“Dark Knight Rises” Trailer Hits the Web [VIDEO]

Warner Bros. has posted the first teaser trailer for the third installment of The Dark Knight Rises, the third film in the rebooted Batman film franchise, on Facebook.

The trailer, which first graced screens this weekend before showings ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, is mostly a 90-second compilation of scenes from the previous two films — but it does contain a few scenes from the new one. A scene showing Batman (Christian Bale) preparing to fight Bane (Tom Hardy), one of the caped crusader’s greatest adversaries, should get fans excited.

Warner Bros. decided not to host the video on its servers, but instead posted it to its Facebook Page. Presumably the studio is trying to amass more Facebook fans to help promote the film.

The movie hits theaters in summer 2012 and also features Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Morgan Freeman reprises his role as Lucius Fox, and Michael Caine returns as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler and adviser.

Check out the trailer and let us know in the comments what you think .

HOW TO: Launch Facebook Skype Video Chat [PICS]

 by Sarah Kessler

You can now make video calls on Facebook, thanks to a new Skype-powered feature the social network launched Wednesday.

During the product announcement, Mark Zuckerberg described how his elderly neighbor in Palo Alto asked if he could to video chat his grandson on Facebook — without the hassle of setting up a new account or downloading a program. “Tune in,” Zuckerberg told him.

It’s not quite as seamless as Zuckerberg’s neighbor was hoping, however. The first time you try to video chat someone or answer a call, you will indeed be asked to download a program. The chat window will then ask you to select some Flash settings.

After that, the feature works like “a mini-Skype client,” as Skype CEO Tony Bates mentioned during the announcement. It also has a neat option to record a video message if the person you’re calling doesn’t answer. Here’s a brief walk-through in pictures. Is it working for you? Let us know in the comments.

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Before you can participate in a video chat call, go to facebook.com/videocalling to enable your account. Click on "Get started."

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You'll need to install a program. The install option will pop up when you click the video camera icon on the upper-right corner of the chat window or receive a call.

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As with a standard Skype call, no video launches until the second party answers the call.

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If the person who you're calling doesn't answer, you can leave a video message. This message will appear in their "messages" tab, the same place that text messages do.

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This is what the video chat window looks like.

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Evidence of a Facebook Music Service Surfaces

by Ben Parr

References to a product called “Vibes” have been found in Facebook’s code, and it could be related to the company’s rumored music service.

The social network launched its Skype-powered video chat service on Wednesday. Part of the process of getting started with the one-on-one video communication product is downloading and installing a programon the desktop.

Eagle-eyed software engineer and researcher Jeff Rose was curious about what he was installing and how it interacts with Skype, so he decided to look into the code of the desktop app. In it, he found that the installer supports not one but two applications. One is called “Peep,” which is related to the video chat client, and one is called “Vibes,” which is apparently related to a music downloading app.

Here’s the code in question:


if (paramString.equals("com.facebook.peep"))
return this.window.getMember("VideoChatPlugin");
if (paramString.equals("com.facebook.vibes")) {
return this.window.getMember("MusicDownloadDialog");
}

It seems clear that Facebook has something related to music downloading up its sleeve. Could it be an app for downloading your music and uploading it to the cloud? Could it be powered by Spotify? Or could it just be code that refers to a defunct or discarded product?

Don’t bet on Facebook’s music app being called “Facebook Vibes,” though. There’s a reason why Facebook’s video chat product isn’t called “Facebook Peep.” Still, we know Facebook has a music product coming soon, and now we believe it will do more than simply play your favorite tunes.

What do you think Facebook has up its sleeve?