Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /news-media/

Facebook shifts privacy policy goalposts

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 04:12:00 GMT

Facebook has rocked the boat with the most recent updates to its governing documents, which sees users losing their ability to vote on changes to the website's privacy policies.

The social media giant announced the changes in an email to members on Wednesday, stating that the public voting component of the site governance process "incentivised the quantity of comments over their quality."

Facebook is now proposing to "end the voting component of the process in favour of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement."

Campaigners are opposed to the changes and are urging disgruntled users to comment on the announcement.

Under Facebook's current rules, 7,000 opposing votes on the issue will result in a vote before the changes go through. However, the votes will only be taken into consideration if 30 per cent of the site's user base takes part.

Resultantly, given that Facebook recently reached its one-billionth sign-up, over 300 million users would have to take part in the vote for its results to take effect.

The new proposal also outlines plans to combine user data across various services owned by Facebook, such as popular photo-sharing app Instagram.

This move has caused speculation that the company intent to merge data profiles in a similar way to Google, making it easier to hit users with targeted advertising.

Those opposed also criticise Facebook's statement as being too vague.

A spokesperson from the Our Policy group told the BBC: "We want Facebook to use clear and understandable language.

"We oppose that Facebook is using 'like', 'may' or 'could' instead of clear statements. This makes it impossible to clearly know what we consent to."

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YouTube brings streaming film selection to Britain

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:13:00 GMT

Following a debut of streaming films for rent in the US market in May, YouTube - the online video hosting haven propped up by Google - has brought the feature to British shores.

The portal will begin renting films with an initial smattering of classics and blockbusters, such as Reservoir Dogs, The Meaning of Life, The Dark Knight and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The YouTube blog post about the release also contends that each film will be delivered in high-quality video.

In addition, YouTube hopes to offer users an experience beyond the surface of just idly watching the original films.

"There's always more to explore on YouTube," business product manager Matteo Vallone said. "Many movie pages also feature YouTube Movie Extras with free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube's unique community of content creators.

"Over time, we'll also be adding additional videos and features to YouTube Movie Extras so that you can get even more into movies on YouTube."

A visit to the website's dedicated film rental site reveals it will stream many films free of charge. Other films have been set with a two-tiered pricing system at £2.49 and £3.49. Most new releases to the service register at the higher price.

The revelation by Google-owned YouTube comes shortly after rival Facebook's similar expansion into the streaming sphere, though Palo Alto's route has been decidedly more geared toward music lovers. However, back in August, Facebook announced it would facilitate film rental as well.

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Adobe plans a makeover with newly purchased web tools

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:24:00 GMT

Web design guru Adobe has acquired Nitobi, makers of PhoneGap, and TypeKit, officials announced at the Adobe Max developer and designer conference.

The new acquisitions will help Adobe move beyond its Flash Player technology and transition more seamlessly to new web standards including HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

PhoneGap - an open source programming tool - allows users to create web apps designed for use on mobile phones.

General Manager for Adobe Danny Winokur said: "PhoneGap is a fantastic solution for developing a broad range of mobile apps using the latest web standards, and is already integrated with Dreamweaver CS5.5.

"It's a perfect complement to Adobe's broad family of developer solutions, including Adobe Air, and will allow us to continue to provide content publishers and developers with the best, cutting-edge solutions for creating innovative applications across platforms and devices.

TypeKit, on the other hand, specialises in web-based typography, offering subscriptions to users that allows them to use TypeKit fonts on the web.

Adobe also offers a similar licencing service, but the acquisition of TypeKit will allow Adobe to expand and improve flexibility for display and digital fonts.

Vice president of product management at Adobe Lea Hickman said: "Typography is a fundamental design element and something that designers want to be more creative with on websites - especially as these websites now need to be viewed on mobile devices.

"Working closely with type foundries, the Typekit team has delivered an outstanding service, empowering designers to present the power of the printed word in new ways - online and on devices."

At the conference, Adobe also previewed a new version of Edge - a tool to help designers create interactive and animated sites using Web standards - set to be finished sometime in 2012.

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Spotify heeds complaints over Facebook sharing concerns

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:13:00 GMT

Spotify received hundreds of complaints from angry users following changes to the music streaming service after joining forces with Facebook, prompting new privacy settings for the app.

Last week's f8 conference saw the two web heavyweights team up to provide what they described as a 'frictionless sharing' experience for users. Friction, however, seems to be exactly what a significant number of users felt following the changes.

The GetSatisfaction support forum and Spotify's blog have been inundated with messages from disgruntled music listeners claiming the changes to the service violate their privacy. Privacy campaigners in the US have also filed a letter of complaint with federal regulators.

The main issue is the new default setting on Spotify whereby users' listening habits are automatically shared via Facebook Ticker.

(Not cool for those secret S Club 7 fixes everyone indulges in now and then...)

In reaction to the outcry, Spotify announced that a new 'private listening mode' will be added, in an attempt to placate unhappy users.

