Facebook may launch ‘Slingshot’ Snapchat competitor this month
Facebook could be gearing up to introduce a Snapchat-like video message tool later this month, according to a Financial Times report. The app, known to staffers as ‘Slingshot,’ would enable users to send short video messages, and it would likely not be integrated with the social site’s other applications, such as Facebook Messenger. Based on the timing of Slingshot’s potential release, it’s possible that a team within the company began working on the app shortly after negotiations to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion failed late last year, leaving Facebook to build its own competitor from the ground up. Still, while the new app appears to be nearly ready for primetime, the launch apparently has yet to be approved — it’s possible that Slingshot may never see the light of day.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Via: Verge
Source: Financial Times
Facebook is testing cards feature for mobile experience
Facebook has recently been testing a new feature similar to Google Now cards on its iOS mobile app. Essentially, when you interact with your Facebook account, relevant information will be displayed for you to view and swipe away. From the picture we’ve seen, the information doesn’t look as detailed as Google Now’s traffic updates, package tracking, and sports.
We could be in for a surprise and I think it would be interesting to see Facebook take on a similar approach in the social media world, just like Google has already done in our daily lives. Nothing has been updated for Android users to get their hands on it, but I’m sure it won’t be long before we see a beta apk come along. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Gigaom
The post Facebook is testing cards feature for mobile experience appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Facebook reminds you to celebrate your first friend this Mother’s Day
Every now and again, Facebook likes to wheel out a clip to celebrate a special event, and today is no exception. If you are a mom, then congratulations, and if you have one, then why not take the Zuck’s advice and wish them a good one. Just remember, if you forgot to get a present, then breakfast in bed will do as a short-term solution until you can get to the store.
Samsung pushes throttle with EVO-series SSD and Facebook game [Review]
Last year we accepted Samsung’s challenge that claimed anyone would be capable of installing a solid-state drive. Taking apart my HP laptop was a frightening prospect but proved to be quite simple. The folks at Samsung have since launched their new EVO-series of SSD’s and I, once again, got my hands on one. Having upgraded to a more powerful laptop, the prospect of taking a screwdriver to it wasn’t any less clammy-hand inducing. I did it, however, and can tell you that speed is the name of Samsung’s game.
I’ve included the specs, below, but will try to spare you the minutiae of every improvement. What I will tell you is that Samsung has improved speed and performance with the 840 series. Already having a solid-state drive installed, the EVO SSD netted less dramatic results than you’ll experience if coming from an HDD. I did notice a much snappier response-time when installing software, during boot-up, and especially during video editing.
Samsung has also launched their new time-killer on Facebook, “The Fastest Game on Earth!”. Testing your response-time qualifies you for a daily chance at winning a 250GB 840 EVO. They’re giving away 50 of these bad-boys so get to clicking. https://www.facebook.com/SamsungSSD/app_299938406836487
You’re not using a CRT monitor and you’re certainly not loading up floppy-drives anymore so there’s really no excuse to be using archaic HDD’s either. I’ve gone SSD and refuse to look back. If you’re contemplating doing the same, my mileage with Samsung has given me no reason to look elsewhere.
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Data Sheet [PDF]
The post Samsung pushes throttle with EVO-series SSD and Facebook game [Review] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Facebook dumps the Poke and Camera apps you never used
Remember that Poke app that Facebook released a couple years ago? Yeah, we’re guessing no, which might explain why the company has decided to put the kibosh on it and pulled it from the App Store. If you did manage to snag the app back in the day, you might recall that it allowed you to not only “poke,” but also send a message, picture or video to Facebook friends, with those missives set to expire after 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. Also on the guillotine is Facebook’s standalone Camera app, which we’re not sure if anyone knew existed. Getting rid of these two apps isn’t entirely surprising, as features from both have been incorporated into the big blue one over the years. Though killing them seems counter to the company’s recent trend of unbundling its core app, we suspect it’s more to do with getting rid of the old to make room for the new. To those who want to keep poking their friends on Facebook though, don’t worry — you’re still able to do so via the web.
Filed under: Facebook
Source: The Verge
Image of Moto E leaks in Facebook post
It seems Motorola is getting ready to announce the successor of Moto X at the conference they are holding on May 13th, and it will be known as the Moto E. Motorola is planning to launch this new affordable smartphone in developing markets, and somebody was nice enough to put a picture of the Moto E right along with Moto X on Facebook, and then removing it afterward. But folks over at Android Police got their hands on the picture, have a look:
Well, it is similar to the Moto X in design, but who doesn’t like change, right? Motorola is planning to target the low-end market instead of launching high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One. Do you think Moto E will make a decent affordable smartphone?
Source: AndroidPolice
The post Image of Moto E leaks in Facebook post appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Facebook says it only needs Moves’ data to help build the app
When Facebook initially addressed concerns about Moves’ new privacy policy, it raised more questions than it answered: just what does it mean when it says Moves will share data? Does that mean advertisers will see your fitness routine? Well, the company has since given us a clarification — and it looks like the sharing is more innocuous than it seemed at first blush. The new policy only exists so that Facebook staffers can “actually work on building the app.” The social network needs access so that it can bolster Moves’ small development team and maintain the software as necessary.
