Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook already gave us insight into the volume of US government data requests that it receives; it’s broadening that scope today by posting its first-ever Global Government Requests Report. The chart reveals that agencies worldwide made at least 25,607 data requests in the first six months of 2013, targeting a minimum of 37,954 users. Nearly half of the demands (11,000 to 12,000) were from the US; as before, Facebook can’t be more specific unless it’s allowed greater transparency. While the report doesn’t address concerns regarding NSA surveillance, it does show that Facebook isn’t simply rubber-stamping government activity. The company has denied many or all of the requests from some countries, supporting the social network’s claims that it limits the scope of data probes when possible.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: Facebook

Google+ may not be the premier destination for photo sharing, but its devotees know just how wonderful Party Mode’s collaborative albums are. Facebook is bringing a little bit of that magic to its much more popular platform through shared photo albums. The feature, which was built during a company hackathon, allows up to 50 people to contribute to a single album and upload up to 200 pictures each. To ensure that the albums don’t become a chaotic mess, only the creator can alter the privacy settings of the album (public, friends of contributors and contributors only) and only he or she can modify or delete photos at will. Contributors will only be able to edit the images they themselves have uploaded. The tool is still very much in the early stages of development, and creators Bob Baldwin and Fred Zhao are already planning for the future. The upload cap of 200 pictures will likely be lifted, the duo told Mashable, and soon the ability to create shared albums should be coming to mobile (for the time being, you can only contribute to an existing shared album). Currently, shared albums are rolling out to a small test group of English-language users, before moving to broader availability and eventually crossing language barriers.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Mashable

Successive generations of console gaming have been, historically, defined by improvements in graphics. But Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg envisions a different future for the coming next-gen of gaming and it’s all about connectivity. As he told our own Ben Gilbert at Gamescom 2013 this week, “The same way that Xbox Live and PlayStation Network led to the big trend in this generation being multiplayer games, I think that some sort of connectivity and social amplification of games is probably something you’ll see a lot of creative activity around [in the next-gen].” Hirshberg offered up Destiny, Bungie’s upcoming hybrid FPS / persistent world game as a prime example of this trend, and referred to the title as being “born modern” — a video game and social network rolled into one.

Hirshberg’s aware that not all gamers are ready to jump ship from the current console generation. Which is why his company decided to invest in a new engine for Call of Duty: Ghosts to maximize the beauty of its visuals and audio, but still make it a multiplatform, cross-generational title. Activision’s even partnering up with retailers to offer gamers incentives (in the form of a minimal upgrade fee) to make the next-gen leap should they initially purchase the PS3 or Xbox 360 version.

As for where forward-facing virtual reality hardware like the Oculus Rift fits in, Hirshberg wasn’t as optimistic. He’s used the VR headset before, but primarily views it as a non-additive layer for gaming that’s better enjoyed in “small doses” due to its intensity.

For our full interview with Hirshberg and all his thoughts on the next-gen of gaming, click on past the break.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD

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When Facebook launched Video on Instagram, some were quick to dig an early grave for Vine — Twitter’s video-only app was surely doomed, right? Wrong. Twitter just revealed that Vine now has over 40 million registered users, or more than triple the 13 million users it claimed before its Android app launch in early June. Twitter hasn’t said how many of the new members run Android, but it’s clear that Google’s platform contributed significantly to the increase. Whether or not Vine maintains its pace is another matter. While Instagram frequently reports active users, the Vine team isn’t as specific; there’s a chance that some of those 40 million account holders tried Vine and promptly abandoned it. Still, the much larger audience suggests that there’s room for more than one short-form mobile video service.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook

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Via: Marketing Land

Source: Vine (Twitter)

Remember how Twitter is quietly testing timeline boxes that show trending TV shows? That’s not a one-off experiment: TechCrunch has also discovered a similar test for live events happening nearby. Instead of focusing on a person or series, the new box highlights a representative event tweet and offers a shortcut to more tweets associated with that event’s hashtag. As before, Twitter isn’t directly confirming the existence of its latest trial run; it will only say that it practices “innovation through experimentation.” Given the widened scope of the company’s testing, however, there’s a real chance that these context-sensitive cards could soon become ubiquitous.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet

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Source: TechCrunch