a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Osper: a mobile-first UK banking service for kids that comes with reins for parents

Jun29
by on June 29, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Launches, UK

Osper_featured
Keeping control of your finances can be a challenge at the best of times. Keeping control of your finances as a child is something that probably doesn’t even enter your mind. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that kids shouldn’t have financial tools at their disposal if they are inclined to keep an eye on their spending, or if parents want an alternative to handing over cash. Indeed, it’s this lack of tools that Osper, a mobile-first bank for 8 – 18 year olds in the UK, is hoping to solve. Announced today, Osper is essentially a banking service made up of a…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

The art of creating a secure password (that you can remember)

Jun29
by on June 29, 2014 at 6:00 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, How-To's, Insider, LifeHacks

data lock encryption security
This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog. How do you balance the necessity of highly secure passwords with the utility of easily recalling them all? It’s a question I mull each and every time a security breach happens. When the Heartbleed vulnerability was discovered last spring, the mandate was for everyone to change all their passwords right away. It’s still on my to-do list. I cringe at the thought of getting hacked, and I also cringe at the thought of taking the time and mental energy to do a complete overhaul of my favorite passwords. Does this sound like you?…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Why Facebook isn’t getting into the lucrative chat app gaming space

Jun29
by on June 29, 2014 at 4:00 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Insider

Facebook practically created the casual gaming boom that began with hyper-addictive games like FarmVille. However, the world’s largest social network increasingly seems to be happy to avoid a second-coming for casual gaming on mobile in favor of being a platform for others. The company introduced its App Center in May, which is available on mobile and desktop, and this week it tweaked the games section to help users discover games more easily from any device. Facebook’s support practically turned Zynga into the company that it is today. Now, with Asia-based messaging companies like Line and WeChat raking in the money from…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

The legal loophole of advergames: How ads disguised as video games are impacting today’s youth

Jun29
by on June 29, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Design & Dev, Insider, Investigations

chipotle scarecrow game
Last fall, we witnessed what select tech press called “one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history.” To promote its Food with Integrity campaign, Mexican fast food giant Chipotle developed an arcade-style mobile game that guided users through 4 worlds and 20 levels. Users who unlocked all game worlds with at least one star at each level gained entry into Chipotle’s buy-one-get-one offer at one of 1500 international locations. The Scarecrow film gained 6.5 million YouTube views in less than two weeks, and the chain saw its sales spike in Q1 2014. The game also took top honors at this year’s Cannes Lions festival, winning two Gold…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Facebook’s emotion experiment wasn’t just another A/B test, and we need to be ‘algorithm-savvy’

Jun29
by on June 29, 2014 at 1:11 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Insider

THAILAND-POLITICS-PROTEST
Facebook’s experiment with manipulating the emotions of hundreds of thousands of users has quite rightly drawn criticism from people worried about the ethics of such a practice, no matter how scientific its approach. How could they mess with people’s emotions without them being willing test subjects? Defenders of Facebook’s actions, such as VC (and owner of a stake in Facebook through Andreessen Horowitz) Marc Andreessen, say that this is no different to any other A/B test. It’s true that we’re unwilling subjects in experiments run on websites and apps all the time. The color of a ‘Buy’ button, the call-to-action in…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,