05/21, 3:46pm
Carrier security feature opens door to phishing
Smartphone users on at least 48 cellular carriers may be vulnerable to traffic hijacking and phishing attacks, according to researchers from the University of Michigan. A paper to be presented this week at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy alleges that researchers were able exploit a carrier security feature to hijack connections to Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, and the AdMob advertising network, and to spoof traffic for banks and financial institutions.
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05/09, 2:45am
Many duplicate, spam, suspended accounts on list
Officials from Twitter are looking into what appears to be 50,000 email and password combinations posted to Pastebin earlier this week. After a brief analysis, the list consists of 20,000 duplicates, many suspended spam accounts, and unlinked user name and password combinations. No person or group has claimed responsibility for the leak.
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05/08, 8:13am
Smartphone users Facebook for longer than PC users
A new analysis undertaken by comScore, using its new Mobile Metrix 2.0 tool, has shown that mobile apps are driving most of the time spent on social networks like Facebook, overtaking traditional computer-based browser access. The typical Facebook user was found to spend 441 minutes of their time accessing the site through their smartphone, which compared with an average of 391 spent by users surfing the site from their computer. A similar trend was seen for mobile-centric brands including Twitter, Pinterest and Foursquare, highlighting the increasingly post-PC nature of Internet use.
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04/30, 12:50pm
Makes numerous interface improvements
Tapbots has released a new version of Tweetbot, its popular iOS Twitter client. The v2.3 update concentrates on conversations; a new Detail view shows inline conversations and replies, and gestures make it possible to both jump to this view and quickly return to the timeline. Conversations can be emailed, or alternately linked via Storify.
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04/18, 2:35pm
Microsoft's cloud storage option to gain features
Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage service is getting an update today, with features expected to increase the usability of the service. The new features expand the range of formats supported on SkyDrive, while making file sharing easier.
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04/17, 2:10pm
Twitter Innovator Patents Agreement defense-only
Twitter VP of Engineering Addam Messinger in a statement hoped to reassure developers that it wouldn't sue over patents like Loren Brichter's pull-to-refresh control. A new Innovator's Patent Agreement would only allow using a patent for defensive purposes unless Twitter had explicit permission from the inventor. The pact would also see that level of control transferred with the patents, preventing a company buying the patents from turning around and suing against the inventor's will.
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04/17, 12:25pm
Read It Later becomes free, now called Pocket
The cross-platform Read It Later mobile app, which allows users to save web content for offline reading, has now been renamed to Pocket. What's more, the app has become free in the process. The app is available for Android and iOS devices as well as a version optimized for the Kindle Fire's version of Android.
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04/14, 2:35pm
Twitter may have lost Instagram deal to Facebook
An off-hand leak Saturday has uncovered that Facebook's Instagram deal may have preempted one by Twitter. The New York Times had heard from multiple sources that the microupdate site had been interested in buying Instagram in the past several months. How serious it was hadn't been mentioned.
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04/11, 11:10am
BBM gets live avatars, comes to popular apps
Canadian smartphone maker RIM on Wednesday revealed it will release five newly updated apps this week that will integrate BlackBerry Messenger. They include Facebook and Twitter as well as the completely self-developed Travel, BlackBerry App World, and BBM Music. Version 3.0 of both Facebook and Twitter for BlackBerry allows users to automatically share their status or latest post with their BBM contacts from inside the app.
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04/07, 12:10pm
Zeen to offer two-way magazine making
YouTube's main founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen have been developing a service that could both create and help read "beautiful magazines." Zeen currently has very few details, but its name is a play on the concept of a personal "zine" and suggests a way of aggregating news and other articles that can be shared with others. Social sharing will be a key ingredient, as both the privacy policy and offers to link accounts on Facebook or Twitter make it clear that this will be a regular feature.
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04/06, 8:00pm
Host of syncing options enabled through iCloud
Twitter client Tweetbot has been updated to version 2.2, bringing a host of new syncing abilities to the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch client through the use of iCloud integration (which requires an iCloud account). It also adds some improvements and bug fixes, but the main new features include the syncing of Mute filters, DM read status and Timeline positions when iCloud sync is selected. The program allows for multiple timelines, smart gestures and more.
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04/05, 9:25pm
Company increasing fight against spam
Twitter has announced that it has filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court against five companies that are claimed to profit from spamming operations. The suit is said to be not limited to just spammers themselves, but also the developers that have created tools that are used to spread bulk marketing messages via the social network.
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04/04, 6:00pm
Speed tweaks, new iPad support, more
Apple's iAd Producer has been quietly updated to version 2.1, which addresses a number of minor improvements such as support for the latest iPad and faster loading, saving and exporting of projects. The marquee feature, however, is iAd integration with Twitter -- allowing iAd designers to integrate Twitter directly into the ad. Also integrated into v2.1 is the use of WebGL assets in iAd content, and an expansion of types of assets that are allowed.
