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Posts tagged ‘Facebook’

22
Oct

Facebook expands search to all 2 trillion of its posts



Facebook announced on Thursday that it will expand its search function to include every publically-available post in its archive, not just those of your friends and liked Pages. But this won’t simply be a firehose of information, Facebook will reportedly segregate and stack results depending on the source.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Facebook

22
Oct

Instagram’s Boomerang app lets you shoot 1-second video loops


Slowly but surely, the Instagram team is building a suite of apps to help you be more creative on its photo and video-sharing platform. Following Hyperlapse and Layout, we’ve now got Boomerang, an app for iOS and Android that lets you shoot one-second videos — made from a burst of five photos — that quickly play forwards and backwards. They’re a little different to Vines and GIFs, given this “boomerang” effect means you’ll see everything periodically in reverse — presumably, it’s this element which Instagram hopes will spark people’s creativity. Like Hyperlapse and Layout, the app doesn’t have a self-contained feed, so the idea is that you’ll want to make these video snippets to share them on Facebook or Instagram. If enough people use it, these clips could diversify Instagram and make its feeds more interesting, pulling users away from rival apps like Snapchat.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/143161189?byline=0&portrait=0

Via: Instagram (Blog)

Source: Boomerang (iOS), (Android)

22
Oct

Facebook site helps start your programming career


Education Initiative

Facebook knows that it can’t hire a more diverse workforce unless there’s a broader interest in computer science, and it just launched a website to help that happen. TechPrep provides resources to learners (and parents) who are curious about programming, but might not know where to start. It suggests services and gadgets based on your age, skill, and what you’re looking for. If you’re a teen just starting out, you’ll be pointed toward a simple programming language like Scratch. Come to the site as an adult with a bit of experience, meanwhile, and you may see a link to Arduino boards instead. It’s a small effort, but it could mean a lot if it starts you on a coding career that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki]

Source: TechPrep, Facebook Newsroom

22
Oct

Airbnb ad campaign in San Francisco riles locals and librarians


There’s bad ads and then there’s this bus advertisement from Airbnb. The tone of it seems, well off and condescending and initially we thought it was a hoax. Turns out, not so much. After contacting the shared-rental service about the ad, Airbnb spokesperson Christopher Nulty sent Engadget the following statement: “The intent was to show the hotel tax contribution from our hosts and guests, which is roughly $1 million per month. It was the wrong tone and we apologize to anyone who was offended. These ads are being taken down immediately.” The photo was posted to Facebook and quickly spread to Twitter where it’s been condemned by librarians and the public at large.

It’s not just the libraries being targeted by the campaign. There was also an ad for the public works department.

Wow.

A photo posted by Eric Eberhardt (@idontlikewords) on Oct 21, 2015 at 1:02pm PDT

San Francisco is in the midst of a debate about how to regulate Airbnb and other rental sites with a proposition on the ballot that’s been the target of of a well funded “No on F” campaign. Some residents are concerned that the service’s hosts are keeping housing units off the market in a city where rents have sky rocketed and availability of rentals has shrunk dramatically in recent years due to the influx of technology workers.

[Image credit: Martha Kenney]

Source: Facebook

20
Oct

AVG security break down what the biggest data and battery killer apps are


AVG Android App Performance Report Q2 2015Many of us are always shocked to see our phone batteries die sooner than normal or when our monthly phone bill shows we are consuming a lot more data than normal. Usually, the reason for both of these problems is what I call “rogue apps“. They use way beyond their means, but it’s hard to tell exactly which apps are causing the problems. However, AVG has crunched all the numbers and has come up with the top rogue apps list.

For years it has always been the Facebook app to take the top spot, but now, times have changed. Snapchat has finally dethroned the king of rouge apps, claiming top spot as a smartphone performance killer. It managed to do this by “its simultaneous use of your device’s camera, Wi-Fi, mobile data and GPS functionality”.

Tumblr is another app that has recently made it’s way to the top of the list. It uses more data than Netflix and Spotify combined!

Although apps obviously use more battery or data when you are using them, some apps still use a ton of each when running in the background. The list below shows which apps consumed the most overall battery drain, storage usage, and mobile data combined.

