Dec 10
Yes, we know. People have been recording and remixing albums on iOS for ages. As the man who claims to have given Damon Albarn the idea to make an album on the iPad, I am intimately familiar with the concept. More »
Dec 10
A couple of weeks ago we reported that the folks behind VLC had launched a Kickstarter project in order to bring the media player onto Windows 8 with native support. While the software itself still has yet to reach its Kickstarter goal, the company has released a statement giving us some pretty good news, which would seem like motivation for its supporters to donate to its Kickstarter fund. The good news comes in two parts – firstly it seems that VLC may come to Windows Phone 8 devices, and secondly it looks like Microsoft has extended their help to the team in terms of hardware, technical and design help. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Light up your Christmas sweater with the Digital Dudz app, Final Fantasy IV heading to iOS 20th December,
Dec 10
Nashville? Brannan? Rise? More like rise out of bed and go to hell, because a new Instagram update just dropped with big improvements and a new filter. Yeah, a new one. Go Instagram your eyeballs which just popped out. More »
Dec 10
For a lot of parents, having a selection of apps made specifically for children on hand is a godsend, as they give children something safe and perhaps educational to occupy their time with. We’re finding out today that some of these apps may not be safe as some think though, with the FTC now launching an investigation of a number of developers who make apps geared toward kids. The investigation is based on an FTC report that says app developers aren’t taking the security of children as seriously as they should.
For this report, the FTC studied 200 different apps that were aimed at children. The organization discovered that about 80% of the apps didn’t show a privacy policy either in the app or the developers’ websites, while 59% of the apps send information to either the developer or third-party advertising companies, potentially handing out information like location data or phone numbers. To make matters worse, 58% show advertising with only 15% of those apps actually saying that they’re ad supported.
In one case, an app showed advertisements for an online dating site that kids definitely have no business browsing. 22% of the apps contain links to social networking sites that parents probably don’t want their children visiting, while another 17% contained in-app purchases. We’ve heard many stories about children racking up major bills on their parents’ credit cards by going hog wild on in-app or otherwise digital purchases, so that’s a bit of an issue.
The FTC expects developers to get better at alerting parents to these things by the time its ready to do its next review, but in the meantime it will be investigating some app developers in particular. The agency didn’t say which developers it’s investigating, and it won’t disclose that information until a complaint is filed. We’ll have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out, so stay tuned.
[via ABC News]
FTC investigating app developers for suspected child privacy violations is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 09
Instagram pictures have been wonky inside of Twitter ever since Instagram disabled Twitter cards in hopes of driving users to its own web interface. Now Instagram pictures aren’t showing at all in Twitter’s native web client, and that change is permanent. More »
Dec 07
It’s December, so clearly this edition of the iPad apps of the week has a more jolly tone. We’re equipping you for all the holiday madness, with a tool to get you dressed without looking like a tool, and a couple of merry, merry games. More »
Dec 07
Rockstar apologizes for GTA: Vice City Android hiccup, hopes to get it out by the end of next week
Posted in: Today's Chili
We’re sure that many Android gamers were looking forward to downloading Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City onto their devices, and while iOS users are probably having a blast with the game, it looks like Android users might have to wait until the next weekend. The game was originally scheduled for a release on the 6th of December for both iOS and Android, but it seems that due to validating errors with the APK, the game was removed from the Google Play store after having been downloaded by a few hundred users. The Google Play page for Vice City now leads to a “Not found” page. Rockstar has since issued an apology, “Hey guys, due to unforeseen technical issues, the Android release of Vice City will be slightly delayed. Our goal is to get this out for Android by the end of next week. Our apologies for the delay to all our fans on Android devices and please stay tuned for updates.”
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: BioShock Infinite Delayed To March 2013, Starcraft 2: Heart Of The Swarm Beta Patch 2.02 Is Out,
Dec 07
Amazon is having a bang up year for its Appstore posting massive growth. The massive growth of the Amazon Appstore is attributed in part to the availability and popularity of the Kindle Fire Android tablets that have access to the Appstore. Amazon’s developer features are also helping spur growth.
