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Twitter warned by Indian government to kibosh inflammatory tweets
India's in the midst of a security crisis and has asked Twitter to curtail "inflammatory messages" or prepare to face legal action, according to the Times of India. The country has shut down numerous websites, while Google and Facebook have already pledged to remove any threatening content. Officials reportedly said that Twitter "failed to cooperate" in efforts to curb messages or help the government find their source, despite an earlier pledge by the social network to censor content when a country demanded it. Indian ISPs have started blocking the service's accounts, according to TNW, but not Twitter itself, as the site first reported. In any case, the country still has a long way to go to catch the censorship leader.
Twitter rumored to be pitching in-feed video shows to studios
Twitter has been making a giant push for expanded tweets from content providers. It's only a short logical leap from that to Twitter providing the content itself, and that's exactly what AdWeek claims may well happen. Its unconfirmed tipsters have the microblog taking a page from YouTube by pitching Hollywood movie and TV studios on "several" original shows that would live in followers' feeds, including the seemingly inescapable reality show. While Twitter wouldn't have someone in the director's chair, it might still play a role by letting viewers affect the show as it's happening -- and of course, running ads. Silence is the only official response to the rumor from Twitter so far; don't plan your viewing schedule just yet, but do brace yourself in case Twitter breaks out a Horse ebooks cameo to boost ratings in mid-season.
Smedley takes to Twitter to clarify PlanetSide 2 beta
Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley has tweeted some helpful clues to players anxious about their beta invitations for the studio's upcoming pseudo-sandbox shooter, PlanetSide 2. He posted, There seems to be some confusion about PS1 Vets and the PS2 Beta. Let me clear it up once and for all. There are going to be multiple phases of the beta. Simply put we are adding more people in different waves simply due to capacity. Every single PS1 player who has ever subscribed to the game will have their Station Account activated at some point during the beta beginning with people who actively are subscribers. Again though we can only let in so many people during each phase so invitations are by necessity going to be staggered. So basically if you've ever subbed to the game you're going to be in. However current subs are in the front of the line for that. In addition we have Priority beta keys given out [and] they will be let in in the early phases as well. For people that ask me, "I played from 2005-2007 am I in soon?" the answer is you will be in in an early phase. In other words: patience. You're getting in! But Smedley does warn, "This is a real beta. Not a marketing gimmick." So be prepared to do some actual testing.
Twitter's cooking up a way for you to archive your old tweets, relive your Bieber fever again and again
Frustrated by a lack of access to your thoughts and feelings about world events and sandwiches circa 2008? Twitter's working on a way to let users export and download old tweets into a file, according to CEO Dick Costolo. As far a service for search all users, the exec doesn't see such a solution coming any time soon, telling reporters, "It's a different way of architecting search, going through all tweets of all time. You can't just put three engineers on it."
Twitter for Android, iOS expands those Kickstarter tweets, becomes sensitive to our notification needs
That was fast. Just days after Twitter 4.3 had its details prematurely spilled all over the Internet, it's now raring to go for both Android (as version 3.3) and iOS users. Like we'd seen in early release notes, its focus is on expanding tweets to provide a glimpse at content when linking beyond just photos. Along with showing snippets from news outlets such as C-SPAN, Twitter's app now teases content from Etsy, Kickstarter and Vimeo, among others -- just in case you'd like to know whether that upcoming game console is worth funding at a glance. Notifications are getting their own promised boost and can send an alert whenever certain Twitter accounts post any kind of update. The improved search autocomplete shows its face as well, and iOS users get a more advanced layout for tracking hashtags during live events. Users with other smartphone platforms will have to wait for the 4.3 feature set to filter through to their devices, but if you're of an Apple or Google bent, one of Twitter's bigger updates of recent memory is already headed your way.
