Now that Facebook's share feature has settled into its own mobile apps, the firm has pushed its native Share Dialog for iOS out of beta, which allows developers to bake the function into their own applications. With just an extra line of code, apps will allow users to share things, tag friends and note their location without having to log into the social network or connect the app to their account first, removing some hassle from the equation. In addition, the built-in sharing options in iOS 6 can be bolstered with Open Graph actions. Click the source link below to snatch Zuckerberg and Co.'s latest SDK for Apple's mobile OS, or hit the second link for the docs.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Source: Facebook Developers (1), (2)

Despite being one of the hotter social networks, Pinterest hasn't been on the cutting edge of sharing: members wanting to send their pins through official channels have had to use old-fashioned email. The service is catching up to the modern era in style, however, with a new option to send pins directly to friends through Pinterest's mobile and web apps. While email is still hanging around, both ends now just have to be mutual followers on Facebook or Pinterest for the magic to happen. Sharers will also receive any adulation (or criticism) right away -- comments, likes and repins on those items will appear as notifications. It will take weeks to fully deploy the direct sending feature, but it shouldn't be long before everyone is on the same page.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Facebook

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Via: CNET

Source: Pinterest

In mid-March Facebook announced that it would be updating its Timeline design with a focus on users' interests and app activities. Now the the new "Sections" are finished rolling out and you should be able to find them in the left-side of your profile. Now users can rate books, shows and movies in addition to curate personal content from other apps. As a bonus to developers that are integrating their services (such as Goodreads, Spotify and Endomodo), Facebook is offering a new App Insights tool to track user engagement through the Sections section of people's profiles. So head on over to your profile right now to get a tweaking -- you probably don't want people to see how much you love that Bruno Mars album.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Facebook

When we last checked in with Sandvine's stat trackers, Netflix reigned supreme in online video traffic at home, especially downstream. It's still sitting pretty several months later, Sandvine tells AllThingsD. Quite possibly helped by the House of Cards debut, Netflix kept a healthy lead at 32.3 percent of downstream use on wired networks this past March. That's no mean feat when some of its competition took big strides forward -- YouTube jumped up to 17.1 percent, and Hulu likely rode sweeps season to get 2.4 percent.

In mobile, it's a different story. Netflix use on cellular almost doubled to 4 percent, but YouTube kept an uncontested lead at 27.3 percent of downstream use. It's not hard to see why after looking at other video formats people prefer on the road: raw HTTP video (19.2 percent) and Facebook (8.6 percent) were the next-closest, which suggests that many still grab snack-sized videos on their phones instead of full movies or TV shows. We don't expect the status quo to budge much in the near future, whether it's on mobile or a fixed-line. Without major initiatives from veterans or the arrival of a new upstart, it isn't clear just what would rock the boat.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google, Facebook

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Via: AllThingsD

Source: Sandvine

We're hoping we won't need to use Nokia's JobLens app for real any time soon, but at the Lumia 925 launch event, we thought we'd at least explore our options. It's essentially a proximity-based job searching tool that, in the lens mode, is much like the CityLens AR app for Lumias, and points you in the direction of your next potential employer using icons on top of the realtime camera view. In another mode, JobLens uses the Here Maps platform to show you a top-down view of openings in your vicinity, and can subsequently direct you to your interview on time. From either views, you can poke at vacancies to see more about the job and share it, email it to yourself, or respond directly with a CV -- various sites populate the in-app listings. The software also integrates with Facebook and LinkedIn so you can hit up your contacts for the inside track. No word on a release date yet, but we imagine it'll coincide with the Lumia 925 launch. As they say, it's who you know that counts, and now we know Matt from Nokia, who treated us to a quick tour of the app in the video after the break.

Update: we've been having trouble with the video -- it works on some devices and not others. It may work for you right now, but if not -- we're working on a fix.

Update #2: This should now be working for everybody. Apologies for the delay!

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia

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Competing with Google for search traffic is no easy task, even for a software giant like Microsoft. Unique features and customization have helped keep Bing afloat, though -- and now, MS is counting on some more comprehensive Facebook integration to boost appeal. Beginning today, the site's "Social Results" sidebar will be pulling in a bit more Facebook content, including posts from your friends that the tool deems relevant to the search at hand. You can also pub directly to your timeline from within the tool, sharing search results with your online buds. It's hardly a revolutionary refresh, but if you haven't yet managed to annoy your friends with posts about your favorite Spotify tracks or those shoes you just purchased online, Bing's now ready to step in by making your search habits public, too.

