MacRumors

Twitter has announced a new "Quality Filter" feature that enables users to filter notifications so that they only see "quality tweets" and mentions from people they follow.

The feature initially rolled out as a test and was created partly as a means to combat users' exposure to abusive trolls, but Twitter says the filter is now available to everyone.

"Last year we began testing a quality filter setting and we're now rolling out a feature for everyone. When turned on, the filter can improve the quality of Tweets you see by using a variety of signals, such as account origin and behavior," Twitter said in a blog post.

The filter works using an algorithm to distinguish between good and abusive mentions. Any duplicate tweets or automated content identified by the feature are also filtered out of feeds, so that users don't see them at all when browsing the social media service.

To turn the Quality Filter on or off in the iOS app, users can tap Notifications in the navigation bar, tap the Settings icon at the top left of the screen, and toggle the associated feature switch. A second option on the screen ensures users only see tweets from people they follow.

Just about two weeks after it was reported that R&B singer Frank Ocean's next album, "Boys Don't Cry," would be available exclusively on Apple music, the singer has released "Endless," a visual album exclusive to the service.

An Apple representative told Pitchfork that the 45-minute visual album features new songs from the artist. The rep added that fans should "keep an eye out this weekend for more from Frank." It's unclear when Ocean's "Boys Don't Cry" is expected to launch.

"Endless" and "Boys Don't Cry" are just two of the high-profile exclusives Apple Music has secured in the past year. Other content includes Drake's "Views," Taylor Swift's "1989 World Tour LIVE" and Katy Perry's latest single "Rise."

"Endless" can be watched on Apple Music now. [Direct Link]

Philips recently announced its first Bluetooth-connected Sonicare toothbrush aimed at adults, which interfaces with an iPhone to monitor brushing habits, offer brushing tips, and make sure you're brushing right.

Priced at $199, the Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected takes the well-known and popular FlexCare brush and introduces iPhone connectivity through a Sonicare app that tracks everything from how long you brush to where you brush to how hard you brush.

Design and Features

I've used Sonicare brushes for upwards of 10 years so I'm familiar with most of the brushes and brush heads, and the FlexCare is one step down from the top of the line brush, the DiamondClean (my day to day brush). To be honest, I'm disappointed that Philips added Bluetooth connectivity to the FlexCare instead of the DiamondClean because it doesn't have quite as many features (3 modes instead of 5) and the non-unibody design isn't as nice.

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Microsoft today announced the launch of its OneNote Import Tool for Mac, which is designed to allow Mac users to quickly and easily transfer all of their notes from note-taking app Evernote to Microsoft's own note-taking app, OneNote.

Transitioning from Evernote to OneNote is as simple as downloading the import tool, letting the app locate Evernote notebooks, signing into your Microsoft account, and hitting the import button. From there, all of your Evernote content is available in OneNote.

Microsoft's OneNote Import Tool is timely because Evernote recently made a policy change that has pushed users into seeking other note taking services. As of late June, customers who use a free Evernote basic account are only able to access their notes on a total of two devices. Accessing Evernote content on more than two devices now requires an Evernote subscription, priced at $3.99 per month or $34.99 per year.

OneNote requires notes to be stored using Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service (which comes with 5GB free storage) but there are no restrictions on accessing notes across multiple devices. OneNote also offers many of the same features that are available in Evernote and it can serve as an alternative to Apple's own Notes app.

OneNote lets you work the way you want. You can get your ideas down in a range of ways that include typing, inking, embedding videos, recording audio, or clipping web content. If you prefer to use paper and pen, you can even scan that content with OneNote to make it digital, searchable and available from your phone to your laptop. We've heard that many Evernote users rely heavily on their clipper. OneNote has a great clipper for all major browsers, available for free at OneNote.com/clipper.

Microsoft's new OneNote Import Tool can be downloaded from the OneNote website for free.

Sprint has announced a new plan called Unlimited Freedom that offers unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data for $60 per month. A second line can be added for $40 per month, while up to eight more lines can be added for an additional $30 per month each. The total cost for a family of four, for example, would be $160 per month, the same price as T-Mobile's new ONE plan for that many lines.

Unlimited Freedom automatically optimizes select content, limiting video streams to up to 480p resolution, gaming up to 2 Mbps, and music streams up to 500 kbps. The carrier did not specify if tethering is included, or if customers will be able to upgrade to unlimited HD video and music for an additional monthly charge. T-Mobile ONE offers unlimited HD video for an additional $25 per month.

Sprint also announced that its prepaid subsidiary Boost Mobile is launching a new Unlimited Unhook'd plan featuring unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data, with the same content optimizations, for $50 per month. Up to four additional lines can be added for $30 per month each. The new plans from both Sprint and Boost Mobile are available for new and existing customers starting tomorrow.

