Twitter Rolls Out A New Facebook Like Design

After months of testing, Twitter finally rolled out a new design that makes the popular micro-blogging service look a lot similar to Facebook.  Twitter’s blog post, a couple of hours back announced the website’s revamped looks.

Though the changes are mostly cosmetic and seem to focus on image resizing, the introduction of “pinned tweets”  allows users to stick a specific tweet to the top of their own timeline, similar to how the old Facebook status would remain in place. That pinned tweet functions much like a promoted tweet for your profile. Twitter now also highlights those tweets that have the most engagement by displaying them slightly larger than the others.

With this development, two of the world’s most traffic generating websites- Twitter and Facebook, look shockingly similar. Both have a giant, widescreen background image with a little square box towards the lower left corner of the background photo which is in all wisdom meant for displaying your photo or a “profile picture”  in Facebook lingo.

Actress Kerry Washington’s Twitter profile displaying her “Pinned Tweet”

The introduction of larger images reflect Twitter’s ambition to become a bigger player in the photo sharing arena. The micro-blogging service had recently introduced the ability to upload four photos in a single tweet, as well as the feature to tag photo in the background of images, instead of wasting space in the tweet itself.
In short, here are main features of Twitter’s new web profile:

• Best Tweets: Tweets that experience most engagement will appear slightly larger than the other Tweets.
• Pinned Tweet: You can now pin one of your Tweets to the top of your page. It could be an away message, promoting your own website, or a tweet reflective of your online persona.
• Filtered Tweets: Now you can choose which timeline to view when checking out other profiles. It’s now possible to filter tweets posted by other people by opting to see only tweets or tweets with photos or videos, or tweets and their replies.

The new profile changes have kicked in today for some of us and will be automatic for new users. Over the week, it will be gradually rolled out for other Twitter users as well. At the bottom of its blog post, Twitter has added a list of “celebrity” accounts that already sport the new design, including The United States’ First Lady, Michelle Obama’s Twitter account.

While it’s certainly a lot of changes for an “accustomed” Twitter user, the new profile still manages to look relatively clean. The looks seem more aesthetic now. Well that’s our take. What do you think of the changes? Or do you have something more to add to the story? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Now Google Glass Sex App to help you make love better

With Google Glass expected to come to market later this year, some very interesting apps too are in the development pipeline, one of which promises to boost your sex life! ‘Sex with Glass’ or just ‘Glance’ is an app being developed to allow partners having sex to see themselves from their partner’s point of view.

The app being developed by students based out of London, offers couples the chance to “see everything, from every angle” while making love, using a pair of linked-up headsets. The Glance app films a video of the tryst, so you can watch it later when all is said and done.

snapshot from glassandsex.com

To get started, just say, “OK Glass, it’s time,” and the app will begin streaming what your partner sees in front of your own eyes. If you feel like stopping everything, just say, “OK Glass, pull out”. The app then puts the footage together and shows a video of the “whole thing”, but the video will be deleted after five hours unless you save it.

To make use of the app, both partners indulging will need to wear Google Glass during the act. The voyeur app lets you see two different perspectives seamlessly- that of you and your partner’s. It changes the way you experience something intimate, claims the developers’ website. The project was conceptualized at a Wearable Tech Hackathon.

The app has gained huge traction even before its release!

Bangalore gets free WiFi zones – a first in India

In a first for an Indian city, Bangalore true to its image of the Silicon Valley of India, is all set to get at least 6 free WiFi zones. Free wireless internet services will be commenced in the commercial heart of India’s technology capital starting today itself i.e Jan 24 2014. Mahatama Gandhi Road and Brigade Road, two of the best-known shopping destinations, apart from Traffic and Transmit Management Centres (TTMCs) at Shanthinagar, Yeshwanthpur and Koramangala, besides CMH Road in Indiranagar will have free WiFi access as part of a plan to make Bangalore more “tech-friendly”. The idea is the brainchild of a government-appointed panel headed by Mohandas Pai, a former director at Infosys.

Brigade Road, Bangalore | Image Courtesy: Flickr

Taking a cue from the Bangalore Metro service – ‘Namma Metro’ the facility will be called ‘Namma WiFi’, which translates to ‘My WiFi’. It will be formally launched near the Metro station on M.G. Road.

To access free WiFi in the hotspots, any person having a WiFi enabled device – a smart phone or tablet – will need to open their browser, which will then direct them to the “Namma WiFi” page. After registering their mobile number, a password would be sent to them. Once the password is punched in, the user can browse internet for free. But the free service comes with a catch – you can surf the internet only for 30 minutes in 24 hours. Moreover, there will be restrictions on accessing certain websites. The speed will be limited to 512 kbps.

Nokia embraces Android – Leaked Photos, Specs of Nokia Normandy

Gone September, when Microsoft began the process of acquiring Nokia- the erstwhile mobile giant, grapevine was that once the deal goes through, work on the first android phone by the Finnish multinational, will be put in cold storage. However, all Nokia fans who always wanted to see an android mobile phone from Nokia have a reason to rejoice now.

According to latest reports and some UI images leaked on Twitter by the notorious but mostly accurate tipster @evleaks, it’s confirmed now that Nokia Normandy- Nokia’s first Android application is live and ongoing.

The design of the Android UI seems inspired from the Windows Phone interface. According to well placed sources, the call dialer is very similar to what Windows Phone users are currently using. Apparently Skype is included by default, a definite sign that Nokia will be utilizing non-Google services or at least embedding Microsoft backed apps as defaults.

The leaked screenshots from an AnTuTu benchmark and the phone’s About settings menu, the Android device from the house of Nokia runs the latestAndroid 4.4.1 KitKat OS, features a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 5MP rear camera, and has dual SIM card slots. The handset, codenamed A110, has a display resolution of 854×480. A NokiaPowerUser review further maintains that the phone will sport a 4-inch display and will have another variant codenamed RM-980.

What do you say, are you gonna love it?

RIP Facebook – could be your FB status in 2017

Facebook Is Dying

Have you lately felt that Facebook isn’t anymore as exciting as it used to be? But still it gives you kicks to check your timeline every few minutes! Does it seem like a viral disease that has infected your senses! Well you may be right.

A new research by authors at Princeton’s Aerospace Engineering School has equated Facebook to a plague. The report adds that the world’s most visited website has spread like an infectious disease but people are gradually developing immunity to its seduction. The study says that the social network will lose about 1 billion users in 3 years and will meet a fate same as that of MySpace. “Facebook will see a rapid decline in the coming years, losing 80% of its peak user base between 2015 -2017,”  predicts the study, an “Epidemiological Modeling of Online Social Networks.”

Facebook Android Version

The researchers, Cannarella and Spechler employed what is known as the SIR (susceptible, infected, recovered) model of disease, which generates equations to map the spread and recovery of epidemics. The study has also utilized Google Trends data about MySpace—the website that was founded in 2003 and reached its peak in 2007 with 300 million registered users, before falling out of use by 2011—the Princeton study records similarities to how Facebook is on a similar path to being a thing-of-the-past.

But investors seem least baffled about the report; they don’t seem to be heading for the exit for now. The largest social network’s share price reached record highs this month, valuing the company at $142bn. Looks like Mark Zuckerberg has not many reasons to worry just yet.

The report comes just days ahead of Facebook’s 10th birthday on Feb 4 2014.