Timeline

Facebook inserts 'listen' button on musicians' pages

The ways to listen to music on Facebook continue to grow. The social network launched a "listen" button on music artists' pages today.

On the top right corner between the "like" and "message" buttons on musicians' fan pages, users can click "listen" and be guided to songs on any of the music streaming services the user has signed up for, such as Spotify and Rdio.

This is different than the "listen with" buttons users can click when they see what their friends are listening too; those buttons were created by … Read more

Facebook users' profile photos get bigger

Facebook has quietly increased the size of users' profile photos so they are more pronounced. Profile photos now measure 166 x 160 pixels, quite a bit larger than previous size of 130 x 125 pixels, according to The Next Web.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the social network had made profile photos bigger but did not give CNET any further information on why it made the change.

This is likely to appease some users because their profile photos now stand out better within their Timeline Cover images. It could also impact users who have customized their profile and cover photos … Read more

Big-screen ultrabooks: The first wave

What's an ultrabook, exactly? Is it a slim, portable 13-incher, or any laptop that's thinnish and cool-looking? The latest confounding trend in Intel's "ultrabook" brand creep has been the rise of 14- and 15-inch laptops boasting thinner designs and those same low-voltage CPUs that smaller ultrabooks have. Call them the return of the thin-and-light laptop, if you will, but ultrabooks have finally gotten supersized.… Read more

Ultrabook with game: Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG, hands-on

Are you ready for large-screen ultrabooks? Well, hopefully the answer's "yes," because they're coming to stores whether you like it or not. The differentiating factors on what constituted an ultrabook -- thin, portable, power efficient, SSD, no optical drive, lack of dedicated "high-end" graphics, longer battery life -- have started to go out the window. Witness the 15-inch Samsung Series 9 and HP Envy 14 Spectre, for starters.

As far as the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG is concerned, it may make you question your entire perception of the category. DVD drive? Check. Dedicated high-end Nvidia graphics? Check. Larger hard drive options? Check. Portable? Well, not exactly, compared to 13-inch ultrabooks. The Ultra M3 is 4.4 pounds, but it is .79 inches thick. Of all of these, the biggest novelty of this Timeline is that it's the first ultrabook (as defined by Intel) to feature Nvidia graphics. It won't be the last.… Read more

A guide to CNET's Facebook Timeline

Since CNET's founding in 1994, we have brought you all the best from the world of tech. We've seen tech titans rise and fall (and rise again), we've reviewed countless groundbreaking products and spectacular duds, and we've watched consumer tech evolve from a niche industry to a central part of our everyday lives.

Now there's a new way to reacquaint yourself with tech history: CNET's Facebook Timeline.

We've been hard at work updating our Timeline with all the top highlights from the last 18 years of tech. Everything from Yahoo's IPO in 1996 to AOL buying Netscape for $4.2 billion to the dot-com bust to the incredibly rapid adoption of broadband to flying cars (please? hopefully?).… Read more

Hide Facebook Timeline with a Chrome extension

After initially feeling confused and complaining about Facebook's Timeline interface, I now must admit that I like the cover-photo design and am starting to get used to the two-column layout. But if you reject Facebook's latest overhaul and use Chrome, there's an extension that will return you to the old look.… Read more

Powerful, big-screen ultrabooks may presage new MacBooks

Is the new Acer ultrabook the writing on the wall for laptops this summer? If so, new, 15-inch class MacBooks could have Air-like thinness while offering bulked-up horsepower.

CNET Asia has gotten its hands on a powerful new ultrabook, the Aspire Timeline Ultra M3.

The M3 would easily stick out in a crowd of ultrabooks because of size alone: it has a 15-inch display (most ultrabooks to date are at most 14-inches and many of them smaller than that) though it's still slim, at just under 0.8 inches.

But where it really distinguishes itself is inside. There lies … Read more

Obama adds birth certificate to Facebook Timeline

President Barack Obama activated his Facebook Timeline yesterday, immediately following the switch over to Pages.

Obama's life events include his marriage to First Lady Michelle Obama, the launch of his presidential campaign in February 2007, and his election night speech at Chicago's Grant Park.

The most notable photo of the bunch, though, is the image of the president's birth certificate on the Obama campaign's "Made in the USA" coffee mug. As an obvious jab at naysayers still trying to prove the president was not born in the U.S., the Obama campaign began selling copies of the president's birth certificate imprinted on T-shirts and coffee mugs in the summer of 2011 to make light of the accusations. … Read more

New York Times Facebook Timeline harks back to 1851

My Facebook Timeline goes back to when I was born, but lists no notable events until 1994. I'm a veritable blip on the Timeline radar compared with The New York Times, which tracks the paper all the way back to the mid 19th century.

The grand old lady of newspapers is taking advantage of the new Timeline for Pages that gives companies a big top banner and list of dates down the side of the profile, a feature that has already been rolled out for personal users.

The paper flaunts its storied history with an image of the first issue from way, way back when. So far, the image has 117 thumbs ups and comments like, "Well! This is old news!" The paper itself cost just 1 cent.… Read more