Microsoft delete fake Google apps

Microsoft today pulled six fake Google apps from the Windows Phone Store, after we contacted the company about the issue. The apps in question were: “Hangouts,” “Google Voice

,” “Google Search,” “Google+,” “Google Maps,” and “Gmail – email from Google.”

All of these are published by a “Google, Inc” (instead of “Google Inc.”) and priced at $1.99 each. The only app that Google offers for Windows Phone is its search app, and the publisher is “Google Inc.”

The apps in question were first spotted by WinBeta this morning, after being originally published yesterday. We got in touch with Microsoft to ask about the issue.

Here are the fake apps:

 

The company responded with the following generic statement:

Microsoft takes the intellectual property our ecosystem seriously and we use several layers of deterrence and response to help protect it. First, we encourage developers to take advantage of obfuscation tools for an added layer of protection. Because the Windows Phone Store is the only authorized source of public apps and games for the Windows Phone, developers can more easily police infringement of their apps by monitoring the Windows Phone Store and notifying Microsoft if infringement occurs.

Microsoft provides online tools and an email alias (reportapp@microsoft.com) to enable developers to quickly report infringement of any apps they locate on the Windows Phone Store for immediate review and, when appropriate, removal. In cases where the infringement is disputed, we permit alleged infringers to dispute infringement via counter notices. Finally, Windows Phone educates every developer from the very start – before apps are even submitted – reminding them in our developer agreements and policies that Microsoft does not permit infringement of intellectual property of others.

While this is all true, the fact of the matter is that these apps should not have made it through in the first place. The last sentence implies that developers are told they shouldn’t submit fake apps, but unsurprisingly that isn’t enough of a deterrent for some.

Microsoft has been regularly criticized for having a low bar when it comes to approving apps into the Windows Phone Store. While these six apps may be gone (they still appear here, but we checked on a Windows Phone device and they have indeed been removed), many fake apps still remain.

Searching for “Google” or “YouTube” or really any other big name that doesn’t have an official app brings up many apps that shouldn’t be available. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t addressed the bigger problem here: fake apps are getting through, and the company’s app approval process needs a serious overhaul.

We have contacted Microsoft again to find out how these apps were approved in the first place. We will update this story if we hear back.

Update: “We removed a series of apps for violating our policies concerning the use of misleading information,” a Microsoft spokesperson told TNW. “The apps attempted to misrepresent the identity of the publisher.”

Unfortunately, Microsoft still isn’t addressing the larger issue of these apps being approved in the first place.

Top Image Credit: Toshifumi Kitamura/Getty Images

Source: thenextweb

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Google Drive detailed: 5 GB for free, launching next week for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS

Sometimes we get lucky, and today is one of those days. I got a draft release from a partner of Google’s upcoming Google Drive service and it gives away a wealth of information about how Google plans to take on the incumbent Dropbox. The short story? 5 GB of storage, and it launches next week, likely on Tuesday at http://drive.google.com

Now let’s talk details. It’s no surprise that it will roll out for free. What’s interesting though is that Google is planning to start everyone with 5 GB of storage. Of course you can buy more, but that trumps Dropbox’s 2 GB that is included with every account. Dropbox does make it easy to get more space, including 23 GB of potential upgrades for HTC users.

What’s also interesting is the wording related to how the system will work. It’s been long-thought that Windows integration will come easy, but that getting the Google Drive icon into the Mac a la Dropbox would be a bit harder. From what we’re reading, Google Drive will work “in desktop folders” on both Mac and Windows machines, which still leaves the operation question unanswered.

But there is one very solid piece of news – Google Drive is expected to launch in the middle of next week. Given how big companies such as Apple, Google and the rest operate, I’m placing my bets on Tuesday, but Wednesday is also a popular day for Google updates. In fact, TechCrunch seems to have gotten their hands onto the app itself.

