Path
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Path for iPad now available
Path is the growing social network founded by Shawn Fanning. The service's popularity has grown as Apple's iOS devices become more and more ubiquitous. Evidence of Path's good fortune can be seen in the release a of a new, iPad-friendly universal version. Users can now update and browse Path from their iPhones and iPads. Path's developers note that the app isn't just the iPhone version made bigger. Instead, it's a brand new experience for Path users, designed to present each user's shared experiences in big, beautiful color. The app features two different modes, one each for portrait and landscape orientation, as well as improved navigation features and a smoother experience. Plus, Path points out that bringing the app to the iPad grows the potential audience for the network, so you may see more of your friends and family on there as well. The Path app is a free download. If you're a habitual Path user, odds are you've already headed over to pick it up.
Security researchers identify transit system exploit in San Fran and New Jersey, create app to prove it
Mobile security company Intrepidus Group presented evidence during the EUSecWest security conference potentially identifying a major flaw in at least two US transit systems. Creating an Android app named "UltraReset" and using it in tandem with an NFC-enabled Android phone (a Nexus S, in this case), security researchers Corey Benninger and Max Sobell were able to reset and reuse -- free of charge -- transit access cards in both San Francisco's MUNI system and New Jersey's PATH system. Before you go getting any bad ideas, know that Benninger and Sobell haven't released the app for public use, and warned both transit systems in late 2011 (though neither region has fixed the exploit, the duo claim). PATH and MUNI share a common chip access card -- the Mifare Ultralight -- which can apparently be reset for 10 extra rides (as demonstrated on video below) via Android phones with NFC, an OS newer than 2.3.3 (Gingerbread). Starting to sound familiar? Intrepidus is, however, releasing a modified version of the app, named "UltraCardTester." The modified app functions just like its nefarious progenitor, except it can't add time to cards (see it in action below). The app can tell you how many rides you have left, and if a system is open to exploit, but it won't assist you in the act of exploiting. We reached out to both New Jersey's PATH and San Francisco MUNI on the issue, but have yet to hear back as of publishing.
MapleStory lands on Steam with special offers
Free-to-play is the trend of last year; right now, the "in" thing for MMOs is to get a coveted spot in Steam's store. MapleStory has made the move to the cool kids' table, apparently, as Nexon announced that the title is now available through Valve's digital service. While MapleStory is free-to-play through the service, Nexon and Steam are offering two additional package deals for those interested in plunking down a few bucks for in-game goodies. The $9.99 starter pack includes a 30-day stat-boosting pendant, a teleport rock, a pair of megaphones, and a brown kitty pet that has a three-month lifespan. Alternatively, players may elect to buy the $4.99 value pack, which has just the teleport rock and pet. MapleStory recently released its Mutiny update, which overhauled the Pirate and Dual Blade classes and added several new "mini-dungeons." [Source: Nexon press release]
Path gets new sharing features, better camera
Users of social networking app Path have a few new features this morning that should make them very happy. The free app, which allows sharing only to a few (150) good friends, is quite popular as it serves as a gateway to posting on other services such as Twitter and Foursquare. To start with, users are now able to share movies they're watching and books they're reading. A tap on the "music" button now shows movies and books as well, with popular current films listed and shareable with a tap. It's the same with books -- bestsellers and popular titles are listed so you can tell your friends that you're finally catching up and reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Taking photos with Path has gotten better. The camera is now changed and takes square images and videos in portrait orientation. Four new tools are available for photo editing: Glo, Depth, Zoom, and Crop. Glo is used to "fix and enhance details in dark or bright photos." Photos and videos are displayed larger, photos can be snapped with a tap of the volume button, and video now has its own red button for one-tap recording. It's now easier to invite your real friends to Path with a personal note or recorded audio message, and it's possible to "nudge" your friends to send photos and make check-ins. The update just makes a great social networking app better. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Daily Update for June 29, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Nike+ FuelBand adds support for Path app
Nike launched its FuelBand exercise assistant earlier this year and the device took off. Nike is releasing a significant update today that'll add support for the Path social network. This new Path feature will let users tie their FuelBand earnings with their status updates on Path. Users can view their daily timeline and see what they were doing when they earned their NikeFuel. It also lets users share their NikeFuel achievements with friends who are important to them. Another new feature is the ability to sync FuelBand data in the background by merely holding down the button on the Nike+ FuelBand for three seconds. The wristlet will then connect to the FuelBand app on the iPhone and send the workout data without any user intervention. The FuelBand costs $149 from Nike's website and the companion iOS app is available for free from the iOS App Store. [Via Engadget]
Nike+ FuelBand iOS app updated to run along your Path, sync in the background
If you decided to snag the latest Nike+ wristband earlier this year, you're about to get some added functionality thanks to an iOS application update. First, the outfit has added Path integration to the mobile software. Users can now keep track of the sights they've visited while out for a jog or bike ride and share said moments / achievements with their mates. When the day comes to a close, those points-of-interest along the trail will appear on the app's progress graph. You'll also encounter background syncing by holding down the FuelBand's button alongside the ability to check battery status, offline data access and setting the time with your iPhone or iPod touch. For a quick look at what you can expect to see with the refresh, sprint to the gallery below.
