Snapchat Rumored To Buy Bitstrips

Fortune is reporting that Snapchat has picked up Toronto based Bitstrips in a deal valued at $100 million.

According to Fortune, the deal is to be paid out in a mix of cash and stock yet it’s still not clear how Snapchat will be use Bitstrips.

Bitstrips was made popular in 2014 letting users creating personalized avatar character allowing users to place those images into a text message, Facebook status update, or chat window for friends to view. Fortune has noted that a Snapchat spokeswoman declined to comment.

Facebook Finalizes WhatsApp Acquisition

Facebook today closed its acquisition of WhatsApp. Announced earlier this year, is valued at $19 billion. U.S. regulators approved the proposal in April, but it did not receive approval from the European Commission until last week. 

As part of the deal, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum joined Facebook's board of directors who will be granted $1.9 billion in stock if he remains with the company for four years. 

WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging service that many use an alternative to traditional, carrier-based SMS services.


Source: WhatsApp

Facebook’s New Alpha Android App UI

Facebook has been experimenting with new UI's for Android. Members of the Beta testing group, as well as the Alpha testing group have seen many many changes recently, while others in the group have never been able to use it, thanks to the UI being completely controlled by Facebook’s servers.

It looks like anyone running Version 9.0 and up of the application should be seeing the new UI. In order to get Version 9.0, you will need to become an Alpha tester for Facebook. Luckily for Android users it is simple.

Follow the steps below to run the new Facebook Android app user interface. 

• Make sure you are not a Beta Facebook tester. If you are, by leaving the Google Group under Settings.
• Become an alpha tester by joining this Google Group.
• Follow the link in the Google Group to download the alpha version of the app from Google Play. (If you are asked to “Become a tester” before you hit the Facebook landing page on Google Play, click “Become a Tester.”)
• Push the application to whichever Android device you would like from Google Play.
• Log into the Facebook application on your phone after it is installed.
• You should now have the new flat Facebook UI.

There is also an alternative method You can sideload the apk onto your device, but you will not receive Alpha updates for it through Google Play, since you are not marked as an Alpha tester.

If you sideload the apk, and do not see the updated UI, simply wipe the app’s data from the settings menu on your Android device, then sign back into Facebook, you should be good to go with the new interface.

Source: Facebook 9.0.0.0.18 apk

Facebook Purchases WhatsApp For $19B

Facebook is purchasing messaging giant WhatsApp for $16 billion in cash and stock, according to a regulatory filing. The deal is being cut for $12 billion in Facebook shares, $4 billion in cash and an additional $3 billion in RSUs for employee retention.

A termination fee is attached to the deal that would cost Facebook $1 billion in cash and $1 billion in shares if the deal fails to pass regulatory muster.

Facebook has posted on its blog, detailing the reasoning behind the acquisition, as well. The post notes that WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and retain its brand. In addition, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook’s board.

Facebook notes that WhatsApp has over 450 million MAUs, with 70 percent of those active each day. In a staggering comparison, Facebook also notes that the messaging volume of WhatsApp approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry and that it’s adding 1 million users a day.

Facebook Unveils Video Sharing For Instagram

Facebook has announced video sharing for its massively popular photo sharing network, Instagram.

Video sharing through Instagram is similar to other social networks and apps in that videos are limited in time, 15 seconds in this case, and are able to be assembled in clips or chunks. Instagram will set itself apart from its fiercest competition, Vine, with the ability to delete clips and with filters. There are 13 brand new filters developed just for Instagram’s new video sharing. All of Instagram’s new video sharing features are built right into the existing Instagram app, and excluding custom image stabilization, are going to be available on Android from day one.

Source: Google Play Store

Google Considers Waze Acquisition

Bloomberg reports that Google is considering making an acquisition offer for mapping company Waze. Numerous reports over the past few weeks have claimed that Facebook is also eyeing an acquisition of the maps firm.

Google Inc. (GOOG), maker of the Android operating system, is considering buying map-software provider Waze Inc., setting up a possible bidding war with Facebook Inc., people familiar with the matter said. Waze is fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $1 billion, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The Palo Alto, California-based startup might also remain independent, instead seeking to raise a round of venture capital financing, the people said.

Waze’s price-tag is current said to be around $1 billion.

Google’s potential bid would likely create a bidding war with the Menlo Park-based social network. Bloomberg reiterates that Apple is not in discussions with Waze. Rumors from earlier this year claimed that Apple was eyeing an acquisition, but many of those claims were immediately debunked. 

