sunbattery's posterous http://sunbattery.posterous.com Most recent posts at sunbattery's posterous posterous.com Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:08:00 -0800 Google Chrome will see greater expansion on mobile devices http://sunbattery.posterous.com/google-chrome-will-see-greater-expansion-on-m http://sunbattery.posterous.com/google-chrome-will-see-greater-expansion-on-m

Google Chrome will see greater expansion on mobile devices

By Rachel King.

Summary: Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and Apps at Google, talks up the dual strategies of Android and Chrome, but don't expect the two platforms to merge anytime soon.

SAN FRANCISCO - The mobile web is in its infancy, according to Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and Apps at Google, adding that this market will flourish over the next three to five years.

Pichai sat down for a chat during the closing keynote discussion of the 2012 Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference on Thursday afternoon.

See also: Groupon CEO: 'We've cracked the code'

For critics who would ask what is there left to innovate with a browser, Pichai retorted that even though browsers have been around for 15 years, if you make the experience better, people will respond.

There are roughly 200 million Chrome users worldwide, and while Chrome is primarily a desktop experience as part of Google's dual strategy (Chrome and Android), it's starting to make its way on to mobile devices.

Last week, Google released a beta version of Chrome for Android for mobile devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

Pichai noted that the "future of Chrome" is pushing the platform across smartphones and tablets. Part of the motivation for pushing Chrome to tablets, in particular, is how much more people use the browser on these devices.

"Users expect a seamless, integrated experience across devices," Pichai asserted, explaining the necessity (and opportunity) to ensure Chrome's presence and continuity across Google's products, from the desktop to mobile devices to Google TV.

The underpinnings to Chrome relies on two things: cloud-based apps and the browser that makes these things work.

Although the Chrome App Store is "in its early days," according to Pichai, he boasted about its success thus far given that install rates have tripled over the last three months, and there are approximately one million downloads in this space each day.

Pichai didn't offer many specifics about where the Chrome App Store will go from here, but he did note that we'll be seeing many more gaming and productivity apps released in the near future.

As far as productivity goes, Pichai pointed towards both Chrome and Google Apps, cloud computing products that are becoming much more popular with businesses trying to wrangle with the bring-your-own-device to work trend.

Businesses want something "that will scale across all this: a cloud-based solution that supports multiple endpoints," Pichai argued. "That changes the value of Apps significantly."

But as for any kind of pressure about merging the Android and Chrome platforms into a single unit, Pichai remained mum.

"We don't know. We will always do the right thing by users," Pichai said. "People use them differently, and we want to address them differently for today."

Apple tweaks apps policy under lawmaker pressure

By Gerry Shih.

(Reuters) - Under pressure from U.S. legislators, Apple Inc moved Wednesday to quell a swelling privacy controversy by saying that it will begin to require iPhone and iPad apps to seek "explicit approval" in separate user prompts before accessing users' address book data.

Apple's move came shortly after two members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce committee requested the company to provide more information about its privacy policies. Bloggers, in recent days, have published findings that some of the most popular software applications in Apple's App Store have been able to lift private address book data without user consent.

"Apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines," an Apple spokesman told Reuters. "We're working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release."

In a letter addressed to Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Representatives Henry Waxman of California and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, both Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked Apple earlier on Wednesday to clarify its developer guidelines and the measures taken by the company to screen apps sold on its App Store.

The letter came after Path, a San Francisco startup that makes a Facebook-like social networking app, attracted widespread criticism last week after a Singaporean developer discovered that Path's iPhone app had been quietly uploading his contacts' names and phone numbers onto Path's servers.

In the following days, other technology bloggers discovered that iPhone apps like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Foodspotting similarly uploaded user data -- without permission, in some cases.

The Path incident "raises questions about whether Apple's iOS app developer policies and practices may fall short when it comes to protecting the information of iPhone users and their contacts," the letter said.

The legislators' request for information cast the spotlight squarely onto Apple for the first time since an independent blogger, Dustin Curtis, wrote in a widely distributed post last week that "there's a quiet understanding among many iOS app developers that it is acceptable to send a user's entire address book, without their permission to remote servers and then store it for future reference."

Curtis blamed Apple, writing that he could not "think of a rational reason for why Apple has not placed any protections on Address Book in iOS."

In their letter to Apple, Waxman and Butterfield, referenced Curtis' blog post, adding: "There could be some truth to these claims."

The legislators had asked Apple to submit its response by February 29.

 

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Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:05:00 -0800 iPhone apps storing contact lists just the latest privacy debacle in the mobile industry http://sunbattery.posterous.com/iphone-apps-storing-contact-lists-just-the-la http://sunbattery.posterous.com/iphone-apps-storing-contact-lists-just-the-la

iPhone apps storing contact lists just the latest privacy debacle in the mobile industry

By Brad Spirrison.

