It sounds like Facebook Messenger will soon have more games
Facebook’s gaming aspirations are deeper than its Gameroom app and quick rounds of basketball, soccer (football to the rest of the world) and chess in Messenger. Zuckerberg and Co. are shopping a development kit to, well, third-party developers to bring more distractions to Facebook Messenger. The “Instant Games” toolset will launch later this month, according to a report from The Information.
Aside from those details, all that’s known is the social network is pushing for more asynchronous games than stuff where you’d be playing in real-time with another player. Which makes sense considering Words With Friends or Catan lends itself much more to the mobile platform than a Facebook game like Racing Legacy probably would. Hopefully when this launches it fares better than Messenger’s chatbots have.
Source: The Information
WhatsApp is reportedly developing its own Snapchat clone
WhatsApp is reportedly working on an ephemeral photo-narrative feature that’s in no way a rip-off of Snapchat. According to Mashable, the Facebook-owned messaging service is testing an image-sharing function called Status. The project was apparently uncovered by keen-eyed folks examining the most recent WhatsApp betas for iOS and Android. The plan appears to be that Status will slot in on the tab menu between Chats and Calls. There’ll even be the ability to create doodles and add text captions just like… you know.
Long before Snapchat was a huge deal, it was the subject of a buyout deal from Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg. Snapchat rebuffed the offer, and Facebook’s response has been to work relentlessly to undermine the object of its jilted affections. Instagram has been slowly drawing inspiration from its main rival, adding Instagram Stories to its core platform. In addition, Facebook tried to buy the “Asian Snapchat” this summer in the hope of curtailing its rival’s international growth. It’s a lesson to us all that if Mark Zuckerberg offers you $3 billion for something, maybe factor how much revenge he’ll exact if you say no.
Source: Mashable
The Engadget Podcast Ep 13: A Chicken with its Head Cut Off
Editor in chief Michael Gorman and executive editor Christopher Trout are in town this week and stop by to talk Peter Thiel, Vine and online voting with host Terrence O’Brien and reviews editor Cherlynn Low. Then, after they’ve had their fill of beating up on Thiel, the four will explore how dating and sex have changed in the age of apps. Warning, things get a little NSFW.
The Flame Wars Leaderboard
Wins
Loses
Winning %
Christopher Trout
5
1
.833
Mona Lalwani
3
1
.750
Dana Wollman
10
6
.625
Devindra Hardawar
10
9
.526
Chris Velazco
3
3
.500
Cherlynn Low
6
7
.461
Nathan Ingraham
4
6
.400
Michael Gorman
1
5
.167
Relevant links:
- Supporting Peter Thiel isn’t embracing ‘diversity’
- Facebook chief explains why Peter Thiel is still on the board
- Gawker settles with Hulk Hogan for a reported $31 million
- Is tech billionaire Peter Thiel prepping for a life in politics?
- Memories of a better Vine
- Twitter’s identity crisis killed Vine
- How to outsource your love life
- Ghosting redefined
- The incredibly sad world of niche dating apps
You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Facebook
Subscribe on Google Play Music
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe on Stitcher
Subscribe on Pocket Casts
Facebook Plans to Make Camera More Prominent in Mobile App, Akin to Snapchat
During a quarterly earnings meeting yesterday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg briefly commented on the status of the company’s mobile app experience, mentioning a belief that “a text box is still the default way we share.” As reported by Bloomberg, the CEO said that the next step for Facebook on smartphones is a camera-first experience that changes status updates from simple written posts to dynamic photos and videos.
As it stands, when the Facebook app is opened today users must click on “Photo” at the top of the app to begin a status update, then navigate to the Camera icon among their photos in order to take a picture or record a video. Zuckerberg’s vision is one more akin to Snapchat’s camera-first user interface, but on Facebook it’s described as “a swipe away,” hinting that it could be introduced as a new left-to-right swipe, replace the friends list currently in the menu that appears after a right-to-left swipe, or come in from the top of the screen.
Facebook’s Olympics update in Canada and Brazil introduced a camera-first experience
“In most social apps today, a text box is still the default way we share,” Zuckerberg said. “Soon, we believe a camera will be the main way that we share.”
The Facebook camera itself will be updated with new features as well, including new augmented reality filters — like the ones that appeared on Halloween — and “have many of the same features Snapchat has,” according to AdAge. Facebook’s move to put itself more in line with Snapchat has stretched into its other apps, including Instagram, and the new camera-first mindset from the social media company is said to be something it’s looking to implement in Facebook Messenger (which it’s already begun to do) as well as WhatsApp.
