The start of the BlackBerry Live 2013 annual conference today in Orlando, USA, saw the announcement of the BlackBerry Q5 – a QWERTY device for emerging markets.

The Blackberry Q5 revolves around a 3.1-inch touchscreen and one of BlackBerry’s classic physical QWERTY keyboards, which they are so proud of. The screen has an unusual resolution of 720 x 720px – the same as on the Q10, but this time it’s an LCD unit. Inside the BlackBerry Q5 there’s a dual-core 1.2Ghz CPU and 8 gigs worth of storage. There’s a microSD slot to expand that, but the battery is not removable.
The new BlackBerry Q5 will be available in selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (including the Asia Pacific region), and Latin America, with availability beginning in July. The smartphone will be offered in black, white, red and pink.
Another announcement that came from the today’s keynote is that the BlackBerry 10.1 update is now ready to seed to the BlackBerry Z10 (later this month in the US). Not only that, but starting today, Skype will be available to all users who update their Z10s to v10.1.

If you’re already a fan of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), we’ve got some exciting news designed to make it easier for you to connect with your entire mobile social network. BlackBerry plans to make BBM, our wildly popular mobile messaging service, available for the first time to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, (subject to approval by Google Play and the Apple App Store, as applicable).

This means that, once available, you can welcome your friends and family using these other mobile platforms to connect over BBM and share in the Team BlackBerry love.
In the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users are expected to be able to experience the following BBM features:

The immediacy of BBM chats
Multi-person chats
Voice note sharing
BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more
The team here at BlackBerry has definitely been working hard to bring the much-adored BBM experience to a wider group of mobile users. In a recent press release at BlackBerry Live 2013, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry had this to say:

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

BBM Quick Facts:
More than 60 million monthly active users.
More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.
Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App StoreSM and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

That’s some pretty big news, indeed. Be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below, who will be the first person from your extended network that you introduce to BBM?

I’m so excited that I don’t have to own a bb to have access to blackberry messenger, yaaaayyyy!

According to CNN, this is one of science fiction’s greatest unfulfilled promises, but one company now says it is closer to making flying cars a reality for the world. And this is what they are starting with. It’s sure!

Apple’s iOS 7 operating system update is expected to be shown off for the first time during the keynote at WWDC 2013, but a recent report suggested the platform’s launch may be delayed. Apple engineers are reportedly working on a major overhaul of iOS’s user interface, and it is seemingly taking longer than expected to refine and “flatten” the interface. According to multiple reports from reporters with nearly impeccable track records, however, Apple has pulled engineers away from OS X to help work on iOS 7 and the new mobile OS update will launch on time.

“Yes, yes — it’s essentially a repeat of the iPhone/Leopard scenario,” an unnamed source told AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski. “Not as much of a fire drill, though. It will ship on time.” The source was referring to Apple’s decision in 2007 to have OS X engineers help with the development of “iPhone OS” in order to ensure that the first iPhone would ship on time.
In a subsequent report, The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple confirmed that iOS 7 will indeed launch on time. The new OS is expected to become available to developers following Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote on June 10th, and to the public in or around September alongside the release of Apple’s next iPhone, the iPhone 5S.
Multiple reports suggest iOS 7 will feature a major redesign that removes much of the skeuomorphic design elements and textures in previous versions of iOS and replaces them with a flatter and more modern user interface. According to one recent report, the new look of iOS 7 will be no more difficult to use than current versions, though its look may be “unsettling” to longtime iOS users.

The smartphone that changes everything is now available for purchase.

The HTC One is unquestionably the best Android smartphone on the market right now, and it is available for purchase beginning Friday from both AT&T and Sprint. T-Mobile will then launch the sleek new smartphone next Wednesday. The HTC One release comes at a time when HTC absolutely needs a successful launch to help stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, the One has just over a week on store shelves at AT&T and Sprint before Samsung’s Galaxy S4 launches and draws away the spotlight.
BGR reviewed AT&T’s version of the HTC One earlier this month and called it the closest thing to a no-compromise smartphone the world has ever seen.
The phone is available now starting at $199.99 from both AT&T and Sprint. Beyond carrier stores, the phone can also be purchased in stores and online from Best Buy, RadioShack, Walmart, Target, Amazon.com, Costco, Car Toys, Sam’s Club, HSN.com and HTC.com.

