Facebook has introduced a new feature today that allows users to select a legacy contact, who will be able to manage their account after they pass away. Once Facebook has been notified of a user passing away, the social network will ‘memorialize’ the account and enable access to the legacy contact who can manage the profile.

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Facebook has introduced a new feature today that allows users to select a legacy contact, who will be able to manage their account after they pass away. Once Facebook has been notified of a user passing away, the social network will ‘memorialize’ the account and enable access to the legacy contact who can manage the profile.

Once everything is configured, this contact will be able to announce a memorial service (or share a personal message) on the top of the Timeline, respond to new friend requests, update profile and cover photos, and even download an archive of photos, posts and profile information that person shared on Facebook. Note that personal messages will be off limits and the legacy contact is unable to log in as the deceased.

The legacy contacts feature is currently rolling out in the US to begin with and Facebook will expand the rollout to more countries over time. If you’d rather not have someone access your profile once you’ve passed away, you can simply have Facebook delete your account altogether.

Source: Facebook

UPDATE – This issue has now been resolved and users should be able to see updates within the app accordingly now.

In related Facebook news, as many folks have now noticed and shared in the CrackBerry Forums, the Facebook app on BlackBerry is having some issues right now. More precisely, when you sort your newsfeed by ‘Most Recent’ it displays an error rather than showing you the latest updates. However, ‘Top Stories’ is still working and pulling in data. We reached out to BlackBerry to see if they were aware of the issue and indeed, they are and it’s currently being looked into, although there is no ETA for a fix yet. That said, we’ll update this post when things get back into a working order. Until then, don’t die.

In-app ad provider AdDuplex will offer Windows Phone developers a new type of banner ad they can use in their releases. These interstitial ads will take up most of the screen and are designed primarily for games, although they can be used for any type of apps.

Today is the day! Microsoft has confirmed that the long awaited Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones will be pushing out later on today.

From Microsofts Gabe Aul:

“Okay #WindowsInsiders, you’ve all been patient enough. TODAY is the day for Win10 Technical Preview for phones. Stay tuned for more info.”

Sit tight. We’ll be back with more soon!

There’s an increasing number of people with a smartphone, tablet, or laptop in their hands during TV time. Whether it’s for social commentary on your network of choice, completing a task during the commercial breaks, or you just want your internet connection handy in case an argument breaks out about some tiny detail (try watching “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” in a room full of nerds), having your tech nearby is a must for some. This behavior, coupled with a desire to keep users focused on the core show as much as possible, has given rise to an increasing number of Second Screen apps for TV shows.

The newly revealed Phorm case for the iPad mini will create disappearing physical key-hump things over the tablet’s touchscreen keyboard, and in theory offer what the developers at Tactus hope is a better typing experience.

Phorm is a two part case, with one part that goes on the back and wraps around the sides, and the other part which is a transparent screen that goes on top of the tablet’s display. The screen contains microfluidic channels that are activated when a slider is moved on the back of the case. The transparent keys on the screen then rise up on top of the virtual keyboard.

The Phorm case is currently available for $99 during its pre-order period, but the price will go up to $149 when it launches sometime in the summer of 2015. This case is obviously not compatible with any third party keyboard for the tablet, and could become useless if Apple decides to change the virtual keyboard or if you prefer to type sideways. There are plans to launch a similar case for the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPad Air in the future.

Source: Phorm

The folks from ReFocus Tech have been back in the app lab and this time around they’ve rolled out a new update to their augmented reality app ARKick that allows you to discover venues around you. The additions in this latest build should please not only current owners of the app through the various bug fixes it offers, but also those who might have bought ARKick previously and then moved in either a BlackBerry Passport or BlackBerry Classic, only to find those two devices weren’t fully supported by the app.

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While you’re waiting on downloading the Windows 10 Technical Preview to your phone, or waiting to see what others say, how about this. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore has released a much anticipated first look video of how it all looks for us to enjoy.

We’re in beautiful San Francisco today for a quick meet-and-greet with Xiaomi, and the Chinese company just let loose a pretty major statistic. There are now 100 million active users of MIUI, the highly visual fork of Android built and maintained by Xiaomi.

In addition, Xiaomi co-founder and president Bin Lin says five of the top eight Android phones activated (we’re presuming he meant in China) were Xiaomi devices. Specifically, the Xiaomi Mi 2S, Mi 3, Redmi Note, Redmi 1s and the original Redmi.