After years of planning, and testing phases over the last few months, Uber this month will begin allowing customers in Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from within its ride-hailing app. As noted by Bloomberg, "no automotive or technology company has yet achieved" the public launch of a self-driving service, passing rivals Google, Tesla, and Ford, who have so far only performed tests in the field.

Uber's new program isn't entirely "driverless," however, since the company is still placing trained engineers in the driver's seat, "as common sense and the law dictate," to oversee each trip and ensure the passenger's safety. There will also be a co-pilot in the front passenger seat to take notes while the test trips take place, and everything will get recorded by cameras inside and outside the vehicle "so that any glitches can be ironed out."

On the passenger side of things, once users hail the specially modified Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicles, they'll see a tablet computer in the backseat that comes stacked with information to tell them that they're in an autonomous vehicle and educate them on exactly what's happening. Although unspecified, it appears that riders won't know they're being paired with a driverless car while in the Uber app, but the ride will be free of charge "for the time being."

According to Uber's engineering director Raffi Krikorian, "the goal is to wean us off of having drivers in the car, so we don’t want the public talking to our safety drivers." The company also thinks the new technology could greatly cut down on the cost of trips for riders, which it sees as a major opportunity. Still, there are hiccups in the system the company has to fix before all of this progress can happen.

On a recent weekday test drive, the safety drivers were still an essential part of the experience, as Uber’s autonomous car briefly turned un-autonomous, while crossing the Allegheny River. A chime sounded, a signal to the driver to take the wheel. A second ding a few seconds later indicated that the car was back under computer control. “Bridges are really hard,” Krikorian says. “And there are like 500 bridges in Pittsburgh.”

Uber’s cars haven’t had any fender benders since they began road-testing in Pittsburgh in May, but at some point something will go wrong, according to Krikorian. “We’re interacting with reality every day,” he says. “It’s coming.”

Apple itself was the source of multiple self-driving automobile rumors, beginning last year, but ultimately it's believed that the company's first foray into the vehicle industry most likely won't be autonomous, with further generations down the line more likely to include the technology. All the same, over the summer it was reported that Apple is taking a "two-prong approach" to the Apple Car, focusing more heavily on creating its own autonomous driving system rather than the hardware manufacturing of the vehicle itself.

You can read Bloomberg's full report on Uber's autonomous vehicle launch in Pittsburgh right here.

Apple has added Apple Pay support for customers of Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank in the United Kingdom.

Apple's official list of participating banks in Europe has yet to updated, but the two banks independently confirmed news of the added support via Twitter and on their websites.

The support also covers the two banks' new co-operative digital banking service, called simply "B", which offers customers a current account, a savings account, and a mobile app featuring budgeting tools that enable customers to set saving goals as well as tag and categorize purchases.

The British banks join 18 others supporting Apple's mobile payment feature in the country, making the U.K. the second region behind the U.S. with the widest support for the service, ahead of China in third.

(Thanks, Leon!)

Instagram has introduced a new "Events" channel in the Explore section of its app that highlights user photos and video clips captured during specific events from around the world.

Currently only available in the U.S., the new channel implements an algorithm to curate media from events like sports games and concerts, based on a user's preferences and habits, according to a post on the company's site.

Snapchat users may be experiencing déjà vu all over again at this point, given that the new Instagram feature is extremely similar to the rival app's Discover channel "Live Stories", where reels of photos and videos are shared publicly by users at a particular event.

The addition of the new feature by Instagram certainly follows a trend. Earlier this month, the Facebook-owned photo and video sharing platform announced "Instagram Stories", which functions identically to Snapchat's Stories in that it lets users post customized images and videos on their profile, where they live for 24 hours before disappearing completely.

Surprisingly, Instagram has been upfront about its recent tendency to imitate Snapchat features. While demoing its new Stories feature for TechCrunch, Instagram CEO Kevin Systro admitted that Snapchat "deserve all the credit".

Starting on August 19, Apple Pay will be available in Chick-fil-A restaurants across the United States, allowing fast food buyers to make their purchases both in-store and at the drive thru using Apple's payment service.

The news was shared by the Chick-fil-A Twitter account following an inquiry by AppleInsider writer Roger Fingas, who had heard a tip that support was already rolling out at some Chick-fil-A locations.

Chick-fil-A was first announced as an Apple Pay partner in February of 2016, and support was supposed to roll out shortly after, but it has taken several months for the restaurant to implement Apple Pay. Chick-fil-A will also be accepting Android Pay starting on August 19.

Apple Pay is now officially accepted by more than 100 retailers in the United States, along with all locations that allow contactless payments.

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