What do you get when you combine a 3D virtual reality headset with a passive omnidirectional treadmill? The future of gaming, today. Virtual reality accessory startup Virtuix on Thursday posted a demo video of its upcoming Omni — a “natural motion interface for virtual reality applications” — being used in conjunction with the Oculus Rift 3D virtual reality headgear.

The video showcases the killer combination being used to play a first-person shooter and the result is mind-blowing.
The user becomes fully immersed in the game, using Virtuix’s passive treadmill to move and a gun-like controller to fire on enemies. Then, the Oculus Rift adds an immersive virtual reality experience thanks to its dual head-mounted displays that provide a 110-degree viewing angle.
The experience offered by the Omni and Rift is something next-generation video game consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s upcoming next-generation Xbox obviously can’t even come close to competing with out of the box. A head-mounted 3D virtual reality device coupled with an omnidirectional passive treadmill places the user inside the game. The gamer can walk, run, turn and look around as if he or she is inside the complex new world created by each video game.
The Oculus Rift, which began as a crowd-funded project on Kickstarter, is now available for preorder and Virtuix is currently preparing a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the Omni.

Samsung has unveiled the biggest smartphone to date – the Galaxy Mega, which features a 6.3in (16cm) screen.

The firm suggested its size made it ideal for watching videos or running two apps alongside each other.

Samsung helped popularise the so-called “phablet” category – in which phones approach tablet dimensions – with its original 5.3in Galaxy Note in 2011.

That proved more popular than many expected, but one analyst suggested the latest device might be a step too far.

Samsung is marketing the Android-powered handset as having a high-definition screen – however, a spokesman was unable to confirm whether it supported 720p or the “full HD” 1080p resolution.

Another South Korean firm, Pantech, currently lays claim to offering the biggest “full HD” smartphone with its 5.9in Vega No 6 which was announced in January.

China’s Huawei had previously boasted having the biggest largest-screened 720p smartphone with its 6.1in Ascend Mate.

Samsung also makes the Galaxy Note 8.0. Some versions of this 8in-screened device feature an HSPA+ radio allowing them to make calls, but the machine is being marketed as a tablet with phone functionality rather than the other way round.

‘Too cumbersome’

Samsung suggested that, despite its dimensions, the Galaxy Mega was still small and light enough – at 199g (0.44lb) – to fit into users’ pockets and be used with one hand.

However, the firm is hedging its bets by offering a smaller 5.8in-screened version as an alternative.

Both will go on sale in May, with Europe and Russia the first regions to be offered the devices.

Tech consultancy Davies Murphy Group said that within the Android market there had been a notable shift towards people wanting to buy a single device rather than both a smartphone and tablet.

However, its principal technology analyst, Chris Green, suggested that at 6.3in it would be a “folly” for most users to swap their current handsets for the larger of the two Galaxy Megas.

“There is genuine demand for larger smartphones – the problem is at what point does a smartphone turn into a tablet,” he told the BBC.

“When you’ve got this up against your head you’d have to argue you’re using a tablet and not a smartphone – it’s definitely going to compromise its functionality because it’s simply too big and too cumbersome to use as a traditional telephone device.

“But ignoring the phone functionality, as far as the rest of the smart device goes it looks quite phenomenal.”

Samsung was the most popular smartphone maker in 2012 accounting for 30.3% of all shipments, according to analysts at IDC.

Its rival Apple – whose largest handset has a 4in screen – came in second with a 19.1% market share.

Microsoft reportedly has plans to unveil its next-generation Xbox video game console during a press conference in May.

