Facebook redesigns its news feed — again
In a never-ending bid to make its news feed easier to use, Facebook has changed its look yet again. For one thing, the font will now be in Helvetica for Macs and Arial for PCs, which will make it look a lot like the fonts already in use elsewhere on your computer. Further, different shared stories will no longer have indentations when a friend leaves a comment, and will instead be separated out into its own post for the sake of a less messy interface. The left-hand column, previously cluttered with icons, is now much lighter and cleaner. Lastly, shared photos will now be in full-width, while multiple photos will be presented in a collage. The roll out begins today, so keep hitting refresh — hopefully you’ll get to see it before Facebook’s next round of redesigns.
Update: As Re/code explains it, this latest redesign is a result of poor testing of the design it showed off last March. That particular look was only rolled out to a small percentage of users, almost all of whom disliked it, which prompted a complete UI rethink. Therefore if the left-hand column above doesn’t look all that different to you, it’s because you never received last year’s redesign in the first place. The primary difference that you’ll see in the latest redesign is that the photos on your news feed will be much bigger.
Filed under: Facebook
Source: TechCrunch, Re/code
Facebook and Instagram step in with age limits on firearms ads, new rules for sellers
For most, Facebook’s “Look Back” videos were a whimsical retrospective covering a decade of social networking. For Moms Demand Action, an advocacy group that supports gun control laws, the nostalgic campaign was a opportunity to be heard. The group published a parody Look Back video highlighting pages and posts that use the social network to set up gun sales between private parties, some of which violated Facebook’s community standards. Now, Zuckerberg and Co. have responded, announcing a handful of new policies designed to help keep posts promoting the sale of regulated goods within the letter of the law.
It’s a challenging situation, Facebook says — the social network doesn’t want to restrict its users’ ability to communicate or express themselves on the service, but also recognizes that its communication platform can be abused. To this end, it’s instituting a series of “educational and enforcement efforts for people discussing the private sale of regulated items.” Specifically, Facebook will limit access to posts promoting the private sale of regulated items (read: firearms) to users over the age of 18. Folks posting this material will also receive a friendly reminder to keep their business legal. Pages and groups promoting the same activity will also be required to use language reminding folks that there are specific rules and regulations policing the sale of such goods, and likewise, these pages will also be blocked to users under 18.
There will be a few rules about how users can promote their private sales as well, forbidding language that “indicates a willingness to evade or help others evade the law.” This means posts offering to sell weapons across state lines without employing a licensed firearms dealer are strictly forbidden, as are posts advertising “no background check required.” While the legal necessity of the latter stipulation actually varies from state to state, Facebook’s umbrella policy is probably wise — it’s better to play it safe when allowing your users to trade in weaponry.
In addition to the new rules for posts, pages and groups, Facebook says that users searching for firearm sales or promotions on Instagram will be offered special in-app education, presumably reminding them to check their local laws to ensure their transactions are legitimate. Finally, the company pledges to actively remove violating content and notify law enforcement when things get too shady — and naturally, the firm encourages its users to report anything that violates the new or existing policies. It’s not the full firearm-promotion ban that some advocacy groups wanted, but Facebook says it feels that it’s the “right approach in balancing people’s desire to express themselves while promoting a safe, responsible community.”
Filed under: Facebook
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Facebook
10 Years in Social Media
It’s our birthday! And there’s a good chance you found out via one of two social networks. However, back in 2004, when Engadget launched, Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter still hadn’t hatched. While the former catered to Harvard’s elite, Friendster and Myspace were still schooling us in the ways of social networking. Fast-forward 10 years, and Friendster is a social gaming platform, Myspace is a sounding board for musicians, Facebook and Twitter are both publicly traded companies and hashtags aren’t just a thing, they’re an epidemic.
Every week in March, we’ll bring you a new story that explores how the social landscape has changed since our inception. So grab a glass of bubbly, raise a toast and dig in. Here’s to 10 Years in Social Media!
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Where are they now? The travels and trash talk of Myspace Tom
It was 2009 and things weren’t looking good for Myspace. According to comScore, Facebook logged 307.1 million visitors globally that April, while Myspace failed to reach even half of that with 123.3 million users. One month later, Facebook inched out ahead of its predecessor for the first time in the US. There was no turning back.
