Google+ has already attracted 25 million users, making it the fastest Web site to reach that audience size, according to new comScore data. Google's social network debuted in late June, had 25 million unique visitors as of July 24, and is growing at a rate of roughly one million visitors a day, comScore finds. "In contrast, it took Facebook about three years to attract 25 million visitors, while Twitter took just over 30 months," notes Reuters, citing comScore's data. While the data show Google's latest attempt at breaking into social networking has started strongly, however, it may not …

Last week, multiple news organizations, including MediaPost, picked up on research suggesting that Internet Explorer users are less intelligent than users of other Web browsers. The findings ostensibly came from a Canadian firm by the name of Aptiquant, which billed itself as a "psychometric consultant." Questions about the authenticity of Aptiquant and its findings were later raised by readers of the BBC Web site, who established that the so-called research firm appeared to have only set up its Web site in the past month. "Thumbnail images of the firm's staff on the website also matched those on the …

Security firm McAfee on Wednesday released a report detailing a massive cyberattack that lasted up to five years, infiltrated computers, and stole data from a range of American corporations, governments and the United Nations. McAfee called the attack highly sophisticated, and likely the work of a single government body. McAfee, however, declined to say which country it believed was behind the attack. "While there have been suspicions that China has been behind many attacks like this one, McAfee decided not to name or suggest potential culprits," reports The New York Times. Among the few targets named by name …

Premium email service provider IncrediMail on Monday announced plans to buy photo-sharing site Smilebox for $25 million in cash, plus up to $15 million based on performance targets. Smilebox offers photo-editing tools for creating digital postcards, slideshows, collages and other products on home computers and retail photo kiosks. "They're very clearly aligned with us in growing this thing and making it big," Wright said. Smilebox founder Andrew Wright tell The Seattle Times regarding IncrediMail, which also operates a photo-sharing product called PhotoJoy. "It's a very good fit." Wright is a RealNetworks veteran who received early backing from …

Surprisingly, only about 50% to 60% of Apple's famously forward-thinking mobile users have downloaded a Facebook app, according data compiled by analyst Benedict Evans. Facebook shows pages for every app authorized to connect to its system, along with their active users. "So, you can see how many people are using each Facebook app on each mobile platform," according to Evans. In total, Apple has sold around 190 million iPhones and iPod Touches (of which not all are still active) and has 85 million Facebook app users, which, by Evans' calculations, equals a 50% to 60% penetration. Android, on the …

Facebook just announced the official launch of Ads API, so developers can now create tools and services that create, buy and manage Facebook ad campaigns. As Inside Facebook notes, the Ads API had been in limited private beta since late 2009, and has been used by brands via third-party providers to run and optimize multimillion dollar ad campaigns too complex to be conducted through Facebook's self-serve ad tool. "Developers can now apply to join the program, which may lead to the rise of many new Ads API tool and service providers," IF suggests. "The influx might create new …

How has the Today box on Yahoo's home page achieved a 270% increase in clicks since 2009? "A sophisticated personalization algorithm--combined with ever-savvier editors," explains Fast Company. Yahoo began work on the so-called CORE personalization algorithm (which stands for Content Optimization and Relevance Engine) four years ago. It now generates 45,000 totally unique versions of the Today module every five minutes. "The other impact it's having is on Yahoo's Front Page editors, who are getting savvier about what will appeal to readers, in large part due to the insights they're gaining from the algorithm," Fast Company writes. Yahoo …

E-commerce software start-up BigCommerce has raised $15 million in Series A funding from General Catalyst Partners. Since its debut in 2009, the company has served up SaaS platforms for online retailers and merchants to manage their e-commerce operations. "BigCommerce helps small businesses power anything and everything related to an online storefront from search to inventory to online payments to marketing and SEO," TechCrunch writes. "And the price for the software is affordable for small businesses, with basic plans starting at $25 per month." The company reportedly has $200 million in total transactions via its SaaS and is adding …

Is it time to bid Flash a fond farewell? Maybe not, but Adobe -- maker of the revolutionary multimedia platform -- is launching a new tool called Adobe Edge, which will let creative professionals design animated Web content using Web standards like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. "Aimed to coexist with Adobe Flash, not replace it, the Web design software is Adobe's big bet on how it will continue to solidify its position as a top player in the infrastructure of the modern Web, especially as the Web goes increasingly mobile," explains ReadWriteWeb. "In this new mobile context, the Web …

Until now, Vimeo has been known as an ad-free platform for semi-professional videos. Now, challenging Brightcove and Ooyala, IAC-owned site is getting into the video hosting business. "With a new Vimeo Pro product priced at $199 a year, [Vimeo] is hoping to undercut the competition and add a whole new revenue stream to its business," GigaOm writes. (Brightcove's lowest-price offering, which allows users to manage up to 50 videos and includes just 40 GB of bandwidth, is $99 a month.) Rather than be part of Vimeo.com, Vimeo Pro videos will be hosted on customers' own sites. The service will …