heads

Review: Make your friends pop up with Chat Heads

When Facebook Home debuted, most people yawned--until they saw the "Chat Heads" feature. This appropriately-named app adds them to your phone without taking the whole thing over the way Home would. Chat Heads brings this cool notification feature to any of the apps of your phone.

The app slides a "Chat Heads" section onto your accessibility menu that you have to turn on before you use it. It also tries to hit your phone with ads, but you can choose to decline that part of the app. Once you go through the longer setup process, Chat … Read more

Review: Heads Vs Tails takes the coin-flipping game to new heights

Heads vs. Tails manages to take the least skill-based competition on the planet and create a compelling and engaging game out of it--albeit one that will not entertain for too long.

When you first open Heads vs. Tails, the options are limited. The higher-level "game" components remain locked until you've flipped the coin at least 20 times. However, that takes all of a minute to do and in the process you'll see why such a basic concept is so compelling. While no computer program can ever be truly random, Heads vs. Tails manages to imitate randomness … Read more

Heads Up livens up the party

Heads Up is a trivia-style party game that was recently featured (and played) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. With the game installed on just one iPhone, you can challenge a friend or several friends to a trivia competition. While you won't have much fun alone with Heads Up, it might be the perfect app for livening up a dinner party or family event.

The way it works is, you pick a trivia category from one of seven themed decks of "cards." These aren't actually trivia categories in the traditional sense; Heads Up combines trivia with identifying … Read more

Download additional 'Stickers' for Facebook Messenger

If your account has been granted access to Facebook Messenger Stickers, you've likely realized they can add a bit of fun to normally mundane conversations. Instead of relying on the standard smiley-face stickers, download additional sticker packs from the Facebook Sticker Store.

You'll know if your account has access to Stickers if you open a conversation in the Facebook app on iOS, or the Messenger app on Android and you see a smiley icon in the text field. Tapping on it will reveal stickers you can then send in your conversations.

The smiley stickers are nice, but it … Read more

Facebook gives U.S. users free calls in Messenger for Android

Facebook is bringing its voice-over-IP calling feature to even more of its users on the Android platform.

On Thursday, the company added the free calling functionality for U.S. users of Facebook Messenger for Android -- and Facebook Home, which runs Messenger, by association. The rollout will take place throughout the day and does not require an application update, a company spokesperson told CNET.

The addition introduces a "Free Call" button accessible from a Facebook buddy's contact page. Those with Facebook Home also can initiate calls from Chat Heads, although it requires several clicks to do so: … Read more

Mal Valve: The ultimate headphone amplifier

I heard through the grapevine that the Mal Valve Head Amp Three takes headphone sound to the next level, so I had to check it out for myself. I brought two of my best headphones to the Audioarts NYC showroom to audition the amp, and it really was an ear opener. "Space" was the first thing I noticed, the Mal Valve decodes spatial cues in recordings better than any amp I've heard to date; and the resolution, clarity, and purity of the sound were all superlative via my Audeze LCD 3 headphones. The Mal Valve frees up … Read more

How to activate Facebook Chat Heads on your iOS device

Today Facebook updated its iOS app, bringing Chat Heads to the platform, although it's in a limited way. The new feature will only work while you're actively using the Facebook app.

Chat Heads will slowly roll out over the coming weeks to iOS users, but if you're the impatient kind who isn't afraid to edit some files on your device, you're going to want to head on over to this post on iMore.

The post will walk you through the process of saving, viewing, and editing a PLIST file from the Facebook app; you then … Read more

Facebook's iOS app gets stickers, Chat Heads

CNET Update starts a new type of sticker collection:

In this tech roundup, Google reveals the technical specs for Google Glass, and we also learn that it won't display ads in your eye (at least for now).

Only a select group gets the chance to buy this early version of Google Glass, but here's something Android fans can order now: The Samsung Galaxy S4. Preorders have begun for the smartphone at AT&T and U.S. Cellular, and the phones will ship on April 30.

Facebook found a way to bring Chat Heads to the iPhone, but … Read more

Twitter launching music discovery app

CNET Update tweets to the beat:

Twitter is launching a new music service that will suggest songs to listen to based on accounts you follow or artists that are trending. As the world waits for the official launch, Ryan Seacrest seems to be enjoying it.

Android users can experience Chat Heads on the Facebook Messenger app, rather than download the Facebook Home interface.

Also in this tech roundup, I bring you the highlights from the DigitalFocus technology showcase, which includes the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, the Linkase Wi-Fi signal booster for smartphones, the new Duracell Powermat iPhone 5 wireless charging … Read more