Now as for the reliability of the information? It’s not at all uncommon for big companies to launch with partners for new features. When that happens, the partners will often-times have a heads up to integration and specifics, and that’s exactly what appears to have happened here as it did with the Lucidchart leak from last week. We’ll have to wait and see exactly how it all works out, but let’s just say that our earlier prediction of in-app document editing is pretty solid as well, given the nature of the release that was sent to us today.

But the question remains – Can Google Drive hold a candle to Dropbox?

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Hackers target 15 Lebanese government websites, calling for better living standards

15 Lebanese governmental sites were taken down this morning by a group of hackers identifying themselves as, “Raise Your Voice,” Reuters reports.

The 15 websites, which Now Lebanon describes as “redundant”, all featured the same message, calling for an improvement in living standards, and for the Lebanese government to bring an end to electricity and water shortages.

While some of the sites have since been restored, others still bear the folllowing message sent to the Lebanese government by the hackers:

We are RYV, short for Raise Your Voice, and we are simply a group of people who could not bare [sic] sitting in silence, watching all the crimes and injustice going on in Lebanon. We will not be silenced and brainwashed by your media. We will not stop until the Lebanese people mobilize, demand their rights, and earn them. We will not stop until the standards of living are raised to where they should be in Lebanon. We will not stop until this government’s self-made problems are solved, like the power shortage, water shortage, rise in gas prices and rise in food product prices. We are RYV, expect us to break the silence, whether in the streets or on the Internet.

In some cases, the message was also accompanied by a political cartoon, which can be seen in the screenshot below:

The second message, while worded exactly the same way was displayed in a different manner, having metaphorically shut down the ‘electricity’ on the website itself:

The websites that were hacked include the justice, foreign affairs and public works and transport ministries, as well as the National News Agency, the official President’s website, and the state security website. The full list of sites is available here.

While an additional site, MTV Lebanon was also targeted at the same time, RYV clearly stated that they weren’t behind it, saying “Just to make things clear, we are not responsible for MTV website attack,” despite statements from MTV made to local Lebanese newspaper Daily Star claiming otherwise.

In January, Energy and Water Minister, Gebran Bassil, warned of additional electricity and water cuts in the country. According to Reuters,  after regaining access to the ministry website, Bassil replied to the hacking incident in a message posted on the site, in which he blamed his predecessor for the water and electricity shortage in the country.

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The Best iOS Apps To Watch On Apple TV

Developers don’t have to wait for a fully baked version of Apple TV to come out to get a feel for
how their apps will play on the big screen.

Although an eco-system for Apple TV apps does not yet exist, there are dozens of quality iOS applications that are best consumed on an HDTV via AirPlay Mirroring. Creating apps specific to the leaned-back setting of the living room requires more than just supersizing titles originally conceived for smartphones or tablets. Successful Apple TV apps need to source and showcase entertainment, news and social activity in ways not currently possible via cable, satellite or video streaming providers.

Below are the 10 best iOS apps available on Apple TV today. Note that no games are featured here as that topic requires its own standalone assessment. I am also not including obvious titles like the pre-installed YouTube, as well as mainstream subscription-based services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. The apps showcased here provide a glimpse into what to expect in an app-enabled Apple television, and serve as models for any developer gearing up for the new platform.

Video Curation And Search
The 500-channel universe seems so passé. In a world with seemingly unlimited video options, these apps help surface clips and programs most important to you.

Showyou (iPhone, iPad: Free)
In many ways a Flipboard for video, Showyou elegantly displays clips shared by your social networks and other reliable sources. The app is currently divided into four distinct channels. In addition to showcasing videos shared by Facebook and Twitter contacts, Showyou has channels for overall popularity as well as for individuals and publishers you follow within the app. Notable members of Showyou include tech commentators Robert Scoble and John Gruber.

As well, from Funny or Die to Charlie Rose to NASA TV, there is a nice variety of publishers whose videos you may not otherwise see. To date, Showyou has tracked more than one billion social signals for approximately 40 million videos. Its video search engine is informed by all of this social behavior and is noticeably improving over time.

