Dec 25
You’ve been hanging back, waffling back and forth. Android or iPhone? But it’s decision time, and you’ve made the call: it’s time to trade in the Cupertino Kool-Aid for some Kit Kats. Here’s how to do it right.
Jun 21
Apple surely loves its third-party app developers, but it doesn’t love them equally. The company reserves special affection for those who optimize their apps for the latest version of iOS and its integrated services (Passbook, Game Center, Maps etc.), and we guess that’s why the official iOS Dev Center has published the chart above. Based on two weeks’ worth of recent data, it shows that 93 percent of iOS users who visited the App Store were on iOS 6, while just one in a hundred were on something lower than iOS 5, implying that fragmentation isn’t something for devs to fret over. Of course, as Appleinsider points out, Cupertino may have had other reasons for choosing this specific style of presentation, since it begs to be compared against Android’s fortnightly pie chart (shown below).
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: Appleinsider
Source: iOS Dev Center
May 14
Thorsten Heins just broke what has to be the biggest news out of BBLive this morning: BBM is breaking out of its walled garden. Starting this summer, users running iOS 6 and Android ICS or higher will be able to download the BBM app for free and join in the messaging experience so highly curated by BlackBerry. Initially, however, only the messaging and group features will be accessible for outside users, but throughout the year, the company hopes to add BBM voice, BBM channels, screen sharing and video capabilities. You’ll have to hold tight for a more specific launch date, as Heins didn’t announce any concrete timing. But if you’ve waited for this news for years, what’s a few more months?
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Blackberry
Apr 16
Among the people affected by Apple’s iOS 6 Maps debacle was claimed project head Richard Williamson, who was reportedly shown the door at the end of 2012. While the details were never directly corroborated outside of Williamson’s exit in December, he may have found a new home at Facebook: Bloomberg‘s sources say that the director joined the social network’s mobile software division within the past two weeks. We don’t know what (if anything) Williamson might be producing when Facebook has so far declined comment, although there’s no question that he has an appropriate pedigree when he managed interface development for key iOS apps and helped get Safari off the ground. Suffice it to say that the internet giant has plenty of projects that might benefit from his overall experience.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple, Facebook
Via: AppleInsider
Source: Bloomberg
Feb 17
The Weekly Roundup for 02.11.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili 
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Feb 14
The Daily Roundup for 02.14.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili 
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Feb 14
It seems that every time Apple introduces a new version of iOS, it creates some new method to get past the software’s lock screen. A YouTube tutorial reveals the rather simple combination of button presses and fake emergency calls necessary to give you access to anyone’s iDevice — or more specifically to the iOS phone module, from where you can make calls or view and edit contacts. You’ll have to be quick-fingered, however, as you have to push the home button rapidly after getting into the iPhone’s contact list. You can learn how to do it after the break, but until Cupertino issues an update, we’d suggest keeping your beloved fondlephone close by.
Filed under: Apple
Via: Gizmodo, S1riOS6 (Spanish)
Feb 04
Evasi0n untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 arrives to free your iPhone 5 and iPad mini
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It was only a matter of time before the iPhone 5 was freed from its rigid, stock iOS constraints, and months after first seeing the handset be liberated, any and all users can now do the same. That’s right, folks, the evasi0n untethered jailbreak for iOS 6.0 and 6.1 is now just a download away at the source link below. To accomplish the task, you need only have a computer running Windows XP and up, Mac OS X 10.5 and up, or your favorite flavor of Linux x86 / x86_64. Of course, before you go hacking your hardware, it’s advisable to back up your data — and to check out evasi0n’s FAQ first, so you know what you’re getting into. After that, you’re mere clicks away from total iPhone freedom. Enjoy.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: evasi0n
Jan 31
Evernote intros Penultimate 4 for iPad, explores synced and searchable handwriting
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Evernote acquired the Penultimate app for iPad last year with the conspicuous goal of making handwritten notes as easy to synchronize as to-do lists and snippets from the web. After several months of silence, the newly reworked Penultimate 4 is the result. The drawing tool now treats Evernote not just as a sharing option, but an integral part of its being. While it’s possible to skip the sign-in, those who link their account get both cross-platform access to their work as well as cloud-based searches of their more legible writing. There’s likewise a simpler interface with more realistic pen input. Truth be told, however, we suspect that many of Penultimate 4’s would-be adopters will just care that the app is now free — as of today, the biggest cost is that of an optional Evernote Premium account. As long as they’re using an iPad running iOS 6, note takers yearning for the flexibility of a pad and paper in an era of cloud syncing and tablets can give Penultimate a try at the source link.
