Last month, Netflix announced that it would be bringing previews to its mobile app and as of today, they’re now available. Each one is around 30 seconds long and in a vertical format, giving them a Snapchat or Instagram Story-type feel, and they’re contained in a new dedicated preview section on the app. Just scroll through the circular thumbnails…
I’ve recently been doing more work on my clients video ads on Facebook, and have seen incredible growth, in reach, and engagement, and much more. I also find myself engaging more and more in other Facebook videos as well, which led me to my conclusion of why I think there is incredible value in investing…
Email marketing has been around for nearly 20 years, and a lot has changed since the dial-up era. With so many new factors to take into account — from smartphones to social media — the way marketers create effective email campaigns has changed, too. Now is the time for you to dust off the keyboard…
Reddit has updated their desktop user interface, and a few lucky users were given access. Today the company announced that about 1% of users will be given access to a brand new user interface uplift. The new changes have been in the works for over a year now and represent the first serious upgrade to the…
Facebook announced this week that it is limiting the amount of user information it shares with companies that gather and sell consumer data for advertisers amid mounting backlash over the social media company’s privacy practices. The company is eliminating an ad-targeting tool called Partner Categories that allows data brokers to reach specific groups of Facebook…
When advertising as a small business, it’s easy (and important) to keep in mind the mantra of “go where the audience lives.” This often means targeting social media circles and promoting paid ads in places where your prospective customers are most likely already spending their time. And while this is important, it is only one piece of the marketing puzzle. A…
The blockchain space is truly full of surprises. It appears that Roberto Escobar, the biological brother of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, has launched his own cryptocurrency: Diet Bitcoin (DDX). A hard fork of the Bitcoin network, the new currency promises to offer a faster and lighter alternative to Bitcoin. Roberto’s eponymous venture investment firm, Escobar Inc, is currently…
Housing rental service Airbnb on Thursday launched a new premium home rental initiative that will offer high-end accommodations that have been vetted for quality and certain amenities. The new service, called “Airbnb Plus,” and it will only list homes that have been inspected in person by quality control representatives and meet requirements on a 100-point…
Tesla is planning a major expansion of its solar division at Home Depot, embarking on a critical test of the mainstream appeal of its renewable-energy products. The tech pioneer, best known for its electric cars, is beginning to roll out Tesla-branded selling spaces at 800 of the retailer’s locations, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News. The…
HTTPS, or the secure version of the ubiquitous Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, can’t solve every problem when it comes to online security. As far as preventative measures go, however, it’s relatively cheap to implement and serves as a strong baseline before tackling other, more difficult issues. That’s why, starting in July 2018, Google will start…
Today Grubhub announced that it would officially be partnering with Yum! Brands, which oversees fast food chains such as Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, to offer nationwide delivery. Although some sporadic delivery of these chains was already available through Grubhub, the announcement ushers in an era when fast food will be more widely and easily available on delivery platforms. As…
As part of its redesign, Snapchat is launching a new feature that allows users to share some public stories with those who aren’t on the app. Using links provided, you will be able to send the story via email, text message, and other social media platforms for others to view. In November, the company announced its plans…
Toyota’s new 2019 Avalon was just announced at the 2018 North American International Auto Show, and the new model includes a long-awaited and welcome addition: Apple’s CarPlay platform, a first for a Toyota car, according to AppleInsider. Toyota has famously abstained from adopting either CarPlay or Android Auto in its cars. Back in 2015, John Hanson, the national manager…
As you might expect, Lyft has reams of data about its customers’ ride-sharing habits — who is calling rides, where and when. That data led to an unlikely avenue to try connecting with its audience at a deeper level: beer. Starting next week, the nation’s second-largest ride sharing company will team up with Chicago’s Baderbrau…
Today, Lenovo unveiled the Mirage Solo, the first standalone virtual reality headset for Google Daydream platform. The headset marks a major milestone for Google’s virtual reality efforts as it’s the first wireless headset that doesn’t depend on a Daydream-compatible smartphone to use, giving it the potential to reach a much wider audience than the Daydream…
