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Facebook's Q1 rides mobile surge, with slight earnings miss

Facebook reported first-quarter 2013 earnings that were close to Wall Street's expectations.

The social network came in with earnings per share of 12 cents, excluding one-time items, and revenue that grew 38 percent to $1.46 billion compared to the same quarter one year ago. The company said mobile advertising accounted for around 30 percent -- which amounts to about $375 million -- of its advertising revenue for the quarter. Revenue from advertising in the quarter totaled $1.25 billion, or 85 percent of total revenue.

Facebook had 1.11 billion monthly active users as of March 31. The … Read more

Facebook wins millions in case against typo squatters

Time to rethink that get-rich-quick strategy of buying up Facebook-like domain names.

Tuesday, the United States District Court of Northern California ruled in favor of Facebook in its case against typo squatters, aka parties that were squatting on various misspellings of Facebook's trademarked domain name.

The 11 named defendants in the case were ordered to pay the social network damages ranging form $5,000 to $25,000 per domain, with additional fees tacked on for bad behavior like redirecting visitors to other sites. Each was also ordered to transfer the rights to their domains to the company.

In total, … Read more

Facebook, bankers want IPO lawsuit thrown out of court

Facebook and the banks that financed its IPO want a judge to put the brakes on a slew of lawsuits filed by unhappy investors.

In court documents released Wednesday, Facebook claimed it was not required to reveal its own forecasts on how its mobile and product strategy might affect future sales, Reuters said today, even if that information had been disclosed to its underwriters.

Facebook is facing a host of lawsuits claiming that it misled investors about its financial health before it went public last year. Morgan Stanley and other underwriters are also targeted in many of the suits, blaming … Read more

Facebook Home's rough start puts Zuckerberg in a tough spot

Facebook Home is ready to entertain guests on Android, but the housewarming party hasn't been as warm as the social network would have hoped. On Wednesday, architect Mark Zuckerberg will likely be asked to address the mess during Facebook's conference call for its first-quarter earnings.

On April 12, Facebook introduced Home, a software suite for select Android devices that puts the company's social-networking features on a person's home and lock screens. Less than a tenth of a percent of the company's roughly 1 billion members have given Facebook's Home a chance. Those who've … Read more

Pirate trolling and WWDC scholarships: The Week in Downloads

Every week, we compile the best new reviews, products, and features from the Download.com software catalog and blog, package them up in a tidy little newsletter, and e-mail it out to all of our lovely subscribers.

If you are a registered CNET member, you can sign up for the newsletter yourself (it's listed as "CNET Download.com Software Dispatch" under "Software News and Reviews"), or check back every Tuesday to read our latest roundup.

Top Download News and Features

Microsoft launches a public beta for its new Facebook app for Windows Phone 8 Game … Read more

Facebook courts small businesses with new ad type

Facebook is providing Page owners with a basic way to pay to garner more "likes."

Promoted Page Likes is a new ad tool attached to Pages and is meant to more conveniently serve small businesses that don't have the targeting requirements, or budgets, of bigger companies. Tuesday marks the global rollout of the tool, first introduced in the U.S. in December, a Facebook spokesperson told CNET.

Page owners can make the simplified ad buys from the admin section of their Pages and choose between showing their ads to people nearby, or in the same city, state, … Read more

Facebook beta testers wanted

Everyone has their two cents about new software releases, but this time your unsolicited advice is, well, being solicited. Today Microsoft has invited Windows Phone 8 users who also happen to be Facebook fans to test out its official Facebook beta for Windows Phone 8--prior to its release. The existing app can remain on your phone alongside the beta version.

The redesigned 7MB app now includes requested features such as support for high-resolution photos, post sharing, and Facebook Timeline, and it also moves away from the "Metro" style interface of the standard Facebook app for Windows Phone 7 and 8, … Read more

Microsoft wants beta testers for new Win Phone Facebook app

Microsoft is seeking beta testers for a refreshed version of the official Facebook app for Windows Phone, which was developed by Microsoft in conjunction with Facebook.

Microsoft officials blogged on April 30 that the company is seeking testers for the refreshed Facebook app for Windows Phone 8. The beta isn't available via the Windows Store (to avoid confusion, according to the Softies). Instead, the beta is available via this link.

The refreshed Facebook app is "undergoing a major redesign," according to the blog post, and will include several "much-requested" features, including support for high-res photos, … Read more

Facebook earnings: Skepticism on all fronts

Like a growing number of teens, Wall Street is emphatically meh on Facebook.

Though the social network is expected to show marked improvement on mobile and 43 percent year-over-year growth in advertising revenue, investor confidence remains low. Facebook shares, stagnant since the company's last report, suggest that the market trusts the long-term health of the social-networking service the way a parent relies on the word of an adolescent child.

As far as numbers go, Wall Street expects Facebook to report $1.44 billion in revenue and adjusted earnings per share of $0.13 when it details its first-quarter financial … Read more