Monday, 24 September 2012
Facebook has been accused of inadvertently publishing private messages on users’ Timeline profiles from the years 2007, 2008, 2009, and possibly even earlier. The issue was first reported by Metro France, but soon reports from all over over started to flood in. Facebook has denied the claims, saying the posts in questions are indeed old Wall posts, but readers are saying otherwise.
A quick check with my The Next Web colleagues around the world shows that this issue isn’t happening to everyone. At first it looked as if English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada were not affected, but a closer look seems to show this isn’t necessarily true. At least one reader from the UKsays it is happening to them as well.
It’s thus very possible this privacy screwup has nothing to do with where you are, as Facebook sometimes tests (and breaks) things with randomly-selected users. That being said, the reports first started in France, and Anna Heim, one of our reporters from France, confirmed that she is seeing the problem.
Here is a screenshot of private messages she sent to her friends, posted publicly on her Timeline:
If you are seeing this problem, please let us know where you are located. You may also want to hide all your messages by clicking on the drop-down arrow in the top right, clicking on Privacy Settings, clicking on Timeline and Tagging (Edit Settings), and making sure nothing is set to Public.
You can also change settings here to Custom (Only Me) if you want to be absolutely certain your private messages aren’t visible to people they shouldn’t be. This is a temporary solution, however, as these private messages should not be appearing on Facebook Timelines.
I have contacted Facebook about this issue. I will update you if and when I hear back.
Update at 2:00PM EST: Reports are coming in from readers all over the world (not just France and the UK) saying private messages have appeared on their Timeline. It’s important to note the difference between messages that were posted on your Wall way back when, and that Facebook is highlighting on your Timeline in the Friends box, compared to private messages that should not be there. Facebook will have a tough time differentiating between the two types of reports as panic ensues.
Update at 2:30PM EST: Facebook has told the BBC that these are older messages that were always present on users’ profiles, before and after Timeline. “Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
Update at 2:55PM EST: Just like Anna Heim, readers are finding Facebook’s statement hard to believe. They are pointing to addresses and phone numbers appearing on their Timeline, as well as showing up on their friends’ Timelines, which would have only been sent as private messages. I have contacted Facebook again for further information.
Update at 3:25PM EST: TechCrunch has received a longer statement from Facebook. Again the company is denying the claims:
Every report we’ve seen, we’ve gone back and checked. We haven’t seen one report that’s been confirmed. A lot of the confusion is because before 2008 there were no likes and no comments on wall posts. People went back and forth with wall posts instead of having a conversation [via comments].A small number of users raised concerns after what they mistakenly believed to be private messages appeared on their Timeline. Our engineers investigated these reports and found that the messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users’ profile pages. Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy.
Despite this, We’re still getting more and more reports from readers insisting their private messages sent to and from friends are appearing on their Timelines.
Monday, 24 September 2012 0
If you surf Facebook on daily basis or occasionally, chances are you’re already familiar with regular stuffs like add/delete friends, update statuses, walls and profile, add and explore pages & applications, etc, but there’s more..
This week we want to cover some interesting things you can do on (or with) Facebook; inclusive of tricks that are not documented or unknown to many, as well as tips to stay connected better with your friends. Without further ado, here’s 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know. If you have interesting tips/tricks related to Facebook, please feel free to share in the comment box below.
How To Place Facebook Chat On Firefox Sidebar
If you are using Firefox, you can place the Facebook Chat at the sidebar.
How To Download Facebook Photo Albums
FacePAD: Facebook Photo Album Downloader allows you to download your friends’ facebook albums, Events albums, and Group Albums, en masse, with the click of a button.
How To Share Flickr Photos To Facebook
Flickr2Facebook is an unofficial Flickr to Facebook uploader(bookmarklet) which allows you upload photos to Facebook from Flickr.
How To Update Facebook Without Using Facebook
hellotxt and Ping.fm both introduced features that let Facebook administrators update Facebook Pages.
How To Schedule Facebook Messages
Sendible lets you schedule Facebook messages ahead of time so you can send messages to your friends, customers or colleagues in the future.
How To "Friend" Someone On Facebook & Hide It From Your Status Updates
A short tutorial on Makeuseof to guide you how to hide Facebook status updates and keep that fact confined to your closer friends.
