Aug 12
Google’s horrible new policy on using real names in Google+ effectively means that the service is now a danger to real people. You have to ask yourself why a company that pledged to not be evil would do this. More »
Aug 12
I have a friend, whom I won’t name, who takes the most amazing Instagram photos. They’re stunning, every bit as good as anything shot with a DSLR. And that’s because they are shot with a DSLR. Which sucks. More »
Aug 11
Here’s How To Remove Your Contacts’ Phone Numbers From Facebook’s Clutches
Posted in: privacy, social networking, Today's Chili, top, tweet
Facebook loves doing unexpected things with your data. Now it’s culling numbers from your phone and adding them to its online database to “help you” find contacts. Don’t trust Facebook with your mom’s number? Here’s how to fix it. More »
Aug 10
NYPD creates social networking unit to pick perps, not poke them
Posted in: new-york, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter
You’ve heard of the Special Victims Unit, but what about the Social Networking Unit? The time has come for criminals dumb enough to boast about their exploits on Facebook and Twitter to pay the proverbial piper. According to NY Daily News, the Big Apple’s newly minted Assistant Commissioner, Kevin O’Connor, will enlist the department’s juvenile justice unit to hunt down ne’er-do-wells on various social networking sites. So remember, even if your friends don’t care about the Cookie Puss you just posted to your Facebook page, somewhere out there someone is watching.
NYPD creates social networking unit to pick perps, not poke them originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 05
Google’s Realtime Search will return, probably sans Twitter
Posted in: Google, search, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter
Lovers often split up and then get back together. According to Mashable, however, the tiff between Google and Twitter over Realtime Search is taking on a cold air of finality — even though it seemed kinda temporary at the time. The Big G just reiterated plans to restore its social networking search function, based on Google+ and “other sources,” but it made no mention of its former sweetheart. Oh well, a wise person once told us that when it comes to relationships, you should never press rewind.
Google’s Realtime Search will return, probably sans Twitter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 04
Germany challenges Facebook on facial recognition, citing EU privacy laws
Posted in: europe, germany, privacy, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili
Facebook’s facial recognition feature probably won’t find too many smiles in Germany, where federal regulators are challenging the social network to change its ways, or face the consequences. On Tuesday, Hamburg’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) sent a letter to the company, advising it to obtain user permission before harvesting biometric data, as outlined by EU privacy laws that require consumer consent. As it stands right now, users can opt-out of the photo-tagging function by tinkering with their privacy settings, but the DPA claims that’s still too invasive, and has “repeatedly” asked Facebook to shut down the feature altogether. Zuckerberg & Co. now have two weeks to respond to the letter, and could face a fine of up to €300,000 (about $427,000) if a compromise isn’t reached. In a statement, company spokeswoman Tina Kulow said, “We will consider the points the Hamburg Data Protection Authority have made… but firmly reject any claim that we are not meeting our obligations under European Union data protection law.”
Germany challenges Facebook on facial recognition, citing EU privacy laws originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 03
Facebook burns a little cash, buys group messaging and digital book outfit
Posted in: industry, merger, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili
Facebook gone and done some serious damage to the company credit card, but thankfully, it’s being used for more than replacing chimneys and repairing pool liners. Zuck’s prized possession has just snapped up Push Pop Press and Beluga, with the former being best known for creating interactive digital books, most notably gadget junkie Al Gore’s “Our Choice” book for iPad. Beluga on the other hand, gained lots of attention for its group messaging app built for iOS and Android. Push Pop Press co-founders (and former Apple engineers) Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris were quick to say that Facebook has no plans to publish digital books; they did confirm, however, that “the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories.” Mysterious. Could the Push Press Pop acquisition be the key to the fantasmical iPad app we’ve yearned for since the dawn of the new millennium? Beluga confirmed the future of Facebook mobile messaging when it said, “we’re excited to build our vision for mobile group messaging as part of the Facebook team.” Equally mysterious. Unfortunately, no concrete details are being made available, with each site’s homepage simply confirming that It’s Complicated.