Congressmen ask devs of 34 iOS apps about user privacy
In the wake of the Path address book fiasco, Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) have followed up their initial query to Apple about privacy issues by contacting the people and companies behind 34 iOS apps. The list includes Tim Cook (again), concerning Apple's own Find My Friends, Mark Zuckerberg and Path's CEO Dave Morin, among others. The letters themselves are open for viewing on the Committee on Energy and Commerce's website, and include questions about exactly how many times the apps have been downloaded, what information they transmit back from user's devices and what happens to that data. The devs have until April 12th to respond, and while we're not sure what will happen after that, we're pretty sure this ends with someone's Hall of Fame consideration in doubt despite seven Cy Youngs and more than 4,000 strikeouts.
Path vows contact data 'hashing' in next update, chases privacy certification
Path is still trying to pave over those privacy cracks, promising that its next update will "hash" the contact data it previously used to suck up without prior warning. Last month, the app was caught with its digital fingers inside users' address books and while the subsequent (and understandably swift) update allowed users to opt out, the Path devs are still looking to gain privacy certification with TRUSTe. They told The Verge that the next version will still allow contact matching without plucking the precise details at the same time, using a hashing technique that won't identify the data delivered to the social network app. The latest update adds compatibility with Nike+ GPS, plus improvements to the embedded camera and a new music recognition function. It's available now for the mobile OS of your choice at the sources below.
Path 2.1 update adds Nike+, Music Match and a new filter
I've been a fan and user of social networking app Path (free) for some time, even after it it was disclosed that the company was uploading iPhone Contacts to their servers. The company has now released an update to the app, adding some features that might bring miffed former users back to the Path fold. Path 2.1, available today, has one new feature that may help you on the running path. Through Nike+ GPS Running Stories, runs can automatically be journaled by linking the Nike+ GPS app (US$1.99) to Path. Your friends on Path will be able to see a map of your run, perfect for creating enmity between you and those couch potatoes. Another great new feature appears when you tap the music icon to let your buddies know what you're listening to. Instead of typing in the name of a tune, you can just tap a microphone icon to let Path "listen to" the music and get the song title from Music Match. It's also helpful if you aren't sure what that catchy tune playing in Starbucks actually is... Path added a new in-app purchase for a "camera lens" that creates a comic book effect. Trust me -- most self-portraits are bad enough without needing to look like you're a comic book character. The company also added a way to adjust the focus and exposure points of the camera separately for more detailed images.