"We're rolling out a new client as we speak, where you can temporarily hide your guilty pleasures. It works like a browser's private mode," Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek tweeted yesterday.

The fact it has also been made mandatory for those wishing to sign up to Spotify to have a Facebook account is also a bone of contention amongst those wishing to use the music service.

One angry user echoed the dissent on Getsatisfaction: "You are alienating your core user base - the users that have been with you since the beginning. I've been an ambassador for Spotify since 2008, I will not be recommending this service any more. My loyalty to Spotify is over and I will be on the lookout for another service."

Changes to the social networking site following the f8 conference halready sparked considerable controversy, and the latest Spotify privacy concerns seem to be confounding the generally negative reception of the new, all-seeing Facebook.

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Spotify users seeing red over Facebook partnership

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:25:00 GMT

Spotify users resisting the social network Facebook are in for a surprise if they try to sign up for the streaming service.

Users wishing to register with Spotify must now do so with their Facebook accounts.

Visitors to the Spotify homepage are now greeted with: "You need a Facebook account to register for Spotify. If you have an account, just log in below to register. If you don't have a Facebook account, get one by clicking the 'create an account' link below."

The new requirement comes following the f8 developer conference last week when Facebook announced it would team up with Spotify to allow users to stream music on their profile pages. In addition, existing users have been asked to approve increased integration between the social services when signing in to Spotify.

As a result, any songs users listen to are displayed on the Facebook Ticker, a particularly troubling feature for any hardcore metal fans secretly listening to the Spice Girls.

Previously, Spotify was an invite-only service, and while the Facebook partnership makes it easier for users to join, it also permanently links the two accounts and excludes anyone who makes use of alternative social networking platforms.

CEO Daniel Ek said: "We'll try lots of things, and probably screw up from time to time, but we value feedback and will make changes based on it."

The new changes sparked a firestorm of angry users, who took to the Internet to voice their complaints on Twitter.

According to CNET, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek responded to concerns, saying: "We view it differently. There's been a big barrier to sign up, we wanted to remove that, and make it a seamless experience."

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Press conference sparks rumours of Amazon tablet

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:49:00 GMT

Amazon is rumoured to be announcing a new tablet this week at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday in New York.

Speculation about an Amazon tablet has been growing for months, reigniting this week when word broke about Wednesday's press conference.

Analysts speculate the Amazon tablet will be a revamped version of the existing Kindle e-reader. It will be priced cheaper, however, undercutting Apple by selling its tablet for $250, but, similar to the iPad, will operate by touchscreen.

Unlike other competitors, Amazon is well positioned to take on Apple's stronghold on the market because of its online store, which makes books, movies and music available to users at the touch of a button.

While the Amazon tablet is expected to be a simpler tablet than the iPad, it could offer consumers the features they want most at a lower price.

Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told the New York Times: "The No 1 thing consumers do on tablets is email. The No 2 thing is look up stuff on the web. Then playing games and watching video. Amazon will offer all the tablet that many consumers need."

In its first, largely unchallenged fifteen months on the market, Apple sold 29 million iPad tablets.

The success of the tablet sparked a number of rival tablets, almost all of which failed to sell. According to the New York Times, The BlackBerry PlayBook shipped 200,000 units in three months, roughly equivalent to the number of tablets Apple sells in three days.

Regardless of whether Amazon manages to take a bite out of Apple, Barclays analyst Anthony DiClemente said the consumer stands to gain from competition between the two rivals.

He said: "The consumer is going to be the winner. The fact that Amazon is making such a huge investment might make Apple come back into the market at a lower price point. What's to prevent them from slimming down the iPad?"

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Google ups the ante on Hulu bidding frenzy

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:24:00 GMT

Ever expanding web search giant Google looks set to make another acquisition in the form of US video streaming service Hulu.

A bidding war has broken out, with Amazon, Yahoo! and the Dish Network all putting up offers for the sought-after Hulu video site. Yet it appears that Google intends to trump the lot of them with an offer Hulu may find hard to refuse.

Whilst the Financial Times learned the majority of bidders are expected to offer from $1.5bn to $2.5 billion for the site, the subscription service and rights to content for a minimum of two years, All Things Digital received word that Google plans to offer a significantly higher amount for a longer length of time and for more extensive content.

Hulu currently displays content from three big US broadcast owners - News Corp's Fox, Disney's ABC and Comcast's NBC - and these three companies should help the site generate over $500 million in revenue this year, according to projections.

Peter Kafka blogged on All Things Digital that such an over-the-top bid may be down to new Google CEO Larry Page and his plans to shake things up.

"Larry Page... has been making some sweeping moves since he stepped into office in April," he said. "Google executives made a point of saying that [its] $12.5 billion deal for Motorola wouldn't stop [it] from making other big acquisitions. And since any big-ticket buy Google proposes is going to get heavy government scrutiny anyway, why not make it worth Google's while?"

Google already owns the biggest online video site, YouTube, and whilst Kafka believes a Hulu deal will offer the internet giants more opportunity to display quality, premium content, he also sees where Hulu may take issue with this existing partnership.

