messenger
Latest
Messenger spacecraft to crash into Mercury after studying it for years
The spacecraft that captured the first photos of ice on Mercury is bidding us all farewell on April 30th. NASA's MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (Messenger) spacecraft is almost out of propellant after spending over six-and-a-half years traveling to the planet and four orbiting and studying it. The agency sent Messenger to space aboard a Delta II rocket in 2004 in its quest to know more about the first rock from the sun. It ended up providing evidence that there's ice and organic matter hiding in the planet's craters, as well as data showing that all the ice in Mercury's polar regions would be around two miles thick if spread all over Washington.
Facebook Messenger brings fragmented communication to desktops
Wish you could have the Facebook Messenger experience somewhere other than your mobile device? Pine no more because now it's available on the web (it's a platform now, remember?). As Slashgear notes, it's essentially the app experience but living inside your browser. Simply head over to Messenger.com, sign in with your Facebook account and you're good to go. Folks who've been IM'ng from within Facebook proper will probably welcome the change, but if you're using a standalone client the likes of Adium on Mac or Pidgin on Windows you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Sadly, it doesn't look like one of the mobile version's cooler features -- chat heads -- have made the transition just yet.
Facebook's F8 app hints at big changes for Messenger
Typical. Just when you're about to unveil a new project at your own developer conference, the event's companion app breaks the news ahead of time. A notification from Facebook's F8 app, presumably scheduled for the 26th, went out early to inform conference attendees that the company was announcing two new initiatives: Parse for IoT and Messenger as a Platform.
Send money to your friends with Facebook Messenger
Using Facebook Messenger to chat amongst your pals? Well, now you can employ that same app to send funds, too. After hints dropped last fall, the social network announced its tool that sends money inside Messenger would roll out in the US in the months to come. To send a few bucks to someone who grabbed lunch when your forgot your debit card, just hit the appropriately-labeled "$" icon, enter the amount and hit pay. The currency is transferred immediately, but it'll take a couple of days to show up in the recipient's bank account -- similar to a regular ol' deposit.
Animated GIFs make their way to Google Messenger
Sometimes 160 characters just can't adequately express what you're trying to say, but a soundless loop of the Bluth family doing his best impression of a chicken will. Google knows this and has added animated GIF support to Messenger as a result, bringing in functionality that Hangouts has had for awhile. The app has a new widget as well, in addition to the usual bug fixes and performance improvements that TalkAndroid notes. Not seeing the update on your device? We've got your back with a Google Play link right here.
IRL: The Phorce Freedom is a bag that trades space for versatility
At CES -- the world's largest tech show -- the intrepid reporter faces many challenges. Most of them involve sleep (lack of), nutrition (lack of), human beings (abundance of) and coffee (usually lack of, but often, taste of). As such, it's very important that you don't go and add to that list of problems with some form of self-sabotage: the wrong cables, poor coffee choices, no backup power and, crucially, a P.O.S. bag. You and your bag are going to become close friends over the week, so it pays to get one that'll do the job, with a minimum of fuss.
Facebook thought about featuring games in Messenger
Love it or hate it, you have to use Facebook Messenger if you're to chat privately with your friends on the social network. As we know it, the application features a minimalist design and very straight-to-the-point functionality. That's all great, of course -- but, for better or worse, it could have been so much different. TechCrunch reports that Facebook quietly flirted with the idea of featuring games in the Messenger app, going as far as testing this out and, eventually, deciding against it. Instead, Facebook's EMEA Director of Platform Partnerships, Julien Codorniou, says the company opted for other ways to cash-in on the site's gaming ecosystem, like letting developers take full advantage of its mobile advertising platform. More specifically, through app install ads.
Google releases standalone Messenger app for Android
But what about Hangouts, you ask? Well, that application isn't going anywhere anytime soon, it would seem. Yet, Google isn't doing it any favors by outing a standalone version of Messenger, an app with very similar messaging features to the aforementioned. Messenger does come pre-installed on Android Lollipop, alongside Hangouts, but now it's available to devices running version 4.1 (or higher) of Google's operating system. As expected, you can use Messenger for SMS and MMS phone functions, in addition to being able to send and receive audio messages. The app is also quite elegant, since it does come with the new Material Design look. If you're running a compatible smartphone or tablet, Messenger is available to download from Google Play -- or you can grab the APK from here.
