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‘Pokémon Go’ surges past Twitter and Facebook, dominating Android downloads, daily use

Can you believe how hot Pokémon Go has become? What is it that’s got people so excited about this mobile game? Well, if you ask us, it’s all about the augmented reality, but whatever it is, it is has rocketed the app right past Twitter and Facebook.

You read that right. It’s the most viral app ever, people spend more time with Pokémon Go than they do with Facebook, and  in just a few days the app has managed tally up more daily users than Twitter. We knew this was coming, it’s just a bit shocking to see that it’s happened so quickly. Similarweb says Pokémon Go edged past Twitter in terms of active users on Monday, and now has about 6 percent of all Android users using the app on the daily.

Some other interesting statistics include New Zealand and Australia coming in at first and second place respectively for the most installs and daily use on Android devices, with the US coming in a surprisingly distant third, even though it’s totally killing Candy Crush Saga as the most installed app in the US.

Part of the reason Pokémon Go installs are surging is because people in countries where the app isn’t officially launched yet are downloading the application and side-loading it onto their phones, something not so easily done with an iPhone. When will the madness stop? We have no idea, but we’re doing our part to play along. Keep an eye out for our exhaustingly comprehensive guide with tips, tricks, and pretty much everything you could possibly need to know about the game.

Tesla not at fault? Nissan just behind

Electric auto maker, Tesla, has admitted its autopilot feature was involved in a second car crash. Fortunately this one wasn’t fatal, and Tesla says that the feature wasn’t being used properly. The crash happened in Cardwell Montana when a Model X SUV dove off and hit wooden rails. The problem, according to Tesla, is that autopilot was being used on a winding mountain road, and the driver was not following instructions to place his hands on the wheel to disable autosteer.

Yep, Tesla has sensors for that. The driver, apparently, said he didn’t understand the alerts because they were in English and he speaks Mandarin. Which, come on, all sounds super fishy. At any rate, while Tesla’s autopilot continues to be examined under the microscope, Nissan is about to deploy its version of the same thing, called ProPilot, only Nissan decided to put the tech in one of its minivans.

Nissan is avoiding comment on the Tesla situation, but you can bet they are going to be super careful with their rollout of what has become some controversial tech.

Move over Priceline

Finally, Google wants to make planning a vacation a little easier. The company has launched a series of updates designed to make finding bargains on flights and hotels extremely simple.

Just type in something like “hotels in San Diego under $150 per night that have a pool,” and Google will show you exactly that. You can also add other filters to those results in case you want a kitchenette or whatever. Search results will also highlight deals on hotels that are cheaper than the normal. It works for flights, too. Now you can track flight price changes, and you’ll be notified by email when the price drops.

The features will be rolling out over the next few weeks and are designed to take on travel sites like Expedia and Hotels.com

That’s it for DT Daily today. Be sure to drop us a comment below, especially with your thoughts on auto-piloted cars, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow.

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