Juicy rumor coming from Pocket-lint this morning: Facebook is reportedly eyeing a takeover of desktop, tablet and smartphone browser maker Opera Software. Citing an unnamed source, Pocket-lint says the social network juggernaut is considering an outright acquisition of the Norwegian software company to accelerate a move onto the battlefields where the browser wars between Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Apple and since recently Yahoo are being fought. But not so fast. First of all, we asked Opera Software for an official response on the report, and a spokesperson declined to comment. One source close to the company, however, tells us two interesting things: 1) Opera Software management is talking to potential buyers right now. Currently listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the company’s leadership is said to ... Continue reading →
Does you car need a decent scrubbing? Need someone to go pick up your groceries at the store because you’re on a tight deadline at work? Could you use someone to install that damn Ikea closet in your kid’s room before the weekend? Not unlike TaskRabbit, Viatask and Agent Anything in the US, Milk.ly is a new marketplace that helps you get small things like that done by willing people in your neighborhood. That is, if you’re in London, which is where Milk.ly is starting out. Co-founded by former head of Display Platform at Yahoo EMEA Sal Matteis, Milk.ly is essentially a peer-to-peer marketplace that lets people outsource errands, tasks and a wide range of small jobs to a curated network of ‘runners’ or ‘milkmen’. ... Continue reading →
IBM may have placed a ban on Apple’s voice-assistant Siri but it has various policies for the use of smartphones accessing and connecting to its networks, ensuring that devices on its internal networks aren’t subject to security issues and don’t disclose company secrets. Shortly after IBM CIO Jeanette Horan confirmed that Big Blue had imposed the restriction, we were approached by an employee that was able to give us more of an insight into what IBM calls its “Do’s and Dont’s” of smartphone use. While much of the focus is on IBM’s blocking of Siri, the company also requires iPhone/iPad and iPod touch owners to disable iCloud when accessing internal networks. The corporation also restricts access to “Sentitive Personal Information” (SPI), only allowing iOS 4 ... Continue reading →
A Facebook browser that would allow you keep up to date with your social life from in-built plug-ins and features on the menu bar could be on the cards. Pocket-lint has heard from one of its trusted sources that the social networking giant is looking to buy Opera Software, the company behind the Opera�web browser. According to our man in the know, the company could be about to expand into the browser space to take on the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla and now even Yahoo, who has recently launched its own browser. The move, which would no doubt send shivers of panic through Google, although unlikely to affect Chrome's continued growth in the short term, would see the two tech giants battle it ... Continue reading →
Blue Nile cofounder Mark Vadon forever altered how men buy engagement rings. Then he had a kid, and Zulily, a 'flash sales' retail site for moms, was born. Continue » Victoria Barret Continue reading →
by Mallary Jean Tenore Published May 24, 2012 3:25 pm On Wednesday, Forbes.com contributor Eric Jackson wrote a controversial post comparing the media attention that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gets to that of former Marimba CEO Kim Polese 15 years ago. By Thursday morning, Jackson had deleted the post and written an apology. The incident raises important questions about transparency and Forbes.com’s publishing process, in which freelance contributors can publish and delete posts without input from editors. In his story, Jackson wrote that Polese “didn’t deserve” to be on Time’s list of the 25 most influential people back then and that she was clearly “in the right place at the right time.” It helped, he added, that she was “young, pretty, and a good speaker.” ... Continue reading →
The world-class domain name sleuthers over at Fusible have uncovered that Facebook (almost certainly) privately registered a number of domains with ‘studio edge’ in them, including the .com, .net and .org versions. Coincidentally, the domain names were secured on the same day the social network giant launched its own Camera app for iOS. Except, it’s definitely not related to anything to do with photography, we’ve established. We did some sleuthing of our own and found what you can see below. And yes, we’re aware of the existence of Facebook-Studio.com. The new domain names don’t resolve yet, and there’s only a handful of mentions of ‘Facebook Studio Edge’ to be found on the Web. I would tell you where I found these, but I’d have to ... Continue reading →