For the third quarter, Facebook reported that sales grew 56 percent to $7.01 billion, 84 percent of which was generated on mobile devices. In total, advertising sales account for more than 97 percent of the company’s revenue, but CFO David Wehner mentioned that the company will begin “limiting its ad load” so as not to turn away daily users, which rose to 1.18 billion in Q3 2016.
In regards to the new camera-focused update, Zuckerberg said that “it will start to roll out broadly across the world, hopefully sooner rather than later.” In a small test in Brazil and Canada, Facebook tried out a Snapchat-like experience in its iOS app over the summer, updating it in those countries with a front-facing camera that appears when users open the app and letting them add various themes and filters onto their selfies inspired by the Olympics.
Tag: Facebook
Discuss this article in our forums
Facebook racks up more users, nearly triples profits
While Twitter is trying to rebuild itself, Facebook recorded yet another blockbuster quarter. Over the past three months, the social network had $7.01 billion in revenue and $2.38 billion in profits, which is an astounding 166 percent increase over this time last year. You read that right; Facebook’s profits this quarter has nearly tripled year-over-year.
A big part of that growth lies in mobile advertising. 84 percent of its ad revenue comes from mobile, and the number of mobile monthly active users has risen to 1.66 billion, an increase of 20 percent year-over-year. In fact, a whopping 1.055 billion of its users are mobile-only. An average of 1.09 billion people use Facebook via mobile on a daily basis. Its total monthly active users has grown too, to about 1.79 billion people. That’s a 16 percent growth from this time last year.
In the earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that going forward, the company is putting video first. “We’re prioritizing to put video first across our family of apps,” he said. “We think the camera will be the main way people share.”
He called out the rise of Facebook Live, which he said has grown four times since May. People from all over the world are broadcasting live from Facebook, he said. Instagram Stories, which incorporates both photos and videos that disappear in 24 hours, has also gained more users. It now has more than 100 million daily active users, as does Instagram Explore. Look forward to more visual messaging tools over the next few months, he said.
Zuckerberg mentioned a three phase approach in how he hopes to grow Facebook’s apps over the next few years. The first phase would be to deliver a great consumer experience, the second would be so users could interact organically with businesses and the third is to give businesses more ways to reach people. He said that Instagram is now in the third phase, with over 500 million monthly active users and 300 million users who use it daily. Messenger is in the second phase, and he said that the messaging platform now has around 33,000 bots from a variety of businesses. WhatsApp will be starting on the second phase next.
A big contributing factor to Facebook’s growth is also its efforts with Internet.org, which is its initiative to spread internet in developing countries. He said that Internet.org has already connected more than 40 million people.
Next, Zuckerberg talked about how the company is investing in tech like Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said that Facebook is already seeing impact in how AI can have an impact in enhancing people’s experiences on Facebook, like filtering out clickbait stories and finding terrorist propaganda. It’s still early days, he said, but he hopes AI can be used to improve the quality of News Feed in general.
As for VR, he reiterated the news announced at Oculus Connect, which is that Touch controllers are arriving in early December and the next phase in VR would be focusing mostly on great software experiences. Indeed, he said the company is going to be investing over $250 million on developing more VR concepts.
“Everything we do is about opening the world to everyone and helping more people to connect and share,” said Zuckerberg.
Source: Facebook
Black Caucus: Facebook ads violate discrimination laws
Facebook’s practice of letting advertisers exclude racial groups from targeted ads has caught the eye of US lawmakers. “We are writing to express our deep concerns with reports that Facebook’s ‘Ethnic Affinities’ advertising customization feature allows for advertisers to exclude specific racial and ethnic groups when placing housing advertisements,” the Congressional Black Caucus said in a letter to Facebook. “This is in direct violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.”
The practice was reported last week by ProPublica, which took out a housing ad to show how it could exclude potential buyers with African American, Asian American or Hispanic “ethnic affinities.” While Facebook doesn’t collect racial data, its algorithms can essentially guess ethnicity based on your activities and interests.
Facebook defended the practice, telling USA Today that “multicultural marketing is a common practice in the ad industry and helps brands reach audiences with more relevant advertising.” However, it added that “we’ve heard from groups and policy makers who are concerned about some of the ways our targeting tools could be used by advertisers. We are listening and working to better understand these concerns.”
With two percent of Facebook’s US employees being African American, and four percent Hispanic, we remain convinced that a stronger commitment to diversifying the ranks of your company, especially in senior management positions … will help in ensuring that innovative and inclusive platforms continue to be promoted by your company.