The new console was previously expected to be revealed during a special event in April but Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott now reports that the press conference has been pushed back to May 21st. The Verge then claimed to have independently confirmed the date in a follow-up report. Preliminary details are expected at the May 21st event and then a full unveiling will reportedly follow just a few weeks later at the E3 gaming conference in June. Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox is expected to launch ahead of the holidays this year.

It’s good news for gamers worldwide as the PlayStation 4 is getting set set to launch internationally this year, according to Gamestop.

The retailer’s executive vice president of strategy business and brand development, Michael Hogan confirmed the console release plan in a recent conference call with investors.

“We know that Sony will introduce the PlayStation 4 globally in 2013, but we are still waiting to see what Microsoft’s final plans are.”

The comments from GameStop align with other European retailers that predict the PS4 to arrive in 2013, and that it will be priced around £300.

Sony recently confirmed that the PS4 will include a headset and a large hard drive, and that controllers will be able to charge while the system is in standby mode.

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has already enjoyed increased success with its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series of mobile phones.

According to the latest rumor from mobile gossip site SamMobile, Samsung is planning to launch a series of new big-screen devices which don’t fit into its high-end Galaxy Note family, and will instead create a new range called the Galaxy Mega.

No official confirmation on the matter has emerged, but it seems that Samsung might unveil at least two handsets in the new series.

One of them might be GT-I9152, expected to be launched as Galaxy Mega 5.8, while the other would be GT-I9200, set to hit shelves as Galaxy Mega 6.3, each featuring the screen size mentioned in the name.

They’re both rumored to arrive in late May or early June; but for now, they remain distinctly unofficial.

Verizon (VZ) on Thursday announced a new cross-platform update for its text messaging app for Android and iOS devices.

The application, known as Messages, allows users to send and receive a text message from a PC, smartphone or tablet. Messages are stored on Verizon’s cloud for up to 90 days or until deleted and can also be saved permanently on an SD card. Unlike services from WhatsApp, Google Talk and iMessage, the application utilizes your smartphone’s phone number rather than a username or special PIN. The service sets itself further apart from the competition with a handful of unique features such as the ability to send automated replies to a text when busy. Verizon’s Messages application is available now in Google Play and the iOS App Store. A video demo follows below.

Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 might not offer much in the way of an exciting new exterior design, but inside, it’s a completely different story.

The retooled internals on the U.S. version of the Galaxy S 4 were put to the test by benchmark specialists Primate Labs and the results are impressive, to say the least. The Galaxy S 4 scored a 3,163 on the standard Geekbench 2 speed test, just shy of twice the iPhone 5′s score of 1,596. That score was also good enough to top the upcoming HTC One, the Nexus 4 and the previous-generation Galaxy S III. The chart below shows the Galaxy S 4′s results compared to other leading smartphones tested by Primate Labs.

It should be noted, by the way, that this test was performed with the slow version of Samsung’s new flagship Android phone. The U.S. variant of the Galaxy S 4 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon chipset that features integrated LTE radios. The international version of the phone will feature Samsung’s in-house eight-core Exynos process, which will likely offer significant performance benefits.

Other key features on the Galaxy S 4 include a 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, 2GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage, a 13-megapixel camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. BGR recently published an extensive hands-on preview of the Galaxy S 4 and we said it was better than its predecessor in nearly every way.

Samsung’s next Galaxy smartphone might be controlled by nothing more than the user’s eyes, according to a new report in advance of its March 14 unveiling.

“Eye scrolling” will do things like scroll down a page of text when the user’s eyes have reached the bottom of the screen, according to a New York Times report.

Quoting an unnamed Samsung employee who has used the phone, the Times said the Samsung Galaxy S IV, the next generation in its popular Galaxy S line, will be more heavily geared toward new software than a physical reboot of the Android-based device.

The Korean company has for all practical purposes announced the Galaxy S IV will be unveiled at a New York City event on March 14.

The Times interviewed Kevin Packingham, Samsung’s chief product officer. While he declined to talk about software upgrades, he said hardware upgrades will be significant. “It’s an amazing phone,” he said.

Reports of an eye-control innovation make sense. Samsung has filed in Europe to trademark a technology called “Eye Scroll” and another named “Eye Pause.”

