Another tough week for Facebook
It's been another brutal and busy week for Facebook, which saw its stock dip below $20 a share for the first time since its May IPO. And the bleeding just won't stop.Facebook closed on Thursday just above$20 a share -- almost half the debut price. This despite Facebook's latest wave of selling, which began when Zynga spooked investors with its lousy earnings report last Wednesday and continued with Facebook's own unspectacular earnings. And word that some big boys have dumped the stock hasn't helped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Fidelity, one of Facebook's largest institutional investors, sold some 1.9 million shares across 21 of its mutual funds in June. The stock, however, is up this morning. But that doesn't change the outlook much. On Wednesday came word of three executives leaving the company: Director of Platform Partnerships Ethan Beard; Platform Marketing Director Katie Mitic; and Mobile Platform Marketing Manager Jonathan Matus.Meanwhile, Facebook announced on Thursday that it has relaunched Facebook Stories, "meant to celebrate the people who connect and share in innovative ways." Of course they're also meant to boost the public's opinion of the social network.Facebook also said this week that it plans to move all of its 950 million users to Timeline this fall. That means it's time for users to weed their profiles of any potentially embarrassing old posts, which may become more prominent with the Timeline-style presentation.• Facebook: 8.7 percent are fake users• Firm ditches Facebook for Twitter, claims clicks are bots• Questions mount as Facebook advertisers lose to clickbotsMore headlinesApple v. Samsung re-opens with plenty of dramaJudge in the case asks for no sideshows or antics, and questions jurors on whether they've heard anything about the patent struggle outside the courtroom.• Apple seeks 'emergency' sanctions against Samsung• Samsung in Olympic form showing how to work the refs• Samsung lashes back at Apple in excluded evidence spat• Apple: Misconduct part of Samsung's legal strategy• Samsung to Apple: It's not copying, it's competing• Complete coverage: Apple v. SamsungTwitter apologizes for Guy Adams 'mess-up'Following debacle surrounding the suspension of journalist Guy Adams' account, the microblogging service says it made a mistake.• Twitter's breach of trust• Guy Adams' Twitter ban liftedMicrosoft previews Hotmail successor, Outlook.comRedmond is rolling out a preview of a new e-mail service that combines elements of Exchange and Hotmail into a Metro-influenced client.• Microsoft's Outlook.com lures 1M users in 6 hoursDropbox confirms it was hacked, offers users helpAfter a two-week investigation, the online file-storage service confirms that usernames and passwords were stolen from third-party Web sites and then used to access Dropbox accounts.Windows 8 takes big RTM step toward consumersMicrosoft's Windows 8 development is done, and the OS is off to PC makers. Some users will be able to get the final bits within days. Also RTM'd: Windows Server 2012, Visual Studio 2012, and IE10. • Is 'Metro' now a banned word at Microsoft?• Windows 8 store now up to 450 Metro-style appsGoogle Wallet goes cloud; supports all credit, debit cardsGoogle might have figured out the key to mass adoption of its Wallet product: accept every major credit and debit card that's available.• Amex didn't sign on to Google Wallet's major app upgradeFacebook to shuttle all users to Timeline this fallThe social network says it will roll over its 950 million users to Timeline by "fall." It's time to get your affairs in order.• Facebook touts relaunched 'Facebook Stories'Republicans block vote on cybersecurity billDemocrats fail to overcome a GOP filibuster to bring the bill to the Senate floor before the August recess.• Cybersecurity bill bombarded with amendmentsDigg has a new clean look, lacking in featuresDigg had a mass exodus of users back in 2010 when the site let major news agencies dominate the front page with sponsored listings. Can a cleaner design and a new attitude bring the site back to its former glory? • New Digg is now live, with focus on 'top stories'The new Digg is not ready for prime time...See full gallery1 - 4 / 5NextPrevAmazon unveils Instant Video app for iPad ownersiPad users can now watch their favorite movies and TV shows from Amazon's video library directly on their tablets.• iTunes vs. Amazon: What's the best video service on the iPad?Curiosity rover drives $2.5B make-or-break Mars missionThe Mars Science Laboratory is the most expensive and complex lander ever sent to the Red Planet. It's a nuclear-powered rover that will scale a 3-mile-tall mountain to seek the building blocks of life.• Aging NASA science satellite on call to confirm Mars landing• High-stakes Mars mission relies on untried 'sky crane'Stark Mars terrain awaits Curiosity (pic...See full gallery1 - 4 / 32NextPrevAlso of note• Google passes Apple to become 'top global brand,' study says• Court to TSA: Hey, what about your nude scanners?• Senate to debate whether online retailers must collect sales tax• Social marketing a big deal? Google thinks so, buys Wildfire• Amazon's cloud music service gets scan and match• Why it's not doom and gloom for HTC yet.postBody h4, .postBody h4{font-size: 1.2em;margin: 10px 0 0 0 ;padding: 0px;font-weight: bold;border-bottom: none;}
iPad, iPhone, notebook, Netbook- A gadget glut-
iPad, iPhone, notebook, Netbook: A gadget glut?
