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  Teen Creates 'Twifficiency' App, Endures Twitter's Misguided Wrath

  JP 1:44 am on August 19, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, James Cunningham, marissa mayer (3), nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), statuses (3), tweets (128), Twifficiency, U.K. (37)

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Yesterday, a harmless teenager from the U.K. suddenly found himself under a flood of Twitter attacks — all because of an app called ‘Twifficiency.’ “Twifficiency calculates your Twitter efficiency based upon your Twitter activity,” the service’s site explains. “This includes how many people you follow, how many people follow you, how often you tweet and how many tweets you read.” As with any other app that allows users to compare scores, Twifficiency went viral pretty quickly, and even landed a spot among yesterday’s top trending topics.

  What users didn’t realize, though, was that the app would automatically update their statuses to display their twifficiency score, along with a link to the website. Even Google exec Marissa Mayer got duped, while revealing a 0-percent Twifficiency score. Not surprisingly, more than a few users began sounding the alarms about what they suspected to be a scam in app’s clothing, and some began viciously targeting the app’s developer, 17-year-old James Cunningham.

  Continue reading Teen Creates ‘Twifficiency’ App, Endures Twitter’s Misguided Wrath

  Teen Creates ‘Twifficiency’ App, Endures Twitter’s Misguided Wrath originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Wants Everyone, Even You, to Write Android Apps with 'App Inventor'

  JP 1:47 am on July 17, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, google (193), inventor (2), obscure commands, private beta, Read (1,473)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Google

  

  Normally, programming is considered the playground of the nerd elite. Coding applications, particularly complex ones, is so tough that even the pros screw it up pretty regularly. (That’s why we have bug fixes.) The geeks at Google want to simplify the process of creating apps, streamlining it so that even a kid could do it. And of course, if fresh-faced kids are gonna learn to write apps, Google would prefer they did it for the Android mobile platform.

  That’s the purpose of Google’s new DIY programming tool, App Inventor. Rather than force users to memorize obscure commands and confusing syntax, App Inventor uses simple “blocks” that allow creators to visualize how an app will behave. App Inventor is simple in execution, but hides powerful capabilities such as the ability to send text messages, interact with a GPS unit, update Twitter and read text aloud. For now, the tool is aimed at the education market and entering a private beta, which you can sign up for here, but we expect App Inventor will soon be available to the general public. Now, when you wish that there was an “app for that” on Android, you can to write it yourself. Check it out in action after the break. [From: Google, via: New York Times and Download Squad]

  Continue reading Google Wants Everyone, Even You, to Write Android Apps with ‘App Inventor’

  Google Wants Everyone, Even You, to Write Android Apps with ‘App Inventor’ originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Rogue Facebook Apps Brazenly Make You Do Their Dirty Work

  JP 1:44 am on July 10, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, facebook (320), iq test, iq testing, iq tests, nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473)

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

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  At this point, we’ve been well-trained not to trust Facebook applications — and seemingly with good reason, since every week another hack or phishing scam pops up. What makes the two most recent instances special, though, is their brazenness — hiding in plain sight, and relying on people’s gullibility to spread across the social network like wildfire.

  First up is yet another mock IQ test app. This one lures you into its trap with a post on a friend’s Wall that reads, “I’m never texting again.” Clicking on the link embedded in the post leads to a page that instructs you to click on an image, and asks you to give the application access to your Facebook account so that you can watch a “shocking video.” Agreeing will launch an IQ testing app that posts the same link on your Facebook profile, and then prompts you to add $10 a month to your cell phone bill for more IQ tests.

