Twitter is rolling out desktop notifications for direct messages

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Twitter is making it easier to know when someone has messaged you; the company is rolling out desktop notifications for direct messages on Twitter.com. The notifications will show up on the top right side of your screen. Click on it, and you’ll be taken to the DM interface. Direct Message notifications are now available on web. Opt in here to never miss a message: http://t.co/LO2Sgjrctb http://pic.twitter.com/HwxwcBteVJ — Twitter (@twitter) August 24, 2015 Twitter has been making some strides to turn its direct messaging into a serious messaging platform, most notably with the removal of the 140 character limit for private conversations. While…

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Recently documents your life via a monthly photo magazine

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Talk about defying a trend. At a time when paper-based publications are looking for a way to ditch production and mailing costs in favor of digital, a new app for iOS is moving in the opposite direction. Recently, a new monthly physical magazine that debuts today, differs from the periodical pack in that it is comprised of only the newest images from your own Camera Roll in magazine format. Recently is a subscription service — not a one-shot deal — though the price is a reasonable $8.99 per month ($7.99 if you invite a friend). It’s your life as high-end art in 8 x 11-inch…

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Microsoft releases Cortana for Android beta to the public

Cortana Android
A little over a month ago, an early version of an Microsoft’s Cortana app for Android leaked to the Web. Microsoft is now finally ready to officially release it to the public with the announcement of a public beta. Cortana can do most of the things she does on your Windows 10 PC or Windows Phone. You can set reminders, search the web, track flight details, and even ask her to sing you happy birthday. Microsoft’s also made it so you can replace Google Now by launching Cortana when you press the home button. That said, you still can’t activate the assistant from…

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This app will tell you what time of the day you’re most productive

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Moo-Q is a free iOS app that has been created by a team of UK psychologists at Hungry Mind Lab to help people discover what time of the day they are most productive and how your mood can impact your behaviour and workflow. It works by determining how positive or negative you’re feeling through a series of adjustable sliders. Based on that, you are presented with some tests on your speed and memory, which aren’t as easy as they first seem. When I first used the app, the tests started off simple with basic math and memory tests, however, these progressed…

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Stressed? You need this cat purr noise generator

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“Monday, Monday, so good to me…” The Mamas & Papas were great, but they were dead wrong on that one. If Monday is currently slapping you about the place, here’s a good way to get a little shot of stress relief: The Cat Purr Noise Generator does exactly what you’d expect it to, with sliders to control the attributes of the feline simulator. Try it and see if it calms you down. If it doesn’t, feel free to send me angry tweets. I’m used to it. ➤ Cat Purr Noise Generator [MyNoise]








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QuizUp wants companies to train employees with its new corporate trivia game

QuizUp at Work
QuizUp is expanding beyond its realm of competitive trivia gaming with a new program aimed at helping companies revamp corporate learning, reports TechCrunch. QuizUp at Work lets employees face off against each other in fast-paced challenges based on their companies’ corporate programs, products and policies. CEO Thor Fridriksson said, “Traditionally when enterprises are handing employees the manual of how to do things, it’s not exactly the most fun thing ever, it’s more of a chore. I feel like this is kind of the Holy Grail of corporate learning, you know, to make it fun.” He believes that QuizUp at Work…

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Pac-Man 256 has just one insane, endless map

Pac-Man 256
Bandai Namco’s beloved Pac-Man arcade game turned 35 earlier this year, and the company celebrated the occasion with a revamp of the original title on iOS — but it’s only with the recent release of Pac-Man 256 that the title has truly come of age. Available on Android and iOS, Pac-Man 256 features an endless map that you can play in landscape or portrait mode. As with the original, you still have to chomp away at all the Pac-Dots you can reach while avoiding ghosts — but you also have to escape the dreaded glitch. Pac-Man 256 looks great and lets…

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Amazon rebrands the Echo app as Alexa (not to be confused with its Alexa analytics tool)

Amazon Echo
Amazon has quietly rebranded the companion app to its Echo voice-controlled speaker this week, changing its name from “Amazon Echo” to “Amazon Alexa.” The update comes alongside some extra VoiceOver support and additional sources for the device’s Flash Briefing feature, so the Echo can tell you more about the day’s news headlines. Why Amazon decided to rebrand the Echo app as Alexa remains a mystery, given that it already has an analytics tool named Alexa. The Alexa Web services API and Alexa Skills Kit are also two totally different items (though we’ve seen some pretty cool stuff built from the Skills Kit.) Are additional tools…

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Firefox will soon be able to run Chrome extensions following major changes

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Big changes are coming to Firefox in the near future and will require extension developers to make major modifications to their existing extensions to ensure they continue to work. The company is making available a new extension API in Firefox called WebExtensions which is similar to the Chrome and Opera system, to ensure that add-ons can be easily developed across multiple browsers. It’s also making the changes due to a faster version of Firefox on the horizon, called Electrolysis, which separates the browser into multiple processes and to lower the risk of exposing users to malware. Developers will need to make changes to their…

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