Facebook introduces Graph Search, a social search feature

Facebook just announced a search product called Graph Search.

Here are a list of frequently asked questions and answers, written by Facebook PR:

What is Graph Search?Graph Search is a new way for you to find people, photos, places and interests that are most relevant to you on Facebook.

What is Graph Search useful for?Graph Search will help you instantly find others, learn more about them and make connections, explore photos, quickly find places like local attractions and restaurants, and learn about common interests like music, movies, books and more. All results are unique based on the strength of relationships and connections.

What can I search for?With Graph Search, you can search for people, photos, places and interests.

How do I search?Type your search into the blue bar at the top of the page. As you start to type, suggestions appear in a drop down. You can refine your search using the tools on the right-hand side of the page.

Some example searches include:
· People who like tennis and live nearby
· Photos before 1990
· Photos of my friends in New York
· Sushi restaurants in Palo Alto my friends have liked
· Tourist attractions in Italy visited by my friends

How are you rolling this out?Graph Search is in a limited preview, or beta. That means Graph Search will only be available to a very small number of people who use Facebook in US English.

How can I get Facebook Graph Search?You can sign up for the waitlist at www.facebook.com/graphsearch

Does Graph Search change any of my current privacy settings?No. Graph Search follows your current privacy settings. You can only search for content that has been shared with you.

How do I control what tags, locations and photos can show up about me?To control tags, photos or posts with locations about you that appear in search, go to your Activity Log.

http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-what-facebook-graph-search-looks-like-2013-1

Creative Genius Makes Full-Length Live-Action 'Toy Story'

Toy Story, released in 1995, became an instant classic: Telling the story of a child's toys come to life, it was the first feature-length animated film. It set the bar extraordinarily high for producer Pixar, which has mostly been delivering blockbusters ever since. Toy Story pulled in nearly $362 million at the box office and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

But what if Toy Story wasn't animated, but instead shot in live-action with real toys and people? That's exactly what YouTube user "jonasonsMovies" did.

His project, Live-Action Toy Story, combines his own footage with the film's original audio, clocking in at one hour and 20 minutes. It has more than 83,000 views and made it to the front page of Reddit after a day online.

http://mashable.com/2013/01/13/toy-story-live-action/

Apple adds Watchever subscription video service to Apple TV in Germany

Apple has included Watchever, a Netflix-like subscription video service, to the Apple TV in Germany.
According to iFun (translated), a recent update to Apple TV added the Watchever app to the home screen. Vivendi launched the service Jan. 9 (PDF), and it boasts a catalog of U.S. and German content for only €8.99 a month.
Watchever specifically offers movies and shows by ABC, BBC, HBO, and more. Some of the notable movies include “The Twilight Saga” and “Slumdog Millionaire”, while the more famous series range from “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad” to “Scrubs” and “Big Bang Theory”.
The below tweet is an example of the Watchever app icon as it appears on Apple TV:

Steffen@semihipster

@iPhoneBlog kennste "watchever" schon? Findet sich auf dem Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/fuwB5cz6

 http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/11/apple-adds-watchever-subscription-video-service-to-apple-tv-in-germany/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+%289+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence%29

Angry Birds Space updated with 30 new levels, water physics

The iOS and Android versions of one of the most popular mobile games these days, Angry Birds Space, has received a new update. The update brings 30 new levels to the game, along with new gameplay mechanics. The updated version is available on the iPhone,iPad and Android smartphones. The biggest new mechanic added to Angry Birds Space in the latest update involves water physics. In the new levels, all the planets are filled with "water, strange aquatic life and worst of all—Bad Piggies in boats". The water adds a new dimension to a game series that is mostly known for its physics engine. Because that's what Angry Birds needs. More water. The update also brings new power-ups, namely, Flocks of Birds, Space Egg and Pig Puffer. Flock of Birds gives you the ability to call in a pack of birds for more destruction. Space Egg lets you create black holes. The Pig Puffer lets you make the pigs bigger, giving you bigger targets to aim at. Back in December, the latest game in the Angry Birds franchise, titled Angry Birds Star Wars, was made available for Windows Phone 7 devices. This app is available for $0.99 and those interested in purchasing this game will require having their handsets running on the Windows Phone 7.5 platform and WVGA resolution of 480 x 800. To download this popular game for your Windows Phone 7 handset, click here. In early November, Rovio released Angry Birds Star Wars for iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac, PC and Windows 8 devices. Along with the game, the company has also released a new trailer and merchandise in select retailers worldwide. For those not in the know, the game follows a plucky group of Rebel Birds in their fight against the evil Imperial Pigs. Fans will use the Force, wield a lightsaber and blast away Pigtroopers on an intergalactic journey from the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Pig Star -- where they’ll face off against the terrifying Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Pigs. Concurrently with the game launch, Rovio and Lucasfilm have also introduced tie-in merchandise and a new cinematic trailer, which retells the classic Star Wars cantina scene with Angry Birds Star Wars characters in the starring roles. Angry Birds Star Wars merchandise, ranging from Hasbro toys to apparel to plush toys, is available now from select retailers. Late in November, less than a month after releasing the game, Rovio rolled out an update for Angry Birds Star Wars and these new levels are in the ice world of Hoth. So, what does one get with the first update to the game? For starters, a player gets 20 levels in the ice world of Hoth. The pink bird makes an appearance and it wields a new power with which one can aim for a weak spot to completely destroy the AT-ATs. Apart from this, Rovio has also added two new bonus levels. http://tech2.in.com/news/handheld-gaming/angry-birds-space-updated-with-30-new-levels-water-physics/686742

