user

YouTube makes it easier to link to Google+

YouTube began gently prodding all users operating under nicknames like cutepuppies99 and origamiboys1981 to start using their real names last July. It did this by urging them to hook their Google Plus profiles up with their YouTube channel and therefore, by default, they'd have to use their real names.

Now, the video service is letting users keep their anonymous name but is still giving them the option of linking to their Google+ page. It's even giving people the option of changing their Google+ name to match their YouTube channel identity.

"While using a full name from a … Read more

Design guru Nielsen: Windows 8 UI 'smothers usability'

User interface design guru Jakob Nielsen is none too pleased with what he's found in Windows 8, which he calls a "misguided" product.

Nielsen, who has spent much of his career analyzing all kinds of user interfaces, including most notably Flash software for Web animation, says that the new Windows 8 user interface "smothers usability with big colorful tiles while hiding needed features."

To arrive at that conclusion, Nielsen brought in 12 "experienced PC users" to try out Windows on both PCs and Surface RT tablets. In that study, Nielsen found that the … Read more

Blame Nokia? Multiuser accounts a no-go on Android phones

Nokia may be to blame for limitations on multiple user accounts in Google's latest Android update, according to a report.

Google yesterday unveiled Android 4.2, an updated version of Jelly Bean that will come preinstalled on the company's new line of Nexus devices. One of the big features of the OS is the ability to add multiple user accounts. However, it will only work on tablets, and TechCrunch is speculating that's because Nokia owns the patents for such a feature on phones.

However, Nokia says it actually abandoned its application for such a patent several years … Read more

Square's Jack Dorsey reconsiders the term 'user'

One of George Orwell's famous rules of writing is "Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent."

It seems Square's founder and CEO Jack Dorsey was channeling the famous "Animal Farm" writer in a Tumblr blog he penned today. Known for ruminating on concepts and ideas, Dorsey called into question the tech world's use of the word "user."

"It's time for our industry and discipline to reconsider the word 'user,'" he wrote. "We speak … Read more

Sony unveils redesigned PlayStation Store

Later this month, those who access the PlayStation Store on PS3 may notice a swankier storefront.

More than four years since the last major revision in appearance, Sony announced today an incoming redesign for the PlayStation Store due in the U.S. on October 23. The refreshed arrangement of the Store utilizes larger graphics to advertise content; streamlined navigation; and an improved search system. … Read more

Twitter makes account searches easier with Profiles Directory

Twitter has made it easier to find its millions of users on search engines by launching a new "Profiles Directory" tool.

The directory lists all user accounts alphabetically and includes profiles with numbers and non-Latin character names.

Twitter did not formally announce its new directory but instead quietly debuted the feature on the bottom of its homepage. "We launched this a few weeks ago," a Twitter spokesperson told CNET, "to help people find the accounts they're looking for with various search engines."

The tool was most likely created to get Twitter into more … Read more

Analyst warns of Facebook-ad backlash, sets $16 stock price

Facebook's recent push to make money could backfire, warns an analyst who believes a user backlash may depress its shares to $16 over the next year.

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield lowered his firm's target price for Facebook today, citing concern over Facebook's "aggressive" increase of monetization efforts, particularly mobile ads, according to his report. Facebook's stock opened at $20.40 a share this morning.

Since going public in May, Facebook has faced increasing pressure from investors to demonstrate that it can keep revenue and profits growing quickly. The social network has increased advertising efforts, … Read more

Facebook's user numbers still growing, but how high can it go?

Many people believe Facebook's growth is slowing down, but the raw numbers seem to tell a different story.

The world's largest social network recently celebrated a major milestone: 1 billion monthly active users. It took the company eight years -- or more specifically 105 months -- to reach the historic mark.

The milestone made me curious: is Facebook's growth stalling, or does it still have some fight in it left? Could Facebook reach 1.1 billion users early next year? What about 1.5 billion users in four? Two billion users in eight?

In order to better … Read more

Watchdog calls eBay's user policy 'underhanded'

A consumer rights group accused eBay of making it tough for users to pursue litigation against the company and said the auction site operator's new user policy goes against the company's "commitment to openness."

Public Citizen, which called eBay's new user agreement "underhanded," takes issue with a section in eBay's policy that details how eBay and users' will handle legal disputes. In the agreement (scroll down to the section about legal disputes), eBay says that all claims that arise against eBay should be "resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration," … Read more