Facebook Redesign

Facebook Redesign, Facebook plans to roll out a major redesign of user profiles at its f8 developer conference this week, Mashable has learned. Details about the redesign are sparse, but two sources familiar with Facebook's plans (who have asked to remain anonymous) have told us that the redesign is "major" and will make Facebook profiles nexuses for consuming content.

The profile changes will be part of a wider launch, one that will include launch of a music and media platform.

Here's what we know so far about the profile redesign:

-- The redesigned profiles will be more "sticky," says one source. One of the goals of the new profiles is to get users to stay on them for longer.

-- We already knew Facebook is launching a media platform at f8. However, we've also learned that the platform -- which will include music and video from partner sites -- will display the media content a user is watching or listening to on their profiles. Essentially, when you're listening to Lady Gaga on Spotify, your friends can see and access that on your Facebook profile. This confirms a recent New York Times report.

-- The redesigned profiles are part of a larger push into social ecommerce. We don't exactly know what that means, but we've heard whispers that Facebook intends to give Facebook Credits more prominence. We've also heard that a Facebook app store may emerge at f8.

-- Facebook's push into ecommerce may be related Project Spartan, an HTML5-based mobile platform rumored to be launching soon.

Facebook is being tight-lipped about the changes; the company declined to comment on this story. However, more and more pieces of Facebook's big launch continue to leak out as the excitement builds for f8 (feel free to send us screenshots if you have any) The company is currently under lockdown, trying to fix the final bugs before Thursday's big launch.

Source: cnn

Nasa Space Taxi

Nasa Space Taxi, NASA To Invest $1.6 Billion For Private Companies To Bring Astronauts To Space, NASA astronauts won't always have to rely on Russian vehicles to ferry them to and from space. Instead, the U.S. Space Agency will invest $1.61 billion in a space taxi program for private companies to supply the services, reports Reuters.


Dubbed the Integrated Design Project (IDC), everything from launchers, spaceships, mission operations and ground support will be required, according to the new plan unveiled Monday.

Since the U.S. put to bed its space shuttle fleet over the summer, Russia's space agency now charges $50 million per NASA astronaut, notes PC Mag.

Just last week AP reported that Russia's Roscosmos space agency experienced a breakdown in communication for several minutes after the Soyuz capsule had de-orbited. Though contact was re-established between the crew and support aircraft before safely landing, a NASA astronaut was one of three crew on board.

NASA explained in a press statement that the aim of IDC is "to outsource our space station transportation so NASA can focus its energy and resources on deep space exploration."

Source: huffingtonpost

'Gears of War 3' released

'Gears of War 3' released, Guy Welch, Microsoft senior product manager, predicts that more than 4 million people will be playing "Gears of War 3" by the end of this week, where 75 percent will partake in cooperative and multiplayer modes on Xbox LIVE. "Gears of War 3" was released at midnight today, completing the military science fiction third-person shooter trilogy that started in 2006.

"Gears of War," which was developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 (later released for PC), was initially released five years ago. The first game reveals Marcus Fenix, who was jailed for trying to save his father from the Locust Horde on the fictional planet Sera. Through "Gears of War" and "Gears of War 2," the Delta Squad fights to save what is left of humanity on the planet.

But according to Chris Wynn, lead producer for "Gears of War 3" at Microsoft Studios, the latest addition to the "Gears of War" family is about more than just war -- it builds on the original father-son story between Fenix and his father. Not only that, but Fenix finds out that his father is still alive. gears of war 3,

"In the first two games, the story was about battles and wars; it was emotional, but that wasn't the focus," said Wynn. "This has more drama. You're trying to survive with a small group of your friends, trying to see if you can find a future. That's what it's all about."

Enthusiasts lined up before midnight this morning waiting for the game at 20,000 launch locations around the world.

Guy Welch, Microsoft senior product manager, predicts that more than 4 million people will be playing "Gears of War 3" by the end of this week, where 75 percent will partake in cooperative and multiplayer modes on Xbox LIVE.

Source: dailytech

Steve Jobs has more money than the United States treasury

Steve Jobs has more money than the United States treasury

Steve Jobs has more money than the United States treasury. Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads. According to the latest statement from the U.S. Treasury, the government had an operating cash balance Wednesday of $73.8 billion. That's still a lot of money, but it's less than what Steve Jobs has lying around.Tech juggernaut Apple had a whopping $76.2 billion in cash and marketable securities at the end of June, according to its last earnings report. Unlike the U.S. government, which is scrambling to avoid defaulting on its debt, Apple takes in more money than it spends. This symbolic feat -- the world's most highly valued tech company surpassing the fiscal strength of the world's most powerful nation -- is just the latest pinnacle for Apple, which has been on an unprecedented roll.

Its Macs, iPhones and iPads remain hot sellers, its stock has surged past $400 a share and Apple just became the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume.

There's been a lot of speculation about what Apple might buy with its piles of cash -- Facebook and Sony being two of the more high-profile examples -- but the company doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make a move.

"We don't let the cash burn a hole in the pocket or make stupid acquisitions," CEO Jobs said last fall. "We'd like to continue to keep our powder dry because we think there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future."

Offering Uncle Sam a short-term loan is probably not one of them.

Source: cnn