Facebook To Buy Waze For $1 Billion

Waze had reached the 20 million users mark and we are sure that the number would have doubled by this year. The app is basically a social mapping platform which enables drivers to navigate and access real time traffic data. Users can add and edit information like new landmarks, police presence, traffic jams etc using the app which would in turn help other fellow drivers.

Given that Facebook is trying to increase its presence in the mobile market, its integration with Waze would indeed be beneficial. Many of the features in Waze are unique to the app and bringing them on board Facebook Home would make a lot of users happy. Moreover, it would give Facebook a much needed edge over other competitors in the market like Google and Apple.

Also it is worth noting that Apple won’t be happy with this deal. Earlier this year, there were rumors of Apple trying to buy Waze for half a billion dollars. Waze’s integration into iOs maps would have given it the much needed push in the market, but unfortunately the deal did not go ahead.

Anyways, both Facebook and Waze did not comment on the rumors and looks like we would have to wait for an official announcement from the company to confirm this news.

Facebook Chat Heads Now Available For iOS

Facebook recently introduced “Chat Heads” in its Facebook Home application for Android, and now the feature is about to make its way to iOS devices. Chat Heads work like this: if a friend on Facebook messages you, a small picture of the person will pop up on your screen that you can interact with. If you tap the face, you’ll be able to enter an SMS or Facebook Chat conversation with the contact.

There’s a catch on the iOS version, however: you won’t see the chat heads on your home screen or lock screen as you do on Android, AllThingsD explained. Instead, they’ll only pop up while you’re using the actual Facebook for iOS application. That’s kind of a bummer, but at least it adds a bit more flare to Facebook on iOS.

If you want a fully immersive Facebook experience, we suggest you take a closer look at the HTC First, or install Facebook Home on one of the supported Android handsets. Otherwise the chat heads on iOS will have to tide you over for now.

Update: The new Facebook application for iOS with chat heads is available now, but only some users are getting the full chat head experience that will roll out to everyone over the next few weeks.

Source: Apple App Store

Facebook Updates Messenger For Android With Facebook ‘Chat Heads’ Feature

When Facebook unveiled its new Facebook Home Android experience set to roll out on number of devices today via Google Play, one of the most talked about features was “Chat heads”. The feature allows users to quickly access Facebook messages and SMS through circular profile pictures that users can access from anywhere in the OS and organize freely on the screen.  Today, seemingly as part of its official roll out of Home, Facebook has updated its Messenger app for Android bringing a small piece of Home functionality to all Android users.

The updated version of Facebook Messenger implements the new Chat Heads feature, allowing you to see a small round icon with the face of the person you’re talking to hovering on the display even when you exit the app. When engaged in a conversation in Messenger, exiting the app will automatically create a chat head floating on top no matter where you navigate, allowing you to quickly jump back into the conversation. The chat heads can be arranged freely and dismissed at any time by dragging them off the bottom of the screen.

On top of rolling out the first device to come with Facebook Home stock– the HTC First– Facebook Home will also initially be supporting the HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and eventually the HTC One and the Galaxy S4.

Source: Facebook Messenger

Updated: Facebook Home Beta Leaks, Along With Download

We’re not even a week out from Facebook’s announcement of the HTC First and their new home replacement called Facebook Home, and we already have a leaked beta build to play around with. Thanks to Modaco, you can give Home a spin as long as your device has a screen resolution of 1280×768 or less and doesn't have Facebook baked into your system (meaning you can uninstall Facebook). If you have a Nexus, it would be the perfect phone to test this on. 

Below, you’ll find .apk files for the Facebook app, new Messenger client, and the Home launcher itself. Before you begin, it’s a good idea (maybe even required) to uninstall Facebook completely from your phone and then start fresh with these three .apk files below

Again, uninstall Facebook from your phone. Then install these. I had success by installing Facebook, then the Launcher, and finally Messenger. Once done, log in to Facebook and enjoy.

You’ll notice that one of the most important features, Chat Heads, is missing. For whatever reason, that feature is not working at this time.


UPDATE: it looks as if Facebook has disabled the home launcher on there server, all i get is a blank black screen when using Fabebook Home launcher. 

Download link:  Facebook App | Messenger App | Home Launcher

Source:  Modaco

HTC First To Launch On AT&T April 12 For $99

Facebook Home, we got our first official look at the device that will run it right out of the box: the HTC First. Available April 12 for $99 on contract, the HTC First is an LTE-enabled AT&T device with modest specs and a minimal design.

Coming in black, white, red and light blue, the First features a blank body with nothing but a camera on both sides and three capacitive buttons on its face. Under the hood you’ll find a Snapdragon 400 chip powering a 4.3-inch display, with Android 4.1 running underneath Home.