"One big problem with the Google proposal: Hulu was created in large part as the TV networks' response to YouTube, and their fear that Google would swallow up the web video ecosystem."

Speaking to US radio network NPR, Business Insider deputy editor Nicholas Carlson also outlined Amazon's plans for the site: "I've heard that Amazon is thinking a Hulu-branded tablet would be a great way to get consumers really excited."

Still, he said Google would be the top contender should it enter the game.

"Google just has so much cash in the bank right now," he said.

Hulu has yet to comment on any of the bids, but some reports suggest it remains hesitant to sell the site at all.

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Will Facebook stream music after f8 conference in September?

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:25:00 GMT

Facebook may be headed into the streaming music realm, according to sources speaking to Mashable.

The alleged a partnership between Palo Alto, Spotify, MOG and Rdio would see the social giant squaring off with similar services such as Pandora, and Apple's newly announced streaming service iTunes Match.

The project could also ruffle feathers in other realms, as Google and Amazon have been keen to offer cloud music storage to allow users to access their music library on the go for some time.

Facebook's music service would differ from its competitors, however, in that the music files and streaming would be handled exclusively by its partners rather than directly by Palo Alto.

Nevertheless, it would be a big move for the Zuckerberg-led company, which has seemingly set its sights on redirecting as much traffic as possible through its pristine blue pages.

The firm recently partnered with Edinburgh-based travel comparison website Skyscanner to provide flight quotes through the social channel, and buzz still surrounds Palo Alto's ability to stream films through studio-direct offerings, which made The Dark Knight and The Big Lebowski available to users.

However, if there are major plans afoot for the service, Facebook is keeping quiet.

"There's nothing new to announce," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable. "Many of the most popular music services around the world are integrated with Facebook and we're constantly talking to our partners about ways to improve these integrations."

With the f8 conference just around the corner on September 22, speculation continues about what's in store next for developers and users of the site, as the Like button got its premiere thumbs-up at the 2010 event and Facebook rolled out Connect - which ported info between profiles and third-party websites - in 2008.

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iTunes Match cloud music service offers scan and match solution

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:49:00 GMT

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced iTunes Match - a streaming, scan and match music component to the company's popular music player - in June and this week the developers will have a chance to toy with the new technology.

The new service will use cloud technology to remotely store data on a third-party's server, which can then be accessed from any web-connected device. The Apple website outlines the benefits of this service - such as removing the need to sync devices and creating a single library of music from iTunes purchases, music you have ripped from CDs or purchased elsewhere. The resulting cloud-hosted library can then stream music to your Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

"Cloud music is supposed to save valuable storage space on users' mobile devices as well as give them ubiquitous access to their music libraries," Greg Sandoval of CNET said. iTunes Match "scan[s] a user's hard drive, and then stream[s] their entire music library from Apple's servers back to the user via any Web-connected device"

Cloud storage has proved popular with other web companies branching out with music streaming sites, such as Google and Amazon's models.

However the difference between similar cloud music services and what iTunes Match will purportedly offer is that Match's music received the blessings of four of the major record labels. Therefore, music files will be scanned then matched in the cloud with the original recording, rather than uploaded, which would likely speed up the process for users significantly.

Apple completed the cloud-music licensing agreements with major labels EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group earlier this year.

Using a scan and match system, iTunes Match can identify which of the 18 million songs in the iTunes store matches the user's, so there would no need to upload them to the cloud, the company said.>.

In June, Facebook announced it also planned to join the cloud-music trend by pairing up with Spotify to create a new integrated page called Music Dashboard.

Spotify, meanwhile, launched in the US market in July this year, also putting it at odds with the new iTunes Match service.

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Android developers invited to be on TV

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:48:00 GMT

Google TV has released a preview programming tool plug-in to encourage Android developers to develop apps for TV.

Following the OS update to Honeycomb, Google TV devices will be compatible with Android, giving users access to their favourite apps on their television screens.

The tool will also help developers test existing Android apps and make tweaks so they are optimized for Google TV.

Google TV product manager Ambarish Kenghe said on the Android Developer blog: "These are still early days for Google TV, and this release is another step in providing developer tools for the big screen. While the number of apps available on TV will initially be small, we expect that through this early release of the add-on you'll be able to bring optimized TV apps into the ecosystem more quickly."

According to CNET however, adapting mobile-phone apps is not a high priority for programmers, and the lack touchscreen functionality on Google TV devices will be unappealing for some coders.

A lacklustre launch of Google TV last year led to a low popularity for the device, and according to Tech Crunch content issues and a complex-interface made the platform inaccessible to users.

Google competitors Apple and Yahoo have also launched similar platforms in an effort to bring television to the Internet, but programs such as Netflix, which allow users to stream video from their browsers, have proved to be a more straight-forward option.

There is still no word on when the plug-in will be released in its final form, or when Google TV products will be updated with Honeycomb, indicating that it may still be some time before Android users can engage with their favourite apps on their television screens.

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