  Continue reading Rogue Facebook Apps Brazenly Make You Do Their Dirty Work

  Rogue Facebook Apps Brazenly Make You Do Their Dirty Work originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Italian Priest Develops iPad Mass App for Catholic Services

  JP 10:20 am on June 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, Benedict XVI, huffington post (12), Mass., nbsp (1,691), pope benedict, pope benedict xvi, Read (1,473), Reverend Paolo Padrini, Vatican

  Filed under: Computers

  Need to conduct Mass? Starting in July, there’s an app for that. According to the AP, an Italian priest has created an iPad application that contains the entire missal — the text used to conduct Mass throughout the liturgical year. The Reverend Paolo Padrini’s unnamed free app will launch next month in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. Two years ago, Padrini developed the iPhone app, iBreviary, a digital book of daily prayers for Catholics. Padrini, who consults with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told the AP that the iPad Mass app will be similar to his previous innovation.

  Pope Benedict XVI has had no issue with using new media to bring the Church into the 21st century. Last month, the Pope even allowed his congregation to text him their concerns about recent scandals within the Church. But while a younger congregation could be willing to embrace new technology, we wonder if older priests will be receptive to replacing the missal with an iPad? We’ll say a prayer, just in case. [From: AP/Huffington Post]

  Italian Priest Develops iPad Mass App for Catholic Services originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  iPhone Apps: The Next Frontier for Political Campaigns

  JP 10:20 am on June 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, Doug MacGinnitie, Georgia (4), iPhone (30), midterm elections, nbsp (1,691), political campaigns, Read (1,473), Senator Obama

  Filed under: Cell Phones, iPhone, Web, Social Networking

  

  If we had to call it, 2008 was the year that politicians took to Facebook and Twitter. More ambitious, it seems, 2010 may turn out to be the year of the mobile app. In the lead up to the midterm elections, many candidates for office, even local ones, are releasing iPhone apps in order to reach potential voters.

  In 2008, then-Senator Obama saw great success with his iPhone app, which allowed supporters to find local events, contact organizers and donate money. Now other politicians want in on the high-tech game — even if they’re campaigning to only a tiny fraction of the constituency Obama was. For example, Doug MacGinnitie is a Republican running for secretary of state in Georgia, and his campaign has put together a basic iPhone app that provides updates about his quest for office, and allows supporters to donate. It’s only been downloaded about 200 times, but it’s hardly a failure.

  Continue reading iPhone Apps: The Next Frontier for Political Campaigns

  iPhone Apps: The Next Frontier for Political Campaigns originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Twitter Unveils Official iPhone App, Switched Goes Hands On

  JP 1:52 am on May 25, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, iPhone (30), nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), savvy users, Twitter (176)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Social Networking

  

  Searching the iPhone app store for “Twitter” turns up plenty of apps, but not one named “Twitter.” In fact there was no such thing as an official Twitter app for the iPhone, until today. For newcomers to the microblogging service, this caused a bit of confusion, so Twitter decided it was time to get some officially sanctioned apps out — including one for the iPhone. Smartly, instead of starting from scratch, it snatched up the highly polished and very popular Tweetie.

  A month after announcing the purchase, the newly re-branded app, simply called Twitter, is now available for free in the app store — making it easier for the less patient or savvy users to get tweeting.

  Gallery: Twitter app for iPhone

  

  Continue reading Twitter Unveils Official iPhone App, Switched Goes Hands On

  Twitter Unveils Official iPhone App, Switched Goes Hands On originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 19 May 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Twitter Launches Official Android App, Surprises No One

  JP 1:47 am on May 4, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Android (10), app, homescreen, Read (1,473), system users, tweets (128), Twitter (176)

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  Last month, Twitter launched its BlackBerry app. Then, it bought Tweetie. Now, in a move that’s guaranteed to stir up more conversation among third-party app developers, Twitter has expanded its mobile kingdom to the Android platform thanks to a brand new app.

  As Twitter explains on its blog, the new app allows Android users to easily access their timelines via a special homescreen widget, and view tweet locations on maps. Twitter integration runs deep through the operating system: users can see their friends’ latest tweets from their address book, in GoogleTalk apps or from any other application that uses Android’s QuickContact bar. The app is already available for download in the Android Market, but will only run on Android 2.1 and above. If you have an older version, Twitter recommends that you just go directly to its standard mobile site — we recommend Twidroid.

