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Google's latest Chrome extension helps you link directly to a piece of website text
The extension makes it easier to point towards specific text.
T-Mobile customers can send RCS messages to Android users worldwide
It's taken a couple of years, but T-Mobile now fully supports the RCS Universal Profile protocol, which is good news for Android users on the carrier's network.
Google Lens can now help you pronounce the words it translates
New Lens features help you pronounce foreign words and learn more about complex subjects.
Uber rolls out text-to-911 feature across the US
As part of its ongoing efforts to keep drivers and passengers safe, Uber is introducing a new, in-app text-to-911 feature in the US. It could be especially useful if a driver or passenger needs to contact emergency services discreetly, without escalating a situation further.
Recommended Reading: Facial recognition, police and privacy
The secretive company that might end privacy as we know it Kashmir Hill, The New York Times Clearview is a startup that developed a facial recognition system that matches a photo of a person to publicly available images. Those can be from Facebook, YouTube or even Venmo. It's powerful technology, and law enforcement is using it to solve crimes like shoplifting, murder and child sexual exploitation. The code in Clearview's app references the ability to pair the software with AR glasses, giving the person wearing them the ability to identify whoever they see. And the company is monitoring who law enforcement is looking for, which makes an already massive privacy issue sound like something out of a dystopian novel.
Firefox makes it easier to send links between VR and desktop
Firefox is making it a little easier to bounce between VR and real life. In a new update for Reality, Firefox has introduced the ability to send videos and tabs straight to your VR headset from your phone or desktop, and vice versa -- you'll be able to send tabs straight to your phone or desktop to access as soon as you take your headset off.
Cross-carrier glitch sent people ancient texts in the middle of the night
Did you wake up to a resurrected Valentine's Day text message on your phone? You're far from the only one. Numerous users have reported receiving old text messages overnight, all of them from February in one year or another (often around Valentine's Day) -- and frequently messages that didn't initially reach their destination. The zombie texts appeared across multiple carriers, including the top four US networks as well as Canada, and surfaced whether you were using an Android device or iPhones. There appears to be an explanation, although there's still plenty of mystery.
The Galaxy Note 10 S Pen is also a wand that controls your phone
Today, Samsung confirmed a poorly kept secret. The Galaxy Note 10 S Pen will offer gesture controls, or "Air Actions." This goes one step further than the Note 9 S Pen, which acts as a remote control. Now, you'll be able to control the Note 10 (and Note 10+) with a wave of the stylus. The S Pen will allow you to activate shortcuts and perform specific actions by drawing shapes above the screen. As you can with the Galaxy Tab S6, you'll be able to swish-and-flick to switch between front- and rear-facing cameras and toggle through camera modes.
Apple refreshes Pages, Numbers and Keynote with new styles and functions
Today, Apple's suite of productivity apps, iWork, is being refreshed. The company announced updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote across both Mac and iOS. Thanks to the changes, all of the apps will now let users stylize their text by filling it in with gradients or images and using new outline styles. Face detection will help better position photos, and you'll be able to place images, shapes and equations in text boxes so they move with text.
Volvo's new app tells you what to do after a car accident
Being in a car accident is stressful -- even the smallest bump can send your nerves sky high, and in times of extreme tension it's easy to forget the usual protocols. But Volvo is here to make the whole unfortunate experience a little easier to manage. The company has just released a mobile service, Car Accident Advisor, that will guide you through what to do in the event of a crash.
Google Photos makes it easier to take clear pictures of receipts
Google is making it easier to capture clear photographs of receipts and other documents. Following on from the AI-powered suggested actions feature unveiled out last year, which automatically brightens and rotates images, the company is this week launching a new crop and adjust function for snaps of printed items and text-heavy pages.
Android's stock texting app now includes anti-spam safeguards
Your Android phone's text messages could soon be relatively junk-free without needing help from carriers. Android Police has learned that Google is rolling out spam protection to the Messages app for at least some users. It's not clear just what the feature looks for, but Google is clearly aware of the potential privacy issues. While the company does have to transmit some message-related data to Google, it doesn't send any of the content itself.
California considers a texting tax
Cell phone owners in California could soon pay extra for the privilege of sending text messages, thanks to landline-era legislation and changing usage patterns. According to recent public law filings, the state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is considering a plan that would bill users a monthly fee for any text message services they use, and phone service carriers aren't happy about it.
'Thomas Was Alone' developer launches another sci-fi text game
Here we go again. In August of last year, developer Mike Bithell, responsible for popular games Thomas Was Alone and Volume, did something rather unique. He released a small, $5 narrative game called Subsurface Circular -- first on PC and Mac and then on iPad. It was apparently successful, as Bithell just announced its sequel: Quarantine Circular, which has similar mechanics but a entirely new cast and story.
Now Cortana for Android beta can read your texts out loud
Cortana for Android has just made it easier to use your phone hands-free -- so long as you're a beta tester for the voice assistant on the platform, that is. Microsoft has given Cortana's beta version the power to read text messages aloud, less than a month after the stable version of the app got the ability to text messages using your voice. Combined, the two features make it possible to communicate back and forth even while you're driving, cooking or doing any other task that requires the use of both hands.
Instagram is testing a text-based 'Type' feature for Stories
Instagram keeps updating its Stories feature lately with new additions to keep things interesting. The company recently added polls, a way to surface past Stories and has been experimenting with cross-posts to WhatsApp. Now, according to a report at The Next Web, the latest Stories addition is something called Type, which gives you a number of new fonts to type your message across a background or photo as part of your Story.
Google Voice command may take frustration out of text messages
Google Voice is great for a number of things, in particular differentiating between the contacts worthy of your regular number and those you aren't quite there with yet. But as has become apparent recently, it's not great at sending text messages, especially from Android Auto, Android Wear and Assistant. Fortunately, help could soon be on the way in the form of a new voice command.
Tumblr adds three useful ways to post from your mobile device
Tumblr keeps improving its mobile apps, adding to already useful features like photo filters, instant messaging, stickers and GIF posts to keep your interactions fresh and interesting. The microblogging service just announced three new ways to post from the mobile apps, including images in reblog posts, fun new text styles for text posts, and the ability to drag and drop paragraphs and images within blog posts.
San Francisco's MOMA texts modern art to suit your mood
Museum's like NYC's Met and the Smithsonian are becoming more egalitarian by releasing high-res images from their collections, letting you curate your own virtual tours. However, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has taken another approach, letting you receive artwork via text messages. With its new "Send Me SFMOMA" project, all you need to do is send a text with the words "Send Me" followed by a mood, color or something specific you want to see.
Sprint and Rogers connect for iMessage-like RCS texting
Nearly every major tech company has come up with their own messaging services with enhanced features and SMS is starting to look long in the tooth. But there's hope for text messaging. A newish standard (it was released in 2012) RCS (Rich Communication Services (RCS) with its improved media sending and improved group chat support is making its way onto Android phones and being support by carriers and according to Google's VP of communications products, Nick Fox. It looks like Sprint and Rogers are letting customers send RCS messages between their services.