Visually, Showyou has a playful yet structured interface. The app displays streams of videos by channel in reverse chronological order starting at the top of the screen. More than even YouTube, Showyou is the best app for discovering new videos that are contextually relevant. It is also unlike any broadcast or cable network you will ever find.

Squrl Video Discovery (iPhone, iPad: Free)
Squrl categorizes videos from publishers better than Showyou and any other app optimized for AirPlay Mirroring. The app’s taxonomy for showcasing publishers is intuitive (Comedy = College Humor and Team Coco TV and Sports = Deadspin and The Bleacher Report, for instance). The app also has a faceted search layout, where results are sorted by relevancy within Squrl, how they appear on YouTube and where they are found within related YouTube playlists.

Squrl’s social integration, however, is lacking. Compared to Showyou, the shared videos from Facebook and Twitter contacts seemed delayed upon multiple viewings. As well, Squrl’s layout is a bit too cookie-cutter, making it more difficult to discover clips you didn’t even know you were interested in viewing. The app is still an extremely worthy download.

From The Broadcasters
Of course, it’s not wise to live off of curated YouTube clips alone. Here are the best examples of
how broadcasters are approaching apps for TV.

Touchtv (iPad: Free)
If you cut the cord from your cable or satellite provider but still want a taste of broadcast entertainment and mainstream news and sports coverage, Touchtv is your go-to app. Developed by the team behind news aggregation app SkyGrid, Touchtv airs short (on average three of four minutes) video clips from most major broadcast and cable networks. As Touchtv works in some capacity with each network it distributes, the production value of every clip is quite high (even if they leave you wanting more).

Touchtv has the slickest interface of all the video aggregation apps. You can select feeds from approximately 40 networks, which then appear as miniature squares on the homescreen. Tap a station like ESPN or Nickelodeon, and you see the most recent video. Scroll to the right to see the next video in line, or press the “Done” icon on the upper left part of the screen to see a more comprehensive directory.

The biggest complaint with Touchtv is that the videos are not full-length, and are essentially appetizers of programming still most easily accessed via cable or satellite providers. This is more of a licensing rather than a technological restraint, however. SkyGrid CEO Kevin Pomplun explained to Robert Scoble earlier this year that he is confident that the networks will eventually make all of their programming available via apps.

PBS KIDS Video (iPhone, iPad: Free)
My two-year-old son has no idea how to use a remote control, but is able to find episodes of Curious George and Cat in the Hat easily within this app. You can’t get a better testimonial than that in my household. While PBS KIDS Video is not technically optimized for AirPlay Mirroring as of this writing, the app and its more than 1,000 children’s videos display beautifully on Apple TV. The official ABC Player app is AirPlay optimized, and shows full-length episodes of dozens of shows (with limited commercial interruption) that air on the network.

Music Appreciation
It is highly likely that Apple’s next television offering will be a full-fledged media hub, forever impacting how we consume music in the living room. While no app today rivals YouTube for video music discovery on Apple TV, these independent titles are worth a look.

Qello (iPhone, iPad: Free, with $4.99 monthly subscription)
For professionally-produced, high-definition concert footage, Qello is currently without peer. The
company has licensing agreements with the rights holders, and the app’s ever-expanding library will please most rock, jazz and hip-hop fans. Concert films are categorized by artist, genre, and decade. The app also makes recommendations based on what is in your iTunes library. While a fair amount of concert and documentary footage can be viewed for free, an All-Access pass will run you $4.99 per month.

Other notable music apps that feature videos optimized for AirPlay Mirroring are Band of the Day and History of Jazz — an interactive timeline, both developed by 955 Dreams.

News and Current Events
If you’re looking to be informed without the bias of cable news outlets or the ambulance chasing absurdity of your local broadcast, these apps are your best bet.

Newsy for iPad — Video from Multiple Sources (iPhone, iPad: Free)
Newsy packs a lot of information and vantage points into its two-to-three minute video clips. The aim of each story, presented by in-house newscasters, is to provide multiple points of view around the biggest trending topics each day. Any given Newsy story can blend the biases of The New York Times or Fox News into one unique take. Newsy is a partner of the elite Missouri School of Journalism, and the app also serves as a vocational laboratory for those still willing to make a go of it in the news industry. Tap “Play All” on Newsy to watch its most recent coverage, and compare its performance and what you learned against the more established cable news networks.

