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Photo- (and now video-)posting social network Instagram is growing like a weed, its CEO said today.

While introducing the new video feature, which lets users record quick 15-second clips, co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom noted that the company was up to 130 million users on the service.

To put that number in perspective, Instagram announced it had hit 100 million users just 3 months ago, making that about 10 million extra users a month. Perhaps making it all the more impressive, the company reported 80 million users last July.

Facebook-owned Instagram is adding video, bringing an entirely new dimension to camera captures shared across the popular social-networking service.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom showed off the new product to members of the media Thursday morning at its Menlo Park headquarters.

With video on Instagram, available right away on iOS and Android (video capture is only available to Android users running Jelly Bean or higher), application users will find a movie camera icon that they can tap to enter video mode and take up to 15 seconds of video, clip by clip. Like Vine, users can press and hold the movie … Read more

Editor's note: At its event today, Facebook announced that Instagram is getting video. Also, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom noted that the service is up to 130 million users.

Facebook unveils its next "big idea" on Thursday, and CNET will bring you all the news with live commentary and photos.

The social network was as mysterious as ever when it snail-mailed printed, coffee-stained invitations to the press last week, inviting journalists to "join us for coffee and learn about a new product." The invite, which was followed by a e-mailed link to an invite-only RSVP splash … Read more

Relief, disbelief, and some leftover bitterness surround Microsoft pulling a 180 on its Xbox One "always-on" policy.

Gamers have taken to forums, comment threads, and social media to express how they feel about the tech giant flip-flopping on the series of rules and restrictions that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy.

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it was backtracking on this much-derided policy, causing a flood of user reaction.

On Xbox's Facebook and Twitter accounts, tens of thousands of users have commented on the … Read more

Facebook is now letting its 1.11 billion members react to their friends' status updates with photo comments.

The social network said Wednesday that it has started the global release of the new feature, which lets people add photos to comment threads using a new Attach a Photo button. To start, uploads of photo comments will be restricted to the Facebook Web site and mobile site, but simply viewing photo comments will be possible from Facebook's mobile applications, the company said.

Photo comments are a product of one of Facebook's famous hackathons. Facebook engineer Bob Baldwin, one of … Read more

It was a slow week in rumorland, but a couple stories managed to make their way onto the scene.

HTC's long-rumored HTC One Mini is back, now with leaked pictures and specs. The miniature version of HTC's flagship would be thinner, shorter, but still sporting that unibody aluminum design. And now it'll fit into your pocket!

Samsung could also be hopping aboard the mini train, possibly announcing a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini at an event in London on Thursday. This version of the Galaxy will have a 4.3-inch screen, and will fit nicely into smaller hands.

Also on Thursday, Facebook is hosting a supersecret event, where it might unveil its answer to Twitter's Vine: Instagram videos. What do you think? Is Facebook just being a copycat, or is it really onto something here? Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

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Facebook is currently suffering an apparent disruption that is preventing many of its users from accessing the social network.

Downforeveryoneorjustme.com was giving visitors intermittent "down" answers this evening when they checked on Facebook's status.

While the mobile version of Facebook was available to smartphone and tablet users, people trying to visit the Web version Tuesday evening were greeted by the message that the page did not exist.

The outage appears to have begun around 6 p.m. PT, but it's unknown how many people might be affected.

Facebook users turned to Twitter to complain about … Read more

The creator of hit puzzle game Candy Crush Saga is preparing to go public, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

Anonymous sources told the Journal that King, through its holding company Midasplayer International Holding Co., has talked to several banks including J.P. Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse Group AG, and Bank of America to carry out its initial public offering, or IPO, in the U.S. This means King wants to sell shares of its company to public investors.

While CEO Riccardo Zacconi has mentioned an IPO as a possibility before, this report signals that … Read more