Netflix launches in the UK: Now live with 1-month free trial

Unlimited access just £5.99

Netflix is now live in the UK and Ireland, the massive internet film and TV subscription service launching on the back of months of launch speculation and bringing a huge library of on-demand content through internet TVs, consoles, tablets and phones.

We’ve tried it out for ourselves on the PS3 and it’s all there and ready to roll.

The prices seem pretty good as well, as you’ll be able to have your pick of films and TV programmes for the monthly price of £5.99 in the UK and €6.99 in Ireland. Not only this, but for those of you who are a little unsure of whether to splash the cash, Netflix is offering up a 1-month free trial for all.

“We are starting 2012 in the best possible way: by giving consumers in the UK and Ireland an amazing entertainment experience,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix. “Now, you can enjoy as many great films and TV programmes as you want, when you want, where you want, for one low monthly price with no contracts or commitments.”

Netflix has more than 20 million streaming members in 47 countries and territories, and will be a tough competitor in a market that sees it go up against the likes of Amazon-owned Lovefilm.

The launch will see Netflix offering films and TV programmes from All3Media, the BBC, CBS, Channel 4’s 4oD, Disney UK & Ireland, ITV, Lionsgate UK, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom International Media Networks.

There will also be some big screen titles at launch which will include: The Expendables and Paul Blart: Mall Cop; American programmes such as the excellent Breaking Bad, and 24 as well as previous full seasons of The Only Way is Essex, Top Gear and the The Inbetweeners.

Netflix is also fully integrated with Facebook, which should help you discover new titles, and if you really want to go all-in you can connect your Netflix account with Facebook in order to share what your watching with your buddies.

The Netflix service is now live in the UK.

Article:  RSS via Pocket-lint

Tags: Facebook, Movie Rentals, Netflix, Streaming Movies, UK

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facedroid makes Facebook look cool on Android tablets

While we’re waiting for Facebook’s official application for Android tablets, Platinum Apps launched facedroid, allowing tablet owners to cyber-schmooze on their beloved devices. As you can imagine, the app takes advantage of the extra screen estate to show more information on a single screen.

Using the facedroid app, you’ll be able to access the most common Facebook features, including:

• Share status updates
• Comment, like and tag statuses and photos
• See what your friends are doing
• Write on friend’s walls
• Chat in real-time
• Send and receive messages
• Search your list of friends and check out their wall posts, photos and videos
• See and respond to notifications like friend requests, event invitations and birthdays

In addition, support for Places and Pages is in development as we speak. Once released, you will be able to Check-in to locations and see where your friends are, and to manage all of your Facebook Pages from the comfort of you couch/sofa.

At the moment, facedroid is optimized for Android Honeycomb tablets with the Ice Cream Sandwich update set to be released soon…

facedroid (Tablet Facebook) ($0.99) [Android Market link]

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: Android, Android Market, Apps, Facebook, facedroid, Tablet PC's

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Facebook Timeline goes live worldwide

Facebook Timeline has gone live worldwide, the social networking giant has announced, with all users now being notified that they can activate the life-tracking activity log Mark Zuckerberg announced back in September. A chronicle of your interactions, events, photos and video from your time on the social network, Timeline has been available to beta testers, celebrities and those following sneaky hacks for a few months now.

Since the potential for revealing too much is high, Facebook has built in some extra controls around Timeline. The system will default to a seven day review period initially, giving users time to check everything that appears on their timeline before anyone else can see it. A “View As” button allows the layout to be checked from the perspective of different friends groups and non-friends, so you can ensure those slightly risque photos of you and the office photocopier are saved only for loved-ones.

There’s also an easily-accessed “Hide from Timeline” option that allows you to instantly remove any photo, update or other content from the overall Timeline list. Timeline replaces the traditional profile page, but also adds an Activity Log, private to each user, showing pared down details of full activity.

