Social Media Digest: Apple v Samsung, Fakebook, Mr Bean, and Disney!

1. Although they have been taking playground swipes at each other for years, things just got serious this week as arch-rivals Apple and Samsung take it from the streets to the court over some patents. The two tech giants are embroiled in two lawsuits, one taking place now and the other next year, over two types of patents: utility patents and design patents – the use features on a smartphone or tablet, and how it looks. In a nutshell they’re arguing over who came up with what first, hence why there have been plenty of old Apple prototype images popping up all other the web. Apple claims that Samsung stole features such as slide-to-unlock, tap-to-zoom, and even tried to lay claim to scrolling! They’re also arguing that products that are black, rectangular with rounded edges, and thin are copying Apple’s designs. On the other side of the argument, Samsung are raising the royalty stakes for its 3G technology and other utility features.

But while this may just seem like a couple of kids arguing over who ‘baggsied’ it first, this lawsuit has real implications for us, the consumer. Annoying really that instead of continuing to invest in and innovate exciting new products and technologies, Apple and Samsung are battling it out to see who will have to charge more and offer less its customers. Shame.

2. After announcing that they are closing in on 1 billion users in July, Facebook have now confessed that 8.7% of user accounts are fake! That would mean that of the 955 million accounts the social networking site claims to have, 83 millions are ‘fake’ – meaning duplicates, user-misclassified, or undesirable. Though perhaps an ever so slightly pre-emptive boast to make, in the grand scheme of things it’s still a hella lot of users!

3. The 2012 Olympics are taking the world and the internet by storm. Most people seem to be experiencing some sort of Olympomania on a day-to-day basis, especially now there has been a flurry of medals won by Team GB!  Twitter seems to be the primary output of all that mania. The Olympic Opening Ceremony alone had more mentions on the micro-blogging site that there were throughout the entire Beijing 2008 games! There were reportedly 9.7 million tweets about the ceremony, but the biggest spike of activity was during Rowan Atkinson’s performance of Mr Bean playing Chariots of Fire with the London Symphony Orchestra. Tim Berners-Lee’s appearance also made a big impact, with his tweet ‘This is for everyone’ being retweeted more than10,000 times.

Needless to say the public have certainly been getting behind the British Olympic athletes, with most seeing their online following drastically rise. However, there’s a really cool way that you can get up close and personal with the athletes as they compete for national glory – follow the accounts of the Olympic coverage cameras! With the likes of @L2012PoolCam and @L2012StadiumCam and more you can take your pick of which to follow to take your social Olympic viewing to a new level.

4. Haven’t already book your annual family holiday? Thinking of taking the kids to Benidorm? Greece, perhaps? Maybe even one of the many trusty British seaside resorts?

Think again!

Every child (and adult) deserves to go to Disney Land at least once in their lives; in fact it should be mandatory. It’s the most magical experience EVER, even for you parents. However, I understand that theme parks are not always the most desirable places, especially with kids in tow. There’s the endless queues, the expense, the tears of fear from the rides and the scary people that dress up like our beloved characters (just me?).  But worry no more as Disney has launched a brand new app to ease the whole experience. With features such as maps, restaurant reservations, wait times, and support for the wireless next-generation fast pass, the My Disney Experience app is set to revolutionise your theme park experience. Now obviously a theme park app is not a first, however, there are some unique features that will pave the way for future theme park visits. That users do not have to within the park itself to get up-to-date wait times for ride queues and the in-app integration of the next-gen fast pass system are just two features that are leading the way, both  making planning your trip there a lot easier and more organised. You see, now you have no excuse but to go!

Ok, so this may not be the most breaking news on the app front this week, but it’s Disney!

DISNEY!