ping
Latest
Hop for iPhone makes email feel like messaging
If you feel like standing in a virtual line for a chance to try "email reimagined," then hop on over to the App Store today and grab a free copy of Hop for iPhone. The app, previously known as Ping, is the latest in what seems to be an endless series of apps that are trying to figure out how to make email less email-like. In the case of Hop, the idea is to make email feel more like instant messaging. It works with Gmail, AOL, Yahoo and iCloud email accounts, and rather than presenting you with another tired take on the traditional inbox, it organizes messages by person or group in a stream like that you'd see in Messages. All of those other emails -- subscriptions, marketing emails, newsletters -- go into their own separate workspace. Other features of Hop include (from the Hop blog): A playful, easy interface: Communicate in a natural, dynamic environment with rich media sharing (personal photos, Web photos, video), voice recording, video chat, doodling and the all bells and whistles that make chatting fun. By doing away with the formal, antiquated letter format, unnatural terms like "Best Regards" are no longer a part of conversations with your colleagues or friends. Super real-time responses: Receive emails the exact moment they come in, seconds before you would using any native mobile email app. Users can even see when another person is typing, as you would with iMessage or chat. Better notifications: Stop checking your phone every time it buzzes. Decide collectively if you like to get notification only for Chats and assign custom notification alerts for different types of messages and contacts. Instant access to shared media: See all recent attachments and documents within a conversation by flipping your phone to horizontal view. Snooze: Hit the Couch, Desktop or Passholder buttons to save messages for later or quick access. Quick search: Find friends or conversations instantly with a universal search bar. A marketing video complete with tinkly indie pop soundtrack is embedded below so that you can watch it obsessively as you wait for the line to move. We'll have a full review of Hop in the very near future.
WTFast service aims to slay lag
When playing MMOs, there is one common beast that players dread facing no matter the game: the lag monster. One very ill-timed spike can leave a player vulnerable to attack in PvP and turn near victory into defeat or cause a missed heal or cure that cascades into a massive wipe. After getting the best internet connection in your area and upgrading to the best PC you can, what's left for a player to do? WTFast suggests using a global private network connection established for gamers only. The WTFast service claims to improve game speed and reduce disconnects, response deviation, and lag by connecting players to game servers via Gamers Private Network (GPN), a private global data network/highway optimized for online games. The video after the break explains the premise behind the program. Can it work? If you want to find out for yourself, WTFast offers a free 30-day limited trial on the official site along with a detailed list of all the supported games. [Source: WTFast press release]
Email reimagined (again): Ping app to launch 9/18, renamed to Hop [updated]
Update: The app formerly known as Ping has been renamed thanks to some trademark disputes; it's now called Hop, and is available in the App Store. Access to the back-end service is by reservation for the time being. If a product is really hard to search for online, it better be pretty intriguing; the upcoming Ping app fits the bill. No, it's not a relaunch of Apple's ill-fated iTunes-centric social network for music fans; it's an iPhone app that wants to make your email experience as fun and interactive as instant messaging. Developed by Israeli entrepreneurs Erez Pilosof and Guy Gamzu, the app aims to deliver the fun and engagement of person-to-person messaging without breaking the underlying email metaphor. Ping is launching as an iOS app on September 18, with Android and web versions to follow later in the year. Pilosof was a founder of Walla, an early web email / portal company in Israel that offered a gigabyte of mail storage as early as 2004 -- well before Gmail's bottomless inbox redefined the standard for cloud email providers. Over the past few months, he's been focused on stepping back and figuring out where email went wrong. "We want to change how email is organized," he told me last week, "and the way conversations are carried through." Rather than a task-driven approach as typified by Dropbox's popular Mailbox app, Ping goes for an IM-style interface, putting people and media front and center for quick, transactional conversations. Ping's philosophy treats "traditional" email with an engage & supersede approach. There aren't folders or labels, but there are easy points of access to image search ("Use the web like an endless sticker collection," Pilosof suggested) and ad-hoc attachments for doodles, voice annotation and more. "We need to put human conversation back in the center of email if it will ever function properly again," he said. "That means making email fit to how we communicate now by creating a smart, interactive mobile messaging experience." Want a custom alert for a particular email sender, so you know whether or not to pull your phone out of your pocket? Ping's got you covered. Although Ping emails will work just fine with conventional clients on the other end, if both sender and receiver are Ping-enabled, then the app's real-time features come to bear. Instantaneous message receipt and typing / presence awareness are there, along with voice and video calling integrated with the app. In fact, you get a lot of the features of a messaging app like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger -- but without the privacy and social graph implications of sharing your mobile number or "friending" your business colleagues or clients. The initial release of Ping will work with the AOL, Yahoo, iCloud and Gmail services. Ping's feature set includes some sleek UI (a "Couch" toggle to save messages for later, a Cover Flow-esque media browser for images and attachments), but you may have to wait a while past the 18th to get rolling with it. Much like Mailbox's launch experience, the Ping team is taking pre-reservations for activation to manage the load on the company's servers.
