Get Your Snapchat Spectacles
Remember those Snapchat glasses you heard about a while back? Yeah, those are real and available now. The video-game glasses are $129 and can be purchased through Snapbots. What’s a Snapbot? A Snapchat owned interactive vending machine. You have to be in the know because the Snapbots will only stay in a location for one day at a time. Scavenger hunt anyone? TBD on the Snapbots locations but they’llbe revealed 24 hours in advance through this map on Spectacles.com. And of course, a Snapchat geofilter will be available if you are near a Snapbot. Watch out for bot landings. (Source: Mashable)
Change for Instagram Stories
Instagram is changing the story game with a few recent updates. In effort to differentiate themselves from Snapchat stories, Instagram is stepping up their game to include mentions, links and Boomerang (the short action video loops) into stories. Their hope for this is that Instagram Stories will be livelier and and more engaging. This is the first major update since Stories launched and they want users to be impressed. The first two to be rolled out will be links and mentions. Being able to provide a link onto the story is a major gamechanger for Instagram. If you haven’t already noticed many brands say, “Link in bio” on photo captions because captions and photos don’t allow for links. Here is where Stories step in. The update will only allow those who are verified users to add links in stories. The second big change which is available to all users is mentions. When typing a caption, simply typing @ will give you the ability to include the handle of another user. These changes are going to be huge for the ‘gram. (Source: The Verge)
Maybe Apple Support Doesn’t Have to Be So Bad…
Everyone hates going to the Apple store. You have to make an appointment, wait forever and leave with a hole in your wallet or a phone that is still broken. Bad times. On Tuesday, Apple quietly released an app that could change the way you do Apple Support. An app called Apple Support was released on the Netherlands iTunes store. Apple Support describes itself as “your personalized guide to the best options from Apple. Find answers with articles tailored to your products and questions. Call, chat or email with an expert right away, or schedule a callback when it’s convenient. Get a repair at an Apple Store or a nearby Apple Authorized Service Provider. Apple Support is here to help.” The app quickly lets you chat with someone and easily make a Genius bar appointment if they can’t help you over the phone. Apple isn’t commenting on when the US will get this app but we hope it is soon. (Source: Mashable)
