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Edward Snowden granted permission to stay in Russia for another 3 years, says his lawyer

Aug07
by on August 7, 2014 at 10:40 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Edward Snowden, the whistle-blower who revealed information about wide-scale monitoring of individuals by the US and UK authorities, has been granted a three-year residence permit in Russia, according to his lawyer. Russia Today reports that Snowden had not applied for political asylum but may be allowed to apply for Russian citizenship in the future, which would allow him to remain in the country indefinitely. His three years began on August 1. Another condition of the residence permit means that, while he can travel freely, he can’t go abroad for longer than three months at a time, his lawyer said in the report. With the US…

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Report: Samsung retains US smartphone market lead with 36% share of shipments in Q2 2014

Aug07
by on August 7, 2014 at 10:32 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Mobile

Samsung may have lost its position as the top smartphone vendor in China and top overall mobile vendor in India, but the Korean company still reigns supreme in the US smartphone market. That’s according to data from Counterpoint Research which estimates that Samsung accounted for 36.1 percent of smartphones shipped in the US between May and July 2014. Samsung’s figure is up 2.2 percent annually, second-placed Apple saw its share rise to 29.7 percent in Q2 2015 from 25.9 percent in Q2 2013. Elsewhere, LG posted year-on-year growth to take third place, ZTE’s market share declined slightly, while Motorola’s jumped from 3.6 percent to 4.5 percent….

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Messaging app Line now suggests relevant stickers as you type

Aug07
by on August 7, 2014 at 9:53 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

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Line’s growing catalog of free and paid-for sticker packs help it to differentiate from other popular messaging apps; now it gives reminders when you have the perfect sticker to use in a conversation. With version 4.6 of its Android app, Line will now suggest stickers to use in real-time. Whenever you type a word or phrase that matches some of its colorful stamps, it will become bold and underlined, triggering a small sticker panel to appear on top. They’re small representations – so your conversation won’t be crowded out – and you can swipe horizontally if there’s more than one…

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Facebook’s Mentions app for celebrities is now available in over 40 countries

Aug07
by on August 7, 2014 at 8:59 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Updates

Facebook’s Mentions app for celebrities first launched for users in the US last month, but if you’re a notable figure outside those borders and wanted to get in on the action then you might now be in luck. That’s right, Mentions is now available to users in more than 40 countries, providing you’re a verified public figure with a page on the social network. Unfortunately, a spokesperson for the company couldn’t clarify exactly which 40 countries. Ultimately, while on the surface of things it bears a passing resemblance to the standard Facebook app, it’s geared around allowing famous people to more easily post content…

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Google is now ranking websites with HTTPS higher in its search results

Aug07
by on August 7, 2014 at 8:26 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google

Google has tweaked its search engine algorithms to ensure websites that use HTTPS encryption rank higher in search results. The company says it has run tests over the past few months which factor in whether a website has adopted the security layer. The aim is quite simple: to encourage webmasters worldwide to adoption HTTPS, which provides greater security to those who visit their site. Google says that its efforts have affected fewer than one percent of search results so far, while HTTPS adoption is less of an influence on results than primary factors like content quality. Since Google commands huge influence over…

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