F82017
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The war for the soul of the password
Obviously, whoever invented the password system was a jerk. And whoever started adding all those little rules for password creation is a sadist. Not the kind of sex-positive sadist with a flag for their kink and a set of consensual negotiation rules that ensure password creation is hot for everyone involved. No, we're talking about the kind of sadist that simply likes watching people suffer as they're told to add special characters, but not dollar signs or exclamation points because... reasons.
Facebook predicts where you'll look to improve 360 video
When you stream a regular video, it's tough enough to get high-quality visuals to your screen without sacrificing viewing quality. Now imagine the even higher difficulty of streaming a 360-degree video. You don't know where your viewer might be looking at any given time. That's where Facebook's new view prediction systems come in.
I don't want to live inside Facebook's vision for social VR
Over the last few decades, there have been several attempts to merge the mundane aspects of the real world with the digital. All of these, while catering to a niche, have failed to conquer the world in the way that Mark Zuckerberg hopes that Facebook's social-VR efforts will.
Facebook details its plans for a brain-computer interface
Facebook wants you to use your brain to interact with your computer. Specifically, instead of using something primitive like a screen or a controller, the company is looking into ways that you and I can interact with our PCs or phones just by using our mind. Regina Dugan, the head of Building 8, the company's secretive hardware R&D division, delved into this on stage at F8. "What if you could type directly from your brain?" she asks.
Facebook's latest drone delivers internet during a disaster
Internet connectivity is kind of like air: something we take for granted until we can't get it. To help make communications easier during disaster scenarios, Facebook has come up with the "Tether-antenna." At its simplest, it's a small, unmanned helicopter that can hook onto undamaged fiber-and-power lines (when cellular connectivity has been damaged or is otherwise unavailable) and then hover "a few hundred feet from the ground," according to a Facebook Developers blog post. "When completed, this technology will be able to be deployed immediately and operate for months at a time to bring back connectivity in case of an emergency -- ensuring the local community can stay connected while the in0ground connectivity is under repair."
Facebook's new 360 cameras bring exploration to live videos
Last year, Facebook announced the Surround 360, a 360-degree camera that can capture footage in 3D and then render it online via specially designed software. But it wasn't for sale. Instead the company used it as a reference design for others to create 3D 360 content, even going as far as to open source it on GitHub later that summer. As good as the camera was, though, it still didn't deliver the full VR experience. That's why Facebook is introducing two more 360-degree cameras at this year's F8: the x24 and x6. The difference: These cameras can shoot in six degrees of freedom, which promises to make the 360 footage more immersive than before.
Facebook's plans for Oculus are finally taking shape
When Facebook bought Oculus VR for $2 billion in early 2014, it wasn't entirely clear what Mark Zuckerberg planned to do with all of the virtual reality hardware suddenly at his fingertips. Hell, it wasn't even clear that VR was going to be a legitimate industry: Sony hadn't revealed the PlayStation VR yet, Google Cardboard didn't exist, and Valve was a year away from announcing the HTC Vive headset. VR was truly in its infancy when the world's largest social networking site strode in, promising to deliver video games and "many other experiences" on the Oculus Rift.
Facebook sprinkles GIFs everywhere with Giphy
Facebook is bloated. It's slowly morphing into the iTunes of the social media world. At F8, the company's annual developers' conference, the company added even more features to its core apps and said that many more are on the way. But there's one partnership that makes the increasingly confusing social network a bit more fun: Giphy in nearly everything.
Instagram on Android works without an internet connection
If Facebook has Lite to cater to users in the developing world, Instagram has offline mode for Android devices. The Facebook-owned company has revealed at F8 that most of its Android app's features now work offline. People can browse their feeds and their Explore tabs even if they have no mobile data, as is the case for many users in developing nations. However, they can only see the images and profiles they've previously loaded while they were connected to the internet. They can Heart photos, leave comments and unfollow others like usual, but those obviously won't go through until they reconnect. Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!
Facebook Spaces finally delivers on social VR
Three years ago, when Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion, many scratched their heads in befuddlement. Social networks and virtual reality seem like such strange bedfellows; one is about connecting you to the world while the other appears to do the opposite. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisioned a world where VR would be a place for communication, not isolation. And many years later, that vision is much closer to reality. Facebook Spaces is the company's answer to social VR and it is, as I was amazed to find, surprisingly compelling.
