By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:48 AM
Lucy Funes, an Instagram user in California, has filed a class action lawsuit against the photo sharing service in San Francisco federal court.
The suit claims breach of contract in the wake of recent changes that Facebook-owned Instagram has made to its Terms of Service over the past week. The lawsuit was filed on Friday, despite changes to the terms earlier last week that Instagram agreed to make to placate users, who took to Twitter and social media to vent about the company’s policies.
The lawsuit alleges that Instagram is asserting rights over users photographs that it should not be. “Instagram declares that ‘possession is nine-tenths of the law and if you don’t like it, you can’t stop us,” reads part of the suit.
Following user outcries, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom retracted the clause in the new Terms of Service about using photos without compensation to users, but maintained a mandatory arbitration clause as well as a stipulation that the company will display ads based on user’s photographic content.
By Gilbert Falso :: 10:10 PM
Do the kids want to know where the jolly old guy in the bright red suit is tonight?
Thanks to the folks at Google, Santa’s location is just a few clicks away on your computer or smartphone.
Point your browser to Google’s Santa Tracker site, and see where he is, and let the kids learn a little about world geography at the same time. Google has made the map interactive this year, with links to photos and information on locations as Santa traverses the globe.
Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Social Zoo!
By Gilbert Falso :: 11:16 AM
Its Christmas Eve, and procrastinators are flocking to the malls and shopping centers with crazed looks in their eyes. But there’s still one thing you can do for the child in your life without leaving the house – schedule a call or an e-mail from the big man himself – Santa Claus.
Again this year, Google is offering its “Send a Call from Santa” service for free to telephone numbers in the United States. Head to this website, and after filling out some basic information to personalize the call, like the recepient’s name, how they’re related to you, where they live, what they want for Christmas, and what they’ll be leaving as a snack for Santa under the tree, Google will let you preview the message before making the call, or sending it as an e-mail.
After you arrange Santa calls for the little ones in your life, you can head over to the Games section of Google’s holiday website and try your hand at the Present Drop game!
By Cynthia Herbert :: 5:01 PM
Google and Motorola are reporedly working on a new smartphone handset that will rival current offerings by Apple and Samsung, according to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal.
The new phone, said to be released in 2013, will offer features not seen in current handsets, said Motorola’s chief executive Dennis Woodside. Motorola is “investing in a team and a technology that will do something quite different than the current approaches,” he told the WSJ.
It is possible that Motorola and Google may leverage the recent aquisition of Viewdle, an imaging and gesture-recognition software developer, as it plans UI and design elements for the new hardware.
Motorola also plans to continue work on the Droid line of Android phones, and may consider an “X tablet†of sorts once the X phone project is finished.
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By Gilbert Falso :: 1:16 PM
After 27 years, Spin magazine has announced that it will no longer be publishing a printed edition.
The music monthly had scaled back recently to a bi-monthly format, but that was apparently not enough. The magazine informed subscribers earlier this week that issues would cease. It had recently been acquired by BuzzMedia.
Subscribers will receive one issue of Car and Driver magazine for every issue of Spin that was remaining on their subscription. See letter sent to subscribers [courtesy Rock Cellar Magazine].
Spin was founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. In the early years, the magazine was known for broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-rock music and the emergence of hip-hop. It prominently placed newer artists such as R.E.M., Prince, Run-D.M.C., The Eurythmics, The Beastie Boys, and Talking Heads, on covers and featured lengthy pieces on established music figures like Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Miles Davis, Aerosmith, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, and John Lee Hooker.
The magazine will continue to have an online presence at www.spin.com.