Facebook highlights news with updated rankings

Facebook is retooling its ranking system to make some news articles appear more prominently at the expense of other content such as certain photos, the company announced Monday.    How an article might appear on Facebook's News Feed under new rankings announced Dec. 2, 2013. No longer just a site for connecting with friends, Facebook lately has been showing off its digital newspaper ambitions. Just last week, for instance, it was revealed the company was testing a new feature to let users save article links to a list for later reading. And when Facebook redesigned its News Feed earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was trying to give its billion-plus users the "best personal newspaper they could find." The new rankings are designed to make high-quality content appear more prominently in Facebook's central News Feed, Facebook's engineers said in the company's announcement. How Facebook defines "high quality" is a little obscure, though it appears to be related to how often articles are clicked on on mobile devices and whether the link is for a news article versus a buzzy photo. "Starting soon, we'll be doing a better job of distinguishing between a high-quality article on a website versus a meme photo hosted somewhere other than Facebook when people click on those stories on mobile," the company said. As a result, users may start to notice more links to news articles in the News Feed, the company said, particularly on mobile devices, and fewer meme photos. Following the changes, Facebook will be emphasizing a certain type of content. Stories devoted to the disastrous Healthcare.gov website from The Atlantic and The Washington Post were highlighted in Facebook's announcement. Additional articles related to the primary story may also appear after people click on the first link, Facebook said. The update is also meant to highlight articles generating the most chatter on Facebook. To do that, the company has updated its "bumping" system so that some stories with new comments will occasionally resurface in the News Feed. The new ranking capitalizes on the growing trend of people getting their news from Facebook and other social sites. Average referral traffic from Facebook to media sites tripled in the past year, the company reported on Monday. Some of Facebook's biggest competitors are growing more active in the business of news delivery. Twitter now has an experimental account called Event Parrot designed to keep users informed via direct message. Yahoo has hired TV news anchor Katie Couric to reinvigorate its original news programming, and Google News displays stories according to users' interests. For Facebook's new ranking system to succeed, however, the company must balance the more carefree way some people use the site with its more serious news ambitions. Apparently, the company sees an opportunity to provide news to its users and keep them there at the same time. "Today's update to News Feed ranking recognizes that people want to see more relevant news and what their friends have to say about it," the company said.. . . . . . . . . . . .

Microsoft-branded tablet 'makes sense,' analyst says

A Microsoft-branded tablet makes sense if the tablet is focused on the same market as the $200 Kindle Fire, analysts said Monday. Microsoft is expected to divulge its tablet plans at an event in Los Angeles late Monday afternoon. Informed sources have offered some details in various reports. Among other things, it's been said that partner Barnes & Noble would make the Microsoft-branded device, possibly giving it Xbox-like capabilities. But Barnes & Noble said earlier Monday it is not participating in the event, throwing weight on rumors of an Xbox device. "If Microsoft concentrates on the same market as Kindle Fire and not a general-purpose tablet market, then this [tablet] makes sense," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. With rumors pointing to an Xbox tablet, Gold added, "that makes some sense since Microsoft has a pretty good franchise going with Xbox and has some diehard gaming fans." Microsoft could easily subsidize the cost of the tablet, making the money back with revenue from sales of services, e-books and apps, and with revenue from ads sold for Bing search results, analysts said. "Add to this tablet an ability to play online games through the Xbox network, and you could have a very interesting play for a Windows 8 tablet running RT or an optimized version of RT, more likely," Gold said. But will this tablet sell? "It won't sell in huge volumes, but selling a few million devices when you are starting from zero isn't bad," Gold added. "And the continuing revenue stream for content is good as well." Gold said he'd be interested to see what kind of ARM chip is inside the device. "It's likely that this device will have a more modest chip to keep battery life long, since you don't need all that horsepower for content consumption and even gaming, given that most of the gaming would be via the Web," he said. Much of the focus on Windows RT tablets has been on devices that will feature higher-priced, quad-core ARM chips from Nvidia and Qualcomm. Nvidia has provided such a chip for the Asus Windows RT tablet shown recently at Computex. If Microsoft modifies its branded Windows RT tablet, it's unclear that the expected device will be compatible with other tablets running Windows RT, analysts said. Could it be purpose-built, such as an e-reader or a gaming device, with restrictions on its use? That seems likely, three analysts said. Tom Mainelli, an analyst at IDC, said that Microsoft has made it clear that Windows RT, as it is being sold to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) "shouldn't be treated as a budget tablet ... Microsoft has been obsessed with the level of performance of the iPad at Apple, so Microsoft has tightly regulated its Windows RT tablets with OEMs." Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at ZK Research, was less optimistic than others about the prospects of the yet-to-be announced Microsoft tablet. It will be hard for Microsoft to make much of a difference in the market, he said.. . . . . . . . . . "The new tablet will have to offer something uniquely different to take a chunk of share," said Kerravala. But judging from early reports of what Microsoft is expected to unveil, he added, "I don't believe that's there." Kerravala also said he doubts that some kind of Xbox experience would do much to help sales of the new tablet. "The Xbox audience is not a good group for tablets," he said. "Gamers want a 65-inch TV, not a mobile device." Historically, gamers have "never been great for mobile devices," Kerravala added. Mainelli said that whatever Microsoft announces, "I hope it doesn't disappoint because they had everybody in the industry running at full speed the last three days" since the launch event was first disclosed.

