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Facebook Phone Home? (SocialTimes)
Facebook announced Thursday a new application that will put Facebook activity front and center on Android devices. Facebook Home is neither an operating system nor an actual phone, the company said, but a “family of apps” that puts the social network on the home screen instead of in an apps folder. AllFacebook The social network announced that the HTC First, as previously rumored, will be the flagship for deep Facebook integration, and other phones will have these capabilities soon. From these devices, Facebook will make a highly visual Cover Feed the focus, bringing users closer to photos, status updates, check-ins — and, someday, ads. CNET Because the software runs on top of Android, Facebook can get Home into a lot of devices quickly and with little restriction. Home users could conceivably stay in this newly constructed socially focused bubble, or at the very least reduce their reliance and use of core Google-built features. GigaOM There’s already a good deal banter on the Internet making fun of the “Chat Heads,” which are bubble photos of your friends that live on the screen and show you activity and messages from each person. But as a frequent texter who carries on a variety of iMessage threads at any one time, I might appreciate the ability to conduct chats on top of other apps so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing. Mashable Restricting Facebook Home to the United States initially is an odd choice. Everything about Facebook Home appears intended to appeal to emerging markets.
LinkedIn is Rolling Out Facebook-Style Mentions of People and Companies in Status Updates (The Next Web)
LinkedIn has confirmed with The Next Web that it is testing the ability to add Facebook-style mentions of people and companies in status updates and conversations. It has published a blog post announcing the new feature and noting that “This feature will begin rolling out to our English-speaking members today [Thursday], and we look forward to bringing it to all global members soon.” TechCrunch On LinkedIn, you simply type in the name of the LinkedIn connection or company within the status update field. You’ll see a drop-down menu with matches, and once you post, that user or company will see your status update appear in their notifications list. The Verge The impetus for this is somewhat obvious: LinkedIn has been working on turning itself from a resume-swapping tool to a more robust social network and news source, leveraging its over 200 million members. While some moves, like its rumored acquisition of Pulse news reader, are indicative of a larger change in direction, adding mentions is basic housekeeping.
Roger Ebert is Remembered on Twitter, a Place Where He Found a New Voice (The New York Times/Arts Beat)
Throughout his career Roger Ebert, who died on Thursday, continued to embrace new ways of expressing himself. Late in his life, when he could no longer use his own voice, a result of his struggle with cancer, Ebert reinforced his place as a major cultural force with a strong presence on Twitter, where over 800,000 users of the service subscribed to his broad array of updates.
Hide Your Money: Tweets Officially Influencing Wall Street Trading Desks (AllTwitter)
In related Twitter news, according to The New York Times, Bloomberg plans to incorporate tweets into its data service. “The new feature allows traders and other professionals to monitor social media buzz and important news about companies they follow.”
DEA Can’t Wiretap iMessages, Says They are a ‘Challenge’ for Intercept (VentureBeat)
Apple’s iMessage product is stymieing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration – in that the DEA can’t intercept messages sent though the tool. The government agency released an intelligence note to law enforcement, acquired by CNET Thursday, saying specifically that iMessages cannot be intercepted between two Apple devices.
North Korea’s Twitter, Flickr Accounts Hacked; Anonymous Speaks Up (Los Angeles Times)
As North Korea continues to threaten the United States and South Korea with war rhetoric, hackers have taken over the country’s social media accounts and many of its websites. North Korea’s Twitter and Flickr accounts began pushing content Thursday that is unlike what the two social media accounts normally do, making it appear that the North Korean social media accounts had been compromised.
Google+ Supports Full-Res Photos with Spillover Storage in Drive (SocialTimes)
Earlier this week, Google+ quietly started supporting uploads of full-resolution photos from desktop computers in addition to Android smartphones. Files larger than 2,048 pixels will count toward the Google Drive free storage limit of 5GB.
Happy First Birthday, Grumpy Cat! (The Daily Dot)
One cat has plenty to be happy about, although you’d never know it from the look on her face. Tardar Sauce (“Tard” for short), who is better known online as Grumpy Cat, celebrated her first birthday Thursday.
Zynga Rejiggers Comp in a Bid to Retain Top Execs and Tie to Performance (AllThingsD)
Zynga just filed a new 8-K regulatory document outlining revised compensation arrangements with its top tier of execs that ups the salary and bonuses, as well as restricted stock units, but ties them more closely to performance and the turnaround of the struggling social gaming company. That is, except CEO and founder Mark Pincus, whose annual salary has been reduced to $1 and who will not receive any bonus or equity in 2013 — which is not an uncommon move for tech company leaders.
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