Daily Update for October 1, 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
Fare thee well, Ping: 2010-2012
With an exit far more quiet than its heralded beginnings, Ping officially closed two years and a month after it was launched on Sept. 1, 2010. If you happened to have your iTunes still open from yesterday, see Ping in the menu, and click on it, you'll get the message seen above. Hit OK, and Ping disappears from your iTunes forever. Ping has been succeeded by Facebook and Twitter integration in iTunes.
Apple's Ping no longer pinging back, leaves memories of white noise in its wake
"I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride Something touched me deep inside... the day the music died." R.I.P. Ping (09.01.2010 - 09.30.2012)
Ping going dark on September 30th, no longer accepting new members
Ping, Apple's foray into music-centric social networking, hasn't seen much in the way of updates since it was announced two years ago, and now the folks in Cupertino are set to shut it down on September 30th. Struck with the sudden urge to sign-up for the service and take it for a spin before it goes offline? You're out of luck. Visiting the network's home in iTunes reveals that Cook and Co. are no longer accepting new members. From here on out, you'll just have to find other avenues to keep tabs on what tunes are playing within your social circles.
Ping to bow out on September 30
Farewell, Ping. As expected, Apple's much-beleagured attempt at launching its own social media network is going to the graveyard of tried, but failed Apple ideas. A notification in the Ping area of iTunes shows that the feature will no longer be available as of September 30, and 9to5Mac noticed that the service is no longer accepting new members. The Ping URL already redirects back to the main iTunes page.
Next release of iTunes may kill off Ping
Ping was announced by Steve Jobs during Apple's Fall 2010 music event and launched that same day. Despite a few early successes with the product, the social network never caught on with Apple users and a recent report from AllThingsD suggests it never will. Speaking at the recent AllThingsD D10 conference, Cook confirmed that Ping was not something customers wanted "to put a lot of energy into." Rather than try to resurrect the floundering social network, sources told AllThingsD that the upcoming fall release of iTunes will remove Ping and replace it with Twitter and Facebook for social sharing.
Killer Wireless-N 1202 and E2200 Ethernet controller launch, aim to squash your ping times
Killer Technology -- formerly known as Bigfoot Networks -- has certainly come a long way from its days as a scrappy startup, and now the outfit's taking one more step towards ping domination with the introduction of two new products. Qualcomm Atheros is actually doing the honors, as it formally reveals the Killer Wireless-N 1202 WiFi module with Bluetooth as well as the Killer E2200 gigabit Ethernet controller. Each one is aimed at DIYers and OEMs, enabling machines based on them to automatically classify and prioritizing gaming, video and audio network data -- a bit of behind-the-scenes black magic that's said to "provide a superior, uninterrupted online entertainment experience." As you'd expect, both will include the Killer Network Manager software on associated rigs, giving end users a borderline ridiculous amount of control over how bandwidth is used. We're told that the 1202 will ship next month, while the E2200 is available now; pricing remains a mystery on both, though.
Alienware adds jitter-killing Killer Wireless-N technology to M18x, M17x, M14x and M11x
And this, friends, is how you make the leap into the mainstream. Bigfoot Networks has been toiling away in an effort to get its gaming-optimized networking guts into just about everything -- there's also a VisionTek GPU with Killer innards, and a trifecta of mainboard makers announced that they too would be joining the bustling integration party earlier in the year. Now, however, the outfit's really got something to hang its hat on: a handshake with Dell's Alienware unit. The Killer Wireless-N 1103 networking adapter will now be listed as an option for the Alienware M18x, M17x, M14x and M11x, promising data rates as high as 450Mbps as well as its Advanced Stream Detect to intelligently classify and prioritize network traffic. Mum's the word on how much the upgrade will be, but based on prior reviews, we'd say the premium will be well worth it for the hardcore among us.
