screenshot others' content and add it to their Stories anyway, this seems like a useful tool that Instagram users would take advantage of. Instagram told us, "We're always testing ways to make it easier to share any moment with friends on Instagram."
Lytro shuts down its multi-focus photo sharing platform (updated)
Remember Lytro's cool, but kinda gimmicky "light-field" photography? It let you take pictures without a defined focus point and post them on a special online platform, where users could click on which part they wanted to be sharp. It never caught on with consumers, and Lytro discontinued its pricey Illum camera (above) and switched gears to video and VR. Up until recently, though, users could still post the interactive "living pictures," but Lytro has announced that as of November 30th, the platform (pictures.lytro.com) has been killed.
HTC gives Vive developers all app revenue for the rest of 2017
Now that HTC is all-in on Vive headsets and letting Google deal with its Pixel smartphone business, it has to deal with another reality: The public still isn't exactly sold on VR. To keep sales momentum going, it has announced a promotion aimed at attracting Vive app developers and keeping existing ones happy. Rather than taking its usual 30 percent cut, HTC will give 100 percent of app revenue to developers for the entire fourth quarter of 2017, starting in October.
Instagram is testing direct 'Stories' sharing to Facebook
You can mock Instagram for pilfering the Stories concept (and name) from Snapchat, but the popular feature quickly dwarfed the entire Snapchat platform. A very similar feature arrived to Facebook earlier this year, but has reportedly met with less success. That might explain why Instagram is testing an option for direct Stories sharing to Facebook, as spotted by TNW's Matt Navarra and confirmed by TechCrunch and others. It'll let die-hard Instagrammers post Stories to their granny on Facebook without the pain of doing it twice.
YouTube hopes messaging will keep viewers glued to their screens
When I heard that Google was adding direct messaging to YouTube, the first thing I thought was "great, Google has another messaging app." After juggling Google Talk, Hangouts, Allo and Google Voice messages with mixed success, the idea of yet another way to communicate from this particular company was a bit laughable. However, YouTube's newest feature isn't Google's latest attempt at finding its own answer to iMessage or Facebook Messenger. In this case, it's more about keeping customers on its platform, sharing and watching as many videos as possible. It's a lesson that YouTube has seemingly learned from Instagram, which first introduced in-app sharing in late 2013. Initially, that feature let you share photos privately with specific individuals, rather than posting them to your entire feed. It's evolved quite a bit since then; you can share any public photo or video you see on Instagram with an individual or group and then chat away about it right in the same interface. And you can also still shoot new photos or videos and share them with a specific group.
YouTube adds in-app direct messaging and sharing features
Don't look now, but Google has yet another messaging service -- sort of. Today, YouTube announced that it is rolling out a new in-app direct messaging feature, much like what you'll find in Instagram. Google's been testing and teasing this feature for over a year now, but after taking user feedback into consideration, the company is rolling it out to all of its users around the world.
People won't stop stealing this company's rentable umbrellas
Sharing E Umbrella, a Chinese startup that allows people to share umbrellas as they would bicycles has run into some early problems with its business model: specifically, people don't bother to return the items once they are out of the rain. According to a report in the Thepaper.cn last Thursday, the company announced that most of its umbrellas had gone missing within just weeks of the sharing scheme's launch.
Google Photos' AI-powered sharing is now available
Google is making good on its promise of AI-assisted photo sharing. A Google Photos upgrade arriving this week uses machine learning to suggest pictures based on both your own sharing habits, the people in the photos, and whether or not they're part of a "meaningful moment," such as a party or a wedding. You might not have to remember to share photos of your best friend when you get home from a big weekend shindig. You can customize who receives the photos, of course, and fellow Google Photos users can get reminders to add their photos to the relevant album.
Google Photos' improved AI pesters you into sharing pictures
Google is adding ways to make photo sharing from Google Photos a lot easier. And guess what? It's powered by AI. The feature is called Suggested Share, which will remind you to share photos and even suggest the people you should share them with. The app will have a new sharing tab; it will rifle with all the stuff you've taken and then use machine learning to discover who you should send them to. And to ensure sharing happens regardless of recipient, Photos uses SMS to send shareable links, no app install required for your friends.
Scan Spotify Codes to play songs instantly (updated)
Sharing songs with your buddies while on the go has typically been a hassle, with weird Shazam-style workarounds to get a song from one phone to another. It looks like Spotify knows this, too, as it's rolling out a new feature to use Snapchat-style codes that will let you grab a photo of your friend's screen to grab the song they want to share with you. We've confirmed the new feature in the Spotify app, though there's been no official word yet.
Hulu is finally rolling out individual streaming profiles (updated)
Sharing a streaming service account is convenient, but it also runs the risk of jacking up your queued shows and movies or those important recommendations. To help keep your personal list in order, Hulu is rolling out profiles for its subscribers. The new feature will allow you to divide your account with up to six different profiles that display a personalized masthead, home page, recommendations and Watchlist. In other words, one person's obsession with the likes of The Mindy Project won't wreck suggested options for someone who's more into shows like Designated Survivor.
Electrolux is testing Uber-like laundry machine sharing
You can already get rides from strangers and rent their rooms, but what if you could use their washers and dryers? Electrolux thinks it's worth a shot. CEO Jonas Samuelson tells the Financial Times that the appliance giant is testing a "laundry Uber" where you could pay to clean your clothes at someone else's home. This would require an abundance of connected machines to be viable, but it would help you recoup some of the cost of expensive equipment that stays idle most of the week.
Europe urges Facebook to stop tapping WhatsApp data
Europe's privacy bosses have urged WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with Facebook while it investigates its privacy practices. The Article 29 Working Party, made up of data protection heads from each of the EU's 28 nations, told the company it had "serious concerns" about recent changes to the chat app's terms of service. The group is examining the new policy to see if it conforms with European privacy laws and asked Facebook to reveal exactly what data it collects and where it comes from.
Dropbox pushes further into education by partnering with Blackboard
Dropbox is continuing to make the education market a priority as it looks for new customers. About six months after introducing its first product aimed specifically at schools, the company is announcing a new partnership with Blackboard Learn, one of the most widely-used "virtual learning" applications out there. If you haven't used Blackboard Learn before, it's a tool that makes it easier for students to collaborate and for professors to build an online home for their coursework.
