iPhone Savior

Elon Musk Takes Control of Twitter As 'Chief Twit'

 

Elon Musk has finally completed his $44-billion acquisition of Twitter and taken over as the company's 'Chief Twit', according to Musk's own legendary description in his Twitter profile. 

The first order of business for Musk was to fire Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, news confirmed by sources close to the mothership.

According to Bloomberg News, Musk will assume the role of chief executive officer at Twitter Inc. and begin to reverse lifetime bans on users. Longtime staffer Elam Nikserof, believes that "Elon Musk will be exactly the kind of fresh vision that Twitter needs to help clear out all the armchair zombies who take great pleasure in eating people's brains." 

The first tweet by Musk after his acquisition of Twitter was complete, heralded his vision for returning the social media giant to a bastion of "free speech" with a tweet that simply stated "the bird is freed". 

In a statement by Musk, the reason he bought the platform was to create “a common digital town square where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” He also said on Thursday he did not buy Twitter to make more money but "to try to help humanity, whom I love."

Make no mistake that the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk will certainly be debated in a not so healthy manner by the ugly minority who will have to relinquish their canceling powers overnight. What happens next may shock the world, if that's still possible. Buckle up, because Twitter staff layoffs will rush in quickly like a flood.

 

Illustration by Kroese '22

Facebook Says 'Dislike' Button On The Way Soon

After years of languishing, Facebook has announced that an official 'Dislike Button' is finally on the way. CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed during a Q&A session Tuesday, that his company is preparing to launch a Dislike button aimed at expressing empathy — since “Not every moment is a good moment,” according to Zuckerberg.

“I think people have asked about the dislike button for many years. Today is a special day because today is the day I can say we’re working on it and shipping it,” Zuckerberg said. 

“If you share something that's sad like a refugee crisis that touches you or a family member passes away, it may not be comfortable to like that post…I do think it's important to give people more options than liking it. We need to figure out the right way to do it so [the button] ends up being a force for good, not a force for bad.”

Although Mr. Zuckerberg did not announce a public launch date — this special day can be commemorated with a set of "I Like" shot glasses that enable offline users to throw back multiple shots of Fireball then quickly tip the glass over to celebrate the Dislike button becoming part of the Facebook family (very soon).

The company did reveal it will be testing out their new Dislike button with a small number of users 'soon'.

Until then...Bottoms up (thumbs down) ya'll!

Note: Deep feelings of empathy are delivered free with each consecutive shot.

 

[I Like Shots] — Using Dislike Button while intoxicated is strongly discouraged.

Smell The iPhone Bacon With This Scented Alarm Clock Thingy

 

Waking up to the glorious smell of bacon is exactly what Oscar Meyer is after by creating their "Wake Up & Smell The Bacon" iPhone alarm clock app — which uses a special dongle attachment to deliver a "bacon awakening beyond your wildest imagination". 

While the bacon-infused alarm clock app is free — the scent producing dongle is being pimped as a limited edition item through April 4th. It may be obtained only by a select group of winners. 

There's also an elaborate video and website that accompanies this app which plays an inspiring #AwakenToBacon message like; 

"Bacon exceeds everything you ever imagined bacon to be. Only bacon exceeds bacon." over the sound of sizzling meat when your alarm goes off. Less than serious baconistas need not apply. 

Wake Up & Smell The Bacon

What's Not To Love About The Rukkus Ticket App?

 

Who wouldn't want an iPhone app that instantly dials up access to the cheapest concert tickets, admission to sporting events and theater productions going on all over their city? 

That's exactly what the Rukkus app is all about. The impressive part is this apps fluid user interface that's extremely easy to tap through — offering the perfect amount of eye candy and listing ticket prices right up front as you scroll.

One of the coolest features offered on the right side tab of each artist slide is the ability to listen to music from bands without exiting the app. In the case of both Cibo Matto and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.— I listened to over 14 songs from each. The same was true of comedian Anjelah Johnson where the app featured audio excerpts from her live show. Brilliant!

So what's not to love about Rukkus? The most important feature that I'm after is finding the cheapest tickets for shows. I noticed the list price for some concerts were not always the best deal after checking prices directly through the concert venue website. While Rukkus posted $106 dollars for two tickets to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. at Neumos in Seattle — the venue sold the same pair of general admission tickets for $30. 

