Today’s smartphones essentially have software from Google (Android) and Apple (iOS) at the forefront. Which means, when you look at your phone, you’re looking at a bunch of apps. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, in announcing Facebook Home, wants to change that. “Our phones are designed around apps and not people,” he said. “So we want to flip that around.” (more…)
Tips to stop annoying Facebook notifications and quirks
I’m fed up with Facebook, and I’m not alone. Am I willing to leave Facebook? To just delete my account and be done with it? Well, not quite. But recently I decided to go ahead and take the time to answer three or four of my questions about Facebook’s annoyances, like those pesky email notifications I always seem to get about people adding stuff to my timeline.
Facebook buys Instagram. Is Tumblr next?
A Guardian story rounded up likely acquisition targets among tech startups, following Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram. It’s an interesting read — and a troubling one.
I’m not particularly happy about the Instagram/Facebook deal. After all, Facebook is already tied into so many services through its “like” buttons, Facebook Connect login service, and apps connected to the Facebook Timeline.
But what really hit me in the Guardian story was the suggestion that Google might buy Tumblr. I’m a big fan of Tumblr (that’s where I’ve got my iPhone photography blog, What I See Now), and I really (really!) don’t want to see it owned by Google. In fact, I’d probably rather see Facebook buy it. Why’s that? Well, if Google bought it, it’d be all about tying it to Google+, and that’s a service I don’t use and have no plans to start using.
Tumblr, please: Stay indie!
ALLAN HOFFMAN 