Twitter for iOS 4.3 gets early teases from Twitter itself and the App Store, promises gobs of in-tweet content
Twitter has been making a push for expanded tweets in mobile, and there's now some very strong indications that its native apps' tweets will get extra-stuffed in the near future. Some skulking around the future App Store layout from 9to5 Mac reader Sonny Dickson has shown an as yet unreleased Twitter 4.3 release carrying "more interactive experiences" for links within certain posts -- in other words, expect a multimedia extravaganza if a friend really digs that New York Times article. Notifications should also get a much-needed refinement through an end to overly aggressive alerts in-app while bringing in selective, by-user notifications to find out when Mark Zuckerberg finally posts again. While Twitter has stayed mostly hush-hush on the update, the company's own corporate development VP Kevin Thau couldn't contain himself: his attempt to one-up Facebook this weekend showed a slightly redesigned iOS app that most certainly isn't sitting on our own devices. Controversies from The Next Web over the update's identification of third-party apps notwithstanding -- we don't know if it's intentional -- all signs point to Twitter on iOS (and no doubt Android) getting a tune-up before long.
Tweetbot 2.4 brings keyword mute filters, offline favorite and read later support
Tweetbot just got the update treatment, enabling a handful of features aimed at optimizing the way you interact with Twitter, both online and off. These added gems include an option to mute certain keywords ('cereal' may be a good start), location-based keyword searches, along with offline favorite and read later support (for booting links to apps like Instapaper or Pocket, for offline viewing). Most other functionality remains unchanged, as does the $2.99 price tag. You'll find the full list of updates after the break, with download links just below.
Twitter brings support for right-to-left languages: volunteers by done localization
Twitter's now available in Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu, with the task of translating the likes of the retweet button, list classifications and the fail whale largely done by a task force of volunteers. The languages were added to Twitter's translation to-do list back in January, with around 13,000 helpers getting the job done since then. You can change your settings to one of the newly supported languages in the drop-down account menu, while Twitter continues to plug more linguistic holes at its translation center -- interested polyglots can consult the second source below.
Sons of Anarchy creator in talks for game, likely browser-based
Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons of Anarchy the television series, is looking to become Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons of Anarchy the video game. Sutter teased a possible Sons of Anarchy video game from a "major gaming company" in a tweet today, writing that he is "soon to be taking meetings" for the project to "figure out costs, platform and timing."Sutter clarified his realistic expectations a few minutes after the initial tweet, saying, "to do a quality platform-based game costs tens of millions and takes years. We're toying with the idea of a high-end browser-based game." We're not complaining one way or the other, as long as video game Jax looks exactly like Charlie Hunnam.
EverQuest Mac saved by the fans
EverQuest Mac, or EQMac, is a fascinating version of the very popular (and classic, at this point) MMO EverQuest. The title is basically an unsupported version of EverQuest, still running on Sony's servers, but a version that does not include most of the current PC game's expansions and new features. In that way, fans see it as a time capsule of EverQuest's history, a way to go back in time on the constantly evolving MMO, and not only play the game on the Mac, but also see what it was like way back when. EverQuest announced plans a little while ago to go free-to-play, and with those plans, the company also decided that it would finally shut down EQMac, closing the book on that chapter of the game's history. Fan outcry, as you might imagine, was huge, and Sony's John Smedley has now tweeted that thanks to the outpouring of fan voices, EQMac is here to stay. Unfortunately, that's just one tweet from late last night, so there aren't any details on exactly how Sony will navigate the changeover to free to play from an EQMac point of view. But it is at least good news for Mac users still playing EverQuest and a sign that there are tons of passionate and active gamers on the Mac platform.
Twitter gets a new look: faster, simpler, cleaner
Are you someone who has yet to jump on the Twitter bandwagon because it's just too darn complicated to use? Well, the time to spread your tweeting wings has come, because the service has just done a redesign of its web portal and mobile apps around four new tabs -- "Home", "Connect", "Discover" and "Me" -- that make for a less complicated and more streamlined experience (sound familiar?). Twitter's new threads will be rolling out universally over the next few weeks, though the Android and iPhone apps have already been refreshed. All you 140-character mavens can head on past the break for a video of the new look or hit the source links to learn more. For those of you in need of an even simpler Twitter interface, well, we hear there's a guy with a rotary phone who can deliver just what you're looking for.
