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Google buys curated playlist service Songza with no immediate plans to change the product

Jul01
by on July 1, 2014 at 8:09 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Google

songza
Music streaming service Songza confirmed today that Google has acquired it. According to a statement, “no immediate changes,” other than improvements, to Songza are planned. One notable change, however, is that Songza has updated its terms of service and privacy policy to include Google’s own legal disclaimers. Rumors of the deal leaked out early last month, with one NY Post source suggesting that Google had offered $15 million. Songza stood out from the crowded streaming music space by curating playlists based on your local weather, time of day, device type and location. The service had acquired 5.5 million active users. ➤…

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Google’s new Smarty Pins map-based game reminds me I know nothing about American Civil War locations

Jul01
by on July 1, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Google, Insider

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Google unleashed a new map-based game called Smarty Pins (get it, Smarty Pins, oh Google). The game is a great way to remind yourself that you have no idea where things happened. The quiz game asks questions that have location answers. For example: In 2011, revolutionaries demanded the removal of President Mubarak from this City’s Tahir square. You answer the question by playing the pin on the correct location. The game does help you out by starting each question in the general region of the answer. But it’s up to you to place the pin in just the right location….

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Product design community Forrst rebrands as Tavern with a focus on daily questions

Jul01
by on July 1, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Design & Dev

ZURB has relaunched Forrst, the product design and development community it acquired last  January, as Tavern with a new focus on design discussions to improve their skills. Instead of submitting their own work, designers will now head to the site to answer a daily question submitted by the community. Users will have 24 hours to answer the question, after which it will be archived to form a knowledge base for other designers. Currently, Tavern is being tested by a limited group, but you can request an invite. ZURB says it will let more people in every week. Design work submitted to the…

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Germans can now customize their own Moto X Android phones

Jul01
by on July 1, 2014 at 7:12 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Google, Insider, lenovo, motorola

Everything’s coming up German this week. First they advance in the World Cup and now they can get their hands on customized Moto X smartphones. The Moto Maker online store opened today in Germany. Android-loving Germans can now customize their own Moto X phones with different colors and even wood backplates. The phones start at €1 and are delivered in about seven days. The Moto X was the flagship offspring of Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The 2011 deal, and the phones it spawned, didn’t quite yield the results both companies were expecting. In January of this year, Google announced…

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Yahoo adds news, sports scores and weather to its Yahoo Mail iPad app

Jul01
by on July 1, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

Yahoo today rolled out an update to its Yahoo Mail iPad app, adding a raft of extra content, including news, weather, finance, sports and videos, to the email client. The iPad version follows similar upgrades to Yahoo’s Android and iPhone mail apps. While other Web companies have focused on unbundling their mobile offerings in favor of a suite of slimmer, single-use apps, Yahoo has taken the opposite approach by packing more into its mail app. Yahoo Mail for iPad now includes the company’s vertical-specific Digital Magazines. The other content is located under the Today tab. ➤ Yahoo Mail for iPad

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