iOS Update Reportedly Includes New Capability For iAd Attribution

As part of iOS 7.1, the recent update to its mobile operating system, Apple appears to have added a new feature to its iAd program. This should allow the company to take credit for the app downloads driven by its ads, and allow advertisers to get a better sense of whether campaigns are paying off.

In a company blog post, mobile ad attribution startup HasOffers says there’s no mention of these changes in Apple’s documentation, but there is API code that seems to indicate a change. Here’s how HasOffers interprets the code:

Based on our interpretation, we believe this method will provide insight into whether a user engaged (impression or click) with an ad from iAd, in specific, prior to installing the app. If the user did engage with an ad specifically from iAd, then the “determine App Installation Attribution with Completion Handler” method will return a value of 1 for yes. If the user didn’t engage with an ad from iAd (perhaps the user engaged with an ad from another channel like Google Adwords or didn’t even engage with any ads at all), then the function will return a value of 0 for no.

I’ll spare you my attempt to squint at the code and tell you whether HasOffers’ interpretation is plausible. Instead, let me point out that through its MobileAppTracking product, HasOffers is a leader in mobile ad attribution (though it has also run afoul of Facebook), so this is an area where I’d trust their interpretation.

I’ve reached out to Apple and other companies that work on mobile attribution, and I’ll update this post if any of them get back to me.

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Amazon is reportedly working on a music-streaming service

Amazon does much more than dominate the online-shopping space. With its Prime instant video service, complete with original series and exclusives, the company has taken on Netflix -- and it looks like challenging Spotify and other music services is Amazon's next step. According to sources who spoke with Re/code, the company is currently in talks with music labels to offer a subscription-style service. The news is hardly surprising, but it's unclear when exactly an Amazon music-streaming platform would arrive.

According to one "label source," the company's demand for deeper discounts is holding up its talks with labels. When the back-room negotiations come to a conclusion, though, the cost of buying those music rights will likely be worth it, especially considering hints that the annual Prime subscription could increase by up to $40. In theory, at least, customers would be more likely to shell out that fee if they received more bundled features like free music streaming. However, Re/code makes a good point in noting that many Prime subscribers aren't even aware that they have access to instant video, so perhaps a streaming service would help Amazon highlight the privileges of Prime membership -- if the music service is bundled with Prime at all, that is.

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Source: Re/code

Tags: amazon, amazon music service, amazon music streaming, Amazon Prime, music streaming, rumor Next: Engadget HD Podcast 387 - 2.27.14 .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Sony to reportedly offload its old Tokyo HQ for some quick cash

It appears Sony isn't quite done selling off assets in a bid to reverse its financial losses. Just weeks after it sold its VAIO PC business, the company is reportedly in talks to offload another one of its properties: its former headquarters in central Tokyo. The deal could net Sony more than 15 billion yen ($146.5 million), adding to the $2.3 billion it recouped from the sale of its New York and Osaka buildings last year. Locals have blasted the potential move, however, arguing that the company's "birthplace," where founders Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka worked on the Walkman and Trinitron TV, should be exempt from its restructuring efforts. The proceeds could be used to cushion the $1.1 billion loss Sony expects to make in its current financial year, putting no pressure whatsoever on the new Xperia Z2 family to sell well when it hits stores in April.

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Apple's iWatch and iOS 8 are reportedly fitness-focused

We still don't know exactly what Apple's long-rumored smart watch is, or what it's called -- yes, iWatch is probably right -- but a report today from 9to5Mac posits a whole heap of new information. First, the wearable works in concert with "Healthbook," a new internal app intended to track various fitness (steps, distance, etc.) and health metrics (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.). Second, it looks like Healthbook -- at least currently -- is a crucial part of iOS 8, and when paired with iWatch (or whatever it's called) the two are "able to monitor several other pieces of health and fitness data." It's unclear exactly what that means. Like it's name, Healthbook is apparently pretty similar to Passbook, and you'll be able to swipe through various "cards" with health information.

