Social networking

Twitter supercharges tweeting on iOS and Android

Twitter released new versions of its iOS and Android apps on Wednesday intended to make tweeting easier than ever, and sharing photos a far better and quicker experience.

Twitter tweaked its apps in a number of ways, the company said in a blog post. Most prominently, it said that it is now faster than ever to tweet a photo. When a user wants to add a picture to their tweet, they'll now see a full preview of that image, rather than a cropped version. At the same time, Twitter said, sharing a photo from an iOS or Android camera … Read more

Sheryl Sandberg: Teens not abandoning Facebook

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. -- Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg isn't overly concerned that teenagers will abandon the giant social network, as a Pew study reported. "We're the leaders in a growing market," she said during an onstage interview at the D: All Things Digital conference here. She acknowledged, though, that teens are using sites such as Tumblr and Twitter more. "We are watching that very carefully," she said.

Sandberg also noted that social networking and other Internet activities still trail TV in terms of time spent. Users on average watch 34 hours … Read more

SEC fines Nasdaq $10M over Facebook IPO

Analysts might attribute more blame with the Nasdaq now over Facebook's bungled initial public offering last year thanks to a new decision from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The SEC is charging the American stock exchange with a $10 million penalty over poor decisions made as well as systems set up during the IPO and secondary trading scheme for shares of the world's largest social network.

According to the government agency itself, this is the largest penalty ever slapped against an exchange.

The SEC issued a memo on Wednesday detailing the rationale behind the decision. Here'… Read more

Dish Network dishes out social app for its subscribers

Dish subscribers can now combine a bit of social networking with their TV viewing.

Available starting Wednesday, Social is the name of a new app for Dish's Hopper Whole-Home DVR that lets people watch a show and follow relevant posts or comment about it at the same time.

The app taps into both Twitter and Facebook.

Dish subscribers can follow a Twitter feed related to the show or channel currently being watched. They can access their own Twitter feed to tweet, reply to a tweet, favorite a tweet, or retweet someone else's post. They can also log into … Read more

Facebook, Waze reportedly call off acquisition deal

Mobile app maker Waze apparently won't be joining the ranks of Facebook.

After months of chatting about a potential acquisition of Waze by Facebook, the two companies have put an end to the discussion, according to AllThingsD. Facebook had reportedly been ready to spend as much as $1 billion to pick up the navigation app maker. But the two apparently couldn't reach an agreement.

Sources told AllThingsD that talks fell apart recently due in part to disagreements over whether the Israel-based Waze team would move to the U.S. and integrate itself into Facebook's California headquarters. Other … Read more

Google+ for iPhone gets 'Awesome' photo features

Google+ for iPhone was updated Tuesday with a smattering of features, including automatic photo creations called "Auto Awesome," to make the mobile social-networking application match, in style and function, the revamped desktop experience released two weeks ago.

With version 4.4, iPhone owners get a collection of photo options for improving, viewing, and backing up shots stored in the device's camera roll. Specifically, the app can automatically back up camera captures, auto-enhance them, and group them into smart photo albums Google calls "Highlights," before you ever have to lift a finger.

The refreshed application also … Read more

Electric 1967 Karmann Ghia runs on social-media fuel

Back when a certain 1967 Karmann Ghia rolled off the assembly line, nobody could have expected that one day it would be gutted, filled with batteries, and turned into an electric car that runs thanks to social-media feedback. The car is part of the Minddrive after-school program, a Kansas City (both Missouri and Kansas) organization dedicated to working with at-risk students.

For Minddrive's latest automotive design project, students chose to refurbish an old Karmann Ghia, turning it into an electric car. The car will be driven from Missouri to Washington D.C. starting on May 31, but it will take a lot of help to get it there. The car is designed to run only if there is enough social-media support to keep it going.… Read more

Papa John's apologizes for new low in butt-dialing

People's inability to keep their cell phones secure is often a source of humor.

Who hasn't received a butt-dial at some point and listened to their friends or their florists chatting away, singing, or even talking to themselves?

One customer of Papa John's in Sanford, Fla., however, received a butt-dial of a more painful nature.

As Click Orlando reports, this customer received a voice mail lasting several minutes which began with a Papa John's driver talking to a colleague and complaining that he hadn't been tipped. The customer says he tipped the "usual" … Read more

Teachers searching for cell phone strip-search students

One of the less likely things a teacher might tell a student told during a math exam is: "Take off your bra. Then raise your arms."

Yet this allegedly was said to a 10th-grade student at Cap-Jeunesse High School in Saint-Jerome, Canada.

The rules of the math exam were that cell phones were supposed to be placed on the teacher's desk to avoid cheating. Or, perhaps, to prevent someone texting Madelaine to ask how last night's ice cream with Roger had gone.

Yet, as Canada's QMI Agency reports, the count seemed to be one cell … Read more