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Depop now helps you sell anything directly from your Android smartphone

Feb11
by on February 11, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

unnamed Depop now helps you sell anything directly from your Android smartphoneWe previously hailed it as one of London’s most-loved mobile apps, and now Depop is shedding its iOS-only tag by launching on Android too.

DePop lets you sell pretty much anything you can snap a photo of, and covers everything from fashion and technology, to literature and old vinyl. It basically mashes the peer-to-peer functionality of platforms such as Craiglist, Gumtree or Etsy, with the mobile-centric style of Instagram. It claims more than 5 million euros ($6.84m) worth of items have been sold to date.

Snap a photo, and sell anything to strangers using nothing more than PayPal. That’s Depop in a nutshell. And now you can do it on Android too.

➤ Depop | Google Play

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Sending Images via WinSCP

Feb11
by on February 11, 2014 at 12:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Arrays, Automation, File Operations

Since my recent move to Digital Ocean for hosting, I’ve had to make a change to how I upload images for this blog. I used to create an FTP file and a batch file, but as far as I know that doesn’t support SFTP. I’m using WinSCP to transfer files manually and learned that it has a command line interface. I made a procedure called SendViaSCP to replace my SendViaFTP.

Public Sub SendViaSCP(vFname As Variant)
   
    Dim aScript() As String
    Dim i As Long
   
    ReDim aScript(1 To 4 + UBound(vFname))
   
    aScript(1) = "option batch abort"
    aScript(2) = "option confirm off"
    aScript(3) = "open sftp://username:password@000.000.000.000"
    aScript(UBound(aScript)) = "exit"
   
    For i = LBound(vFname) To UBound(vFname)
        aScript(3 + i) = "put " & Dir(vFname(i)) & " /home/wordpress/public_html/blogpix/"
    Next i
   
    Open "winscpup.txt" For Output As #1
    Print #1, Join(aScript, vbNewLine)
    Close #1
   
    Shell "winscpup.bat"
   
End Sub

The vFname arguments is a variant array that holds all of the files I selected from Application.GetOpenFileName. The aScript array holds three lines of setup, a line for each file, and an exit line.

The commands are joined together and written to a batch file and the batch file is run. It doesn’t solve the problem that Billkamm and Haines solved of having your username and password in a batch file, but I can live with it.

You might be wondering why I don’t just use the file upload functions in WordPress. What fun would that be?

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China’s Alibaba is preparing to dip its toes in the US e-commerce market for the first time

Feb11
by on February 11, 2014 at 11:41 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, e-commerce

146576814 520x245 Chinas Alibaba is preparing to dip its toes in the US e commerce market for the first time

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is set to make its presence felt in the US by launching an online shopping site through its subsidiaries Vendio and Auctiva, as Reuters first reported.

The new US boutique e-commerce business, called 11 Main, is described as a “shopping destination where hand-picked shop owners connect with customers in a stylish and professionally merchandised marketplace.” Interestingly enough, the site also indicates that it will fund some special offers for sellers to attract new customers. It isn’t clear when 11 Main will open officially for business.

Screen shot 2014 02 11 at PM 07.09.00 730x338 Chinas Alibaba is preparing to dip its toes in the US e commerce market for the first time

11 Main was conceptualized, developed and will be operated by the two US firms, Vendio and Auctiva, which were acquired by Alibaba in 2010. Both companies are known for helping merchants sell their products on Amazon and eBay.

In a statement issued to TNW, an Alibaba spokeswoman says:

Alibaba is happy to support 11 Main. Alibaba is run by entrepreneurs and firmly believes in supporting entrepreneurs with great vision and a strong sense of mission for their companies.

Alibaba, China’s dominant online retailer, has been stepping up its efforts in the West. Most notably, the company led a $206 million investment round in US e-commerce logistics firm Shoprunner last year, and subsequently made a subtle but significant play for Western companies after it launched an English language microsite for Tmall, its B2C shopping site for brands.

Headline image via Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images

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Jolla open-sources the browser for its Sailfish OS-powered smartphone

Feb11
by on February 11, 2014 at 11:32 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Mobile

Jolla4 730x547 Jolla open sources the browser for its Sailfish OS powered smartphone

Founded by a group of ex-Nokia employees who believed that MeeGo deserved a second chance, Jolla is the first smartphone to offer a fresh take on the forgotten platform, which is now called Sailfish OS. And today, the company behind the platform has announced that it’s opening its first internal app project to the development community.

From today, the code for the Sailfish Browser can be acquired through GitHub, and anyone is invited to actively contribute to fixes and enhancements for the browser.

Back in December, we reported that the Jolla smartphone was finally going on sale across Europe via a dedicated online store on Jolla’s website. The bundled Sailfish browser is built upon Mozilla’s open source Gecko browser engine, and Jolla co-founder Stefano Mosconi says that one of its objectives in open sourcing its browser is to get official support from Mozilla.

Meanwhile, check out our hands-on with the first Jolla smartphone.

➤ Github | Sailfish Browser

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Microsoft, Google and Twitter mark Safer Internet Day with privacy awareness initiatives

Feb11
by on February 11, 2014 at 11:10 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

internet 520x245 Microsoft, Google and Twitter mark Safer Internet Day with privacy awareness initiatives

Today is Safer Internet Day and three of the biggest names on the Web have announced campaigns to raise awareness of privacy issues. Microsoft is marking the occasion by going back to basics and asking people to “Do 1 Thing,” Twitter is working with anti-bullying charities and offering free advertising services to selected non-profit organizations, while Google is also providing privacy tips.

Microsoft, which has been active on Safer Internet Day since its inception in 2010 and runs other privacy awareness initiatives, has introduced a new website to provide easy tips to the less tech-savvy folks out there. This advice itself is fairly elementary — such as adding a lockscreen password to devices, enabling automatic Windows updates and being careful when using unprotected WiFi, and more — while visitors are encouraged to share one tip or pledge to help raise awareness and advise others.

sid 730x416 Microsoft, Google and Twitter mark Safer Internet Day with privacy awareness initiatives

Comparing its user surveys conducted over the past two years, Microsoft says “it’s clear” that people aren’t being more cautious at protecting their data, which is why it hopes that focusing on a single tip this year will help. The firm is also planning to a donation to TechSoup Global, a nonprofit that uses technology to solve problems worldwide.

Microsoft is hoping to gain more support and visibility via social media channels — specifically a #Do1thing Twitter hashtag.

Unlike Microsoft, Twitter is using its visibility as a platform to help non-profits rather than targeting users directly.

The microblogging company, which has come under-fire from those who believe it could do to prevent bullying on its service, says partnerships with the likes of the UK Safer Internet Centre and Anti-Bullying Pro have provided ”invaluable feedback [to] help us build our platform with safety at its core”.

“We are also supporting Safer Internet Day by providing pro bono Twitter advertising to selected charities and non-profit organisations. This will help organizers of Safer Internet Day to reach new audiences by using Twitter’s promoted products,” the company said in a blog post.

Twitter’s initiatives are UK-based, and the company may unveil more programs during US business hours later today.

As you might expect, Google is also taking part in Safer Internet Day, though its participation is quieter than the other two. Like Microsoft, it is providing basic tips for Internet users on its Good To Know Web safety site.

Headline image via PureSolution

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