Ustream (iPhone, iPad: Free)
This live video streaming service, originally conceived for the web, is a great preview guide for what individuals and organizations are broadcasting from all over the world. While Ustream is used by many to upload and transmit videos, its best application for AirPlay Mirroring is as a conduit to live or super-recent events, lectures and concerts that can be tapped into from the comfort of your own home.

Special Interests
As independent developers begin creating apps specific to Apple TV, a world of possibilities for longer tail interests awaits. These are the best apps optimized for AirPlay Mirroring to make you think, feel and breathe.

SnagFilms (iPad: Free)
More than 3,000 documentaries are contained within SnagFilms, which also exists online and via applications on multiple platforms. You can spend hours, if not days and weeks, watching award-winning documentaries on culture, politics, history and the arts. The biography library here is a nice antidote to the watered-down fare now found on A&E. SnagFilms is also a boon to individual filmmakers who have trouble finding distribution on traditional outlets.

TED (iPhone, iPad: Free)
While the now well-known global set of conferences technology, entertainment, and design conferences known as TED already have a prolific presence on Apple TV via podcasts within iTunes, accessing TED Talks to watch on the big screen is much more intuitive with its iPad app than the existing iTunes interface. The “Inspire Me” feature — where the app will create a playlist around a user’s given interest and amount of discretionary time — is not something that could be easily programmed with an Apple remote.

Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra for iPad (iPad: $1.99)
As a long-time practitioner of Bikram and Vinyasa Yoga, I’m not ready to ditch my studio membership to downward dog in front of the boob tube. But this app, which lets users create playlists of poses, is better and more economical than any DVD you can buy.

But what about Google TV?

While Google has operated its own television platform since 2010, like Apple TV, it has yet to draw a critical mass of mainstream users. My bet is that once Apple finally goes all-in on TV, Google will strike back strongly, very much like it did with its Android mobile operating system. In the meantime, here are some interesting Google TV apps worth getting to know.

Redux for Google TV: Curated content from the major broadcast and cable networks.

Qello for Google TV: See above, this music and concert app actually debuted on Android before iOS.

News Republic for Google TV: Popular smartphone and tablet app optimized for Google TV. More than 5,000 journalists curate thousands of stories each day.

Thuz Sports for Google TV: Sends push notifications when the game you’re interested in is in the balance.

TV & Movies for Google TV: This Google-developed app looks at all content sources (cable, satellite, Netflix, YouTube, etc.) and makes viewing recommendations.

Source

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Apple and environmental group to begin China pollution audit “within weeks”

The Financial Times is reporting that Apple is preparing to audit its Chinese supply chain for pollution and will begin joint investigations with a local environmental group ”in the next few weeks.”

The newspaper states that one of Apple’s partners, “a maker of printed circuit boards”, is set to be inspected by the firm and the China-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) as it looks to bring environmental issues to the surface.

News of the planned audit first broke in February when Ma Jun, the founder of the IPE, told USA Today that the firm had commissioned independent environmental reviews of at least two of its partner’s factories in China. However, it seems that Apple will have a level of involvement in proceedings, while there are no details of any more than the one factory visit.

The Cupertino-based firm has previously kept details of its environmental issues in-house but, as Jun explains, the company has now realised the importance of being open with its findings.

“One Apple vice-president said that transparency was needed and I felt that was the moment they decided they wanted to change the way they were doing things,” he told the Financial Times. “But it’s now become about validation, we keep telling them that you can’t just say that everything’s fine – we need proof.”

The change in attitude began last year when a meeting was held between Apple and its suppliers in China, following a series of environmental issues at a number of plants. Notebook casing supplier Catcher Technology was forced to close one facility over environmental concerns, while iPhone supplier Pegatron was fined for pumping out harmful gases during the manufacturing of products.