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft, Facebook

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Source: Bing

When it first announced Home, Facebook said that it would support the HTC One and Galaxy S 4 as soon as they arrived. But unless you were into sideloading, any attempt to actually run it on either of those two handsets was greeted with a "not supported" message -- at least until now. Though the app version hasn't changed and there's no mention of support for new handsets, the HTC One now appears to be officially supported, and after bypassing a warning (see the image above), you can now download and run it unofficially on the GS4 as well. That requires the main Facebook app to be up-to-date, however, and we noticed that Home (which has a tiny download size) leans on its much bigger brother for most of the heavy lifting -- updating Facebook actually changes features in the Home app.

Android Central noted that it also worked in that way for other previously unsupported devices it tried, namely the Sony Xperia ZL and HTC One X. However, we still couldn't even download the app on the Nexus 4 or LG Optimus G, although it worked just fine via a sideload -- producing the same warning and allowing us to "use home anyway." That jibes with what Facebook told us yesterday -- namely, that it would change permissions so that sideloaders would get all the updates and not be saddled forever with version 1.0.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Facebook

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Via: Android Central

Source: Facebook Home (Play)

Facebook updated its Android app today, with a flurry of new features. The cutesy / creepy stickers that recently hit its messenger platform are now a part of its core application, along with the ability to delete unwanted comments from posts. The highlight of this new software push is a redesigned layout for business pages, which rolled out on iOS and its mobile web UI last month. Under this retooled interface Like, Directions, Check In and Call buttons at the top aid discovery in the style of Google Maps, Foursquare or Yelp. If you'd like to take closer at Facebook's refined setup for Android, feel free to socialize with the source link below.

Update: Although it wasn't noted in the changelog, we've noticed a new "ongoing notification" that appears after updating, and judging by the comments, so have some of you. It can be switched off in the app's settings, but it's on by default and drops a Facebook icon in your notification bar with shortcuts to areas like messages, friend requests and service notifications. You can get a peek at the surprise addition in the pic above -- let us know if you're feeling appreciative or angered in the comments.

Update 2: Without warning, the ongoing notification setting and accompanying icon / notification widget has disappeared from our Android devices, and from those of several readers. There was no update to the app, but the menu item is nowhere to be found and the bar disappeared after a device restart. Was this an accidental leak or just an early test by Facebook? We've contacted the company to find out more information, but for now all we have are these screengrabs.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Via: CNET

Source: Google Play

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Facebook Home and the First phone to ship with it on board were revealed just over a month ago, and in the time since, the Home team has been hard at work improving the platform. Today at Facebook HQ we got to check in with Cory Ondrejka, Director of Mobile Engineering and Adam Mosseri, Director of Product to see how Home has been doing since its debut, and to hear what's in store for Home moving forward.

Thus far, Home's been installed on almost a million phones, which has given Facebook some clear insight about the ways it needs to be improved. Most complaints thus far have centered on Home's failings as an app launcher -- when you install Home on any phone, it rearranges your apps because there's no folder support and no app dock. Well, Mosseri and Ondrejka feel your pain and assured us that those two features will be rolling out in the coming months, and they plan to continue to iterate to make Home a robust launcher. Facebook also has plans to roll out a new buddy list feature that'll show up as an overlay on top of Cover Feed with a simple swipe. This lets users start conversations directly from Cover Feed instead of having to open up the messenger app to start chatting. That's not all Facebook has in store, however, so join us after the break for more.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Facebook's two-year-old Open Compute Project is fast becoming a potential cure-all for servers, with efforts underway that tackle efficiency, storage and monolithic design. Its next target: the frequently closed-source, small-scale world of network switches. The OCP team wants networking devices as open and scalable as the servers underneath them, and it's teaming up with heavy hitters such as Broadcom, Intel and VMware to make that happen. Unlike past initatives, though, there isn't an obvious template to work from. When development starts at the OCP Engineering Summit on May 16th, the alliance will be starting from scratch -- which suggests that we'll be waiting a long time to see what truly flexible switches can do.

Filed under: Networking, Intel, Facebook

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Via: ZDNet

Source: Open Compute Project

While Facebook Home may not be for everyone, it gained some serious traction since its introduction. Today at Facebook HQ, Cory Ondrejka, Director of Mobile Engineering let loose that, in the month since Facebook Home was first released, it's been downloaded over almost 1 million times. And, the addition of the launcher to those phones is turning out as Facebook had hoped, as the company has seen it drive 25 percent greater engagement (time spent using Home and numbers of comments and likes) with the social network once Home is installed. Naturally, most of those million are early adopters, but Director of Product Adam Mosseri stated that they are seeing the user base shift to "more normal users" with each passing week.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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If you're a Flipboard user, you'll recall that the app was recently updated to let you create your own magazines. Unfortunately, this functionality was limited to the iOS version. This changes today, as Flipboard brings magazine curation to Android. Creating a magazine is simple: just tap the plus button visible on each article inside the app or use the bookmarklet when surfing the web. This gives you a personalized way to collect posts, images and videos and share your ideas on Flipboard and beyond.