Of course, none of this should come as a tremendous shock (though it's all still firmly in the rumor bin) -- word of Apple working on a wearable has been floating for quite some time, and it's past the point of coincidence. Between Apple hiring wearable electronics engineers (notable ones!), meeting with FDA regulators about "mobile medical applications," and the competition already staking a firm claim in the nascent smart watch market, no one following the tech news beast should be shocked. That's to say nothing of the dedicated chip inside Apple's latest iPhone (seen above). Regardless, with nothing officially announced just yet, we've reached out to Apple for more.

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Source: 9to5Mac

Tags: apple, iphone6, iwatch, mobilepostcross, report, rumor Next: Engadget Podcast 382 - 1.31.14 .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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SoundCloud reportedly in talks with record labels to stem copyright claims

Both listeners and uploaders would likely agree that SoundCloud is becoming the main hub on the internet for user-created audio content. However, it seems as if the company may be looking to grow beyond that. According to Re/code, SoundCloud has started approaching "big music labels" in hopes of landing licensing deals for "some of their songs." While a number of copyrighted tunes can already be found on the site (see above), the music labels still have full control and can easily take down any media that isn't supposed to be there. For SoundCloud users, this would signify having access to a more robust library of songs from known artists, while the record companies would benefit by taking a chunk of money in exchange for a licensing agreement. It could be a bold move for SoundCloud, but with investors recently showing they have quite a lot of faith in it, perhaps the service isn't far off from coming to terms with the almighty music labels.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Re/code

The Wall Street Journal Tags: licensing, music, music labels, music licensing, SoundCloud Next: Engadget Podcast 381 - 1.24.14 .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Apple is reportedly building a mobile payment service

There are plenty of existing mobile payment systems that let you buy goods with your iPhone, but there are now signs that Apple wants to take on some of those duties itself. The Wall Street Journal claims that the company is in the early stages of building a mobile payment infrastructure that would let its customers buy all kinds of products and services, not just those in its own stores. Sources say that Cupertino has tasked the former head of its online store with getting the service off the ground, and it's reportedly discussing the idea with other companies in the tech industry. Apple isn't commenting on the rumor, but it has been researching mobile payments for years -- we know it's at least intrigued by the concept.

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Source: Wall Street Journal

Tags: apple, e-commerce, ios, iphone, leak, MobilePayments, mobilepostcross, payment, rumor, shopping, smartphone Next: Google glitch flooded at least one poor guy's inbox
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Google reportedly acquires Bitspin, maker of Timely app

Bitspin's Timely alarm clock app.

(Credit:Bitspin)

Google has acquired Bitspin, according to an announcement by the maker of the Android alarm clock app Timely.

The Zurich-based company's announcement did not make it clear whether the company had been purchased outright or if the team had been hired by Google.

We're thrilled to announce that Bitspin is joining Google, where we'll continue to do what we love: building great products that are delightful to use.

For new and existing users, Timely will continue to work as it always has. Thanks to everyone who has downloaded our app and provided feedback along the way; we truly appreciate all your support.

Terms of the deal were not revealed. Google confirmed the acquisition but declined to comment further.

Now listed as free at the Google Play store, the app allows alarms to be set with the swipe of a finger from the edge of the screen. It allows features customizable clock appearance and alarm options.

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Apple reportedly acquires photo app developer SnappyLabs

One-man company's popular SnappyCam app, which was capable of capturing full-resolution images at 20 to 30 frames per second, has vanished from the iTunes app store.

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Microsoft reportedly talking to Sony about Windows Phone launch in 2014

Microsoft only has a few key Windows Phone partners under its belt, but it may be expanding the ecosystem very shortly -- The Information hears from sources that Redmond is once again in talks to launch a Sony-made Windows Phone. While there's no guarantee of a deal, the partnership could introduce a handset as soon as mid-2014. The device may even carry the VAIO badge, and it could serve as a vehicle for Sony's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services. Even if the discussions fall apart, Microsoft may have more hardware manufacturers lined up. Tipsters claim that the company wants to renew ZTE's interest in Windows Phone, and it could be willing to cut or even waive the OS licensing fees that frequently drive potential allies toward Android. Neither side has confirmed the talks, and Sony will only say that it "continues to assess" Windows when it's relevant. Still, there's now a chance that the Xperia X2 will finally get a sequel.

