Facebook Messenger update brings Photo Magic to all, new customization options

Just in time for the holidays, Facebook is rolling out a pretty significant update to its Messenger app. This comes with the Photo Magic feature now available to all users, after having been in testing since last month.

Photo Magic reminds you to send pictures you’ve taken of your friends to them. This works using the social network’s facial recognition capabilities. It recognizes which of your friends are in each photo you shoot, and then asks you to send them said pics. And you can quickly create a group thread with those friends, through which you can also share your images.

You can turn this on or off at any time through Settings, and you also control if you are recognized in the pictures your friends snap. So if you don’t want this to work for you, it won’t.

Messenger has received a bunch of new customization features too. You now have new color choices and emojis to pick from, and you can assign nicknames to your contacts. All of these are accessible in the iOS app by tapping on people’s names at the top of the conversation, and in the Android app through the info button on the top right.

And if you send a Santa, Christmas tree, or snow-related sticker or emoji to someone, you will instantly make it snow inside that conversation. If you’re north of the Equator and use Chat Heads on Android, you’ll see a snow globe effect on them “for a limited time this season”. And when the New Year comes, confetti will take snow’s place. Finally, two new sticker packs are available: Frozen and Star…

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Facebook Messenger update brings Photo Magic to all, new customization options

Brazil WhatsApp suspension lifted

A Brazilian judge lifts the suspension of WhatsApp messaging service, imposed by another judge after the company failed to comply with a court order. – Source

Brazil WhatsApp suspension lifted

Get a free office suite, help charity (2015) - CNET

From the Cheapskate: Softmaker is once again donating to charity when you download its FreeOffice suite. Everybody wins!

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Get a free office suite, help charity (2015) - CNET

TechCrunch Is Going To Davos

The World Economic Forum — held in the mountain village of Davos, Switzerland every year — has increasingly become a place where its usual attendees (the captains of the world’s biggest industries) have been joined by the biggest and hottest technology firms. As software famously ‘eats the world’ so too do the most influential people in tech now eat the… Read More

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TechCrunch Is Going To Davos

League of Legends developer sold

Riot Games, creator of the massively popular League of Legends game, is now owned 100% by Chinese firm Tencent. – Source

League of Legends developer sold

Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s rapid fire Q&A

Here’s the very-best from Google CEO Pichai’s rapid fire round:

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s rapid fire Q&A

And the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are...

Drumroll please: It’s time to announce the 2016 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This year, five musical acts will be inducted into the famous institution, which only considers artists 25 years after the release of their first recording. Earlier this year, 14 artists were nominated, including Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan and Nine Inch Nails

See also: The 30 best albums of 2015

The artists will be honored in a ceremony on April 8, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. HBO will later televise the ceremony, but a date has not been announced

Here are the five chosen ones:

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. …

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And the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are...

WSJ: Huawei to launch Mate 8 in US next year

Huawei will launch its latest flagship smartphone – the Mate 8 – in the US next year, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. The device, which is apparently selling well in China, will be showcased at the upcoming CES event next month.

In addition to the Mate 8, the report notes that the Chinese company will also launch the Honor 5X smartphone in the US. The handset will also be showcased at CES 2016. It’s worth mentioning that Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has already said that it will announce its US plans at CES.

Aside from these two smartphones, the company will also launch a smartwatch in the US sometime next year, the report…

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WSJ: Huawei to launch Mate 8 in US next year

Scientists reveal 100% effective hangover cure

Hangover cures, whether it be drinking coffee, downing a fizzy drink, tucking into a fry-up or even the ‘hair of the dog that bit you’ are pretty much a waste of time and effort, scientists have concluded.

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Scientists reveal 100% effective hangover cure

Cozy yule log video features Darth Vader's burning body

It may be hard to believe, but out there, somewhere, there are people who don’t like Star Wars.