Google Coordinate | Free

Google launched its Coordinate app on the Apple App Store, but it is a mobile workforce management tool for businesses and requires a Google Coordinate license to work. Non-consumer Google account users will need iOS 5.1 or later to install it.  The iOS app has an Android version, called Google Maps Coordinate, available on the Google Play Store. The iPhone version touts following features:

• Share real-time location. Google Coordinate enables easy collaboration by enabling businesses to leverage real-time location sharing in just a few clicks.
• Manage jobs. Google Coordinate makes it easy to capture all the information needed for a job and to assign them to your team members with instant notifications.
• Collect data. Google Coordinate allows the admin to customize the fields that the mobile team needs to capture and collect – from measurements to client contact details – directly in the app.

http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/10/google-coordinate-angry-birds-space-cut-the-rope-skype-for-mac-price-drops-and-more/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Amazon to Provide CD Buyers With Cloud-Based MP3s For Free?

CNET is reporting that Amazon is planning to launch a reward scheme for CD buyers. When they purchase music in its physical form, they'll also receive a digital copy, which they'll be able to listen to via Amazon's cloud music service.

Codenamed "Auto Rip", the service will automatically deposit the audio tracks into the customer's Amazon cloud account upon purchase. Then, they'll be able to listen to them via whatever device they choose. CNET also suggests that Amazon may roll out the service retrospectively, providing MP3s of past CD purchase, too.

That second—and most speculative—part of the story is the most interesting. While CDs may be dead to some people by now, chances are most of us have purchased a reasonable amount of music on physical media from Amazon in the past. Logging in to an Amazon account which is filled with all that music would be a somewhat of a boon.

The service echoes UltraViolet, a Hollywood version for DVDs which supplies customers with both physical and digital copies of a movie. Given that CDs are far, far easier to rip than DVDs, though, this wouldn't so much seem a matter of making consumers' lives easier—instead, it sounds like more of an attempt to convince people that the digital option is superior to the physical. Still, that's no bad thing. 

http://gizmodo.com/5974762/amazon-to-provide-cd-buyers-with-cloud+based-mp3s-for-free?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Microsoft: IllumiRoom Projects Images Beyond Your TV for an Immersive Gaming Experience

IllumiRoom is a proof-of-concept Microsoft Research project designed to push the boundary of living room immersive entertainment by blending our virtual and physical worlds with projected visualizations. 

Microsoft Officially Ditching Messenger, Switching Users to Skype in March

WHAT'S THIS?

Windows Live Messenger will officially retire this March, Microsoft announced Tuesday in a mass email to the chat service's users.

On March 15, all users will be switched over to Skype, which the software giant acquired for $8.5 billion in October 2011.

"We are retiring the existing Messenger service globally ... and bringing the great features of Messenger and Skype together," Microsoft said, adding that Messenger will continue to be available in mainland China. Last November, Skype president Tony Bates confirmed in a blog post that Messenger would be shuttered in the first quarter of 2013.

The company also encouraged users to "update to Skype," and sign in using their Microsoft account (formerly known as a "Windows Live ID"), which includes an email address and password. All Messenger contacts will be included in Skype upon sign-in, the email said.

Those who are signed in to Messenger on desktop will see a banner notification to "upgrade," it added. When clicked, a pop-up window to install Skype will appear, and will automatically uninstall Messenger.

Until March 15, Messenger "will continue to work as you know it today," Microsoft said, but after that date, users won't be able to sign in, and will be prompted to switch to Skype.

Starting last November, Messenger users had the ability to talk to their contacts using Skype.

Last October, the VoIP service released a new version of its desktop client for Mac and Windows that included integration with Facebook and Microsoft accounts.

http://mashable.com/2013/01/09/microsoft-messenger-skype/