Reports indicate that downloads from the Amazon Appstore are up 500% for the past year. Amazon said this week that, “[a]pp downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year.” Amazon launched its own Appstore in March of 2011, but most of the growth in downloads is believed to have started in September of 2011 when Amazon launched its first Kindle Fire tablet.
Amazon has multiple devices in that Kindle Fire tablet line today. It’s not all about the tablets though; there are a few phones on the market that come with the Amazon Appstore preinstalled. Many Android users also get introduced originally to Amazon’s Appstore thanks to free premium app downloads offered from time to time.
Amazon did stack the deck in its favor when it comes to downloads though since Google Play isn’t available on the Kindle Fire or Fire HD tablets. Owners of those tablet to want to download apps for games or any other needs have no choice but to use the Amazon Appstore. Developer interest were certainly help to Amazon announced support for A/B testing recently allowing developers to test their apps and receive data about what works best and adjust their apps to take advantage of what’s worked best in the past.
[via Gigaom]
Kindle Fire tablets help Amazon Appstore boom is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 06
Everyday objects are slowly being infused with modern technology. There are fridges that can monitor their contents and automatically order online to restock themselves, socks that know how many times they’ve been washed and now, with the help of a tiny device, your car can be made so smart, it knows when it’s being towed and will tell you so.
This device is called the moj.io. I know, I wish they had come up with a better name. But the folks behind it probably spent all their brain power on the device itself, because it sounds very promising. The moj.io connects to the Internet via cellular networks and to your car via the On-Board Diagnostics OBD-II port (found in all major automotive lines since 1995). Once connected and paired to your mobile device, the moj.io can tell you where your car is located, if it’s being towed, the car’s overall condition and more. moj.io apps can also be more proactive. They can hold calls and text alerts while you’re driving to keep you safer or send text message alerts based on the speed and location of the car. Parents and obsessed lovers will find that one useful.
Pledge at least $89 (USD) on Indiegogo to reserve a moj.io unit. But because it needs to be online – as of now, it’s partnered with T-Mobile in the USA and Rogers in Canada – expect to pay extra for an Internet subscription. U.S. pricing is $7.99/month or $79/year, and canadian pricing is $12.99/month or $119/year. Though if you buy on Indiegogo, you get your first 3 months of service for free.
I’m sure some people have a few privacy concerns with having a device like this available to everyone, but I think that overall the benefits outweigh the risks. Besides, tracking technology has been available for a long time now, it’s just that now it’s in the hands of common folk.
Dec 06
Just a couple of months ago, Google acquired photo-editing app Snapseed. The company is now releasing an Android version of the app, as well as updating the iOS version. The best part, however, is that they’ve dropped the price of both versions to no cost at all, bringing advanced photo-editing tools to iOS and Android users for free.
The app features basic editing tools like tune, straighten, and crop, and it also comes with different creative filters like black & white and vintage that you can apply individually to photos or in combination. There’s also a feature called Control Point, which allows you to selectively edit your photo by brightening just a face or darken just the sky.
The app now also comes with Google+ integration, allowing you to easily share your Snapseed creations seamlessly with your friends on Google’s social network. You can also tag other Google+ members and share to specific Circles. It’s yet another method that will hopefully encourage users to take advantage of the company’s social networking site.
The creators of the app have exclaimed that Snapseed isn’t a competitor to Instagram, and they’re no where close to wanting to copy the popular photo-sharing app. Google has made it clear that it’s not a head-to-head battle with Instagram, since Google’s strategy is to go after the users who want more customization when editing photos, instead of just applying retro filters.
Snapseed is available now for free in the Google Play store, and the updated iOS version is also available now for free in the iTunes App Store.
Google releases Snapseed for Android, updates iOS version is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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