Spotify launches an app for artists with real-time streaming data, audience demographics

In the music streaming era, access to data is king. Artists want to know how their music is being discovered, who’s listening, where, how many have streamed their release, and what else their fans are into, among other things. Today, Spotify is releasing an app for artists that aims to answer these questions, while also… Continue reading Spotify launches an app for artists with real-time streaming data, audience demographics

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Facebook “3D Posts” let you play with VR objects in News Feed

Facebook wants to let you create virtual objects in its Oculus Medium sculpting platform or Facebook Spaces VR hangouts and then share them with friends who don’t have a VR headset. Today at Oculus Connect 4, Facebook previewed 3D posts, a new type of News Feed post where users can grab, spin, and interact with… Continue reading Facebook “3D Posts” let you play with VR objects in News Feed

Published
Categorized as Mobile

U.S. consumers are spending 10 hours per year in shopping apps

Mobile shopping is on the rise, with U.S. consumers now spending nearly 50 minutes in shopping apps per month, or 10 hours per year, according to a new report out this morning from App Annie. Digital-first shopping apps, like those from Amazon, Etsy, Wish and others, are also growing more quickly in terms of total… Continue reading U.S. consumers are spending 10 hours per year in shopping apps

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Zenefits rolls out a performance management tool

When we last saw Zenefits, the company essentially handed off one of its initial core selling points — insurance brokerage — off to partners. Since that rebrand rolled out, Zenefits seems to be following the sort of drip-drip-drip of updates that many startups trying to create a sort of “home” for a core employee experience.… Continue reading Zenefits rolls out a performance management tool

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Twitter launches ‘Happening Now’ to showcase tweets about events, starting with sports

Twitter is today releasing a new feature called “Happening Now” aimed to make its service more accessible to newcomers by highlighting groups of tweets about a topic, beginning with sports, before expanding to other areas like entertainment and breaking news. If this sounds similar to Twitter’s existing Moments feature….well, it is. Moments, too, offers a… Continue reading Twitter launches ‘Happening Now’ to showcase tweets about events, starting with sports

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Ex-TechCruncher Billy Gallagher announces book on Snapchat’s origin

“So much of it is stranger than fiction. It’s a great story, I knew that if I didn’t write the book, someone else would and I’d regret it” says Billy Gallagher, author of “How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story”. The book, which starts pre-sales today and debuts on February 13th, follows… Continue reading Ex-TechCruncher Billy Gallagher announces book on Snapchat’s origin

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Over 5,000 Wells Fargo ATMs now support card-free access via Apple Pay and other mobile wallets

Wells Fargo’s ATMs are getting an upgrade. The bank announced today that more than 40 percent – or over 5,000 of its ATMs – will now allow customers to perform transactions without having to pull out their bank card. Instead, users can take advantage of NFC – aka the “tap and pay” technology that powers… Continue reading Over 5,000 Wells Fargo ATMs now support card-free access via Apple Pay and other mobile wallets

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Snapchat’s new Context Cards use Snaps for spontaneous discovery

Snapchat is introducing a new feature that will transform the experience of using the apps at a fundamental level. They’re called ‘Context Cards,’ and they’re new ways to find out more info about any Snap shared by users, providing access to things like restaurant reviews, reservations, Uber and Lyft ride hailing, contact information and ore.… Continue reading Snapchat’s new Context Cards use Snaps for spontaneous discovery

Published
Categorized as Mobile

Cortana will now interrupt your Skype chats

Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana has finally arrived in Skype. Announced at last year’s Microsoft Build 2016 event, the assistant’s integration was also previewed when the company released an overhauled, Snapchat-inspired version of its mobile messaging app this summer. But Cortana for Skype wasn’t ready at that time. Now, the feature is live, offering users in-context… Continue reading Cortana will now interrupt your Skype chats

Published
Categorized as Mobile