NASA's Messenger captures first photos of ice on Mercury
It's easy to assume, that finding ice on the first rock from the sun, would be like finding a snowflake in a furnace (it can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit after all). But, you'd be wrong. And NASA's long had radar and photographic proof (just nothing in the visual range) that water ice did exist on the planet. Now, we have the first optical evidence -- after pictures snapped by the NASA's Messenger spacecraft managed to snag enough sunlight inside the 70 mile-wide, permanently-shadowed Prokofiev crater on the north pole of the planet for a photo. The images might not look like much to the untrained eye (though still wonderfully otherworldly), but they provide those that know with enough information to suggest that the ice deposits are relatively recent (and not from when the planet was being formed). No doubt, more revelations will come as the images get scrutinized fruther, and Messenger continues the good work.
Feedback Loop: Online security, the Note Edge, fitness trackers and more!
Happy Saturday, and welcome to another edition of Feedback Loop! With all the talk of online data breaches this week, we're discussing ways to better protect your data stored in the cloud. After you're done auditing your passwords, let us know what you think of Samsung's new curved Galaxy Note Edge and find out how much fitness trackers are helping your fellow readers. Make yourself comfy and join us after the break for some in-depth tech talk.
Hate the changes to the Facebook app? You should give Paper a try.
Facebook's Paper app launched to great fanfare and then quickly dropped on the charts. Many commentators decried the app dead in the water -- we may have been among those commentators. Of course, all of that was before the recent changes to Facebook's native iOS app which removed the ability to reply to or send messages from within the app. Ironically, Facebook's unpopular change in its original app is the saving grace of its lesser-used sibling. Paper allows you to quickly view your timeline and answer messages from within one app, just like in the good old days of Facebook for iOS. You can view your timeline, comment on pictures, answer mail, and get right back into the swing of things without having to waste battery life by running two apps at once. Using Paper does take some getting used to. Your timeline is shown at the bottom of the screen, so get used to scrolling with swipes to the left instead of swiping up. The app is designed to focus on your timeline and work as a newsreader of sorts. When you set up your account, the app will ask you to select a few interest "sections" you'd like to keep up with. To use Paper as an optimal Facebook experience, we'd suggest not adding any sections other than Facebook. Best of all, Paper allows for more optimization than Facebook's native app. Hate autoplaying videos? You can actually turn them off in Paper with a tap in the app settings. The app includes a handy collection of options for sending articles to a reading lists like Instapaper, which again the main Facebook app doesn't have. Paper isn't a perfect app yet, but it has improved considerably since it launched. You can edit your profile picture and cover photos, tag friends in photos, include mentions in your posts, use hashtags just like you would in the normal app, and customize the privacy settings of individual posts. Heck, there is even a noticeable drop in ads! Sadly, all that glitters is not gold. Speed scrolling through your feed is slightly slower than the normal app and interacting with your various groups is more difficult, though responding to threads you're already following is a breeze. To actually access the full pages of your groups you'll have to manually search for them, but this is a minor inconvenience. It's worth it in the battery life you'll save. We get it. Facebook is an addition for many people. It doesn't have to be an unpleasant multi-app battery draining one. If you're annoyed with the recent changes to the main app, give Paper a try. It's easier than quitting Facebook.
Sound Off! Are you sticking with Facebook Messenger?
Facebook's Messenger app isn't new -- it's been around since 2011. It was up to users to decide if they wanted a separate app or if they liked exchanging messages inside the regular Facebook app. Now if users tap the message icon on Facebook, a message appears telling them to move over to Messenger. It's no longer an option; it's a requirement Facebook put in place to deliver "the best mobile messaging experience possible."
MSN Messenger will finally, definitely be dead in October
Microsoft's 15-year-old MSN Messaging service will soon be a part of computer lore. It has been shut down in most places for over a year, but Microsoft kept it running in China where it was still quite popular. However, with the advent of Tencent's QQ, Line and other services, Redmond recently emailed Chinese users (on their Hotmail accounts, naturally) that the service would ride into the sunset on October 31st. To give you an idea of how old it is, the service was created in 1999 by Microsoft to compete against AOL's AIM chat service (disclaimer: AOL is Engadget's parent company). However, we doubt too many users will get misty-eyed about its demise -- the only nostalgia we have is how difficult it was to get rid of.
