Software : Mark Zuckerberg makes credible acting debut in Facebook Home ad

Mark Zuckerberg makes credible acting debut in Facebook Home ad
Mod makes it easy to install Facebook Home on almost any Android device
Updated: Twitter puts up a music site, and it's 'coming soon'
Blip: Can't wait for Facebook Home to get Chat Heads? You don't have to

Mark Zuckerberg makes credible acting debut in Facebook Home ad

Posted:

Social networking overlord Mark Zuckerberg has taken centre state in a relatively humorous new video promoting the merits of the new Facebook Home suite.

In his acting debut, the Facebook CEO explains the importance of the launch to his employees, but they aren't really paying attention because, you guessed it, they're too busy using Facebook Home.

During Zuckerberg's pep-talk one employee in particular is distracted by his pals' squash match, go-karting and pool party shenanigans, while the now-infamous screaming goat also makes an appearance.

Facebook released the viral video to celebrate the custom Android UI's appearance on the Google Play store for select devices on Friday.

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArFy91n1FR0

Zuck's performance has already gleaned good reviews with over 50,000 likes on the site, with 15,000 shares since it was posted late on Friday.

The same can't exactly be said about Facebook Home itself though. As of Saturday morning, 48 per cent of all reviewers on the Google Play store had awarded the new interface just one star. Ouch.

Mod makes it easy to install Facebook Home on almost any Android device

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On Friday Facebook Home arrived on the Google Play store, but only in the US and only on four devices, leaving the vast majority of Android users out in the cold.

However, MoDaCo founder Paul O'Brien has offered a solution for curious social networkers by opening up the app for pretty much all Android devices, regardless of their location and the hardware they're using.

If you have an approved device like the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, HTC One X or One X+ then O'Brien has a patched version of the Facebook Home APK, which by-passes the location check.

Those users simply have to enter their Android settings and allow for apps from untrusted sources to be installed, while ensuring they have the newest versions of the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps.

Unsupported devices

For those not using the supported devices, things become a little more complicated, but the process will not require anything too strenuous.

They'll have to delete the official versions of the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps and download O'Brien's patched versions of those in order for Facebook Home to work.

After that, simply "sign in and in the Facebook application's 'Settings' menu the Facebook Home option should appear for you," O'Brien posted on the instructions page.

The only folks that may have trouble with the mods may be those with handsets that have Facebook baked into the OS. Overcoming that obstacle would require rooting the device and removing the app yourself.

Have you activated Facebook Home on an unsupported Android device? Let us know how you get on in the comments section below.

Updated: Twitter puts up a music site, and it's 'coming soon'

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Update: The "Invite only" message on the site has been changed to "Coming soon," hinting that Twitter Music is imminently launching.

Another clue to what Twitter has in store was picked up by The Verge: It appears as though Stephen Phillips, founder of the recently acquired We Are Hunted, has been tweeting songs via something called "Trending Music Web."

The links tie to tracks from SoundCloud and Rdio, hinting that these may be part of the Twitter Music service.

We should know more before long.

Original article...

It's here! Twitter Music is here!

OK, we'll qualify those exclamations: A music.twitter.com website is up, and it's completely useless.

The site is nothing more than a swath of black with a blue birdie and "#music" in the middle. So far it's invitation only, and clicking the sign in button will redirect you "back to the application," a.k.a. the site.

What's more, AllThingsD is reporting that although the app is available now, it's only in the hands of a select few "influencers," like one Ryan Seacrest. The rest of us, it sounds like, will have to wait until next week to utilize what's said to be an iOS app.

And we wait

Twitter confirmed Thursday that it picked up social music discovery site We Are Hunted, stoking the fire that the company was working on a standalone music app that, among other features, makes track and artist suggestions based on the Twitter accounts a user follows.

Right around the time the announcement broke, the host of "American Idol" said "yes, it's real" in a tweet about Twitter's music app. Later still, AllThingsD reported the app would launch Friday or over the weekend during the desert-based Coachella music festival.

All in all, it sounds like celebrities with access to the app will be talking it up as they wander around Coachella or wherever, creating a bunch of buzz before a public release.

We've asked Twitter for more on the site and its music app aspirations, but all the company is willing to share now are the announcements on the We Are Hunted acquisition. Apparently it's quite proud of it.

We'll keep on top of all Twitter Music developments, so check back in for more on whatever it is Twitter has ticking.

Blip: Can't wait for Facebook Home to get Chat Heads? You don't have to

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Today may mark the first time users can download Facebook Home, but just because you don't have the Galaxy S3, One X+, or any of the other select devices Home is available on to start doesn't mean you have to miss out on one of the overlay's marque features.

Facebook updated Messenger for Android, imbuing the chat app with the wobbly bubble heads of your friends that follow you wherever you go on your phone.

If you need a refresher, Chat Heads will pop up an image of whomever texts or messages you, and with a tap you can access the conversation. Multiple Chat Heads can populate your screen at once, while they'll follow you into any application. To close a chat, simply swipe the bubble down and poof, conversation ended.

Users with Android 2.2 phones and up should be able to access Chat Heads, so if you're looking for a new way to manage your conversations without the hassle of downloading/waiting for Home, head over to the Play Store now.

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Yahuui Blog

Saturday, April 13, 2013