"We scour the entire web and pull tickets across thousands of sites and from our own direct channels to make sure you always get the best deals." - Rukkus

So what went wrong? I called the phone number the app lists for their Concierge service and learned that before Rukkus actually charges my credit card they confirm if the actual ticket price is lower than they've listed. I was guaranteed that if I somehow paid too much based on the cheaper venue price listed Rukkus would refund my credit card the difference. 

In fact, the customer service rep confirmed that Rukkus stands by their service of offering the lowest ticket prices. The key here for any new user would be establishing trust with Team Rukkus over time. You can even scan your credit card with your phone cam to pay at checkout.

I found Rukkus to be a genuine leap forward with loads of epic potential — the kind of real innovation in an app that could quickly make Ticketmaster seem obsolete partly because this app creates a more immersive connection with artists.

But future updates will need to include venue seating charts in order to compete with the big boys and a chat feature that offers even easier access to their Concierge service would also be a huge plus.

There's no doubt that Rukkus is an attention grabbing free app worthy of a proper test drive for every live music maniac. But don't just take my word for it — download it yourself and give it a go.

Snapchat Plans To Make App More Secure After User Data Leaked

 

After several days of awkward silence surrounding data security concerns, social-sharing service Snapchat has responded to allegations of hacking Thursday on the company's blog — promising an update to make its mobile application more secure by allowing users to opt out of providing phone numbers as a way for others to easily locate user names through the app.

The response entitled "Find Friends Abuse", came after hackers identifying themselves as SnapchatDB leaked some 4.6 million Snapchat usernames and phone numbers online on New Years Eve — a breach made possible by vulnerabilities in the service's security. 

“We will be releasing an updated version of the Snapchat application that will allow Snapchatters to opt out of appearing in Find Friends after they have verified their phone number,” the company said in a blog post. “We’re also improving rate limiting and other restrictions to address future attempts to abuse our service.”

The company took aim at the anonymous group of hackers by referring to these self-appointed watchmen as “attackers” in their statement. 

“We acknowledged in a blog post last Friday that it was possible for an attacker to use the functionality of Find Friends to upload a large number of random phone numbers and match them with Snapchat usernames. On New Years Eve, an attacker released a database of partially redacted phone numbers and usernames.” the company said.

Snapchat also announced a way for security firms to report any future vulnerability concerns by emailing [email protected] directly so the company can respond more quickly while making it clear in their statement that “no other information, including Snaps, was leaked or accessed.” 

“Ensure that your security settings are up to scratch on your social media profiles,” Gibson Security told the AP. “Be careful about what data you give away to sites when you sign up — if you don't think a service requires your phone number, don't give it to them.”

To find out if your username was included in the shared list you can use this website created by developer Robbie Trencheny to confirm if your information has been compromised. The site also offers advice on what to do next if you find your data has been compromised.

 

Related: Snapchat Hacked! — 4.6 Million Usernames and Numbers Leaked Online

Snapchat Hacked! — 4.6 Million Usernames and Numbers Leaked Online

 

Snapchap app users are waking up to some sobering news Wednesday that information for some 4.6 million accounts have been leaked online through a website SnapchatDB.info. 

Hackers identifying themselves as SnapchatDB took responsibility for the posting of the app's user data — a breach made possible by flaws in the service's security. The rogue hacker website contains a downloadable database with each user’s censored phone, username and region, blurring the last two digits of the listed phone numbers. 

To find out if your username was included in the shared list you can use this website created by developer Robbie Trencheny to confirm if your information has been compromised.

Back on December 27 Snapchat released a statement on the company's blog downplaying the exploit which was brought to their attention by Australia-based Gibson Security — ensuring users that it had implemented some obstacles to make accessing contact numbers "more difficult to do." Snapchat ended the post with "Happy Snapping" — a wish that's not so comforting now on New Years Day.

SnapchatDB hackers shared their motivation for the breach with The Verge, indicating that they gave Snapchat "a specific timeframe in which to fix a security flaw in their product before releasing details to the public" according to the post which confirmed the compromise of user data was not a hoax.

 "Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue, and also put public pressure on Snapchat to get this exploit fixed," SnapchatDB told The Verge. "Security matters as much as user experience does."

For those unaware of the social-sharing Snapchat app which gained tremendous momentum in 2013 — the app allows users to share "fleeting messages" through photos and short videos that disappear from the screen within 24 hours. Adding phone numbers is optional, aimed at making it easier for others to find you as a Snapchat user.