Facebook has been criticized for failing to improve its ethnic diversity, as the percentage of African-American and Latino workers hasn’t budged since 2014. The Congressional Black Caucus members, including Reps. Robin Kelly, Yvette Clarke, Emanuel Cleaver and CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield, feel that may be part of the problem.
“With two percent of Facebook’s US employees being African American, and four percent Hispanic, we remain convinced that a stronger commitment to diversifying the ranks of your company, especially in senior management positions … will help in ensuring that innovative and inclusive platforms continue to be promoted by your company,” they wrote.
As ProPublica points out, publishers like Facebook can be sued over racially biased ads, even though they’re not directly responsible for the content. For instance, The New York Times went to court in 1989 over violations of the Fair Housing Act, and was forced to pay damages and change its policies. It now reviews ads for racially biased phrases, and forces housing advertisers to use pictures of people that are “representative of the racial makeup in the metropolitan area.”
The Black Caucus wrote that “it is our strong desire to see Facebook address this issue immediately,” and asked the social network to outline steps it’s taking to prevent “discriminatory housing practices.”
Via: USA Today
Source: The Hill
The Morning After: Wednesday November 2nd, 2016
Yes, it’s the start of hump day, but you may have missed Google revealing unpatched Windows 10 bugs, the truth of the dark web and (in cheerier news) our beautiful Engadget Holiday Gift Guide. We also take a closer look at Xiaomi’s plan to become more than just the king of budget smartphones.
It’s always good to find bugs in the competitionGoogle reveals unpatched Windows bug that hackers are exploiting
Google announced that it had found previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in both Windows and Flash last month, and while Adobe had fixed its issue by October 26th, Microsoft has yet to do so. Worse still, Google says that hackers are “actively exploiting” the flaw. Microsoft responded by saying that enhancements from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update protected computers from this vulnerability. There is, however, a patch coming on November 8th.
Holidays are here (again)Stuck for presents? Already? We may have a few ideas …
A hundred and twenty of them, in fact. It’s our biggest guide ever, separated into ten categories, divided further by price. The aim is to offer suggestions for pretty much every reader. Or relative of an Engadget reader. Hopefully. Take a dive.
eSports continues its marchWatch out, Twitch and YouTube: Facebook wants to get deeper into eSports
Given its continued growth, it’s not surprising that Facebook is showing increased interest in professional gaming. The social network has already partnered with publishers like Activision Blizzard to bring daily content to Facebook Live, but now it’s apparently been holding talks to stream professional gaming matches with companies like Super Evil Megacorp. Facebook is in talks with Activision to acquire streaming rights to more eSport competitions — putting it in direct competition with other streamers like YouTube and Twitch.
It must be doing something rightXiaomi aims for more than king of the budget smartphones
The company’s ludicrous Mi MIX phone didn’t happen overnight. Here’s how the company (with some Philippe Starck magic) managed to make a device with a near-bezel-less display and fancy ceramic body — and why it did it.
Time to get politicalZoltan Istvan wants your vote for US president
Not happy with the current choices for president? Engadget interviewed Transhumanist Party candidate Zoltan Istvan about his platform, which is “putting science, health and technology at the forefront of American politics.”
It doesn’t danceThe first phone with Google’s Project Tango augmented reality tech is here
The $499 Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is packed with sensors and cameras that let it “see” its environment better than any phone before. Playing “Pokémon Go” is one thing, but Project Tango apps go even further, blending virtual objects with real life or using the phone itself as a precise motion controller. Still, we’ll need software that goes beyond furniture shopping or toy car racing to prove Tango is at the must-have level of GPS.
The follow-up to the Galaxy Note 7 of electric vehiclesThe Fisker EMotion shows off drool-worthy specs and design
Sure, the Fisker Karma will go down as a smoky footnote in EV history, but its creator is back to try again with the EMotion. Henrik Fisker tweeted pictures of this slick design and pie-in-the-sky specs (fully autonomous driving, carbon fiber, 400 miles of range, 161 mph top speed, butterfly doors) while claiming it will start shipping in mid-2017. You probably have a better shot at getting a Model 3.
But wait, there’s more…
- For the next two years, customers will be allowed to (try to) repair their own electronics
- Terbium Labs claims the dark web is far less intimidating than it seems
- Roli’s touch-sensitive music-making blocks won’t break your budget
Facebook blocks UK insurer from profiling users for discounts
When you’re a first-time driver, getting a reasonable car insurance quote can be a tricky affair. Age and inexperience on the road result in higher premiums, which only come down after you’ve proven you’re not a danger to yourself or others for a number of years. Some insurance providers have offered ways to bring costs down by asking customers to drive with a companion app but one UK company, Admiral, decided to take the unusual step of tapping into car owners’ Facebook accounts to assess their personality and decide whether they deserve a discount. At least that was the plan.