Google Maps routes itself to v5.2, gets hotpot tweets, Latitude 'pings' and better search results
We're still waiting for someone to one-up Google Maps Navigation, but until that fateful day shines down upon us, it looks as if we'll have to once again point our attention to El Goog. Google Maps has just been updated to version 5.2, with three main additions to focus on. For one, the new edition allows users to tweet their reviews of places and share recommendations with Hotpot friends. Next up, there's Latitude pinging, which enables you to send a quick message to a nearby Latitude friend rather than having to use a text or call; they'll receive an Android notification from you asking them to check in at a place, and when they check in using your request, you'll get a notification right back so you know which place to go to meet up with them. Finally, a new 'Search More Places' button has been added under the standard list of places to check in at, which ought to prove helpful in highly congested cities with multiple places stacked atop one another. Hit that Android Market link below to get your update going, and if you're fixing to use that new ping feature, you and your friends will need v5.2 (or higher, if you're reading this in the year 2043).
2010 in review: Rise of iOS
Here, in no particular order, are some of the top stories we saw in 2010. The year was packed with Apple announcements, some planned and one unplanned. The real standout this year was iOS coming into its own. This year's WWDC was all about iOS, for example. The Apple TV now runs iOS. iOS 4.2 breathed new life into the already-new iPad, another major story of the year (a wildly successful one at that). Even OS X 10.7 "Lion" has some iOS-inspired elements from what little we've seen. But it's looking like 2011 will be a return to the Mac side. In 2010 we saw the new MacBook Air, which Steve Jobs called the "future of notebooks." What surprises does Apple have for us on the Macintosh side of the house? 2011 will be an interesting year (again) to watch! iPad In 2010, the iPad was revealed and the netbook industry felt the impact. The tablet industry has awakened. We expect 2011's CES to have an enormous range of tablet computers. iOS 4.2 was released months later, giving the iPad features like multitasking, which should have been there to begin with. Still, with paltry RAM, no front-facing camera and still not enough storage, the iPad has plenty of room to grow in 2011. Apps on the iPad made news in themselves, with some apps being available for both iPads and iPhones, some costing more for "HD" versions (a term Apple doesn't endorse, by the way) and some only available for iPad. The new realm of a tablet format opened up possibilities for developers, and we continue to see innovation from them on Apple's latest product. Still, the publishing world was a little dismayed to see the iPad not take off as an e-reader on its own. Digital magazines are falling flat (in part due to Apple's lack of a proper subscription model), and the iBookstore has had its own problems. iPhone 4 We all knew the iPhone 4 was coming thanks to a forgetful Apple employee and some poorly executed shenanigans from Gizmodo. If only they had tested the antenna! The iPhone 4 introduced the high-resolution Retina Display, plus a sleek new form factor that brought about "antennagate" and a subsequent press conference to address the issue. iPhone 4 cases were given away, and the problem was mitigated by a clever Apple marketing/communications team. The iPhone 4 also heralded FaceTime as a video calling service (and potential open standard, although we hear inside Apple there is little impetus to release the open portions needed to bring the service to other platforms). The iPhone 4 introduced a front-facing camera to facilitate video calling. The iPhone 4's addition of an LED flash introduced another wrinkle into the app approval process in that developers quickly started writing flashlight apps that took advantage of the powerful (but battery-killing) light source. Guess what? Apple finally woke up and wrote some clear but open-ended app approval guidelines that addressed many of the previously-unknown guidelines surrounding app approvals.
Apple patent filing outlines social networking for shopping
While a lot of shopping is making the move to online stores, for many people there's no substitute for the real thing -- going to a store, browsing merchandise and picking up and trying on things. A recent patent filing by Apple, discovered by AppleInsider, demonstrates a Ping-like social networking service that lets shoppers chat with others, ask for suggestions, get a "thumbs-up / thumbs-down" on a potential purchase and more. The filing, titled "Social Networking in Shopping Environments," is intriguing. Apple envisions special kiosks in stores where shoppers can download information and photos of products, then use their iPhones to send queries to friends. The screenshot shows a simple Yes / No answer to a question to friends about buying something, several queries to followers to get suggestions or help and a rating system for a store. By allowing shoppers to coordinate complex discussions with friends without having to bring the friends along to the store, this social networking system would stimulate shopping. That's similar to how Ping is supposed to work, by showing your friends the music you like and getting them interested in purchasing it as well. For those who like to hang with their friends and go out for an afternoon of power shopping, this won't be a substitute. As always, this patent filing doesn't necessarily mean that Apple will ever produce a social networking system for shoppers. Rather, the company is just protecting its intellectual property. [via The Loop]
iTunes 10 now offering social playlists with Ping
After Twitter integration and iPad migration, looks like the next stop for Ping is social playlists. That's right -- the next time you make a mix in iTunes 10, clicking on the playlist arrow will give you two options: you can either purchase the playlist as a gift to your friend or loved one, or publish the playlist to Ping itself. Once your playlist is published, you can even give your friends on the network the option to edit it, making it a community playlist of sorts. Of course, this last option only works if you really trust your friends' taste. After all, it just wouldn't do to have Philip Glass invade your "Core Workout Playlist" featuring such beloved anthems Move This by Technotronic and Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team.
