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Nextdoor Isn't the Neighborly App We Thought
Opinion: Nextdoor Isn't the
Neighborly App We Thought
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 10, 2024 12:45 PM CST

Opinion: Nextdoor Isn't the Neighborly App We Thought

Rick Reilly takes on the 'aspiring vigilantes' and petty complainers he says lurk on the platform

(Newser) - Imagine a friendly app where neighbors could check in on each other, offer sugar and eggs, and talk about pertinent area issues. Perhaps that was the original intent of Nextdoor, the hyperlocal social networking platform, but Rick Reilly, writing for the Washington Post , says it's turned into something else...

Google Says Bye-Bye to Bard, Hello to Gemini

Company retires its chatbot, releases an AI-driven upgrade that doubles as a digital assistant

(Newser) - There's a new chatbot/digital assistant in town, and it comes all in one package. In a "Siri meets ChatGPT" move, Google has retired its Bard chatbot and launched in its place the Gemini smartphone app, an artificial intelligence-driven tool announced Thursday that's now available to English speakers...

In This City, an App Keeps Beach Harassers at Bay

Safer Plage app sends mediators to contend with obnoxious beachgoers in Marseille, France

(Newser) - Women in one French resort community are sick of being harassed while getting some rays on the beach—and now, there's an app to help them fend off such harassment. Time Out reports that the Safer Plage (Safer Beach) app has been downloaded more than 1,300 times since...

Senate Fears Federal Workers Are Using a 'Trojan Horse'

It passes bill that would bar the downloading, use of TikTok on government devices

(Newser) - TikTok has seen a smackdown of sorts across the nation, with multiple states banning use of the video hosting service on government devices. Now the Senate has voted in favor of a similar ban for federal employees, passing a bill that will need House approval before making its way to...

Tesla Users Find Out What Happens When App Doesn't Work

Drivers worldwide were stranded when apparent outage made them unable to unlock, start their cars

(Newser) - There's something to be said for a physical key to unlock and start your car. Tesla drivers around the globe found that out last week when the app they use to perform such functions was apparently affected by an outage, leaving them stranded. The BBC reports that just after...

Judge's App Store Ruling a Blow to Apple

Restrictions have been loosened—good news for app developers, and possibly consumers

(Newser) - A federal judge ordered Apple to dismantle part of the competitive barricade guarding its closely run App Store, threatening one of the iPhone maker's biggest moneymakers. It could potentially also save app developers billions of dollars that could encourage them to lower the prices paid by consumers, per the...

'Vigilante' App Raises Eyebrows in NYC, LA

Controversial neighborhood-watch app pays users to livestream crime scenes, other emergencies

(Newser) - There's a new twist to local journalism in New York City and Los Angeles, and it's raising eyebrows. Citizen, which already has upward of 7 million users in dozens of US cities, promises safety alerts in real time, but recent job listings seen by the New York Post...

Looking for Birth Control? The App Will See You Now

Apps, websites spring up, allowing women access to contraception

(Newser) - If the birth control pill helped usher in the sexual revolution, there have been several shakeups since in the options and, now, in the manner in which women obtain birth control. For modern women, there's an app for that, the New York Times reports. More specifically, there are at...

Website Wants You to Drunk-Dial Congress

And it's willing to help

(Newser) - Today's shutdown-related media darling looks to be a new website called DrunkDialCongress.org . Its creators want you to vent some rage at a member of Congress over the shutdown, and if you're three sheets to the wind while doing so, all the better. It works like so: You...

Controversial App Scans Faces of Bar Customers

Idea is to help people pick locales, but critics see it as a stalker app

(Newser) - A new app designed to enhance a user's bar-hopping has tipplers raising a stink over privacy concerns, and the Week offers an overview: SceneTap works by syncing up with cameras installed inside bars in various cities. The cameras use facial-detection software to scan the crowd, determine the genders and...

Occupy Supporter Makes 'I'm Getting Arrested' App

Android program designed to send a blast text before the cuffs go on

(Newser) - Sometimes you just don’t have time to type out a text message—like, say, when the cops are about to zip-tie your wrists together. That’s why Brooklyn software developer Jason Van Anden created “I’m Getting Arrested,” a free Android app designed to let Occupy protesters...

News Flash: These Apps Won't Cure Your Acne

FTC slaps two programs claiming to work dermatological wonders

(Newser) - No matter what the ads say, you just can’t cure acne with an iPhone. The FTC has moved to shush a pair of apps claiming to do just that. Going for 99 cents on Android Marketplace, AcnePwner said users could “Kill ACNE with this simple, yet powerful tool....

9/11 Memorial App Puts Twin Towers Back in Skyline

Project aims to recreate classic image for those who never saw it

(Newser) - A smartphone app currently in the works will offer a view of the New York City skyline as it once was. The app will tell you how to aim your phone toward Ground Zero; it then superimposes an image of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center as they...

Mobile Social Networking: Google+ App Now on iPhone
 Google+ App  
 Now on iPhone 
Jul 19, 2011 5:32 PM CDT

Google+ App Now on iPhone

Adds pop-up notifications, photo uploads

(Newser) - Google+ has arrived as a free app for your iPhone. Its user interface is similar to Facebook’s, writes Josh Lowensohn at CNET , and it improves upon the mobile-browser version. It provides a way to upload photos from your phone, but it lacks video chat, and “the Circles organizing...

Apple Yanks 'Pedobear' Dance App

Pedophile mascot sneaks into app world

(Newser) - Apple customers will no longer be able to grind to the Dancing Cuddle Bear app. It seems the hairy mammal is actually a well-known mascot for pedophiles so, no, he's not going to be teaching moves any longer, notes Gawker . Apple officials apparently got a clue after The Smoking...

Apple Stole My Idea: Student
 Apple Stole My Idea: Student
Jun 10, 2011 4:16 AM CDT

Apple Stole My Idea: Student

Apple rep told me engineers were 'impressed' with idea: Greg Hughes

(Newser) - A British university student is accusing Apple of stealing a syncing app that he presented to the official Apple app store more than a year ago. Earlier this week, Apple unveiled new features for its upcoming iOS 5, including a function to wirelessly sync iPhones and iTunes that has the...

Michael Vick Rips ‘Dog Wars’ App

Stop promoting animal cruelty, says Eagles quarterback

(Newser) - Michael Vick is growling about the new "Dog Wars" app for Google's Android phone. Created by Kage Games, the app allows users to feed, water, dope, train, and fight virtual dogs in bloody battles. " Train your dog to beat the best ," says the website for the...

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