You can turn on Facebook Timeline by heading here and choosing “Get It Now.” More details on what it includes here, and on why you might want to think twice before activating it here.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Timeline, Social Networks, Video

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Facebook for Android updated, inherits speedier UI from iOS

Facebook just launched their updated Facebook app for Android, which the social networking giant claims is “now quicker and easier to view photos, get messages and navigate around the app”. What does this actually mean? Basically put, it’s inherited the interface from the recently updated iPad and iPhone versions of the app. The UI has also been redone for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with the upper-right drop-down menu instead of the previous hidden menu interface.

From what Facebook says, photos and albums are up to twice as fast than the previous Android app (not surprising, for those of you who’ve used the old app, it’s nowhere near as smooth of an experience as on, say iOS or Windows Phone 7). Sharing photos, viewing comments and editing captions on the go have all been made easier, too. As long as everything is faster, than I think users will be content. The Facebook app on Android at the moment is incomparable in terms of overall user experience to the one on the iOS app.

The updated Facebook app puts messages and notifications at the top of the screen, and you can respond to friends and stay updated without leaving the page you’re on. Furthermore, you can also quickly access the News Feed, Groups, games and apps from the new left-side menu. The Facebook app update isn’t out live on the Android Market yet, but Facebook has just promised that it will be available soon. I’m probably speaking for all Android users when I say that hopefully happens very soon.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: Android, Android Market, Apps, Facebook, Social Networks

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Facebook testing Windows desktop client for chat and ticker feed

Facebook begun letting a limited group of users to download and try out a new Facebook Messenger for Windows 7 desktop client (much like in the way they started off with their newly-revamped Facebook Timeline user interface, which still hasn’t rolled out to all users yet). Apparently, the new desktop client provides access to Facebook Chat, the Ticker feed, and update notifications. From what it looks like, the social networking company is trying to gauge user interest in desktop client access to these real-time features that could keep users engaged all day without the need of having to keep a browser window open for the Facebook website itself. If I say so myself, such a client could become instantly popular, especially since Facebook is essentially the largest contact list for most people these days, the author included.

TechCrunch has confirmed the client’s limited beta launch with Facebook, and has stated that the fraction of the entire Facebook user base chosen to participate randomly to join the test group are being prompted via a homepage notification on Facebook itself. There is also “no public download link, and the client is only compatible with Windows 7, though it was developed entirely by Facebook and does not constitute a new partnership with Microsoft.” Facebook is working on getting more users using its Chat service, as this summer it pushed out its standalone Messenger app for the iOS, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.

Combining Chat and the Ticket feed into once service is a first for Facebook, and by doing that, the social networking company can potentially get users “on its communication system that produces huge volumes of sustained attention, and then get them frequently returning to the site by clicking through Ticker and notification links”. This looks like a very smart move, since by stripping Facebook down to just its bare minimum but real-time elements, users can choose to leave on Messenger for Windows throughout the entire day. The plans seems to be that if the Windows 7 version gains mucho traction, Mac OS X and other operating systems clients could very well be on the way in development and release.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Timeline, Social Networks, Windows 7

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Facebook SlingPlayer revealed, proves you can’t escape social networking (video)

Add another future platform for SlingPlayer to the pile, as the company recently showed off this quick demo of streaming video through Facebook. While the old Sling.com streaming still works just fine, this one adds some new social features to the mix. That will let viewers share the shows and what they enjoy watching easily while not-so-coincidentally making sure their friends know they’re watching TV via Slingbox. There’s no word on when this will actually hit the OpenGraph’d streets, but so far it’s already in line behind players we’ve seen demonstrated but not yet released for Boxee and Google TV. Press play to check out the video and think back to a world where no one knew you were watching Law & Order for the eighth time today.