"We know nothing about SnapchatDB, but it was a matter of time til something like that happened," Gibson Security wrote Wednesday on its Twitter account. "Also the exploit works still with minor fixes."

SnapchatDB told The Verge that "it isn't related to Gibson Security, implying they've only used Gibson's published methods to scrape user data and build a database."

Snapchat has not yet made an official comment on the leak even though hackers have implied they would release the data under "certain circumstances".

"Feel free to contact us to ask for the uncensored database. Under certain circumstances, we may agree to release it." wrote SnapchatDB on their website.

Upcoming iOS 7 to Launch at WWDC 2013 With Flat Interface Design

 

The myth of a flat earth which became widespread during the first half of the 20th century shares a common bond with recent reports that the upcoming iOS 7 interface design driven by Apple's SVP of Industrial Design Jony Ive — is said to be “very, very flat”.

If those reports are accurate, the latest streamlined iOS 7 will lose all signs of gloss, shine, and skeuomorphic design elements like faux leather-stitching and wood veneers evident in both current and past versions of the popular iOS. A longstanding design aesthetic based on real-life visual metaphors blessed by the late Steve Jobs.

One source went as far as saying that the new iOS has a level of “flatness” approaching recent releases of Microsoft’s Windows Phone “Metro” UI. Serious fighting words amongst most Apple faithful.

While some reports have claimed that the software release will be delayed — Apple’s iOS 7 operating system is still expected to be unveiled for the first time during the company's keynote at WWDC 2013 on June 10th. The reimagined iOS is expected to become available to developers sometime after the keynote and then launched to the masses with the latest iPhone 5S device around late September.

So just how far will the grand flattening go in Apple's retooling of iOS 7 which has been codenamed “Innsbruck”?

“According to multiple people who have either seen or have been briefed on the upcoming iOS 7, the operating system sports a redesigned user-interface that will be attractive to new iOS users, but potentially unsettling for those who are long-accustomed to the platform.” Mark Gurman wrote for 9to5 Mac.

Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook spoke to Bloomberg BusinessWeek about putting Jony Ive in charge of software design — speaking with great admiration about Ive's integrated design experiences.

“Jony [Ive, senior vice president of industrial design], who I think has the best taste of anyone in the world and the best design skills, now has responsibility for the human interface. I mean, look at our products. (Cook reaches for his iPhone.) The face of this is the software, right? And the face of this iPad is the software. So it’s saying, Jony has done a remarkable job leading our hardware design, so let’s also have Jony responsible for the software and the look and feel of the software, not the underlying architecture and so forth, but the look and feel.” said Tim Cook.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that has a better taste than he does.”

If you rely on the unnamed sources who claim to have seen iOS 7 in action — the “Flat” design is based on simplicity and pushes aside heavy textures and digital metaphors of real-life objects found in skeumorphic interfaces, according to 9to5 Mac.

I'm convinced that many will welcome the overdue change with open arms no matter how “unsettling” the imagined new flatness in iOS 7 may be for a small minority of iPhone and iPad users who will suffer from a deep feeling of betrayal. It won't be the end of the world, just the end of an era.

For the record — the city of Innsbruck Austria is a narrow valley surrounded by rugged mountain peaks. A seemingly flat valley surrounded by picturesque 3D mountainscapes. A dramatic drop from high peaks to flat streets. Get it?

Flat is the new peak.

iPhone image at top by Anton Repponen

North Korea Nukes App Targets The App Store

If San Francisco indie developer Elam Nikserof has his way with Apple — a wicked new multi-player game called “NK Nukes” will be worming its way into the App Store within the next few weeks. 

His free novelty app let's players target major cities across the United States from North Korea — giving users the option of choosing a Kim Jong-iI or little Kim Jong-Un likeness to ride atop an array of nuclear bombs as they soar through the air in an attempt to obliterate America. 

Nikersoff used the wildly popular iShoot tank game as his inspiration, but included the ability to target actual U.S. cities on a map, with recognizable landmarks that can be instantly blown into rubble with missiles that vary in range from 4,000-miles and well beyond. The skill comes in with both aim and triggering launches at the right moment. 

Mapping out locations before pushing the big red button along with extreme, life-like explosions is a big part of this game's charm according to its supreme creator — along with Kim Jong-Un randomly appearing on screen screaming out threats of a “merciless blitz” when achieving certain milestones.

