November 2013

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Justin Bieber funds “Shots of Me” app that only lets you take selfies

18 November 2013 4:37 AM
The new selfies-only photo app promises to combat cyber-bullying and create a new and positive experience for its users.

The new selfies-only photo app promises to combat cyber-bullying. Find me: Jordan Couzens / JordanBTH

Partially funded by Justin Bieber and created by RockLive, Shots of Me is a new app for iPhone users that allows you to take and share photos of yourself.

Shots of Me’s profile on iTunes says that it’s “time for something new” – implying that it’s offering something different in comparison to its well-established competitors such as Instagram, SnapChat, and even Twitter.

At first glance, it doesn’t appear to be that different. The features listed by Shots of Me boast being able to “double-tap [a] selfie that you like” and “share a selfie” and “browse the real-time feed” which doesn’t appear to differentiate itself from Instagram in the slightest.

However, Shots of Me is different as it does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s meant be exclusively for selfies. The app only allows you to use your front-facing camera, discouraging shots of people’s food and pets. Plus, there aren’t any filters to magic away bad lighting or to make your face appear more “arty”.
Shots of Me allows users to tag their friends in photos, add hashtags, a caption, and even your location. You can choose to tweet your photo, and there’s currently an Instagram icon with a “coming soon” badge over it, so it appears that you’ll soon be able to push your Shots of Me selfies to your Instagram feed.

Another feature of Shots of Me that sets it apart is that its founders insist the app is meant to be a positive experience for all its users:

“Shots of Me is designed to be a positive experience for everyone. Unlike other social networks, Shots of Me does not have features that create negativity and bullying. Users also have the option of making their accounts private.”

It appears the main way Shots of Me plans to tackle cyber-bullying is to restrict comments, as you can’t leave a public comment on another person’s selfie. You can only “comment” on a photo by sending someone you follow a private message.

Justin Bieber has brought a $1.1 million investment to the app and brings the additional influence of his millions of followers on Twitter – however, at the time of writing, Bieber has still yet to post a selfie.

Find me: Jordan Couzens / JordanBTH

Snapchats of App (iOS 6)

Find me: Jordan Couzens / JordanBTH

Source: buzzfeed

Call Of Duty: Ghosts Tops $1bn (£621m) On First Day

6 November 2013 7:15 PM
Call Of Duty: Ghosts - Poster

Call Of Duty: Ghosts – Poster

The latest Call of Duty video game made more than $1bn (£621m) from its first day on sale, its publisher has confirmed.

Call of Duty: Ghosts went on sale worldwide on Tuesday and its debut eclipsed that of Grand Theft Auto V, which raked in $800m (£496m) on its first day in September. Call of Duty: Ghosts has already been branded ‘lazy’ for reusing Modern Warfare 2 cut-scene.

At the time, the game beat the record for single-day games sales held by the last Call of Duty game, Black Ops II, which made $500m (£310m) in November 2012.

Fans queued overnight at hundreds of stores across the UK, which were open at midnight for the release of the 10th Call of Duty instalment.

The $1bn figure represented sales to retail store, which may not reflect consumer purchases, according to publisher Activision.

Eric Hirshberg, chief executive of Activision, said the game “has delivered yet another epic thrill ride in the campaign, and what I think is our best multiplayer game yet“.

The company claimed the series was “the largest console franchise of this generation“.

The latest military shooter series is set in a desolate US, devastated by a satellite-guided “kinetic” weapon strike on San Diego.

Ghosts can be played on PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii U and Windows computers, and will also be available on other consoles in future.

The game is also compatible with smartphones and tablet computers.

Many reviewers agreed that the game did not take the franchise in a new direction or break from the old format.

The Computer and Video Games website said: “There is an overwhelming sense of familiarity one gets from playing Call of Duty: Ghosts and that’s probably because an iteration of this series drops every year without truly reinventing the wheel.”

Ghosts will also be the first Call of Duty game available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as launch titles for both consoles on November 15, 2013 (November 29, 2013 in Europe) and November 22, 2013 respectively.

Source: news.sky.com