Let’s face it: Facebook was bound to put ads in VR eventually. Like collecting personal data, advertising is core to the social network’s business model and extends across all of its other apps. Because ad-free VR is clearly an outlier, the company’s recently announced plans to test ads in its Oculus VR apps and games …
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I’ve tried my fair share of cartoon avatars, from the very first Yahoo Messenger avatar I ever used, to Bitmoji stickers. There’s something I find deeply and irresistibly compelling about seeing myself represented in cartoon form, as if the cartoon has the power to capture my core essence while outstretching a more playful version of myself. When I first saw Voila …
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It should soon be easier to spend money via Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing four new shopping features Tuesday. Coming soon to the social media platforms: Shops on WhatsApp and Marketplace, Instagram Visual Search and Shop Ads. Shops on WhatsApp will allow users to chat with businesses before buying something from them. Shops on Marketplace …
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If you’ve ever wondered what impact your use of Facebook services has on the environment, now you can know for sure. Every one of Facebook’s 2.85 million users produces 12 grams of carbon dioxide by using the company’s services every year. That’s 25 times better than in 2016, when each user produced a little less than 300 grams of CO2 …
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Facebook said Monday it’s rolling out a live audio tool that will be available first to public figures and select groups in the US, taking on rivals Clubhouse, Twitter and Spotify. The world’s largest social network, like other tech companies, has been investing more in audio features after the medium grew in popularity following the launch of invite-only audio app …
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Amazon is one of the most successful businesses on the planet, but it’s also got issues, which we’ve been spotlighting in the runup to the company’s popular Prime Day sales. A lot of that revolves around its workplace and its workers, the very people making sure that what you’re buying gets to you in a timely manner. Warehouse employees and …
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Virtual reality has been, to this point, a largely ad-free experience, but that may soon change. Facebook is beginning to push ads into apps and games now, starting with a few test experiments. How far the rollout will go after that is unknown. Facebook had broadcast its intentions to use VR and AR data to inform advertising last year, with …
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Facebook is releasing new tools for people who manage groups on the social network, including features that are designed to make it easier to moderate content. Facebook group administrators will be able to slow down the amount of comments on a post with this new tool. Queenie Wong/CNET The move shows that Facebook is continuing to invest in groups, online …
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Europe’s top court ruled on Tuesday that national privacy regulators could pursue investigations into big tech companies, even if they aren’t the lead regulator for that company — in specific circumstances. Until now, regulators have been bound by Europe’s one-stop-shop rule, which means only the regulator in the country where the company has its European headquarters may bring GDPR enforcements …
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This story is part of Father’s Day Gift Guide, featuring our top picks for dads who love tech. I’m pretty sure that, by now, everyone who needs a Roku streaming device already has a Roku streaming device — if not a TV with the Roku OS already built in. But let’s talk upgrades for a minute. If you’re still chugging …
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