• Instagram Gets Emoji Hashtags, New Filters
    Instagram has added three new filters to its app, including Lark, Reyes and Juno. They brighten images and enhance photos. The company is also adding support for emoji in hashtags, letting you tag your photos with those tiny pictographs that have come to dominate text conversations. Instagram plans to release new filters at a much faster rate going forward to maintain its competitive edge.
  • Uber To Launch High-End Merchant Delivery Service
    Uber plans to launch a high-end merchant delivery program letting online shoppers receive same-day delivery of goods through both UberRush couriers and Uber drivers. Sources say  Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, Cohen’s Fashion Optical and Hugo Boss are all in talks with the Uber Merchant Delivery program. It's the latest attempt by Uber to find new uses for its network.
  • New Dragon Ball Series Debuts In July
    Almost 20 years after the end of Dragon Ball GT, a new series will launch this summer. Titled Dragon Ball Chou(meaning Super), series creator Akira Toriyama will return to run the show. That's big news for fans in the U.S. and Japan. Dragon Ball Z, the sequel to the original, is one of the most recognizable animes in the world, giving rise to movies, video games and merchandise.
  • Google Announces Cellphone Service Project Fi
    Google partnered with Sprint and T-Mobile and will tap into more than a million free Wi-Fi hotspots across the world with Project Fi, a new cellphone serve. No matter how you're connected via Wi-Fi, Google lets you call, stream and use apps on any device. The service starts at $20, which includes unlimited talk, texts, inexpensive international calls andinternational roaming at no additional cost. After that, Project Fi costs $10 extra for every gigabyte of data used. If you use less data, you'll get a credit. One catch: Only Motorola's Nexus 6 phone supports Project Fi.
  • HBO Now App Popular With Apple Users
    Apple CEO Tim Cook says the HBO Now app has been "incredibly popular with Apple TV users since its debut, and has been one of the top downloaded apps in the U.S. App Store as well." HBO Now, an OTT service, went live on April 7 for $14.99 a month.
  • Facebook App Missing From Apple Watch
    Consumers can see the Apple Watch, but Facebook's app is nowhere to be found. "We’re excited for the launch of the Apple Watch," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable when asked about the app. "We have nothing to announce today, but we’re always evaluating new platforms to build the best Facebook experience for people." The missing app did not go unnoticed by new Apple Watch owners, who tweeted their surprise at the device's lack of Facebook functionality.
  • Beacon Marketing Firm Swirl Takes $18M From Twitter, Other Investors
    The Boston-based beacon specialists at Swirl have reportedly raised $18 million from Twitter Ventures, Hearst Ventures, SoftBank and a number of other investors. “Swirl’s technology is intended to surface relevant ads to smartphone-wielding shoppers while they’re actually in the store,” Re/code reports. “It’s a marketing technique that relies on beacons, which are devices that can ping your smartphone once you get within a certain geographic proximity.”
  • NHL Bans Use Of Periscope, Meerkat At Games
    The NHL is warning those in attendance at games to refrain from using live video-streaming apps like Twitter’s Periscope and Meerkat. That means no streaming live play, warm-ups, or anything else visitors witness inside the stadium. “The real driving force behind this?” asks Yahoo News’ Greg Wyshynski. “Well, put it this way: As I write this, Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings is speaking through the NHL’s official Periscope channel. You do the math.” 
  • Fashion Boutiques Carrying Apple Watch
    Adding to its high-end allure, Apple is letting select fashion boutiques stock its premium Watch. “Select destination fashion boutiques around the world have their own stock, and will be offering the watch for sale at the end of the week,” The New York Times reports. “Dover Street Market in Tokyo and London (but not in New York), Maxfield in Los Angeles, Colette in Paris, the Corner in Berlin and 10 Corso Como in Milan are all ‘official’ stockists of the watch.’ 
  • How To Survive Google's Search Algorithm Changes
    Some brands and publishers are freaking out about Google’s plan to release a new search algorithm, on Wednesday. Designed to reward mobile-friendly Web pages, “The mobile friendly update will potentially give a ranking boost to mobile-friendly pages in Google’s mobile search results,” Search Engine Land reports. To help site owners prepare for “Mobilegeddon,” SEL has compiled some tips to survive the algorithm change.  
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