02/11, 1:15am
Netflix makes truce over video privacy act break
Netflix has let a low-profile SEC filing reveal that it had privately settled a lawsuit. The dispute, which was resolved last year but would only be settled with a $9 million payment this year, accused Netflix of breaking the Video Privacy Protection Act and other consumer protection laws by keeping subscribers' video rental histories even after they cancelled. Customers who had resubscribed later found their past histories and queues intact, even though the VPPA required that it be purged in less than a year.
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02/10, 7:40am
Roku branches out to UK in earnest
Roku's international plans became real Friday after it began UK and Ireland. The Roku LT and Roku 2 XS are now available for £50 and £100 respectively (60 and 120 euros). British customers are simultaneously getting BBC iPlayer to catch up on the past one to two weeks of TV shows.
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02/09, 4:30pm
Netflix Android port gets social sharing
Netflix has updated its Android app (Market to add Facebook sharing in those countries that support it. Canada, Ireland, Latin American countries, and the UK now let viewers share what they're watching or check others' habits directly from the app. American users can't yet get access as Netflix is waiting on a bill easing video privacy permissions.
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02/08, 4:40pm
Gaming industry changing, sees large influx
A new study has found that the number of gamers in the US has grown from 56 million in 2008 to 135 million in 2011. The 241 percent increase is thanks largely to the explosion of new online and mobile gaming platforms, including those on social networks and smartphones. Parks Associates performed the study, which is called Trends in Digital Gaming: Free-to-Play, Social, and Mobile Games.
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02/06, 4:25pm
Facebook photo sharing app is in development
The leaked images of a Facebook app last summer will not result in a photo-sharing app after all, Business Insider has learned. The photos were simply meant to showcase of what such an app could look like and in fact little development work was done on the app. Also, the source revealed that Facebook is still working on improving the mobile photo-sharing experience, but the team assigned to it is different from the one in the summer.
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02/06, 5:00am
Facebook still grappling with user privacy
Facebook has said that it is getting nearer to releasing a newer system that will help to ensure that once a user deletes a photo, it is also deleted from its servers. Although the issue was first raised three years ago, Facebook user photos remain accessible, even after they have been deleted from a user’s profile, by way of the original URL. The company told Ars Technica last week that its older servers still "did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site."
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02/03, 8:50pm
Facebook looks to plug weakness in revenue stream
Facebook may run mobile ads before its IPO takes effect. Its S-1 filing revealed that one of the company’s revenue soft spots was in the level of income generated from mobile devices. With mobile devices rapidly becoming one of the most common ways of connecting to Facebook and the Internet for users, the company looks to be moving quickly to address the perceived weakness.
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02/01, 6:40pm
Facebook shows Apple influence in IPO filing
The SEC filing behind Facebook's long-expected IPO has seen company founder Mark Zuckerberg take an Apple cue in his pay. The CEO earlier this month requested that, as of the start of 2013, his base pay be cut from as much as $500,000 in 2011 to just $1, much like Apple co-creator Steve Jobs. Zuckerberg is known to have taken advice from Jobs and considered his success an aspirational goal.
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02/01, 5:20pm
Facebook moves to go public
Facebook on Wednesday uncovered its poorly-guarded secret and filed the S-1 form needed to make an initial public offering of stock, or IPO. The company is hoping to raise a steep $5 billion from the share offering, although Facebook isn't willing to commit to a valuation on how much the company is worth. It did confirm that it had 845 million total users, about 483 million of which sign in to the social network every day and 425 million on mobile.
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01/31, 8:25pm
Valuation remains unclear
Members of Facebook's board have reportedly established a final meeting to work out any remaining details surrounding of the company's initial public offering. Corroborating earlier leaks, unnamed sources have told All Things D that the IPO could be filed as early as Wednesday morning or after the market closes for the day.
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01/30, 11:45am
Nokia Vietnam possibly dates Belle update
The Belle software update (no longer Symbian Belle) to Nokia handsets will come on a wider basis on February 8, at least to handsets in Vietnam. The information was revealed by Nokia Vietnam's Facebook page. It specifically references the Anna version of the software and the Nokia 603, 700, and 701 phones already coming with Belle.
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01/27, 4:25pm
RIM CEO hints BBM may be open to iOS and Android
RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins has continued his interviewing with hints the company might not be as closed to the possibility of BlackBerry Messenger on other mobile platforms as once thought. He told CrackBerry that he was still committed to the core BlackBerry platform and there weren't immediate plans, but that the company "should never rule this [possibility] out." The company did have staff exploring the possibility, but it would only go ahead if it was logical.