First look: Microsoft Surface tablets

My quick hands-on with the new 10.6-in. Surface tablets at Microsoft's launch on Monday gave me a little surprise: The edges on all four sides are sharp. I was expecting something a little smoother or rounder, for whatever reason. The black magnesium back cover and the black bezel on the front around the screen make the Surface tablet seem to be more in the Android camp than in iPad's. The Microsoft Surface tablet, unveiled late on Monday, comes with a built-in kickstand. In pictures: Microsoft Surface -- 'A PC, a tablet and new' But the weight, at less than 2 lbs., felt great. Engineers showed off the materials in the tablets and emphasized the durability of the case, along with the Corning's Gorilla Glass screen. I guess this is the direction Microsoft wanted to take with Surface tablets: durable, with an emphasis on seriousness. We didn't get a lot of time to examine the display, and the lighting wasn't the best, but the resolution seemed fine. I found the fact that Windows 8 and touchscreen functionality is present to be encouraging; it seemed well implemented. Keyboards in the covers The keyboards embedded in the two covers are, to me, the secret sauce with the new Surface tablets. They are the same size; both covers work on the Windows RT and the Windows 8 Pro tablets. However, they have definite differences. The flat Touch Cover has keys with no travel, but it had a good tactile feel, almost like soft cloth. The Type Cover has keys that have some travel; they were of the right size and spacing, and offered the right amount of resistance. It felt like a typical keyboard on a laptop, with a little more friction than the slick keys on an iPad, and it provides resistance for touch typing. However, I didn't have time for a full typing evaluation.. . . . . . . . . . The Type Cover also has more information in the top row of keys; it shows they can be used as shortcuts to various apps that might run already in Windows. There's also an onscreen keyboard, but Microsoft didn't demo it at the event. The covers are attached with magnets to the long sides of the tablet. Inside each cover is an accelerometer that can tell the cover's orientation compared with the tablet, so it knows whether it is being used folded over the screen or if the back or is being used as keyboard. The advantage is that you don't have to remove the cover for various purposes, which could be a good thing. I've fiddled with the iPad's cover a lot. There's a kickstand on the back of the tablet, so you can prop it up without the cover. I've learned by craning my neck over my iPad while using the onscreen keyboard that my neck can get tired quickly. So bravo to Microsoft engineers on behalf of my neck. One minor thing I learned, though, is that if you open the kickstand, you have to have the cover attached at the end of the Surface near the kickstand in order to use it as a keyboard. Not an inconvenience, really, but a point of interest. Bottom line I think much of the success of these tablets will come down to price and how well users like Windows 8, either the Pro edition or in Windows RT. Nothing in the design is a fatal flaw. But unfortunately, I can't say that they're dream machines, either. The Microsoft Surface tablet. Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at  @matthamblen, or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com. See more by Matt Hamblen on Computerworld.com. Analyst credits Surface sell-out to Microsoft swinging conservative Best Buy does what Microsoft won't: Takes Surface tablets in trade Deja vu all over again: Microsoft warns of Surface 2 sell-out Microsoft steers same strategic course in Surface do-over Dumping a Surface? eBay averages double the return of a buyback vendor Microsoft's Surface to be under revenue microscope Microsoft's most loyal users ask for Surface trade-in program Microsoft takes second swing at tablets with new Surface 2 lineup Microsoft sticks to guns, will unveil refreshed Surface on Sept. 23 Surface channel distribution tempo shows Microsoft lacks Plan B after sales debacle More on Surface

