Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 25, 2010

BetaNews.Com (5 non lus)

Introducing a new, more social Digg

Publié: août 25, 2010, 10:21pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Popular social link-sharing and bookmarking site Digg on Wednesday made its new, redesigned site available to all users after testing in an invitation-only mode for roughly four months.
"This redesign is a major revision of our platform -- front end to back end -- this is just phase one of what will be an on-going, iterative process, involving lots of input from all of you. We'll be pushing out features on a regular basis and tweaking often, "Digg founder and CEO Kevin Rose said on Wednesday. "Our goal has always been for Digg to be a place where people can discover and share content and conversations from anywhere on the web. With Digg v4, we are introducing a few things that will make discovering and discussing news a lot better."
The service has evolved into something more social than it used to be, complete with the ability to follow or be followed, and to import your friends from Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Instead of presenting news stories based solely on their popularity across the entire Digg service, users are presented with news stories that have been liked by their friends under a heading called "My News." The traditional Digg system remains under the tab "Top News."
"The new Digg is all about making it easy to see the stories your friends are Digging and commenting on, and to share interesting stories with them," Rose said.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Facebook - Twitter - Kevin Rose - Digg - Google
Germany moves to ban bosses from checking your Facebook

Publié: août 25, 2010, 10:01pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

In an age where just about anything is shared on Facebook, employers have turned to it and other social networking sites to ensure its employee's behavior is on the up and up. In Germany, that practice may become illegal.
German news outlets are reporting that Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière is working on new privacy legislation that would outlaw corporate snooping on social networking profiles. It would restrict the amount of information that current as well as prospective employers could gather and use.
Employers would still be able to use search engines in order to gather information on an employee, however it would be banned from being used in employment decisions if it came from a third party. It also does not cover social networking sites intended for professionals.
The law apparently has the blessing of the cabinet, but now must be passed onto parliament for a full vote. With European governments typically having much stricter privacy controls than their US counterpart, its not out of the question that the law would indeed pass.
Germany has historically been very cognizant of privacy, even though the government itself has a history of spying on its citizens, the Gestapo being the most notorious example.
Both Maizière and privacy experts do say that the law could be quite difficult to enforce. For example, it may be difficult to prove that employers were indeed snooping -- although friending a current or prospective employee to find out personal information would be illegal.
With many adding new friends on their social networking profiles with little thought as to an actual real-life friendship, employers may gain access to this information anyway -- and could easily give another reason for hiring or termination to cover their true intentions of adding the person.
If somehow the victim can prove he or she was spied on, the new law would permit them to sue the company in court and claim damages.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Facebook - Germany - Law - Social network - Corporation
Apple launching TV show rentals, new AppleTV at Sept. 1st event

Publié: août 25, 2010, 7:19pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Apple is in 'advanced' talks with News Corp, parent company of the Fox broadcasting network, over letting consumers rent its TV shows for 99 cents, Bloomberg has reported. CBS, NBC Universal, and Walt Disney, which owns ABC, are also said to be participating in those talks.
While the focus is expected to be how the new shows add entertainment options to Apple's preexisting line of products, the company is also likely to introduce the second generation of its AppleTV product. That would likely come with a smaller hard drive and a $99 price point, sources told the news service.
Whereas the focus of the first AppleTV was on downloading content to the device, the new model would instead center on streaming. Like the first model as well, Apple does not expect the new AppleTV to be a runaway hit. Instead, the company sees the new AppleTV and the rental structure as good for "catch-up" viewing.
Bloomberg says this is how the new strategy is being marketed to content providers. This way, those companies can generate additional income, yet not affect their preexisting contracts with cable and satellite providers.
Original rumors had pointed to a subscription-like model, however sources indicated that content providers balked at the idea since it could have put those lucrative contracts at risk.
These new announcements are expected to come on September 1. Typically, Apple has held some type of music and entertainment related event during the month to introduce its iPod product line ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season. Indeed, the company is expected to also introduce a new iPod touch based on the iPhone 4's design, including the new Retina display.
As is typical with rumors on the company's moves, Apple refused to comment on the speculation, or confirm its plans to hold the event.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Apple - AppleTV - IPhone - iPod - IPod Touch
Google unveils voice calling through Gmail

Publié: août 25, 2010, 7:14pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Wednesday, Google officially announced that North American Gmail users can place voice calls to any phone number directly from their Gmail interface. The feature will roll out to all users in the next few days.
Users will be able to place totally free calls within the U.S. and Canada for "at least the rest of this year," and international calls for comparatively low rates. All outgoing calls originate from the user's Google Voice number, and calls can even be received within the Gmail interface.
To do so, users need to first place an outbound call from the Gmail interface, and then under Settings > Voice Settings > Phones, click the "Google Chat" checkbox. This will route Google voice calls through Gmail.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Google - Canada - Google Voice - Telephone number - Google Chat
Adobe updates Web-based Photoshop, no longer demands membership

Publié: août 25, 2010, 6:09pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Now approaching its third year online, Adobe's Web-based photo editing suite Photoshop Express underwent a significant redesign which launched Wednesday. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor, Organizer, and Uploader are included in the refresh.
Firstly, a Photoshop.com account is no longer needed to use Photoshop Express Editor. Users can simply navigate to the Web app, upload photos directly from their local drive, edit and change the photos, and then save them back on their local storage. Previously, an account was necessary, and photos were uploaded to online storage first before they were edited. This is still an option, as Photoshop.com members can still store and share photos online as well as create albums, but it's no longer the only way to use the Editor.
Secondly, the Photoshop Express Uploader client application has been streamlined to make the desktop experience a bit more like the experience in Photoshop Elements, or in the Photoshop Express app for iOS and Android. The Uploader handles JPEG, PSD, and various RAW format files and automatically syncs them with a Photoshop.com account.
Finally, Photoshop Express Organizer and personal galleries have a new layout and design, which Adobe says are the result of user requests. Now, photo descriptions and comments are more visible, and images can be shared on standalone pages with more comprehensive EXIF data and the ability to leaf through pictures in "filmstrip mode."
"All of our customers, from high-end professionals to more casual photo enthusiasts, want to do more with their digital photos on the web and on different devices," said Matt Domenici, director of product management for online and mobile digital imaging at Adobe. "We've redesigned our Photoshop Express online apps to make it easier and faster to work with photos online and then share them broadly."
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

photoshop.com - Adobe Systems - Adobe Photoshop - Image editing - Graphics