App-bap-bo-bap, Cam-er-a’s a new app

Way back in April, nearly two months ago, Facebook kind of surprised everybody and announced it was buying Instagram, the popular photo-sharing social network. But why? Maybe yesterday’s announcement of the newest Facebook app, Camera, is the answer. Facebook says the app will help people quickly manage and upload pictures to their pages. The app will let you upload higher resolution snaps as well as add your own Instagram-like filters. From the New York Times:

It might seem strange for Facebook to release a camera application with built-in filters just weeks after announcing plans to buy Instagram, the social photo app. But Facebook Camera is aimed at a different audience. Instagram has 40 million users, while Facebook has 900 million. This leaves a large swath of people who are not on Instagram but are actively taking photos and uploading them to Facebook. The filters in Facebook Camera were developed by Facebook and are not borrowed from Instagram.  

So now what does Instagram have that Facebook doesn’t (and, yes I know the latter owns the former)? Android, for starters. Instagram launched its Android version a few weeks back with over a million downloads, but the new Camera app is only available in the Apple App Store. Not only is it cashing in on the Instagram cache, but methinks it’s trying to look a little like Pinterest, the rising social network star that uses pictures to do most of the talking. And let’s not forget this is all happening on people’s mobile devices, the biggest sector that Facebook needs to reach, if it wants to keep its new stockholders happy.

PayPal’s newest partners are big and boxy

The company announced partnerships with 15 retailers yesterday. Stores like Office Depot, Aeropostale, and Toys “R” Us will begin to offer PayPal’s payment option at their registers. All Things D points out:

That list includes some overlap with Google Wallet, including American Eagle Outfitters, Foot Locker and Jamba Juice. It seems clear that retailers are willing to try multiple strategies to see what works best.

Unlike Google Wallet, ISIS, and others, PayPal’s system doesn’t depend on near field communication (NFC) terminals at the registers. PayPal uses existing credit card readers that we’re all used to. It has been testing the system out in Home Depot stores across the country since the beginning of this year. You can either pay with a PayPal credit card (plastic) or enter your phone number along with a PayPal pin to complete the transaction. PayPal announced that it’s also partnering with a handful of companies that make POS software, which means that even the not-so-big-name stores can get a piece of the new payment action.

FCC sets aside spectrum for medical devices

We talked about this story on Wednesday on our show when the FCC vote was looming. Yesterday the vote was held and a small section of spectrum was allocated for devices that are either implanted or attached to the body and communicate wirelessly for monitoring or treatment. The United States is the first country to approve spectrum for this purpose. The vote was unanimous among the five FCC commissioners. From The Hill:

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the technology has "tremendous potential to untether patients from tubes and wires, and improve the quality of healthcare and ensure better outcomes for patients." He cited a study that found an unmonitored patient has just a six percent chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, but monitored patients have a 48 percent chance of surviving. He also claimed the medical devices could reduce healthcare costs by as much as $12,000 per patient by reducing the risk of infections.

A real apple story

I love a good apple, who doesn’t? (Don’t raise your hand, because I WILL FIGHT YOU.) But we’ve all had the brown apple blues - you know when the meat of that delicious Granny Smith starts to turn all bruisey looking. It kind of sneaks up on you too, one minute you’re crunching away, gabbing to a buddy, then in the space of a knock-knock joke that sucker has turned brown. Party over. Scientists at Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a Canadian biotech company, want to keep the party going. The solution: a genetically modified apple that “silences” the gene responsible for the discoloration. Gizmodo talked with Okanagan honcho Neal Carter (not to be confused with 80’s sitcom star, Nell Carter - I mean, Gimme a break!), who “hopes to be granted approval to begin selling his apples in Canada and the US within the year; with planting and harvesting factored in, we could be buying these apples as soon as 2014.” Here’s a Gene that will never be silenced. NEVER.