Facebook starts really, truly deleting removed photos

Posted on 16/08/2012 by Jon Fingas

For those who haven't kept track, Facebook has had a years-long history of only maybe-sort-of-more-or-less purging our photos: they could be removed from a profile, but they would sometimes float around the site's content delivery networks for months or years, just waiting for a prospective employer to spot those embarrassing frosh week snapshots by accident. As Ars Technica discovered through experiments and official remarks, that problem should now be solved. In the wake of a months-long photo storage system migration and an updated deletion policy, Facebook now won't let removed photos sit for more than 30 days in the content network stream before they're scrubbed once and for all. The improved reaction time isn't as rapid as for a service like Instagram, where photos vanish almost immediately, but it might be a lifesaver for privacy advocates -- or just anyone who's ever worn a lampshade on their head in a moment of insobriety.

Filed under: Internet

Facebook starts really, truly deleting removed photos originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook App Center goes full circle, rolls out to all users worldwide

Posted on 01/08/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

While Mark's network had already flipped the App Center switch in a number of parts around the globe, there was still a large chunk of its abundant user base missing out on the recently unveiled application hub. That's all about to change starting today, however, as a Facebook rep has announced on Twitter the social app shop is now available to every single one of its signees worldwide. In other words, this means now you'll have yet another thing to keep track of during your daily internet browsing routine.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software

Facebook App Center goes full circle, rolls out to all users worldwide originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Takeout introduces transfer tool for Google+ circles, merges your work and personal life

Posted on 15/07/2012 by Sean Buckley

Those who extol the virtues of keeping one's personal and professional life separate probably never had to juggle two Google+ accounts. Folks saddled with a Google+ profile for both their personal Gmail account and their organization's Google Apps account can now migrate circles, blocks and other information from one account to another using Google Takeout. The new tool won't eliminate your double digital life completely, however -- content such as posts, profile information and comments don't migrate. The process takes time, too, kicking off with a seven day waiting period before restricting the user's Google+ access for 48 hours while Takeout boxes up the data. Still, this should make managing Circles across multiple accounts a little simpler. Check out the official Google help page at the source link below.

Filed under: Software

Google Takeout introduces transfer tool for Google+ circles, merges your work and personal life originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook’s App Center pokes its way into the UK, now available to you and your friends

Posted on 06/07/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

It's been nearly a month since we saw Facebook officially introduce us to its newly minted App Center, and now Zuck & Co. are taking the application-loaded service to internet grounds over in the UK. Facebook's App Center in the Kingdom (or, as UKers call it, App Centre) won't be much different in comparison to its American counterpart, thus you'll still be able to grab all those big-name apps like the network's own Instagram, Draw Something, Spotify and Pinterest -- of course, there's over 600 others to choose from. In addition to these, though, there are some Euro-specific additions to the application mix, including Deezer's music streaming goods. Eager to find out what all the App Centre fuss is about? Then head over to the source below, where you'll be able to poke around it yourself.

Facebook's App Center pokes its way into the UK, now available to you and your friends originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung says Facebook project rumor ‘groundless’

Posted on 14/06/2012 by Mat Smith

Samsung has stated that it's not planning to offer a social network along the lines of Facebook. Previously referred to as Samsung Facebook, the company reiterates that it'll continue to offer its own Family Story service on its devices -- and its working to upgrade the experience. However, this will remain "far from a Samsung Facebook."

Samsung says Facebook project rumor 'groundless' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung aiming for complete mobile domination with rumored Facebook competitor

Posted on 13/06/2012 by Sarah Silbert

Samsung's made no secret of its ambitions to commandeer all aspects of mobile tech -- from the devices themselves to processors and software like ChatON and the recently announced Siri competitor S Voice. While we've seen the company head into social media territory before, it looks like it wants an even bigger piece of that pie. According to The Korea Times, Sammy is gearing up to launch a Facebook-style service early next year. The network, code-named (rather transparently) Samsung Facebook, will supposedly be integrated with Amazon's cloud computing platform, and the company is using its already-existing Family Story network as a starting point for the service. And lest you think the company sees edging out Facebook as a serious challenge, it hopes to expand its social media service "across different devices from different companies across different mobile platforms."

Samsung aiming for complete mobile domination with rumored Facebook competitor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook brings bigger images and text to its news feed, because size does matter

Posted on 05/06/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Not long after hooking up its mobile site and apps with a minor facelift, Facebook's reportedly planning to bring a similar redesign to its full-sized website. According to our friends over at TechCrunch, the changes will be nearly identical to those we saw on the mobile front, meaning you'll be able see bigger photos (up to twice as large) and text pop up on your cherished news feed. The light, but plentiful revamp is expected to hit users over the next few days, so don't feel like the odd one out if you've yet to spot any tweaks. Now, if only you had that SimCity Social to help pass the time while you patiently wait...

Facebook brings bigger images and text to its news feed, because size does matter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bing now more social in the US, hopes you ‘like’ it and tweet about it

Posted on 01/06/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

There's no doubt the Redmond team is spending a hefty amount of time enhancing its search engine at any chance it gets. Adding to the Linked tweaks we'd previously seen, Microsoft's now making Bing more social -- at least in the US of A. The most recent changes bring a Metro-driven interface to the homepage, which boasts that Microsoft "three column design" we laid eyes on earlier this month. Naturally, the revamp will open the doors to improved search results, but this, of course, will depend heavily on if you're up to linking your Facebook, Twitter or other social network accounts with Bing. That said, something tells us you're definitely up to it.

Bing now more social in the US, hopes you 'like' it and tweet about it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook snaps up mobile photo sharing firm Lightbox, decides Instagram isn’t enough

Posted on 15/05/2012 by Jon Fingas

We get the impression that Facebook is on a big mobile photo sharing kick: just weeks after it bought Instagram for a cool billion, the social network has just hired the staff behind Lightbox. The two-man team of Nilesh Patel and Thai Tran is bringing its mostly Android- and HTML5-focused knowledge over to Facebook, where it's hoping to reach many, many more people. You'll have to wait awhile to see what the Lightbox team brings to Facebook's ever more mobile platform, but you'll also want to hurry if you want to keep anything hosted on Lightbox: the service shuts down on June 15th. As a consolation for the shutdown, the startup's code is being posted to GitHub so that the fruits of its efforts live on in open-sourced form.

Facebook snaps up mobile photo sharing firm Lightbox, decides Instagram isn't enough originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook redesigns mobile site and apps, takes a tip (or two) from Instagram

Posted on 14/05/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Maybe it was inspired by the other app's most recent update, or perhaps by Zuck's newly-minted commitment to mobile applications. Regardless, Facebook's redesigned its iPhone / iPod and Android apps along with its pocket-sized site, clearly taking some design tips from none other than its fresh acquisition, Instagram. As you can see in the image above, the news feed is now showing one large post rather than the usual two or three (at least on the iPhone / iPod variant), this mainly due to pictures now being up to 3X larger than before. Facebook didn't note any other major changes, and there was no mention on when, or if, this snap-driven design will make its way onto some of those not-so-mobile devices. Be sure to keep an eye out for the redesign, as it's said to be rolling out as we speak.

Facebook redesigns mobile site and apps, takes a tip (or two) from Instagram originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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