WhatsApp won’t comply with India’s order to delete user data
WhatsApp’s decision to share user data with Facebook has provoked the ire of yet another foreign government. Last week, India’s Delhi High Court ordered WhatsApp to delete any data collected from users who opted out of the company’s new privacy policy before September 25th. According to Mashable, however, WhatsApp has no plan to comply with the court order and it will have “no impact on the planned policy and terms of service updates.”
In August, privacy groups in the US spoke out against the change, which allows WhatsApp to pass account information like mobile phone number, contacts, profile pictures and status messages to its parent company. Facebook claims that sharing information between the two will help it to improve the experience and fight abuse across both platforms, while WhatsApp defended the change by saying that all messages on the service will remain encrypted. The case before the Delhi High Court was brought by two Indian students who alleged the new terms of service will jeopardize the privacy and “severely compromises” the rights of over 100 million active WhatsApp users in their country.
The change took effect earlier this week, but yesterday the German government also ordered Facebook to stop collecting user data from WhatsApp and to delete any information it had already gathered. In that case, Facebook has said it will appeal the court order.
Source: Mashable
‘Here They Lie’ trailer is a frightening glimpse at PlayStation VR
Here They Lie wowed us back at E3 with its virtual reality spin on existential horror. Now its latest trailer offers up plenty more reasons to get excited (or preemptively terrified) ahead of its October 13th release (right alongside PlayStation VR’s debut). Developed by the team at Tangentleman, it puts you in the shoes of a man experiencing a smorgasbord of horrific imagery while pursuing a mysterious woman. And being a VR joint, you’ll get to suffer right alongside him.
We don’t know much else about Here They Lie’s story yet, but the trailer makes its influences clear. There’s plenty of Kubrickian imagery from The Shining, as well as nods to Jacob’s Ladder (which the developers say directly inspired the game). On the whole, there’s a pervading sense of dread, which is exactly how I like my horror served up. And yes, you can also play it on on the PS4 normally without the VR headset.
Source: PlayStation
App Store Search Ads Go Live October 5, Developers Now Able to Purchase Ad Spots
Back in June, Apple announced some major changes to the App Store, including the addition of ads to App Store search results. App Store Search Ads have gone live as of today, and Apple is allowing developers to purchase ad spots. Ads from developers will be displayed starting on October 5.
Search Ads have been in beta testing since the feature was announced, and developers were previously able to participate in a beta testing program to provide ads that were visible to App Store users.
With Search Ads, developers can bid to have their app listed as the top result when certain keywords are used, improving app discoverability. Ads are available through an auction system, with one ad displayed to customers on each search result page. Ads are clearly marked and ad content is the same content that’s available on the App Store app description pages as it uses App Store metadata and imagery.
According to Apple’s Phil Schiller, Apple “thought about how to carefully” do search ads in a way that “customers will be happy with.” Apple also believes the ad auction system is fair to developers, including indie developers.
Developers do not need to pay a minimum amount to use Search Ads, so it’s possible to buy ads for a small sum of money. Apple prices Search Ads based on a cost-per-tap model, so developers only pay when a user taps on an ad. Apple displays ads based on a combination of bid amount and an app’s relevance to the search query, with ad matching done automatically.
Developers who sign up to offer Search Ads are being given a free $100 credit to get started with the program.
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Skype for iOS Devices Updated With Siri and CallKit Support
Skype today updated its iOS app to version 6.25, adding support for new features that were introduced with iOS 10. Skype now integrates with Siri, allowing users to ask Siri to make a call using Skype for a hands-free way to keep in touch with friends and family.
With iOS 10 and SiriKit, calling someone on Skype is as simple as using the same voice commands you’re already using. Let’s say you’re trying to call Lucy Archer on Skype. If you have her Skype contact information saved in your iOS device, simply say “Call Lucy Archer.” Siri may ask for you to confirm it has the right contact–one click later and your Skype call is initiated!
In iOS 10, contact details for Skype users can be added directly to the Contacts app, which makes it easier to initiate Skype calls and messages through Siri without the need to open the Skype app. You can also invite friends to join Skype from the Contacts list.
Today’s update also introduces support for CallKit, allowing incoming Skype calls to be displayed on the iPhone just like a regular phone call. Skype calls can be answered like traditional phone calls using the built-in iOS functionality, which means they’re answerable from the lock screen.
Skype can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link: iPhone/iPad]
Tag: Skype
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MacRumors Readers Share Beautiful Depth-of-Field Photos Shot With iPhone 7 Plus
Apple released iOS 10.1 beta last week with a new “Portrait” mode on iPhone 7 Plus. The depth-of-field feature uses the smartphone’s dual cameras and advanced machine learning to make the subject in the foreground sharp while creating an out-of-focus blur in the background, known as the bokeh effect.
Since then, several MacRumors readers have shared beautiful depth of field photos shot with iPhone 7 Plus. Many of the photos look like they were captured with a higher-end DSLR camera, which is impressive given how small the iPhone’s cameras are. In many ways, the best camera truly is becoming the one you carry in your pocket.