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01/27, 3:05pm
Facebook public stock offering may come Wednesday
Facebook's long-rumored initial public offering (IPO) of stock could be filed as soon as Wednesday if a new leak proves real. The share plans seen by the Wall Street Journal would most likely be underwritten by Morgan Stanley with help from Goldman Sachs. At $75 billion to $100 billion of expected value, it would be one of the most valuable IPOs to date.
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01/27, 12:00am
Navigation company embraces social networking
Although Garmin would seem to fit in better at CES rather than the Macworld iWorld expo, the navigation company brought its latest iOS apps to San Francisco this week to show off the latest features. MacNN played around with the updated version of StreetPilot onDemand, which now enables users to take advantage of social networking features.
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01/25, 8:50am
EU makes data protection rights official
The European Commission on Wednesday formally outlined its new data protection rules and touched on Google's own decisions. As hinted earlier, the rules would require plain, explicit permission for data, require data portability between services, and enforce a "right to be forgotten" for those who want to purge their data entirely. If a company saw a breach of information, they had 24 hours in most circumstances to notify both the regulators of affected countries and the European citizens they affected.
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01/24, 1:55pm
Boxee Box 1.5 update brings new interface, more
Boxee Box has just released its 1.5 software update behind live TV function of its new tuner that we had a chance to check out at CES. There are also some other functionalities the update enables. With the tuner add-on, this update, and the main Boxee Box hardware, users can access over-the-air TV broadcasts as well as Internet content.
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01/24, 12:40pm
Timeline begins rolling out to all starting today
After introducing the feature in mid-December, Facebook has just confirmed that Timeline is starting a mandatory rollout for all Facebook users starting Tuesday, January 24. The process will take several weeks to reach all users, however.
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01/22, 5:05pm
EU OKs e-waste takeback and toughens data policy
The European Union moved forward on two key policy changes to potentially improve technology adoption. European Commission VP Vivane Reding in a speech at the DLD conference on Sunday said the EU would have tougher rules on data collection as of January 25, according to Reuters. Companies would be required to tell officials as soon as data was known to have been misused or stolen, and they would have to give users a right to export, import, and completely wipe their information.
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01/22, 12:05pm
Jobs family to keep stake but not board seat
The Walt Disney Company in its 2012 proxy statement (below) indirectly confirmed that the late Steve Jobs' family or his trust won't be seeking a board position at the Disney shareholder meeting on March 13. Although the family is the largest individual shareholder with a 7.7 percent stake, no mention is made of them in the filing beyond their investment. It also shows that Jobs' option holdings were gone at the end of Disney's fiscal year.
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01/20, 9:45am
Vevo may drop YouTube for Facebook in hosting
Music video provider Vevo might shift its library from YouTube to Facebook if leaks are accurate. The service is believed in "very preliminary" talks that would see Facebook host the content and split ad revenue, CNET understood. The two sides had met "at least twice" and as recently as within two weeks.
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01/19, 3:25pm
Samsung outs new basic phones with two Star 3s
Samsung has released successors for its entry-level Star II handsets with the Star 3 and Star 3 Duos. Both handsets are virtually identical, with the Duos adding a dual SIM slot. They have three-inch, 240x320 displays, and are 11.5mm (0.45in) thick.
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01/18, 8:40pm
Facebook expands Open Graph at event
Facebook at at evening event Wednesday expanded its Open Graph to include many more companies. Shifting away from its focus on music, it now has the gallery app Pinterest, Airbnb rentals, Ticketmaster, and 57 others that can use the verb system to integrate their sites and services directly into the social network. As an example, Pinterest now works in two directions, both sharing any pinned content and letting friends pin shared items themselves.
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01/18, 6:40pm
US launch planned for 2012
Motorola has confirmed that it has invested in Shaker, an Israeli startup that specializes in social networking experiences. Shaker last year won an award at TechCrunch's Disrupt conference for its Facebook game that enables users to socialize in a virtual bar and meet new contacts.
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01/17, 7:20pm
First batch expected Wednesday
Facebook is reportedly preparing to launch a fresh batch of Open Graph applications on its social networking site. Like existing Open Graph titles, the new apps are said to focus on sharing information between users by posting actions back to the site after a user gives initial permission.
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01/17, 4:35pm
World IPv6 Day to launch standard is June 6
The IPv6 Internet addressing standard will get a more formal launch by its backers on June 6, which is being devoted World IPv6 Day. Seven global ISPs will back the new standard then, including AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner. Also onboard are heavily trafficked websites, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's Bing, as well as hardware makers Cisco and D-Link.
