Apps

Firefox’s newest version has a new logo and privacy enhancements

Purple is the new blue

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Remember Firefox? For some people, it’s mostly their second choice for a browser. Mozilla, the company behind the browser, wants to change that with a redesign.

Mozilla recently updated Firefox to version 70. The most striking change is a new logo that’s more minimal. The globe is now a purplish hue. The red panda encircling the globe is much visible than before too. (Yes, the animal on the Firefox logo is actually not a fox, but a red panda.)

The new logo isn’t just a random redesign. Earlier last 2018, Mozilla announced new logos for its brand, including Firefox. So, this version of Firefox reflects the new branding scheme.

The browser also comes with new features. Firefox ships with privacy and security enhancements to protect users from malicious website. By default, the browser blocks malicious third-party trackers. There is also a seamless password manager for users. Conscious users can rest easy with Firefox showing what websites use location data in the address bar.

Of course, it also has speed improvements to match its fierce competitor, Google Chrome. Firefox 70 speeds up page loading by eight percent. Windows PC benefits improved graphics rendering. Users of macOS are not left behind with improvements that reduce power consumption and speed up page loading times.

To know more about what has changed, Firefox has a page dedicated for that. To download Firefox, head here.

Firefox 70 is the latest update to the browser that has been around since 2003. To differentiate it from Google Chrome, Firefox promises that it protects user privacy. Also, it doesn’t collect sensitive data from users, something that Google had done in the past.

Apps

Shazam launches Radio Spins charts

See what’s on radio stations worldwide

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Shazam Radio Spins

Throughout the years, there have been more ways to discover music, other than the radio. There are various music streaming services. There’s also a good chance you come across good music from shortform social media clips and start searching (or humming) for them.

But even if radio’s popularity these days have waned, they still exist. And Shazam has a launched a new feature called Radio Spins charts. Available on Apple Music and shazam.com, this allows visitors to see what’s playing on the radio stations everywhere.

Shazam uses its music recognition technology to identify and rank music being played on over 40,000 radio stations worldwide. That includes both radio stations who still transmit music the conventional style and internet radio stations.

Basically, it’s a good way for the younger, techier generation to discover new music or see what’s trending on radio. It’s quite amusing they’ll do it in a way older people have been accustomed to doing for decades. Only this time, they’ve got Shazam’s technology and a lot more to help them browse.

Shazam’s Radio Spins charts also categorize the songs further by genre and by artist, as well as globally and locally.  Furthermore, on Apple Music, subscribers will get access to a daily global top 200 Radio Chart.

Users will also have a selection of genre-specific radio charts to suit their preferences. Available genres include for Pop, Hip-Hop/Rap, Dance, Electronic, R&B/Soul, Alternative, Rock, Latin, Country, AfroBeats, Worldwide, Reggae/Dancehall, House, French Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Música Mexicana.

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Bumble introduces new logo, better UI, features

Better dating experience

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Bumble New Logo

Bumble is ushering a new era of dating. The dating app has just rolled out a new brand design. This includes a new logo and user interface with bolder fonts and refreshed colors and illustrations. Along these are many significant updates to the app’s features, giving users better ways to connect with others.

For instance, Bumble has added hundreds of new prompts and have refreshed the prompts UI to help members show off their personalities easier. Shared interests have also been moved to the top of the profiles for users to better spot commonalities. This gives users a snippet of profiles for them to know right away what they have in common. Furthermore, the app has also increased the number of required profile photos to four to boost the likelihood of matches.

Among the new features on Bumble is Opening Moves. This allows women to set a post-match question for their connections to respond to within 24 hours. This facilitates a more meaningful connection and introduces another way to connect outside of Bumble’s Make The First Move. Of course, they may directly message their match even if they haven’t responded to the post-match question.

Meanwhile, Bumble has also expanded its Dating Intentions right from the setup. This is so users can answer the question “What are you hoping to find?” with more accurate choices. Among these are Long Term Relationship, Life Partner, Fun, Casual Dates, Intimacy without commitment, Ethical non-monogamy, and Marriage.

This change stemmed from a Bumble survey that saw 68% of women struggle with people not being upfront about their dating intentions. When browsing, the expanded dating intentions badges will show right below the person’s profile’s “About me” in a section called “I’m looking for.”

Moreover, Bumble has renamed Best Bees to For You. Bumble is employing a new machine learning model to give users their daily set of four curated and relevant profiles based on preferences and past matches.

The changes are part of Bumble’s mantra to empower women to make the first move, flip gender roles, and take control of their dating app experience and dating life in general.

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TikTok regains right to use music from Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, etc.

A new deal has been inked

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TikTok lost its voice a few months ago. Back in February, the platform lost its rights to use and offer music from artists affiliated with the Universal Music Group. A few weeks ago, Taylor Swift, the biggest artist in that group, returned to the platform. Now, other artists are following suit.

In an official press release, Universal Music Group has announced a new licensing agreement between its artists and TikTok. As a result, users can once again fill their videos with music from artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and BTS.

With the new deal, TikTok’s woes in the music department are finally at an end. When the past deal ended, Universal initially refused a renewal, alleging that TikTok does not adequately pay artists for the use of their music. Once the deadline passed, TikTok was suddenly silent. Existing videos lost their music, and newly minted ones could not use the most popular selection of songs today.

Not surprisingly, Taylor Swift was ahead of the curve. Presumably because of her ownership over her masters, the world’s biggest musical artist returned to the platform without a new Universal deal. The return also came in time for Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Now, the platform finally has Universal’s entire selection back. If your videos need that extra spice, now’s the time to get back into it.

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift is back on TikTok

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