social network

The popular beer-focused social network Untappd (www.untappd.com) has launched a Windows Phone app. In a nutshell the network allows users to find nearby craft beers and bars, check out what beers are currently trending, as well as what friends are drinking. 

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Facebook is reportedly talking with both Microsoft and Apple about creating a version of its new software (that's already available on Android) for the iPhone and Windows Phone. The software is titled "Home" and offers further integration with mobile platforms for consumers to access social features more conveniently (or intrusively).

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A little over a month ago we told you guys about SCRUFF, a gay social network that was currently looking for beta testers for their first Windows Phone app. Looks like it popped into the Store yesterday, the free app is now available for download.

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It seems there isn’t a day or two that goes by without a popular app being announced or available for Windows Phone. Popular being a bit subjective in this case, but we still welcome apps that have high approval ratings for their iOS and Android counterparts to the Windows Phone Store. Scruff is currently looking for beta testers for their upcoming Windows Phone 8 application. Don’t worry, I just found out what Scruff is too - it's a popular social network in the gay community.

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Windows Phone Facebook icon updated

Microsoft has changed the icon used on Facebook for submissions published from a Windows Phone to the social network. We've grown accustomed to seeing a red Windows logo next to any status we send from the handset (via the People Hub), but now the new Windows logo in a purple theme replaces the dated branding. It certainly looks refreshing, but that's always the case with a visual change.

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Telefonica introducing a cross-platform mobile messaging service

Tuenti (official website) has announced an upcoming Windows Phone app, as well as a solution for iOS. Currently the service is available for both Android and BlackBerry (as beta - launched today), with the remaining two apps coming in the next few weeks. So what's the deal with Tuenti and should you be interested?

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Last week at the Windows Phone Summit, it was finally revealed that Zynga will be bringing Words with Friends and DrawSomething to Windows Phone this fall. Actually, Microsoft's Ben Rudolph teased that both games are "so-close-you-can-taste it" meaning we may be getting those marquee titles by the end of the summer (fingers crossed).

It also looks like that Zynga partnership is going deeper than just those two games. The popular online gaming company just announced 'With Friends' which is hailed to be their own social gaming network and it sounds a lot like Xbox LIVE--you can create a profile, see your friend's profiles, message them and see what they have been playing. Heck, you can even meet people with similar game interests.

What makes this fascinating though is the fact that it works across platforms. The social network will launch on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and of course be on the web, making it a true cross-platform gaming social network...thing

We're not sure if it will be any good but we just like the fact that Zynga is on board with Windows Phone these days.

Source: Wired

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The big rumor flying around today is that Microsoft is looking to buy Yammer (www.yammer.com) for a hefty $1 billion dollars making it one of the largest acquisitions by Microsoft of late (the other being Skype). 

For those who don't know, Yammer is a social messaging network built for enterprise. It may seem kind of niche but in this services area, Yammer is the top provider and we can see why Microsoft would want to acquire the company.

For one, between Skype, Lync, Messenger and GroupMe, Microsoft is gobbling up a lot of social media services and building quite an messaging empire. Combined with their close relationship with Facebook and LinkedIn and you can see how Redmond is angling against Google for both consumers and enterprise.

The Yammer deal is expected to be completed today or tomorrow and if so, we could see Microsoft integrating Yammer directly into Windows Phone in the near future. After all, they already have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Messenger in Windows Phone 7.5 and they're expected to add Skype and numerous other social networks to Windows Phone 8 "Apollo".

What's more, Windows Phone 8 focuses heavily on enterprise including Bitlocker encryption, secure boot and new Office 365 policies. Yammer and Windows Phone 8 seem like a perfect match, if you ask us.

You can pick up the official Yammer app in the Windows Phone Marketplace in the meantime.

Source: Bloomberg

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Changes are coming to the popular Windows Phone app ...I'm a WP7!. Changes that will give the app a name change and a few design changes.

For those not familiar ...I'm a WP7! is a popular Windows Phone app that lets you locate Windows Phone users in your area, interact with them, share tips and tricks, have access to daily and weekly wallpapers, tap into custom ringtones and tons more. ... I'm a WP7! has grown so much since it's launch in April of 2011 that a core group of users have put together the "Uber Outsiders Guide for Noobs" to help guide everyone through the ...I'm a WP7! environment.

With Windows Phones moving to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 right around the corner, the developer has decided to change the name to better capture the nature and intent of the app. The version 3.12 update has been submitted to Microsoft for certification and will give ...I'm a WP7! a new name and slightly new look. With the update, ...I'm a WP7! will become Outsider for Windows Phone.

Why the "Outsider"? Since the app is heavily “unrecognized” by Microsoft and the Windows Phone Team, the term “Outsider” has been chosen in direct contrast to “Insider”. The app's concept and features won't change (well... the features will continue to grow), it's just the name.

Look for the update to be pushed out in about a week and if you haven't checked out ...I'm a WP7!, it's followers number over 300,000 and span 189 countries. It is a free app that you can grab here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Oh...and you can find the "Uber Outsiders Guide for Noobs" here on Skydrive. It's a OneNote document and is a work in progress.

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Reports are circling around the web that the massive social giant Facebook, which is now a public company, is still looking at creating their own hardware. The Facebook Phone, or the FacePhone? Who knows, but according to the New York Times CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seriously looking at the mobile market as a means for future revenue and ventures. 

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Microsoft has released version 2.5 of the official Facebook app for Windows Phone. The update brings many features requested by the community, including threaded messaging (much like messaging on Windows Phone), group messaging and the ability to tag friends in status updates / posts ('with' and 'at' formats supported).

