Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

Zynga Releases Farmville iPhone Port

June 28th, 2010

Flash may not be available for the Apple iPhone, but the handset will still get to enjoy the addicted virtual farming game, Farmville.

This Zynga developed browser game is a famous Facebook application that has had millions of users. However, since the app uses Flash content, it cannot be played on Apple’s iPhone, an issue that over 8 million players considered to be a bad thing (after all, they wanted to tend to their farms on their mobile phones). A recent announcement from Zynga gave many users hope: a new iPhone app version of Farmville will be made and it will hook up to an existing user’s Facebook account in order to carry over the game progress.

To make the whole deal a lot sweeter, Apple and Zynga are also bringing in a few items that are exclusive available to players accessing Farmville through their iPhone devices. For the most part, the new iPhone app stays true to the original Flash based game in terms of dynamics and game mechanics. According to Zynga, they have streamlined the crop harvesting feature in order to make it easier on the touch screen interface and have changed some in game settings as well.

Virtual farming games have been around for quite some time. Japanese game developer Natsume is considered to be a pioneer in the genre with their Harvest Moon series. In fact, fans of Harvest Moon consider Farmville as a watered down version of the console title with less focus on farming and more about trading crops with online friends.

However, it is to be said that Farmville’s true charm is not with the actual game content itself, but the fact that users are able to link up to a network of friends, compare progress and feel the need and pressure to play.

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Privacy in the World of Smart Phones

June 23rd, 2010

Smart phones are not the tools of a big brother conspiracy (well, they could be, but they are not), but that does not mean that nobody is watching. With the average camera on a basic smart phone being a 3.15 mega pixel snapper, people have the right to worry about being filmed or having photos being taken of them without their permission.

The worry stems from the fact that anyone can record videos and images using mobile phones. And since most people are already armed with the technology, it makes for a terrible inconvenience. Simply going out in an unflattering outfit could lead to someone taking an image of you and uploading it to one or several of the thousands of joke sites on the internet that make fun of people wearing unflattering outfits (yes, you no longer need to be a celebrity to have your fashion sense bashed).

While being worried about strangers is one thing, friends and family are even worse culprits, as they will stubbornly, and outright refuse to obey the “I do not want pictures taken of me” request. The worst part is when they upload the images on Facebook where it will be open for everyone to see. And if the embarrassment was not bad enough, these people are usually the very individuals who would actually tag you in the image.

It is not surprising that most people now have worries about having candid images being shot –more importantly, being uploaded. As these images often have people in unflattering and otherwise, very awkward moments. Some women intentionally pass up attending large social functions such as weddings just to be free of the worry.

The saddest part about this whole thing is that there is nothing that anyone can really do –if there was, the next generation would never have to worry about having a family photo book full of really embarrassing images.

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Countdown to the Holidays: More on WP7

June 22nd, 2010

Microsoft is pushing the advertisements and announcements regarding their new operating system further into the limelight. With the OS initially announced as early as February, keeping that raging fire of interest burning for almost a full year was bound to be tough, and in the credit of Microsoft’s press team, they seem to be doing well.

While it is still several months away from the holiday season (or October, as rumored to be the time when the first WP7 devices will be available), much time has passed since the Mobile World Congress and Steve Ballmer’s presentation. But until now, many people are still excited about the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform and what it will bring to the many smart phone users all over the world.

The new operating system is geared more towards casual users than enterprise clients –which are what the older Windows Mobile systems were all about. This new OS brings plenty of focus to live updates, social networking and connectivity. The device has customizable widget-like boxes called tiles which can be fitted with specific contacts or web pages and other content that allows a user to determine what is important and should be available in the front page.

Social networking is made easy as the handset allows users to update multiple social networking sites (like Facebook and Windows Live) at the same time with a single tap of the touch screen. Media such as photos and music can be uploaded to the internet by way of an instant commend menu which is available in the media library screen.

Microsoft’s search engine Bing will be accessible from anywhere in the device, allowing users to make use of the various search functions to get relevant information such as maps for address and similar data. Zune and Xbox Live will also be part of the services offered in the new OS.

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Facebook Privacy: Why it Matters

June 2nd, 2010

Following on from last week’s report on the privacy changes made by facebook, we’re going to look at the key issue: why does all this matter?

One might be surprised at the amount of news all over the internet regarding Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and the whole privacy issue. After all, there are still plenty of people out there who do not even own an account at the social networking website, and there is really no way that Facebook’s admin would be interested in those silly pictures posted on people’s private albums.

Still, the fact that there is so much coverage of the news is a testament to how much the public actually regards the presence of the social networking site. One can even say that thanks to the presence of Facebook, there has been a steady rise in the number of smart phones being used (well, Facebook and Twitter). Even mobile phone manufacturers agree that the interest of people towards social networking has pushed the demand for handheld devices that allows them access to these web features without the need to sit down in front of a computer.

