socialmedia
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Facebook gets chatty, brings Comments Box plugin to mobile media sites
Chiming in on your favorite posts is about to get a little bit easier, now that Facebook has brought its Comments Box mobile plugin to media websites. Today's announcement comes just about a month after the social network introduced its Subscribe button, marking its latest efforts to enhance user engagement on mobile web platforms. According to Facebook, the new feature will use "social signals" to automatically detect the highest quality comments for each individual, with each thread ordered to show the most relevant and popular comments from a user's friends. There's also an integrated moderation function so, you know, play nice. Developers interested in getting in on the action can find more details at the coverage link below.
Sky to introduce 'augmented' TV viewing with zeebox companion app
A good week so far for British TV fans, especially those who want a little more interactivity than simply mashing a red button. The UK's satellite behemoth has announced a partnership with zeebox to create a companion app for its scheduling. Once released, you'll be able to connect with fans of the same shows, digest more program information and even purchase on-screen products. You might be doing all of these things with a laptop or tablet already, of course, but at least now you can spare your non-interested friends all those continued America's next top model tweets. If this sounds a bit like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon functionality bundled into an app, you might be right. Sky, however, clearly hopes this dedicated approach will give its programming that extra edge once the iPad / iPhone app pops up some time before the end of Q2. Viewers without iDevices will be able to access the goodies via more vanilla online methods. Hit the PR over the jump for more info.
Aha Radio partners with Subaru and Honda, brings social media to 2013 vehicles
At last year's CES, Aha Radio brought its hyper-connected social media ways to two high-end Pioneer head units. This year, however, the service is about to make a bigger splash by announcing it'll be built into select 2013 Subaru and Honda vehicles. Equipped autos will have access to "thousands of personalized, web-enabled stations" like MOG, Rhapsody and Slacker, appearing as a selectable source alongside more traditional AM, FM and satellite radio options. And naturally it'll integrate with Aha's iPhone and Android apps. If a new vehicle isn't to your liking, Kenwood will also start integrating the service into head units later in 2012. We'll get hands-on with the above system in a Subaru's new BRZ soon, but to tide you over, two PRs await the break.
Democratic Republic of Congo bans text messaging
After a controversial presidential election that saw Joseph Kabila retain the office amid fierce protests, the Democratic Republic of Congo has shut down the nation's text messaging services in order to restore public order. Civil liberties concerns aside, it's proving to be highly dangerous for the one point four million deaf residents who rely on text messaging. Normally they would receive safety signals when conflict broke out in their vicinity -- leading to people being caught unawares in crossfires who would otherwise have remained indoors. Human Rights organization ASADHO has said the crackdown could lead to further deaths, especially for people in remote areas and has joined numerous others in requesting the repeal of the ban.
Facebook app update brings Timeline to the iPhone, iPad version coming soon
Facebook's Timeline feature has only just begun to roll out across the globe, and now an iOS version has sidled up next to its Android counterpart -- making it even easier for us to recheck our social network back stories. The new app is currently only available for the iPhone, but Facebook states that an iPad-friendly update will arrive soon. You will need to have already activated the timeline function on the web-based original, but downloading the latest version will also grant access to your friend lists and subscriptions. Some requisite performance improvements are also promised too. Cringe at some portable post-millennial fashion mistakes by grabbing the download at the source. [Thanks Christoph]
Facebook rolls out Timeline feature worldwide, it's time to untag some old photos
Get ready for a This Is Your Life-style recap available online, as Facebook's Timeline feature is now out of beta and available to all users worldwide. Originally announced during the f8 conference back in September, it wraps up all the information you've posted, friendships you've made and embarrassing photos you were tagged in, in a neat, date organized package. If you're worried it may uncover some things better left private -- and posted years ago before you were more savvy about social media -- you can enable the feature and still wait a week before it goes public for viewing by others. Currently timelines are visible on the main site, via the recently updated Android client and the mobile version of the site. If you want to turn it on right way, head to the Introducing Timeline page and click Get It Now. Update: Facebook has just rolled rolled out a fresh version of its Android app that you'll need to grab for Timeline access there, the change log (after the break) also mentions changes including access to games & apps, new push notifications and a new photo viewing experience.
Flipboard launches on iPhone, iPod Touch, introduces 'Cover Stories' feature
Flipboard has now arrived on a slightly smaller board. Previously available as an iPad-only affair, the popular magazine and social media app has now launched on both the iPhone and iPod Touch, bringing graphics-laden aggregation to a wider swath of the iOS community. This new universal version features much of the same functionality you'll find on its iPad predecessor, along with a new Cover Stories interface, which collects and displays all your recent photo uploads, shared articles and status updates from select social networks. If you're intrigued, you can download it for free at the source link, below.