Smartphones and mobile applications entertain, inform and keep us connected in ways we could not even fathom just a few years ago. There is a trade-off, however, as many of these new conveniences require us to share personal information with cell phone companies or app developers.

While many of us are willing to do things like broadcast our location to friends who might be nearby, or invite people on our contact lists to a cool new social network, we count on mobile companies to explain to us when and how they are using personal information to enhance our overall experience. We also trust that our personal and financial data will be safe in the event of a security breach.

This is not always the case. This month's scandal involving Apple and several high-profile iPhone apps is only the most recent example of privacy breaches made by major mobile companies. Here we detail five of them with recent updates.

Twitter, Instagram and Path caught storing contact lists without clear permission

Earlier this month it was discovered that popular social networking app Path was transferring contact list information - which could include names, email addresses and phone numbers - from iPhone users to its own servers. This data helped Path members find and add friends to their networks. While there is nothing that indicates Path was doing anything inappropriate with the contact information, the company erred by not clearly communicating to users how their sensitive information was being stored. Path later apologized and updated its iPhone app to require user permission before it stores any contact data.

Shortly after the Path disclosure, prominent iPhone apps including Twitter, Instagram and Foodspotting either released updates to require user permission, or acknowledged similar practices. Feeling the heat, on February 15 Apple announced that it would require all apps to ask permission ahead of time before accessing users' address books. Additionally, Apple CEO Tim Cook was formally asked by Congress to tighten up the company's app approval process and make sure independent developers cannot access contact information without permission. So iPhone (as well as iPad and iPod Touch) owners should expect updates by the February 29 deadline provided by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

Security flaw found in Google Wallet

While there is no scandal to date associated with how apps running on Android smartphones access contact lists, Google is addressing a security breech that could impact a user's virtual pocketbook. Earlier this month, the company temporarily suspended issuing Google Wallet prepaid cards after tests showed how funds could be depleted if a user's smartphone got into the hands of a thief. It was revealed that because prepaid card balances were stored on smartphones rather than within an app, all a would-be thief would need to do to access funds was clear existing data on Google Wallet and create a brand new account.

On February 15, Google began reissuing prepaid cards. The company now requires users who wiped data from Google Wallets to set up new accounts with a human being from Google's support team. While this fix in theory should take care of the problem, this episode will give pause to the vast majority of consumers who do not use their smartphones to make purchases.

Carrier IQ scandal could lead to Mobile Device Privacy Act

Last November it was discovered that software called Carrier IQ that is installed within tens of millions of smartphones was tracking user location and even keystroke behavior without permission. While cell phone carriers use Carrier IQ's technology to help them identify gaps in their networks that lead to dropped calls, the media attention of practices including capturing passwords to secure websites drew public outcry and even an FBI investigation.

Carriers and smartphone manufacturers including Sprint, HTC and Samsung have recently removed Carrier IQ from their networks and devices. Expect more companies to follow suit (Apple removed Carrier IQ when it released its iOS 5 operating system). Longer-term, the Carrier IQ scandal, at least in part, inspired the Mobile Device Privacy Act. If enacted, the Privacy Act would require mobile companies to disclose ahead of time if they are using any type of tracking software.

Apple quickly fixed a gaffe in storing user location information

In one of his last public acts on behalf of Apple, Steve Jobs last April expertly addressed a potential scandal involving his company's use of iPhone location information. Apple and Google both track their users proximity to Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers as a method to deliver more localized services. When a glitch was discovered that showed Apple storing this information for users that turned location services off, Jobs (who was then on medical leave) acted swiftly and implemented a quick fix.

"It took us about a week to do an investigation and write a response, which is fairly quick for something this technically complicated," he said in a public statement.

Advocacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, applauded Apple's response.

BlackBerry kicks out messaging app

When Kik Messenger debuted its instant messing service for iPhones, Androids and BlackBerrys in October 2010, it became an instant sensation attracting more than one million users in its first 15 days. Kik is a great way for users across the leading mobile networks to send IMs to each other. But another reason for its quick success was due to the fact that new users signing-up for the service at the time would automatically send alerts to their contacts who were also running Kik.

After considerable user backlash, Kik CEO Ted Livingston apologized and the company stopped sending alerts without permission. While Kik remained on iPhones and Androids, BlackBerry kicked the app out of its App World store. This didn't seem to hurt Kik's business prospects, as the company a few months later raised $8 million in venture capital. The company now also promotes the fact that BlackBerry owners can access the service via its mobile website. You can also find Kik on Microsoft and Nokia smartphones.

 

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