Facebook burns a little cash, buys group messaging and digital book outfit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 02
Who should I follow? Engadget editors on Twitter
Posted in: engadget, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, tweet, twitter
Twitter’s a rad place to hang and scope out the latest debt ceiling debate or find out what’s up with Tiger’s ongoing caddy search, but sometimes you just need another place to totally nerd out, you know? A safe haven for rampant geekery — that’s what we strive to make our personal Twitter stream — and we’re here to help you with that.
It’s been awhile since we’ve updated this here list, so we figured… there’s no time like the present. Have a gander below at the Engadget editors toiling hard behind the scenes, and feel free to add ’em if you so desire.
Engadget @engadget
Engadget Mobile @engadgetmobile
Engadget HD @engadgethd
Engadget Spanish @es_engadget
Engadget Germany @de_engadget
Engadget Japan @engadgetjp
Editors
Tim Stevens @Tim_Stevens
Darren Murph @darrenmurph
Donald Melanson @donmelanson
Christopher Trout @Mr_Trout
Richard Lai @richardlai
Sean Cooper @sean_cooper
Kevin Wong @KevinMWong
Ben Drawbaugh @bjdraw
Brian Heater @bheater
Zach Honig @ZachHonig
Michael Gorman @Numeson
Joe Pollicino @akaTRENT
Sean Buckley @seannicus
Joseph Volpe @jrvolpe
Terrence O’Brien @terrenceobrien
Amar Toor @amartoo
Sharif Sakr @shotsheriff
Myriam Joire @tnkgrl
Zachary Lutz @zacharylutz
Brad Molen @phonewisdom
Richard Lawler @rjcc
Dana Wollman @danawollman
Jesse Hicks @jhicks23
Dante Cesa @dantecesa
Billy Steele @wmsteele
Daniel Cooper @danielwcooper
Lydia Leavitt @lydialeavitt
Jon Turi (Intern / all-around know-it-all) @jonturi
Ross Rubin (Senior columnist) @rossrubin
Trent Wolbe (producer of the Engadget podcasts)* @tront
Joshua Fruhlinger (Editorial Director) @fruhlinger
And of course, don’t forget, you can always befriend us on Facebook. We like that, too.
*Views expressed in Trent’s Twitter feed are his own. We repeat: they are his own.
Who should I follow? Engadget editors on Twitter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 31
Iceland’s crowdsourced constitution submitted for approval, Nyan Cat takes flight over Reykjavik
Posted in: politics, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter, YouTube
A committee of 25 Icelanders submitted the first draft of a rewritten constitution to the country’s parliamentary speaker Friday, and despite our recommendations, Rebecca Black was conspicuously absent from the proceedings. The democratic experiment bravely asked citizens to log on to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Twitter to engage with the committee in a discussion about the nation’s future. While the project’s Facebook page played host to pleads for free ice cream and more volcanoes, the constitution’s creators managed to stay on task, focusing on issues of decentralization and transparency in government. The draft is slated for review beginning October 1st.
Iceland’s crowdsourced constitution submitted for approval, Nyan Cat takes flight over Reykjavik originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink AFP | Stjornlagarao 2011 (Translated) | Email this | Comments
Jul 28
Windows Phone Mango Twitter integration shown off, hashtagged (video)
Posted in: mango, Microsoft, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter, video, Windows, windows phone, WindowsPhone
Sadly, Twitter integration wasn’t part of the package when we checked out Windows Phone Mango at the end of last month. The feature has finally been rolled out in the latest developer build of the forthcoming mobile operating system, and WinRumors has taken it for a spin on video. Thrill at the simple setup process through Windows Live. Gasp at integration with the People and Me hubs. Stare in stunned silence at the threaded conversations. All that and more in the video after the break.
Continue reading Windows Phone Mango Twitter integration shown off, hashtagged (video)
Windows Phone Mango Twitter integration shown off, hashtagged (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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