Facebook is trying to make it easier for users to message businesses, as more people have turned to online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. The social media giant said Wednesday that app developers will have the tools they need to build more messaging experiences on Facebook’s photo service, Instagram, where people already go to shop and get …
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Apple’s App Store facilitated $643 billion in billings and sales during 2020, an increase of 24% over the previous year due in large part to the pandemic, according to an independent study from the Analysis Group released by Apple on Wednesday. Growth was not consistent across every app category during the pandemic: While sales of digital goods and services rose …
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This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET’s guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals. Walmart has announced that its annual sales event Deals for Days will take place from June 20 to 23. Touting “Black Friday-like savings,” Walmart said Wednesday that the event will include sales across the electronics, fashion, beauty, …
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Facebook’s augmented reality efforts are pushing a little further into the territory of video calls. A deeper support for shared AR effects and games in video calls are being supported across Facebook’s mobile apps, including Messenger and Instagram, the company announced at its virtual F8 developer conference Wednesday. These shared effects aren’t new: Facebook’s dedicated video-chat device, Portal, has AR …
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Facebook executives outlined the company’s focus on improving business messaging, augmented reality and artificial intelligence on Wednesday at the social media giant’s developer conference, which was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. F8 is typically Facebook’s biggest event of the year, but Wednesday’s presentations were a less flashy and free version of the tech conference, which normally attracts thousands …
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Google made location settings harder to find in its Android phone software so people wouldn’t turn them off, a move aimed at preserving the data collection efforts that power the tech giant’s lucrative ad business, according to court documents that were unsealed earlier this week The decision came after Google conducted research that found a “substantial increase” in devices disabled …
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Following an incident earlier this month in which BuzzFeed reporters found President Joe Biden’s Venmo account with ease, Venmo says it’ll roll out a feature allowing people to make their friends lists private or decide who can see them, BuzzFeed said Friday. A Venmo representative confirmed the report to CNET, saying: “We’re consistently evolving and strengthening the Venmo platform …
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It’s a small graphic, but it’s a big deal to many people. Twitter’s “verified” symbol — the little blue checkmark — tells the world you are who you say you are. After reopening its verification program last week, Twitter is apparently overrun with applications for the coveted icon. On Friday, the social media company said it’s hitting pause on accepting …
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Happy Friday, cheeps! I’ll be on vacation all of next week, but the Cheapskate newsletter and deal text alerts will keep coming, courtesy of some deal-finding colleagues. In the meantime, here’s wishing you a fun, safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend! To kick things off, there’s an interesting Fitbit Sense deal at Kohl’s right now. The smartwatch is on sale …
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Apple is preparing redesigned versions of its AirPods and AirPods Pro in-ear headphones for release in 2021 and 2022 respectively, Bloomberg reported Friday. The new AirPods design will apparently resemble the Pro more closely and include “updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking.” The company is also reportedly experimenting with a stemless version of the Pro, which could …
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