Facebook-owned Instagram has launched Instagram Direct, a photo messaging tool that allows users to send videos and photos directly to individual friends, as opposed to its standard function of simply broadcasting images to all users’ friends’ feeds. It is similar to Snapchat in that it is a direct messaging function, but unlike Snapchat, the photos do not quickly disappear. Twitter, meanwhile, has also been updated to allow sharing photos in direct messages. Continue reading Instagram and Twitter Enable Direct Messaging with Photos

Snapchat users are sending approximately 400 million ‘snaps’ per day, whereas Facebook users are uploading about 350 million photos each day and Instagram users are uploading roughly 55 million photos daily. Snapchat’s 400 million snaps account for both video and photo messages, but it is likely that Snapchat surpasses Facebook on photo volume alone. While some question the validity of Snapchat’s numbers, the company reported 350 million snaps daily in September, up from 200 million in June. Continue reading Rivalry Between Facebook and Newcomer Snapchat Heats Up

Hshtags is a new search engine from developer Kim Goulbourne that is designed to help users easily navigate the mass onslaught of hashtags, which have become a nearly ubiquitous utility of the social Web. The universal hashtag search client, launched in September, provides access to all the content posted with a specific hashtag from an array of social platforms including Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube (support for Vine and Google+ is expected soon). Continue reading Hshtags Search Engine: The Google Search of Social Media

YouTube Capture is an easy-to-use app that allows smartphone and tablet owners to record videos of any length that can then be edited and shared. Google updated YouTube Capture for iOS this week with new editing features geared toward those who want to take their creativity beyond simple Vine and Instagram options. With the update, users can easily record video footage, edit, rearrange multiple clips and add music to create a single video. Continue reading YouTube Capture for iOS Update Includes Splicing and Music

The BroadbandTVCon broadband TV and multi-screen summit took place at Hollywood & Highland on November 5-6. Executives from a range of companies including AOL, AT&T, CBS, Dijit Media, Omelet, Ooyala, Unicorn Media, Watchwith and Yahoo! gathered to offer their impressions regarding the direction of second screen apps, the impact of mobile devices, the growing influence of millennials and the subsequent changes to content and advertising. Continue reading Exclusive: Execs Discuss Second Screens at BroadbandTVCon

Netflix and YouTube continue to dominate as the most-used video services in North America, according to new data published in Sandvine’s Global Internet Phenomena Report. The two services combined were responsible for more than half of all peak residential North American downstream traffic during September. Together, Hulu and Amazon accounted for a mere three percent of peak downstream traffic. Netflix alone accounted for nearly 32 percent of downstream traffic. Continue reading Netflix is Biggest Source of Internet Traffic in North America

Facebook is working toward greater interactivity between its users and the entertainment industry with television program partnerships. Using popular TV shows, celebrities and related hashtags to encourage even more communication and sharing among users, Faceboook can deliver detailed analytics to its partners about who is watching and what they’re saying on the social media site. TV networks are turning to Facebook to generate social activity and promote their content. Continue reading Social TV: Facebook Partnering with Entertainment Industry

According to a study from social media analytics platform Simply Measured, the world’s top 100 brands are discovering new success with photo- and video-sharing service Instagram. Simply Measured found that 71 of the Interbrand 100 are currently using the Facebook-owned service, up from 40 last October. While the total number of brands on Instagram increased 55 percent in the past year, 57 percent of those brands average at least one post per week, a 38 percent increase from last year. Continue reading Top Brands Increasingly Turning to Facebook-Owned Instagram

According to Piper Jaffray’s 26th semi-annual teen market research report, Twitter is now a more important social network than Facebook for many teens. The report suggests that 26 percent of teenagers call Twitter their most significant social media site, while 23 percent claim their most important site to be Facebook, down from a high of 42 percent. However, Twitter is not without competition; the photo-sharing site Instagram, for example, is also doing well amongst teens. Continue reading Twitter Now More Popular Than Facebook Amongst Teenagers

A new app from London-based Obvious Engineering allows iPhone users to easily capture and share 3D images. Seene is compatible with Apple’s iPhone 4S and higher, and browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari that support WebGL for 3D. It works by aiming your phone at a subject and moving around to record different angles. The progress is then overlaid on top of a video feed, resulting in a “seene” that builds automatically, which can be shared via social tools. Continue reading Capture and Share 3D Images with the Seene App for iPhone

Amazon’s newest tablet, the Kindle Fire HDX, is a good color tablet with a few improvements, but isn’t as versatile as its current rivals, suggests Walt Mossberg. Its best feature could be the video chat-based tech support, activated by its Mayday button. The latest 7-inch screen version starts at $229. Mossberg describes the tablet as a “hardware gateway to buying digital content from Amazon.” The basic model includes ads, but a version without ads can be purchased for an additional $15. Continue reading Tablet Review: Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX this Week

Facebook announced that it will begin using popular photo- and video-sharing service Instagram, which it acquired last year for about $1 billion, as a new vehicle for delivering advertisements. The move marks the first attempt by Instagram to leverage its growing popularity for revenue (it has yet to generate income for social giant Facebook). The announcement came shortly before competitor Twitter released financial details regarding its planned IPO. Continue reading Facebook to Start Using Instagram as New Advertising Vehicle

Facebook’s News Feed feature was introduced in 2006, eventually leading to a significant shift in the Internet experience by impacting media, politics, advertising and communication. News Feed opened new possibilities for information exchange, making it more easily accessible to everyone. While some people may claim issue with making their information so available, it is the public nature of Facebook’s News Feed that has made the social media site so popular. Continue reading Facebook: Impact of News Feed Seven Years After its Launch

During yesterday’s press event at company headquarters in Cupertino, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 5s touting a 64-bit A7 processor with twice the number of transistors as its predecessor, promising speeds twice as fast. As rumored, the company is also offering the lower-cost iPhone 5c with polycarbonate design, starting at $99 with contract. In addition, Apple announced that its iTunes Radio service and redesigned iOS 7 are both scheduled to launch next week. Continue reading Apple Unveils New Smartphones, Sets Launch of iTunes Radio

Since March, Emily White has been leading a team to develop a paid advertising program for Instagram. The photo-sharing service has been ad-free since the start, and may risk losing users when it adopts advertisements, especially from its large, young user base. White is working to establish relationships with brands, and to expand Instagram as a brand marketing platform. Yet it is unclear how advertisers and brands will pay for a service they use for free. Continue reading Instagram to Begin Experimenting with Advertising Service