Ping allows users to share playlists
Apple continues to improve Ping, its iTunes-based social network, by adding support for shared iTunes playlists. Customers can now create a new playlist (or import an existing one) and share it with their Ping followers. Here's how it works. To create a new playlist to share, connect to Ping and then click your account. You'll see "Create a new Ping playlist." From there you can give it a name and description and start dragging tracks from your iTunes library into the list (any song that's in the iTunes store can be included). Songs can be re-ordered if you change your mind. When you're satisfied, click Publish. To import an existing iTunes playlist, simply click its title and then the arrow icon. A dialog box appears. Click Publish Playlist. A similar composition window appears, this time with a montage of album art. Once you're satisfied with everything, click Publish. Note that songs can be re-ordered at any time, even after publication, and you can opt to let users add songs to your playlists. It's a nice new feature and the latest evidence of Apple's dedication to the service. Recent Twitter integration and a new, Ping-exclusive Michael Jackson song also appeared in recent weeks. [Via MacNN]
Loopt app updated for persistent networking, includes texting service and rewards
I remember Loopt being one of the first apps out on the App Store, back when the iPhone's platform was first released. A couple of years ago, location-based social networking was still pretty new (most cell phones didn't yet know exactly where they were, after all), and Loopt was one of the most advanced ways to do it at the time. Now, while services like Twitter and Facebook work on their own location sharing features, Loopt is updating to version 4.0 and aiming to, once again, try and take the vanguard. The app has been redesigned, and it seems to be set up around persistent social location sharing -- you can not only share your location constantly, but you can also instantly see where friends and family are. You can also use the "Ping" feature (unrelated, of course) to send texts, and you'll get a message back from your friend about where they are when those are opened. And Loopt continues to offer local "rewards," which are free offers and deals based on where you happen to be. It's all very interesting -- while, of course, there are the usual privacy concerns as with any location-based app (one of the reasons I don't really use any services like this regularly), the new Loopt seems to really take advantage of mobile platforms like iOS to keep an almost constant connection with your social circle. The app's been around and updated since the App Store first opened, so we'll have to see how this new direction works out. Look for version 4.0 sometime later on today.
Ping gets exclusive posthumous Michael Jackson song
While some people think Ping is a flop (including me), Apple did score one little victory with its iTunes-centric social media network: its secured the exclusive rights to stream a new Michael Jackson song for the next week. Visitors to Ping's Michael Jackson page can listen to the song, titled "Much Too Soon" for free until next Thursday. As noted on Michael Jackson's Ping page: "Much Too Soon" was written at the time of Thriller. Michael always liked the song but never found the right home for it; here it finds its place as the bittersweet closing to the stellar collection. "Much Too Soon" is the tenth song on the upcoming Michael Jackson album, Michael, which goes on sale on iTunes on December 14th.
Apple's Ping among Business Insider's tech flops of 2010
Business Insider lists Ping among the 15 biggest flops in tech for 2010. The reason for this listing is that Ping was launched with a great deal of publicity, but it still hasn't gained much of a foothold in the hearts and minds of its users. Business Insider cites the reminder mail about Ping, sent earlier this month, as evidence that Ping has failed. I'm not sure there's anyone jumping up and down about what a crazy, unbelievable success Ping has been, but the service has only been around since September. I don't think three months is enough time to count Apple out of the social network game, especially when we know they're still working to smooth things out with Facebook. While Ping hasn't set the world on fire in 2010, here's hoping it gets some traction and real motion in 2011.
Game Center terms of service updated, real names shared on invitation
Apple has quietly tweaked the Game Center terms of service to add in the rule that whenever you first invite a friend to join your friends list in the gaming social network app, your real first and last names (as entered in your iTunes account) are shown to them. You still use a nickname as a full ID (and Game Center will still show your nickname when you log in to browse achievements or see what people are playing), but when you first "friend" someone, they get to see your real name. Apple has been able to get away with this one somehow -- the iTunes-based Ping social network also makes liberal use of the real name associated with an Apple account when adding friends, but for some reason nobody has made too much of a fuss about it. Consider Apple lucky -- when Blizzard Entertainment tried to require real names to be shared on their World of Warcraft forums, their community raised such a clamor that they had to back down and keep the forums anonymous. But Apple hasn't had that problem, either because the audiences are different, or just because people don't care so much about anonymity among their Game Center or Ping friends. We'll have to see how the community responds to a change like this.