The new Android version introduces some unique features. You're able to "flip" content into your magazines using the share button built into many Android apps. In addition to the existing social network integration, Flipboard now includes a share button of its own on magazine covers -- this allows you to share magazines via SMS, email or Pinterest. The app also makes it easier to create a new Flipboard account by supporting Facebook's Single Sign-on.

Along with the updated Android version, Flipboard's rolling out a web-based Editor to help users manage magazines. This collection of web tools lets you reorder and delete content, rearrange magazines and check how often others have shared items in your magazines. Finally, the Financial Times is now available on Flipboard -- you'll even be able to read premium content by logging into your Financial Times account right within the app. Take a look at the gallery below and hit the break for the PR.

Gallery: Flipboard magazine curation on Android

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google, Facebook

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Source: Play Store, Flipboard Editor

Between buying Instagram and calling Facebook Home the "next version" of his social network, it's fairly clear Mark Zuckerberg's obsessed with the prime real estate on your smartphone. Israeli newspaper Calcalist is reporting that Zuckerberg and Co. are eyeing up crowdsourced GPS app Waze, which generates mapping data by pulling it from its users' devices in real time. The paper says that Facebook entered into discussions around six months ago, with prices in the $800 million to $1 billion range being mentioned -- and while that sounds like a big number, it's still only a dollar per user.

Filed under: GPS, Internet, Software, Mobile, Facebook

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Via: Reuters

Source: Calcalist (Translated)

Sure, Glass Explorers can post photos to Google+ with the high-tech headsets straight out of the box, but sharing to other sites requires additional glassware. While Facebook has yet to out its own app for Glass, an unofficial application dubbed Glass To Facebook has just arrived, allowing Google's adventurers to post images to the social network. Hooking up the the app appears to be an easy affair, consisting of granting the software access to a user's Google and Facebook accounts, and enabling it with Zuckerberg's crew. After that, Mountain View's headgear guinea pigs will be able to snap pictures and shoot them to Facebook. Count yourself as a lucky Google Glass owner? Hit the link below to grab Glass To Facebook.

Filed under: Wearables, Software, Google, Facebook

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Glass To Facebook

Facebook's been giving its Messenger app quite a few facelifts lately, with the arrival of Chat Heads and VoIP calling among the highlights. Today, an app update was released for iOS that lets users add stylized critter stickers to messages, freeing them from the crippling visual limitations of emoticons in textual communications -- largely identical to the recent Android update. The upgrade also enables a swipe to delete feature to remove conversations from inboxes for good, saving users precious fingertips from an extra tap or two in the process. If your iPhone hasn't already told you about version 2.4, you'll find the fresh download at the source below.

Filed under: Software, Facebook

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Via: The Next Web

Source: App Store

It was just a matter of time, really. We're well acquainted with Facebook letting us tag friends in our photos, so it's no shock that a similar feature has just spread to the social network's mobile darling, Instagram. The Android and iOS apps will both hit version 3.5 today, letting users tag others in a shot (whether or not they're human). A new Photos of You section has also been added to members' profiles, where you can see any photo linked to that account. As you might imagine, Instagram is already trying to head off potential privacy issues -- account holders have until May 16th before their Photos of You sections become public, and settings will let them turn down connections to any revealing (or simply inaccurate) images. The update is already available through the iTunes App Store and should be landing soon in Google Play. Hit up the source links if you've ever wanted to see how other Instagrammers see you.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Facebook

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Via: Instagram

Source: App Store, Google Play

Facebook wants you to log in. Real bad. But the social network hasn't traditionally gone out of its way to streamline password recovery. The site's finally make things a little smoother with Trusted Contacts, a redesign and rebrand of its Trusted Friends offering. Go into Security Settings and you can list three to five e-pals, who can help you log back into the site before your farm goes belly up. Contact them and let them know you need in, and they'll get a security code and instructions to help you get back to the wall.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Facebook

It's hard to believe, but there is seriously another Angry Birds game headed to mobile today, dubbed Angry Birds Friends. Like its Facebook counterpart, the game is focused on social versions of standard Angry Birds mechanics -- flinging various bird types at various structures protecting pigs, with the ultimate goal of destroying said pigs. The twist in this iteration is that your score is tracked and stacked up against friends via Facebook, meaning that people on all platforms (Facebook, iOS and Android) can play against each other. Should you be wary of shelling out more cash for fowl, worry not, as Angry Birds Friends is free (supported by ads, as you might imagine). It's available now on both iTunes and the Google Play store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Source: Rovio

