Online journal trendingbytes.com shares the latest digital, web and user insights, as well as social media news, with Communicate Levant.
Apple and Samsung drop lawsuits outside of the US
Since their divorce (ie: stopped working hand-in-hand), Samsung and Apple have been waging a relentless legal war against each other. But, it seems like the two giants are willing to make amends. They are dropping all international charges against each other, leaving only the on-going US trials. Read more…
McDonald’s does not understand Instagram
Good news everyone! We have ads on Instagram! Soon everyone will be able to advertise on it, but, for now, only a select few have access to that feature. McDonald’s is one of those chosen brands and just like every marketing newbie on Instagram, they still think the photo-sharing platform is like Facebook, but with only square photos. Read more…
Spain passes taxi law on Google news links
Europe has been all up in Google’s business lately. The newest Google-related law comes from Spain, where the government saw fit to let publishers request payment whenever Google News features one of their articles. Read more…
Apple is laying off 200 Beats employees
When you talk company acquisitions, you have to consider layoffs. And now that Apple has finalized its purchase of Beats, it’s time for “the talk”. Two hundred Beats employees will see their positions terminated. Apple states: “Because of some overlap in our operations, some offers are for a limited period and we’ll work hard during this time to find as many of these Beats employees as we can another permanent job within Apple.” Read more…
Twitter just had an impressive quarter
After spending months in the rough, Twitter’s quarterly report finally gives investors hope. Well that’s an understatement. With a 124 percent growth in revenue when compared with last year, $312 million in revenue and a $0.02 profit per share, the company beat former expectations by far. Read more…
OkCupid publishes results of undisclosed experiment
Did you think that Facebook was the only one running experiments on you without your consent? OKCupid recently altered matches and results to see how users would react. Three tests were devised: in the first one, they obscured profile pictures; in the second one, the site hid profile text to see how it would affect ratings; and, in the third, they mismatched potential daters. Read more…
Project Zero: Google’s answer to security breaches
Do you know that flaw in Open SSL that gave hackers easy access to your personal info and passwords? You may remember it better under the name “Heartbleed Bug” and even though it was patched, there may be other breaches. Google will have none of that. That’s why the company is launching Project Zero. Read more…
Instagram launches Bolt, upsets other Bolt app
Ephemeral messaging is the new trend and Instagram is not immune to it. Case and point: It has just released Bolt, its version of Snapchat (although it’s closer to Mirage). The problem here is that Bolt is an exciting app that aims at competing with your voice carrier’s call and SMS plan. Read more…
SoundCloud baits record labels to avoid lawsuits
We all enjoy some free music streaming, like on SoundCloud, for instance. However, we tend to forget that a lot of it is illegal, as they violate copyrights. To avoid lawsuits, the platform engaged in negotiations with major record labels, such as Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group just to name a few. Read more…
Twitter may become the next shopping platform
Somehow, Twitter manages to be one of the most important social media platforms and yet generates very little revenue. The company has been trying to find monetization solution for months and it might finally be onto something lucrative. Some users have seen a new section in its settings called “Payments and Shipping”. Read more…