Run at Start-Up

Run by User

Ranking #

App

Ranking #

App

1

Facebook

1

Snapchat

2

Google Play Services

2

Amazon Shopping UK

3

Facebook Pages Manager

3

Spotify Music

4

BBM

4

LINE: Free Calls & Messages

5

Words with Friends

5

Samsung WatchON (Video)

6

Instagram

6

Netflix

7

Messenger

7

Clean Master (Boost & App Lock)

8

ooVoo Video Call Text & Voice

8

Amazon Kindle

9

ChatON Voice & Video Chat

9

Amazon Shopping (Global)

10

The Weather Channel

10

BBC News

Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist, at AVG Technologies said:

“The goal of these reports is not to alarm smartphone users, but rather to enable them to make informed choices about the apps they run on a daily basis,”

Press Release:

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Although its pictures and videos are gone in an instant, its effect on your smartphone lingers, as Snapchat the image-sharing app has been crowned as the number one smartphone performance killer in the latest AVG Android App Performance Report. Compiled by AVG® Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million monthly active users, the report saw Snapchat dethrone previous top-spot holders, Facebook and Spotify, thanks to its simultaneous use of your device’s camera, Wi-Fi, mobile data and GPS functionality.

Also climbing to the top of the report is the social and blogging platform Tumblr, which has emerged as the highest, traffic-consuming app for the period. Despite the relatively low-level content viewed on the platform – primarily news, short video clips, blogs and some pictures – Tumblr used more data than Netflix and Spotifycombined.

Additional findings from the report include:

  • There is a costly quest for updates: Topping the list of hidden, battery-draining services this quarter is the innocuously named “com.sec.android.fwupgrade,” which is responsible for delivering periodic Samsung updates to Android devices via Wi-Fi. As with the similarly update-heavy Samsung Security Policy Update (KNOX) and Google Play apps, the service has a massive impact on the battery life of your device
  • Your browser ‘hoards’ data: Google Chrome emerged as the second-highest storage-consuming app this quarter thanks to its collection of user browsing data over time, joining more obvious apps, such asSpotify and Amazon Kindle
  • Facebook ‘mis’-manages: A consistent ‘top’ performer in our charts, Facebook has a new contender, this quarter, with its monitoring app, Facebook Pages Manager. The app stores a lot of local content as it tracks page statistics, followers and comments while on the move

Though many users make a conscious choice to download and run high-impact apps on their smartphones, AVG’s research has found a host of apps which silently drain smartphone resources in the background without the users’ knowledge or action. These apps are differentiated in the report as those that run at start-up, versus those that are run by the user. The following apps consumed the most, overall battery drain, storage usage and mobile data combined.    

Run at Start-Up

Run by User

Ranking #

App

Ranking #

App

1

Facebook

1

Snapchat

2

Google Play Services

2

Amazon Shopping UK

3

Facebook Pages Manager

3

Spotify Music

4

BBM

4

LINE: Free Calls & Messages

5

Words with Friends

5

Samsung WatchON (Video)

6

Instagram

6

Netflix

7

Messenger

7

Clean Master (Boost & App Lock)

8

ooVoo Video Call Text & Voice

8

Amazon Kindle

9

ChatON Voice & Video Chat

9

Amazon Shopping (Global)

10

The Weather Channel

10

BBC News

 

  • A bad forecast: Both The Weather Channel and Words with Friends were surprise entrants in our start-up chart – with the apps seemingly having no clear need to run invisibly in the background
  • A drain on your wallet and smartphone: With two of its shopping apps in our top 10 ‘run by user’ list, if you want to save data and battery life on the go, you might want to steer clear of Amazon

“The goal of these reports is not to alarm smartphone users, but rather to enable them to make informed choices about the apps they run on a daily basis,” said Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist, at AVG Technologies. “Apps are meant to enhance, not to detract from your smartphone experience, but with so many options, we are in danger of overloading our devices. If you are one of the people who feels like they are fighting a constant battle with their device’s battery, or never have enough storage to save your favorite clips and images, then we want to help you take back control.”

Analyzing aggregated, anonymous data from over one million AVG Android app users, the quarterly AVG Android App Performance Report aims to reveal the top performance-affecting apps worldwide – analyzing their overall impact and performance against three key categories – battery drain, storage consumption, and data traffic use.

