Live Articles

As expected, Facebook called for its users to vote on a series of proposed site governance changes on Monday afternoon.

In short, it’s asking you to vote … on whether you want to vote.

Example: Every time Facebook proposes any major changes to its privacy policies, the company’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (or terms of service agreement) requires that those changes be put to a vote. So Facebook will float changes out to the masses, and it takes 30 percent of the user base to weigh in and have a say in the matter. Otherwise, Facebook’s changes become law.

Problem is, 30 percent of Facebook’s user base is 300 million people, or just under the entire population of the United States. Mobilizing that many people throughout the world to vote at all is pretty much a fool’s errand at this point — especially considering we have a hard enough time with voter turnout in real world elections for people like, oh, the President of the United States. I doubt a little-publicized Facebook vote will make it anywhere near the required amount.

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Google has released an update to its Gmail app for Android, and it brings some welcomed features that have been long yearned for by avid Android users. The app now supports pinch-to-zoom, meaning you can zoom in on emails and read them without squinting, and Google also introduced new gestures that allow you to quickly delete or archive an email by swiping left or right.

Some of the features introduced in this latest update were ones that Android users have been waiting on ever since the G1 days, but finally, Gmail mobile users can rejoice. Other than the pinch-to-zoom and the new swipe gestures, the app now has the ability to “auto-fit” a message to your phone’s screen, and there’s also a new thumbnail view for attached images and videos.

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Apple is expanding the iPhone 5 availability to 55 new countries this month. On December 7 the Apple's thinnest and lightest is coming to the Samsung's homeland - South Korea.

A week later, on December 14, the iPhone 5 will land in 33 more markets. Those include Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

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Sony has used its official Twitter account about to shed some light on the upcoming Jelly Bean updates for its smartphone lineup. The company revealed that it will be announcing the detailed schedule in mid-December.

Sony already announced which phones will be updated to Jelly Bean - the Xperia T, TX, V, S, acro S, ion, P, go and J. All of these were released within 2012. There will be no Jelly Bean treatment for the 2011 phones.

We also already know that the Xperia T, TX and V will get the update in mid-Q1 2013, which is February around the time the MWC kicks off.

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A trimmed-down version of the Bond phone or a remake of the Xperia Arc, the Sony Xperia J knows looks are important to reasonable spenders, too, and doesn't get carried away with the level of equipment. What it offers over a very similarly equipped Sony Xperia miro is a bigger and higher-res screen, which sure sounds like the right thing to get users interested.

On top of that, the Xperia J has borrowed design cues from the current flagship and an old-time favorite, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. So, although Sony has pretty good coverage of the low-to-midrange market, the Xperia J is easily an attention-grabber.

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Technology is progressing at an amazing pace. Every day there are a number of scientific innovations being made in different parts of the world and advancement is being made in every existing field. In the year of 2012, there have been a great many creative ideas and products. Here are the five top innovations of 2012 that have made a mark.

1. Touch Computing
With the implementation of graphical user interface (GUI), normal desktop computers is now being upgraded with touch screens. The technology here is similar to the touch screen concept of iPhones. So far, there have been two types of approaches, the use of resistive screens and capacitive screens, the latter of which is being used more often recently. This technology has really brought out a new age of PC paradigms.

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Right on time, businesses with the inside track to Microsoft's account team and partner program can now snag the latest version of Redmond's content production software suite, Office 2013. What's that? You've got the hook up, but you were also hoping for Exchange Server 2013, Lync Server 2013, SharePoint Server 2013, Project 2013, and Vision 2013? You'll be happy to hear that those are also available today -- the already announced "first quarter 2013" release window for Office 2013 stands, when it'll become widely available both digitally and at direct retailers.

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A few days ago, we covered that GTA 5 petition for PC reached 40k signatures. And as rubbish I seem this petition to be, because let’s face it, it’s going to end up on the system anyway, you have to admire the tenacity of PC gamers to really demand for something they desire.

However, Rockstar Games will put their games on platforms they deem viable, and it’s up to them and what their business models are at that moment. When you consider the fact that Red Dead Redemption did not hit the PC, there is a slight doubt going in the air that maybe GTA 5 will be the same. But considering the series debuted on the PC, it would be a really bad move by Rockstar, and one that, even though, they are governed by their own business models, it’s something that they probably won’t do.

“Things like modifications have always been a huge part of PC gaming and modded GTA is some of the most insanely fun times you can have,” the petition reads. “I hope you consider the release of GTA V on PC as it’ll make many people very happy.”

You don’t need a psychology degree to work out that Kim Dotcom is all about excess. From his rise to fame as a hacker in the 1990s to his key role in the establishment of the now defunct file-sharing behemoth Megaupload.com, he has always openly pursued his love of decadence. His preoccupations include the (seemingly relentless) pursuit of speed, power, and wealth: he also continually pushes back at institutionalised boundaries. Accordingly, Dotcom seems to corner more than his fair share of media focus for attention-garnering actions of both the legal and illegal variety.

Amazon has just released its official application for Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system, allowing users to access the popular products and view recommendations without actually leaving the Metro/Modern interface.

The program is obviously available for free in the Windows Store and it offers support not only for 32- and 64-bit versions of the operating system, but also for Windows RT and, consequently, for Surface RT.

The feature list is at least impressive, as the Amazon for Windows 8 app allows you to quickly search for products, read product descriptions and reviews, add products to the shopping car or to the wish list and even purchase products.

“The Amazon app allows you to quickly make purchases, search, compare prices, read reviews, and share products with friends using a simple yet elegant interface. Shop just as you do on the web,” the official description of the app reads.

Click here to load the app’s product page in your browser

ASUS has played a somewhat important role in the Android ecosystem, which includes its Nexus 7 endeavor with none other than Google. The Taiwan-based company looks to be going further, as Engadget spotted an FCC filing this weekend that exposes its plan to release a Google TV device. The FCC has approved ASUS’ new adapter dubbed the “Qube”, which is not really like any other Google TV device we’ve seen before. The Qube is more Roku-like, acting as a USB-dongle that could pair with an Android-based smartphone and separate keyboard or touchpad.

Facebook today announced that it is making its Photo Sync feature more widely available to users of its Google Android and Apple iPhone mobile applications. Photo Sync automatically uploads photos taken with the smartphone to a private folder in the user's Facebook account. The user can then choose photos from that folder to share publicly on their wall or with others. The feature is available in a new version of the Facebook mobile application, which is a free download from both the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store. Facebook has been testing the feature since August.

Yahoo is dropping several features that have been part of its Messenger chat service, the company confirmed in a Friday evening blog post.

The “phone in” and “phone out” capabilities, offered through a partnership with Jajah, will end as of Jan. 30. Yahoo stopped taking in new funds for accounts as of Friday, and said customers will be given information by Jajah on how to get refunds for any remaining balances.

Yahoo said free voice calling from one Yahoo messenger user to another will continue to be offered.

Yahoo also said that interoperability with Windows Live Messenger will cease on Dec. 14. That one isn’t a huge shock, given that Microsoft is in the process of retiring the Windows Live Messenger service in favor of Skype.

Meanwhile, the company is also axing the Pingbox and public chat features of its instant-messaging program.
Emoticons were spared the ax, so feel free to send a friend a frowny face anytime.