Turkey’s social media problems

Turkey banned the likes of Google, Twitter and Facebook last week, over an of a Turkish prosecutor being held at gunpoint by two men outside the Istanbul courthouse.

Turkish authorities applied the ban in order to stop the images from circulating, and the restrictions have since been lifted after the tech giants agreed to remove links of the picture. The same kind of restrictions were imposed on local Turkish tabloids.

At one point on Monday, Turkish Twitter users were blocked off from one of the country’s most popular social platforms. Turkey has history of banning social media, imposing a similar block prior to the 2014 local elections. The hashtag #TwitterisblockedinTurkey became the number one trend worldwide during the ban.

All platforms appear to be up and running again, but numbers from Twitter show that Turkey has filed more requests to remove content from the social media service than any other nation in 2014, according to the BBC.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Series enjoys good reviews

After the disappointing performance of the Galaxy S5 model in 2014, Korean giant Samsung is looking to revitalize its slowing mobile business with its new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge versions set to be released within the next month. The recent launch of a larger iPhone 6 has provided heightened competition for the Galaxy series, while new players like Chinese firm Xiaomi have significantly eroded Samsung’s smartphone market share.

The good news for the company is that initial reviews of the Galaxy S6 models have been positive, as the company has scrapped the ill received features from the S5, like waterproof capabilities and a removable plastic backing. The curved screen of the Galaxy S6 Edge is also a highly anticipated feature.

However, the complexities of manufacturing the curved screen (on both the right and left sides of the screen) means that the smartphone giant will not be able to meet initial demands for the product, according to the company’s head of mobile, JK Shin. Reuters reports that Samsung is doing its best to resolve its shortages in supply, but the problem will persist in the short term.

While the expectations were that the Galaxy S6 would be the dominant model, the Edge has really created a stir within the tech community and Samsung will hope that this new innovation will propel it back to the top of the mobile sector once supply can meet demand.

The Korean giant has high hopes; Lee Sang-chul, Samsung’s head of mobile marketing, expects the Galaxy S6 to set a sales record for the Galaxy series. It shipped in 20 countries starting on April 10, while the company is also developing some new wearable tech to compete with Apple’s highly anticipated Apple watch.

Samsung needs 2015 to be a bounce back year, and early indications suggest its new products are leading the company in the right direction.

Facebook releases web messenger

Facebook has been trying to boost its Messenger app above competitors, including its acquisition Whatsapp, with new features and extended capabilities. Some of those include allowing third party apps like ESPN and the Weather Channel to interact with the messenger, as well as reservation booking and order tracking.

The latest upgrade in messenger came this week, as the mobile messenger app is now also a standalone website, Messenger.com. The interface and experience are the same, with the idea to please those users who like the messaging feature without all the other clutter on Facebook.