Networking

Rovio has added a new feature to Angry Birds on Facebook that could see the game crop up in more places across the Web.

Dubbed Share & Play, the initiative allows players to embed an Angry Birds level into another person's Facebook Timeline, a blog, or Web page. Those who come across the embedded title will be able to play the game instantly on the respective page without ever needing to install the game. In addition, users won't need to be logged into Facebook to play the title, even though it's shared via the social network.

The … Read more

Facebook has inked a rather interesting deal with several security vendors.

The social network said today that it has launched the Antivirus Marketplace, a place on its security page where users can download anti-malware software from McAfee, Norton, Sophos, Trend Micro, and Microsoft for free. The software, which includes Norton AntiVirus, Trend Micro Internet Security, and others, can be used for free for six months to a year, depending on what a user downloads.

In addition, Facebook said today that the five companies have agreed to hand over their URL blacklist databases to the social network. Facebook has its own … Read more

When it comes to smart TVs, manufacturers are basically charging money for nuthin.'

Or to put it in less dire terms, the smart TV suites included in today's TVs offer little value. That's not to say I don't enjoy Netflix, Amazon Instant, and HBO Go as much as the next broadband Internet subscriber, it's just that I can get the same great apps and content on devices as cheap as the $50 Roku LT. So why would I want to spend $100 extra or more on a TV that has these features?… Read more

Gamers might buy these just because of their name, which might have been the case of another product offered by Bigfoot Networks awhile ago.

Qualcomm Atheros announced today its latest Wi-Fi and Ethernet controllers called Killer Wireless-N 1202 Wi-Fi Module and Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet Controller. These are network adapters with built-in QoS designed to "provide unprecedented performance and advanced control by automatically classifying and prioritizing gaming, video, and audio network data," Qualcomm claims. Basically, they are great for games and entertainment-related applications.

Both of these new solutions comes with an exclusive technology called Advanced Stream Detect that … Read more

Tim Berners-Lee, known as the father of the World Wide Web, says Internet users should demand all of their inaccessible data from Facebook, Google, and every other major Web site.

"One of the issues of social networking silos is that they have the data and I don't," Berners-Lee told The Guardian in an interview published today. "There are no programs that I can run on my computer which allow me to use all the data in each of the social networking systems that I use plus all the data in my calendar plus in my running … Read more

After Facebook spent $1 billion on Instagram, one would think Twitter would try to buy a competitor of its own to keep pace. But that doesn't appear likely.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo told reporters in Japan yesterday that Twitter has no plans to buy an Instagram competitor to keep up with Facebook. Quite the contrary, Costolo said that he plans to improve his company's application programming interface (API) to help third parties improve integration on the social network.

"I think that sometimes there is a tendency for companies to react to events in the marketplace that are … Read more

Foursquare is celebrating its third-annual 4sqDay in impressive fashion.

Whenever users check in on the service today, they'll be awarded the 2012 4sqDay badge, which is accompanied with a message announcing that the startup now has 20 million users worldwide, and has hit a whopping 2 billion check-ins since it was founded in 2009.

"In 2010, Foursquare fans declared April 16 4sqDay (4/4^2 - nerds after our own heart!)," the message that accompanies the badge reads. "Two years and two billion check-ins later, you're still why we get out of bed each day. … Read more

Facebook has made it easier for users to connect with, and e-mail, others.

The company announced yesterday that over the next few weeks, it will be "updating addresses on Facebook to make them consistent across our site." In order words, a person's username address on the site will match their e-mail address username.

Although the update is minor, it might go a long way in improving use of Facebook's e-mail services. With a person's username address and e-mail address matching up, it should make it simpler for users to determine what a person's e-mail … Read more

It's no secret Tumblr is big and growing, but now, the time has come for the company to start generating some cash. Just don't expect ads to play a role in that.

Speaking to AdAge in an interview published today, Tumblr CEO David Karp made it abundantly clear that his company has no interest in placing ads on its service, saying that the microblogging tool is "selling our desks to avoid that, it's a complete last resort."

Still, the temptation to bring ads to Tumblr, which has yet to effectively monetize its growth, might be … Read more