Author: Marcé

My gamertag is more useful than a business card. I write about the tech industry, hardware, software, games, and motoring.

While WhatsApp is reportedly planning ads for users, other messaging apps are beefing up security and encryption to keep user information safe. Signal, the messaging app with arguably the best end-to-end encryption around (no offence Telegram), is rolling out a new feature that will further protect the identities of message senders. Since it began, Signal has not collected or kept any user data (something that Facebook cannot say), a feat that Signal is rightly proud of. Now a new feature will also hide a sender’s metadata inside the ‘envelope’ of an encrypted message, making it even more secure by keeping…

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With the Apple event so close we can almost smell the freshly picked fruit, there has been a leak. Of course there’s been a leak. There’s always at least one leak this close to an event, and this time it’s the upcoming iPad Pro. The leaders in Apple leaks, 9to5Mac, spotted an iPad Pro icon in iOS 12. It’s a fairly basic design which shows the tablet with no home button, just like we expected. This means the device will likely feature Face ID instead of the conventional fingerprint sensor. And although we’re expecting the device to sport Face ID…

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If you own a fitness tracker (or use a software one installed on your phone), you’ll know the struggle of hitting your daily step count. But if you’re into hunting Pokémon, a new Pokémon Go update will track your steps even if the app isn’t actively running on your phone. Time to get those steps in, and #catchemall on foot. Pokémon Go is an Augmented Reality (AR) mobile game that requires players to physically go out hunting for (and catching) Pokémon. If you happen to acquire an egg, the time it takes to hatch is completely dependant on the amount of…

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We’re noticing a trend from the Facebook team this year — adding as many features as possible to already perfectly good services. Next up, WhatsApp will gain the ability to send stickers to friends. You’ll likely be familiar with stickers in other messaging apps like Telegram or Signal and (a version of) the feature is finally making the jump over to the Facebook-owned service. Support for stickers on WhatsApp will roll out to Android and iOS users over ‘the coming weeks’. Initial sticker packs will likely be limited, but WhatsApp’s design teams and ‘other artists’ will roll out new packs…

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‘Tis the most creepy time of the year, and in the spirit of Halloween, Fortnite has decided to roll out an event mode called ‘Fortnitemares’. And this time, you won’t be fighting each other. Life was going very well on the island. The only thing you had to worry about was other players actively looking for people to kill… Then, when the bells tolled on 24 October, the map became littered with computer-controlled undead opponents. Have a look at the trailer below or simply install the update file on whichever platform you favour. The event is already live and the…

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Gamers of all shapes, sizes, and types are (not so) patiently awaiting Red Dead Redemption 2, set to land tomorrow, 26 October. We’re already camping outside our local BT Games. In spirit.  Red Dead Redemption 2 is based in a giant open world, and although we haven’t experienced it yet, it’s likely the sheer scale might find many players getting lost in the woods. We will definitely have a mini-map, as well as a full-sized one, but navigating a huge world doesn’t have to be screen-swappingly tedious. The nice devs at Rockstar have designed a companion app that should help…

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Although the Facebook Messenger app is a convenient spot to fire up deep convos with just about anyone on your friends list, it’s a bit… chaotic. With a total of nine tabs and fancy ‘features’ no one really wants, we see ourselves coming back to conventional messengers, like WhatsApp and Telegram more often. Finally Facebook has come to their senses, and have announced an update to their confusing cluster of features, called ‘Messenger 4’. Now, Messenger 4 will have three tabs instead of nine, which is already a very welcome update. This includes a Chats tab for your conversations, a…

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The latest version of Apple’s mobile OS looks much like the old one, but it has plenty of new features – Stuff shows you where to find them, and how to make the most of the best bits. The basics Start using Siri: Siri’s more powerful in iOS 12, learning your habits and making lock-screen suggestions. Often, though, you’ll have to manually manage its capabilities. Luckily, doing so is simple. In Settings > Siri & Search, you’ll see suggested shortcuts based on your activity. Tap the ‘+’, record a trigger phrase, and that action will then be available via Siri.…

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The ‘youngsters’ in the TV business are giving big-money Hollywood producers a run for their money these days. Who can imagine entertainment from 2016 onwards without Netflix Originals? Or a world without Amazon Prime Video’s American Gods? Video-on-demand (VOD) streaming services are opting to create their own content, and sources close to home are following suit. Showmax is working on their second locally-produced original show, The Girl from St. Agnes, a murder mystery headed up by South Africa’s award-winning Quizzical Pictures and produced by Harriet Gavshon. The Girl from St. Agnes is the streaming service’s first original scripted drama, whereas…

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Google’s keyboard app, Gboard, has added a few new features recently, the most useful of which, is the Floating Keyboard mode, that should make more than a few phablet-users happy. The changes aren’t massive, but should bring users on big phones at least some joy. Using a handle located at the bottom of the independent keyboard, it can be positioned anywhere your heart desires. On the phone screen, that is. But, wait, there’s more! The keyboard can be resized to your desired scale by using the markers along the corners of your now-independent keyboard. If you decide you like the…

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