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Facebook Chat Heads arriving today on iOS

Facebook Chat Heads, a messaging innovation the social network pioneered for its Facebook Home family of applications on Android, will be appearing inside the company's iOS application as soon as today, company executives said. But there is one little catch.

Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer and Vice President of Mobile Engineering Cory Ondrejka told attendees at an All Things D mobile event today that the social network is about to push an update to its iOS application that would add its quirky messaging experience to Apple devices.

Chat Heads reimagines mobile messaging by coupling Facebook Messenger and SMS updates into … Read more

Facebook Home on Android? Good stuff, says Eric Schmidt

NEW YORK -- Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt enthusiastically supports what Facebook has done on the Google Android OS with its new suite of apps called Home.

Speaking at All Things D's Dive into Mobile conference here Tuesday, Schmidt reiterated the statement Google put out after Facebook launched earlier this month, defending the company's use of its open-source software to layer a new Facebook-centric experience on Google Android smartphones.

Some people, including Microsoft's head of Windows Phone Terry Myerson, have publicly speculated that if given the choice Google would try to take the Facebook Home app suite … Read more

No, Facebook Home won't be coming to the iPhone

Don't hold your breath for Facebook Home to make an appearance on the iPhone.

A Facebook executive told Bloomberg on Monday that the social networking giant is in talks to bring its newly debuted user interface to Apple's iPhone, as well as Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

Earlier today, The Next Web reported that Facebook isn't in talks with Apple or Microsoft about porting over Home, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.

Facebook Home is the social networking giant's way of increasing its presence in the mobile world without actually building a smartphone or mobile … Read more

Facebook in talks to bring Home to iPhone, Windows Phone

Facebook is reportedly in talks with Apple and Microsoft about the possibility of creating versions of its Home launcher for the iPhone and Windows Phone.

The social network is in negotiations with the companies about expanding the platform to their smartphones, Adam Mosseri, Facebook's director of product, told Bloomberg, noting that talks are ongoing and nothing has been finalized.

"We've shown them what we've built, and we're just in an ongoing conversation," Mosseri said.

Mosseri said the skin could arrive on Apple's platform with a different name and appearance than the one that'… Read more

Ignore your dull family, says new Facebook Home ad

You know those self-centered, self-regarding people who just have to look at their cell phones during dinner?

Facebook loves them. Facebook admires them. Facebook wants to promote them.

This thrust toward spiritual progress is the company's latest ad for Facebook Home, its attempt to turn your Android into something from Redmond.

In one recent ad, we saw Mark Zuckerberg's loyal troops ignore his dull corporate ra-ra in favor of a screeching goat.

Now, we can see a young woman ignoring her family.

Oh, all families are awful, aren't they?

They insist on imposing emotional control upon you. … Read more

Poll: What's stopping you from getting a plasma?

Despite countless reviews and articles proclaiming plasma TVs as having better picture quality, and costing less money, LCDs continue to dominate sales charts.

So the question is, why did you, or will you, choose LCD (or LED LCD) over plasma?… Read more

Justice Dept. approves Google's $2.3B sale of Motorola Home

The U.S. Department of Justice has given its blessing to Google's sale of the Motorola Home set-top business to Arris Group for $2.35 billion.

Announced Friday, the department's approval was the last regulatory hurdle that the deal faced. The broadband technology provider, which is expected to use the acquisition to enhance the networking equipment it offers to cable providers, expects the deal to close by Wednesday.

Google inherited the unit when it purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion last year. The unit makes set-top boxes used by cable providers to deliver video, but Google was … Read more

Zuckerberg bores staff in new Facebook Home ad

They're a smug, self-centered, self-righteous lot at Facebook.

Which is why Facebook Home, the tool that turns your Android into a Windows Phone, was designed specifically for them.

They can stare at their phones all day, bathing in the joys of those closest to them. Well, those closest to them in a virtual sense.

They can also ignore the catatonia-inspiring monotone that regularly emerges from their CEO's mouth.

Please, you know I'm never mean. I am merely describing the new commercial for Facebook Home on AT&T, a quite stellar act of self-deprecation.… Read more

Things to think about when buying speakers

The No. 1 question I get from readers is something along the lines of "What's the best speaker?" Some readers include a price range, which is a huge help, but there are a lot of factors that should be considered when selecting a speaker. Or to be more precise, a speaker system.

Speakers "play" the room, so room size and acoustics should be taken into consideration when buying speakers. The pair of 8-inch tall speakers that might sound great in a 10-by-12-foot bedroom probably won't cut it in a 25-by-40-foot living room, where you … Read more