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Source: The Information

Next: Apple claims it 'has never worked with the NSA' to create backdoors in any of its products .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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NSA can reportedly bug computer equipment before it reaches buyers

Don't think that the NSA always has to wait until people are using technology to start snooping on it. Spiegel has obtained documents which claim that the agency's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group can intercept computer equipment orders and install tracking hardware or software before the shipments even reach their buyers. The division can target a wide array of hardware, too. Another NSA section, ANT, reportedly has a catalog of tools that can install back doors in everything from Cisco and Huawei network systems through to hard drives from most major manufacturers, including Seagate and Western Digital. Some of these bugs can give the NSA "permanent" access, since they're designed to persist if the owner wipes a device's storage or upgrades its firmware.

The leak suggests that the targeted manufacturers aren't aware of what's happening; Cisco and other firms tell Spiegel they don't coordinate with the NSA. These hardware interceptions are also limited in scope next to remote surveillance programs. The agency isn't confirming any specifics, but it maintains that TAO is focused on exploiting foreign networks. Whether or not that's true, the discoveries show that the NSA's surveillance can reach the deepest levels of many networks.

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Spiegel (1), (2)

Tags: cisco, dell, edwardsnowden, huawei, internet, networking, nsa, seagate, surveillance, tailoredaccessoperations, tao, WesternDigital Next: Time Machines: Casio gets smart at CES 2000 .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Overstock.com Reportedly Plans To Accept Bitcoin In 2014

Overstock.com is moving to accept Bitcoin as payment in 2014, the CEO told The Financial Times. Apparently the retailer has the ambition to become the first major online retailer to accept the digital currency. And it very well could be. No other major retailer has announced a similar plan yet. However, put away your digital wallet for the time being. The retailer doesn’t expect to start accepting Bitcoin until the second half of 2014, by which time, Dogecoin could eclipse its popularity.

This announcement comes just days after a major shakeup in the Bitcoin ecosystem as China’s largest BTC exchange stopped accepting deposits in Chinese yuan, causing Bitcoin’s monetary value to drop 50% in a few hours.

Overstock saw just over $1 billion in revenue last year. The company trades on NASDAQ and its stock price is up 109.29% on the year. The news about accepting Bitcoin caused the shares to jump 7.77% on the day.

Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne stated that a healthy monetary system isn’t based off of an upside pyramid or the whim of a government official. Bitcoin fits that bill. Byrne stated that when Overstock starts accepting Bitcoin, the retailer would bank the digital currency in the event derivatives (such as Dogecoin) are increasing in popularity. If offshoots fail to gain steam, Overstock would transfer the Bitcoins into dollars on a daily basis, essentially day trading the Bitcoin income.

In the latter half of 2013, a number of retailers have moved to accept Bitcoin as payment with OkCupid, Namecheap and Humble Bundle among the list. Charities are also latching onto the digital currency since it lacks fees usually associated with monetary donations. If Overstock follows through with its plan, it would be come the largest U.S.-based retailer to accept Bitcoins. That is, of course, if Amazon or the like doesn’t beat them to the punch.

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Overstock.com Reportedly Plans To Accept Bitcoin In 2014

Overstock.com is moving to accept Bitcoin as payment in 2014, the CEO told The Financial Times. Apparently the retailer has the ambition to become the first major online retailer to accept the digital currency. And it very well could be. No other major retailer has announced a similar plan yet. However, put away your digital wallet for the time being. The retailer doesn’t expect to start accepting Bitcoin until the second half of 2014, by which time, Dogecoin could eclipse its popularity.