Little Printer to add tiny, adorable printing for iPhone and Android
Little Printer by Berg Cloud is a cute concept for a printer that'll produce a daily newspaper for you. It grabs the headlines from your social feeds, emails, news sources, horoscopes, puzzles and more. You can choose what it will print and when it will print using a companion app for your smartphone. The Little Printer is designed to place an emphasis on appearance and presentation. It's not just a dump of information; each print-out will be formatted to be pleasing to the eyes and easy to read. It prints the information ticker-tape style which makes it easy to grab and go. Of course, the concept of printing stuff that is already on your phone -- which you'll presumably also be taking with you when you leave the house -- is a little bit odd. Still, for things like shopping lists that you want to check off or flight schedules where you'll need to turn off your mobile device, it could come in handy. Berg Cloud will begin accepting pre-orders for the beta edition of Little Printer in 2012. You can sign up at the company's website to receive an alert when it becomes available.
Ex-Windows Phone manager Joe Marini finds himself at home with Google
Check out who got a new set of Google business cards: Joe Marini, the extroverted Windows Phone manager at Microsoft who got into some hot water tweeting about the then-unannounced Nokia Lumia 800. It turns out that he's pushing out 140-character messages in a big way again, but this time he's doing so as a "Google Dev Advocate." It appears that the job description involves Developer Relations, API platforms and HTML5 apps, amongst other duties. But what about the inside scoop on what happened in Redmond? Joe says he's setting up a blog to address the question, and we're on pins and needles over here.
Google+ quietly gets trending topics, dares you to search for it
Did the addition of "What's Hot" not satiate your burning desire for real-time happenings on Google's social network? You're in luck, as Mountain View's quietly added another way to aggregate popular content on Google+. Upon initiating a search, a list of trending topics appears to the right, exposing what's currently en vogue on Mountain View's social network. Functionally, it's a dead ringer for Twitter's trending topics and unlike "What's Hot," won't bombard you with random unrelated, but popular, posts. Will it pass muster as an official feature, or will it be left to linger in the ether? We'll find out, but Google if you're listening, we're watchin'.
SlingPlayer for Facebook is okay, Chrome(book) compatibility is better
Ready to let the world know all about your most intimate TV-viewing habits? Good, because the SlingPlayer Facebook app is now available, and prepared to do just that. Once installed, the app allows Slingbox Solo or Pro-HD owners to manage their DVRs and watch their favorite live or recorded shows, all from the comfort of their own social network. The share button doesn't automatically tie in with any kind of guide data, so friends don't need to know you're watching the Teen Mom reunion finale at the office -- unless you want them to. The other big news from Sling is that its plugin finally supports Google's Chrome browser (Mac version of FF8 is still a no-go, while Chromebooks can at least access a Flash stream now, but only via Facebook), so if you've been waiting for a way to ditch IE and FireFox then congratulations, your sometime is now. [Thanks, @wyldtek]
DreamWorks CEO envisions an internet with more animation, fewer words
Is the internet on the cusp of a post-text era? Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg certainly thinks so. Speaking at the Techonomy conference in Tucson yesterday, Katzenberg confirmed that his company is already working on expanding 3D animation to the realm of social media, as part of a collaboration with Intel. As Technology Review reports, the two companies have been working on the project for the better part of four years, developing 12-core chips and software capable of delivering real-time photographic animation. Katzenberg didn't offer many details beyond that, but seemed confident that his company's new technology could radically alter the way users share and engage with online content by transcending the boundaries of traditional text. "Text is a learned process but what we do [at Dreamworks] is intuitive and instinctual and you do it from the moment you are born," he said, "We're trying to see if we can move many of these things we can do today in text but moving up to video and audio... with sight and sound." The exec went on to cite Apple's Siri personal assistant as proof that this transition is already underway: "Whether we do it or somebody else does it, we will move from a text world into a audio visual one." Intriguing claims, to be sure, but we'll know more next year, when Dreamworks' new campaign gets underway.
Facebook SlingPlayer revealed, proves you can't escape social networking (video)
Add another future platform for SlingPlayer to the pile, as the company recently showed off this quick demo of streaming video through Facebook. While the old Sling.com streaming still works just fine, this one adds some new social features to the mix. That will let viewers share the shows and what they enjoy watching easily while not-so-coincidentally making sure their friends know they're watching TV via Slingbox. There's no word on when this will actually hit the OpenGraph'd streets, but so far it's already in line behind players we've seen demonstrated but not yet released for Boxee and Google TV. Press play to check out the video and think back to a world where no one knew you were watching Law & Order for the eighth time today. [Thanks for the video, Dave Zatz]
Apple's termination of retail employee over Facebook post upheld
Apple employees wanting to blow off some steam on Facebook or Twitter may want to think twice before they post their comments. In a recent decision, the UK Labor tribunal upheld Apple's right to fire employees over negative comments left on a social network. This decision cited Apple's social media policy which prohibits employees from posting negative comments on social networks. This legal dispute started when "Crisp," an Apple employee in the UK, posted some derogatory comments against Apple and its products on a private Facebook page. These comments were made outside working hours, but were noticed by a fellow colleague who printed them up and showed them to a manager. Crisp was then fired for "gross misconduct" because he had violated Apple's social policy. According to analysis by lawyer Jamie Hamnett, the UK tribunal agreed with Apple's assertion that these comments could have a material effect on Apple's commercial reputation. When Crisp claimed that he had a right to free expression, the Tribunal again sided with Apple which argued the company had a right to limit this speech, especially since these comments can be easily shared by Crisps's Facebook friends. This decision should be a warning to employees who work at companies that have strict social network policies. You need to be careful what you say online. It should also be a wake-up call for companies concerned about their employee's behavior online. Companies don't have to cross their fingers and hope employees are nice. They can enforce a strict, well-written social media policy with the expectation that it will likely be upheld in court. [Via CNET]
Facebook Messenger sinks Beluga, Raffi heads back to the drawing board
Beluga has just confirmed the inevitable -- it's being swallowed by Facebook Messenger. The group messaging app will no longer send texts as of November 11th and will shut down for good on December 15th, just a few months after Zuckerberg & Co acquired it, alongside digital book-maker Push Pop Press. "Now that Facebook Messenger is available everywhere, we've decided to stop offering Beluga as a separate service," the company explained in a blog post last week. If you'd like to grab an archive of your pods before the December 15th shutdown, you can do so at the coverage link below. Otherwise, just head past the break to join us in maritime remembrance.
