Renting out a hotel room by the hour used to be a clear indicator of illicit goings-on. The current era of “pod” hotels and airport napping stations has removed some of that stigma — just in time for an app that lets people rent hotel rooms by the minute. [More]
mobile apps
McDonald’s Banking On Mobile Ordering & Curbside Pickup To Win Back Customers
By 3.1.17
Would you be more likely to eat McDonald’s food if you could order and pay for it ahead and pick it up at the curb — or never leave your house in the first place? McDonald’s hopes so. [More]
Here’s How You Can Get A Free Burger At Shake Shack
By 1.23.17
If you’re the kind of person who prefers free food over food you have to pay for — and who isn’t? — we’ve got some good news for you: in a bid to woo customers into downloading its new mobile app, Shake Shack is offering customers a free burger. [More]
Report: Starbucks Is Now Testing Curbside Pickup
By 9.30.16
If you’re the kind of person who would rather fall asleep at your desk than venture inside a Starbucks during rush hour, avoiding the crush inside the store could change everything about your morning routine. To that end, the Seattle-based chain is testing curbside pickup.
[More]
Has Pokémon Go Run Its Course?
By 8.23.16
And just like that, the uber-popular Pokémon Go game has begun to fizzle out. Or at least, that’s the takeaway from a new report that found usage of the app has dropped by tens of millions of users. [More]
Consumer Reports Finds Serious Security Flaws In Fertility App Glow
By 7.29.16
The fertility-tracking app Glow collects detailed information about users’ bodies and sex lives, and one thing that may not occur to users is the possibility that their data could be compromised. No, not just if someone swiped their phone or broke into their account: our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports discovered some serious security flaws in the app, which Glow has now fixed. [More]
Nomorobo Announces $5/Month Robocall-Blocking App For Mobile Phones
By 6.20.16
If you’re plagued with marketing robocalls on your Android or iOS mobile phone, some relief might be coming soon. This afternoon, the makers of call filter Nomorobo announced that they’re introducing a mobile app for the two dominant smartphone operating systems to block robocalls. The bad news: it’s not free to users. [More]
PayPal Drops Support For Amazon, Windows, & Blackberry Smartphone Apps
By 5.26.16
If you have an Amazon Fire, BlackBerry, or Windows phone and use PayPal’s app frequently, you might need to find another way to complete purchases from your smartphone: PayPal will discontinue its mobile apps for these phones on June 30. [More]
Walmart Launches Mobile Payment App In Arkansas And Texas
By 5.16.16
Walmart resisted accepting any of the big mobile payment systems from companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung, instead becoming part of the CurrentC consortium, then developing its own proprietary payment app. As of today, customers can use Walmart Pay at 590 stores in Texas and Arkansas. [More]
YouTube Adding A Messaging Tool To Its Mobile Apps
By 5.12.16
If you’re the kind of person who can’t help but send your friends the latest and greatest cat videos when you’re deep in a YouTube hole, you could cut some steps from your sharing process if the video service’s new messaging function becomes a permanent feature. [More]
Amazon Opening Prime Now Same-Day Delivery Service To Web Users This May
By 4.4.16
As of right now, the only way for customers to use Amazon’s Prime Now — which provides same-day delivery for household items and local restaurants and stores — was with the service’s mobile app for smartphones. That is set to change in May, a new report says, with the e-commerce giant taking Prime Now to the Web. [More]
Instagram Videos Can Now Be Up To A Minute Long
By 3.30.16
If you’ve been wishing for longer videos of cute cats, dogs, and kids saying the darndest things on Instagram, the social media gods have heard your prayers. Instagram users will now be able to post videos that are up to one minute long, adding 45 seconds to the previous video length limits. [More]
Wells Fargo Corporate Banking Clients Can Soon Stare Deeply Into Their App To Sign In
By 3.7.16
Until we get to a Minority Report-like future, we’re all carrying around some unique forms of identification that even the most talented identity thieves can’t steal: our bodies. In an effort to beef up security by taking advantage of customers’ unique phyiscal attributes, Wells Fargo will offer some clients the option of signing into their mobile app accounts with eye scan verification, or face and voice recognition. [More]
Tap Or Scan Here To Pay: Know Your Mobile Payment Apps
By 2.2.16
Mobile wallets and payment apps: they’re supposed to make it simpler and easier to pay for stuff, or at least let us grab lunch when we’ve forgotten our wallet. Yet there’s now a wide variety of payment apps out there, including systems that are only for one brand of phone (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay) or only for one retailer (Walmart Pay). Which can you use for what purpose? Which is compatible with ancient smartphones? [More]
You’ll Soon Be Able To Pay With Venmo Anywhere That Accepts PayPal
By 10.29.15
Though PayPal has owned payment service Venmo since 2013, until now it’s sort of just allowed it to do its thing, which is transferring money between people using a mobile app. Now, in a bid to get some money out of Venmo, the payments giant will soon allow merchants to accept it as a form of payment anywhere that PayPal is already taken. [More]
Taco Bell Rolls Out New Website For Online Ordering Without The App
By 9.28.15
Upon hearing the news that Taco Bell customers can now order and pay for food online by way of a new website, you might have some questions: Doesn’t Taco Bell already have an app for ordering and paying ahead? And doesn’t it already have a website? Yes and yes, but now the two things have become one. [More]
Google Maps For iOS Adds Night Mode To Make It Easier To Navigate After Dark
By 8.7.15
There’s nothing quite like the white glare of your phone’s map app to annoy a driver at nighttime. Which is why Google Maps for iOS will now include a “night mode” with a darker background, making it easier for drivers to navigate in the dark. [More]
United Offers “Bug Bounty” Of Up To 1 Million Miles For Hackers Who Find Vulnerabilities In Website, Mobile App
By 5.14.15
While big companies are known to quietly seek out the services of white-hat hackers to test for weaknesses in their networks and websites, it’s not every day that a major airline publicly offers a “bounty” to people who can diagnose vulnerabilities in its systems. [More]
