update
drop photos, trials simplified Timeline and delivers new privacy controls
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/20/facebook-lets-us-drag-and-drop-to-upload-photos/
Anyone who’s returned from an event with a virtual armful of photos may have been frustrated with Facebook’s upload interface, which until now has involved a less-than-intuitive file browser. The company is quietly solving that problem: an update pushing out to individual users lets them drag-and-drop photos into a new post, like we’ve seen on other social networks, and to a newly streamlined Messages format that’s rolling out at the same time. A much smaller circle is seeing a second update. Facebook has confirmed to ABC News that it’s conducting limited trials of an updated Timeline that moves the news feed to a single column, replaces the thumbnail navigation with simpler-looking tabs and makes all profile page information available through scrolling. A spokesperson wouldn’t say if or when the new Timeline would reach the wider public, but history points to “when” being more likely. They did however mention that the new privacy shortcuts, activity log and untagging tool would be going live for all users starting tonight, and we’ve already seen them pop up on some of our accounts.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Via: The Verge!
Source: Inside Facebook, ABC News (1), (2)
Google Shopper adds push notifications, new UI and more with 3.0 update
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/08/google-shooper-update-ui-push-notification-sales/
Google Shopper has just gotten the bump to version 3.0 with an update that brings a roster of fresh features, including a new UI with speedier navigation and larger images. In addition to the fresh coat of paint, the app sports a brand-new sales screen, image-focused search results and product ratings provided by GoodGuide. Page and Co. have also thrown in push notifications to keep users abreast of new features and content, and an area to showcase retail promotions. Itching to start penny pinching? Hit the source link below for the download.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google
Google Shopper adds push notifications, new UI and more with 3.0 update originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 06:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It Happened Again)
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5958105/this-voting-machine-wont-let-you-vote-for-obama
If this is what it looks like, it’s terrifying: an electronic voting machine that won’t let you vote for who you want to vote for.
The video, uploaded today which surfaced on Reddit, is allegedly from a voting station in Pennsylvania—a major state in the election. The man who recorded the faulty machine, which is either deliberately not allowing a touch vote for Obama, malfunctioning, or maybe just has a bad touchscreen, said the following:
My wife and I went to the voting booths this morning before work. There were 4 older ladies running the show and 3 voting booths that are similar to a science fair project in how they fold up. They had an oval VOTE logo on top center and a cartridge slot on the left that the volunteers used to start your ballot.
I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted. I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney. Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney’s name and started tapping very closely together to find the ‘active areas’. From the top of Romney’s button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama’s name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein’s button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.
I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said “It’s nothing to worry about, everything will be OK.” and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video.
Again, there’s no proof that this is deliberate vote manipulation—or even that it’s real. Maybe the video is edited. But maybe it’s not. And if there’s a day we should err on the side of scrutiny, it’s the day when we pick the President of the United States with fallible machines. The original poster says he’s “not a video guy, but if it’s possible to prove whether a video has been altered or not, I will GLADLY provide the raw footage to anyone who is willing to do so. The jumping frames are a result of the shitty camera app on my Android phone, nothing more.”
This shouldn’t be happening anywhere, not even once.
[via Reddit]
Update: Our bros at Gawker talked to Joseph Lorenzo Hall, Senior Staff Technologist at the Center for Democracy & Technology, who says the problem is “obviously” a miscalibrated touchscreen.
Update 2: NBC says the machine in the video is no longer in use.
Update 3: Mother Jones reports that the misfiring machine has been recalibrated and is back online.
Update 4: CNN reports a second machine in Pennsylvania has exhibited the touchscreen malfunction—but has been restored.
Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/01/google-wallet-update-purportedly-leaks-plans-for-real-world-card/
Google Wallet hasn’t had much uptake in the real world. When most of its use has revolved around one carrier, few payment points and even fewer phones, most of us have had to sit on the sidelines. If an Android Police source really did come across a leaked future build of Google Wallet as he claims, though, we may know how Google surmounts that problem: going old school with a real-world card. Screenshots in the app supposedly show a mail-in option for plastic that could completely replace credit and debit cards without turning to NFC. Any charges after a typical swipe of the magnetic strip would simply go to whatever payment source is set as Wallet’s default, letting minimalists slim down their actual wallets while sharing in the same discounts as their phone-wielding counterparts. Digital-only purists would still get something out of the deal, as the update could also bring person-to-person money transfers and support for mass transit cards. How soon the as yet unconfirmed app would appear is still a mystery, but it dovetails with Google teasing a Wallet revamp that’s rumored to take mobile use beyond its Android-only roots; we just didn’t anticipate that the company might bypass our phones altogether.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lexus’ Latest Hybrid Concept Gets More Power And A New Look For Its Sydney Debut
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lexus-debuts-blue-sports-lf-cc-concept-2012-10
The Paris Motor Show just wrapped up, and now automakers have moved south to Sydney, where the Australian International Motor Show starts tomorrow.