Article: RSS via Engadget Mobile

Tags: Facebook, Slingbox, SlingPlayer, Social Networks, Social TV

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Motorola Facebook phone resurfaces as Motokey Social, destined for Telus? (Update: official product page found)

If you thought we’d forgotten all about Motorola’s little Facebook Phone that could, you’d be incorrect. Only known previously as the EX225, it appears the portrait QWERTY may have a final destination and name. According to YS Tech, the device seems set for a collision course with Telus as the Motokey Social, a prepaid feature phone that offers basic access to Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. The leaked specs are right on the money with what we’ve heard already: 2.4-inch touchscreen, 3MP camera and a proprietary platform (read: not Android), which means this could be an inexpensive option to appease the kiddies during the holidays. No official announcement has been made yet, so we don’t have any idea of pricing or availability. Time will tell, as always.

Update: It turns out that Motorola does, in fact, have an official product page up for the Motokey Social.

Article: RSS via Engadget Mobile

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Phone, Motokey Social, Motorola, QWERTY Keyboard, Social Networks

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Panasonic Internet Social Network app: watch shows and Tweet simultaneously

If you spend 24/7 of your life on social networks like Facebook or Twitter and you own a Panasonic smart TV with VIERA Connect, you’re in luck. Panasonic has released a bunch of new apps for its VIERA Connect-equipped 2011 VIERA HDTVs, with one of them being the Internet Social Network app. The app allows users to watch their content they would normally watch on the TV i.e. their favorite TV shows, while they leave their favorite social networks running side by side.

The social network (Facebook or Twitter) will be in a sidebar displaying the newsfeed/main timeline, while the show will be taking up most of the screen. Users can update their statuses or post new tweets without having to leave their show, which makes it great for folks who love letting the world know exactly what they’re watching or what they think about what they see.

Other apps being released by Panasonic include: PlayJam (a game channel with multiple game apps) and BigFlix (an app that lets users access Bollywood Video on Demand). All these three apps will be made free to VIERA HDTVs for free.

Article: RSS via UberGizmo

Tags: Apps, Facebook, Panasonic, Smart TV, Social Networks, Social TV, TV, Twitter

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Facebook Will Give Trusted Friends Keys to Your Account

It’s 2:30am. You’re blind drunk and desperately trying to log into your FB account on your phone—ya know, to see if that hottie from the last bar Friended you yet—but your damn beer sausage fingers entered the wrong password one too many times. What’s a lush to do?

Under a new program that Facebook announced today, you’ll be able to assign three to five “Trusted Friends” special codes that will grant you immediate reentry to your account if you’re locked out. Sure, you could just perform a password reset, but that’s assuming you have access to your email—not likely on account of those sausage fingers or the double vision.

In addition, Facebook also announced App Passwords. The program reportedly will issue application-specific passwords for logging into third-party applications, similar to Google Authenticator’s single-use password feature. It is expected to roll out in the next few weeks.

Article: RSS via Gizmodo

Tags: Facebook, Security

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Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry takes on BBM

Dedicated app for BB users

Facebook Messenger has landed on BlackBerry, the social networking site has announced, bringing with it a load of new features into the mix.

“In this version, we’ve included a bunch of new features and performance improvements designed to make your messaging experience even better,” says Facebook on the new app, that joins the Android and iPhone versions that are currently available.

One of those new features is the ability to see who’s online and who’s on mobile, and know when the other person is typing. It’s also easier to send messages to the people you message most.

The new Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry is available in the App World now.

The app is standalone – not just an extension of the current Facebook apps – and ties in with the Message side of your Facebook persona. This means it will bring in all your Facebook conversations no matter where they took place, also offering additional features like one-click access to messages, location mapping, and the ability to message groups and mobile contacts.

If your message target is a Facebook friend already they will receive the message through the social network, but you can also message non-Facebook friends with notes that will send as texts.

“When you’re on the go, coordinating a bunch of people can be tricky, especially if plans change at the last minute,” said Lucy Zhang, Beluga co-founder and Facebook engineer at the time of the original iPhone launch in August.

“With Messenger, you can quickly start a group conversation and message everyone at once. If you choose to add your location, the people you’re messaging with can easily find each other on the map. You can also attach photos, so everyone else can see and comment on what you’re looking at.”

Article: RSS via Pocket-lint

Tags: Apps, BBM, BlackBerry, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, RIM, Smartphones

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