Although Google's had its +1 button all over the web for some time now, helping folks show their allegiance to things they like, it's lacked a dedicated button just for sharing content. That's now changed, as the Google+ development team recently let loose the Share button. The button is similar in appearance to its +1 sibling, but rather than just being a shortcut for quickly slapping content with a virtual high-five, it gives you a way to easily share pages on your Google+ profile. (Yes, you could share through the +1 button, too, but consider this one a bit more focused). Best of all, the Google+ Share button is ready to roll, so move your cursor to the source link below if you'd like to put it on your site or find out more. Happy Liking sharing!

Google+ Share button gives you another option aside from plain 'ol +1s originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For $35 anyone can buy a bundle of 1000 American online dating profiles. If you think yours isn't one of them, here's a question: What service are you using and how carefully did you read those terms of service? More »

For $35 anyone can buy a bundle of 1000 American online dating profiles. If you think yours isn't one of them, here's a question: What service are you using and how carefully did you read those terms of service? More »

Apple just started seeding iOS 5.1 moments ago to iOS developers. The new build is available for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad and third and fourth-generation iPod touch devices. We’ll let you know if this new release further fixes battery life and if we find any other changes. Apple’s full change log for this release follows below.

Notes and Known Issues

The following issues relate to using the 5.1 SDK to develop code.

Accounts

When creating an iCloud account, you can use any Apple ID as long as it is a full email address and not a MobileMe account. If you have a MobileMe account, you can move that account to iCloud. You can find more information at: http://me.com/move

APIs

• The NSNetService class and CFNetService APIs do not include P2P interfaces by default. To browse, register, or resolve services over P2P interfaces, an application needs to use the Bonjour DNSService*() APIs noted below.
• Setting the interfaceIndex parameter to kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexAny in the following API’s will not include P2P interfaces by default. To include P2P interfaces, you must now set thekDNSServiceFlagsIncludeP2P flag when using kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexAny or set the interfaceIndex to kDNSServiceInterfaceIndexP2P. The affected APIs are:
  • DNSServiceBrowse
  • DNSServiceRegister
  • DNSServiceResolve
  • DNSServiceRegisterRecord
  • DNSServiceQueryRecord

GameKit

App Icons and Profile Photos are not loading in apps using Game Center.

iCloud Storage

• Provisioning profiles must be enabled for iCloud in the iOS Provisioning Portal. You can enable a provisioning profile for iCloud by navigating to the App ID section of the iOS Provisioning Portal and configuring your App ID for iCloud. After enabling the App ID for iCloud, regenerate your provisioning profiles to enable them for iCloud.
• The setSortDescriptors: method of NSMetadataQuery is not supported.
• In iOS 5, files that are protected via Data Protection cannot be used with iCloud Storage APIs.
• File names are case-insensitive in Mac OS X but case-sensitive in iOS. This can lead to problems when sharing files between the two using iCloud. You should take steps on iOS to avoid creating files whose names differ only by case.

Movie Player

Starting in iOS 5.0, in order to facilitate finer-grained playback control, a movie player is not automatically prepared to play upon creation. Call the prepareToPlay method to prepare the movie player. For more information, see MPMoviePlayerController Class Reference

Music Player

Using shake-to-shuffle causes Music app to freeze and playback to stop.

Newsstand

FIXED: Deleting an issue that was marked as the currently reading issue could cause a crash.

Security

In iOS 5, the signing of certificates with MD5 signatures is not supported. Please ensure that certificates use signature algorithms based on SHA1 or SHA2.

Xcode/Developer Tools

• A bug in the documentation organizer causes an exception when you type in any field in the content area. To prevent the need to log in to the developer website from Xcode, download documentation sets locally using Xcode’s documentation preference pane and enable the ‘Check for and install updates automatically’ checkbox as a workaround.
• “uninstall-devtools” script mistakenly removes files and packages even if Xcode is still running. Be sure to quit any running copy of Xcode before starting the “uninstall-devtools” script.
• The Network Link Conditioner daemon cannot be launched after installing the Networking Link Conditioner without a reboot. You can manually workaround the issue with a restart or by the following command: sudo launchctl load /system/library/launchdaemons/com.apple.networklinkconditioner.plist.]
• In the iOS 5 development tools, it is possible to extract APIs used by an application and have them checked for use of private APIs. This option is offered when you validate your application for app submission.

We love Sony, even if their products are sometimes outrageously overpriced, impractical or downright unnecessary. They experiment with ideas and have some of the best engineers to make them reality. But as Businessweek's profile of the company points out, it's not always great for the long term health of a company. More »

Microsoft is prepping another update to the Xbox 360 dashboard and, as usual, that means some folks will be able to get an early peek courtesy of the company's preview program. While there's still no date set for a roll-out, those interested in participating this time around can now put their name in for consideration in the program, which is said to be a more automated process than before. As for the dashboard update itself, it boasts a new design for "integrated Kinect and controller navigation," new "Beacons" for playing online with friends, deeper Facebook integration, and cloud storage for your saved games and Xbox Live profile. According to Microsoft's Major Nelson, "other features and entertainment partner apps" may also become available during the program period. Hit the source link below for the complete details.