US Congress sends letter to Apple about Path, data access, Apple responds
The latest "-gate" suffixed controversy, the so-called "Address Bookgate," has surrounded the popular social networking app Path. After Path was found to collect data on users' contacts without prompting users for permission, CEO Dave Morin apologized and the app was updated to change the behavior. That revelation, and the backlash that followed, has sent ripples throughout the iOS developer community. Path's update sets its app to explicitly request user permission to store contacts; Instagram and several other iOS apps followed suit. In what's becoming a predictable trend any time the words "Apple" and "privacy" are mentioned together, two US Congress members have sent a letter to Apple asking the company to explain the situation (hat tip to The Next Web). "This 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," Congressmen Henry A. Waxman and G.K. Butterfield write. Following that, the representatives voice the very questions that have been raised: Please describe all iOS App Guidelines that concern criteria related to the privacy and security of data that will be accessed or transmitted by an app. Please describe how you determine whether an app meets those criteria. What data do you consider to be "data about a user" that is subject to the requirement that the app obtain the user's consent before it is transmitted? To the extent not addressed in the response to question 2, please describe how you determine whether an app will transmit "data about a user" and whether the consent requirement has been met. How many iOS apps in the U.S. iTunes Store transmit "data about a user"? Do you consider the contents of the address book to be "data about a user"? Do you consider the contents of the address book to be data of the contact? If not, please explain why not. Please explain how you protect the privacy and security interests of that contact in his or her information. How many iOS apps in the U.S. iTunes Store transmit information from the address book? How many of those ask for the user's consent before transmitting their contacts' information? You have built into your devices the ability to turn off in one place the transmission of location information entirely or on an app-by-app basis. Please explain why you have not done the same for address book information. AllThingsD reports that Apple has issued a brief response: "Apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines. 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." This response may address user concerns over the potential privacy issue, but Congress may not be satisfied so easily. Waxman and Butterfield (both of whom chair committees on commerce) have given Apple until the end of February to respond to the inquiry. From our perspective as iOS users, this means we can likely look forward to more pop-up dialogs every time we open certain kinds of iOS apps for the first time. We're already prompted to give user permission for location services and push notifications, and now it seems we'll be prompted for access to Address Book contacts as well. Hopefully iOS developers can write these dialogs in a way that encourages users to pay attention to them rather than blindly tapping "Allow" several times just to rush past the preliminaries and actually use the apps they've downloaded.
iPhone address book issue prompts response from Apple, apps' access to contact data will require user permission
A week ago today, developer Arun Thampi detailed on his blog how the Path app for iOS accessed users' contact information and uploaded that data to Path's servers -- all without any explicit permission granted on the user's part. That sparked quite the firestorm, including investigations into which other apps behaved in a similar manner (quite a few, it turns out), and some responses from a number of other app makers -- Twitter, for one, has acknowledged that it does store users' contact data, but that it now plans to adjust its app to more clearly inform users of that behavior. Now, Apple itself has also responded, with spokesman Tom Neumayr telling AllThingsD that "apps that collect or transmit a user's contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines," but that it is "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." Still no word on when we can expect that software update, though. Incidentally, this news comes on the same day that Congressmen Henry Waxman and G.K. Butterfield sent a letter to Apple over the issue, asking that it respond to a number of privacy-related questions no later than February 29th. That letter can be found in full after the break.
Path apologizes, deletes user contact data and updates app
The path to the executive apologies is paved with good intentions -- like the one issued today by Dave Morin. The Path CEO / co-founder posted a note apologizing for the contact sharing functionality that got his iPhone app in hot water. The letter titled, simply, "We're Sorry," outlines the company's focus on security (which it takes "very, very seriously") and the intended use for the feature, which uploaded user contact info to help connect people on the service. As a sign of good faith, the company will be deleting all of the uploaded information and making available version 2.0.6 of the service, which allows users to opt-in or out of contact sharing.
TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for the best iPhone social networking app
The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPhone social networking app of 2011. The iPhone is with you almost all of the time, which makes it the perfect device with which to let your friends and family know where you are and what you're doing. Social networking apps for the iPhone make this possible with a few taps. From the reader nominations come the following candidates for the TUAW Best Social Networking App of 2011: the newly rebooted Path (free), Facebook (free), IM+ Pro (US$1.99), Tweetbot ($2.99), and Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT (free). As with the Mac video and photo apps, I've broken out the voting into two polls. Please feel free to vote for one video app and one photo app, and we'll announce the winners in a few days. And now, let the voting begin! %Poll-72195%
Best of 2011 nominations: iPhone social networking apps
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. Today's category for TUAW Best of 2011 nominations is iPhone social networking apps. Most of us love to share our every move with the rest of the world, and the awe-inspiring selection of social networking apps that have popped up for the iPhone is nothing short of amazing. What's in this category? A flock of Twitter apps, everything from the "official" app from Twitter (free), the great Tweetbot app from Tapbots ($2.99), Icon Factory's wonderful Twitterriffic for Twitter (free for ad-supported version, $4.99 for premium upgrade), Echofon (free), and Big Stone Phone's Twittelator Neue ($1.99 introductory price). If Facebook is more to your liking, perhaps you like their free iPhone app. There are other social networks than these, of course. I'm currently in love with the rebooted Path (free) but finding that I'm using Google+ (free) less and less. TUAW wants to hear from you -- what's your favorite iPhone social networking app for keeping in touch with the rest of the world? Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 19, 2011.
