By Paul Thomson :: 4:14 PM
Vine, Twitter’s new short video sharing application, now has the option to embed the videos on websites, and share them to Facebook or Twitter.
When Vine first launched, videos were only viewable in the application itself, and could be shared with your Twitter network of followers. Today’s update allows users to have access to a Vine embed code that they can insert into any website on the Internet. Users can not only embed their own Vine videos, but those of anyone else who has made their videos public.
Dom Hofmann, co-founder and General Manager at Vine, explained in a blog post today, “when we launched Vine, we described posts as ‘little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life.’ With today’s update, you can display them almost anywhere.”
Although the functionality to share Vine videos now exists, the application hasn’t made the process of doing so very easy or straightforward.
The easiest way is to grab the embed code off of the Vine post’s page on the website. Otherwise, you’ll need to tap the ellipsis button “…” under the video you want to share, then select the option to “share this post.” This will give you an option to embed the video, where you’ll be given an e-mail form where you can send yourself the link and HTML code to embed the video on the site of your choosing.
Vine gives you two options for embed styles. The simple option is borderless, and the postcard option surrounds the video with a white border and also includes the video creator’s Vine username and profile photo.
In the latest iOS update for the Vine app, the company fixed a known issue with the camera freezing on the start of recording a new video.
By Paul Thomson :: 9:09 AM
Facebook yesterday sent out a press announcement inviting journalists to “see our new home on Android” for an event to be held on Thursday, April 4.
That invitation is likely the debut of the long-rumored Facebook phone. These rumors go back nearly three years, when speculation abounded that Facebook would enter the mobile market with a stripped down phone targeting Facebook users.
According to sources close to the project, the Facebook phone will be a heavily modified version of an HTC handset running Android and tweaked to Facebook’s specifications with the social network ingrained throughout the operating system.
A very popular modified Android solution is exactly what Amazon’s Kindle tablet is doing in the marketplace, with much success. If Facebook were to be successful with this venture, it could prove to be a competitor to Apple and Samsung handsets much the way the Kindle is to iPads and Galaxy tablets.
One thing a modified handset will provide to Facebook as the world’s largest social networking company, is incredible, unprecedented access to user data. Location information, call and text data, web browser history, etc., would all be available data for the network to mine from its user base who purchase the phone.
The amount and close personal nature of this data would give Facebook an even better way to profile its users, and serve them ads and other offers more closely targeted to their interests. Privacy advocates will likely be paying close attention next week to see if Facebook addresses any of these points.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 1:57 PM
For everyone who has been chomping at the bit to get their hands on the new flagship smartphone from Samsung – you’ll just have to wait a little longer. Samsung has announced that the Galaxy S4 will be available for pre-orders beginning on April 16th, for AT&T service.
The phone will sell for $250 with a new two-year contract agreement. This is more expensive than recent launches of popular phones, as the Galaxy SIII and Apple’s iPhone 5 were both priced at $200 on launch.
As for when the S4 will appear on other carriers is still largely up in the air. While T-Mobile will offer the phone beginning on May 1, Sprint and Verizon have not yet released details for pre-ordering or general availability.
Samsung introduced the S4 to the world with a long and somewhat confusing debut in New York City earlier this month, but did not announce specific availability at that event.
By Gilbert Falso :: 9:49 AM
According to the Egyptian military, three men were apprehended earlier this week just off the coast of Egypt near Alexandria when they were in the process of severing an undersea Internet cable.
The men were on a fishing boat about 900 yards from shore, and managed to damage the cable to the point where it has resulted in slower Internet speeds for many users in Egypt. The true extent of the damage is yet unknown, but reports from the cable’s operator, Seacom, state that multiple lines between Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia have also been affected, causing a widespread Internet slowdown.
The specific cable attacked off of Alexandria was the SEA-ME-WE 4 main line, serving the Mediterranean. It is not known if the men arrested in this incident are responsible for issues with the other undersea lines as well. They are being interrogated by Egyptian military officers at this time.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:22 PM
Three cities will benefit from transit data integrated into Google Maps, as the search giant announced today that it is adding live public transit information to Maps for New York City, Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City.
Google Maps users will now have access to some subway and bus departure times for New York and Salt Lake City and service alerts for the Metrorail in Washington, D.C.
Seven New York City subway lines (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 42nd Street Shuttle) have live subway departure times reflected on the Maps, as do several tram and bus lines in Salt Lake. While Washington D.C.’s Metrorail doesn’t have live departure information yet, it does provide service alerts, delay notifications, and notices of scheduled track work for users.
“We want to make sure you have access to the most comprehensive, accurate, and useful information when you’re on the go — and that includes public transportation,” said Soufi Esmaeilzadeh, Google Maps development manager. “With these updates — part of the millions of live transit schedule updates we process every day — you get instant access to the latest information right on Google Maps, making trip planning a cinch.”
Google has transit data for 800 cities across 25 countries. This data includes route maps, stops and pick-up locations, fare information, and estimated travel times. The company has been working on transit mapping for 5 years, and started by mapping New York City’s transit system in 2008.