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04/03, 12:10pm
Instagram reaches Android at last
Instagram ended one of the more conspicuous gaps in Android's app library with its first Android version (Google Play). The new version brings most of the feature set of the most recent iOS version, including the same art filters, Lux image boosting, and support for both cameras when they exist. It can share to Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, but it lacks the iOS version's Flickr support, which is due "very soon."
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03/31, 1:50am
TweetDeck comes back after hours
Twitter late at night restored TweetDeck's access after pulling it down over a serious bug. In a statement given to The Verge, Twitter said that there had been a bug that led to a "very small number" of users getting control of others' accounts, up to the hundreds in at least one case. The flaw had been random and didn't see anyone's passwords compromised.
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03/30, 5:45pm
TweetDeck taken down over big bug
Twitter said it had temporarily disabled TweetDeck clients Friday after user Geoff Evanson discovered a major bug in user access. Reportedly without doing anything on his own, Evanson could get access to "hundreds" of Twitter and Facebook accounts. As proof, he posted from someone else's account.
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03/29, 8:00pm
Move will help devs add song information, more
Echo Nest, the self-proclaimed music intelligence platform that supplies music data, has now partnered with streaming music service Spotify to allow developers integrate data into their apps. Developers will now just need to use a Spotify song's ID to pair it with Echo Nest's Rosetta Stone database, which includes song and artist identifiers. They can then integrate this data easily with sites such as Facebook, Twitter, 7Digital, EMI, Free Music Archive, and Rdio, among others.
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03/29, 7:00pm
Info uploadable from Twitter
Foursquare has aadded a new level of personal information that can be shared with others. The social activity sharing site will let users publish a brief biography of themselves for other Foursquare members to see while they are interacting. Users can input the biographical information manually or directly import it from a Twitter account, with a chance to edit it before it goes live.
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03/29, 10:40am
Refurbished Kindle Fire drops to $139 today
Dave Zatz revealed that Amazon has added a refurbished Kindle Fire to its Gold Box offerings, which expires in about 16 hours, depending on the time you read this. The device is priced at $139, which is $30 less than regularly and $60 less than a brand-new example. Buyers are limited to five units and there is limited stock as well, though how many are on offer isn't specified.
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03/27, 5:15pm
Tech already used in many third-party titles
Tweetie developer Loren Brichter, now with Twitter, has a US patent application in review for the pull-to-refresh gesture common in many touchscreen apps, reports note. To get around the interface limitations of some devices, many apps -- such as the Facebook iOS app, or Twitter clients -- will let users "drag" a portion of the interface down to force a feed refresh. Some apps use the same gesture to trigger different commands.
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03/26, 7:35pm
Offers Promoted Tweets & Accounts to small biz
Twitter has officially launched its self-service advertising program targeting small businesses. The company has begun offering these businesses access to its Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts programs. With these, companies in this market segment can create product awareness without having to make special content.
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03/26, 5:35pm
Microsoft tells staff some WP7 rivals may win
Microsoft has a guide for its store staff as to devices and software that can beat its Windows Phone challenges, insiders uncovered on Monday. Staff were told to be careful about the weather challenge at the heart of more the recent incident, of getting temperature for two different cities, as Android users with the right widgets could win the test, according to The Verge. Similarly, iPhone 4S owners could win two tests, either by using a faster camera to post quickly to Facebook or by using a Siri trick to post to Facebook and Twitter at the same time.
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03/22, 4:00pm
Twitter, Facebook among scrutinized companies
The US Congress' House Energy & Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman and chairman Fred Upton have issued a letter to 33 iOS developers, asking them about privacy policies when it comes to apps, reports say. A number of prominent developers are included in the list, such as Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud, Turntable.fm, Path, and Tweetbot creator Tapbots. The letter actually claims that 34 developers have been contacted, but only 33 are mentioned.
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03/22, 1:20pm
TweetDeck gets long-expected update
Twitter showed renewed interest in its desktop TweetDeck apps after their first release with a version 1.3 update for Windows, Mac (App Store), Google Chrome, and the web. The new version is meant partly to catch up to the mainstream web page and now has optional in-line photo and video previews. Pros and fans of lists can now create, delete, or modify lists, including changing someone's relationship to a list through their profile.
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03/21, 3:35pm
Verizon argues no other place to buy spectrum
A currently ongoing trial US Congress' Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from Verizon about its buy of AWS spectrum from cable companies that include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House. During the meeting, Verizon said it would continue to develop its FiOS fiber optic service into which it's already invested some $23 billion and that customers will see no decrease in choices or increased prices from the move due to marketing agreements between cable companies and Verizon, John Eggerton tweeted. The provider's representatives also said it's a good steward of spectrum and is more efficient than some others at using it.
