While one may anticipate some new ‘surprises’ from Facebook this year, such as intrusive video ads, blunt suggestions to make a gift or even more irrelevant sponsored posts in a newsfeed, instead the social networking site is testing a new paid service allowing users to send direct messages to those who are not on their friend list.
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YouTube has unveiled a new free app for iPhone and iPod touch, which allows to use artistic filters when making the clip. The new product called YouTube Capture, which has been added by Google to the iTunes Store, is a must-have app for those who love adding an artistic touch to videos and sharing them just after they’re ready.
Despite predictions that digital age would ‘kill’ TV, most consumers in the developed countries (particularly, in the U.S.) are watching TV more than ever, while laptops, tablets and mobiles, so-called «second» or «third screens», even enrich TV viewing experience. As the latest Nielsen’s report reveals, 85% of mobile owners use their tablet or smartphone while watching TV at least once per month, and 40%do so daily. More specifically, 41% use a tablet while watching TV daily, and 39% use a smartphone.
Google has tapped well-known animated characters from the Wallace and Gromit series to promote its Google+ Hangouts feature this holiday season. The new campaign launched by Google and Aardman Animations, the creators of the animated duo, demonstrates that the service helps “get your family together during the holidays, even if you can’t all be in the same place.”
With photo-sharing platforms gaining momentum, Coca-Cola also taps into this trend by launching a new destination that can become a true rival to Instagram and Flickr. The new destination, which also seems to be working as a social network, is about to launch at www.happyplaces.com. Currently, the platform is inactive, but Coca-Cola released a free iOS app on the iTunes store on November 1, which allows to see what the new platform will be like.