Time to say goodbye to AIM

After 20 years of its existence, AOL’s long-running instant messenger service AIM is getting the boot. The app will be shutting down on December 15^th. Perhaps not a lot of people would even care at this point but AIM has been one of the first experiences we’ve had whit chatting online. It was back in March when AOL cut off access to AIM via third-party clients. And now the inevitable has happened.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft rebrands Arrow Launcher on Android as Microsoft Launcher

On top of unveiling Microsoft Edge for mobile, Microsoft has built on its Arrow Launcher on Android and relaunches this officially as Microsoft Launcher. Since customization is at the heart of Android, it lets companies like Microsoft explore making launchers that customize the home screen among other things. With The Feed, you get to see your most-used apps, important events, recent news, and others, all customized to your preferences and needs. Aside from that, this Fluent design-based launcher also brings “Continue on PC” feature, making it easy to transition between your Android and Windows machine. The counterpart for Continue on PC on Windows 10 is coming with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

The launcher also offers gesture support and will let you put icons of your favorite people right on the home screen. It’s currently available for Preview and can be downloaded by all Android users. If you’re using Arrow Launcher, you’ll get the Microsoft Launcher update.

MagnusCards app helps people with autism navigate daily life

People with autism look and navigate through world differently and sometimes there needs to be special tools to help them. And that’s why Nadia Hamilton founded tech startup Magnusmode, which was inspired by her brother Troy who has autism and subsequently led to the development of the app MagnusCards. The app gamifies daily activities and helps break these down tasks into smaller, more actionable steps with visual “how-tos” or digital flash cards so the user can get through different activities.

In an interview with Betakit, Hamilton describes how having illustrated guide helped Troy get through daily activities. “Getting dressed can be an overwhelming task for someone like Troy because he’s afraid of making a mistake. He’s afraid of getting to the end of doing whatever he’s doing and finding out he did it wrong,” said Hamilton. “There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding everyday activities for people with cognitive special needs. This keeps them from going through the door and even doing it.” The app is available on both iOS and Android.

Katherine Adams Joins Apple as General Counsel & SVP

With the retirement of longtime general counsel Bruce Sewell —Apple today announced that Katherine Adams, formerly senior vice president and general counsel of Honeywell, will join Apple as general counsel and senior vice president of Legal and Global Security, reporting to CEO Tim Cook and serving on Apple’s executive team. 

The company also announced Bruce Sewell, who has served as Apple’s general counsel since 2009, will be retiring at the end of the year.

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