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Google+ adds Communities, hits 135 million active users

While Google+ has been a relatively quiet corner of the Web, the site has definitely attracted some close-knit groups. Photographers, in particular, have gravitated to the site, finding it an effective way to share their work with a large, receptive audience.

Now Google is introducing a feature that the company hopes will spur more groups to make Google+ their social network of choice. Google+ Communities, which will integrate group functions into the social network, are rolling out across the site today.

"We see Google+ Communities as the next logical step for groups of people that have already formed on … Read more

LivingSocial said to lay off nearly 10 percent of staff

Rumor has it that LivingSocial is planning to lay off up to 400 employees tomorrow, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Sources aware of the daily deals company's plans told the Journal that the layoffs will be in U.S. offices and will include various positions and markets. Currently, the company has around 4,500 employees, according to its website, so the layoffs would decrease its staff by nearly 10 percent.

LivingSocial has tried to branch into other markets this past year to make up for its financial woes, which equaled a net loss of $566 million in the … Read more

Adobe could unveil Retina version of Photoshop CS6 on Dec. 11

Adobe Systems is hosting a free online event on December 11 where it may reveal the new Retina edition of its flagship Photoshop program.

One of the topics of the Create Now Live event invites participants to "See what's next in Adobe Photoshop." And a YouTube video promoting the Photoshop presentation appears to show someone using the software on a Retina Display MacBook Pro.

That video clip has led Japanese blog site Macotakara and others to speculate that Adobe will show off a new update of Photoshop CS6 designed to support the high-resolution display on the 13-inch … Read more

Xbox 360 sells 750,000 units during Black Friday week

Xbox 360 had a blowout Thanksgiving week, selling 750,000 consoles in the U.S. between November 18 and Black Friday, according to Microsoft Xbox staffer Larry Hryb.

That's more Xbox units than Microsoft usually sells in a month.

The numbers exceeded internal forecasts, according to Hryb -- better known as Major Nelson -- who oversees programing for Xbox Live. Additionally, three-month subscription sales for network during the week nearly doubled last year's sales for the same time frame.

"We saw incredible activity on Xbox over the weekend," Hryb wrote in his blog. "For example, … Read more

Xbox update fixes SmartGlass and Xbox Music issues

Xbox 360 owners will be greeted with an update from Microsoft the next time they fire up their consoles.

Released earlier today, the system update fixes a few issues, including an incorrect playlist name displayed when using Xbox SmartGlass, an error with Xbox Video closed-captioning, and a bug with Xbox Music that affected some users.

Upon powering up your Xbox 360, the following message pops up:

A system update is available from Xbox Live. If you decline, you won't be able to connect to Xbox Live until you take the update. Visit www.xbox.com/update for more info. … Read more

LivingSocial promotes Fab for the holidays

Fab keeps making friends in all the right spaces.

Daily deals site LivingSocial today started featuring gifts from the spunky e-commerce site as part of its holiday gift list.

Fab CEO Jason Goldberg wrote in a blog today that the inclusion of Fab products into LivingSocial's online store is a "perfect" partnership. "We could not be more excited about partnering with LivingSocial to bring Fab's curation to their large and highly engaged customer base," Goldberg wrote.

The move puts Fab's products in front of LivingSocial's 24 million U.S. members. While 50 … Read more

iPad, iPhone can pick up live TV with EyeTV add-on

Dyle took another step towards bringing mobile live television to the masses with the debut of the EyeTV plug-in for any iOS device, which essentially turns it into a small television.

EyeTV, manufactured by Elgato, is the second product to run on Dyle's mobile live television network. The device, which costs $99.95, plugs into any iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch's dock connector, allowing it to pick up local broadcast channels such as NBC and Fox. The device has a little antenna that sticks out to pick up the airwaves.

Dyle is an initiative formed by several major … Read more

Get old-school photographs with CamWow Retro

CamWow Retro is an iOS app that lets you take photos with antique effects applied to them. Whether a sepia-tint or grainy black-and-white images, there's a lot of effects you can apply. CamWow Retro is a free app and installs easily.

The CamWow Retro interface is based on a larger app called CamWow Pro and works the same way. When activated, the app opens an interface with four panes. One shows the image from the camera natively, and the other three panes show various effects in real time. You can scroll through a few screens of effects to find … Read more

Xbox Live long-timers getting free Xbox 360 consoles

Xbox Live just hit its 10th anniversary, and Microsoft is rewarding its most faithful members with a free Xbox 360 console.

Microsoft Xbox staffer Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, tweeted the news yesterday, saying: "I can confirm we're surprising some of the Xbox Live members that have been with us the longest with one of these." And by "these," he means a brand-new Xbox 360.

The surprise gift includes a custom controller, a logo on the console that reads "decade of entertainment," and a plate on the disc tray door that … Read more