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released its annual "Who Has Your Back?" report, ranking 18 companies by how well they protect user information from government eyes. Twitter and Sonic.net get high scores from the EFF, as they meet all six of the organization's privacy guidelines, which include requiring a warrant for sharing content and telling users about government data requests. On the other end of the spectrum are MySpace and Verizon, both of which score zero out of six stars. Meanwhile, Apple and AT&T get one gold star each, and Google, Dropbox and LinkedIn are tied for second place. You'll find the complete breakdown in the EFF 's comprehensive infographic (partially displayed above), and the full report is available via the source link.

Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google, Verizon, Facebook

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Via: Electronista

Source: EFF

There's a fairly good chance that Mark Zuckerberg's heading Home today without a massive bonus check. Zuck's social network, Facebook, hasn't quite reached the level of profitability that some investors once expected -- its first year of public trading brought highs and lows (though, mostly lows). But, revenues steadily grew, and, in the final quarter of 2012, the company finally turned a profit. And now, for the most recent quarter, Facebook is reporting revenue of $1.46 billion, a 38-percent boost over the same period in 2012, with a net income of $312 million and earnings of 12 cents per share.

Daily active users jumped to 665 million worldwide, compared with 526 million in Q1 2012. As we learned last month, Instagram also saw a significant boost, with more than 100 million people actively using the service each month. Mobile is clearly in focus this year, and 751 million users are already accessing the site each month through smartphones and tablets, though the company's efforts in that arena may be better reflected in the future -- the site's legacy products are responsible for Q1 2013's figures. We hope to get some more insight during the earnings call this afternoon, and we'll be sure to share any notable tidbits as they're made public.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Facebook

Last year's revision to Facebook for Windows Phone may have gotten fans closer to the Facebook grail, but it was still lagging behind its iOS and Android siblings. Microsoft is finally catching up though, with the latest beta of the app. This build supports the new Facebook Timeline, higher-quality photos and post sharing. It's currently listed as being compatible with Windows Phone 8 -- which might leave some 7.5 and 7.8 users feeling a bit salty. You'll have to download it straight from the link below if you're up for giving it a whirl, since it can't be directly from your device.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Facebook

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Source: Microsoft

Making new friends over cold brew isn't particularly difficult, but making those friendships Facebook-official requires a bit more effort -- unless you have Buddy Cup, that is. Developed by ad outfit Agencia Africa and creative studio Bolha for Budweiser Brazil, the drinking vessel makes folks who toast with each other friends on Zuckerberg and Co.'s social network as soon as their beverages collide, with an LED lighting up to confirm the new acquaintance. Partygoers link their Facebook profile with the LilyPad-based grail by scanning a QR code underneath the glass with an app from the brewer, and they'll be on their way to making new pals. The Drum reports that the Buddy Cup will be used at concerts, festivals and parties sponsored by The King of Beers, but we're sure intrepid imbibers can hack some together for use at their own soirees. Hit the jump to for a video of the contraption.

Filed under: Misc, Facebook

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Via: The Verge

Source: Budweiser Brazil (YouTube)

Google just released a new Play Store version (4.0.27) that, at first glance, contains only very minor tweaks -- except for one little thing. A new policy change will no longer permit any apps to update without going through the Play Store's internal system. That won't affect most software, but there's a notable exception in Facebook, which recently added auto-downloading to the latest version of its Android app, allowing it to bypass Play. The new policy seems designed to put a stop to that kind of thing, but you never know -- it could be just be a coincidence.

Update: Google has reached out to clarify that it also posted the policy changes to its Developer Console with the following statement:

Google Play Program Policies have been updated. See "Content Policies" section, which clarifies that "An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism." Google Play is a trusted source for Android application downloads, and we are committed to providing a secure and consistent experience. Learn More.

[Thanks, Thomas]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Google, Facebook

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Source: Google Play

Hot on the heels of its Mobile Developer Conference, Facebook today announced its intentions to buy cloud-based app development service Parse, a company with which the site has collaborated in the past. According to a post on Facebook's Developers blog, the purchase will go a ways toward helping devs, "rapidly build apps that span mobile platforms and devices." The acquisition will bring a number of cloud-based tools like data storage, user management and notifications to Facebook developers. For each company's take on the news, check out the source links below. We also spoke to a Facebook spokesperson, who told us, "This is an acquisition, not a talent deal." As for financial terms, they wouldn't say.

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Source: Facebook, Parse