Twitter acquires dynamic duo at Whisper Systems, works to beef up privacy / security
You know that tweet you just wrote about your innermost emotions and the tasty sandwich you just ate? It's about to become that much more secure. Adding to its list of available resources, Twitter has acquired Whisper Systems, a two-man security outfit specializing in mobile device security and data scrambling on the Android operating system. Whisper, founded in 2010 by security industry mainstays Moxie Marlinspike and Stuart Anderson, has garnered a reputation for exposing high-profile vulnerabilities in systems that encrypt data over the Internet and WiFi networks. An exact buyout price for the company has yet to be released publicly -- though Marlinspike has released tools like SSLStrip that demonstrate vulnerabilities in supposedly secure web sites and has been working on a tool known as 'Convergence' -- which helps point out unreliable web certificate authorities. Not a bad find for Twitter, a company that has yet to switch over to a default HTTPS option for its 100 million active members' posts.
Be thankful you don't have to play these Rejected Darkmoon Faire Minigames
As you might know from our video tour, the new Darkmoon Faire island coming in patch 4.3 is loaded up with carnival-style minigames you can play with purchasable tickets. Faire-goers can look forward to playing games like Tonk Battle, Whack-a-Gnoll, and Ring Toss, but you have to figure ... what games did Blizzard consider before adding the ones we get in 4.3? We started guessing on Twitter, then let the WoW Twitter community take over with the #RejectedDarkmoonFaireMinigames hashtag. Unsurprisingly, you guys killed it. Here are a few of our favorites from the hundreds of entries we got.
Sina Weibo comes to entice business, not to bury Twitter
Sina Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging service is on the cusp of launching an English language version. Twitter addicts won't be forced to choose between the two: it's not for them. No, this westward drive is to encourage businesses to connect to Chinese users -- Neil Bush, head of TX Oil already uses the service to drum up clients in the far east. The company has also enlisted the help of Instagram and Flipboard, who will integrate with the service (as long as the latter can charm the Government to unblock it).
Twitter prepares for iOS 5 launch
The launch of iOS 5 is right around the corner and Twitter is gearing up for an onslaught now that the social network will be integrated into iOS. So how is Twitter preparing to avoid a day-long fail whale when iOS launches? According to Twitter's engineering VP Michael Abbott, the social network is not panicking about the upcoming increase in traffic. It's been slowly beefing up its servers and infrastructure over the past year. "During the last nine months, there's been more infrastructure changes at Twitter than there had been in the previous five years at the company," says Abbott in an interview with GigaOM. And Twitter seems confident that iOS 5 owners will not significantly increase the number of tweets flowing through the network. Even if it does, Twitter can handle the load as it is already processing over 230 million tweets per day, up from 60 million last year. Abbott also confirms that, even with mounting pressure from Facebook and Google +, it's not going to change the premise of its network anytime soon. Twitter will remain focused on the "simplified experience" we all know and love.
Twitter opens up photo sharing via text message on some carriers
We're not exactly lacking in ways to share a photo on Twitter these days, but one key area that has been left behind is the venerable text message -- which is pretty important for the millions of people that don't have smartphones. While tweets via text have been possible since day one, Twitter has only just now opened up the ability to post a photo via MMS. That service is only available on some carriers initially -- AT&T, Verizon and Cellular South in the US, Vodafone, O2 and Orange in the UK, and Rogers in Canada, plus Vodafone Italy, VIVA Bahrain and TIM Brazil -- but Twitter says that it's working to bring the feature to additional carriers. Actually sending a photo via text is as simple as you'd expect (just attach it to your message and send it to the appropriate number for your country), but you'll of course have to be aware of any additional charges your carrier might impose.
Apple tweets from the iBookstore
Back in January Apple created an official Twitter account for its App Store. @AppStore allows users who follow it to get the latest on App Store news and deals. 745 tweets later, Apple has decided to open up another Twitter account. @iBookstore offers followers "official updates from the U.S. iBookstore from Apple, including featured books, exclusive offers, and more." The account went live this afternoon and currently has three tweets and a little over 2000 followers. Besides the @AppStore and @iBookstore accounts, Apple owns six other Twitter accounts: @itunesfestival, @iTunesTrailers, @iTunesPodcasts, @iTunesTV, @iTunesMovies, and @iTunesMusic.
