Facebook may pay millions in user lawsuit settlement

Facebook may possibly be sending millions of users up to $10 each in a cash settlement for a lawsuit filed in 2011. Last week, legal notices were sent out by the company discussing payment solutions.

According to CNN in an article published Monday, the recently-launched “Sponsored Stories” advertising program that Facebook uses placed profile pictures next to advertisements that people liked. A person logging on to Facebook could see their friend’s profile picture right next to an advertisement of a brand or label that they had “liked.”

In April of 2011, five Facebook users filed a lawsuit over the ad program. In 2012, Facebook agreed to a $20 million settlement, which was ultimately decided by a court to be distributed among Facebook users. Some users received email settlement notices in the past week.

The amount of money paid to each user depends on how many users submit a claim from the company. Users who received settlement notices have until May 2 to file a claim.

New BlackBerry phone released today

Research in Motion announced that BlackBerry 10, the newest edition of the BlackBerry franchise, will be released today, according to The New York Times in a report published Tuesday.

BlackBerry 10 serves as the name of the new phone and its accompanying operating system. BlackBerry was once the dominant smartphone retailer, but currently accounts for 4.6 percent of the global market for smartphones, compared to Samsung’s 30 percent and Apple’s 20 percent.

Corporations continue to use BlackBerry as a business phone, but Research in Motion plans to release two versions of BlackBerry 10, one with the traditional QWERTY keyboard and a touch-screen version, for more personal and recreation use.

Thorsten Heins, chief executive of Research in Motion, said in a conference in September that the new BlackBerry will “restore the company to glory.”

Warner Bros. name first Asian-American CEO

Warner Brothers named Kevin Tsujihara as their next CEO. Tsujihara will be the first Asian-American CEO of a major Hollywood studio when he is instated on March 1.

Tsujihara currently serves as Warner Bros. president of home entertainment, which encompasses home video, video games and online distribution. He was chosen over other department presidents to lead the company out of a tumultuous financial period and pioneer a new service, “UltraViolet.”

This new service allow customers to access purchased movies on any device connected to the Internet. Tsujihara has already overseen major movements of Warner Bros. content to Internet and mobile devices.

Previous CEO Barry Meyer personally recommended Tsujihara, saying “he was the best choice for the whole company,” according to a Monday L.A. Times article.

Microsoft Office beginning subscription program

Office 2013, the newest edition of the Microsoft computer program franchise, will be offered as a subscription service. Users will pay $100 per year to use Microsoft’s SkyDrive storage unit and out the Office program on up to five computers.

The updated Office also offers “Office on Demand,” which allows a subscriber to access Office 2013 on any web browser on any computer.

According to a CNN article published Tuesday, Microsoft will continue to sell traditional Office programs, so the update and upgrade are not requirements, but both versions have increased in price over the last few years. Reviewers from CNN Money and CNET claim that the upgrade is a nice improvement, but may not be worth the yearly payment.

Office 2013 arrived in store shelves Tuesday.

Money