Ios Apps

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

Evernote: Two-Step Verification Now Available to Everyone

5 October 2013 1:22 PM
Evernote / Two-Step Verification

Evernote / Two-Step Verification

Two-factor authentication isn’t an extra or optional layer of protection, it’s a necessary one. Today, all Evernote users—whether paid users or those with free accounts—can turn on this important security feature.

Back in March, after a security breach, Evernote announced it would roll out two-factor authentication. The problem is, when they did, it was only for Premium or Business users.

The company is rolling out optional two-factor authentication today for all user accounts. To turn it on, head to the Security section of your account profile. You’ll also be able to generate one-time codes in case you don’t have access to your phone. (Two-factor authentication often, as in this case, sends a unique code to your mobile device for additional security if you try to log in from an unknown device.)

Two-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication, adds an additional layer of security to the login process, requiring you to enter a special code from your phone, in addition to your regular username and password. The goal of this extra step is to combine something you know (your password) with something only you would have access (your phone).

Setting up two-step verification is straightforward. Just follow the steps in the Security section of Evernote Web. Free users will be required to install an authenticator app on their phones. We recommend Google Authenticator. Premium users can choose to have the code delivered as a text message.

One very important thing to note. As part of the set up process, you will be given a set of one-time codes to use in the event that you are unable to access your phone. Don’t keep these codes in Evernote since you’ll need them when you don’t have access to your Evernote account.

Full Guide: Set up Two-Step Verification »

Google releases revamped Google Drive 2.0 for iOS

8 September 2013 6:59 PM
Revamped Google Drive App

Revamped Google Drive App

Google has released Google Drive 2.0 — a total revamp of the cloud-storage app that lets you edit and share documents and spreadsheets. The new version of Google Drive features Google’s signature “card” layout, which lets you view documents and photos as tiled grids. However you can still view them in list view if that’s your preference.

Other changes to Google Drive 2.0 include the ability to edit documents in landscape view, an easier to access the search function, better logic when grouping folders and improved ways to copy and share files. Google Drive 2.0 for iOS is a free download.

Outlook Web App comes to iOS devices in native form

17 July 2013 1:55 AM
Outlook Web App (c) M

Outlook Web App. (c) Microsoft Corporation

It hasn’t been hard to get Exchange support on iOS devices, but there’s some for whom third-party apps and web clients just won’t do. Microsoft has them covered today. – It just repackaged the Outlook Web App as a pair of native iOS releases. Both OWA for iPad and OWA for iPhone deliver email, calendar and contacts to Office 365 subscribers with access to Exchange Online. The developer is quick to note that this isn’t a recreation of the Windows Phone environment, and there are a few elements borrowed from Outlook’s web version. Still, we see a few reasons to give OWA a try: the native iOS software sends push notifications, takes voice commands, and supports both passcodes as well as remote wipes. Between the new apps and Office for iPhone, it’s clear that iOS users are now welcome in Microsoft’s world.

Source: Engadget

Twitter Introduces Two-Step Authentication

22 May 2013 9:13 PM

Twitter has finally introduced two-factor authentication to more securely protect accounts, the company announced Wednesday.

The move comes after a number of hacks of high-profile Twitter accounts, including The Onion, the Associated Press and E! Online. Jim O’Leary from Twitter’s product security team announced the new feature via a blog post, saying it is in response to accounts “occasionally” being compromised by phishing schemes or password breaches on other sites.

Twitter is calling the new feature “login verification.” It works similarly to other two-factor authentication systems, especially Google’s: After the account holder logs into an account, Twitter will send a special code to the user via SMS text message that the person must enter to gain access to the account.

Users can enable login verification via their Twitter settings page. You’ll need both a confirmed email address and a verified phone number on your account to use the feature, and the system will send a test message to finish the activation.

Importantly, apps that you’ve linked to Twitter will continue to work “without disruption,” O’Leary wrote. For apps other than a browser that require you to log into Twitter, you’ll need a one-time password, available on Twitter’s application page (this is also similar to how Google two-factor authentication works).

Twitter built login verification out of its Twitter for SMS feature, which has been around almost since the service debuted. O’Leary says the work the company put into the new feature will enable more security enhancements in the future.

Calls for Twitter to introduce some kind of two-step verification service grew louder after account hacks became a frequent occurrence. Besides the companies mentioned earlier, the BBC, the Financial Times, Burger King and Donald Trump have all experienced Twitter hacks in recent months.

Currently it’s not available in UK/France

Update 25-May-13 10:54PM: This feature is now available in the United Kingdom, you will need to add a phone to your Twitter account to enable this feature.