Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook CEO & founder Mark Zuckerberg visited Moscow, Russia today to talk with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev about building a possible Facebook research center in Russia. Medvedev pitched to Zuckerberg that not only is Russia abundant with natural resources, but the country’s IT sector is also something that’s quickly gaining ground.

Zuckerberg traded in his zip-up hoodie and jeans for a formal suit as he spent the day with Medvedev. Zuckerberg was in Moscow to increase Facebook’s presence in Russia, where it competes with local social networking sites. He was also in Russia to attend a programming symposium where he would look to attract Russians to work for his social networking site.

However, it turns out that not all Russians were happy with Zuckerberg’s visit. Oleg Kozyrev, a popular opposition blogger in Russia, launched a Facebook group called “Zuckerberg, don’t be friends with a dictator!”, where he urged Zuckerberg to meet with officials who don’t “jail Russian bloggers and create laws on internet censorship.”

Then again, Zuckerberg wasn’t planning on meeting any other officials or big names, like Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, or even Russia’s richest man, Alisher Usmanov. Usmanov invested in Facebook in 2009 and made $1 billion selling his shares this year. It seems that Facebook’s plans to grow in Russia are still being discussed, so don’t expect anything substantial to happen to the social network anytime in the near future.

[via Reuters]

Zuckerberg visits Russia for Facebook talks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Apple’s App Store has more smartphone apps than those of its competitors. But the sheer size of the library is not the only source of consternation for Google or Microsoft, which would both readily concede that it’s also important to obtain the kind of key apps, optimized apps and platform-first apps the iPhone enjoys. The iPhone’s commanding marketplace lead is due to several factors. These include the huge number and historical affluence of its users and the ease of its App Store.

The iPhone, though, was not the first phone to have apps. In fact, in its early days, it didn’t have apps at all as the company urged developers to create optimized web apps for the platform similar to what Mozilla is now advocating for its streamlined mobile operating system Boot2Gecko. Apple originally put its efforts into creating archetypical apps for tasks such as calling, browsing, email and mapping. Rather than open the iPhone to third-party developers at first, it handpicked partners for various features, such as Google for maps and Yahoo for weather and stocks.

Continue reading Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software

Switched On: iOS 6 gets back from the app originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook debuted the new look of its dedicated Messenger app on Android last week and and just as promised, now it’s available on the iPhone as well. Facebook Messenger 2.0 brings a new SMS-style bubble layout to conversations, a swipe left gesture to reveal one’s friends list and the ability to push the friends you message most to the top of the list. As mentioned along with the Android update this is a part of a new release schedule cycle that should see updates arriving every 4 – 8 weeks. That means you can mark your calendar for the next refresh if this is your social network of choice, but for now just grab the latest version from iTunes.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Facebook Messenger 2.0 for iPhone brings new design to conversations, swipe left for friends list originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Thursday evening, everyone. This afternoon, RIM delivered its quarterly report, and even though it didn’t look too good, it was still better than quarterly reports of the past. Samsung is teasing a new Galaxy Note II event for October 24, while Google turned 14 years old today and celebrated with a brand new doodle. Qualcomm introduced a pair of new processors for mobile devices today, and a series of new iPhone patents deals with things like disappearing buttons, 3D displays, and invisible speakers.

Intel has reintroduced a processor meant to run Windows 8 tablets, and speaking of the incoming operating system, Microsoft founder Bill Gates shared some thoughts on Windows 8 today as well. A couple more companies have been updating their apps to play nice with the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, with Netflix delivering a new widescreen update for iDevices and Foursquare updating its iOS app as well. Camera+ launched an update for its own app too, adding support for iPad and iCloud.

The AMD AppZone Player was announced today with BlueStacks support in tow, and you can now sync your iPhone with Google contacts thanks to CardDAV integration. Google also launched a new field trip app today, which is being described as “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you,” and Dish Network announced that it will be launching satellite broadband for rural areas next week. A Google executive was arrested and later released in Brazil after the company didn’t cooperate with take down requests centered around a video that criticized a Brazilian politician, and sure enough, Rovio’s new game Bad Piggies has secured its spot as the top App Store app on the same day it was released.

In perhaps one of the biggest news stories of the day, NASA scientists are saying that Curiosity has discovered an ancient streambed on the surface of Mars, and Facebook has launched a new gifts service, allowing users to buy real life gifts for their Facebook friends. Steam will be kicking off a private Linux beta sometime next month, and European pricing details for the incoming Nokia Lumia 920 surfaced. Finishing up the news from today, Polaroid has announced a series of new sports video cameras for the more adventurous folks out there.

Finally tonight, Chris Burns interviews Dr. Edward Farhi about the time travel mechanics found in the new movie LOOPER (with the full review of the flick coming later on tonight), and we have a review of the Samsung Galaxy Stellar by yours truly. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up. Go out and enjoy the rest of your night and start getting excited for the weekend!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 27, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you own a BlackBerry, it might not have been immediately apparent that Facebook Messenger has been an option since October; unlike with Android or iOS, you had to track down the download on Facebook’s website. We don’t know why it’s been kept out of a more accessible channel, but that ends today with Facebook’s chat-focused app arriving on BlackBerry App World like most any other title. There don’t appear to be any new tricks included with the expanded availability, although we’d say that the wider exposure is enough of a highlight for an audience that just needs to get by until BlackBerry 10. Those who don’t use BBM for all their instant messaging can find what they need at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry reaches App World, sates compulsive chatters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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