Facebook alone has inspired plenty of apps and integrated features on dozens of the most expensive high-end smart phones. Even Microsoft has developed two handset dedicated to Facebook as well –the MS Kin series.

Currently, Facebook’s network is estimated to be at an astonishing 450 million users –and that number is still growing. It will not be long before it passes the 500 million mark and beyond. Facebook also supports its own app economy; game developers in Facebook stand to gain millions annually.

Human society has already seen the massive effects that the social networking site can have in our civilization. The site has been used as a tool for propaganda, promotions and more; with many global events being broadcasted, documented and even affected by the users within the social network.

Considering how much Facebook plays in the part of our world, it is only natural that there is concern for how the company handles the privacy of its millions of users.

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Facebook Changes Address Privacy Concerns

May 28th, 2010

Facebook has not exactly been known to be an advocate of privacy. Unlike Google, they are not easy to coax into providing quality care for their users. Remember that time when Mark Zuckerberg said that privacy norms are not really needed and are “just something that has evolved over time”? Well it seems that the social networking company has decided that they are worth looking into after all. More privacy conscious options are going to be implemented in the popular site and that is sure to please mobile users around the globe.

The Facebook Privacy Model is a simplified settings menu that lets the user fiddle with options for specific areas of the site that may be a cause for privacy concerns. This page will pool all the information and settings into a grid layout which is a simplified version of the current dashboard.

Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind Facebook, has cited the coverage of their revamped model:

“We’ve focused on three things: a single control for your content, more powerful controls for your basic information and an easy control to turn off all applications.”

Those who prefer the existing privacy controls can retain it for a more in depth coverage. The new model is mostly targeted at those who want a simpler and user friendly approach to privacy.

According to the official Facebook blog, the changes will be able to cover:

First and foremost, posts are now easier to show only to people whom you want to be privy to them. There are options for you to make it viewable to everyone, connections of your friends or strictly people on your friends list.

Also, there is now less information that has to be posted for the public to see. Friends as well as pages associated to your profile are now optional fields.

Lastly, you can now opt to keep your information off limits to all applications and websites.

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Facebook: You Cannot Please Everyone

May 4th, 2010

For those of you who have been out of the news loop, here is the current state of things; many people are starting to blame Facebook for the paedophiles and stalkers that use the social networking site in order to assault and harass their victims. The problem has been escalated with a recent murder of a 17 year old girl who was lured by her killer through the online networking site.

For anyone who knows better, Facebook is obviously not to blame. The real responsibility rests on the shoulders of parents who need to be able to properly educate, discipline and inform their children of the dangers and realities of the world and what can be done when encountering their problems.

But since people would rather a social networking company take the blame and responsibility of keeping children safe online (children, who are not allowed to sign up for an account unless they are under the guidance of their parents or guardians), then it has left Facebook with very little choice but to further find ways to improve their already existing help and support network.

The big call from the police and many people is that Facebook should be installing a “panic button” which would serve as a deterrent. First off, deterrents can only do so much. Buying a visible burglar alarm in your house will not prepare children for confrontation, education does.

And second, promoters of the panic button are trying to say that they understand internet and website design better than Facebook and that there is a need for the panic button. Have these people forgotten that Facebook is the most successful social networking site in the world? If Facebook says that a panic button will not work, it won’t, period.

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Breaking Down Facebook Games: Why is it so Addictive?

March 18th, 2010

There is an interesting little article at Times Online that points out that games are one of the main reasons as to why Facebook is so addictive.

Obviously, having games in a social networking tool is a great way to get more people to spend time using the service. Still, there are limits to how much value a game can add. No matter if Facebook has millions of games (it has thousands), unless a game is made well, it still would not matter.

So what are the things that make Facebook app games so addictive and why can people not stop playing them?

Looking into the nature of Facebook applications, let us take the basic formula of a standard FB game and see what we will get. First off, signing into an app will have you running through a basic tutorial about how a game is played. Then you get set off with a few basic in-game tasks to get you oriented with how the gameplay works. In less than 20 minutes of signing in, you would have a solid grasp of what is needed in order for you to progress.

Tasks are simple and easy to do, which is encouraging but repetitive. Occasional rewards will drive you to push for the next stage or the next level, but there is always the need to wait for either a day or for a few minutes. This leave and come back formula makes people want to check with their accounts a lot.

Once the joy of the game washes out, the feeling of having to keep up with friends kick in. Having to see the progress of everyone in you contact list playing the same game creates an unconscious pressure to keep playing in order to either stay ahead, keep up or catch up. It is ultimately this cycle which makes FB apps so addictive.

Get to know more about how games make people want to use Facebook more at Times Online UK.

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