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Facebook took a formal step toward joining the ranks of other public technology giants after filing for its eagerly anticipated initial public offering.

The company filed an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, officially declaring its intent to go public. Facebook plans to raise $5 billion through the IPO, according to the filing. The last major tech IPO was Google's, which raised $1.9 billion.

The S-1 pulls back the curtain on Facebook's business, providing investors with a formal glimpse into its financials. Last year, it saw revenue double to $3.7 billion, while its … Read more

A new galaxy nexus, a new samsung tab and do you really answer your phone in the bathroom? all that and more on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly for February 1st, 2012. I'm Justin Eckhouse alongside Antuan Goodwin and Jaymar Cabebe. Today we say goodbye to Antuan Goodwin who will be leaving the podcast to focus on Car Tech. We will miss you Antuan.

NEWS:

-Android Users Most Likely to Use Phones While in the Bathroom… Read more

Despite running a site that promotes sharing and, at times, oversharing, Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg have traditionally erred on the private side.

But that all ends once Facebook goes public. The social-networking titan is expected to file for its initial public offering as early as tomorrow.

The S-1 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission typically gives outsiders their first chance to get an intimate look inside a company. With a potential valuation as high as $100 billion and a user base of 750 million people, the scrutiny over Facebook will be intense.

"Everyone is looking … Read more

Voters chat with Obama on Google+ Hangouts, Apple surpasses Hewlett-Packard in PC shipments (if you count iPads, that is), and almost everyone would take your call while on the toilet.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

For those who work or play in places delicate smartphones fear to tread, Kyocera's new DuraPlus rugged handset is for you.

Designed to meet the U.S. military's brutal 810G survivability guidelines, Kyocera claims the candybar-style DuraPlus can withstand exposure to dust storms, shocks and vibrations, drenching rains, plus extreme swings of temperature. The phone is even billed to take a dunk in 3 feet deep water for up to 30 minutes. … Read more

Amazon may be looking to cut into Netflix's action by launching a new video streaming service.

Citing information from industry sources, The New York Post said the new service would expand beyond Amazon's current Instant Video by launching as a standalone, subscription-based business.

Amazon's Instant Video is free with a $79 Amazon Prime subscription, though nonsubscribers can buy or rent individual movies and TV episodes on a per-title basis. In contrast, the new service would borrow a page from Netflix's business model. Amazon is just currently trying to figure out what to charge, one source told … Read more

The digital world has plenty of accessories that aren't strictly necessary, but Ten One Design's Pogo Sketch Plus caught my eye today.

It's a stylus for iOS devices that replaces your finger with something a bit more precise. I've been interested in the user-interface convergence between tablets, laptops, and drawing tablets. Such devices today are quite separate, but I foresee a future where they get closer together--and devices like the Pogo Sketch line could help.

The $15 stylus updates the two-year-old Pogo Sketch with a tip with "more consistent and smoother operation," the … Read more

Google+ finally allows nicknames, Priceline is killing Shatner, and a solar radiation storm crashes communication systems.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Signing up for a new Google account now automatically signs you up for Gmail and Google+, whether you like it or not.

If you're looking to create a new Google account, without being automatically signed up for Gmail and Google+, you still can, for now. However, there's no telling when Google will officially make this a requirement across all of their services.

The old Google signup page is still currently active and won't automatically create a Gmail account or Google+ profile.

The new signup page now asks for your name, gender, … Read more