U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, questioned executives from Apple and Google on mobile privacy. That testimony is now public.
There is also a video of Franken’s opening remarks from the hearing this morning, which has been embedded below. In his statement, Franken expressed concern about mobile privacy, but said he didn’t want to stifle the companies.
Apple’s Vice President of Software Technology, Guy L. “Bud” Tribble, testified before the US Senate on Tuesday answering questions about mobile privacy.
The hearings entitled “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy” were called by U.S. Senator Al Franken in response to reports that Apple and Google tracked its users. According to AppleInsider, Tribble reiterated what Apple said in its FAQ posted in late April.
Microsoft announced today plans to buy Skype Technologies SA for $8.5 billion in cash. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.
Karelia Software on Tuesday released a major update to its consumer-level Web site building tool, Sandvox.
Sony’s PlayStation Network still isn’t online, missing Sony’s own deadline to get the service running again. The company admits it underestimated the extent of its security malfunction after discovering almost 25 million more users with exposed information. “Sony discovered that … Continued
When you think of an “open” company, you don’t often associate using a club to get people to do what you want, but that’s how a Google employee sees it.
A Massachusetts court released email messages from Google last week as the company battles Skyhook Wireless in court. One of the emails is garnering quite a bit of attention.
Security researcher Gordon Maddern writes about a security vulnerability in Skype for Mac:
I’ve used quite a few software applications to record my guitar into my Mac Pro. Avid’s Eleven Rack has some great features that help save you from diaster.
Unfortunately, sometimes I spend a lot of time building a guitar preset only to lose it all by closing the app or changing presets by mistake.
Apple’s iPhone 4 is selling very well, but a new report suggests that even its older iPhone 3GS and first generation iPad often outsells newer devices running Android.
Canaccord Genuity technology analyst Michael Walkley said the iPhone 4 is by far the top selling device at AT&T and Verizon, according to a report on AppleInsider. For instance, checks at AT&T retail locations found that the $49 iPhone 3GS outsold the newer HTC Inspire and Motorola Atrix.
Brand rating firm Millward Brown Optimor on Monday said that Apple ended Google’s four year reign as the world’s most valuable brand.
Apple grew 84 percent in the last year alone to take over the top spot. According to the study, Apple grew 859 percent since 2006. Apple’s value now stands at $153.3 billion.
Yours truly was the guest of honor on this week’s iGame Radio podcast with Omaha Sternberg. Topics included the ESRB’s announcement to rate games using a computer program; EA’s purchase of Firemint, and what this means for indie iOS gaming; … Continued
U.S. Senator Al Franken on Friday announced the witness list for the upcoming hearings of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy.
The hearings entitled “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy,” will take place on Tuesday, May 10 at 10:00 am, according to the Senator’s office.
Just in time for Free Comic Book Day this weekend, Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has introduced Imaginary Range, a free app available for download from the App Store. Separate iPhone and iPad versions are available.
Out of the Park Developments has released iOOTP Baseball 2011, a new game for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad that uses OOTP’s Out of the Park Baseball engine. It’s a real baseball simulation game, not a 3D arcade game. … Continued
Market research firm IDC on Thursday released its smartphone market share numbers for the first quarter of 2011 and Apple is doing quite well.
According to the report, Apple only follows Nokia in worldwide shipments. Apple’s shipments grew from 8.7 million in 2010 to 18.7 million in 2011, an increase of 114.4 percent year-over-year.
Universal Audio on Thursday updated its UAD software platform, fixing a few bugs and adding a new plug-in.
Kelly Hodgkins at TUAW has alerted readers of what appears to be a straightforward ripoff of the popular iOS game Canabalt, now available on the App Store under the moniker “Free Running.” Canabalt’s source code was released to encourage other … Continued
Respected financial analyst Charlie Wolf on Wednesday issued a note to clients and slammed RIM for its recent missteps.
“RIM’s skills as a hardware manufacturer have been more than offset by it ineptness in software development, the focus of competition today,” wrote Wolf. “The blame must be laid at the feet of the company’s Co-CEO’s who in their actions and words, appear to have no clue on how to mount a successful response.”
iPhones don’t store as much location data as they used to once upgrading to iOS 4.3.3, released by Apple on Wednesday. It’s available for download and installation using iTunes.
I imagine as the world changed millions of years ago, Dinosaurs gathered together for comfort — yesterday proved the tech industry isn’t much different.
Not knowing how to deal with their changing world, two tech dinosaurs — Microsoft and RIM — joined forces on Tuesday to fight for their survival. So what is it these two monoliths came up with to fight off Apple and Google?
From the Bing blog:
On Tuesday Apple refreshed its iMac product line with new 21.5-inch and 27-inch models, adding quad-core i5 processors and faster graphics across the board, and introducing Thunderbolt, the new Apple and Intel-branded high-speed I/O interface. Some Loop readers have asked … Continued
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced plans to acquire Firemint Pty Ltd., the software developer responsible for the hit iOS games Real Racing and Flight Control. Financial details weren’t disclosed, but EA said the deal will close within four weeks.
Plasq has released Comic Life for iPad, an iOS version of an app that first appeared on the Mac. Comic Life helps you arrange photos into layouts that resemble comic books. Comic Life for iPad costs $7.99.
Android users regularly lord the “openness” of their phone’s operating system over iPhone users, but the truth is far more complicated. The latest example of that came this week when Android phone users found themselves unable to download “tethering” apps … Continued
Apple’s Time Machine backups are a great way to make sure you’re protected from system failures, but what happens if something goes wrong with the Time Machine backup? That’s where Pro Softnet Corp.’s IDrive online backup service comes into play … Continued
Apple on Tuesday released a new line of iMacs, adding some powerful new features to its all-in-one line of computers. Company executives took some time to speak with The Loop about the release.
One of the big new features in the iMac is the addition of Thunderbolt, a new I/O interface that Apple and Intel introduced in February in the MacBook Pro. Thunderbolt supports high-speed connectivity with storage systems and other forthcoming devices. With adapters it can work with Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire and USB peripherals, too.
Thunderbolt is a dual channel technology, so you get high-speed from both channels — one doesn’t slow down the other.
Apple on Tuesday introduced new iMac models with next generation quad-core microprocessors, improved graphics performance and Apple’s new “Thunderbolt” I/O technology underscoring the top changes. Prices start at $1,199.
We’ve all heard about some of the great work that the people at Make-a-Wish Foundation do for kids, but the latest will be interesting for iPhone users.
Nine-year-old Owain Weinert is battling pre-B Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, but he didn’t want to meet a rock star or great sports figure for his wish — he wanted to build his own iPhone game. With the help of the Foundation and PopCap Games, his wish came true, according to GeekWire.