As well as tagging friends, users can now delete posts and comments by tap-and-holding to bring up the context menu for more functionality. Links within published posts can be selected, which will open up the linked content, and the photo comments and likes views have been updated, that now both match the respective post views. When viewing likes and comments on photos, the photo itself is displayed above the lists, which can be pulled down to view.

And if all that wasn't enough, you can now 'like' comments! You can download the Facebook app for free from the Marketplace. 

Source: Facebook; thanks to all who tipped us!

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The official Facebook app has been updated to version 2.4, following reports that events were no longer accessible with the main menu entry being removed in 2.3. To be able read up on upcoming events requires the user to hit the "..." menu and filter out the news feed. Just a heads up for those who miss this feature being easily accessible.

Head on over to the Marketplace to download Facebook.

Thanks to those who sent tips in!

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Facebook app experiencing some errors

There appears to be an issue with the Facebook app for Windows Phone, with a number of readers reporting the same problem over on our forums. Should you install the Facebook app from the Marketplace and attempt to login you will be greeted by; "Sorry, there was an error." The app generally experiences problems when alterations are made on Facebook's end. A community moderator at Microsoft Answers has been made aware of the issue, but let's hope the team addresses this soon. In the mean time, the Facebook integration still works flawlessly.

Are you having these issues? Head on over to our forum to join the discussion.

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Here's an odd little number: Dotastic hit the Marketplace sometime today and it's yet another official app from Microsoft, specifically their FUSE Labs, which specialize in social networking technology (see the WP7 'Project Emporia'). If you're not familiar with them here's their mission statement:

"FUSE Labs works in partnership with product and research teams to ideate, develop, and deliver new social, real-time, and media-rich experiences for home and work."

Dotastic is an app that mixes a to-do list with the fun and pressure of social networking--its motto is "Achieve Together". Think of it as broadcasting things to get done to your friends, where you then compete against each other by collecting points upon task completion. It's a method of using social pressure but in a positive way, which we think is pretty ingenious (so long as your task isn't too private, ahem). From the app description:

"Dotastic is a fun way to challenge your friends and help each other get things done. Earn points for completing tasks and compete with your friends to be at the top of the leaderboard. Incentives and social pressure helps you stay motivated as you complete your tasks and share your achievements with everyone."

It's like Twitter, but with a point. The app seems to coincide with the website www.dotastic.com, which is not yet live. We imagine that website will allow you to access your account (which is done via Facebook) and use it as primary interface, whereas the mobile app is for...well, when you're on the go.

You can downland the app by clicking this link, but understand at this time it's currently not working. The app needs to communicate with the Dotastic server, which is that aforementioned website. Until that goes live, you won't be able to complete the setup. One thing is for certain, Microsoft is having fun playing around with social networks, apps and technologies akin to Google (but nicer looking).

via: WindowsPhoneMetro

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The app 'I'm a WP7!' (see AppSpotlight) is certainly one of the more unique programs available to Windows Phone. It's a social network created by and for Windows Phone users, a way to share tips, communicate and even know who's around you with a similar phone.  On top of that, it's one heck of a polished app--excellent Metro layout, smooth scrolling, beautiful dialog boxes and all sorts of options.

Version 2.5 just came out today and it's a pretty major one--so major that we felt the need to do this post. For those of you who use the app, you should be getting notified about the update. For those who have never used it: we strongly encourage you to give it a spin. It's free and has zero ads--what's not to love about that?

Here are the new changes:

  • Push Notifications for messages
  • Individual status and status updates
  • GamerTag/Avatar integration
  • MAJOR Search and Map enhancements
  • Windows Phone Tips & Tricks
  • Latest Windows Phone News
  • Member Apps
  • More statistics
  • More themes, including a new "Mango" theme

The GamerTag/Avatar integration is great as it gives your ID some personality. The options to share (or not share) your location, device info, etc. will give those who are shy some reprieve as you can choose how much (or little) to share with others.

What can we say--we love the design and operation. If you dig Windows Phone, this is a great app for building up the community and being a part of something. The app is free, in the top Top 20 of social network apps and just a great example of ingenuity on our platform. Oh and the developer has graciously integrated our RSS feed for the Windows Phone news, meaning you have yet another easy way to stay on top of the latest info out there. Huzzah!

Give it a go here in the Marketplace and join the party!

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Two parts to this story:

The first is about how social network buttons can be implemented in third-party applications in Windows Phone 7. This is something that Android and the iPhone do quite well--they allow you to share your media, scores, basically anything, with social-networking sites. The app can call up the API and it then allows you to send it via that app to a service like Twitter.

Silverlight developer Ian Walker shows how this can look when implemented in WP7. While the details of how this is done is of interest only to the developer, seeing what it'd be like is what most of us may be curious about. We just hope other developers to do the same.

The second part involves two Silverlight games (by the same Ian), both being ported to WP7. The first is 'Nuke Your Office' which combines Bing maps with, well, simulated mass annihilation. Sweet. The other is a puzzle game  Back to the one with nukes though, you can play it right now at work and vent your frustrations. Not sure how much-repeat value this will get, but if you're bored now, here ya go...

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At some point we're all going to have to remember that the fabled "Pink" phones from Microsoft really aren't Windows Mobile. But that day is not today. Gizmodo says it has on good authority (leaked marketing materials, actually) that the phones it previously scored are in fact the same ones we're about to see launch on Verizon.

Also, and this brings us back to our opening sentence, the phones do not run the new Windows Phone operating system. That's not a great surprise. This is something different. Giz also says this platform is all about social networking, and there will be apps of some sort.

What Giz doesn't know: An actual name. They opine that we may see more at CTI in a few weeks, so we'll keep our eyes peeled. [Gizmodo]

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