Facebook brings voice to its Windows Phone Messenger app
Facebook Messenger for Windows Phone hasn't always been quite as feature rich as its counterparts on other platforms -- it's just over five months old now, after all -- but the social giant is quickly trying to close that gap. Case in point: the latest Messenger update finally packs the ability to send voice messages, something users have apparently been clamoring over for ages now. Since you'll now have the ability to verbally chatter with your compadres (alas, there's still no proper voice calling), it's probably for the best that the update also comes with tweaks to reduce the amount of data the app consumes. Throw in the ability to fire off emoticons at your pals and you've got yourself this new build in a nutshell -- it's waiting in the Windows Store for you whenever you're ready to gab.
The Facebook Messenger switch: annoying, but not evil
If you use the Facebook iOS app, you've probably noticed that the social network's private SMS-like Messenger functionality is migrating out of the "mother" application and into the standalone Facebook Messenger app (currently at version 9.1). Messenger's solo app has been around for a couple of years already, but Facebook is now reminding users more insistently that they need Messenger (or the mobile browser version of Facebook) if they want to keep using the IM functionality on their phones. This nudging-slash-feature shifting is understandably annoying for many users, but it's not, despite what many people on the internet would like you to believe, out-and-out evil. A combination of out-of-date intel and overall paranoia is getting folks worked up unnecessarily. What's more, the most scary "Facebook is eating my data" warnings don't apply to iOS users at all -- they're Android-specific, and are only as scary as they are because Google insists that apps "pre-declare" anything they might want to do. [One particular point of confusion is the assertion that Messenger may be listening to all your conversations, or trying to figure out what music is playing in the background while you use the app, all to better target you for advertising. The good news is, Messenger doesn't listen to your music. The less good news: the regular Facebook app may listen, for 15 seconds while you are writing a status update, in order to share the song you're enjoying with your FB buddies. The better news: the feature is entirely optional, and you can disable it easily. To sum up: "passive listening" has nothing to do with Messenger and is not a reason to hate or fear the app. If you want to turn off the microphone features in Messenger anyway, instructions are right here. –Ed.] Much of the anxiety/anger is focused on the app's terms and conditions, which (particularly on the Android side; less so on iOS) ask you to give Facebook access to basically everything on your phone. Here's the thing: if you already use Facebook, you've probably given the company access to all of that stuff already. Still, in the absence of context, the Android permissions do sound pretty Big Brotherish. Here's a sampling: Allows the app to call phone numbers without your intervention. This may result in unexpected charges or calls. Malicious apps may cost you money by making calls without your confirmation. Allows the app to send SMS messages. This may result in unexpected charges. Malicious apps may cost you money by sending messages without your confirmation. Allows the app to record audio with microphone. This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation. Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation. That sounds pretty bad, especially that part about recording audio without asking first. What possible motive could they have for asking for that? Well, we'd ask Facebook, but they've already explained in the help page for Messenger. Here's why they include that permission, and why the Android version of the app is simply playing by Google's rules for declaring its capabilities. Why is the Messenger app requesting permission to access features on my Android phone or tablet? If you install the Messenger app, you should see a screen letting you know that the app is asking for your permission to access information or use features from your Android phone or tablet. Almost all apps need certain permissions to run on Android, and we use these permissions to run features in the app. Keep in mind that Android controls the way the permissions are named, and the way they're named doesn't necessarily reflect the way the Messenger app and other apps use them. Below, you'll find a list of some of the permissions we request for the app, as well as an example of how we use each one. Note that this list doesn't include all of the Android permissions we request or all of our uses of those permissions. If you've already installed the Messenger app, you can find a list of the permissions the app uses in your phone or tablet's Applications Manager, or by visiting the Play Store and clicking View Details under Permissions. Android permission (what you'll see on your Android phone or tablet) and examples of what we use this permission for: Take pictures and videos: This permission allows you to take photos and videos within the Messenger app to easily send to your friends and other contacts Record audio: This permission allows you to send voice messages, make free voice calls, and send videos within Messenger Directly call phone numbers: This permission allows you to call a Messenger contact by tapping on the person's phone number, found in a menu within your message thread with