Today, Myspace is showing growth with 36 million users last October, up from 32.6 million the previous June, but it’s largely lost its cultural cachet and barely resembles the site that captured the world’s attention years ago. Under new ownership, Myspace has refocused its vision as a platform for musicians, re-upped its design and landed itself a hot new celebrity spokesman/investor. Justin Timberlake is bringing the sexy back to the social network, but whatever happened to Myspace Tom?
Tom Anderson was everyone’s first friend on Myspace, but when traffic started to decline, there were no warm feelings for Anderson and his co-founder Chris DeWolfe. In April 2009, News Corp. let DeWolfe go, while Anderson, then the company’s president, stayed on in a diminished capacity. But in February of the following year, the face of Myspace was replaced by another “Tom” (Today on Myspace) as users’ first friend.
Life is good for Myspace Tom, and he’s not afraid to flaunt it.
Although retired, he hasn’t left Myspace altogether, at least not as a user. His last post to the site appeared in June of last year, and broadcasted to a relatively small group of about 13,000 followers that he’d just finished listening to six songs from Mumford & Sons. That’s not to say he’s given up his passion for social media, however. In fact, he’s keeping his one-time competitors in the money. At last count, Anderson had 216,000 followers on Twitter and 51,471 on Instagram, where he’s pledged an unambitious goal to “create one good photo a day.”
His not-quite-daily updates to Instagram show a man leading a life of leisure. He spent Christmas Eve in Hanoi, Vietnam and New Year’s Day in Singapore. Late last year, he posted an image of the world surrounded by various religious symbols, saying that he’d visited nine countries in two months.
Life is good for Myspace Tom, and he’s not afraid to flaunt it. In a heated Twitter exchange over Instagram’s new terms of service in 2012, Anderson mocked the working class while touting the payout he and his fellow co-founders received when News Corp. acquired the social network in 2005.
@polotapia says the guy who sold myspace in 2005 for $580 million while you slave away hoping for a half-day off
– Tom Anderson (@myspacetom) December 20, 2012
But it hasn’t been all Sutro sunsets and internet class clashes for Anderson. Despite his self-proclaimed retirement, he’s been attached to real estate ventures in Vegas and a Facebook gambling app called RocketFrog, also backed by Brody Jenner.
Advising on an online casino is a far cry from taking social networking mainstream, but then the internet of today looks a whole hell of a lot different from the one Myspace dominated. When News Corp. bought Myspace for $580 million in 2005, no one could have predicted its biggest competitor would eventually buy a mobile messaging app for $19 billion.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’ll bring you a new story every week in March that explores how the social media landscape has changed. Check out our hub every Wednesday for more from of our 10 Years in Social Media series, and keep your eyes out for more ’10 Years In’ content in the months to come.
Lead image: Tom from Myspace and Ted Skillet from Myspace during Ted Skillet’s 30th Birthday Celebration at Aura Nightclub in Pleasanton, California, United States. (Photo by Kevin Sam/FilmMagic)
Yahoo will stop users logging into its services with Google and Facebook accounts
In an effort to get you to return to that Yahoo ID from back in the day, Yahoo says it’ll be phasing out the ability to login through Google and Facebook accounts. The company says this will allow it to offer “the best personalized experience to everyone.” Yahoo only started allowing these third-party logins in 2010 — not that long ago. While the change has already happened on its Fantasy Sports service, Google and Facebook login buttons will eventually (no timeline was given) disappear from all Yahoo web properties, which includes the likes of Flickr and tumblr. Now, to remember the password for lostfan_1985.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
Facebook Messenger arrives for Windows Phone sans voice features
Microsoft was clearly being cautious when it said Facebook Messenger would be available for Windows Phone within a few weeks of Mobile World Congress — it’s already here, just over a week later. The app offers much of Facebook’s familiar chat experience, including group conversations, photo sharing and (of course) stickers. However, are a few missing features in this first revision. There aren’t any voice messaging options, and chat heads aren’t around to let you quickly jump between active discussions. If those absences aren’t make-or-break for you, though, Messenger is ready and waiting at the Windows Phone Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Via: Facebook (Twitter), Windows Phone Blog
Source: Windows Phone Store
Daily Roundup: Apple CarPlay hands-on, G Pro 2 review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
LG G Pro 2 review
LG’s newest flagship, the 5.9-inch G Pro 2, steps into 2014 with a Snapdragon 800 CPU, 3GB of RAM and the same 1080p display found on the last-gen model. Though currently exclusive to Korea, this handset will be a worthy competitor to the Galaxy Note III once it lands in the US.
