Facebook rolls out Instant Articles to all iOS users

We all know that Facebook as a social network and tech platform is one of the biggest in the world. They have been trying to host content directly on their app to keep users on their platform. One of their initiatives is the Instant Articles feature. It lets its users read full news articles right on the app. Facebook promises this loads articles faster than if you open the full story in a browser. The company has now officially rolled it out to all iOS users. There will be a lightning bolt located at the top right of the image to indicate it’s an Instant Article.

Facebook is also offering publishers the ability to add interactive features (like video, slideshows, geotagged images linked to a map) into these Instant Articles. With this wide rollout, Facebook added more partners to this project. You can read Instant Articles from the likes of The New York Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, MTV, Time, Rolling Stone, and many more.

Source: MacWorld

HERE gets share your routes feature

The HERE for Android app gets an update to help you let others know where you are and what routes you’ll be taking. Perhaps to ease the mind of people you’re meeting up with, for safety reasons to let them know where you are, or even to have them suggest alternate routes to take. With the Share button on the app, it shows everything from your destination ETA, the route you’re taking, and whether you’re travelling by car, or commute, or foot.

And for those who want something amusing to accompany them on a drive, Surfer Dude makes a comeback on Android (he’s already back on the HERE app for iOS). Now, you can have a chill and relaxing guide with you.

Source: HERE | Via: Android Community | Download: Google Play Store (Free)

Keep your phone in place with the Spigen Air Vent Magnetic Car Mount Holder

Looking for a car mount that can keep your phone in place? Spigen’s Air Vent Magnetic Car Mount Holder might be a good option for you. As mentioned in its name, it attaches to the air vent of your car. It has a strong neodymium magnet in it. It comes with two thin metal plates with adhesive that you can attach to the back of your phone or case and use that to attach to the mount. The car mount holder even has a kickstand so you can take it with you outside of the car. But Spigen notes that the metal plates could hinder wireless charging. Keep that in mind if that’s important to you. It’s compatible with all smartphones. Its list price on Amazon is $24.99 but it’s up for sale for $12.99, which is a 48% cut off the original price.

Uber now has its own mapping cars

Uber’s latest ambitions include entering the autonomous driving space and improving data routing collection. They’re taking steps for both with its new mapping efforts. Uber mapping vehicles have been already been spotted in the US. The company may have missed out on buying Nokia’s HERE mapping service but they acquired Bing’s mapping assets and its team members. And this acquisition is helping them work on improving ETAs and boost routing technology within the driver’s app. Right now they make use of a combination of Google Maps and a proprietary routing algorithm.

Another reason for the ramped up mapping efforts is to support Uber’s bid into the autonomous car space. There are fleets of mapping vehicles near Uber’s Advanced Technology Centers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and near the University of Arizona that make use of the company’s proprietary technology to capture images for routing and safety needs of its autonomous cars.

Source: BuzzFeed | Via: Android Central