The full report can be downloaded from http://now.avg.com/android-app-performance-report-q2-2015.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120306/SF65434LOGO

About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)

AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG’s award-winning technology is delivered to over 200 million monthly active users worldwide. AVG’s Consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection for mobile devices and desktops. The AVG Business portfolio – delivered by managed service providers, VARs and resellers – offers IT administration, control and reporting, integrated security, and mobile device management that simplify and protect businesses.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.avg.com 

Keep in touch with AVG

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/avgfree
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AVG
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avg
Blog: http://now.avg.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/officialAVG

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151019/278499-INFO

SOURCE AVG Technologies N.V.

RELATED LINKS
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20
Oct

Facebook’s Instant Articles comes to all iPhones


OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

In a blog post and at WSJD Live, Facebook has just announced that Instant Articles will now be available for all iPhone owners, with an Android beta rolling out starting today. That means that even more people will be able to read Instant Artlcles — full news stories directly from the publisher — right in their Newsfeed. An Instant Article link will have a lightning bolt icon at the top right corner. Facebook’s Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said on stage that you’ll start to see thousands of Instant Articles everyday.

As was announced earlier this year, Instant Articles are designed to load, well, instantly and often feature rich media like videos and photos. Few publishers initially signed up for it, but now Facebook says dozens more are on board — they include CNET, CBS News, Business Insider, Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, Huffington Post, Vox Media and more. Earlier last month, the Washington Post even announced that it would make every one of its articles available as Instant Articles.

According to Cox, one of the reasons Facebook is so keen on Instant Articles is because it makes the mobile experience so much better. Instead of waiting for a page to load, the story will be right there — Instant Articles typically load about 10 times faster. The company has always been bullish on improving the mobile experience, so this is yet another attempt at that. It all fits within Facebook’s core philosophy of being both a “directory” and a “medium,” says Cox.

Cox also touched a little bit on Facebook’s diverse products. Messaging allows for more expressive and fun ways of communicating, while Groups and Events are for a larger audience. Nice photos go on Instagram, while Facebook is for a video of your kid dancing, he said. In the end, he sees Facebook as a suite of products that people can use everyday. “Daily use is an important measure of value,” he said.

Source: Facebook

19
Oct

Facebook will warn you if you’re subject to government ‘attacks’


Facebook

Imagine logging into Facebook to find a message telling you that your profile may have been targeted in a suspected state-sponsored attack. It’s now a possibility, after the social network announced that it’ll display a new notification if someone who is suspected of “working on behalf of a nation-state” has attempted to snoop on or take over your account.

In the wake of Edward Snowden’s NSA spying leaks, US companies have stepped forward to take more action on behalf of their users. Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos says the company continuously monitors accounts for any malicious activity, but has decided to roll out an additional warning because nation-state cyberattacks (by people working on behalf of a foreign government) “tend to be more advanced and dangerous than others.”

Facebook Attacks

Of course, high-profile accounts are more likely to be targeted and such attacks will likely have government-sanctioned motives behind them. However, if you do receive the warning, the bulletin recommends enabling two-factor approvals (if they haven’t been enabled already), making it harder for nefarious types to tamper with your online presence.

The message isn’t linked to “any compromise of Facebook’s platform or systems,” says Stamos. The person in question may have had their computer or smartphone infected with malware, which often gives an attacker the login information they need to access a person’s account.

“To protect the integrity of our methods and processes, we often won’t be able to explain how we attribute certain attacks to suspected attackers,” adds Stamos. “That said, we plan to use this warning only in situations where the evidence strongly supports our conclusion.”

Via: The Next Web

Source: Facebook

16
Oct

More and more people are coming out on Facebook


Timed to coincide with Spirit Day, Facebook’s Research and Data Science division has published a report outlining how increasing numbers of US users that identify as lesbian, gay, bi or transexual have come out on the social network this year. “Not only has the total number of Americans who have come out on Facebook risen dramatically, but so has the number coming out each day.” Given the sheer heft of 1 Hacker Way’s user population, the findings offer a huge data sample to delve into. The Facebook team noted a particular spike in the number of users that came out follow the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision in late June. The number of people coming out per day on Facebook is now on track to be three times what it was in 2014. (The researchers defined coming out as: “updating one’s profile to express a same-gender attraction or specifying a custom gender.”) While many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender users are coming out online, the company faces a continued battle to repair its image with many in the LGBT community following its “real name” policy.