While it's unlikely that this timely and tasteless app of mass destruction will ever get approval by Apple — Nikserof is not giving up on making a grand effort to ultimately reach the App Store.

“If Apple doesn't get the joke and won't concede to launching this harmless app, it will be ready for Android users to snatch up. It could break out today or tomorrow,” said Elam Nikserof. 

“This let's blow up America game is all about dropping bombs, not dropping beats. I'm sure Google will jump on my masterpiece without a doubt. I've taken all necessary precautions to succeed.”

Although mister Nikserof declined to share any “extremely dangerous” screen shots from the game, he ensured iPhone Savior that his artwork would not fail to impress gamers — offering up a tip that a Dennis Rodman looking character might just pop his big head out when a certain city gets destroyed.

The athlete was the first American to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Pyongyang at the end of Februay. Rodman go boom? I'm liking the sound of this one already. 

Walmart Is Expanding iPhone Scan and Go Checkout In 200 More Stores

 

It's a glorious time for shoppers to be iPhone owners with Walmart announcing that they are tripling their iPhone “Scan and Go” program into a dozen new markets spanning from Seattle to Oklahoma— allowing customers to bypass long checkout lines at traditional registers.

The successful pilot program originally launched into 70 stores lets shoppers scan items with their iPhone from around the store and then pay at self-checkout counters. 

“Shoppers scan bar codes on items they want to buy, using the Walmart app on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to keep track of the planned purchases and the total cost,” Reuters reported Wednesday morning. “Then they pay at a self-checkout screen, bypassing the typical registers.”

Walmart indicated that for now, “Scan and Go” is available only on Apple iOS devices, but ensured that an Android version will be released in the immediate future — also hinting that digital coupons would be arriving soon.

Early testing for the beta program revealed that more than half of all “Scan and Go” shoppers used the feature again — customers receive an electronic receipt along with a paper one.

“We want our customer feedback to dictate the experience,” Gibu Thomas, senior vice president of mobile and digital at Walmart Global eCommerce, said this week. “You'll see this roll out to more markets.”

The 12 new cities included in the expansion are: Denver, Phoenix, Omaha, Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wyoming, Bozeman, Seattle, San Jose, and Portland.

Customers must first download the free Walmart app to your iPhone before using Scan and Go. Based on the view at some Walmart checkout lines, you might want to grab this app real fast. Thank me later.

via Reuters

Create One Image Using Both iPhone Cameras With Double Cam App

 

The idea of capturing a single image using your iPhone's front and rear cameras at almost the same time has been elevated to a new art form with DBLcam (“double cam”) — a free photography app release from the team at Social Print Studio.

Producing amazing “double-sided” images with this app takes a bit of skill combined with some good timing. You can choose to begin shooting with the front or rear camera, but once the first image is snapped the app quickly flips to iPhone's second camera and engages within seconds.

Part of the fun with this app is getting the shutter timing spot on — so you can capture imges that deliver instant awe or end up experiencing that painful Awwww of failure. 

Lead Designer, Benjamin Lotan explained that the rapid timing between image captures was a deliberate part of the design for his Dblcam app. 

“The concept is to play with chance and not have too much time to perfectly set up the second shot,” Benjamin Lotan told iPhone Savior. 

“You can produce some really interesting images — but there's a skill to it, you can get creative when you learn to master the timing.”

Ben pointed me to the Dblcam Instagram page which features nearly 100 images curated by the Social Print Studio team. Several are absolutely mind-blowing like the shadow on the fence shot or the guy walking upside down on a sunset horizon.

This app delivers instant connectivity to social media channels and lets users open their photos in Instagram for final retouching before posting. 

Since Dblcam is a currently free, I was not too concerned about investing quite a bit of time getting the shutter timing down, especially since the image results are so inspiring. 

Although the concept of Dblcam is not entirely new — I found the ease of use and execution of this app to be an unexpected joyride. There's just so much to like here.

One iTunes App Store reviewer said it best when describing the attributes of Dblcam.

“It definitely plays to the more creative side of ones photogenic tastes and style,” Yourda Wince wrote in the app reviews.

“Great concept. Obviously can be improved, but for what the main idea is, it does its job beautifully.”

I could not have said it any better myself. Grab this app while it's still a freebee.

 

   

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