For the occasion, Lexus is continuing its tour of the LF-CC, its high-end hybrid concept. First revealed in Detroit in January, the LF-LC is back with an update.
The latest take on the concept is the LF-LC Blue, a sports version with a new color and a more powerful battery pack and engine to pump out 500 bhp.
Other than that, it’s the same car, but it’s still worth a closer look.
Here’s the LF-LC in red at its Detroit debut.
Not much has changed since then, but it’s still a good looking car.
For Australia, Lexus went with ‘Opal Blue.’
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.
Aereo opens its streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/17/aereo-opens-its-streaming-tv-to-mac-and-windows-web-browsers/
If you’d wanted to watch Aereo’s unique antenna-to-internet TV streaming until today, you had to tune in from an iOS device or Roku box. That’s not a lot of choice for placeshifting, is it? A fresh update to the company’s streaming service has widened the choices considerably for New Yorkers to include all the major browsers on Macs and Windows PCs. As long as you’re using a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera or Safari, you can catch up on Ion or Telemundo while you’re checking email. About the only restrictions left are the continued lack of Android support and occasional lawsuits from traditionalist broadcasters.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Aereo opens its streaming TV to Mac and Windows web browsers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The NYSE Composite Vs. Obama’s Re-Election Odds
Courtesy of Chartist Friend From Pittsburgh, the latest update on the relationship between the stock market and Obama’s odds of winning on InTrade.
We’re not crazy about all the lines, and the relationship may be spurious, but at least some analysts think there’s a connection. The theory is that Romney would fire Bernanke, and we’d get a more hawkish Fed.
Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
Why Facebook Defriended HTML5 — For Now (FB)
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/bii-report-why-facebook-defriended-html5-for-now-2012-9
Many think HTML5, a new technology that allows developers to build rich web-based apps that run on any device via a standard web browser, will save the mobile web.
However, in August, Facebook sent shock waves through the HTML5 world when it released the latest update of its iOS app. In this update, Facebook abandoned its HTML5-heavy app for one built from scratch with Apple’s iOS SDK.
In a new report from BI Intelligence, we explain why Facebook decided to abandon HTML5 for the time being, analyze the state of HTML5 and native apps, and detail why it may take even longer for HTML5 to win out than previously thought.
Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>
Here’s a brief overview of why Facebook defriended HTML5:
- HTML5 app functionality still leaves much to be desired: HTML5 is a set of related standards. Th! is is ke y to understanding the problems that beset HTML5. As such, it has progressed relatively slowly. Facebook’s iOS product manager explained to The Verge, “Up until now, we’ve looked at scale, but we’ve become aware that while we have a great mobile website, embedding HTML5 inside an app isn’t what people expect.”
- And, HTML5 has a fragmentation problem: This is the very problem it is often trumpeted as a solution to. According to Appcelerator’s Michael King, there is a 30% differential on feature support across browsers. In other words, some HTML5 features may be supported in Chrome, but not in Safari or Firefox. This problem carries into mobile browsers as well.
- The success of Facebook’s mobile website underscored this issue: Just last April, Facebook said that its HTML5 mobile site had twice the number of users as its iOS and Android apps combined. This actually presented a problem for Facebook: iOS and Android’s mobile browsers don’t support a consistent feature set, including photo uploads! , a crit ical feature for Facebook.
- Apple and Google refused to help: Facebook started a Mobile W3C Community Group to promote the development of mobile browsers. Apple and Google, who combine for more than 85% of the global smartphone market and have a vested interest in the native app ecosystem, never signed on. The dream of building one HTML5 app and deploying across all platforms never becme a reality.
- But, the promise of HTML5 remains: Zuckerberg had this to say about HTML5: “It’s not that HTML5 is bad. I’m actually, long-term, really excited about it” His regret was not that Facebook spent two years dithering on HTML5, but that it spent two years on HTML5 when it wasn’t ready, or, as he put it, “it just wasn’t there.”
In full, BI Intelligence’s reports on HTML5 analyze:
- The success of an HTML5 pioneer, The Financial Times.How and when HTML5 will take over, laying out how it has all the hallmarks of a disruptive technology.
- What an HTML5 future will look like, with the promise of richer and more interactive experiences.
- Why native apps are winning now, and why it is taking so long for HTML5 to win out
Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
Dr. Augustine Fou is Digital Consigliere to marketing executives, advising them on digital strategy and Unified Marketing(tm). Dr Fou has over 17 years of in-the-trenches, hands-on experience, which enables him to provide objective, in-depth assessments of their current marketing programs and recommendations for improving business impact and ROI using digital insights. 
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