Apple is seemingly aware of issues in China, having increased the number of audits of its partners there to 229 last year, that’s 80 percent more than it ran in 2009, and it is now making public efforts to bring its workings in China up to the required standard.

The investigation into environmental issues follows Fair Labor Association (FLA) reports into the welfare of workers in Apple’s partner firms in China. Initial comments were positive, however the FLA’s conclusion found extensive violations in areas like payroll, working schedules and health and safety risks.

Two recent New York Times articles, How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work and In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad, painted a grim picture of the lives of workers that build the company’s products and put company CEO Tim Cook under increased pressure.

Cook has since visited China — becoming the first serving Apple CEO to do so — and the country is very much a focus, both in terms of sales and now the social side of its business.

We’ve contacted Apple for confirmation of the investigation and will update the article with any response we are given.

Source

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Intel releases its wish list of Windows 8 tablet features

Everyone, including Intel is expecting Windows 8 to launch before 2012 is over. Intel also wants to ensure its chips are inside as many Windows 8 tablets too, especially considering ARM is now an option.

With that in mind, the chip giant has used the Intel Developer Forum being held this week in Beijing to unveil its wish list for Windows 8 tablet features. These aren’t set in stone, but would certainly provide an enjoyable tablet experience if one or two manufacturers managed to hit all these points.

First up, Intel predictably sees an Atom processor at the heart of each tablet. More specifically, a dual-core Clover Trail Atom Z2760 with Hyperthreading and burst mode. No details of RAM are given, but Intel expects battery life to be in excess of 9 hours and standby time to be 30 days or more.

The battery life claims are made all the more difficult by the fact Intel expects Windows 8 tablets to be no thicker than 9mm and weigh less than 1.5 pounds. Add to that the requirement for 3G and 4G connectivity as standard, as well as NFC and/or Wi-Fi Direct, and the battery is going to be pushed pretty hard. Displays won’t be small either, with 10-inches as standard, or 11-inches if the unit ships with a keyboard.

The key thing here is that this is a wish list not a minimum spec. It’s unlikely all tablets will hit all those points. In fact, until we get a release version of Windows 8 we won’t know if a 9 hour battery life in a tablet is even possible without larger batteries that make the 9mm thickness unworkable. However, if a tablet does manage to meet Intel’s requirements, then it will give the new iPad a decent challenge. Apple’s tablet is 9.4mm thick, weighs 1.44 pounds, and promises 10 hours of battery life.

Source : geek

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FCC Proposes $25,000 Fine on Google

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $25,000 fine on Google Inc., GOOG -4.06% accusing the search giant of deliberately obstructing an investigation into whether the company violated federal rules when its street-mapping service collected and stored data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks in 2010.

The agency proposed the fine late Friday night as it faced a deadline for taking action on the "Wi-Spy" case.

"We worked in good faith to answer the FCC's questions throughout the inquiry, and we are pleased that they have concluded that we complied with the law," a Google spokeswoman said in a statement.

European Pressphoto Agency
The FCC's action is based on what it said was Google's reluctance to cooperate with the investigation.

The FCC's action is based on what it said was Google's reluctance to cooperate with the investigation. In a notice released Saturday, the agency said that for several months, "Google deliberately impeded and delayed" the agency's investigation into the data collection. A Google engineer who developed the Street View code used to collect the data declined to provide testimony to the agency and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

The agency did not fine Google for actually violating the federal communications law designed to prevent electronic eavesdropping. There is no precedent for applying the FCC law to unprotected Wi-Fi networks, and the agency concluded there was not enough evidence to conclude Google had violated those rules.

Google has a chance to appeal the proposed fine before it becomes final. The company has said that the data collection was inadvertent and that it stopped the practice when it discovered what was happening.

The FCC opened an investigation into the Google case in 2010 and was one of several agencies in the U.S. and abroad to investigate how the search giant gathered private user data from unsecured wireless networks.

Source : online.wsj

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