Social Networking, Internet Lifestyle And Security News
Passionate about net neutrality? Facebook privacy issues freaking you out? Want to know more about the latest security breach? Here we'll cover the headlines that matter in our ever evolving digitally-connected lives and lifestyles around the world.
It's best not to let the actions of a relative few be viewed as a reflection of society as a whole, otherwise we might as well throw in the towel and call it a day. Why? On Friday, Facebook went down in some areas for a period of time. It's annoying when that happens, but it took a new level of idiocy for some Los...
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Let's not tread lightly here, we all know how the stereotypical video gamer is portrayed on TV, and perhaps in our own minds sometimes as well -- overweight, anti-social, hyperactive (especially on chat), lazy, living in their parents' basement, and the unflattering list goes on. Just reference the "Make Love, Not...
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Unless you're willing to live out the rest of your life as a hermit, you'll notice there's a pecking order wherever you go. This is especially true among teenagers, but what might surprise you is exactly how their social statuses are determined these days. Instead of name brand clothes, which has been the case for...
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Watch out all you instant messaging applications, Snapchat just learned how to send texts in traditional form. What started off as a disappearing photo and video sharing service is now becoming a full-fledged communication platform that combines fun and functionality. Suddenly it starts to make sense why Snapchat...
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Just as Ricky Ricardo would often tell Lucille Ball in some manner or another, "Microsoft, you've got some explaining to do!" For the second time in less than two weeks, hackers representing the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) are taking credit for infiltrating Microsoft's Twitter account and posting messages warning...
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We won't make fun of you if you decide to don a tinfoil hat, not anymore. A few years ago you might have looked pretty silly wearing one and been the butt of jokes, but these days privacy is no laughing matter, even if companies and our own government treat it like a joke. There's the whole NSA/PRISM thing, but did...
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It's not unprecedented for mobile apps to receive billion dollar valuations. One need only look at the sum Facebook paid for Instagram, a mobile photo sharing apps that allows users to add filters to their photography. It's a simple app, but because of its widespread appeal, the developers earned a ginormous payday...
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Waking up to an annoying alarm is certainly effective, albeit a jarring way to start off the day. What if you could wake up to the smell of jasmine or a freshly baked cinnamon roll instead? If you own a smartphone, you can. A Japanese company has come up with a device that plugs into the audio port on your iPhone or...
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A study from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University examining the factors that cause people to be more susceptible to phishing attacks found strong correlations between gender, certain personality traits, and openness orientation to social networking and being more vulnerable to such an attack. The three...
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There's just something about a delicious looking meal that compels people to whip out their smartphone, snap a picture, and upload it to a social network, like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Your friends and family can instantly see what you're about to devour before you've taken the first bite. Such is the connected...
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Have you found yourself feeling sad, depressed, or even unusually angry lately? Maybe you need to stop checking Facebook for awhile. A joint study conducted by two German universities found that Facebook envy is a real thing, and perhaps as many as one out of three people actually feel worse and less satisfied with their lives after visiting...
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If you've never heard of Snapchat, ask your kids about it, especially if they're teenagers. It's billed as a real-time picture chatting application, and that's exactly what it is, making it an ideal tool for so-called "sexting." Using Snapchat, you can send photos or videos to recipients with a timer attached, so...
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Earlier this month, AT&T began offering the Samsung Galaxy Camera, a 4G connected camera that runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy Camera lets you connect to either a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network to share your photos and videos. While Samsung isn't the first manufacturer to offer a connected camera, the Galaxy Camera is in...
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E-readers seem to be going the way of the netbook. And strangely, it seems that netbooks and e-readers both have a single product segment to blame: tablets. As more and more users found tablets to be a suitable, more portable substitute for netbooks, so have avid bookworms. Instead of springing for a device that just reads, why not pick up...
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Back in 2008, social news site Digg was valued at $164 million; now, it’s been sold for the relative pittance of half a million dollars, according to the Wall Street Journal. (AllThingsD has outgoing Digg CEO Matt Williams on record as saying that the deal was much larger and was a combination of cash and equity; still, it's far, far...
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Facebook, meet Skype. And Skype, you should probably meet Facebook. The two met in a major way today during a Facebook "Something Awesome" press event, where a grand total of three new Facebook features were introduced. One of those was a revamped design for chatting. Evidently, a good many of the 750 million Facebook users enjoy the chat...
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Skype and Facebook. Facebook and Skype. They just go together, don't they? Like the cutest couple you ever did see, these two mega-corps are joining forces in order to bring deeper Facebook integration into Skype with version 5.5. It's a beta, currently out for Windows, allowing users to chat with Facebook friends directly from Skype, ‘Like’...
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Skype sure has hit it big. While there are dozens and dozens of VoIP calling applications, for some reason Skype's is the one that people flock to. Possibly being the first major one was what did it, but either way, the company seems to be growing in leaps and bounds, and the attention that they are getting doesn't seem to be slowing down....
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If you use Twidroyd, UberTwitter, or UberCurrent, you're probably having trouble reading Tweets right about now. That is because Twitter has officially suspended those applications, citing policy violations. The suspension appears to have been enforced on Friday, Feb. 18. Reports from a Twidroyd user indicate that after the ban, he saw only...
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If you took a look at the George Hotz (geohot) PlayStation jailbreaking video that was formerly posted to YouTube, Sony wants to know who you are. The company is demanding that a federal judge order Google to release the IP addresses and other identifying information (.PDF) of those individuals who viewed or commented on the video. The company...
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Attention all kids: if you're trying to drop hints to your mom about what to get you for Christmas, you might want to try dropping those hints on Facebook or another social networking site. According to a recent study by Child's Play Communications from The NPD Group, 23% of moms with children under the age of 18 who are active in social media...
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These days, people don't "call each other." They simply "Skype." Skype is definitely making a mark in how people communicate, and with more and more people signing up for their VoIP services each and everyday, it's becoming harder to ignore. The service just keeps getting better with each release, and today Skype...
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