Samsung described “Eye Scroll” as “computer application software having a feature of sensing eye movements and scrolling displays of mobile devices, namely, mobile phones, smartphones and tablet computers according to eye movements; digital cameras; mobile telephones; smartphones; tablet computers.”

The Samsung Galaxy S III already has a similar feature called “Smart Stay.” It uses the phone’s front-facing camera to register whether the user is looking at it and keeps the display screen from going into sleep mode until the user looks away.

Samsung’s Galaxy S line has emerged as the strongest challenger to Apple’s industry-leading iPhone.

The Galaxy S III shipped 18 million units worldwide from July to September, compared with 16.2 million for the iPhone 4S, according to research by Strategy Analytics.
With the release of the iPhone 5, Apple retook the lead in the final months of 2012, selling an estimated 27 million. But the S III hung in there with another 15 million units sold.

Google’s Project Glass is one of the most highly anticipated devices of the year, even though we still don’t know much about it.

As we inch closer to release, which is scheduled for the end of this year, more information about the device is starting to trickle out and new reports suggest the capabilities of Google Glass could be nearly endless. New Scientist reports that Google has helped fund a new application called InSight that’s designed specifically for Glass and is able to identify people based on the clothing they wear.

InSight is designed to identify a person based on their “fashion fingerprint” that can help you recognize someone if they’re too far away for facial recognition cameras or have their back turned to you. The fingerprint is constructed with the help of a smartphone app that takes a series of photos of a person and then creates a file known as a “spatiogram” that identifies the colors, textures and patterns of the clothes they are wearing. The information is then used by Google Glass to identify the person. Best of all, the fingerprint changes every time the person changes their clothes, meaning you can go back to being anonymous after a single outing.

Early tests have indicated that the software is extremely accurate and with the help of 15 volunteers it was able to identify a person 93% of the time, even if their backs were turned.

Google Glass is scheduled to be released before the end of the year and will cost less than $1,500.

Anyone who wants their next iPhone to have wireless charging capabilities may be out of luck. 9to5Mac on Friday shot down a Digitimes report claiming that Apple is looking to bring wireless charging to its next-generation iPhone 5S.

The reason that this rumor is unlikely, 9to5Mac says, is that “we’ve been hearing 2013 is an ‘S’ year for the iPhone which implies minor design changes” and “the design changes to the aluminum shell to make wireless charging possible would need to be significant,” thus making it unlikely that Apple would pursue them during this particular product cycle. Needless to say, if Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S IV has wireless charging and the iPhone 5S does not, we expect them to make fun of Apple yet again for allegedly being behind the times.

Does the world really want a “Facebook (FB) Phone?” Probably not, but that apparently isn’t going to stop HTC from delivering one.

UnwiredView’s evleaks has posted a set of specifications that are purportedly for the HTC Myst, a yet-to-be-announced smartphone that is centered around Facebook. In case you don’t remember, HTC has tried something like this back in 2011 with the ill-fated HTC Status smartphone that had a dedicated Facebook button and that looked like a rejected BlackBerry (BBRY) design concept from around 2006. The HTC Myst will reportedly be somewhat more like a modern smartphone, however, with a 4.3-inch touch display with a resolution of 320 pixels per inch, a MSM8960 dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. While these aren’t exactly high-end specs, it’s unlikely that HTC is going to push the Myst as a premium device, especially since it sold the HTC Status for a mere $50 with a two-year agreement from AT&T (T).

Samsung plans to introduce new eye-tracking technology in its next-generation Galaxy S IV smartphone, according to a new report.

With just over a week before Samsung unveils its new flagship smartphone,it was reported to have spoken to a person who has tried the Galaxy S IV, and he or she detailed new eye-tracking technology that allows the user to scroll through pages without having to tough or tilt the phone at all — pages will scroll automatically as the user’s eyes move down the screen. The new feature will reportedly be demonstrated live during Samsung’s Galaxy S IV unveiling next week.

