[Updated] Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $18 Billion

19 February 2014 10:37 PM
Mark Zuckerberg - https://facebook.com/zuck

Mark Zuckerberg – https://facebook.com/zuck

A huge acquisition but one which is important for Facebook to both continue its growth but also continue to gather the valuable data it needs to deliver monetizable services to its customers. The deal is pending regulatory approval and should it not get across the line Facebook will pay WhatsApp $1B in cash and $1B in shares.

Facebook has entered into an agreement to acquire WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, for $16 billion in cash and stock, according to a filing Wednesday.

The deal is by far Facebook’s largest acquisition to date (On one level this is insane – it’s a significant amount of Facebook’s total valuation) and comes after rumors in late 2012 and early 2013 that Facebook and Google were vying to buy the messaging service.

“WhatsApp is on a path to connect 1 billion people. The services that reach that milestone are all incredibly valuable,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s cofounder and CEO, said in a statement. “I’ve known Jan [Koum, WhatsApp co-founder] for a long time and I’m excited to partner with him and his team to make the world more open and connected.”

According to the filing, Facebook has agreed to pay $12 billion in stock and $4 billion in cash for the company. Facebook has also agreed to pay an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units to WhatsApp’s founders and employees as part of the deal, which would bring the total deal price to about $19 billion.

If the deal doesn’t go through, Facebook will pay a breakup fee of $1 billion to WhatsApp, which is still more than the total amount Facebook ended up paying to acquire Instagram.

Facebook stock declined by more than 4.5% in after hours trading following the announcement.

‘Flappy Bird’ creator breaks silence, says he pulled game because it was ‘addictive’

11 February 2014 7:38 PM

Flappy Bird

Indie developer Dong Nguyen has broken his silence following the sudden removal of his popular Flappy Bird game recently. In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen says the game was originally designed to be played “when you are relaxed.” However, the notoriously difficult game, created in mid-2013, rose to fame recently, with some social network and YouTube users pointing out comically just how frustrating it is to navigate Mario-style pipes with a pixelated bird. “But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem,” explains Nguyen. To solve that, Nguyen removed the app last weekend, and he notes “it’s gone forever.”

The popularity of the game, which Nguyen revealed to The Verge generates on average $50,000 per day from in-app ads, appears to have had its negatives. “My life has not been as comfortable as I was before,” says Nguyen. “I couldn’t sleep.” Forbes reports that Nguyen has spent the last few days internet-free and resting up, while also suddenly meeting Vietnam’s deputy prime minister ahead of the publication’s interview. Despite the time for reflection, Nguyen doesn’t believe the sudden removal of the game was a mistake. “I have thought it through,” he explains.

Nguyen also previously revealed to The Verge that he was considering a Flappy Bird sequel, but that now seems unlikely considering he believes it’s an “addictive product.” Instead, Nguyen says he will continue developing games, and he still has two popular titles, Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block, in the Top 20 games on the App Store. “After the success of Flappy Bird, I feel more confident, and I have freedom to do what I want to do.”

The sudden and surprising popularity of Flappy Bird has spawned countless clones of the game, as well as a web version that combines Flappy Bird and doge to create a pixelated shiba. Several enterprising eBay users have even listed their phones for sale with a copy of Flappy Bird installed, hoping to cash in on the Flappy Bird craze.

[Source: TheVerge]

Flappy Bird’s Creator Says He’s Removing The Game

9 February 2014 12:31 AM

Flappy Bird

A tweet from Dong Nguyen, creator of the maddening and virally popular game Flappy Bird, says the game will disappear from the Android and iOS app stores at noon tomorrow. “I cannot take this any more,” he Tweeted today.

He also added:

Then made it clear he has no plans to sell it to other developers or companies.

As Kotaku points out, the game has been around since 2013, but recently became wildly popular, boosted by a Buzzfeed article about its simple yet frustratingly difficult to master gameplay. Could this just be a push for even more downloads? Perhaps—the free, ad-supported game has reportedly been raking in $50,000 a day.

But lately, Nguyen seemed uncomfortable with its popularity, refusing interviews and other press contact. Apparently enough to scuttle the whole thing.

