Today in Tech: Facebook's new news feed; Dell deal; Future of work & more

Facebook: The new News Feed

Facebook launched its new news feed last night. It promises to be more visual, more consistent with mobile devices and more personalized. It's easy to see why. One, there's increasingly more evidence that photos work better online. On eBay, items with images fetch better price; on Facebook, they get more likes and clicks; Pinterest became a hit primarily because of its focus on images. Two, not only more people access the net through their mobile devices - there will be 5 billion smart phones in the next few years - they are also getting quite comfortable switching between different screens. Consistency across devices will help. Three, Facebook is facing flack from both users for its intrusive ads and from the businesses for getting too little space. Better personalisation will help.

You can join the queue by going to http://facebook.com/about/newsfeed and clicking on the green button at the end of the page.

The Dell deal is getting more complicated

Yesterday, CNBC reported that billionaire Icahn is growing his stake in Dell. Now, that's official. Michael Dell, who wanted to take his company private to get more strategic space, is probably finding out that 'returning money to shareholders' is no cakewalk either. Bloomberg reports

With Dell’s two biggest outside shareholders already opposing the deal, the fresh interest will only increase pressure on Michael Dell to raise his offer and consider alternative financial partners. While Dell’s competitors are unlikely to bid, the people said, the company’s shares have now risen well beyond the deal price to a nine-month high. More..

Ben Hammersley on the future of work

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TENPhXc_Tqs[/youtube]

Also of interest

• No signal yet: Apple Radio Service Said Delayed After Label Talks Stall | Bloomberg
• Something to ride on: Winning with IT in consumer packaged goods: Seven trends transforming the role of the CIO | McKinsey Quarterly
• Till they find the next one? Movie Sales Increased With Shutdown of Piracy Sites | WSJ

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.