The social network behemoth, Facebook, is undeniably the company of the moment after hitting the headlines in recent weeks for not only snapping up the popular Instagram mobile app in a one billion cash plus stock deal, but for also becoming a public company with its initial public offering. Mark Zuckerberg has built up what appears to be a substantial social networking empire that is always looking to acquire new companies as well as introducing new technologies and features to the already impressive network.
In the last two decades, we’ve seen great shifts in how we interact with our computers. Before the 80s, most if not all user input came through the keyboard. Then, Apple copied and improved Xerox PARC’s graphical interface which used not just the keyboard but a then-innovative pointing device called the mouse. This mouse was shipped with the original Apple Macintosh in 1984.
Having recently become a fully-fledged company, Facebook is now obligated to make a statement of intent by diving head-first into the acquisition pool, and with Instagram secured and Opera also thought to be on the cards, the hotly-rumored coup of Face.com has now become official.
Although Facebook is undoubtedly the world’s largest social network with the rest of the offerings paling into insignificance by comparison, the recent public attention that has been lavished on the company in the last few months is enough to make even Mark Zuckerberg and his team feel a little pressure. The acquisition of Instagram and the company's initial public offering have made sure that all eyes are firmly fixed on Palo Alto.
One of the most popular aspects of any current day website or news-type blog is the inclusion of social sharing options and buttons that allow readers and visitors to share the website content through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Although most websites and an increasing number of mobile apps make use of some form of social sharing, it is relatively new on the grand scale of things and will only increase with time.
For all of Facebook's great work on conquering the web, Mark Zuckerberg's company has struggled spectacularly to make any sort of impact in the mobile sphere. With 900 million users and counting - many of which regularly check status updates and news feeds from their mobile device - the recently-inducted stock market outfit simply has not monetized he smartphone and tablet market.
One of the most popular features of the PS Vita is that, although it is a powerful portable gaming device, it also brings additional abilities with itself, such as the ability to efficiently access the web and use apps such as Skype and Facebook. That powerful experience is about to get a little better for Vita owners, with Sony announcing that an official YouTube app will available for the handheld gaming device at the end of June.
With all eyes on Facebook, and being the company of the moment, it would seem that not even the tiniest little detail seems to slip by the watchful eyes of the technology loving world. Facebook has over nine hundred million registered members, the majority of whom visit and use the social network’s services regularly by logging in through a variety of different methods such as the web, mobile browsers or mobile apps.
Although Facebook's IPO just 10 days ago has been shrouded with controversy, the rumor mill has been working overtime in trying to ascertain the social network's next move. Following on from the report that Zuck's company might be looking to purchase the Opera browser, an Israeli business site seems to believe it may now be looking to acquire native facial-recognition technology company Face.com.
Facebook's IPO just a week ago has been surrounded by controversy ever since, with the consensus being that the social network was grossly over-valued, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been accused of not being wholly transparent with the numbers.
