Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook is testing out a new service that hopes to encourage Facebook users to check in at physical retail stores. Presumably, the idea is that by checking in at retail stores friends and followers might be more inclined to visit the same store. In exchange for checking in at the retail locations, Facebook users get access to Wi-Fi hotspots at no cost.

The system requires the business to provide Internet service and Facebook provides a free router that will direct users to businesses Facebook page after checking in. Facebook has confirmed that it is conducting a “small test with a few local businesses.” Exactly, which businesses are participating in the test is unknown.

Some stores may also be offering specials where discounts to shoppers who check in using the new service. This could prove to be an interesting way to monetize Facebook access for mobile users in a time when most users are starting to access Facebook via a mobile device rather than a computer.

The special Facebook routers will allow non-Facebook users or people who simply don’t want to check in to access the Internet for free. People who don’t check in with Facebook to access the hotspot for free would have to enter a password provided by the business. It’s unclear right now if this free Wi-Fi service will catch on and be expanded to other areas by Facebook.

[via CNET]

Facebook testing out free Wi-Fi hotspot access for check-ins is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’re sure that there are many of you guys out there who love to check into locations via Facebook – I know because I am one of them. Well the good news is that Facebook is looking to capitalize on those check-ins, and we say good news because not only will this benefit Facebook, but it will benefit users as these check-ins will be “exchanged” for free WiFi. According to reports, it seems that Facebook is currently trialing some sort of pilot program in which they provide some businesses with “Facebook routers” which provide free WiFi hotspots to customers.

In exchange for the free WiFi, customers will just need to check into their location and they will then be directed to that business’s Facebook page, where depending on the business, deals and special offers could also be given to those that check-in. This is not only a win for the user who gets free WiFi, but also to the business that gains more exposure, but also for Facebook who will get the free data which helps create more specific ads. This doesn’t mean that those who refuse to check-in don’t get the free WiFi – in fact the WiFi will still be provided but will require a password that should be given by the establishment.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Facebook gets serious in educating its new users, The HTC Opera UL is rumored to be Facebook’s smartphone,

If you were to go back a year, you’d see a whole lot of rage directed towards the Facebook timeline redesign. If you were to ask today, many Facebook users wouldn’t even remember the controversy. However, seems like Facebook didn’t like its own redesign, so its tweaking personal pages yet again: select users, when they log in, will see a new personal page with the wall presented in a single column format. The wall again becomes a list, and they get the left side. Open graph actions, like all those apps you approved and then never used again, or the Spotify songs you recently listened (basically all the low-value detrius) gets the right hand side. I think it looks nice!  (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Slapping someone for looking at Facebook is officially the best job, Facebook has new “Expecting a Baby” Timeline event,

Welcome to Friday evening, everyone. Today was a pretty big day in the world of tech, with both Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface launching and the iPad mini going up for pre-order. Microsoft was actually handing out £50 coupons to the Microsoft Store for giving those in the UK who pre-ordered a Surface conflicting messages about when it will ship, and the company even managed launch Xbox Smartglass for Android alongside Surface and Windows. Microsoft said it will be giving Windows 8 Pro users a free upgrade to Media Center, while Steven Sinofsky talked up the company’s new products, managing to get a couple of shots in at Apple at the same time.

On the Apple side of things, iPad mini pre-orders went pretty quick today, but not as fast as Apple devices normally go, leaving us to wonder if Apple finally managed to get stock issues right or if the iPad mini just isn’t all that popular. We heard that iPad mini LTE models could arrive as early as November 21, and Apple was seen knocking PC manufacturers for being afraid to drop old technology.

Of course, it would have been a very strange news day if there weren’t any new Nexus leaks, but thankfully we had a couple big ones to report. One Google employee apparently used the camera on the back of the Nexus 10 to snap pictures on his vacation, while we got to see the tablet up close and personal in a series of new leaked photos. Speaking of Google, the company released a new video showing new Windows 8 users how to quickly install Google search and Chrome onto their machines, and we received a new Google Maps update that adds colored terrain, which is a pretty cool feature if you ask us.

There’s a particularly scary Borderlands 2 exploit making the rounds, while Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition players got a skins pack featuring a whopping 55 Halloween-themed skins for just two smackers. Nintendo introduced a new Charizard 3DS XL that’s sure to be super rare, and GameStop announced that it will be opening a number of retail stores aimed at young children. Paul Ceglia was arrested for fraud after it was determined that he forged documents saying he was entitled to a huge stake in Facebook, and Volvo was touting its traffic jam self-driving technology today. Netflix detailed its Windows 8 app today too, so have a look at the company’s new video if you want to get familiar of all of the new features.

We’re almost done with the Wrap-Up, but before we go, be sure to have a look at the original articles that went up today. Chris Davies tells us why he’s cancelled his Microsoft Surface pre-order, while Chris Burns asks if Apple will adopt wireless charging technology if Google introduces it in its Nexus line. Burns also got the chance to interview famed artist Futura at a recent Samsung event, so don’t miss that one! That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you have an excellent weekend!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: October 26, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

39-year-old Paul Ceglia, a New York wood pellet salesman who claimed he owned a huge stake in Facebook by forging documents, was arrested today and taken into custody by US Postal inspectors at Ceglia’s home in Wellsville, NY. He was arrested on charges that he falsified records and destroyed evidence in a multi-billion dollar scheme to defraud Facebook and the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

The story goes back two years ago when Ceglia filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg, claiming that the two signed a contract in April 2003 that promised Ceglia a 50% stake in the social network. However, many of the documents and emails turned out to be falsified, and the date that the fake contract was signed (April 28, 2003) is said to be before the time period that the idea of starting Facebook came up.

Ceglia was running an online business called Streetfax.com back in 2003, and the two of them indeed signed a contract that would pay Zuckerberg for programming work. However, Ceglia claimed that as part of the deal, Zuckerberg promised him at least 50% ownership of Facebook. While the contract for programming work between Ceglia and Zuckerberg is certainly true, authorities ended up finding the real contract on Ceglia’s computer, which made no mention of Facebook or an ownership agreement.

A search through Harvard’s email servers produced no evidence of emails that Ceglia described in his lawsuit, and authorities found falsified existing records on his computer that support Celgia’s many untrue claims. Ceglia was officially charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

[via Forbes]

Man arrested for plotting ownership scheme against Facebook is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.