Who should I follow? Engadget editors on Twitter
Twitter's a rad place to hang and scope out the latest debt ceiling debate or find out what's up with Tiger's ongoing caddy search, but sometimes you just need another place to totally nerd out, you know? A safe haven for rampant geekery -- that's what we strive to make our personal Twitter stream -- and we're here to help you with that. It's been awhile since we've updated this here list, so we figured... there's no time like the present. Have a gander below at the Engadget editors toiling hard behind the scenes, and feel free to add 'em if you so desire. Engadget @engadget Engadget Mobile @engadgetmobile Engadget HD @engadgethd Engadget Spanish @es_engadget Engadget Germany @de_engadget Engadget Japan @engadgetjp Engadget Chinese @engadgetchinese Editors Tim Stevens @Tim_Stevens Darren Murph @darrenmurph Donald Melanson @donmelanson Christopher Trout @Mr_Trout Richard Lai @richardlai Sean Cooper @sean_cooper Kevin Wong @KevinMWong Ben Drawbaugh @bjdraw Brian Heater @bheater Zach Honig @ZachHonig Michael Gorman @Numeson Joe Pollicino @akaTRENT Sean Buckley @seannicus Joseph Volpe @jrvolpe Terrence O'Brien @terrenceobrien Amar Toor @amartoo Sharif Sakr @shotsheriff Myriam Joire @tnkgrl Zachary Lutz @zacharylutz Brad Molen @phonewisdom Richard Lawler @rjcc Dana Wollman @danawollman Jesse Hicks @jhicks23 Dante Cesa @dantecesa Billy Steele @wmsteele Daniel Cooper @danielwcooper Lydia Leavitt @lydialeavitt Jon Turi (Intern / all-around know-it-all) @jonturi Ross Rubin (Senior columnist) @rossrubin Joshua Fruhlinger (Editorial Director) @fruhlinger And of course, don't forget, you can always befriend us on Facebook. We like that, too.
Google temporarily suspends Realtime search, thanks to expired Twitter deal
If you noticed a distinct lack of tweetage in your Google search results yesterday, you weren't alone. Turns out, the company has temporarily suspended its Realtime search feature, as part of its ongoing Google+ launch. El Goog made the announcement, ironically enough, in the form of a tweet, explaining that it needs time to integrate Google+ within its social network-based search tool, but without offering a specific time frame. Mountain View later revealed further details with the following statement, provided to Search Engine Land: Since October of 2009, we have had an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results through a special feed, and that agreement expired on July 2. While we will not have access to this special feed from Twitter, information on Twitter that's publicly available to our crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google. Twitter offered a similarly curt explanation, saying that it would continue to provide tweet integration to companies like Microsoft and Yahoo, while adding that it still works with Google in "many other ways." Google's Social Search, meanwhile, continues to function, but has been stripped of all Twitter data. No word yet on whether the two sides have entered negotiations, but when they do, the fate of humanity will certainly be hanging in the balance.
Defamation settlement requires Malaysian man to apologize 100 times on Twitter
The punishment, the saying goes, should fit the crime. When working within the legal system, however, it can be pretty tough to come up with a truly appropriate sentence. Settlements, on the other hand, offer a little more room for creativity, and after a Malaysian political aide / social activist used Twitter to air a grievance about a pregnant friend's employer, the publishing company turned to the social network for inspiration. Fahmi Fadzil tweeted an apology shortly after, but BluInc Media wasn't satiated. The two parties finally reached an elementary school-esque out of court decision, requiring Fadzil to apologize for his initial statement 100 times on the microblogging service. He began the apology today at 9:00AM his time, and will continue on until June 4th, as per the rules of the agreement. Those looking to inject a little diversity into their Twitter stream may want to wait a bit before following the guy.