The approaching BYOD wave

This holiday shopping season is being powered in part by demand for electronics, including boatloads of new tablets and smartphones, most of which will wash into enterprises in early January in a veritable bring-your-own-device (BYOD) tsunami. Besides the latest and greatest smartphones, such as the sleek Samsung Galaxy S III, the Apple iPhone 5 and devices powered by Windows Phone 8, a raft of sexy new tablets will appear in the office, everything from the Apple iPad Mini to Google's Nexus 10, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Microsoft's Surface and the Kindle Fire from Amazon.. . . . . . . . . . GIFT GUIDE: Be a hero for the holidays More than 75% of gift-giving adults plan to purchase consumer electronic products as gifts this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, and during Christmas alone some 32 million tablets will be sold in the U.S., up more than 110% from last year. Chances are your organization isn't ready for the onslaught. In a Network World survey last summer only 16% of the participants said they have BYOD policies in place, which is a basic building block for BYOD given the need to spell out rules regarding use of personal devices to access corporate resources, security expectations and requirements, personal rights, etc. If only 16% have taken this rudimentary step, we can assume companies: 1) are hoping against hope employees will heed the corporate ban against using personal devices for anything work related, 2) have faith that the security controls they have in place can prevent said use, 3) don't perceive it as much of a threat, 4) don't have a grasp of the magnitude of the problem or the risk, or 5) a mix of 1-4. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that, other than highly secure organizations that are locked down, most organizations fall into the fifth camp. They realize BYOD is happening whether sanctioned or not, they have some controls in place that provide a bit of cover, but they either think the benefits outweigh the risks or simply aren't sure how much exposure they have. Our guess is that getting a better handle on BYOD will top many IT New Year's resolution lists (see "Seven BYOD policy essentials"). After all, the IT implications are big and multifaceted, touching on everything from wireless network performance to questions about compliance, support, productivity, IT costs and even worker satisfaction. The latter is important because, as hard as it may be to get BYOD right, it offers IT the chance to ride the wave rather than try to create it. In other words, BYOD creates a great opportunity to keep employees engaged, which, in turn, should help other IT initiatives, including collaborative/social endeavors.. . . . . . . . . . No use trying to hold back this tsunami. Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

Microsoft to drive Windows tablet strategy with smaller devices, OS rebates

Microsoft's chief financial officer yesterday confirmed that the company and its hardware partners would ship smaller, lower-priced Windows tablets in the next months. "We are working closely with OEMs on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows," said Peter Klein Microsoft's outgoing CFO in a conference call with Wall Street analysts Thursday. "These devices will have competitive price points, partly enabled by our latest OEM offerings designed specifically for these smaller devices, and will be available in the coming months." Later in the call, Klein said that the expanded tablet portfolio would feature Surface devices as well as ones from its OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and that lower prices would be one of their hallmarks.. . . . . . . . . . Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft itself would launch a series of smaller, less-expensive Surface tablets in 2013 to better compete in that fast-growing segment of the market. One analyst pegged $299 as a possible starting price; previously, other experts had speculated on prices ranging from $199 to $399. Microsoft's tablets start at $499 for the Surface RT, which uses Windows RT, the tablet-oriented, touch-only operating system, and $899 for the Surface Pro, the device that relies on Windows 8 Pro and can run "legacy" applications that also run on Windows 7 PCs. Those prices do not include the keyboard-slash-covers which Microsoft emphasizes as a key component of the it's-a-tablet-it's-a-PC strategy for Surface. Although the Surface RT's price is competitive with that of Apple's 9.7-in. iPad, all the Surface tablets cost significantly more than Apple's 7.9-in. iPad Mini or the slew of 7-in. tablets running Google's Android. Klein's comments were the first official word from Microsoft that it plans to join the sub-8-in. tablet market. Analysts have stressed how important it is for Microsoft to prove Windows 8 and Windows RT can compete with Apple's iOS and Google's Android as tablet operating systems. If its tablet strategy fails, the company faces waning influence as it becomes even more of an enterprise-centric vendor. Klein, speaking to investors through the Wall Street analysts on yesterday's earning call, laid out Microsoft's strategy and explained why Windows 8 and Windows RT have not yet gained traction. One of the factors in Windows 8's performance, Klein said, was a dearth of more powerful, less-expensive devices. The former will come when Intel starts shipping its next-generation processors, dubbed "Haswell" and "Bay Trail." "We've always felt that with Windows 8, it was a process of the ecosystem really innovating across the board, and really starting to see that on the chips," Klein said, talking about upcoming processors from Intel. "And we're very encouraged by both Haswell and some of the Atom processors to really improve the overall user experience that Windows 8 delivers." Intel's soon-to-retire CEO Paul Otellini talked up Haswell and Bay Trail, and their impact on Windows 8's performance and device prices, on Tuesday. Otellini predicted Windows system and device prices as low as $200 by the fourth quarter. Klein also acknowledged, with a frankness not expressed thus far by Microsoft's executives, that the giant faces a tough environment. "There is no doubt that the device market is evolving. Consumers and businesses are increasingly shifting their focus to touch and mobility, and as a result, they want touch-enabled computing devices that are ultrathin, lightweight, and have long battery life," said Klein, admitting that Windows' revenue has been affected by the change from PCs to more mobile devices. He also called that transition "complicated" for Microsoft, but not surprisingly remained upbeat. "We still have an immense amount of work to do, yet we feel good about the foundation we have laid and are optimistic about the long term success of Windows," Klein said. Simpler said than done, pointed out Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.. . . . . . . . . . Analyst credits Surface sell-out to Microsoft swinging conservative Best Buy does what Microsoft won't: Takes Surface tablets in trade Deja vu all over again: Microsoft warns of Surface 2 sell-out Microsoft steers same strategic course in Surface do-over Dumping a Surface? eBay averages double the return of a buyback vendor Microsoft's Surface to be under revenue microscope