DraftKings spent much of the 2017 NFL season experimenting with its contest format and selection. The first Pick’em contests were rolled out early in the year, and slates were continually tweaked and shortened across the site. Both were efforts to either please or bankrupt customers, depending on which side of the argument you listened to. There’s more change in store for the playoffs. …
The new year is upon us, and we’re all scrambling to make our lists of resolutions, and or new projects, etc. It’s a reset button to finally get to that point you want. But this year, maybe you should get involved with what’s hot. What’s going to move the needle, and get you into where…
Snapchat is taking a cue from Facebook this year and giving users the chance to relive their best moments of 2017. We’ll save the jokes about how lousy 2017 was (because it wasn’t all bad) and get right to the spicy stuff. Accessing your own custom “Year in Review” story is easy. Just tap the Memories icon…
Opera, the company known for its desktop and mobile browser, has introduced a new feature in its app that protects the smartphone from cryptocurrency mining. The change comes as a part of Opera 50 and was introduced few days ago. The browser app, for now, is limited to beta version so not everyone will be…
Google just launched three experimental photography apps on Product Hunt. Storyboard (Android only), Selfissimo! (iOS and Android), and Scrubbies (iOS only). The releases are part of a new “appsperiments” program that Google just launched. My favorite one is Storyboard, which lets you automatically turn your videos into a one-page comic strip. It’s still early days, so the app is super-sparse at the moment….
EVERYBODY LOVES A good Twitter #thread. You know the type: those long strings of related messages designed to tell a story or make a point that can’t be expressed in a single tweet. They used to be called tweetstorms; now they’re just threads. The Trump era has spawned many threads, and you can find good ones on everything…
Amazon announced today that Alexa has been updated to include support for music alarms. So instead of just asking Alexa to set an alarm for you, you’ll be able to request specific songs, playlists, artists, or genres to get you out of bed in the morning. The new feature supports a variety of music services…
Apple on Monday confirmed that it has purchased popular service Shazam, an app that listens for and identifies songs. It was rumored that the deal was for about $400 million, but no official sale price was given. Apple announced the acquisition in a statement to BuzzFeed News, noting that Shazam has consistently been one of the most popular…
Facebook today announced it was offering a selection of free music and sound effects to content creators. If you want to use music in a Facebook or Instagram video, the Sound Collection gives you options that won’t get you dinged for copyright infringement. Facebook removes any video uploaded that contains copyrighted music — similarly to how YouTube works. So…
Shared work space giant WeWork has acquired Meetup, the social community platform that helps people get together in real life (IRL). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rumors first started circulating yesterday that a deal could be in the cards, and New York-based Meetup confirmed the transaction in a blog post earlier this morning….
Facebook announced a wider availability of its new Customer Chat service this week, which lets businesses talk with users both on their own websites and within Facebook Messenger. Customer Chat is essentially a website plugin that brings the Facebook Messenger experience to any retailer’s website, which lets the customer support representatives then converse with customers as if…
Black Friday 2017 was all about digital sales. American shoppers spent a record $5 billion in 24 hours. That marks a 16.9% increase in dollars spent online compared with Black Friday 2016, according to data from Adobe Digital Insights, which tracks 80% of online spending at America’s 100 largest retail websites. Digital retail giant Amazon said…
After shaking up the auto world with its electric cars, Tesla is tackling a new frontier in “green” transportation with the unveiling of a futuristic all-electric semi truck. Elon Musk, the South African-born inventor and entrepreneur, showcased the new vehicle Thursday in Hawthorne, California, site of Tesla’s design bureau and the headquarters of the billionaire’s…
At some point in your life, you probably wore a pair of the perennial K-Swiss Classic tennis shoes. It all started with a dream in 1966 when two Swiss brothers moved to California to start the footwear company. When Barney Waters became K-Swiss’s new leader in 2015, he had an idea to inspire the next…
Sonos is perhaps the most reputable manufacturer of smart speakers, having wowed us with the superb Play:1, the sublime Play:3, the sensational Play:5, and — most recently — the superlative-defying Sonos One. Featuring integrated Alexa voice support, it helps keep Sonos in line with popular speakers like Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home series. Pandora,…