The Guardian reports that Admiral’s “firstcarquote” initiative was designed to reward drivers who appear to be conscientious and well-organised, at least according to their social media presence. It attempts to detect people who seem overconfident, looking out for overuse of exclamation marks (!!!) and trigger words like “always” or “never” counting against them.
Admiral was meant to launch firstcarquote this week but a notice on the company’s website says it “still has to sort a few final details.” What it doesn’t tell you is that Facebook has outright blocked the tool. An Open Rights Group statement confirms that firstcarquote contravenes Facebook’s Platform Policy section 3.15, which states: “Don’t use data obtained from Facebook to make decisions about eligibility, including whether to approve or reject an application or how much interest to charge on a loan.”
Admiral has yet to confirm whether it will be able to navigate around the block but says an applicant’s data (which won’t include photos) will be compared with thousands of other customers to “form a prediction about the way you might drive.” Users won’t be penalized for following a controversial page, nor will they be judged on something they posted way back in the past. The system takes into account the last six months of an person’s Facebook history and only accesses their account when they apply.
Admiral’s Facebook-centric initiative appears rudimentary but it’s insistent that as more first-time drivers apply and sign up, it can make more correlations between social media and claims data, allowing the model to evolve over time. In a similar move, health insurance company Aetna is giving its employees Apple Watches to help collect data and encourage a more active lifestyle.
Whether younger drivers will soon start going back through their social histories to delete what they deem to be unflattering in order to save money (up to £350) remains to be seen. Facebook is staunchly defensive of its platform and its action against Admiral has already won support from digital rights groups. Open Rights Group, for example, said: “Young people may feel pushed into such schemes because of financial constraints. The right to keep things private shouldn’t be the preserve of those who can afford it.”
Via: The Guardian
Source: Admiral’s FirstCarQuote
Gameroom is Facebook’s antiquated answer to Steam
Back in August Facebook announced its PC gaming platform as a partnership with the Unity developer toolset. There are a few more details now, and from the sounds of it, Facebook Gameroom is basically Steam from 2009, but for Facebook games — both web and those natively built for the ecosystem. The social network is starting small: games can’t be any larger than 200MB, although it will “consider” hosting games up to 500MB on a case-by-case basis, according to the service. That automatically rules out something like, say, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition’s 58GB, but smaller fare like Desert Golf’s 1MB size would have plenty of room to spare.
Gameroom has been in beta for a bit — Game of Dice came out last week — but this seems like the platform’s big roll out, with a free client download for Windows 7 and above. In our tests, Words With Friends, Trivia Crack, Peter Molyneux’s Curiosity showed up as available games. And, well, none of them worked when we tried opening them. Those that did, like Scrabble, launched what looks like a web page within the program itself. There’s even a browser compatibility check. First-person shooter Critical Ops, on the other hand, downloaded 100MB worth of files before it would start.
Currently, Gameroom feels like something that’s been gathering dust for awhile. It’s kludgy and there really isn’t anything worth playing on it. But, given that Facebook is adamant about making sure everyone will be jacked into VR, the company needs its own way to sell games to people like your elderly uncle or grandma. Gameroom might seem foreign to you and me, but for a vast swath of the folks playing games on Facebook, it’s the other way around with GOG, Origin and Steam. And those people are who this service is for.
Source: Facebook Developers
Facebook reportedly planning deeper dive into eSports
The exponential growth of eSports is undeniable, especially as it continues to be embraced by big-name entities such as ESPN, Amazon and many others. Not surprisingly, Facebook too has shown interest in professional gaming, namely by partnering with publishers like Activision Blizzard to bring daily content to Facebook Live. Now, according to The Information, the social network is ready to double down on eSports video programming, which could make it a direct competitor to Twitch and YouTube.
Facebook is said to have recently held “extensive” talks with Super Evil Megacorp, the developer behind mobile eSport title Vainglory, to stream professional matches on its platform. That said, Kristian Segerstrale, Super Evil Megacorp’s chief operating officer, told The Information a deal isn’t set in stone yet. The report also claims that, per sources familiar with the situation, Facebook is in active conversations with Activision to acquire streaming rights to more eSport competitions.
Since launching Facebook Live last year, the company has been investing heavily in the technology. With this in mind, wanting to promote something as popular as eSports makes total sense. It would also be a great thing for eSports, of course, since it would be making its presence felt on a platform with nearly 2 billion monthly users.
Source: The Information
AIVAnet 