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LinkedIn Contacts looks to boost relationships

CNET Update has much to say:

It's hard to remember everything. Apps can help. And LinkedIn's Contacts app wants to help make sure you remember more about your professional contacts.

If you're trying to make it in the business world but don't have time for networking and schmoozing, just pay a ton of money for the chance to become BFFs with Apple's CEO Tim Cook. Coffee is included.

Talking to people can be hard, but Facebook doesn't want you to be shy. It's encouraging more messaging by throwing green dots all over the place. … Read more

Download additional 'Stickers' for Facebook Messenger

If your account has been granted access to Facebook Messenger Stickers, you've likely realized they can add a bit of fun to normally mundane conversations. Instead of relying on the standard smiley-face stickers, download additional sticker packs from the Facebook Sticker Store.

You'll know if your account has access to Stickers if you open a conversation in the Facebook app on iOS, or the Messenger app on Android and you see a smiley icon in the text field. Tapping on it will reveal stickers you can then send in your conversations.

The smiley stickers are nice, but it … Read more

Facebook tests 'presence dots' in News Feed to push messaging

Facebook is reminding people that they can -- and should -- message their friends by inserting a chat status icon into News Feed.

The company is nudging some members to message their online friends by indicating chat availability with a green dot, officially called a "presence dot," alongside status updates in News Feed. The tiny addition lets people click the green dot to initiate a message thread.

"This is a limited test putting presence dots on News Feed posts to indicate when your friends are available to chat," a Facebook spokesperson confirmed to CNET. "We … Read more

Facebook Home, BitTorrent Sync, and Twitter Music: 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.

Facebook confirms state-of-the-art data center in Iowa

Rumors have been confirmed that the new massive data center to be built in Altoona, Iowa, will be owned by none other than Facebook.

The social network announced Tuesday that the 194-acre site will be the home of its fourth wholly-owned and operated data center worldwide.

"For most people, Facebook is something pretty simple. It's a service you visit every day to connect with the people and things you care about," Facebook's vice president of infrastructure engineering Jay Parikh wrote in a blog post. "But behind the scenes, Facebook is a global service of immense … Read more

Nike updates FuelBand app and links fitness to Facebook

When completing a workout isn't accomplishment enough, Nike has fashioned features for its most social fitness enthusiasts to better bask in the aftermath of completed goals.

Tuesday, Nike released an update to its FuelBand application for iOS that lets band-wearers sum up a workout with a photo, tag their friends and location, and share the tagged shot with Facebook for additional recognition through "likes" and comments.

The FuelBand is an activity tracking wristband that encourages people to set goals and document their daily progress personally or on a leaderboard with friends. The latest addition to the companion … Read more

Top 4 free Android launchers

Is your Android phone looking a little stale? Fortunately, there are dozens of great customization tools and launchers available for Android to give your handset a fresh new coat of paint. Download these top free launchers and give your Android device an almost unrecognizable makeover with minimal work involved.

GO Launcher EX

GO Launcher has been around since the Froyo days and has its fair share of features that still keep it an old favorite among Android users. It's a robust launcher that transforms your Android experience, allowing you to customize your icons, grid, and dock dimensions; transition animations; … Read more

Facebook hires Web-based mobile-game developer team

Facebook has acquired the team behind Spaceport, a cross-platform development company specializing in Web-based games, the companies announced Tuesday.

The move shows a continued focus for Facebook on mobile development expertise.

"After looking at Facebook's mission of building best-in-class mobile experiences, as well as much internal discussion with my co-founder and mentor and YouWeb Incubator founder Peter Relan, our team saw a huge potential in working more closely with Facebook," Spaceport co-founder Ben Savage wrote on the company's site today. "With that said, today we're announcing that the Spaceport.io team will move as … Read more

Facebook spending millions to make friends in Washington

Facebook is spending fast and furious to advance a social-network-friendly agenda with U.S. lawmakers.

In its first quarter of this year, Facebook, according to its lobby disclosure form, shelled out $2.45 million on lobbying costs. The figure amounts to a 75 percent increase from the $1.4 million it spent in the previous quarter, and a 277 percent increase from the mere $650,000 it spent in the first quarter of 2012. In 2012, Facebook spent a total of $4 million on lobbying efforts.

The company's lobbying budget is now in the same ballpark as that of … Read more

Facebook borrows from Yelp with refreshed design of mobile Pages

Facebook announced Tuesday that it has spruced up the mobile version of Pages, which serve as the Facebook identities of brands and businesses, to better match the needs of people who access them on smartphones.

Pages accessed via mobile browser or iOS app now feature a fresh design and layout that pushes essential business information such as location to the top of the page and better promotes consumer actions such as "likes," check-ins, and shares.

The social network has simplified and enhanced the mobile Pages experience for administrators, who can now more easily switch between public and admin … Read more