How Windows 8 Throws Computer Users Under the Bus.

The Metro interface fills the screen with “active” tiles designed to give users quick access to a device’s various applications and functions.

Metro Fails the Big-Screen Test

Despite features that let you organize the tiles, the bigger the screen, the more that Metro turns into a jumbled, confusing mess.

Google pays almost $18.7 million to get domains

Google wants love. But so do six other companies. They are after .love, actually, a new "top-level domain"

Saturday, 20 October 2012

Refer a friend to Facebook and win Rs 50 talk time

Social networking site  Facebook is offering mobile talk time worth Rs 50 to new 'selective' users coming through referrals in India, a senior company official said. 

Kevin D'Souza, Country Growth Manager, Facebook, said the initiative has been taken on a pilot basis and the amount of recharge varies from user to user and place to place. 

To a query on whether this is for users who are coming through referrals, he said: "Yes. It is for users coming through referrals." 

"We keep on trying new things. Because we do not know what will work. This is one of the tests. Just to get a feel of it, this particular test is being done in India," D'Souza said in a press conference. 

"It is currently evolving with multiple pricing strategies. Different telecom carriers have different Facebook plans," he added, without elaborating further. 

According to Facebook's mobile version talk time promotion page, after registration a user has to provide his mobile number to get Rs 50 free talktime and also the mobile number of the individual who may have referred him/her. 

"Once you sign up and confirm your account, you will receive the talktime within three days," Facebook said. 

"Facebook reserves the right to discontinue this service at any time without notice. Talktime rewards earned before this service is discontinued will be credited as appropriate," the company added. 

To a query on Facebook access in Jammu and Kashmir, Kirthiga Reddy, Director - Online Operations, Facebook India refused to comment saying that the4 company always respects local laws. 

"We cannot comment on specific situation. But we will say that our approach in such a situation is always to respect local laws," Reddy said. 

Facebook makes sure that the content on the site is in accordance with terms and policies, she added. 

Recently, reports said the Jammu and Kashmir government had directed internet service providers to block 'Youtube' and 'Facebook' if needed, to ensure that a controversial film deemed offensive to Islam was not accessible to subscribers in the state. 

Reddy said the Facebook user base in India has grown to 65 million from barely eight million two years ago, making it a strong platform for marketers.


Sunday, 7 October 2012

Facebook crosses 1 billion-Users

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergtoday announced on the website that the world's biggest social network now has over 1 billion users. In an associated fact sheet, the company said that it surpassed the 1 billion-user mark on September 14, at 12.45 pm (Pacific Time).

The company stated that the median age of users joining the week that Facebook hit the 1 billion-mark was 22 years. Facebook's five biggest markets are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, as per the company fact sheet. It also said that it has 600 million users logging into the website from their mobile devices. Since February 2009, Facebook has witnessed 1.13 trillion users' likes, 219 billion photos being uploaded and 17 billion location-tagged pictures.
The world's biggest social network, Facebook hit the 500 million user mark in July 2010. At the end of June 2012, it had 955 million active members.

The Menlo Park, California-based company has had a difficult time of late. There were trading glitches the day it went public in May and concerns since then about its revenue potential. It's also facing lawsuits from disgruntled shareholders. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said that the company is going through a bit of a rough patch following its rocky initial public offering.