timelines

Facebook gives cleaner, app-centric Timeline design to all

Facebook said Thursday that it has completed the rollout of a cleaned-up version of Timeline, first unveiled in March, that comes with application sections for showing off a person's favorite interests.

The idea behind the new design is to not only turn Timeline into a more organized area, but to make the profile space better reflect the individual tastes of every Facebook user through a feature called "sections."

Sections, which are handpicked by each individual Facebook user, are included in the About tab and sit to the left of a now single-column stream of updates on a … Read more

Apple's iTunes Store at 10: A visual timeline

Apple's iTunes Store turns 10 years old this weekend. A lot's happened in that time, including a jump from just music to selling nearly every type of content, short of animated GIFs.

We've rounded down some of the key moments from the past 10 years, along with links to CNET News stories that puts them all in context.

You can also take a look at Apple's own timeline, which the company put out yesterday, and requires Apple's iTunes software on computers or an iOS device.

CNET Story links:

January 2001: Apple releases iTunes software for Mac … Read more

Facebook adds icons and links to status updates

Facebook is adding a new twist to status updates as of today. Any TV show, movie, or book that users mention in their status update will also contain an icon and link to the Facebook page of whatever's mentioned.

"For example, if you share that you're watching a movie like 'Jurassic Park,' your post will contain the movie icon and a link to the movie's page," Facebook wrote in a blog post today. "'Jurassic Park' will be added to the Movies section on your timeline."

In other words, those TV shows, movies, or … Read more

Facebook faces jury trial over Timeline trademark

Facebook has failed to strike from its own history an unfortunate matter involving the trademark for Timeline, the storytelling version of the profile that attempts to chronicle each member's life events.

The social network, which was first sued in September 2011 by Chicago company Timelines Inc. for infringement, now faces a jury trial, scheduled for April 22, over the mark.

U.S. District Judge John W. Darrah said today that Facebook was not able to invalidate Timelines' claim to the mark, Bloomberg reported. "At this stage in the proceedings, it is not unreasonable to conclude that as to … Read more

Grieving for Google Reader's death

CNET Update feeds your need:

Emotions are high over Google Reader shutting down July 1. Thousands have signed online petitions begging Google to reconsider closing the RSS feed reader. Digg announced it is working on a replacement for Google Reader, but if it doesn't come soon enough, here are some replacements you can try now.

Also in Thursday's tech news roundup:

- Facebook redesigns Timeline profile pages

- Twitter adds line breaks, gets hit with ugly stick

- Netflix connects with Facebook to share what you're watching

- Angry Birds cartoon launches onto TV this weekend

Watch … Read more

Facebook redesigns Timeline to clean up the mess

Facebook said today that members soon will see a new, cleaned-up version of Timeline. The redesign comes nearly a year and a half after the social network first debuted Timeline, a radical take on the member profile page as a vehicle for storytelling.

The new Facebook Timeline, which begins rolling out to members today, dumps the two-column posting format for a single column of posts and life events.

"We heard from you that the current timeline layout is sometimes hard to read. Starting today, all posts are on the right side of your timeline, with photos, music and other … Read more

Facebook testing new Timeline design

Facebook users may be in store for some design tweaks to their Timelines.

The popular social network is testing a revamped layout for the Timeline among select users in New Zealand, a spot where Facebook typically tries out new features.

A representative for the company told CNET that "this is a new design Facebook is testing with a small percentage of people to make navigating Timeline even easier."

The new layout sports a single-column for all the posts and updates on your Timeline, according to a screenshot obtained by The Next Web. That by itself would be a … Read more

Change your Facebook cover photo using the Android app

Last night, Facebook pushed an update to its Android app that lets users update their cover photo from directly within the app. In the past I had covered an Android app that helped you create a new cover photo, but it required you to use the Web site in order to actually change the photo.

To change your cover photo using the Android app, make sure you're running the latest version of the Facebook app. Pull up your own timeline and tap on your cover photo. You can then select "View Photo" or "Change Cover"; … Read more

Zuckerberg's vision realized: One graph to rule them all

Mark Zuckerberg's vision for a world in which people are connected to each other for all time has remained unrealized, despite his best efforts with Open Graph and Timeline. But with Graph Search, he may have finally found the last piece of the puzzle.

"Our mission is to make the world more open and connected," the Facebook CEO said last year at the TC Disrupt conference. "We do this by giving people the power to share whatever they want and be connected to whoever they want, no matter where they are."

In Zuckerberg's world, … Read more

New profile pages coming to all Twitter users Dec. 12

Just a few months ago, Twitter announced a new look for its profile pages in a bid to mimic some of the visual allure of Facebook's Timeline cover photos -- though the update was only available to a subset of users.

Now the microblogging service is finally rolling out the redesign to all users. On December 12, everyone will be able to update their Twitter profiles to include a large header image across the top of the page with a smaller profile image in the center (see image above).

And no, users really don't have a choice about … Read more