Microsoft opens up latest Xbox Live dashboard preview program originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The NFC Forum just scored a few high profile allies in the form of Sharp, ZTE and HTC. The handset manufacturers were among a slew of companies to join up as members, with Sharp and ZTE hitting the Associate level and HTC signing on at the Implementer level. Now let the mobile hazing begin!

Continue reading Sharp, HTC and ZTE learn the NFC Forum secret handshake

Sharp, HTC and ZTE learn the NFC Forum secret handshake originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 60 Minutes profile of New York City's massive anti-terrorism network this evening was nothing short of amazing. 35,000 police. 15,000 civilians. Unattended bag-tracking artificial intelligence. Cameras, oh the cameras! One message for potential terrorists: "Stay away." More »

ThinkPad aficionados mourning the loss of the X300 series of ultraportable laptops might have something mighty fine to look forward to in the near future. A ThinkPad X1 has shown up at Swiss e-tailer Tell IT systems and other online locations, replete with a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU, a 160GB SSD, a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass screen, and as you can see above, a profile thin enough to rival the likes of the Samsung Series 9 and Apple MacBook Air. The X1 is said to be 21.5mm thick, so it doesn't quite match those crazy cats, but -- provided we're not looking at an extremely elaborate hoax here -- it'll still be the thinnest ThinkPad by far when it launches. One 8GB stick of RAM, an SDXC card reader, and a 1366 x 768 resolution fill out the list of salient specs, while a price of 2,585 CHF ($2,920) sits alongside a promised delivery date of May 20th on Tell IT's website. You'll find a couple more images of Lenovo's purported new bread slicer after the break.

[Thanks, Ivan]

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad X1 shows up online, looks freakishly thin

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 shows up online, looks freakishly thin originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google's been talking up its Social Search function for sometime, but up until now your friends' tweets probably haven't made it to the top of your search results -- unless of course you're besties with TMZ, and you've been searching the Miley Cyrus bong salvia rip again. Thankfully, it looks as if that could change with El Goog's latest update to the socially minded search function, which now mixes updates from your contacts' various online accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, in with the standard search fair -- pulling them up from their previous position at the bottom of your results. Google's also included a photo and annotation to show the origins of relevant links, and given you the ability to manage how you connect your accounts -- either publicly through your profile or privately through your account. The new functions started rolling out yesterday, which means you could be seeing a whole lot more from those contacts you regretted friending in the first place. Isn't social media a wonderful / disastrous thing?

Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I've never had jury duty, but I hear that it's unpleasant. Maybe that's why the Cameron County district attorney's pushing for Facebook profiles to be viewed as part of the jury selection process—to give us a way out. More »

Just a few tidbits of Facebook news to report here. Reuters is reporting that the social networking site paid a hefty $8.5 million to acquire the domain fb.com from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Last year, Facebook launched its revamped messaging service, offering its users facebook.com email address in the process. The alternate domain fb.com was purchased by the company for internal employee email addressing. The Farm Bureau now calls fb.org as its home.

In conjunction with this new messaging service, Facebook also announced a new profile layout designed to easily present and share more information with friends. For the past month, users have been able to voluntarily opt-in to the new design by visiting www.facebook.com/about/profile. Now, it seems as though the update will be pushed out to all users over the next several days, like it or not.

Read [fb.com] Read [Profiles]

The genesis of Facebook continues. Yesterday, via a blog post, the social networking site announced that it would be rolling out a new, more intuitive profile page for its users. The new landing page, which houses all of your personal details, offers a new introduction, featured friends, an improved way to share favorite music, movies, books, and television shows, and better photos and friend pages. The goal of the new layout is to enable viewers of your profile to learn more about who you are and who you’re friends with in less time. For example: where you work, live, and attend(ed) school, whom you are in a relationship with, and when you were born are now prominently displayed on your profile page.

The new feature will be rolling out to all users through the end of this year, but if you are anxious to try out the new goodies, you can head to www.facebook.com/about/profile and manually enable the new style. If you take the plunge, let us know what you think.

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Continue reading SNAP for iOS gives you The Power... to appraise your Facebook privacy

SNAP for iOS gives you The Power... to appraise your Facebook privacy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook kicked off the f8 conference with a keynote that laid out its plans to integrate the web into Facebook and Facebook into the web. The social networking powerhouse began by re-affirming its commitment to the unified login provided by Facebook Connect, and revoked the previous limitation that required Facebook Connect-enabled websites to delete cached user data within 24 hours. From today forward, Facebook Connect websites can store user data to create a seamless browsing experience that is enhanced by a single, persistent login. Facebook then presented its expanded Open Graph concept, introduced a series of new social plugins for websites, and unveiled the  new Graph API, an improved and expanded core framework for developers. Read about Facebook’s plan to literally own the web after the jump.

Here are some the tools and concepts presented today that will enable Facebook to expand beyond the bounds of its domain and and reach out to the rest of the web.