If you're looking to pre-order the HTC First click the link. Off contract, the First will set you back $450.

Source: AT&T

Facebook Home Initially Available For A Handful Of Phones

Those anxious to get their hands on Facebook Home are probably wondering if it will work with their current device. Well, we have the official list of supported handsets, and lengthy it is not. If you have a marquee phone from Samsung or HTC you are most likely covered, but those with lower-tier devices or something from another manufacturer are out of luck (at least initially).

On April 12th, the following devices will support Facebook Home: the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, HTC One X, and HTC One X+. Home will also be available out of the box for the AT&T exclusive HTC First.

Facebook is moving to support as many handsets as possible, so if your phone didn’t make the initial batch there is still hope. As for tablets, it could be a few months before we see anything.

Facebook Unveils Facebook Home For Android

Facebook Home does just this, in a beautiful redesign of the Facebook experience. No longer do you have to pull up an app or a mobile website, pictures are right there for you on the lock screen. You don’t have to open your phone to see what your friends or loved ones are doing, it’s all right there in front of you. With a simple swipe of a finger, you can breeze past photos, status updates, making the experience even more natural than it was before. Zuckerberg said people look at their phones 100 times a day, so making Facebook an increasingly engaged product is smart.

New features brought to Home are Chat Heads, Notifications, Cover Feeds and App Drawer, all designed to make navigation, engagement and use much easier and friendlier. “We think this is the best version of Facebook there is,” Zuckerberg said during the presentation.

I couldn’t agree more. I was blown away by how engaging and easy it is to use.

The main facet to take away is not only the hundreds of millions of Android devices this will be on eventually (initially it’s launching on smartphones, but I was told a tablet version will come within the next several months), but the increased engagement, which Facebook can eventually monetize. Zuckerberg was asked about this during the Q&A portion of Thursday’s press conference, and though he laughed and claimed to forget what the question was about, monetization of Facebook Home is important.

Eventually there will be advertisements on Facebook Home, but not on the first version. What isn’t clear at this time is how Facebook will integrate ads into the product without ruining the experience, but that question isn’t for today. Wall Street wants to see more engagement, which will ultimately lead to more ads and higher revenue, and the Street got just what it wanted.

Not only does this put Facebook in the forefront of users faces again, it could signify a thawing of the frosty relationship between Google and Facebook. Facebook Home runs on both the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean versions of Android, something that makes it available to millions of Android users, and isn’t dependent on Android updates. That’s a smart move by Facebook to not make this a forked version of Android, but something more. Google was aware of what Facebook was building, and though Google shares fell sharply on Thursday, it could be a start to bigger things between the two companies.

Facebook really impressed me with Facebook Home. Now it’s time to see how users feel about it. We’ll all find out soon enough when it launches on April 12th, available on Google Play.

Evleaks Offers First Look At Facebook Home

With Facebook’s Android-themed event under 24 hours away now, leaks on what they plan to announce keep rolling in. We’ve already got a good idea of what the device that unveils “Facebook Home” will include and how Facebook Home will be deployed (essentially as a home replacement launcher available in Google Play). Now we’ve got a peek at what Facebook home will look like.

9to5 Google has scored an @evleaks exclusive featuring the first look at Facebook Home’s UI. If the leaks are accurate, Facebook Home will build on stock Android to offer a design-heavy minimal interface with social front and center. Exactly what part of Facebook Home we’re looking at in the latest leaks is a little confusing, but it’s beautiful nonetheless.

Source: 9to5Google

Facebook Holding Android Related Event April 4th

Facebook appears to be ready to take Android seriously, as they just sent out invites to a press event that is happening on April 4. All the invite says, as you can see, is “Come see our new home on Android.

Source: Droid Life

Facebook Pushes Updates Outside Of Google Play Store

It looks like Facebook is bypassing Google Play by sending updates for their Android app straight to your device. While we have still to see the update arrive in our devices Liliputing has reported that the update auto downloads and will give you a notification once it is ready to download.

Another feature that is included in this update is that future updates will be automatically downloaded without the app notifying you. Included in the permissions of the recent update is the line “download files without notification.” This means that future updates will be automatically downloaded without the need for Google Play. You will still get a notification once the update has downloaded completely and is ready to be installed. Those concerned about data charges have nothing to worry about since the app only downloads updates over a Wi-Fi network and not through your network carrier.

We are really not sure as to why Facebook is implementing this new change in the way they are updating their Android app. One possible reason is they might need a faster method to deploy their updates and passing through Google Play might delay the process.