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01/17, 9:00am
iOS 5.1 beta 3 discoveries continue
More searching in Apple's iOS 5.1 beta 3 has uncovered references to elements once thought dead. The iMore exploration has shown references to Facebook contact entries. Apple was believed to have been tying Facebook into iOS 4 but to have backed out during the row over Ping integration.
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01/11, 7:50pm
Polaroid cameraphone needs work before launch
We stopped by the Polaroid booth while at CES for a closer look at its Android-powered point-and-shoot camera, the SC1630. The design from the back end certainly looks like a smartphone, and many are reporting that the camera will have phone functionality as well. Whether this aspect of the device carriers over to production remains to be seen, however, as Polaroid still hasn't ironed out if it will sell it through carriers.
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01/10, 8:50pm
Phone displays caller's Facebook profile photo
VoIP provider Ooma has detailed a new cordless handset with smartphone elements to enhance its Internet-based voice calling. The Ooma HD2 gets a still-small but improved two-inch color screen and picture caller ID. With it, users see caller's Facebook profile picture, giving a much better ability to gauge if it's a friend or not.
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01/10, 7:00pm
Kodak Playfull Dual with 1080p/60FPS video at CES
We stopped by Kodak's booth at CES to take a look at the company's recently unveiled EasyShare M750 and the equally new Playfull Dual. The former has been documented, and can upload photos to a Kodak's gallery or Facebook or upload videos to YouTube once the Share button is pressed. It also selection of social networks or e-mailed to a preset address. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi wasn't working and we weren't able to check this feature out.
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01/09, 7:35pm
Dragon TV integrates messaging, social media, TV
Nuance Communications has unveiled Dragon TV, a voice and natural language understanding platform for TV, device and set-top box OEMs and digital service operators. Similar to Nuance's plain-language speech recognition encoded in Siri's Assistant feature,
Dragon TV responds to voice commands in plain English. Viewers can find content by speaking channel numbers, station names, show and movie names. Searches by actor's name and genre are also possible.
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01/06, 2:05pm
Sony Ericsson Germany teases new Xperia handset
Sony Ericsson Germany is teasing an upcoming Xperia smartphone it will bring to CES through its Facebook page in Germany. Unlike the already expected Nozomi, this phone has an off-center rear camera, so there could be two new Xperias getting official reveals in Las Vegas next week. The new handset could be the LT28at leaked earlier through a Bluetooth SIG listing.
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01/04, 10:35am
INQ Mobile cancels Cloud Q to focus on others
Young phone maker INQ Mobile won't be launching its planned Cloud Q smartphone, ElectricPig learned. The phone, equipped with a hardware QWERTY keyboard, was cancelled so that the company can instead focus on other future products. The first of these is due to arrive in the second half of the year, a company spokesperson indicated.
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01/02, 10:55am
Samsung starts CES run with DV300F camera
Starting what's likely to be a flurry of introductions related to CES, Samsung has brought out its next-generation of DualView cameras in the DV300F. The 16-megapixel camera has a new version of the signature 1.5-inch front display that's more flush with the body, reducing its effect when left off. Wi-Fi is new to the DualView series and can share photos and videos with Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube without either a computer or an Eye-Fi card.
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12/30, 2:15pm
App finally makes it to Windows 7 desktops
Yesterday, an unofficial link to Facebook's Messenger for Windows 7
surfaced. Today, Facebook has responded by making an official download available (direct download). Desktops will be the last platform to have received the app, following dedicated releases for iOS devices, Android phones and tablets, BlackBerrys, and Windows Phones.
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12/29, 3:10pm
Facebook Messenger for Windows 7 up for download
The Facebook Messenger app for Windows 7 PCs that's been in testing since November is now available unofficially from a third party, TechIT found (direct download). Included in the app is the chat function, the ticker feed of friends' activity, and Facebook notifications. The app can snap to the side of the screen thanks to its dock feature.
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12/29, 2:10pm
Analyst breaks down Facebook mobile surge
A new study of Facebook use by Enders Analysis' Benedict Evans has shown that 300 million Facebook users out of the total 800 million, or about 38 percent, are using the social network through mobile apps at least once a month. The figure is dominated by Android and iOS, which combined are about two thirds of the entire share at 204.8 million. Although 70 percent of BlackBerry owners use the Facebook app, it has half as many monthly users as Android, at 48.3 million.
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12/28, 3:30pm
HP may have shopped around webOS before change
HP had tried to sell webOS before it settled on open-sourcing the platform, according to a rumor on Wednesday. Sources for VentureBeat claimed that HP had supposedly been asking for the same $1.2 billion that it paid for Palm in 2010 to avoid taking a loss. If it had been talking to Amazon and other companies, they may have balked given that HP was charging the same price for a division whose hardware had since been taken off the market.
