Facebook is buying WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion in Cash and Stock
Something tells me that Facebook wants a stake in the instant messaging market… It was announced today that Facebook is buying WhatsApp today in a blockbuster deal that is going include up to $12 billion in Facebook stock and $4 billion in cash going to WhatsApp, with an additional $3 billion in stock to be given to the messaging giant once the deal is finalized.
That’s an absolutely massive amount of money considering that one of Facebook’s other major acquisitions, Instagram, by comparison, saw only $1 billion change hands, but perhaps unsurprising considering how popular WhatsApp’s mobile app is around the world. Much like the Instagram acquisition though, Facebook isn’t looking to absorb WhatsApp into Facebook itself, instead leaving it as is as a separate service.
Key stats of WhatsApp that Facebook will be acquiring include:
- Over 450 million people using the service each month;
- 70% of those people active on a given day;
- Messaging volume approaching the entire global telecom SMS volume; and
- Continued strong growth, currently adding more than 1 million new registered users per day.
With Facebook slowly moving its tendrils into all communication markets, we can only wonder what they are eying next to acquire. What do you think about Facebook buying WhatsApp?
Source: Facebook via Android Police
Preview of the Faint Icon Pack, by Joshua Masih: icons served with a side of Beautiful
Icon lovers will know this feeling very well: sometimes, you’ll just be scrolling through your news feed when all of a sudden, something catches your eye; an icon pack so beautiful that you think you might shed a tear. That’s exactly what went through my mind when I first saw Joshua Masih tease his Faint icons, and thankfully, Joshua’s given me a preview of the Faint icon pack as part of the beta and check out his wonderful work.
As I mentioned in the video, the Faint icon pack already has over 650 icons, and counting, as Joshua continues to update the pack as he goes. I really, really like these icons; the whole gradient and shadow combination makes for some really impressive looking icons. I really do think something different needs to be done with the masking of the unthemed icons, however, Joshua informs me that this masking has improved immensely since the version I tested.
This is the beta though, so when the Faint icon pack is officially available on February 22nd (that’s just 3 days away!), the pack will likely have many more features, including an app for customizing wallpaper and the like. While you can’t purchase the icon pack just yet, you’ll want to follow Joshua on Google+ here for any updates that he posts about Faint and his other great icon packs.
The Supersmoker Bluetooth pairs an electronic cigarette with a speakerphone
We’ve been punked, right? This thing can’t possibly actually exist. We’ve seen plenty of ridiculous inventions in our day, but a combination electronic cigarette and speakerphone? What the what? According to the people behind this abomination, the Supersmoker Bluetooth “aesthetically combines the convenience of electronic smoking with modern-day technology.” (Given that there are bigger fish to fry here, we’ll forgive them for calling a speakerphone “modern-day technology.”) From what we can tell, the Supersmoker Bluetooth is real, and it’s available now from a Dutch e-tailer in black, silver and gold for the princely sum of €84.90 (about $117). Oh, and it plays music, too.
Good lord. They even made a video:
Filed under: Household, Peripherals, Wireless
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Supersmoker Club, Supersmoker Bluetooth
Compare two generations of gaming across four platforms with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Like so many games launching at the end of 2013 and throughout 2014, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes straddles both last generation (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3) and the current one we’ve just entered (Xbox One/PlayStation 4). Given Metal Gear‘s history of gorgeous visuals, the question asked itself: what will Ground Zeroes look like on aging game consoles compared to the new shiny ones? It turns out that Kojima Products, the studio behind Ground Zeroes, has exactly the answer we were looking for in the form of a brand new comparison video.
If anything, we’re most shocked by how great it still looks on the older consoles! Of course, for those of you still fighting the console wars, there’s the (negligible) difference between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to analyze. Head below to take a look for yourself.
Currents officially transitions to Google Play Newsstand with latest update
When Google Play Newsstand made its debut back in November, the folks in Mountain View let us know that Currents would be merged with the new app. Well, the day has come when Currents officially bites the dust. With a recent update, users are prompted to click through to Newsstand when trying to access the shuttered software and all current subscriptions are ported over automatically. After you swipe over the first time, Currents will be disabled and its icon disappears from the Apps menu. Of course, iOS users are still waiting for Google’s Newsstand to hit their mobile devices, which is expected to happen soon.
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: Android Police
Google I/O Conference Gets its Dates on the Calendar
Google I/O has finally been scheduled this year, and the dates you should mark on your calendar are June 25th and the 26th. Many of us were wondering when Google was going to plan their developer conference, and it was Sundar Pichai to the rescue.