Apple CarPlay hands-on
Yesterday at the Geneva Auto Show, Apple unveiled its new in-car interface called CarPlay. So naturally, Engadget’s Matt Brian hopped into a nearby Ferrari for a test run. Read on for our video and hands-on photos.
Facebook might buy a drone company
Let’s say you just spent $19 billion on a messaging service. What’s next on the agenda? Well, for Facebook, it might be drones. According to TechCrunch’s sources, the company is looking to buy Titan Aerospace, a company that builds autonomous, solar-powered vehicles.
Roku’s new Streaming Stick costs $50
After rethinking its first-gen device, Roku’s back for round two. The company’s new Streaming Stick dongle packs all the features of a Roku 1 and comes with its own remote. What’s more, it’ll be available for just $50 come April.
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Filed under: Misc
Facebook in talks to buy drone company, could battle Google’s internet balloons
Facebook is in discussions to purchase Titan Aerospace, a company that makes solar-powered drones that can apparently stay up in the skies for up to five years at a time. According to Techcrunch’s sources, Facebook wants solar-powered drones to deliver sky-based internet access, with a view to building 11,000 UAVs to deliver data services, at least initially, in Africa. The drone company has confirmed that there are discussions with Facebook, The plan would certainly chime with the social network’s Internet.org efforts to expand online access in developing countries. Of course, Google is also trialling internet access from the sky, although it’s using balloons, with Project Loon offering 50 testers internet access via solar-powered helium balloons. Its experiments are currently centered on the southern hemisphere, namely New Zealand. The purchase will reportedly cost Facebook $60 million — still, a whole lot cheaper than a messaging app.
Filed under: Robots, Internet, Alt, Facebook
Source: Techcrunch
Daily Roundup: Apple explains Touch ID, Google’s modular phone and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Apple explains Touch ID
Apple updated its iOS Security white paper today, shedding new light onto the iPhone 5s’ Touch ID fingerprint scanner. And while its end-to-end encryption measures are impressive, we’re still waiting for the feature to be opened to developers.
Megapixels and mobile imaging
In recent years, smartphone photography has been centered around pixels. Lots and lots of pixels. But Google’s latest concept phone, dubbed Project Tango, could take mobile imaging to an entirely new level. Read on as Engadget’s Steve Dent explores the potential of handsets equipped with with multiple sensor technologies.
Nintendo shutting down multiplayer services
Nintendo’s shutting down its original Wii and DS multiplayer services worldwide on May 20th. A few select features will remain online after the fact, but we’d suggest you get in a few games of Mario Kart DS while you still can.
Google’s modular smartphone may cost $50
If you’re a fan of Project Ara, you’ll be happy to know that Google wants its modular smartphone to be very affordable. For $50, users would get a working, barebones exoskeleton that could be upgraded with parts from special kiosks.
Filed under: Misc
Google VP chats Galaxy S6, Nexus 6, Whatsapp, and more
Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai recently sat down with French website Frandroid where he discussed a number of Android-related topics. Among other things, Pichai touched on the relationship between Samsung and the Android team, Whatsapp, and, of course, future smartphones.
On Samsung‘s decision to employ Tizen for the Gear 2 smartwatch, Pichai indicates he would have liked to see them use Android. Then again, it’s just one of hundreds of devices.
Looking ahead to the next-generation of Galaxy S smartphones (presumed Galaxy S6), Sundar says that Samsung will again use Android for the flagship brand. Yeah, we know it’s entirely too early to start looking at something that’s likely a year off but, hey, whatever.
As for the overall relationship between Samsung and the Google (Android) team, we’re told that it’s more boring than the press would have us believe.
In terms of the next-generation Nexus smartphone, Pichai advises that we won’t see it in the first half of the year. Makes sense, really, as the last few Nexus handsets made their debuts in the fall. It’s unclear if this will be known as the Nexus 6.
Contradicting recent reports, Sundar Pichai says that Google did not make a play for WhatsApp. Purchased by Facebook for $16-$19 billion earlier this month, WhatsApp did, however, meet with Google.
It is worth pointing out that the original article is in French and that some of what we’re passing along can be a little lost or garbled in translation. The whole article is worth a quick read as it also touches on the Nokia X and general security issues for Android.
The post Google VP chats Galaxy S6, Nexus 6, Whatsapp, and more appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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