Malls halt cellphone-tracking experiment after complaint from Senator Schumer
As you may have heard last week, two US malls (the Promenade Temecula in Southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Virginia) decided to conduct a little experiment this holiday shopping season, in which they employed some cellphone-tracking technology in an effort to learn more about individuals' shopping patterns. That technology came from a company called Path Intelligence, which has previously outfitted UK malls with the system, and assures folks that it only detects cellphone signals, not phone numbers or other personal data. Those assurances apparently weren't enough for US Senator Chuck Schumer, however, who sent letters to both the FTC and the CEO of Path Intelligence, complaining that the tracking was "simply unreasonable," and that a "shopper should not have to choose between the ability to be in touch with friends and family in case of emergency and safeguarding her privacy." While it's unclear if it's in direct response to the Senator's letter, the company that owns both malls has reportedly shut down the tracking systems after only a day of use, although it isn't commenting publicly on the matter just yet. You can find Senator Schumer's full statement at the source link below.
Daily iPhone App: Galaxy Express
Galaxy Express is a fun little puzzle game that's similar to Chu Chu Rocket or Chuck the Ball. There's a cute metagame story in this app with some well-written dialogue, but the core game has you pushing a little astronaut around a starfield using some arrows that you place out on the game screen. Put arrows in the right places, hit go, and the little astronaut will follow your rules exactly, hopefully leading him to make his delivery on the destination planet. It's simple stuff, and the difficulty doesn't ramp up too quickly, though by the end of the game's 120 puzzles there are a few mind-benders to beat. There are some good social features as well, including the option to either see any of your solutions that you've done, share them with friends, or even check out what other people have done. There's Game Center integration in the game now, and the graphics aren't really animated, but they look good on a high resolution display anyway. Galaxy Express is currently available at just 99 cents for a universal app, or there's a lite version you can pick up for free. "Galaxy EX," as it's called under the icon on the phone, is a well-made little puzzle game that's easy going enough for almost everyone to enjoy.
Facebook prepping a photo-sharing app for the iPhone
Leaked information provided to TechCrunch suggests Facebook is prepping a photo-sharing app for the iPhone. From the description, the app is a mixture of Instagram with some of the location information and social sharing of Path and Color. A few surprises are also supposedly thrown into the mix. The app, of course, is integrated into Facebook and ties into your Facebook account. Right now, it is a standalone app, but these features could eventually make their way into the official Facebook iPhone app. The amount of information available now is just a tease and TechCrunch promises more information will be released soon. Stay tuned.
New York, New Jersey transit pilot iPhone payment system
MTA New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have collaborated with Visa to create a payment system that uses Visa's PayWave technology and several popular smartphones, including the iPhone. Travelers trying out the service can pay for passage onto the trains by simply waving a properly-equipped iPhone over a special sensor at the turnstiles. Here's how it works. First, iPhones equipped with PayWave and special sensors (don't ask us how you get one) are activated, which let the users know when it's ready to use. Then, it's held before the sensor and presto! You're in. Currently, the pilot program is limited to 28 stops along the Lexington line of the New York subway system. Similar testing is being done in London, Paris, Istanbul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It's a neat idea. I've certainly lost track of how much credit I've got on a card, and I detest waiting in line at the machine. Of course, this also means an increase of people waving easily dropped (or grabbed) iPhones around. [Via Electronista]
Cowon issues first firmware update for S9 PMP
Yes, already. Before the 8GB S9 has even had a chance to become available, Cowon has already issued the first firmware update for its hot little PMP. If you're one of the earliest of adopters, you may want to give this one a download / install before flinging your device upside the wall. Just to name a few, the patch fixes bugs when changing boundary settings for music playback, when viewing particular picture files, when the upper buttons are pressed simultaneously and when connecting Bluetooth Mono headsets. Hop on past the break for the full alert, and tap the read link to access the file.
