Monday
Mar232015

Twitter begins testing of autoplay videos, ads included

Twitter has finally begun testing autoplay videos in user timelines. But they’re reportedly working on a small percentage of the user base at the moment. Except for Vine videos, all videos will start autoplaying, including video ads. Facebook began autoplaying videos about a year and a half ago and that boosted video uploads and consumption on the social network. It looks like Twitter is hoping to replicate that. There’s no word yet when the widespread rollout will happen. Watch your timeline though. You should be seeing more animated tweets soon.

Source: re/code

Monday
Mar232015

Instagram debuts standalone app for photo collages

There are a large number of photo collage apps out on the market and they’re crammed with so many features that you don’t know what to do with all of them. Instagram is taking them on directly with its new standalone photo collage app called Layout. It lets you combine borderless multiple photos to show off selfies with your friends or even get a bit more creative with your landscape shots.

The app really is just meant to create photo collages but it’ll let you take selfies with its Photo Booth feature that will take four consecutive shots at once. It’ll let you pick photos from your camera roll. It even has a Faces option so it’ll just show you photos with people in them. And like other photo collage apps, you can adjust and rearrange photos individually to get your layout right. You can flip and rotate images to create mirror effect and the like. Layout is currently just available on iOS but it will be coming to Android in the coming months.

Source: Instagram | Via: Fast Company | Download: Apple iTunes App Store (Free)

Monday
Mar232015

Get fit without a gym with Madbarz street workout app

Want to get fit but don’t have the budget to splurge on a gym membership? Madbarz, a Croatia-based startup wants to help you out as well as promote street workout with its new app. Street workout is a simple yet challenging way to get fit. You just need to find a park with a couple of bars and you’re good to go.

The Madbarz app offers a bunch of workouts to choose from. You just need to select which ones you want and let the app guide you.  The app will also help you track your progress on a global leaderboard, track your weight, and even create your custom workouts on the Madbarz site. The app is available for free on both iOS and Android.

Source: Mashable | Download: Apple iTunes App Store (Free) + Google Play Store (Free)

Monday
Mar232015

Microsoft drops $150 off the Surface Pro 3

Anyone jonesing for Microsoft's 12-inch 2-in-1 portable Surface Pro 3 can now get the device for $150 off in US and Canada.  The Microsoft Store in Canada will even throw in a free sleeve for your new tablet (but you still need to pay $129 for the super-ncessary Type Cover 2).

Surface Pro 3 now starts at $799.00 for the Intel Core i3 processor with 64GB of storage up to $1799.00 for the top of the line Intel Core i7 processor with 512GB of storage. Is the price drop enough to get you to jump into the Surface Pro 3 camp?

Source: Microsoft Store