The Facebook analysis also looked at support for LGBT groups, whose memberships saw a spike in growth following the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage. Numbers have increased 25 in the last year. Currently, more than six million Americans have come out on Facebook. The past year alone added 800,000 to this total.

Image credit: Facebook (Lisbon)

Source: Facebook

15
Oct

Facebook Aware of iOS App Battery Life Drain Issue and Working on a Fix


Facebook today acknowledged its awareness of an issue raised by a few iOS users last week, who saw large amounts of battery drain on their iPhones while the social networking app ran in the background, even with background app refresh toggled off. Speaking with TechCrunch, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the company’s awareness of the bug and promised a fix would be in place “soon.”

facbook battery drainMacRumors Forum member Oridus suffering from the Facebook battery drain bug

“We have heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues with our iOS app. We’re looking into this and hope to have a fix in place soon,” the spokesperson said.

A number of Facebook users have commented on the issue of background battery drain over the past week, with users on the MacRumors Forums posting about the issue as far back as last Thursday. One poster (seen above) saw Facebook responsible for a dramatic 39 percent battery usage over a six day period, despite having background app refresh set to off.

Several sites have attempted to theorize on the cause behind the overzealous battery drain, including MacStories, hypothesizing that the reason behind the bug could be silent audio emanating from the service’s auto-playing videos. Since most people don’t bother with turning off auto-play, Facebook could be keeping a muted audio track running in the background with users largely unaware, letting it run and “consume energy to perform background tasks” even after leaving the app.

The company itself hasn’t commented on the source of the bug, but at least those affected can look forward to a fix for it in the future.


15
Oct

Facebook explains the tech behind its 360-degree videos


Facebook made 360-degrees videos viewable on the News Feed back in September, but it was apparently no easy feat making it possible. The latest post on its Engineering blog explains the problems they had to deal with, including the difficulty of stitching footage together without producing distorted images. To prevent making videos look like they came out of a warped nightmare, the engineers created a video filter that uses a common CG method called “cube mapping.” It works by dividing a frame into six squares to form a cube: the top and bottom 25 percent of the frame are compressed into two images, while the middle part that makes up 50 percent of the frame is divided into four.

Now, that six-image frame is still flat. So, what the filter does is wrap it around a virtual sphere inside a cube, with each square expanding to fill the cube in every direction you can view: up, down, left, right, front and back. That allows Facebook to render each frame with 25 percent fewer pixels than the original video, making the finished product easier to view from our end. Fewer pixels also mean faster processing times and smaller file sizes, which are essential for the social network to be able to produce 360-degree videos quickly. In fact, its engineers decided to split the job across several powerful machines, which the company can definitely afford, for faster encoding.

While these 360-degree videos are perfectly viewable without VR glasses, they indicate the arrival of more content on the website optimized for virtual reality. Mark Zuckerberg revealed earlier this year that the company’s focusing on VR tech, as he believes it’s the “next major computing and communication platform.” Not to mention, FB dropped $2 billion last year to acquire Oculus VR. No doubt he’d want the News Feed to be more immersive, especially since the consumer version of Oculus Rift will be available for purchase in Q1 2016.

As for what’s next for the team, Facebook engineers Evgeny Kuzyakov and David Pio had this to say:

Of course, hurdles remain. We haven’t cracked automatic detection of 360 video upload yet — right now the false-positive rate inhibits our ability to fully implement this. Facebook’s scale is so large that even a 0.1 percent false-positive rate would mean we would incorrectly declare thousands of regular videos as 360 video. That’s a specific example, but there are a lot more broad, exciting challenges to tackle as well. Higher resolutions, 3D video, and 360 video optimized for virtual reality are all part of the near future of this space. It’s an exciting time to be working on video. We hope you enjoy the experience we built today and look forward to launching more in the future.

Source: Facebook Engineering

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