Amazon today updated its Instant Video iOS app to add support for its First Episode Free offer for checking out TV shows. Previously, only Kindle Fire and Roku devices had access to the program. The free episodes are available for select shows and include advertising before, during and after playback. Also included in Amazon’s Instant Video update are new playback controls, HBO shows on Prime Instant Video and faster playback time. ➤ Amazon Instant Video | iOS [h/t 9to5Mac]
Microsoft launches Interflow, a security and threat information exchange platform for professionals

Microsoft has launched the private preview of a new platform called Interflow today, which it hopes will help security professionals significantly cut down the amount of time it takes to respond to potential threats. Announced in a blog post, the new platform – which grew out of its work with MAPP (Microsoft Active Protections Platform) – takes industry specifications to create an automated feed of machine-readable threat information that can be shared across industries and groups. Microsoft said that as it’s a distributed system, each user gets to decide which information or feeds are most relevant to their communities, and even which communities need to be…
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The smartwatch age looms on the horizon. While a few wrist-worn wearables have already found some success in the market, it’s the long-awaited efforts by Google and Apple that have captured the imagination. Android Wear will be at Google’s I/O conference and, according to the latest reports, Apple will launch its first smartwatch in the fall. The future of the new form factor depends on software. Skeptics still question what the “killer app” for a smartwatch could and should be; Evernote is already experimenting with its own note-taking service to find the answer. “There is a phrase ‘context is the new search’…
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Every organization should consider building a profitable customer loyalty program to cultivate the relationships with their most loyal customers, generate more awareness of their business and increase the average amount their customers spend each time they visit. Overall, the main goal of a customer loyalty program is growing long-term relationships into impactful connections that help move the needle for your business on an ongoing basis. According to Inc., it costs a business about 5 to 10 times more to acquire a new customer than to sell to an existing one. The average current, loyal customer spends 67 percent more than…
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Looking at the history of computers and software, it’s safe to say that one of the main reasons behind their development was to automate as much as possible, leaving humans to do creative things that machines are unable to accomplish. In the last few decades, automation has touched many areas of our life, from warehouse logistics to software development. One interesting example of the latter category is automated mobile marketing service AppInTop, which recently came out of private beta. The service, launched by a team of Russian programmers and online marketers, offers mobile app developers a fully automated advertising process — from…
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