In a Mashable exclusive, the site has reported that Facebook will enable groups to share files which will initially roll-out to a small percentage of groups on Thursday.

The feature, will then become available to all groups over the next few days and if you don’t have it yet, the social network has said that you will have it “soon”.

A spokesperson for Facebook said that with 380 million people using Facebook Groups, a file sharing feature was one of the most popular requests among users.

Users with access to the new feature will be able to share files up to 25MB. However, there are a few exceptions including music files and executable files. With the the same file size limit as Gmail, Facebook will allow the sharing of music videos, e-books and small movies.

To avoid the spread of copyrighted or malicious content, the spokesperson said that as with other content of that nature, users will be able to report files too.

In October 2010, Facebook acquired file sharing service drop.io where users could simply upload a file, create a “drop” with links to files and share it without having to actually register with the service.

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Customers are great … but you need fans!

Not so long ago, the driving force behind business was selling … lots of it. It’s true to say that not much has changed, except one fundamental aspect … Relationship Management.

Relationship management has always been in the armoury of many traditional businesses, like the old corner shop where customers were treated on a personal basis. Possibly unintentionally, but many businesses survived due to customers dealing with a specific business due to their relationship with them.

In recent years with the advent of bulk selling and the influx of non-personalised media, companies are losing touch with their customers – I refer specifically to online selling. I have noticed a trend whereby online retailers have lost their focus on their customer-base, instead viewing their customers as a database – not as individuals.

Customer-centric online retailers, realise the importance of striking up one-on-one value propositions to meet individual needs. How is this possible in today’s bulk selling and marketing environment?

Fans:

It’s true that you cannot expect to convert all of your customers into loyal users – the internet is a fickle place, where your competitor is one click away – but there are a few tactics which you can employ to create a better relationship with past, present and potential customers. ..you need to create fans.

Fans are users of your online (and offline) business who have developed an interest in your offering and are willing to share and take part in your company’s evolution. They are vital in so many ways, not just in increasing your sales volume:

- Fans can help guide you in terms of product development.
- They enhance the word-of-mouth marketing of your offering.
- Repeat buying will increase due to their loyalty.
- Most importantly they reinforce your offering to new customers.

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In a first for South Africa, Wireless G together with low-cost airline Mango and Vodacom have launched G-Connect, an in-flight Wi-Fi service. G-Connect In-Flight Wi-Fi enables passengers to access to the internet from 30, 000 feet in the air.

The new service, compatible with most Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, allows for full Internet connectivity on board Mango flights around the country, including sending and receiving emails, web browsing and the use of all social networks. However, data-heavy services like YouTube will not be allowed. An air-to-land SMS service, that will be managed through a web service, will also be available.

Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout says that “In a highly competitive market where everything tastes like chicken, it’s important to taste like beef. Innovation is a cornerstone of our business along with sustained affordable fares that are relative to the prevailing market.”

“The G-Connect In-Flight Wi-Fi service is offered in a totally new, integrated model and it’s regarded as a carrier-grade telecommunications access medium”, said Wireless G CEO, Carel van der Merwe. “Social networks and the tsunami of next generation Wi-Fi enabled devices and the related converged eco-systems makes in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity more relevant. Moreover, the specific way in which it is offered as an integrated telecommunications internet access medium, is essential for our future plans,” said van der Merwe.

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Instagram’s popular tilt-shift feature has now been added to the photo sharing service for Android, five weeks after its arrival.

When Instagram for Android was launched in early April, among the many features available, tilt-shift was not included, remaining only on the iPhone version of the app.

The popular feature allows users to focus on a specific area of a photo while the rest remains out of focus, creating a miniature effect.

“Tilt-shift within mobile photography applications is often the process of selective focus in order to simulate a miniature scene, also known as miniature faking,” Instagram said in an official blog post.

“Selective focus can also be used to give the appearance of a shallow depth of field (DoF), or placing the focus on a subject in the background while blurring out the foreground and vice versa.”

The blog post also included tips on how to maximise the feature, explaining what the feature is and how it works with step-by-step instructions.

The inclusion of the feature came with the roll-out of the Instagram Android version 1.1.0 update that is now available to download in the Google Play Store.