Apple quietly launches iWork for iCloud public beta

Apple today quietly opened the free beta of iWork for iCloud to everyone with iCloud log-on credentials. The suite -- Web-based versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote, which collectively make up iWork -- debuted in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. Registered developers immediately received access to the beta. Since then, Apple slowly added some of the public to the beta test through emailed invitations. Apple did not reply to a request for confirmation today that the iWork for iCloud preview was available to all, but Computerworld was able to access the apps using several different non-developer iCloud accounts which had not previously received invitations from Apple. The beta supports three browsers: Apple's own Safari, Google's Chrome and Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE). Apple has promised to expand the list, presumably to Mozilla's Firefox and Opera Software's Opera, both of which run on Windows and OS X.. . . . . . . . . . Most analysts believe Apple will give away iWork for iCloud to iPhone, iPad and Mac owners, just as it does iCloud itself, as another way to entice customers into buying the Cupertino, Calif. company's hardware. Another reason they've cited: The competition, including Google Docs and Microsoft's Office Web Apps, is also free. Not everyone has agreed. Some have suggested Apple may tie the Web apps to the existing iWork on iOS and OS X. On those platforms the three apps are sold for $9.99 (iOS) or $19.99 (OS X) each. Apple's plan to upgrade OS X's iWork this fall has also lent credence to the tie-in theory. If those pundits are correct, iWork for iCloud would be available only to those who own the iOS or OS X software. That model would be similar to Microsoft's, which offers select Office apps on the iPhone and Android smartphones only to customers with an active Office 365 subscription. Although today's timing was a bit surprising -- previously, Apple said that the beta would go public "this fall" -- the company has yet to schedule a final release date or clarify whether it will charge for the apps, and if so how much. . . . . . . . . .. iCloud account holders -- anyone who owns an iOS device or OS X-powered Mac -- can access the betas of Pages, Numbers and Keynote by logging into icloud.com with their username and password. Anyone with an iCloud account may now try the beta of iWork for iCloud. The three apps -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- are flagged with 'beta' labels.

Apple turns on iTunes Radio

Apple today launched iTunes Radio, the company's first foray into streaming music, as it upgraded iTunes to version 11.1 and its mobile operating system to iOS 7. The Cupertino, Calif. consumer electronics giant unveiled iTunes Radio in June at its annual developers conference, where CEO Tim Cook and other executives highlighted the visual overhaul of iOS 7 and trumpeted a handful of new features, including iTunes Radio. With the delivery of iOS 7 and iTunes 11.1 today, Apple made good on its promises. The free ad-supported service can be played on Macs and Windows PCs through iTunes 11.1, while iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches running iOS 7 access it from the Music App. Customers who fork over $25 annually for iTunes Match -- the service that launched in 2011 which stores tracks purchased via iTunes or ripped from CDs in iCloud, then makes the library available on all of a user's iOS, OS X and Windows devices -- have an ad-free experience. iTunes Radio is most like Pandora in that it offers pre-set and customized "stations" based on artists and genres. Computerworld tried the pre-set "Southern Rock Radio" station, among others. Apple said iTunes Radio launched with 250 ready-to-play stations. Users can tweak existing stations by including or excluding artists or songs that have played, or move a slider that ranges from hits to discovery. All customers can skip an unlimited number of tracks when a disagreeable tune begins playing. A prominent buy button next to each tune is intended to lure users into purchasing tracks at the regular iTunes rates. When Apple unveiled iTunes Radio in June, analysts pointed to the purchase option as the sign of the company's business model. " "It's not about competing with Pandora, but about getting people to spend more money on iTunes," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi at the time. Apple wrapped up negotiations with music labels just days before the June introduction of iTunes Radio, but only after agreeing to pay a higher percentage of advertising revenue than it had originally offered. iTunes 11.1 can be downloaded for OS X and Windows from Apple's website. iOS 7 can be downloaded over the air from iPhones, iPads, iPad Minis and iPod Touches, or through iTunes. From an iPhone, for instance, users must tap the "Settings" icon, then the "General" button on the resulting screen. Tapping "Software Update" will kick off the update process.