Got Klout? You may qualify for a free Windows Phone
Turns out that Microsoft's hoping to get some influential people on board with Windows Phone, and it's choosing a unique strategy to do so. It's partnered with Klout, a service that uses social media analytics to weigh the influence you have on your social network, to give away 500 free devices -- along with VIP passes to one of five Windows Phone launch parties across the country -- to those who qualify through Klout Perks. The winners appear to be determined by their Klout score and if they live in the same city as one of the five shindigs. But it's clear that the Windows giant wants to be heard, and it might just work: according to Klout's official blog, "top influencers are trusted by their audience to share their real opinions and more and more brands are recognizing this power." In short, Redmond's banking on the possibility that some mightily influential people will have great things to say about its product. After all, word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Head to the source link to find out how to learn if you're one of the lucky 500.
Instapaper gets iPad refresh: more friends, more reading
Instapaper, the internet equivalent of a bookmark, has been given a top-to-toe makeover for its latest outing on the iPad. Fear not, your reading materials remain easy to read (and ad-free), but version 4 has now been smoothed over with a thick layer of tablet gloss. Navigation is all done through a bar on the left, and remains available for prodding as you read through your article selection. The upgrade also adds a subscription option for searching all your previous reads, as well as better social skills, with the ability to pick up and store articles and posts shared by your Twitter buddies -- ensuring that you'll probably never run out of reading material again.
Showtime launches Anytime streaming portal, social iPad app
Just in time for the return of everyone's favorite serial killer, Showtime Anytime soft-launched recently, bringing online access to the network's library of movies, TV shows and more. Multichannel News reports AT&T U-verse subscribers are the first to gain access, although this same content has already been streaming on Comcast's Xfinity TV website and app. It's no HBO Go yet -- more cable companies and a few mobile apps will be necessary to match its rival there -- but the approach is the same, after pulling its shows from Netflix this TV Everywhere offering hopes to add enough value to keep viewers on the traditional pay-TV train a little longer. While there's no self-branded streaming app yet, the channel has also launched a Showtime Social iPad app to keep viewers tied in with their friends and other viewers while they watch -- let us know if it makes Dexter any more / less creepy.
Nokia's Foursquare-enabled vending machine offers free smartphones, Butterfingers (video)
Sure, it's one thing to hit up the vending machine at work to get your Doritos fix, but free gifts? That's exactly what Nokia's doing at the Skypark in Glasgow for the city's Social Media Week with the help of 1000heads. Dubbed the "Nokia Gift Machine," it allows event attendees to obtain one free gift per day including candy from the US of A, Nokia accessories and even smartphones for a lucky few. All it takes is a quick Foursquare check-in with #NokiaConnects followed by a share over Twitter, and a goodie-filled tube will be yours for the taking. It'll only be in place until the 23rd, so if you're there and haven't given it whirl, consider this a quick heads-up from your friends at Engadget. Plus, who doesn't love getting awesome stuff for free? Exactly. Full details in the PR past the break.
Magisto edits videos automagically, deluges the interwebs with idiot auteur savancy
Oh, the plague of social media and its irrational empowerment of at-home, amateur media moguls. Well, truth be told, not everyone has the tenacity to sit and slog through hours of footage to create a skillfully made, ready-for-prime time upload. Not to worry you talentless hacks, Magisto's got a web-based tool that'll automate your lack of video editing expertise, and churn out YouTube-worthy, ADD-style clips replete with background music and fancy multi-window effects. The service, which makes use of an algorithm to recognize "people, pets and landscapes and can even...[analyze] sounds and images," had formerly been available in a private beta, but is now open and free to anyone with a camera, a computer and a decent internet connection. We've seen the results of the company's handiwork and it's all pretty much the same thing -- an incoherent, tune-laden mashup. Which is to say, ideal for the Twitter and Facebook IV drips we've come to subsist upon. Go ahead and test the hyper-editing software out at the source below -- it's not like you actually have to do anything, anyway. Just click.