the person Receive text messages (SMS): If you add a phone number to your Messenger account, this allows you to confirm your phone number by finding the confirmation code that we send via text message Read your contacts: This permission allows you to add your phone contacts as Messenger contacts if you choose to do so. You can always stop syncing your phone contacts by going to your Messenger settings Facebook is a company that is facing increasing public scrutiny, in no small part because it has conducted thought experiments on users. As society starts to finally think about the implications of handing over all of our personal information to the social media companies we use day to day, it's good that we're asking these questions. The important thing is to look to verifiable sources explaining what's going on. Yes, Facebook asks for access to your personal information with their new app. However, given the granular permission settings on iOS, you can easily prevent Facebook Messenger from accessing your address book, using your microphone, or checking your location. If you don't need a feature, and turning it off would be better for your own sense of security, then don't enable it. Dislike Facebook for shoehorning users into a new app they may not want, but don't buy into the myth that this is a new expansion of FB's information grabbing. They've been gobbling your private information this whole time. That's one of the tradeoffs of using the service. For more information on what Facebook's apps do and don't do with your personal information, check out this handy summary at Snopes, this AndroidCentral rundown and this cogent writeup at the Wall Street Journal's tech blog. Post updated 8/10 10 am to clarify Android v. iOS permission warnings.
IRL: Could a custom laptop bag be worth the splurge?
I've always thought it's better to spend more on something once than to buy cheap and replace time and again. Because of this, I've owned exactly two bags in the last nine years: a Wenger Soho backpack and now a custom, $184 Timbuk2 Laptop Messenger. Last spring I decided it was time to retire the trusty Wenger that got me through college and my first three E3s for something a little more modern.
Facebook Messenger sorts notifications and voice replies with Android Wear
Thanks to a recent update, Facebook Messenger is the latest mobile app to play nice with Google's wrist initiative. Outfitting Android Wear smartwatches with notifications and the ability to respond with voice notes, Android Central reports alerts pop up on the wearable's screen where you can swipe to respond or tap to "like." The latest version of the app also allows you to give messages the ol' thumbs up and mute conversations right from your phone or tablet's notifications menu -- assuming you're still doing your chatting the old fashioned way.
Facebook is about to make everyone use the standalone Messenger app
It's been coming coming, but Facebook told TechCrunch today that the time is just about here -- starting "over the next few days" everyone will need Messenger to chat directly with their Facebook friends on mobile devices (iOS, Android and Windows Phone). Some users in Europe have seen the change for several months, but Facebook claims their positive response has led to the change rolling out worldwide. Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about downloading a second app to do what one was already capable of -- just ask Foursquare users about Swarm. Facebook says the change will let it focus its development efforts better on the two apps separately, and "avoid confusion" by users, who send about 12 billion messages a day on the platform. So, are you already in love with Chat Heads and ready to make the swap full-time, or -- assuming you still use Facebook -- is this the final straw in sending you elsewhere for your communication needs?
Facebook Messenger now lets you instantly send video clips
Facebook Messenger used to lag behind other messaging apps like Line or Viber when it came to sending media files. The key phrase here is "used to," because its developers just gave it an instant video-sending feature on top of the voice- and photo-sharing functions they added in April. Now, when you tap the camera icon and hold the Send button, you can automatically record and send short video clips to friends. If you change your mind while recording (because you realized you haven't even combed yet... among other things), simply swipe your finger off the Send button or quickly press X in the middle of the video clip while it loads on the chat window. Facebook's slowly rolling out this Messenger update to both iOS and Android devices, so don't worry if it's not showing up on your updates list yet. But when it does, it'll also come with the capability to send bigger thumbs up icons, because, hey, why not?
Facebook Messenger now lets you share videos and photos in an instant
Just weeks after notifying its users that Messenger will no longer be incorporated into its primary app, Facebook has updated the standalone messaging client with a slew of new options that makes it a whole lot faster to send a media file. Now when you start a message with someone, you'll see an array of options underneath the text entry field that'll allow you to snap a photo, select an image or video from your Camera Roll, choose a sticker, or record a voice message to include in your conversation. You can view videos and listen to recordings within the app as well. But here's the catch -- almost anything that you choose will be sent instantly with no chance for you to preview it beforehand.