Meanwhile, the social network has also elaborated on the “commingling” it wants to avoid. Simply put, there are “no plans” to bring any data from Moves into your Facebook account. The company doesn’t want to identify people who use both services and open the door to a myriad of privacy issues. You shouldn’t see unusually well-targeted running shoe ads in your News Feed, then, but it would have been great to have this clarity from the get-go.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
FCC’s new net neutrality rules face heavy opposition (update: vote still on schedule)
Despite FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s insistence that he is on the side of an open internet, the controversy over proposed net neutrality rules continues to expand. Resistance to the new rules is now coming from voices within the FCC and major internet companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Yahoo and more. The plan was for the five commissioners to vote on their approval next Thursday, but today one of them, Jessica Rosenworcel, called to push back that vote by a month (update: an FCC spokesman says the vote will go forward as scheduled). Citing “real concerns” with Wheeler’s proposal and a need for time to consider the “torrent of public response” received, she wants the delay so public conversation can continue. That would mean putting the agency’s legal staff out front to explain the measures and answer questions in ways that are accessible to the public, instead of starting a Sunshine Period that would end the ability to accept public comment.
.@techMSS There were folks in front of the @FCC earlier today: pic.twitter.com/9QrWp4ZaLn
– Alina Selyukh (@alinaselyukh) May 7, 2014
Comments from the public are getting noisier than ever also, as protesters were even marching in front of the FCC today. One of the other FCC commissioners, Mignon Clayburn, blogged about the concerns she expressed back in 2010 when the original rules were implemented, including prohibiting the controversial “pay for priority arrangements” completely.
Read my new blog on #NetNeutrality http://t.co/4DBY4zt96G
– Mignon Clyburn (@MClyburnFCC) May 7, 2014
Thoughts on #libraries, #ERate, #netneutrality: http://t.co/Fup5UsNz3T
– Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) May 7, 2014
At the same time, Gigaom points out that a number of internet companies have signed on to a letter (PDF) calling for the FCC to “protect users and Internet companies on both fixed and mobile platforms against blocking,discrimination, and paid prioritization and…make the market for Internet services more transparent.” Names on the letter include over 100 internet companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, Level 3, Cogent and many others.
Update: According to FCC spokesman Neil Grace, the vote will proceed as scheduled. “Chairman Wheeler fully supports a robust public debate on how best to protect the Open Internet, which is why he intends to put forward his proposals for public comment next week. Moving forward will allow the American people to review and comment on the proposed plan without delay, and bring us one step closer to putting rules on the books to protect consumers and entrepreneurs online.”
According to recent news reports, the Commission intends to propose rules that would enable phone and cable Internet service providers to discriminate both technically and financially against Internet companies and to impose new tolls on them. If these reports are correct, this represents a grave threat to the Internet.
Instead of permitting individualized bargaining and discrimination, the Commission’s rules should protect users and Internet companies on both fixed and mobile platforms against blocking, discrimination, and paid prioritization, and should make the market for Internet services more transparent. The rules should provide certainty to all market participants and keep the costs of regulation low.
Such rules are essential for the future of the Internet. This Commission should take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and commerce so that America continues to lead the world in technology markets.
Sincerely,
Amazon, Cogent, Dropbox, Ebay, Etsy, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Kickstarter, Level 3, LinkedIn, Lyft, Microsoft, Netflix, Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, Vonage Holdings Corp., Yahoo! Inc., Zynga
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook
Source: New America Letter to FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel, Mignon Clyburn, Gigaom
Moves will share fitness data with Facebook after all
When Facebook bought Moves, the companies swore that they wouldn’t “commingle” data and raise hackles among privacy-minded users. Many took that to mean that Facebook would take a largely hands-off approach to the fitness tracker. However, it now looks like the two companies may have just been wording their plans very carefully — Moves has updated its privacy policy to say that it will share information with Facebook to “help provide, understand, and improve” services. On the surface, that sounds like the very data mixing that wasn’t supposed to happen. What gives?
Facebook isn’t clarifying things much: a spokeswoman reiterated to the Wall Street Journal that there wouldn’t be any mingling, but also acknowledged that Moves would be sharing info. The truth, as Ars Technica suggests, may be complicated. While Facebook may not may be incorporating Moves’ data with its own, the phrasing would let it pass statistics along to advertisers; there’s a concern that companies might cross-reference Moves content with Facebook users and target their ads accordingly. If you start getting a lot of pitches for running shoes on your news feed, you’ll know what’s up.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Via: Ars Technica, The Verge
Source: Moves, Wall Street Journal
Norway’s VR test helps soldiers see through armored vehicles
There’s a good reason why games like Battlefield rarely offer a realistic view of what it’s like to steer armored vehicles: actual drivers have to either look through tiny portholes or risk getting shot. The Norwegian Army may not be so restricted in the future, though. It’s testing a system from MakingView that uses Oculus Rift VR helmets to help soldiers glimpse through a vehicle’s protective plating. The headset is linked to a set of cameras that, like a recent drone experiment, lets drivers simply look in a given direction to see what’s outside.
The technology isn’t always as effective as poking your head out of the cupola, at least not right now; the army is still using low-resolution Oculus hardware that can make you dizzy. However, it’s good enough that drivers can already get around without much help, letting the commander focus on the mission at hand. It also provides the overlays you’d expect from a video game, such as maps. The VR system could enter service within five years, so long as the military can afford it. Thankfully, there’s a good chance of that happening — a complete Oculus Rift setup costs just a fraction of what the government would pay for custom hardware.
[Thanks, Stein]
AIVAnet 