Open Graph
Introduced at the first f8, Open Graph is a paradigm shift that puts you and your Facebook profile at the center of the Internet. Open Graph allows you to connect all the various and disjoined aspects of your online presence into one central location that can be shared with your friends, fans, and the public. Mark Zuckerberg provided an example of someone visiting a CNN page that automatically reveals your friends’ likes/dislikes and recommendations of that page. The social information will come from Facebook , but the content will be displayed on and integrated within CNN’s website. Pandora was also used as an example of the epxanded Open  Graph. Facebook-loving Pandora users can automatically share their music stream and likes/dislikes seamlessly back and forth with Facebook and its 400 million users.

Graph API
Graph API is a new core API that will be used to forge and mine these “Open Graph” connections between friends, pages, favorites, games, websites, applications, etc. The API now includes a search function so developers can finally mine the 25 billion things that the 400 million FB users are sharing each month. The Graph API also includes a real time API that sends out a call back when changes are made to a Facebook wall, profile, page, and more. Developers will receive automatic updates instead of having to constantly poll Facebook for changes. Facebook is also improving authentication by adopting OAuth 2.0, an industry standard for identification.

Social Plugins/ Website integration with Facebook
Facebook also introduced a series of plugins that form a bridge between Facebook and the Internet at large. The Facebook “like” button will be embedded into websites, will interact with the social plugins, and will let users share information without logging in. The plugins can be added to a website without any coding and will help fill out each user’s “Open Graph” with content and connections. The plugins include an Activity Stream plugin, a Recommendations plugin, and a social bar. Most pervasive of the bunch is the social bar which appears at the bottom of your web browser and connects your Facebook profile with your online browsing habits. The social bar also integrates the social features of Facebook by allowing you view your news stream, chat with other Facebook friends, etc. Pretty cool…

Not content with plugins only, Facebook also introduced the Open Graph protocol which is a new meta tag that can be embedded into web page and read by Facebook when a Facebook user visits a supporting web page. IMDB will be incorporating this new feature on every page and will provide Facebook with additional information about the page that you are recommending. As an example, a page on IMDB’s website could include Meta tag information identifying the movie that your are browsing and “liking”. This movie information would then be sent to your Facebook profile, stored under the category of “My favorite movies” and shared with all of your friends. Facebook has 30 partners already on board and many of these social features will launch today.

Microsoft, Yelp, and Pandora Partnerships
Last but not least, Facebook announced a partnership with Microsoft, Yelp, and Pandora. Microsoft is expected to announce and launch its new Docs.com website today. Docs.com is an online version of its Microsoft Office platform and a direct competitor to Google Docs. Facebook will be tightly integrated into this online Office framework and each and every Facebook user will be able to create and share online documents from within Facebook. Yelp and Pandora also jumped on board the social bandwagon and will tightly integrate their services with Facebook.

Even with thousands of curious people picking away at the file system, it’s always amazing how some things slip through the cracks for a relatively long period of time. Gunning For Safety was snooping around in iPhone OS 4.0’s file system and found multiple references to social media integration for the Contacts app. More specifically what as found was a .plist file for Facebook contacts. It would allow users to add their friends Facebook profile to their contact card just as they would their email address or AIM handle. What’s particularly special about the way Facebook integration is that they’re a “separate type of contact” meaning it’s entirely possible OS 4.0 will offer much more than a simple method for keeping details about one’s friends neatly organized. The Calendar app is also said to be able to interact with Facebook much in the same way. It’s too early to tell if these features will survive — for all we know all of these references could be dropped come the next beta and not resurface for a long time — but we’re really hoping their expanded upon and support is broadened out to things like Twitter and LinkedIn.

[Via Giz]

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For the second time this week, the Gmail Team has announced updated security features to Google’s new social media platform, Buzz. Deployed last week, Buzz quickly came under fire for its automatic setup and less-than-impressive privacy controls. In response Google rapidly made several tweaks to Buzz two days after launch, and again yesterday, Google announced it is prepared to push out additional security modifications within the next few days. The new privacy settings include:

• Buzz will not automatically set up to follow anyone until you have reviewed the suggestions and clicked “Follow selected people and start using Buzz.”
• Buzz will no longer connect your public Picasa Web Albums and Google Reader shared items automatically.
• There will now be a Buzz tab in the Gmail Settings. From there, you’ll be able to hide Buzz from Gmail or disable it completely. In addition, there will be a link to these settings from the initial start-up page so you can easily decide from the get go that you don’t want to use Buzz at all.

Google had this to say for those that already have Buzz setup: “For the tens of millions of you who have already started using Buzz, over the next couple weeks we’ll be showing you a similar version of this new start-up experience to give you a second chance to review and confirm the people you’re following. If you want to review this list now, just go to the Buzz tab, click “Following XX people” and unfollow anyone you wish. If you don’t want to share the lists of people who are following you and people you are following publicly on your profile, you can opt out at any time from the edit profile page.” Follow the read link to see the official Gmail Blog.

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