First, let me count the ways I can be connected: a couple of MacBooks, an iPad 3G, an iPhone 3GS, an old HP tower, and, if I need it, a BlackBerry Storm 2 (though Wi-Fi access only for the BlackBerry, as I recently discontinued service).That covers most of what I use everyday.(And I know people that add a Netbook to a similar mix of devices.)Of course, I got to this state of excess voluntarily.Nobody held a gun to my head.That said, on most days--in myriad ways I won't go into here--this entourage of devices enhances productivity and sustains the computer-related hobbies I have. But on the bad days it's get-thee-to-an-IT-department--at least, that's the feeling.Compounding glitches can hit critical mass in minutes. Does the following, or a variation of the theme, sound familiar? The Internet connection goes south, freezing the browser and the 15 or so tabs that are open.And the Windows machine is pestering you about a massive critical update while a message is telling you it can't connect to the printer.The wireless printer disconnects inexplicably.Meanwhile, iTunes crashes on the iPhone.And the iPad 3G runs out of juice just when you need it. Oh, and the cable guy (in this case, the AT&T IP guy) is knocking on the door because he wants to check the fiber-to-the-node connection at your house. And this brings us to the iPad. That is the X factor that didn't exist before.So, is the iPad the tipping point?I would say no. The iPad is actually relatively innocuous, I think.While a Windows machine can be a ticking time bomb of crash-happy applications requiring--depending on how bloated the PC is--user oversight to keep things from exploding, the iPad, in my experience, has little overhead (beyond charging the battery).You don't need an IT guy to show you how totransfer photos to your iPad.You do need (or, in my case, would like to have) an IT guy to get you out of a crash loop that occurs when you start up a particular application in Windows Vista.(One of my machines, by the way, still runs Windows Vista for reasons I won't go into here.) So, the gadget overload occurs when you have too many devices that require a disproportionate amount of time fixing, configuring, and updating rather than productive use.Of course, a private gadget glut can occur, I suppose, by just having too many devices.In that case, simple things like trying to orchestrate the recharging of all of the batteries in laptops, smartphones, and cameras can trigger soul searching and philosophical quandaries about how necessary technology really is (not to mention the environmental impact).
First, let me count the ways I can be connected: a couple of MacBooks, an iPad 3G, an iPhone 3GS, an old HP tower, and, if I need it, a BlackBerry Storm 2 (though Wi-Fi access only for the BlackBerry, as I recently discontinued service).That covers most of what I use everyday.(And I know people that add a Netbook to a similar mix of devices.)Of course, I got to this state of excess voluntarily.Nobody held a gun to my head.That said, on most days--in myriad ways I won't go into here--this entourage of devices enhances productivity and sustains the computer-related hobbies I have. But on the bad days it's get-thee-to-an-IT-department--at least, that's the feeling.Compounding glitches can hit critical mass in minutes. Does the following, or a variation of the theme, sound familiar? The Internet connection goes south, freezing the browser and the 15 or so tabs that are open.And the Windows machine is pestering you about a massive critical update while a message is telling you it can't connect to the printer.The wireless printer disconnects inexplicably.Meanwhile, iTunes crashes on the iPhone.And the iPad 3G runs out of juice just when you need it. Oh, and the cable guy (in this case, the AT&T IP guy) is knocking on the door because he wants to check the fiber-to-the-node connection at your house. And this brings us to the iPad. That is the X factor that didn't exist before.So, is the iPad the tipping point?I would say no. The iPad is actually relatively innocuous, I think.While a Windows machine can be a ticking time bomb of crash-happy applications requiring--depending on how bloated the PC is--user oversight to keep things from exploding, the iPad, in my experience, has little overhead (beyond charging the battery).You don't need an IT guy to show you how totransfer photos to your iPad.You do need (or, in my case, would like to have) an IT guy to get you out of a crash loop that occurs when you start up a particular application in Windows Vista.(One of my machines, by the way, still runs Windows Vista for reasons I won't go into here.) So, the gadget overload occurs when you have too many devices that require a disproportionate amount of time fixing, configuring, and updating rather than productive use.Of course, a private gadget glut can occur, I suppose, by just having too many devices.In that case, simple things like trying to orchestrate the recharging of all of the batteries in laptops, smartphones, and cameras can trigger soul searching and philosophical quandaries about how necessary technology really is (not to mention the environmental impact).
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