Source: Mashable

Pretoria based global events startup Whenpages has launched today in public beta version, as of 8am this morning.

Whenpages is a global time based platform for creating, sharing and discovering events in the past present and future. The site aims to publicise (live or recorded) events around the world and focuses on user-generated content that can then be shared on leading social networks like Facebook and Twitter for additional exposure and reach.

While anyone can create an event for free, primary content contributors include artists, event planners, venue owners and marketing and PR companies who can choose from a selection of 18 categories in which to place their content.

Whenpages founder Tendai Joe, a prolific social media user and consultant says of the motivation behind Whenpages that “I wanted to develop an events site that would take people off their computers and mobile phones and into real meet-ups.” Originally Tendai wanted to buy the domain when.com but when he discovered that it had already been taken, he came upon whenpages.com. “I then had the challenge of coming up with a concept that would work for that name and the creative process started”, adds Tendai.

Tendai noticed a gap in the market having officially endorsed and covered a number of events in real time for Vodacom, The Gautrain and The Nelson Mandela Foundation to name a few.

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Cape Town based travel technology company Tourism Radio that brought us its travel application for mobile phones Hummba, has teamed up with Frommer’s Unlimited to provide local travel information for mobile audio guides.

The new partnership aims to revolutionise the world of mobile travel guides by providing intelligent city guides for a fulfilling travel experience.

Tourism Radio’s technology will see it seamlessly integrate its audio clips with Frommer’s travel content that will automatically play when a user enters their specific location. Why Frommer’s? Well, for one thing, the company has been providing reliable and comprehensive travel guides for over 50 years.

The initial partnership launch will see the release of audio and text travel guides to a number of popular travel destinations including London, New York and Paris. Information at these destinations will include Frommer’s recommended restaurants, tourist attractions, hotels and night life spots. Information will also provide insight into how to experience each city as a local, where to find the best deals and how to travel safely and conveniently.

The guides can be downloaded as standalone applications for Android and iPhone or accessed through Hummba, currently available for Android and iOS devices with BlackBerry and Nokia versions coming soon.

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Did you ever think that a vehicle that doesn’t require an actual driver, would be granted a license? Well, according to the State of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Google’s self-driving car has been deemed safe enough to be granted a license in order to begin tests on public roads.

This makes it not only legal for the self-driving Prius to be on the public roads, but a first for the United States. Nevada was also the first state to pass a law making self-driving cars legal with Bills having been introduced in Hawaii, California, Florida and Oklahoma.

Google’s innovation uses a combination of GPS and artificial intelligence to drive itself with very little assistance from a human. A laser radar on the roof, can detect people, other cars and obstacles on the road in order to drive safely and to avoid any collisions. The computer screen inside the car picks up and displays traffic lights, planned routes and other potential hazards.

The Nevada DMV having issued the license is on condition that there be two people inside the vehicle while in operation, at all times  - one in the driver’s seat and the other monitoring the car’s computer screen that shows its planned route and other obstacles.

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Based on information received from a source, Cult of Mac has reported that the individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, has claimed to have seen a prototype of the Apple HD Television.

In terms of size, the much anticipated HDTV apparently resembles that of Apple’s current LED-backlit Cinema Display monitor but is “much larger”.

The Apple TV can make FaceTime calls using the built-in iSight camera with facial recognition and the ability to zoom in on a subject’s face and follow him or her around the room. This also means that the subject isn’t required to sit directly in front of the camera and can chat while moving around.

Calls are also apparently initiated by Siri, the virtual assistant, which the source claims Apple used to make the call on the television. In addition, the TV uses AirPlay which enables the streaming of music and movies from an iPad, iPhone or Mac.

Because the product seen was in prototype form it is likely that the details above could be incorrect and are merely experiments in the early stages of development. We will just have to wait and see.

Based on the information provided, a mock-up of what the Apple HDTV could look like was created by Dan Draper of Dan Draper Design that includes, a front view, side view and wall-mounted side view.

As far as a launch date goes, that still remains unknown, however back in December 2011, Apple analyst Gene Munster commented only that the Apple TV was likely to be launched in 2012.

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