Apple (AAPL) has plans to launch multiple new iPhone models this summer, according to a new report. Citing claims made by Barclays Capital analysts,

Chinese-language tech blog EMSOne reported on Friday that Apple will launch its next-generation “iPhone 5S” alongside the much rumored low-end iPhone model this coming August. The report claims that both Foxconn and Pegatron will be tasked with manufacturing the new entry-level iPhone, which may include a 4.5-inch display and a polycarbonate case according to an earlier report. Apple’s iPhone 5S will supposedly feature a design similar to the current iPhone 5 but with various new color options and other tweaks.

There is no end to the humiliation the old Motorola guard is being forced to endure. Google’s (GOOG) top executives keep making disparaging comments about Motorola handsets.

Many Motorola leaders have effectively been hounded out of the company via insulting contract negotiations. And now a legendary Apple (AAPL) star, Guy Kawasaki, is being brought in to teach the grandmother of the cell phone industry how to dance the Harlem Shake. Kawasaki is mostly known for his contribution in developing some of Apple’s most successful computer marketing campaigns, notably for Macintosh back in the Eighties.

Google’s anxiety over Motorola’s lackluster performance has spiked over the past year as Samsung (005930) has risen to utterly dominate the Android phone market. Google’s original plan was to turn the Android ecosystem into a kind of Versailles where it would play the role of the Sun King, favoring HTC (2498) this year and Motorola the next, carefully maintaining a balance between the handset aristocracy.

Then HTC, LG (066570) and Motorola all screwed up simultaneously, allowing Samsung to grab total power. It is darkly comical that when Google bought Motorola in the summer of 2011, people were seriously worried that this would give Motorola an insurmountable advantage over Asian vendors.

Since then, Motorola’s position at even U.S. carriers like AT&T (T) and T-Mobile has eroded badly, turning the brand effectively into a Verizon (VZ) house label. Motorola has built an R&D and manufacturing base in Brazil, but its Latin American advances have stopped since a promising period around 2010. The entire Motorola strategy of designing separate phone lines for different operators has been an unmitigated disaster as the industry pivoted to the opposite direction. Apple and Samsung’s winning strategy has been to create a single massive flagship line that is sold to dozens of operators across the world.

Motorola is now trying to copy the Appsung strategy and create one massive blockbuster model that would stem the slide towards irrelevance. Kawasaki may have been brought in to mastermind the marketing plan for this big bet. The problem is that Google’s haughty and insulting treatment of Motorola executives has created a massive brain drain. The old teams have been blown up and Google is struggling to recreate product development units that can manage integration of new technologies into a cutting edge phone combined with realistic planning for effective production ramp-up.

The high-end smartphone business has become fiendishly complicated because Apple and Samsung have sped up the development cycle while simultaneously hogging crucial component supply. Companies like Nokia (NOK), LG and BlackBerry are now struggling badly to reach decent production volumes for key models. Planning a new phone requires a very tricky combination of engineering and predictive supply chain management.

Google has driven much of Motorola’s key talent out of Chicago and it now needs to quickly find a way to rebuild what it demolished. Needless to say, much of the top talent would rather work for Apple, Samsung or emerging global powers like Huawei.

The new ZTE (0763) Open is perhaps more significant for what it’s not than what it is.

The handset does not run Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 or Tizen. In a world dominated by just a few established major players, the introduction of Firefox’s new mobile OS, alongside handsets such as the Open, is pretty big news. Banking on the untapped demand in emerging markets yet to see the explosion of smartphone growth that has swept the rest of the planet, Firefox and ZTE are hoping to make headway with their own unique offering.

Firefox is an html5-based operating system, which is to say that the software is essentially a web browser. All apps are web-based, and as such are accessible from any html5-equipped browser. Firefox OS is entirely open source and Mozilla is offering the software completely free to its OEM partners. The software is still in beta phase with no official release scheduled for a few months, but we did have the chance to put the ZTE Open through its paces.

