iOS

iPhone 4, App Store nab Guinness World Records

Apple's iPhone 4 and App Store have both received Guinness World Records, with the iPhone 4 becoming the fastest selling portable gaming system and the App Store getting named the most popular application marketplace.

These awards and others have been published in the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition, which the company is promoting alongside a Guinness trivia app for iOS and Android.

Based on analyst estimates of 1.5 million units for first day sales, Guinness has dubbed the iPhone 4 to be the "fastest-selling portable gaming system," topping first day sales of Sony's … Read more

iOS app makers targeted in patent spat

The makers of several iOS applications have received cease and desist letters over the use of in-app purchasing, from parties who claim the feature infringes on an existing patent.

Computer LogicX, which makes Mix and Mash and Mix and Mash LITE, as well as developer James Thomson, who makes PCalc and DragThing, have received letters threatening legal action if the feature is not removed.

In Computer LogicX's case, the U.S. patent is No.7,222,078, which Macrumors discovered is owned by holding firm Lodsys. That patent, titled "methods and systems for gathering information from units of a commodity across a network," was acquired by the firm in 2004, and deals with the set up and completion of a transaction.

A snippet from the patent attempts to sum up what the invention is about:

"Simply put, this invention helps vendors and customers by transforming their learning cycle: It compresses the time and steps between setting business objectives, creating effective products and services, and improving them continuously. It also alters their roles: Customers become partners in the improvement process along with vendors and distributors."

Rob Gloess of Computer LogicX weighed in on the matter in an e-mail to Macrumors, saying the patent holder was taking aim specifically at an upgrade mechanism that involves… Read more

Chromebook, Netbook, iPad: Which would you rather spend $500 on?

Yesterday's formal introduction of Chromebooks marked yet another category of portable computing gadget in a landscape that's starting to feel overrun.

For $499, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook has its work cut out for it--namely, because tablets and "high-end" 11- and 12-inch laptops and Netbooks (some with faster processors) have already occupied the same landscape.

It's a question we've been pondering for a while now, writ again: what truly constitutes the perfect small-screen portable? Suddenly, instead of one or two OSes to consider, there are four: Windows 7, Apple's iOS, and Google's Android and Chrome.

While the high end of the computer spectrum remains relatively stable (desktops, laptops), the increasingly fertile (or, perhaps, unstable) ground between laptops and smartphones has bred a variety of tech forms that all, in some way, are portable. Options have never been more diverse, or confusing.

Which one would you rather spend about $500 on? Well, let's see what you get.… Read more

iAd advertisers scale back on apps for kids

Advertisers participating in Apple's iAd platform appear to be going for a slightly older demographic, a move that's affected revenues for several developers with ad-supported games aimed at kids.

As picked up by MacStories, developer Michael Zornek, who makes Dex--a Pokemon-themed application--recently noticed a sharp drop-off in fill rate, or the percentage of ad requests that actually produce ads when they're called for by an application. Over the weekend, for instance, Zornek saw that rate drop down to zero. Curious about the drop, Zornek e-mailed Apple's iAd support and was told advertisers had withdrawn from apps aimed at young children.

"We periodically review the apps in the iAd Network to ensure that all apps receiving ads are aligned with the needs of our advertisers," a reply from Apple's iAd support said. "Currently, our advertisers prefer that their advertising not appear in applications that are targeted for users that are young children, since their products are not targeted at that audience."

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr confirmed to CNET that it was the company's policy to keep iAds off apps targeted at children. "We pulled iAds from this app," Neumayr said. "Our policy is that we don't serve iAd into apps for kids."

In a post about the matter on Zornek's blog, the developer says he's peeved that Apple did not alert him, and others with children's apps, to let them know about the changes. He's since removed iAds from the app entirely, and now uses Google-owned AdMob along with an in-app purchase option that buyers can use to get rid of advertising entirely. The change has also kept him from including iAds in one of his upcoming iOS apps. … Read more

Apple, others sued over privacy (again)

Apple, along with Pandora Media and The Weather Channel, have been named in a lawsuit alleging that the companies did not disclose the fact that personal data--specifically location--was being shared with third-party advertising networks.

The suit, filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico by Lymaris Rivera Diaz and picked up by The Loop, closely resembles an existing suit from December. That one targeted the same companies as well as other app makers for being able to trace an iPhone or iPad using the unique device identifier, or UDID, which is akin to a serial number in … Read more

HBO Go app hits 1 million downloads in first week

HBO's mobile app has apparently caught on quickly.

Speaking yesterday at the Streaming Media East conference, HBO co-President Eric Kessler said HBO Go's mobile application, which is available on iOS- and Android-based devices, was downloaded over 1 million times during the first week of availability. The free app launched April 29.

HBO Go itself launched on the Web last year. The service offers a wide range of HBO content, including movies, original series, and documentaries. Currently, it has about 1,400 titles available. However, the service is not available to everyone.

AT&T, Dish, Verizon, and DirecTV … Read more

Apple granted horizontal docking iPad patent

While Apple was busy talking to one part of the U.S. government today as part of a congressional hearing, another branch was granting the company a slew of patents, with one of the most interesting ones being a design for an iPad with an additional connector slot on the side of the device.

Readers with sharp memories might remember seeing this same design before, though not in a shipping product. Apple filed an identical ornamental design patent with the Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union early last year, which was made public in October. Both … Read more

Apple and Google agree to review DUI app policy

Apple and Google today agreed to conduct a review of applications that make use of DUI checkpoints to see if they violate each company's mobile application store guidelines.

That decision came during today's congressional hearing about location privacy in smartphones, tablets, and cell phones. U.S. Senator Charles Schmuer (D-N.Y.), who was on hand, managed to get in a few questions to representatives from both technology companies, urging them to take action following his pleas and those of other politicians about the existence of police DUI checkpoint apps back in March.

"As you know, several weeks ago a number of my colleagues and I, senators Udall, Lautenberg, Reid and I, wrote letters to your companies calling your attention to the dangerous apps that were being sold in your app stores, and asked you to immediately remove them," Schumer said to Bud Tribble, Apple's vice president for software technology and Alan Davidson, Google's U.S. director of public policy.

"We brought these to the attention of RIM, they pulled the app down. I was disappointed that Google and Apple haven't done the same, and I'd like to ask you how you can justify to sell apps that put the public at serious risk," Schumer continued.

Google's Davidson responded by saying that applications that present information about sobriety checkpoints did not violate the company's content policy as it stands. … Read more

Apple responds to Rep. Markey on location

Along with testifying in front of the U.S. Congress about location data tracking, Apple today responded to a letter from Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) about the company's location data practices.

In a letter (PDF) signed by Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president of legal and government affairs, the company addressed seven questions from Rep. Markey that had been sent to Apple before it made that information public in its "Q&A on Location Data" document published late last month.

"I am pleased that after my letter Apple announced that its … Read more