Filed under: Tablets
Source: App Store
Jan 28
According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch data authority College Bescherming Persoonsgegevens (CBP), the popular cross-platform messaging application WhatsApp violates privacy laws. A joint investigation between the two groups revealed that, with the exception of devices running iOS 6, the app requires access to a customer’s address book in order to use the software. This stipulation results in non-user contact information being recorded to WhatsApp servers without permission, which contravenes Canadian and Dutch privacy laws. In September of 2012, the company added encryption to its services as a response to these investigations, but both the OPC and CBP remain concerned about unauthorized data collecting. As it stands, both organizations will continue to monitor WhatsApp’s progress toward compliance, with the Dutch agency reserving its right to impose fines against the firm if necessary.
WhatsApp’s violation of privacy law partly resolved after investigation by data protection authorities
Canadian and Dutch data privacy guardians release findings from investigation of popular mobile app
Ottawa, Canada and The Hague, The Netherlands, January 28, 2013 -The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (College bescherming persoonsgegevens, (CBP)) today released their findings from a collaborative investigation into the handling of personal information by WhatsApp Inc., a California-based mobile app developer.
The coordinated investigation is a global first, as two national data protection authorities conducted their work together to examine the privacy practices of a company with hundreds of millions of customers worldwide. This marks a milestone in global privacy protection.
“Our Office is very proud to mark an important world-first along with our Dutch counterparts, especially in light of today’s increasingly online, mobile and borderless world,” said Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada. “Our investigation has led to WhatsApp making and committing to make further changes in order to better protect users’ personal information.”
Jacob Kohnstamm, Chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, adds: “But we are not completely satisfied yet. The investigation revealed that users of WhatsApp – apart from iPhone users who have iOS 6 software – do not have a choice to use the app without granting access to their entire address book. The address book contains phone numbers of both users and non-users. This lack of choice contravenes (Dutch and Canadian) privacy law. Both users and non-users should have control over their personal data and users must be able to freely decide what contact details they wish to share with WhatsApp.”
Key findings and outcomes
The investigation focused on WhatsApp’s popular mobile messaging platform, which allows users to send and receive instant messages over the Internet across various mobile platforms. While WhatsApp was found to be in contravention of Canadian and Dutch privacy laws, the organization has taken steps to implement many recommendations to make its product safer from a privacy standpoint. At this time however, outstanding issues remain to be fully addressed.
The investigation revealed that WhatsApp was violating certain internationally accepted privacy principles, mainly in relation to the retention, safeguard, and disclosure of personal data. For example:
In order to facilitate contact between application users, WhatsApp relies on a user’s address book to populate subscribers’ WhatsApp contacts list. Once users consent to the use of their address book, all phone numbers from the mobile device are transmitted to WhatsApp to assist in the identification of other WhatsApp users. Rather than deleting the mobile numbers of non-users, WhatsApp retains those numbers (in a hash form). This practice contravenes Canadian and Dutch privacy law which holds that information may only be retained for so long as it is required for the fulfilment of an identified purpose. Only iPhone users running iOS6 on their devices have the option of adding contacts manually rather than uploading the mobile address numbers of their address books to company servers automatically.
At the time the investigation began, messages sent using WhatsApp’s messenger service were unencrypted, leaving them prone to eavesdropping or interception, especially when sent through unprotected Wi-Fi networks. In September 2012, in partial response to our investigation, WhatsApp introduced encryption to its mobile messaging service.
Over the course of the investigation, it was found that WhatsApp was generating passwords for message exchanges using device information that can be relatively easily exposed. This created the risk that a third party may send and receive messages in the name of users without their knowledge. WhatsApp has since strengthened its authentication process in the latest version of its app, using a more secure randomly generated key instead of generating passwords from MAC (Media Acess Control) or IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) numbers (which uniquely identify each device on a network) to generate passwords for device to application message exchanges. Anyone who has downloaded WhatsApp, whether they are active users or not, should update to the latest version to benefit from this security upgrade.
Next steps
The OPC and CBP have worked closely together, but have issued separate reports, respecting each country’s data protection law (Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Dutch Data Protection Act (Wet bescherming persoonsgegevens (Wbp)). Following the issuance of their respective reports of findings, the OPC and CBP will pursue outstanding matters independently.
Following investigation, the Dutch Data Protection Act provides for a second phase in which the CBP will examine whether the breaches of law continue and will decide whether it will take further enforcement actions. The Dutch legal framework contains the possibility to enforce the Dutch privacy law by imposing sanctions.
Under Canada’s PIPEDA, the OPC will monitor the company’s progress in meeting commitments made in the course of investigation. In most cases, companies are cooperative in meeting their obligations, and WhatsApp has demonstrated a willingness to fully comply with the OPC’s recommendations. Unlike the CBP, the OPC does not have order making powers.
Filed under: Software
Via: Reuters
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