Reuters: Facebook Inc is in advanced talks to acquire Israeli mobile satellite navigation start-up Waze for $800 million to $1 billion, business daily Calcalist reported on Thursday. Due diligence is underway after a term sheet was signed, Calcalist said, adding that talks began six months ago. Waze uses satellite signals from members’ smartphones to generate […]
Facebook Thinks You Might Like Up to Three Video Ads in Your News Feed Each Day
Delightful headline-writing by The Verge. From the article: Expected to launch in the summer, Facebook’s new video ad units may prove to be a revenue success for the company, but they may also become another nuisance for users. According to AdAge, Facebook is currently in talks with various agencies to secure its first video ad […]
The Facebook First at the AT&T Store
I paid a visit to my local AT&T store1 on the occasion of the Facebook First being officially available for sell. There was more promotion than I expected, including a dedicated installation and a huge promotional banner behind the counter. That said, there wasn’t really any effort by the salespeople to push me on the […]
Facebook’s ‘Phone’ Is Another Triumph of Mediocrity
Mat Honan perfectly captures why I’m hesitant to cast ultimate judgement on Facebook Home: Over the past few days, lots of pundits have been asking who this is for. Facebook gave us an answer today: It’s for people who don’t care about a rich, full experience on the Internet, yet love Facebook. People who want […]
A Facebook of the Future
A glowing profile of Facebook’s business to date by Kurt Eichenwald:1 The Google concept of demand fulfillment—someone searches for a pink shirt and is shown an ad for a pink shirt—had an important place in Internet marketing, the pitch went. But Facebook was about generating demand by showing users content that they might not have […]
The Vanishing Uninformed and the Facebook Phone
Dan Frommer has a suggestion as to who is going to buy the Facebook phone: Facebook unveiled its long-awaited mobile phone platform today. It is, as assumed, a Facebook “layer” on top of Google Android. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, or even take a detailed look at the presentation. But I […]
The Facebook Home Hands-On
The Verge has a 15-minute hands-on with the Facebook Home. It’s well worth the time. I must say, I’m impressed. The level of care and attention to detail is immediately apparent; it’s far more fluid and “fun” than anything I’ve ever seen from Android. Still skeptical though. Mobile is tough; more soon.
Like Once, Friend Anywhere
Two good pieces on Facebook today. First, this piece from Reuters on the challenge mobile messaging apps present to Facebook: Create personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music. That might sound precisely like Facebook, but hundreds of millions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to a wave of smartphone-based messaging […]