The device has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen with a diminutive 320 x 480-pixel resolution. A single core processor that will be clocked between 600MHz and 800MHz, 256MB of RAM, a 3.2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth round out the anemic feature set, though handset’s unsubsidized retail price of under $100 makes up for it. The phone feels sturdy in the hand and though adjectives such as “premium” and “luxury” certainly won’t cross your mind, it’s not the cheapest feeling handset we’ve ever encountered. The screen looks pretty bad, but that’s more or less to be expected.

Navigating the OS, the first word that comes to mind is “sluggish.” Sure it’s pre-release software, but we had to wait a few beats after almost every touch input, and delays when swiping from side to side were painful. Even the top-level apps like phone, messaging and contact applications moved at a snail’s pace. And lag issues aside, the app selection is sorely lacking. Save for the usual suspects like Twitter and YouTube, there wasn’t much to speak of.

To be fair, the phone is targeted squarely at a population that might be encountering an enhanced handset experience for the first time, either as an upgrade from a feature phone or as their first mobile handset. However, with competitors like Nokia’s Asha 305 coming to market for under $80, Firefox and ZTE can’t really afford to bring such a lackluster experience to users without risking failure.

The Chromebook Pixel runs Google’s Chrome operating system and has been “largely built” by the web giant.

The laptop has Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors, fast 4G LTE connectivity and a high-resolution screen aimed at challenging Apple’s Retina Display.

Analysts say the move represents a fresh bid to build market share for Chromebooks against machines running Microsoft and Apple operating systems.

Unlike PCs that use installed software such as Microsoft Word, Chrome OS computers run their applications through the firm’s web browser and store their files in the cloud.

The internet giant told the BBC the device was “largely built by Google, with components that are manufactured globally”.

The laptop’s 12.85in (32.64cm) display’s resolution is similar to the so-called Retina Display of Apple’s MacBook range, aimed to have pixel density high enough for the human eye not to notice pixelation when looking at the screen at a typical viewing distance.

“This Chromebook has the highest pixel density (239 pixels per inch) of any laptop screen on the market today,” said the company.

“Packed with 4.3 million pixels, the display offers sharp text, vivid colours and extra-wide viewing angles.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

The challenge for the Chromebook is that computing is shifting towards tablets”

Geoff Blaber CCS Insight

“With a screen this rich and engaging, you want to reach out and touch it — so we added touch for a more immersive experience.”
Embracing the cloud

The first Chrome-powered laptop, built by Samsung, went on sale in June 2011. Chrome laptops that followed were made by Acer, Lenovo and HP.

But so far, Chromebooks have had difficulties challenging Windows-powered computers, said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.

“Chromebooks have struggled for relevance to date, stuck between comparably-priced but entertainment-centric tablets – many of which run Android – and more functional PCs,” he said.

“[The new computer] won’t transform its prospects but Google will hope it serves as a flagship device that has a halo effect for the broader portfolio.”

Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest operating system launched last year, has touchscreen capabilities.

Mr Blaber said: “Touch is now pervasive across every computing category from phones to high-end PCs.

“The challenge for the Chromebook is that computing is shifting towards tablets whilst most consumers lives are not yet fully embracing the cloud versus local storage.”

Citing low efficiency and insufficient employee productivity, Facebook has decided to restrict employee access to Facebook during working hours.

The decision came after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg asked members of his IT team to generate a list of the websites Facebook employees visit most often. Zuckerberg ordered the list to make sure that his employees were putting their working hours to the best possible use, sources report.

“I was horrified when I saw that most workers pretty much spend their entire day just hanging around on Facebook,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “It seems that liking statuses and checking out other peoples’ profiles, summer holiday photos, and funny kitten links has become a normal thing to do all day, and we can’t have that if we’re going to maintain a healthy and productive atmosphere for work.”

Mr. Zuckerberg also claims that the Facebook ban at Facebook could increase efficiency by up to 40 percent. According to recent reports, employees of the company have already announced a planned strike, and have issued an ultimatum to Facebook’s management.

“If the founder of our company does not drop the ban, there will be a general strike, which will probably jeopardize this company’s very existence,” read a statement in the employees’ official ultimatum letter.