So download it while you can [iTunes Link] [Google Play Link]. Come tomorrow, the game will disappear—just like all the hours you’ve wasted playing it.

Update: 10-02-14 5:07 PM;

At just after 5pm today, he did as promised and took the game down, meaning it is no longer available to download – and prompting a rush of #RIPFlappyBird tweets.

If you try and download it now, it won’t work.

But fear not! If you’ve already downloaded it, it’ll still be there. Just make sure you keep a backup of your phone.

[Sources: Twitter / Gizmodo]

GTA Online Patch 1.09 Live – Adds new Motorbikes

11 January 2014 6:55 PM
GTA V Online - Artwork

GTA V Online – Artwork

This morning Rockstar Games released patch 1.09 for Grand Theft Auto Online. As per the details we received from our readers, the update is now live for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The official changelog has been released by Rockstar, but it looks like GTA Online patch 1.09 just fixes few bugs and issue here and there. Furthermore, it has been confirmed by our reader “Alex” that hacked GTA$ are still present.

Read More →

How To: Jailbreak iOS 7(.0.4) – iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2 and ALL DEVICES – (in 5 minutes)

5 January 2014 10:04 AM
iOS 7.0.4

Cydia on Apple’s iOS 7.0.4.

If you’ve never tried to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad, then there’s a whole world of tweaks and add-ons that await you. Despite misinformed accounts, jailbreaking will not void your warranty and it’s simple to un-install a jailbreak too – you just restore your device in iTunes. You can also access iTunes, the App Store and all your apps and backups like normal.

So what exactly is jailbreaking? In short, it’s not far from hacking into your Apple product’s software and opening it up for customization. You can change the way it looks and feels, choose from a host of custom apps that aren’t available in Apple’s official App store and a whole bunch of other things – you’ll get customization not far short of an Android device.

If you would rather a clearer guide – please click here

Step 1
The latest jailbreak is only compatible with iOS 7.0.4. Therefore, I’d recommend updating to this version if you haven’t already.

If Apple releases a newer version you won’t be able to install IOS 7.0.4 any more, meaning you’ll be stuck without a way to jailbreak until a new one is released, which could be many months if not more.

Step 2
Download the Jailbreak. There’s only one place to get this from officially and that’s http://evasi0n.com (Windows Link / Mac OS X Link). It’s available for OSX and Windows. Download the appropriate one and unzip the two files within, placing them on your desktop.

Step 3
It’s a good idea to restore your device while connected to your computer first, backing it up as well. A clean install will mean the jailbreak should go smoothly.

Step 4
With your device connected via USB to the computer, run the file evasi0n7. A small window will pop up.

Step 5
Click on Jailbreak. This will start the jailbreak process and you can kick back and relax for a few minutes.

Step 6
Next the installer will ask you to complete a few tasks. The first is to click on a new evasi0n7 app icon on your devices screen – usually on the second or third page of apps and follow any instructions that appear.

Step 7
That’s it! The process will say completed on your computer – you can now disconnect your device

Step 8
You’ll now see a new icon in your device called Cydia – this is where all the tweaks and apps are stored. It’s not quite as slick as the Apple App Store but once you get to know your way around it’s all easy to do.

Requirements

  • 5 minutes of your time
  • iTunes installed (if you’re running Windows)
  • An iPhone, iPad or iPod running iOS 7.0 through 7.0.4 (you may check in Settings / General / About => Version)
  • A USB cable to connect the device to the Computer/Mac

    • Tips, Notes & Warnings:

  • This will jailbreak iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, and ALL other devices.
  • You must be on iOS 7 – iOS 7.0.4
  • Backup your device using iTunes (or iCloud) before using evasi0n. If something breaks, you’ll always be able to recover your data.
  • Make sure iTunes is updated to the latest version.
  • If you have a pass-code lock on your device, turn it off before you do the jailbreak. You can turn it back on afterwords.
  • Most apps aren’t updated to work with iOS 7+ so don’t install a package before checking.
  • If the process gets stuck somewhere, it’s safe to restart the program, reboot the device (if necessary by holding down Power and Home until it shuts down), and rerun the process.

    • Please make a backup of your device(s) before applying any type of Jailbreak. You’re using evasi0n 7 at your own risk.