One problem that may arise because of this is that Android devices will have a greater chance of getting malware. Before you can install the updates from Facebook you will need to enable the “Allow installation of apps from unknown sources” feature. If you forget to disable this feature after installing the update then you place your device at risk from malware.

Source: liliputing

How to Get The New Facebook News Feed

Facebook unveiled a whole new news feed on Thursday morning and the revamp comes with a host of fresh features. Among the chief advantages: bigger images, multiple feeds for different interests and a more consistent user experience across mobile devices.

But all the intrigue brings up just one question: How to get the new Facebook news feed?

Well, there's a site for that and it's pretty simple although the change may not take effect as soon as you'd like. First, go to facebook.com/about/newsfeed. Second, click the big green "Join Waiting List" button at the bottom of the page.

Is Facebook the New Google+

Facebook unveiled today a radical new look for the news feed, but it wasn't the only social network getting major buzz following the design announcement.

Minutes after Facebook debuted the overhaul, boasting multiple feeds, mobile consistency and a bigger focus on pictures, people took to Twitter to discuss the similarities between the update and the existing look of competitor Google+, which was trending on Twitter in the U.S. for a good portion of Mark Zuckerberg's presentation.

Facebook's announcement comes just one day after Google+ launched new features of its own, including a "Local" reviews tab and larger cover photos.


As a part of an effort to de-clutter news feeds, Facebook introduced on Thursday more white space to make reading easier on the eyes. This shift is indeed reflective of Google+'s signature look. Both platforms now have a lot more space in the center of the page.

Looking at the designs side by side, the similarities are obvious. For example, Facebook's new look takes updates from friends also called Stories from small thumbnails to beautiful, blown-up displays, just like Google+'s approach to highlighting updates. Previews of articles shared from friends will also take up more real estate in the redesigned news feed. 

In addition, Facebook will be removing its cluttered left side bar and replacing it with a cleaner, sleeker black bar with visual icons for bookmarks, such as messages and chat. This resembles Google+'s existing grey-scale side bar, also with stacked icons. If you take a look at Facebook's sidebar now, which features smaller icons and more text, this is a huge change toward saving space and streamlining the design. It's also similar to Facebook's iPhone app.

Sound off in the comment section, does the new Facebook design look a lot like the new Google+ design? Let us know what you think.

Facebook Announces Newly Designed News Feeds

Facebook announced new design elements to engage users more effectively on Facebook on Thursday.  The new design rolls out today, facebook.com/newsfeed, for some users, but the roll-out will be gradual. The most notable changes include: larger images, videos, more prominent check-ins, more detailed information from publications, a greater display of possible friends without having to click on the profile. You could even view highly trending content.

Facebook claims, this allows for “a richer, simpler, more beautiful feel” as well as more choices on what shows up on the news feed. You can determine what feed you want to view from choices such as photos, news content/likes, music and games.  Check out the gallery below to see some of the highlights.

Facebook’s new navigation menu is very mobile-inspired and allows a continuous look and feel across devices (desktop, tablet, phones).  The company claims you get the most out of “smaller screens” to gain a greater experience.  New notifications, that Facebook calls “new stories bubble,” show updates across your feeds, that float on the top of your screen.

While Facebook is excited about this new format, they are planning on rolling it out on a gradual basis to certain users and spreading the new format to a wider audience.  So far we’re excited to see what we can do with the new format of Facebook, from a visual design, it looks cleaner and thus far seems easier to navigate. 

Samsung Extends Free Galaxy S3 And Note 2 Flip Covers Promo

A few weeks ago, we told you guys about a Samsung promotion of sorts taking place on the manufacturer’s US Facebook page. They promo had customers with either the Samsung Galaxy S3 or Samsung Galaxy Note 2 register their devices with Samsung in exchange for a special care package. Inside, Samsung packed a free Flip Cover (a $40 value) in the color of your choice, as well as a handful of TecTiles to place about the home, office, or car. The promotion didn't last long, and many were left high and dry once word spread throughout the Internets.

For those of you that did go through the trouble of registering, but weren’t quick enough to nab your free goodies, you might want to check your email inbox (or spam box). Looks like Good Guy Samsung is honoring their promotion yet again with a 2nd wave of care packages being sent out to already registered users. While we’re not sure if registering now will do you any good, it certainly can’t hurt, can it? 

For those that nabbed the deal the first time around, you should check your mail as we’ve been getting numerous reports of the first round of Flip Cover and TecTiles already landing on doorsteps.

Source: Samsung's Facebook page