Apparently there will be a sort of different registration process to get into the event, which Google will announce next month. They don’t plan on doing a first come, first serve registration, but rather have people apply then they will get back to those certain applicants. Probably because they don’t want a bunch of random tech enthusiasts and they want more developers to attend. Let us know if you plan on going.
Source: Android Police
Facebook Buying Messaging App WhatsApp for $16 Billion
Facebook is buying the hugely popular WhatsApp for $16 billion according to a filing with the SEC. The purchase, $4 billion in cash plus $12 billion in Facebook shares and potential for an additional $3 billion in employee stock payouts, will see WhatsApp founder Jan Koum joining Facebook’s board of directors.
WhatsApp Messenger is a hugely popular cross-platform messaging app that allows users to chat with individuals or groups, as well as sending files and pictures back and forth.
Back in December, the service bragged that it had 400 million active users, with 100 million of those added in the last four months of 2013. Back in April of 2013, it was rumored that Google was close to acquiring the company for $1 billion — something WhatsApp denied. Today’s sale price reflects the company’s tremendous growth over the last several months.
The service is one of many messaging services available on iOS and other mobile platforms, including Apple’s own iMessage service integrated into iOS and OS X. Such services have become increasingly popular as users seek to avoid mobile carriers’ SMS charges and expand their conversations to include devices not directly connected to cellular service.
The company’s app is currently the 35th most popular on the App Store. WhatsApp Messenger is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]
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MasterCard and Visa users may soon flip the switch on KitKat NFC payments
With a consumer reception that could be described as lukewarm at best, mobile payments haven’t exactly been a raging success. Despite Google’s efforts, Wallet failed to take off, while Isis also continues to struggle, despite support from major US carriers. Now, MasterCard and Visa are readying yet another potential solution, this time tapping the new Host Card Emulation (HCE) support in Android 4.4. The service, which is only supported in NFC-enabled KitKat phones, stores credit card info remotely rather than on an embedded “secure element,” expanding compatibility beyond pre-approved apps.
With HCE, when you go to make a payment, your phone will transfer credit card data directly to the NFC terminal, without storing it in your handset. MasterCard and Visa are both working to finalize the specification, following various trials over the last few months. Ideally, a significant number of credit card holders will be able to take advantage of HCE-enabled payments beginning later in 2014, with more details to come in the first half of this year.
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: MasterCard, Visa
Google to hold its I/O 2014 conference on June 25th and 26th
Mark your calendars, everyone: Sundar Pichai has just announced that Google I/O 2014 will be held between June 25th and 26th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Registration info and other details are coming next month. It’s too soon for any big clues as to what will be unveiled this year, although Google used its 2013 I/O presentations to announce All Access music streaming, its first Google Play Edition phone and the Glass Developer Kit. We’d expect similarly grandiose things this time around, especially when the search giant wants to sell Glass to the general public before the year is out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Sundar Pichai (Google+)
Engadget HD Podcast 386 – 2.19.14
Updates, apps and mergers are piling up as we head deeper into 2014, leaving little room for idle chatter as Ben and Richard get down to business. The Comcast and Time Warner Cable deal is still reverberating through the news and it’s dovetailing with yet another Apple TV rumor. Google’s giving Chromecast apps the green light following a period of Android device updates and AllCast has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Mountain View’s dongle. Showtime hits Roku, Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show gets companion apps and Netflix adds new seasons to its stable of shows. The Engadget HD Podcast is dropping some science this week, so be sure to tune in at the streaming links below.
Hosts: Richard Lawler, Ben Drawbaugh
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
00:05:21 – Comcast and Time Warner Cable’s $45 billion merger puts 30 million customers under one roof
00:13:43 – Netflix report suggests Comcast and Verizon FiOS speeds are slipping
00:30:49 – Report: A new Apple TV is on the way, pending a deal with Time Warner Cable
00:45:37 – Sony sold 5.3 million PS4s already, hits sales target with weeks to spare
00:47:12 – First Xbox One feature update goes live
00:55:12 – Xbox One Media Remote briefly surfaces, hints at March 4th release
01:01:39 – Google deems Android ready for more Chromecast apps, lets the floodgates open
01:02:40 – Chromecast’s Fireplace Visualizer hopes to set hearts aflame on Valentine’s Day
01:03:39 – AllCast creator demos Android screen mirroring through Chromecast
01:05:00 – Showtime’s Anytime app arrives on Roku
01:06:07 – The Tonight Show relaunches with Jimmy Fallon, and of course it has companion apps
01:08:25 – House of Cards season two is ready for viewing on Netflix
01:09:43 – Orange is the New Black season two hits Netflix on June 6th
01:10:29 – Must See HDTV for the week of February 17th: Winter Olympics, Daytona 500 and Strider
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS – AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS – MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator.
Contact the podcast:
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