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03/21, 1:30pm
Virgin Mobile USA fixes near day-long outage
Virgin Mobile USA has restored service after suffering a near day-long outage across the US. A Twitter update on Wednesday morning stated the data and text service is back. If users aren't yet receiving service, a reboot should force a reconnection. Not all subscribers have indicated a loss of service, however, though Virgin promised over Facebook on Tuesday afternoon that work on restoring the service is being done.
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03/18, 2:15pm
Apple, Path, Facebook, others in lawsuit sights
A new lawsuit (below) filed last week and uncovered on Friday by CNET could try and take Apple and key iOS app writers to task for alleged unapproved contact access. The potential class action case accuses those who've admitted to any access, such as Path, Twitter, and Instagram, of violating privacy by becoming "mobile radio beacons" that were "broadcasting and publicly exposing" contact lists to everyone. Questionably, however, it also names the developers of numerous other unverified apps of doing the same thing, including Beluga, Burbn, Chillingo, EA, Facebook, Foursquare, Foodspotting, Hipster, Gowalla, Kik, LinkedIn, Rovio (Angry Birds), and ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope).
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03/17, 6:05pm
TweetDeck to get much needed refresh
Twitter has been actively recruiting for a long-expected revamp of its mobile apps. One listing would get multiple positions for developing a "cutting edge" Android app. The microblogging site wouldn't have had trouble getting help for its iOS app, as leaks emanating from TechCrunch suggest spots for reworking the app had already been filled.
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03/12, 5:05pm
Twitter acquires Posterous, plans access
Twitter confirmed Monday that it had bought Posterous. The deal was intended to help improve mobile and web sharing. Staff and resources would come over wholesale, although Twitter promised that Posterous Spaces would stay active "without disruption."
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03/07, 3:20pm
Apple talks milestones and Android tablet UIs
Apple during its new iPad event touted its iOS device count and was also heavily critical of Android tablet apps. Apple had sold a total of 315 million iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch players in its history. About 172 million of those were sold in 2011, CEO Tim Cook said, while recapping mention that 62 million had been sold just in the fall.
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02/28, 4:50pm
Phones previously a safe haven
Twitter is now allowing promoted tweets to appear in the feeds of iOS and Android apps, according to an announcement. While promoted tweets are nothing new, these have so far only been displayed via the twitter.com web client. Advertisers will initially be limited to displaying tweets to people who already follow them on Twitter, but in coming months that restriction will disappear. For now, iPads will remain without the extra ads.
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02/22, 3:05pm
Toshiba dates Android 4 update for Thrive 10
Toshiba USA just revealed over Twitter that it plans to update its Thrive 10.1-inch tablet to Android 4.0 before the end of the spring. This puts the release in mid-June, as the summer season starts on June 20.
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02/22, 1:00pm
PS Vita gets Netflix, Flickr, Live Tweet apps
With the full launch of the PS Vita in the US on Wednesday, Sony has released a number of new games and apps in the online PlayStation Store. Users can now download the free Flickr, Live Tweet, and Netflix apps. Flickr is a photo-sharing site that lets users join groups and make personalized photo streams.
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02/21, 9:30pm
In part a reaction to the Path privacy debacle
Social networking service Twitter has updated its client for iOS and for Android to return the much-requested "swipe shortcut" that allowed users to swipe a tweet and be offered options including reply, re-tweet, mark it as a favorite, share it or view the posting user's profile without leaving the user's own timeline. Those on iOS can now change font size among other features, and the Android version now supports more devices.
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02/14, 10:20pm
Company criticized for holding data
Twitter has reportedly admitted that it currently stores smartphone contact information for 18 months after users initiate the "find friends" feature found in the company's mobile apps. The data stored on the company's servers includes address book fields such as names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
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02/08, 4:15pm
Tweetbot gets big overhaul with tablet version
Tapbots revamped its signature Twitter apps in large form on Wednesday, starting with the surprise release of Tweetbot for iPad ($3, App Store). The new version both adapts to the bigger canvas of the tablet and shares its support for creating multiple timelines from one account and gestures to save time. Likewise, it can save content for later through Cloudapp, Instapaper, and Read it Later.
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02/02, 12:05pm
Peek stops supporting lifetime device service
Despite at one time offering a $300 lifetime subscription deal for its Peek Twitter and text messaging handhelds, users reported that their service was cut abruptly on January 30. Some did receive e-mails warning them of the stoppage, and Peek CEO Amol Sarva confirmed service for the devices has ended. The products, such as the Peek 9 that added e-mail to its list of capabilities, used T-Mobile's 2G network for their connection to the web.
