snapchat

Snapchat and Poke videos shared with other people are supposed to go poof after a few seconds, but their vanishing act isn't working exactly as advertised.

Snapchat and Facebook's Poke apps are designed for folks who want to share photos and videos with their socially networked friends -- though only briefly. The appeal of both apps is that the photos and videos vanish after up to 10 seconds. That's supposed to mean you can send someone a potentially embarrassing or "sexty" clip of yourself, firm in the belief that it won't stick around for … Read more

How long does it take a multibillion-dollar technology juggernaut to clone a popular social networking app? The answer: less than two weeks.

I am, of course, talking about Poke, Facebook's clone of Snapchat, the app whose messages self-destruct after 1 to 10 seconds. As many people like to point out, it's perfect for sexting, but there are a lot of other fun and innovative uses for this clever type of messaging.

For all intents and purposes, Poke is almost identical to Snapchat. Snapchat is focused on photos and videos, while Poke adds self-destructing messages and the classic Facebook … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Why can't America deal with Kanye West's leather skirt?

- Missing from the concert: Women and Jay-Z.

- The six most disappointing games and trends of 2012.

- Check out Jeff on CNET's Ask the Editors for gaming and entertainment.

- Snapchat (aka the "teen sexting app") just raised $10 million from one of Instagram's backers.

- "Back to the Future" writer hates the Mattel hoverboard toy.… Read more

We're not sure we fit into Snapchat's target demographic, because we just didn't get it. It's a social app, which means it works best when you have lots of friends who also use it. The premise is fairly simple: take a picture, scribble a quick message on it, and send it to a friend. But you also have to set a timer for how long your friend can view the picture, which is where it lost us.

Before you start, you have to create a Snapchat account by entering your e-mail address and a password. After … Read more

By now, we have all seen how it happens. Pictures from "stars," such as Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, are leaked on the Web, and all the gossip Web sites spread the pics like wildfire. People also probably remember the scandals that followed Brett Favre and Congressman Anthony Weiner when their pics were leaked and went viral. Even worse, many people out of the public eye will send risque pics to their significant others only to find the pics online when the relationship turns sour.

SnapChat (free) is an app that puts a time limit on pics sent … Read more