MacRumors reader Bryan, for example, shared some photos he shot at the ArtPrize international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan this week. Each photo beautifully demonstrates Apple’s artificial bokeh effect, achieved by combining two images from the wide-angle and telephoto lenses to create a depth map.
The crowdsourced iPhone 7 Plus Photography topic in the MacRumors discussion forums has dozens of other great examples of both regular and depth of field photos, including this swimming pool portrait shared by reader erwheezy. Make sure to click the link ahead to read the full article with more examples.
The depth-of-field effect requires iOS 10.1, currently in beta for developers and public testers. The update should be officially released in October.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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GoTenna Mesh Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
A trip to the wilderness can be a relaxing break to unplug from the always-on connectivity of city life, but it can be tricky to stay in touch with the group once your cellular service drops out.
You can pick up a satellite phone or a set of two-way radios, but there’s no way to guarantee message delivery unless you get an immediate response — not to mention a loud barking radio isn’t the most considerate way to communicate in nature.
That’s why the GoTenna is a popular accessory for campers, travelers, preppers and even search-and-rescue teams. It’s a small communication device that connects to smartphones via Bluetooth and creates a low-frequency radio wave network, allowing users to send messages and broadcast GPS coordinates to other GoTenna carriers without the need for a cellular connection.
It doesn’t offer an actual data plan for Web surfing or other online activities, but it can transmit a connection signal for three miles in outdoor scenarios and a mile in urban areas, depending on the source elevation.
GoTenna cofounder and CEO Daniela Perdomo came by CNET last month to show us the company’s next project called GoTenna Mesh. While the original sent encrypted messages via point-to-point networking, the company’s second product relies on mesh networking which allows devices to share their connections with other users and relay messages to widen the coverage area.
GoTenna just launched a Kickstarter for its second device, the GoTenna Mesh, which uses mesh networking to share device connections, relay messages and widen coverage areas.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Here’s how mesh networking works in a real-life scenario: let’s say you and a buddy are planning a trip off the grid in Yosemite National Park in California. Before you go, clip a GoTenna Mesh to each of your bags and download the offline maps for your trip, available for both iOS and Android.
Once you’re out there, if you and your buddy wander off and go out of range of each other’s GoTennas, you can still send messages back and forth using the mesh network, provided there are other GoTenna users around.
The device will automatically crawl the area attempting to locate other users nearby with a clean network connection. If it finds another GoTenna, it’ll use that device’s service to slingshot your message forward to the destination. All this happens in the background of the app to keep messages private, but the mesh network can double or even triple the effective frequency spectrum using this dynamic tool.
The demo I saw in the office wasn’t nearly as dramatic as it will be in the wilderness, but keep in mind GoTenna and GoTenna Mesh aren’t exclusively made for campers hiking off the grid. Its ad-hoc messaging has potential for emergency preppers in the event of a city-wide cellular blackout, attendees of large gatherings like concerts and sports events and anyone traveling without a working SIM card.
Like the flagship model, the GoTenna Mesh also shows read receipts, logs and sends GPS coordinates, and includes a function called Shout that lets you transmit information to any GoTenna devices in range — sort of an on-the-go “anyone out there?” call to action.
The Brooklyn-based company has simultaneously announced an open SDK for future projects as well as a premium service called GoTenna Plus that offers additional features like topographic maps, network relay, and real-time trip stats for a yearly fee.
GoTenna is using a Kickstarter campaign to give early adopters a chance to invest in the GoTenna Mesh. Preorders are available for the next month for a limited promotional price of $129 (£100, AU$170) to start, but the actual retail price will be $179 (£140, AU$235) for a pair when the product ships later this year.
Likewise, the original GoTenna without the mesh network capability will be sold for $149 (£115, AU$200) for a pair.
As always, please note that CNET’s reporting on crowdfunding campaigns is not an endorsement of the project or its creators. Contributing to a crowdfunded project comes with risk. Before contributing to any campaign, read the crowdfunding site’s policies, such as those for Kickstarter and Indiegogo, to learn more about your rights (and refund policies, or the lack thereof) before and after a campaign ends.
Spotify is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SoundCloud
Those rumors that SoundCloud is shopping itself around? They just got more substantial. Financial Times sources understand that Spotify is in “advanced talks” to buy SoundCloud. Details of the terms are still scarce at the moment, but it won’t surprise you to hear that Spotify is declining to comment. We’ve asked SoundCloud for its take as well.
A buyout would be expensive for Spotify, which is seeing a surge of paying customers but still isn’t turning a profit. However, it would definitely make a sense from a strategic perspective. Spotify has been expanding to include more than just albums — this would give it a wider catalog of DJ sets, demos and other rough tracks. That, in turn, would give it leverage over Apple Music, Tidal and other services that try to lure you away with artist exclusives. You could listen to an in-development song and check out that artist’s commercially available music immediately afterward.
And SoundCloud… well, it may not have much of a choice. Its paid SoundCloud Go service hasn’t exactly taken off, and it can’t really make money from those unofficial mashups and remixes. There’s no saying whether or not SoundCloud as you know it would survive under Spotify, but it would at least have a financial cushion.
Source: Financial Times
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