  Continue reading Twitter Launches Official Android App, Surprises No One

  Twitter Launches Official Android App, Surprises No One originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 03 May 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  BlackBerry Twitter App Finally Launches... in Beta

  JP 1:49 am on April 11, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, Beta (2), Beta Zone (2), BlackBerry (4), home screens (2), nbsp (1,691), North America (3), party apps (4), Read (1,473), rim blackberry (2), U.K. (37)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, BlackBerry, Social Networking, BlackBerry 101

  It may be late to the party, but the official Twitter app has finally graced the BlackBerry with its presence. On Thursday evening, BlackBerry-maker RIM unveiled an open beta version of Twitter, specially designed for BlackBerry smartphones, and, according to CNET, the latest app is much more tricked out than the bare bones preview that leaked back in February.

  While the preview version allowed users to upload photos and retweet, it lacked a lot of the juicy extras that third party apps like UberTwitter and Seesmic possessed. With this new app, though, BlackBerry users can now receive tweet notifications directly on their home screens and BlackBerry Message lists, and can curate their Twitter lists with relative ease. Although Twitter trends are noticeably absent from the beta version, users can still edit their profile information and picture directly from their smartphones, and are able to visually customize their homepage to a certain extent. Anyone can grab the app from the Test Center of the BlackBerry App World, and, if you’re in the U.K. or North America, you can download it directly from the RIM BlackBerry Beta Zone. [From: CNET]

  BlackBerry Twitter App Finally Launches… in Beta originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  BlackBerry Twitter App Finally Launches... in Beta

  JP 1:49 am on April 10, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, Beta (2), Beta Zone (2), BlackBerry (4), home screens (2), nbsp (1,691), North America (3), party apps (4), Read (1,473), rim blackberry (2), U.K. (37)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, BlackBerry, Social Networking, BlackBerry 101

  It may be late to the party, but the official Twitter app has finally graced the BlackBerry with its presence. On Thursday evening, BlackBerry-maker RIM unveiled an open beta version of Twitter, specially designed for BlackBerry smartphones, and, according to CNET, the latest app is much more tricked out than the bare bones preview that leaked back in February.

  While the preview version allowed users to upload photos and retweet, it lacked a lot of the juicy extras that third party apps like UberTwitter and Seesmic possessed. With this new app, though, BlackBerry users can now receive tweet notifications directly on their home screens and BlackBerry Message lists, and can curate their Twitter lists with relative ease. Although Twitter trends are noticeably absent from the beta version, users can still edit their profile information and picture directly from their smartphones, and are able to visually customize their homepage to a certain extent. Anyone can grab the app from the Test Center of the BlackBerry App World, and, if you’re in the U.K. or North America, you can download it directly from the RIM BlackBerry Beta Zone. [From: CNET]

  BlackBerry Twitter App Finally Launches… in Beta originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Apple's iTunes App Store Gets Its Own Facebook Page

  JP 1:49 am on April 2, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: app, iPhone (30), nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), social networking (65), Store (7), top charts

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  In a move we should’ve seen coming from a mile away, the iTunes App Store now has its very own Facebook page. Everybody is on Facebook these days, so it only makes sense that Apple would join the fray. According to Mashable, the page, which was developed and powered by the social-branding service Vitrue, gives users all the standard options offered by iTunes or the store’s iPhone application. You can browse the Top Charts (paid and free) to see what apps are hot, or search for an app by name, keyword or category. When you come across an app you like, simply click the ‘Get App’ button. Then, iTunes will open and download the app.

  It sounds boring, right? But since the App Store is integrated with Facebook, users can share apps with friends and discover new apps. After all, social networking, like grade school, is all about sharing. Using the ‘Search & Share’ tab, you can type in a keyword and instantly get thousands of results, any of which can be posted to friends’ Walls or sent in a message.

  Continue reading Apple’s iTunes App Store Gets Its Own Facebook Page

  Apple’s iTunes App Store Gets Its Own Facebook Page originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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