Apr 15
The emoticon might be older than we thought. This passage of text, which includes a cheeky smiley, is taken from Robert Herrick’s 1648 poem To Fortune—and it might be the first ever use of an emoticon.
Mar 20
If ever there was a product designed to bring joy but ultimately destined to frustrate, it is these smiley face screws. They look beautiful, adorable, fun even. But you will shout and swear and stamp your feet every time you need to tighten them up.
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Feb 15
When we first broached the Great Smiley Debate
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Nov 28
Emoticons do a great job of conveying how we feel when we send instant messages. A smiley face could indicate happiness, while a frown could indicate displeasure. But what if there is no emoticon for whatever you’re feeling at the moment, and what if your current expression could do a better job of conveying your feelings? Well according to a new patent from Nokia, it has been suggested that perhaps your phone will be able to detect your mood and snap a photo of you at the moment and use that as an emoticon instead.
How your phone will detect your mood will rely on factors such as your typing speed, your typing pressure, and the use of the back space key. For example if one were excited about an upcoming holiday with friends, you could be typing really fast (because you can barely contain your excitement) to the point where you might be pressing harder than you’d like on your display, and could be causing a lot of typos hence the excessive backspacing. Once the phone has detected your mood, it will then launch the front-facing camera which will then take a snapshot of your face to be used in place of normal emoticons.
It sounds like a pretty novel idea, but at the same time kind of creepy. We’re not sure how we feel about our phones being able to detect our moods, but what do you guys think?
Nokia Patent Wants To Use Your Face And Your Mood As Emoticons original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 25
Emoticons are inherently silly. They’re text based facial expressions that don’t always make sense. Anytime a $ or # gets inserted to an emoticon, no one has any idea what the hell is going on anymore. But! When emoticons capture a feeling perfectly, they’re beyond brilliant. A string of words can’t even express life the same.
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Jul 16
=) -_- T_T =P 😉 Oh, the emoticon. Depending on who you’re talking to (or I guess texting to? messaging to?) at the moment, emoticons can be as common as some words. When did they first start showing up? Did people write letters with smileys and frowny faces? Were typewriters used to express emotion through symbols? Maybe. Apparently, the first emoticons were used in 1881.
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Jul 02
Facebook stickers come to the web
Posted in: Today's Chili
Facebook brought stickers to its Android and iOS apps this spring, and they’re reaching the web right as summer hits full stride. As in the mobile space, desktop users can now use critters, giant smileys and other over-the-top graphics in their private messages. A store is on hand for those who want to venture beyond Facebook’s free catalog. Web stickers are available today — if 🙂 just won’t cut it for your conversations, you’ll now have a more expressive set of emoticons wherever you go.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Source: Facebook
Apr 24
Emojis not giving that missive the right oomph? A Facebook Messenger for Android update has brought stickers into that mix with characters like cats and aliens, lending your chat head conversation just the right dose of nuance. It popped up yesterday as a hidden feature, but now you can download the final version at Google Play (at the source) — then, just click on the smiley icon in the text input box to start dropping the cute bombs.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Facebook
Via: Phandroid
Source: Facebook (Google Play)
Apr 12
You probably haven’t regularly used smileys since your middle school days, when modems screeched and President Clinton rained ordnance against Bosnian war criminals. You’ve grown up since then, but the 😉 has remained inert, a relic of type. In our new modern age, is it ever okay to drop a smiley? More »
Mar 28
What’s Your Least Favorite Emoji?
Posted in: Today's Chili
Earlier today we asked you, faithful Twitter followers, which emojis you most despised. Results varied widely. More »
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