Toyota brings Alexa and CarPlay to 2018 Camry and Sienna

Good news: you don't have to buy a brand new Toyota (or score a very lightly used model) just to get modern mobile conveniences. The automaker has announced that you can add Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay (sorry, no Android Auto) to the 2018 Camry and Sienna. If you're itching for an upgrade, you can book an appointment for an installation at a dealership. While this isn't going to be much consolation if you're driving another model, this could prove a treat if you've been kicking yourself for buying a Toyota a little too soon.

Via: Autoblog

Source: Toyota

Toyota brings Alexa and CarPlay to 2018 Camry and Sienna posted first on https://www.engadget.com

A closer look at the redesigned Facebook app

Out of all the announcements Facebook made at its F8 2019 developers conference, one of the most important was the redesign of its core smartphone app. The new application, which has been updated with what Facebook is calling the "FB5" version, is now cleaner, faster and puts Groups front and center. And, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "The app isn't even blue anymore." That's the first thing you'll notice when you check out the new app, which is rolling out to users starting today. If you use Messenger, the white-covered design of the FB5 Facebook app will feel quite familiar.

A closer look at the redesigned Facebook app posted first on https://www.engadget.com

New York City's MTA will support Apple Pay in early summer

If you're a New Yorker, you won't have to wait long to use Apple Pay for mass transit. As part of a call discussing Apple's latest earnings, Tim Cook revealed that New York City's transit system would support Apple Pay in early summer, narrowing down the generic "later this year" mentioned in March. He didn't say just which services and routes would be covered, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's tap-to-pay OMNY system is supposed to launch May 31st with coverage on the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines as well as Staten Island buses.

Source: Apple

New York City's MTA will support Apple Pay in early summer posted first on https://www.engadget.com

Slack vocab game that gave away money for no real reason is getting shut down

Workplace communication platform Slack says it will be deactivating a public channel dedicated to giving away $1,000 per day to anyone that can guess that day’s selected vocabulary word, citing company policies. The game, called The Word of the Day Is, was started by Gabriel Whaley last week as an experiment. It used a Slack bot to monitor entries, which were any one-word messages entered into the public channel. Winners were then sent the money via Venmo.

Whaley, the founder and CEO of a New York City-based creative agency called MSCHF Internet Studios, told The Verge at the time that he was “just trying to keep the internet a fun place and an escape.” In quick order, the game gained popularity and write-ups from major news...

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Slack vocab game that gave away money for no real reason is getting shut down appeared first on http://www.theverge.com

All the important stuff from Facebook’s F8 keynote

Facebook hosted the opening keynote for its annual developer's conference today and announced several updates to its main social network as well as Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger. Privacy seems to be the name of the game this year, as Facebook tries to rehab its damaged reputation and regain the trust of its users. Only time will tell if Facebook made any progress today.

Source: Facebook

All the important stuff from Facebook’s F8 keynote posted first on https://www.engadget.com

Facebook will let users chat across Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp

There were rumors that Facebook was going to make its messaging products interoperable, but now it appears they're about to be a reality. At F8, Messenger's head of consumer product Asha Sharma said that in the future, users will soon be able to send messages across Facebook's three different messaging platforms: Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. "We believe people should be able to talk to anyone anywhere," she said.

This interoperability is just one of many features of the new, upcoming Messenger 5. All messages will also be end-to-end encrypted, which is part of Facebook's recent privacy-focused mantra. It's unclear just yet when this will roll out to users, but it sounds like it'll be some time this year.

Facebook will let users chat across Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp posted first on https://www.engadget.com

Instagram lets you buy what Kim Kardashian wears right from the app

With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram sees a major opportunity to disrupt online shopping. And, over the past year or so, the company has been working hard to make shopping a cornerstone feature of its app. Just last month, it started allowing users buy products from a select group of brands without leaving the application, and now it's taking that one step further by opening up these features to celebrities, athletes and influencers. Starting next week, Instagram will make it easy for you to shop looks from your favorite creators: They'll now be able to tag products in their posts, giving you the ability to buy whatever they may be wearing (from apparel to cosmetics) directly from the app.

Instagram lets you buy what Kim Kardashian wears right from the app posted first on https://www.engadget.com