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12/28, 9:30am
Glitches allegedly forced delay
Facebook will be bringing Timeline profiles to the iPad sometime between mid- to late January, according to a 9to5Mac source. The feature is already present in the native iPhone interface thanks to a mid-December update. Even though the Facebook iOS app is now universal, the iPad interface has yet to gain Timeline support.
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12/21, 9:35pm
Agency agrees with opt-in policy
A German government agency that oversees privacy issues has reportedly approved Google's implementation of facial recognition technology. Although the same agency has warned that it will take action against Facebook for using similar technology, the regulators are said to be less concerned with Google's opt-in approach.
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12/19, 7:00pm
Site moving away from social networking
Myspace has finally launched its redesigned site, which focuses on music discovery and playback. The improved media integration marks a dramatic strategy shift that was first announced several months ago by the site's new owner, Specific Media, in an attempt to rebrand the service as the "Hulu of music" rather than maintaining direct competition with Facebook as an alternative social network.
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12/18, 1:40pm
Facebook Timeline crosses over to iOS app
Facebook has followed up its bringing Timeline to Android with an update to the iOS version (App Store). Both iPhone and iPod touch owners will now see a touch-optimized version of the expanded profile when someone has it enabled. Timeline both provides a more visual look at a member's profile but also stretches back as many years as the person has info, stretching back as far as the person's birth.
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12/15, 8:25am
Facebook Timeline spreads to countries and apps
Facebook's Timeline feature reached worldwide Thursday as well as to more platforms. After having started in New Zealand, the history-based profiles are available in any country. Any user that goes through has a week to fine-tune the timeline to hide or show stories and photos before they become public.
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12/15, 1:55am
Facebook, Google, others top list
Management consulting firm Bain & Company was named the top company in the world to work for in Glassdoor.com's annual ranking of some 65,000 firms, with frequent top pick Facebook coming in at number three (a fall of two places from last year). Apple leapt ten spots in this year's ratings to capture the 10th place spot, with other tech firms such as Careerbuilder.com and Google also in the top 10.
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12/12, 11:45am
Nielsen says Android led by narrow app range
Android app use is dominated by just a handful of regular apps, Nielsen found on Monday. Regardless of age group, the six most-used apps always include Google's separately upgradeable apps as well as Facebook. Among other apps, the higher-ranked titles included Angry Birds as well as Advanced Task Killer Free, an app meant to cover the inability to truly quit apps not really addressed until Android 4.0.
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12/08, 11:55am
Hulu brings new Face Match feature to five shows
Hulu has just introduced a new feature for its streaming video service called Face Match. As the name suggests, it will have the ability to identify actors just by their face from clips and return more information about them. The feature requires users to just hover the mouse cursor over a character's face once the Hulu Face Match Engine is turned on.
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12/08, 5:05am
Facebook restructures ahead of IPO
Facebook has undertaken a major organizational restructure ahead of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the first half of next year. After several organizational shakeups early in its gestation, the company has been relatively stable for some time. The latest changes are the next steps in the company’s attempt to address key product areas including privacy and communication.
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12/07, 5:55pm
Facebook for Android updated
Facebook picked Wednesday to unveil a complete remake of its Android app (Market, live soon). Its interface takes cues from the gesture-driven iPad and iPhone versions with the typical Facebook menu hidden under the main feed and the notices in an always-available section up top. The UI has also been tuned for Android 4.0 users, with the familiar upper-right drop-down instead of resorting to a hidden menu.
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12/07, 4:45pm
Netflix and Hulu can use Facebook for video recs
The US Congress late Tuesday passed a modification to a law that would help get over blocks preventing Facebook integration with Hulu and Netflix. A change to the Video Privacy Protection Act backed by Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte would let users share their video habits online. Until now, the law required written consent, criminalizing attempts to share history or other more detailed content.
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12/07, 12:00pm
Nokia enhances Maps 3D with search, share, more
Nokia has now enhanced its web-based Nokia Maps 3D with the ability to search for attractions, restaurants and shops and get navigation guidance in 3D. Introduced back in April, the photorealistic 3D views are only available in the 25 major cities supported by the software. The search field will let users quickly find addresses, businesses and points of interest.
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12/06, 9:05pm
Facebook Timeline goes live belatedly
Facebook's Sam Lessin confirmed Tuesday that the social network's previously teased Timeline layout was going live. Shown over two months ago, the redesigned desktop and mobile page was going live for the general public in New Zealand first. It would go out "more broadly" soon, although Lessin didn't say when.
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