Facebook introduces new privacy controls for mobile users

Facebook continues to tweak privacy controls for users, and now they've added mobile access to your privacy settings. The new mobile privacy settings include a list of every application you use, sorted by the last time each app accessed your information. From this list, you can fine-tune the access level of each app individually.

Within each app's settings, you can decide whether or not to grant it access to your profile info, friends' info, Places check-ins and photos. This is a long-awaited addition to the existing privacy controls that rolled out over the summer, and allowed you to control everything but apps.

This update works on the Facebook mobile website, m.facebook.com, but the Facebook iPhone app still loads up the full website in a mini-browser when you want to adjust your settings.

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Posted in: Facebook,Mobile,Social Networking

Access the desktop version of Google Docs on your iPad

A couple of weeks ago, Google enabled Docs editing on iOS and Android devices through a lightweight, mobile-optimized version. Yesterday the iPad, with its larger screen real estate, got access to the full-blown desktop version of Docs -- there for when the mobile version simply won't cut it. You'll have access to all the formatting features available on the desktop when you need it, as well as formulae in spreadsheets. But Google recommends using it in one-off scenarios rather than as a full-time solution, with the mobile-optimized version staying as the default for now.

If you've ever needed more power than the mobile-optimized Docs will allow, now you have the option, just hit Desktop version, or go to spreadsheet view.

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Posted in: Google,iOs,iPad,iPhone,Windows

Ben the Bodyguard iPhone app is gorgeous, but security functionality may disappoint

Over at PreCentral, Dieter Bohn has been lucky enough to score some quality preview time with Incredible -- a Swiss-knife social networking app for webOS. The app is another creation from developer Geoff Gauchet, who built the popular Foursquare app our own Nik Fletcher showed you earlier this year.

Incredible supports all the services you'd expect, like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, and Gowalla. It's still a work in progress, but Incredible already looks like an amazing app. Apart from the features you've come to expect from social apps like inline maps and media previews, Incredible offers some serious filtering, rule, and interface options. Display your pals' updates in one color and updates from others you follow in another. You can also filter by service, content type, or account.

Want to post a single update to multiple networks? Just create a group (set up as many as you like) and cross-posting is a snap.Incredible can even build a list of trending topics from all the networks you connect -- rather than a single source like Twitter.

Have a look through the gallery at PreCentral for a better look. For social media mavens with a webOS device, Incredible looks like it could be a must-have app.

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Posted in: Apple,iOs,iPad,iPhone

Rumors of windows 8 launch in 2012..

People who are eagerly waiting for some news about Microsoft's upcoming OS "Windows 8", should get excited about today news.

Our friend site "winrumors" along with "windows8italia" is reporting that Windows 8 will sport a new GUI codenamed "Wind".

    Microsoft's next-generation Windows operating system will be 32-bit and 64-bit with two separate interfaces. The main interface will be codenamed "Wind" and will initially only be supported by high-end notebook and desktop PCs with dedicated video cards
    . The interface will require around 170MB of video memory.

    "Wind" will only activate on 64-bit copies of Windows 8 and will be fully 3D.

    "Wind" will be "fully dynamic" and able to adapt to user habits. Icons and shortcuts will adapt to different usage scenarios to speed up daily tasks. Windows 8 is also rumored to include a new fast hibernation system. The system will hibernate in around three to six seconds and save all open documents and running tasks.

A recent release of NVIDIA’s Quadro 265 driver specifically references a new kernel with the number 6.2 (Windows 7 is 6.1) and includes references to Windows 8:

    NVIDIA Windows Vista / 7 / 8 (64 bit) Display INF file
    DiskID1 = "NVIDIA Windows Vista / 7 / 8 (64 bit) Driver Library Installation Disk 1"
    NVIDIA_WIN8 = "NVIDIA"

So following are some interesting things about the claimed Windows 8 GUI codenamed "Wind":

    * It'll have 2 separate interfaces for 32-bit and 64-bit editions which is quite interesting and new thing.
    * New new GUI "Wind" will only activate in 64-bit edition. May be we find some way to activate in 32-bit editions as well. Who knows? ;)
    * "Wind" will be fully dynamic. Not sure but it might adopt Windows Phone 7 interface.
    * "Wind" will be able to adopt user habits. That sounds really impressive. :)

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Posted in: Microsoft,Windows,Windows 7

New skype.

Skype, the ever popular (but struggling) VoIP and video calling platform, officially releasing version 5.0 for Windows. The first thing regular users will likely notice is an overhauled interface that feels significantly more modern and clean than past versions. But the big news is that Skype will be integrating with Facebook using the social network's Connect feature. The interface will have a dedicated Facebook tab that displays your news feed, and will also place a call and/or SMS button next to your friends who have either a Skype name or cell phone number on file. You can also browse your Facebook phonebook, though apparently this only displays phone numbers, not Skype handles.

Otherwise, this is largely the Skype you've come to know and love. It still offers top notch voice and video calling, and supports 10-way group video calls. It's not clear when, or if, Facebook integration wil be coming to other platforms (like Linux, OS X or mobile apps), but it's a good bet the company is working to add the functionality across its offerings. You can download Skype 5.0 for Windows here.

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Posted in: Windows,Windows 7,Windows XP

AVG Update Keeping Some PCs From Booting

Users running both the 64-bit edition of Windows 7 and the free AVG 2011 antivirus suite may have had a little trouble booting their PCs after a recent update. The update, which AVG released yesterday, was causing a STOP error, thus preventing PCs from booting into Windows. It's since been pulled, but, if you've been stung by the bug, be prepared to break out that recovery disk. You can find detailed instructions here.

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Posted in: Antivirus,AVG,Windows,Windows XP

Google Calendar: Get Your Weather Forecast and Custom Date Views

For all the good that Google has done in helping us keep our e-mails and events organized, it's notoriously bad for hiding useful tools and features out of sight. We've got two simple tips today for opening up Google Calendar's potential. Google Calendar's '4 days' view has always seemed out of place, but makes much more sense when you realize it's customizable. You'll need to head to Settings to make changes. Buried in the General Settings tab is a field for Custom view, which is set at '4 days' by default. You can limit the view down to '2 days' or open it up to as much as '4 weeks.' Any change here will be reflected in the tab between the Month and Agenda views.

Similarly, Settings also hides the option for daily weather forecasts. In the Location field, enter your zip code or city, select your favored temperature scale, and tap 'Save' at the bottom. Now, Google Calendar will display the weather for the next few days; clicking on the weather icon will reveal a more detailed forecast with highs, lows, humidity and more.

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Posted in: Google