How To Create A Photo Collage Using Pictures Of Your Facebook Friends
Click on Friends tab. Proceed to More tab. From "Choose an option" dropdown, choose any of the dashes "—" . Your Facebook friends collage is right on your computer screen.
How To Remove Facebook Advertisements
This Greasemonkey script – Facebook: Cleaner removes many of the annoying ads and updates that unavoidably appear on your Facebook pages.
How To Syncs Photos Of Facebook Friends With Contacts In Microsoft Outlook
OutSync is a free Windows application that syncs photos of your Facebook friends with matching contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to select which contacts are updated. So you can update all contacts at once or just a few at a time.
How To Display Facebook Statuses On WordPress Blog
The following method make use of Facebook status feed and WordPress RSS widget to display Facebook Statuses on WordPress blog.. It will also work for self-host WordPress blogs.
How To Post Your Blog Posts To Your Facebook Wall Automatically
Wordbook allows you to cross-post your blog posts to your Facebook Wall. Your Facebook “Boxes” tab will show your most recent blog posts.How To Access Facebook Chat On Desktop
Gabtastik and digsby let you keep Facebook chat sessions open on your Windows desktop outside of your regular web browser, using minimal screen real estate and system memory.How To Create Quiz On Facebook Easily
LOLapps provides quiz creator that can be employed to conjure up these popular personality quizzes that are so widespread in Facebook.How To Hide Your Online Status On Facebook Chat From Select Contacts
Facebook has integrated friends list with Chat and you can also choose which of these list members get to see you online.How To Get Facebook Updates On Email
NutshellMail consolidates your Facebook accounts through the inbox you use the most.How To Update Facebook Status From Firefox
FireStatus is a status update utility for multiple social networks, including FaceBook.How To Get Facebook On Your Desktop
Seesmic Desktop, Facebooker, Xobni, Facebook Sidebar Gadget, Scrapboy and Facebook AIR application are desktop applications that allows you interact with your stream just as you would on Facebook, but without the browser.How To Delete, Cancel And Terminate Facebook Account And Profile
A simple guide to terminate, delete or cancel Facebook account, together with the Facebook profile easily.
Apple: 5 Million iPhone 5 Units Have Been Sold In Opening Weekend, Over 100 Million Devices Upgraded To iOS 6
The first weekend of iPhone 5 sales is now over and judging by the queues that were being experienced at various Apple Stores in available countries, it was expected that Apple would be seeing some extremely positive sales numbers after the first three days of availability. In a press statement coming out of California today, Apple Inc. have announced that they managed to ship five million iPhone 5 units following the release on Friday September 21st.
Apple launched the iPhone 5 at the back end of last week in nine different territories, including the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company’s plan is to make the sixth-generation iPhone available to an additional twenty-two countries on September 28th with that total exceeding one hundred by the turn of the year. The ambitious release schedule for Apple shows just how sought-after the iPhone 5 is, with supply inventories not able to keep up with the consumer demand for the iPhone 5. Apple has also announced that they have pre-orders on their systems that will ship into the middle of October.
Apple flipped switch on iOS 6 prior to the iPhone 5 going on public sale, with more than 100 million iOS device owners taking the plunge and installing the latest iteration of iOS onto their devices. We have already seen some early adoption figures stating that iOS 6 had been installed on 16% of iOS devices. With Apple recently announcing that they had shipped the 400 millionth iOS device, that figure looks to be closer to 25%.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, is obviously overwhelmed by the success of the iPhone 5 stating that “demand for the iPhone 5 has been incredible” and that the company is “working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible“. Customers are still able to pre-order the new device via Apple’s online store and will receive an estimated delivery date as part of the process. Although there is a small waiting period while Apple replenish stocks, it could just be worth it to get your hands on what is the lightest and thinnest iPhone yet.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
It appears to be something of a trend these days, but the release of Apple’s new iPhone 5 has done nothing but lead every two-bit tech fan with a video recorder to take to YouTube in an attempt to prove, or disprove, that the thing can be scratched. And by scratched, we mean pretty much obliterated.
A cursory search of YouTube for "iPhone 5 scratch test" will open up a treasure trove of awe inspiring and dread creating videos. Some, amazingly dragging the deed out for almost ten minutes, show what happens to the admittedly gorgeous iPhone 5 when it is tested by a variety of implements. The results vary, but it’s never really good.