Watch Facebook's F8 keynote in under 10 minutes
If there was still any question why Facebook paid all of that money for Oculus, today's F8 keynote provided some extra explanation. From AR to social VR and more, the company laid out its plan for the immediate future that involves blending the virtual world with real life. If you missed the hour-long talk earlier today, don't fret: We've compiled all the big news in a 10-minute clip. Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!
Facebook takes on Slack with a free version of Workplace
Facebook's not-so-subtle bid to take on Slack and Microsoft Teams just got particularly serious. The social network has announced a free version of Workplace that will let virtually any group chat and collaborate online when it arrives later in 2017. You won't get administrative tools or integrations with other services (such as Google's G Suite or Box's cloud storage), but you won't have to pay a cent if you just need the basics. And if you do need those features, Facebook is promising to undercut at least Slack's prices.
Spin your yacht rock playlist from Spotify in Facebook Messenger
If you want to listen to Run the Jewels in Facebook Messenger, you'll totally be able to do that. From the F8 stage, Facebook's David Marcus announced that soon you'll be able to share tracks from both Apple Music and Spotify within the app -- all without the need to have either of the music streaming services installed on your phone. Marcus' example? RTJ's ode to El-P's and Killer Mike's significant others, "Stay Gold" from Run the Jewels 3.
Facebook adds a login shortcut to other Android apps
The great part about being tech obsessed is getting the latest and greatest devices. The less great part is having to log into all the services you use when you get new hardware. Today at its F8 conference, Facebook announced that it's giving developers of third-party Android apps the ability to recognize if you've already linked a service with the social network.
Facebook's latest Messenger makeover is all about business
Last week, Facebook announced that Messenger now has 1.2 billion monthly users, making it one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. With so many users on its platform, it's no surprise that businesses have been clamoring to be on Messenger as well. At last count, 60 million businesses are on Facebook, and 80 percent of them have messaging enabled. The idea is that be it with a real-life human or a simple chatbot, the direct Messenger conversations between businesses and consumers will make users' lives "more seamless and fun." With Messenger Platform 2.0, Facebook hopes to realize this even further with a new Discovery tab, chat extensions, smart replies, an AI-driven delivery service and more.
Facebook Spaces VR parties are available for Rift owners today
Facebook teased how it would create social experiences in virtual reality, and now it's ready to take things one step further. It just launched a Facebook Spaces beta that lets Oculus Rift owners hang out together (up to four at once) in VR. The experience will be familiar if you saw Facebook's preview at Oculus Connect, but it's clearly more refined with its actual launch. You can create an avatar that's as realistic or fanciful as you want, draw 3D objects and show off your personal videos and use 360-degree video backgrounds to liven up your chats. There's even a selfie stick to take virtual self-portraits. And if a friend can't use VR, you can bring them into the conversation using Facebook Messenger video calls.
Facebook reveals its camera-centric AR future
Facebook is convinced that folks are going to ply the world with cameras that can enhance your reality, as it told us last year. Now, at F8 in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled the "Camera Effects Platform," the first developer system for augmented reality. The idea is to let companies build apps that can show you multiple things laid on top of reality: Information, digital objects and enhanced effects, all interacting with real-world objects like your home or face.
Live from F8, Facebook's annual developer conference!
It's time once again for F8, Facebook's annual gathering of developers from around the world, and it's a little special this year. That's because this is the 10th anniversary of the event, so we're expecting a look back at just how far Facebook has come over the past decade, along with hints of what's to come. That means in addition to details about the company's core product and its various messaging and photo-sharing apps, we also expect Facebook to make some teasers. We're talking VR, 360 video, live streaming and perhaps some mysterious new item we've yet to even hear about. To read about our expectations, click here. But if you want to read the real deal, you best come back to this page at 10pm PT or 1pm ET for our liveblog of F8 2017's opening-day keynote. Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!
Watch Facebook's F8 keynote at 1PM ET
News Feed, Messenger, Instagram, VR and more. Facebook's annual developer conference kicks off today with a keynote address. We'll be there live with all the news and commentary in our liveblog, but you can also stream the talk down below at 1PM ET. In the meantime, consult our F8 preview for a rundown of all the big announcements you can expect this afternoon. Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!
What to expect from Facebook's annual developer conference
Tomorrow marks the first day of this year's F8, Facebook's annual developer conference, and it promises to be a big one. After all, this is the 10th anniversary of F8, and you know that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will want to show off just how far Facebook has come in the past ten years. Here's a look at what we'll hopefully see in the days ahead.
