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SoundHound launches a voice-controlled personal assistant called Hound in beta

Jun02
by on June 2, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Launches

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SoundHound, the company behind the music recognition app with the same name, has unexpectedly launched a mobile personal assistant called Hound today. Just like Siri on iOS or Cortana on Windows, Hound lets you do things like make a call, send a message, search for flights or hotels, navigate to places – you know, all the sort of things a virtual personal assistant can already do for you. What SoundHound says is different from others, however, is that Hound lets you ask questions in a natural way, rather than having to speak using specific phrases, as it understands the context and details…

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Instagram ads will soon prompt you to buy and install more things

Jun02
by on June 2, 2015 at 5:49 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

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Sometimes it’s easy forget that Facebook owns Instagram, given how differently the platforms operate, and the relative lack of ads on Instagram. But the parent company is about to hone in on Instagram’s commercial potential with more advertising tools and, well, more ads overall. For one, Instagram is rolling out “direct response” ads, which allow you to sign up for, buy or install something. Instagram says it will begin testing these “in the coming days,” but the action buttons first appeared with the carousel ads the network introduced in March. Advertisers will also have access to more information about you…

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Pinterest debuts buyable pins for mobile shopping

Jun02
by on June 2, 2015 at 5:45 pm
Posted In: ads, Around the Web, Insider, pinterest

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Pinterest has unveiled a new ‘Buy It’ button which allows users to order products they see on the service without having to click through to another site. The new buyable pins will roll out on iOS later this month. While iOS comes first, the service will be available on the Android platform and the Web a bit later. Partners include Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms as well as many local brands. After tapping the blue ‘Buy It’ button, you can pay by credit card or Apple Pay. Pinterest first introduced promoted pins back in 2013 before expanding its efforts last year. It began experimenting…

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9 daily habits of successful mobile app entrepreneurs

Jun02
by on June 2, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Posted In: app development, Apps, Around the Web, Entrepreneur, secrets

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After interviewing over 300 app entrepreneurs I found that there are common qualities that separate the successful from the surviving. Yes the App Store is crowded. Yes there are those who are barely making a living off apps. And yes the gold rush days are over. However, new success stories are constantly popping up. Why were they able to find success when so many are barely surviving? I rounded up the best daily habits of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the mobile app space. #1: Study the App Store Benny Shaviv of Clear Sky Apps starts every morning studying…

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Firefox adds Pocket support, screen sharing and new developer tools in latest update

Jun02
by on June 2, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

FirefoxFeat
Firefox users have a few new features to take advantage of today. In addition to some interesting new developer tools and a screen-sharing feature in Hello, Firefox now has read-it-later service Pocket built right in. Pocket is a service that allows you to save a website for viewing later. It’s wonderful for long form articles, as Pocket strips away ads and other clutter to bring a distraction-free reading environment. It also works with pages that have embedded video. Firefox Hello — Mozilla’s browser-based video chat tool — has a new screen sharing feature. In a video chat, users can share…

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