But finally, in comes a yule log video that promises to bring the movie’s biggest lovers and haters together

A new five-hour yule log video, uploaded by YouTube user BenjaminApple, features Darth Vader’s corpse, burning in a funeral pyre. It’s a simple loop —and it’s no Lil Bub yule log video — but it does the seasonal trickStar Wars fans and dissenters can come together, in strange, sadistic harmony, to watch Darth Vader burn to a crisp

Happy Holidays.

Sherlock and Luther join forces in awesome detective show mash-up

8-year-old hilariously dubs Donald Trump’s campaign speech

Cats are utterly perplexed by animatronic Yoda toy, will probably never become Jedi

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More about Viral Videos, Star Wars, Darth Vader, Watercooler, and Videos – Source

Cozy yule log video features Darth Vader's burning body

Android users can now install Skype for Business

After being tested in private by Android users, Skype for Business has been released by Microsoft for all users of the platform. For those rocking an Android powered tablet, a new dashboard style is employed in order to give the app a Windows-like feel. With this design, the contact search bar, upcoming meetings and recent conversations are all in one spot.

When it comes time for you to take part in a conversation, click on the Quick Join icon next to the name of an appointment to become part of a meeting. Click on the name of the appointment to learn more details about it. With Skype … – Source

Android users can now install Skype for Business

In This Photo of an Completely Cloudless California You Can See its Snowpack Starting to Return

What are we looking at here? That’s the state of California today, with almost no cloud cover. Yes, that white stuff is snow and it’s quite a sight for our drought-parched eyes.

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In This Photo of an Completely Cloudless California You Can See its Snowpack Starting to Return

'Voice' winner Jordan Smith on Adam Levine's biggest lesson and his dream duet

Kentucky native Jordan Smith is this year’s Voice winner, so what’s he going to do now? Head to New York City, of course.

When the singer called up Mashable the morning after his win, he was in transit to the East Coast in order to do press following his Tuesday night victory

He sounded a little hoarse, but, as he explains in our Q&A below, more than ready to tackle what comes next — which he hopes includes a duet with Jessie J at some point

See also: ‘The Voice’ crowned a winner and we’re so darn pleased

MASHABLE: Going into last night, you were the frontrunner among fans and viewers. Did it feel like that from your point of view?
Honestly, it didn’t. I keep getting surprised every week and the bar keeps getting raised every week with these artists on the show and with the top four especially. We’ve all been in the top 10 on iTunes, and everyone’s just been getting so much support on the show, in general, that it felt kind of unpredictable to me when we went into last night. So I didn’t fully know what to expect, but I’m so so so so thrilled with the outcome and proud of everyone for making it this far. …

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'Voice' winner Jordan Smith on Adam Levine's biggest lesson and his dream duet

Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X are now both $50 cheaper at the Google Store

The online Google Store for hardware has unveiled its holiday shopping deals today. From this point on, you’re able to purchase either the LG Nexus 5X or the Huawei Nexus 6P for $50 less than before. It’s not the first time this price cut applies to the Nexus 5X, but it is the first instance in which you can save something when buying a Nexus 6P.

With the new pricing applied, the 16GB Nexus 5X costs $329, while the 32GB model is $379. The 32GB Nexus 6P costs $449, the 64GB version is $499, while the one with 128GB of storage will require $599.

Furthermore, you get free overnight shipping with any order, and you can return what you purchase between now and December 25 all the way up to January 22. The price cuts are valid until December 30.

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Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X are now both $50 cheaper at the Google Store

You Can Now Order Ubers (And Soon Lyfts) In Facebook Messenger To Prove You’re On Your Way

This isn’t the first time a ridesharing app has hooked up with a messaging app. WeChat, a messaging and calling app used outside the U.S. also allows users to book cars on ridesharing platforms such as China’s Didi. However, WeChat’s parent company Tencent blocked users from booking with Uber a number of times recently in an ongoing Chinese rideshare war.

But this… Read More

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You Can Now Order Ubers (And Soon Lyfts) In Facebook Messenger To Prove You’re On Your Way