app

PayPal has unwrapped a new device that allows anyone with a smartphone to accept credit card payments. Unlike some other systems, "PayPal Here" doesn't require any special chips be installed in the phone itself. The idea is to tackle two existing ... problems for merchants who want to take credit and debit card payments: First, card payments usually require the merchant to have a device with telephone connectivity, to allow instant bank verification of the customer's identity and account. Second, taking such payments often entails hefty fees from the card-issuing bank, the merchant's ... (view more)

If you've developed an application capable of spying on users of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would probably like to have a chat with you. But don't worry -- it would appear they're more ... likely to use your app than putting you in prison for it. In a recent post on the site FedBizOpps.gov, the FBI's Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) openly admits it's looking for an app that will allow the investigative organization to go behind the scenes in social media sites and news networks. According to the post, the much-wanted ... (view more)

Apple has pulled a new application from its popular App Store after a United States senator complained terrorists could outfox law enforcement by using it to make fake identification cards. However, the removal has met with criticism from many ... users. "License" was originally released by DriversEd.com, to let Apple users take pictures of themselves and place their photo on a driver's license template. The point never was to help terrorists (or teens hoping to get their hands on alcohol) create fake IDs, but simply to help Apple users get creative with photos of themselves and their friends. ( ... (view more)

Cable TV network Cinemax has launched a streaming video app on the iPad that has raised questions about whether the company's more risque content violates Apple's strict rules about mature subject matter. The app is an iPad version of the Cinemax ... "Max Go" website that allows subscribers to the TV channels to watch movies on the Apple device. It includes a special section known as "After Dark" that includes content normally restricted to late-night viewing on the channels that, although not explicit, is certainly suggestive and contains images. Two of the prominent movies available ... (view more)

Maintaining an active lifestyle remains an ongoing struggle for many people. But a new, hi-tech wristband is looking to keep people motivated to stay fit and make health-conscious decisions throughout the day. Jawbone, a company known for ... manufacturing Bluetooth headsets, has expanded their production to include a lightweight bracelet that monitors an individual's daily physical activity through the use of built-in motion and vibration sensors. Smartphone Pics Reveal Eating Patterns Called "Up," the wrist wear accompanies a smartphone app that enables users to record their eating habits ... (view more)

A pair of summer interns at Microsoft have collaborated on a project to create an Android application capable of interpreting photographs -- complete with the identities and activities of the individuals involved -- via a smartphone camera without ... any human input whatsoever. 'TagSense', as it's called, is the brainchild of Microsoft Research interns Chaun Qin and Xuan Bao. The software works by utilizing Android's accelerometers to determine the exact physical activity the person in the photograph is involved in. This is supported by built-in microphones that can determine whether the ... (view more)

Apple iPad and iPhone owners are being targeted by a new scareware-like scheme this week, which uses a unique phishing strategy to frighten them into giving up their personal data. Fake Email Spoofs Apple App Users The scam is being reported by ... security company F-Secure, who say that hackers are using carefully designed emails to fool Apple fans. An email appears in a target's inbox from the "Apple AppStore," telling the recipient that their recent app order "has been successfully cancelled." Those users who don't want that to happen are asked to click on the link "order information" to find ... (view more)

Last week's report that thousands of U.S. libraries were set to receive Kindle eBooks marked a major step ahead for digital reading devices. But a new app-based copy of a book written by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is not only changing the ... approach to commercialized reading, but also the very definition of what we consider a "book" to be. Push Pop Press, a company established by former Apple employees Kimon Tsinteris and Mike Matas, has published an app version of "Our Choice," the popular 2009 book about global warming. Apple Features Alter Book Layout The app is said to take full ... (view more)

A controversial new Trojan virus is creeping onto Android smartphones everywhere, but poses no danger of compromising personal data or stealing confidential banking information. The threat is virtually harmless to "victims". Rather, the sole intent ... of the Trojan is to target, and later humiliate, those Android owners who download pirated material rather than pay for an authentic version of the same content. Pirated Android Walk and Text App Devious Referred to as the "Batman of Mobile Malware" the Trojan (also called Android.Walkinwat) poses as a pirated version of the popular "Walk and Text ... (view more)

An innovative smartphone application is causing great distress for police officers everywhere. It features a built-in warning system that informs motorists when a hidden police vehicle is in the area. Anti-Police Speed Trap App a Hit with Motorists ... "Trapster" was designed by a car enthusiast in San Diego and has since become an overnight sensation in terms of its download figures and usage. Many are referring to the system as a hi-tech version of the age-old scenario in which people flash their headlights to warn one another that a speed trap is in the vicinity. In this same spirit ... (view more)