Technology, Social Networking | featured news

Facebook's had a rough day. In fact, it's had its worst day performance-wise in over four years, with 2.5 hours of downtime that resulted in countless complaints from users. Perhaps more important, it also had a bevy API problems, and its Like buttons — which are embedded on over 350,000 sites across the web — were apparently busted too.

Facebook is working with mobile phone maker INQ Mobile Ltd to create two smartphone devices that may have a network tie up with AT&T Inc, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Facebook revealed a set of changes to its social games infrastructure at an event for game developers at the company headquarters on Tuesday night. Each change to the gaming infrastructure in the past has stirred up controversy, and this time was no different. But for all the trouble associated with games, Facebook clearly needs them.

Social mobility is big business. Normally I don’t pay a lot of attention to the rumor mill. But in the case of a Facebook “affinity” phone, even if 90% of existing Facebook subscribers decide not to buy such device, it still represents a very big market; 50 million or so phones.

A redesign is part of the Web site’s plan to regain momentum as it has lost ground in a crowded field that includes Facebook and Twitter.

Google is set to renew its search deal with MySpace at a more “realistic” price than the $900 million guarantee it paid out four years ago, Kara Swisher reported yesterday.

Google plans to infuse its core products with social-networking elements, its chief executive said, ratcheting up the Internet giant's rivalry with Facebook.

Twitter unveiled a new Web site on Tuesday that it hopes will be user friendly. The redesigned site, which will be available to all users in the next few weeks, makes it simpler to see information about the authors of Twitter posts, conversations among Twitter users, and the photos and videos that posts link to.

A group of New Hampshire men have been robbing houses based on the status updates of their victims on Facebook.