We’ve told you already of one Overclockers UK forum-goer who claimed to have taken to an iPhone 5 with its SIM ejection tool. Subsequent photos showed a badly scratched rear plate, and the internet began with the iPhone hate once more. It’s like a baby ‘antennagate’ out there!
These videos show much the same. Oddly – and we’re sure you’ll imagine our surprise here – taking a huge bunch of keys to the back of an iPhone will scratch it. Who knew? The same happens with a knife big enough to end wars. Crazy!
Well, some videos show that the rear panel actually cleans up surprisingly well when rubbed, which is nice. You mileage may vary here, obviously, but then if you’re keeping your phone in the same pocket as your keys, then you probably don’t care about it enough to get all worked up when it gets scratched. If you do then, well, you’ve only yourself to blame frankly. So there!
We’ve embedded one or two videos for you delectation right in this post, so make your own decision.
Sunday, 23 September 2012 0
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Saturday, 22 September 2012 0
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Whether you go unsubsidized or take out a contract with one of the carriers, the purchasing of an iPhone is an expensive gig, and after paying an arm and a knee for the thing, it figures you’d also want a decent protective cover for it. This, of course, means more expenditure, and although cases and sleeves can be picked up for a couple of dollars on eBay, the ones that’ll actually help shield your device from the daily grind are not only fairly pricey, but can add quite a few extra millimeters of bulk to your device’s form factor.
Those purporting to protect from water damage are usually fairly hefty, and often make it nay-on impossible for the device to actually be used while they’re on. This is where Case Marinecomes in, and at just 0.25mm thick, it not only stops water from getting onto your precious iPhone, but it also allows you to place another cover on top of it!
It consists of polyurethane, and its acrylic panel covers the entire display – protecting both theiPhone 4(s) or Samsung Galaxy S II in a matter of seconds. Moreover, it will protect from water down to an incredible 32 ft. depth, and incredibly the device can still be used while underwater.
There’s a lite version for $15, and a premium version, which offers more robust protection for 38 bucks. A $50 iPad version is also in the pipeline, which allows you to continue using your device while in the bath, shower, or the bad weather in general, but the Case Marine is not without its shortcomings. Primarily, it cannot be used with headphones, so if you were planning on using it while jogging in the bad weather, you’re going to need to make alternative arrangements.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Liquipel, which we have featured on numerous occasions, will ever be introduced on a grand scale. The technology, which adds an invisible layer of water-repellant film to any digital gadget, is one that has fascinated us continually. Given that Liquipel reps have been reported to have spoken with the likes of Apple and Samsung, fully-waterproof smartphones may not be a million years away.
(via Gizmodo)
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Saturday, 19 May 2012 0
While plenty of new titles have been born of the iOS ecosystem – notably the likes of Angry Birds, Cut The Rope and Tiny Wings, there’s still plenty of space in our hearts for those older, nostalgic classics. Sonic the Hedgehog is an absolute classic, particularly to those who used to love collecting those golden rings on their Sega Game Gear, and with a few titles featuring Sonic and Tails already gracing iPhones, iPads and iPod touches worldwide, the second episode to Sonic The Hedgehog 4 has just been released by Sega America.
As a tech blogger, I love nothing more than writing hands-on reviews of apps and games, but in all truth, this particular title needs very little introduction. It follows straight on from Sonic The Hedgehog 4, but as opposed to merely being a re-hashed version of essentially the same thing, a lot of time and care has clearly gone into improving the title both from a playing point of view, and a visual aspect.
As well as following the continued story, you can also connect with friends or family via Bluetooth to do battle against the galling Dr. Eggman and his sidekick – Metal Sonic. It’s all nicely integrated with Game Center, and because it’s a universal title, you only need buy it once, and you can play it on any of your iOS devices.
Just as well, really, since all this fun will set you back quite a bit. At $6.99, it doesn’t come cheap, and given there are usually many $0.99 promos on Sonic titles, some may want to wait for a little while before investing in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II.
Still, having played it for half an hour, I am hooked, and despite the cost implications, I doubt you’ll regret your purchase; I certainly don’t!
Download Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch [iTunes link]
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
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