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01/26, 5:20pm
Galaxy Nexus due at Mobilicity on February 6
Canadian provider Mobilicity has revealed over Twitter that it will get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on February 6. This would be the first provider to bring the handset to an AWS 3G network. Mobilicity doesn't require post-paid contracts.
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01/24, 1:55pm
Boxee Box 1.5 update brings new interface, more
Boxee Box has just released its 1.5 software update behind live TV function of its new tuner that we had a chance to check out at CES. There are also some other functionalities the update enables. With the tuner add-on, this update, and the main Boxee Box hardware, users can access over-the-air TV broadcasts as well as Internet content.
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01/24, 12:05pm
Nokia Lumia 910 with 12MP camera due in May?
Eldar Murtazin, who has sometimes slipped out the arrival of several Nokia devices in the past, is now tweeting with purported knowledge about Nokia's Windows Phone expansion plans for 2012. The Lumia 910, he wrote, will arrive in May, or roughly in line with talk of an international Lumia 900 arriving in Europe during the spring. It could also sport a 12-megapixel camera rather than the 900's eight-megapixel shooter, Murtazin claimed.
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01/24, 8:35am
Twitter picks up Dasient as ads kick in
Web security firm Dasient confirmed late Monday that it had been bought by Twitter. The young startup is best known for curbing malware and spam in ads on major ad networks. Terms of the deal weren't given out, but Dasient would be closing its existing business in the switch.
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01/20, 5:05pm
Neelie Kroes Twits against SOPA bill
The latest to speak out against the controversial SOPA and PIPA bills is European Union Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes. "Glad tide is turning on SOPA: don't need bad legislation when should be safeguarding benefits of open net," she wrote in a Twitter message. The legislation, if passed, would give the US Justice Department to shut down sites simply suspected of sharing pirated content.
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01/19, 3:25pm
Samsung outs new basic phones with two Star 3s
Samsung has released successors for its entry-level Star II handsets with the Star 3 and Star 3 Duos. Both handsets are virtually identical, with the Duos adding a dual SIM slot. They have three-inch, 240x320 displays, and are 11.5mm (0.45in) thick.
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01/19, 2:00pm
Twitter gets Summify to aggregate Twitter news
Summify confirmed Thursday that it had been bought by Twitter. The move will give Twitter access to aggregated news from users' Twitter feeds, which Summify streamlined in daily e-mail. It warned that the service would gradually ramp down before being closed as the team moves to San Francisco.
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01/18, 4:55pm
Nokia update with battery fix due in two weeks
(Update: starts today) Nokia just announced over Twitter that it will begin releasing the next software update for the Lumia 800 smartphone over the next two weeks. The second update for the handset is expected to resolve a battery issue. Some users can't see the 1,000mAh battery's full capacity.
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01/16, 5:35am
Rupert Murdoch attacks Google, Obama over SOPA
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has ripped into Google over what he alleges is its complicity in propagating pirated content in its search results. Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, and a strong backer of SOPA, also accused President Obama of permitting piracy go on unabated after reconsidering his position on certain provisions in the legislation. Since signing up to the Twitterverse in the past few weeks, Murdoch has let his position on SOPA be known to the world.
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01/14, 3:45am
FTC worried Google Plus may skew results
The FTC's investigation into Google has spread into search, a purported insider disclosed Friday night. Following thetech giant's plans this week to put Google+ updates into the search stream, the US regulator was said by Reuters to be probin whether the social network was unfairly pushing down Google's competitors through results. Twitter, among others, have accused Google of 'warping' results by making it hard for Twitter to get as much prominence.
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01/09, 7:35pm
Dragon TV integrates messaging, social media, TV
Nuance Communications has unveiled Dragon TV, a voice and natural language understanding platform for TV, device and set-top box OEMs and digital service operators. Similar to Nuance's plain-language speech recognition encoded in Siri's Assistant feature,
Dragon TV responds to voice commands in plain English. Viewers can find content by speaking channel numbers, station names, show and movie names. Searches by actor's name and genre are also possible.
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01/05, 3:50pm
Broadcom makes deal with SlingBox, Myriad
Chipmaker Broadcom has made a few significant deals this week, partnering with Sling Media for its EchoStar set-top technology and with Myriad for the Alien Vue solution. The deals could result in a Broadcom system-on-chip that may allow set-top boxes for TVs that run Android apps and aren't limited to home Wi-Fi networks. Thus far, only Dish Network allows place-shifting in Sling's Slingbox set-tops.
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12/22, 4:50pm
Barnes & Noble adds slew of new apps for tablets
Barnes & Noble has just revealed that it has added new official apps to its Nook Tablet and Nook Color devices. They include the popular Words with Friends, with Twitter and Plants vs. Zombies coming soon. Others are promised for early next year as well.
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