This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology.
Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world today. We’re keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today. Google Is Going into GamingGoogle is going into social gaming in attempt to win over some of the ad dollars that have gone to social networking sites, sources familiar with the matter have told The Wall Street Journal. The company has reportedly been in talks with top developers like Playdom Inc., which was acquired by Disney this week, as well as Electronic Arts’s Playfish and FarmVille creator Zynga. Checkins Coming to Google In further Google news, the company has indicated that it is working with developers to bring checkins to location-based applications via its Places API. Google Places is the new version of the company’s Local Business Center, designed to help local business owners gain an edge in search engine marketing. Facebook May Put Off IPO Until 2012 Three sources have informed Bloomberg that Facebook may postpone its initial public offering until 2012. “At some point along the path, I think it’ll make sense to have an IPO. But we’re not running the company to do that. We’re running the company to serve more people,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg told ABC’s Diane Sawyer recently. Spotify’s U.S. Launch Faces Further Delays Negotiations between free music streaming service Spotify and U.S. record labels are faring none-too-well; the company is reportedly “back to square one.” The startup is still aiming for a late 2010/early 2011 launch in the U.S. Further News Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company is hard at work making Windows 7 a great OS for tablets; Redbox is adding Blu-ray rentals to its kiosks [via Variety]; Samsung confirms it will the Galaxy S smartphone will get Froyo in September [via Engadget]; and Google dispelled rumors that it was fully blocked in China. Disclosure: Microsoft is a Mashable sponsor.
Series supported by HTC EVO 4G
This series is brought to you by HTC EVO 4G, America’s first 4G phone. Only from Sprint. The “First to Know” series keeps you in the know on what’s happening now in the world of social media and technology.
Facebook may postpone its initial public offering to 2012, Bloomberg has learned from three sources familiar with the matter.
This comes as no surprise as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has always been very careful on the subject. “At some point along the path, I think it’ll make sense to have an IPO. But we’re not running the company to do that. We’re running the company to serve more people,” he said recently.
Facebook’s IPO has been one of the burning topics in business circles in the last couple of years. With the company’s revenue (and valuation) rising swiftly, Facebook () is poised to become the next Google (), whose initial public offering in 2004 was wildly successful, with the company increasing its market capitalization fivefold over the coming years.
Despite the pressure to go public, Facebook’s IPO seems to be pushed further into the future every year. The wait, however, will give 26-year old Zuckerberg more time to gain more users, sort out the privacy issues that have been plaguing Facebook and, most importantly, boost sales and increase earnings.
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh has blocked Facebook in the wake of public protests against images of the Prophet Muhammad that were hosted on the social network. The block was also imposed in part because of unfavorable caricatures of prominent political figures.
The protests were in response to groups and pages like “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day,” which criticizes the Muslims who responded negatively to South Park’s depictions of the Prophet and suggested that thousands of Facebook users draw images of Muhammad — an act forbidden by Islamic law. The page has just shy of 3,000 fans, and it hosts several visual depictions of the Prophet.
Pakistan blocked Facebook allegedly for the same reasons last week. The bans will be temporary in both countries; it’s likely that access will be restored once the offending images are removed — and they will be. Facebook’s policy is to allow access to offending content outside of the countries where it’s offensive while censoring it in sync with individual countries’ laws within their own borders.
A Facebook phishing attack is on the loose this weekend — the third widespread attack on the site in the past three weeks. The attack attempts to steal your Facebook login credentials, install malware on your computer, and even get your home address.
The attack is spread via a “hilarious video” posted to Facebook walls, reports WebSense — when clicked, a form appears requesting your Facebook login.
The attack then returns you to Facebook, installs an app called “Media Player HD”, and asks you to download the “FLV player” — doing so installs malware on your machine. It gets worse: Depending on your location, you may also be presented with a contest to win an iPad … if you just enter your home address.
To avoid getting caught, simply remove the “hilarious video” if you find it on your Facebook wall. If you see it elsewhere on Facebook, don’t click it … and of course remember the obvious rule: Don’t enter your Facebook login anywhere other than Facebook.com.
If you already fell for the attack, change your Facebook password, uninstall the Facebook app (often called “Media Player HD”), and run a virus/malware scan on your computer.
The video below, courtesy of Websense, explains the attack.
Facebook may postpone its initial public offering to 2012, Bloomberg has 
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The People’s Republic of Bangladesh has 
A Facebook phishing attack is on the loose this weekend — the third widespread attack on the site in the past three weeks. The attack attempts to steal your Facebook login credentials, install malware on your computer, and even get your home address.
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