This announcement comes just days after a major shakeup in the Bitcoin ecosystem as China’s largest BTC exchange stopped accepting deposits in Chinese yuan, causing Bitcoin’s monetary value to drop 50% in a few hours.

Overstock saw just over $1 billion in revenue last year. The company trades on NASDAQ and its stock price is up 109.29% on the year. The news about accepting Bitcoin caused the shares to jump 7.77% on the day.

Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne stated that a healthy monetary system isn’t based off of an upside pyramid or the whim of a government official. Bitcoin fits that bill. Byrne stated that when Overstock starts accepting Bitcoin, the retailer would bank the digital currency in the event derivatives (such as Dogecoin) are increasing in popularity. If offshoots fail to gain steam, Overstock would transfer the Bitcoins into dollars on a daily basis, essentially day trading the Bitcoin income.

In the latter half of 2013, a number of retailers have moved to accept Bitcoin as payment with OkCupid, Namecheap and Humble Bundle among the list. Charities are also latching onto the digital currency since it lacks fees usually associated with monetary donations. If Overstock follows through with its plan, it would be come the largest U.S.-based retailer to accept Bitcoins. That is, of course, if Amazon or the like doesn’t beat them to the punch.

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NSA Reportedly Paid A Security Firm Millions To Ship Deliberately Flawed Encryption Technology

Today Reuters reported that the NSA paid RSA, a security company and subsidiary of EMC, $10 million to use a flawed random generator technology as the “preferred” option in its BSafe software, increasing its popularity.

In September of this year, the New York Times reported that the NSA was working to, in its own words, “break widely used Internet encryption technologies.” That the NSA wanted to get past encryption was not surprising.

How far along it was, however, came as a shock. An NSA memo was blunt in its assessment of its own progress: “Cryptanalytic capabilities are now coming online. Vast amounts of encrypted Internet data which have up till now been discarded are now exploitable.”

After being implicated in the NSA’s efforts to get around encryption, RSA told its customers that they should stop using the flawed algorithm. As the Wall Street Journal reported at that time, the warning was “one of the first instances of a security company acknowledging the U.S. government may have been involved in propping open a backdoor into a product.”

Reuters’ revelation that the NSA had paid RSA $10 million to use the flawed algorithm changes the discussion. Instead of the NSA being some sort of evil mastermind, bent on making popular security standards obsolete, it was instead buying its way into companies.

And for small sums to boot. Who wants to wager that this is the only time the NSA paid a security company to use flawed code that it prefers so that it can better beat back encryption?

And if it can get a company with as long a history as RSA to bend so far to its quarter for a mere ten million dollars, the NSA could have bought any sort of access and influence that it wanted.

Depressing, but probably true.

Top Image Credit: Flickr

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NSA reportedly leveraging Google cookies and leaked mobile location data to identify hacking targets

You know those cookies web services use to track your history and serve up personalized ads? It appears that the government is using them too. The National Security Agency is apparently leveraging a Google-specific cookie to tap into the computers of suspicious users, according to presentation slides Edward Snowden leaked to The Washington Post. With an assist from Mountain View's "PREF" file, the NSA can track a target's web visits, then identify the computer and send a remote exploit in.

What's more, the documents also show that the outfit has used a program called "HAPPYFOOT" to map internet addresses to precise physical locations leaked by mobile apps when generating locally-germane ads. Perhaps the key takeaway here is this newest revelation's scope: The government could gain alarmingly precise information about individuals using data already spread throughout the internet, seeded under the not-quite-as-threatening guise of marketing and/or social media. Consider this a friendly reminder to clear your browser history, courtesy of Uncle Sam.

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Nokia Normandy is reportedly a low-cost Android phone

10 December, 2013 | Comments (143) | Post your comment

Tags: Nokia, Android, Rumors

According to a report in The Verge, the previously leaked, mysterious Nokia Normandy is an Android handset. Known internally under several different codenames, the device is said to be developed as an equivalent to the low-cost Nokia Asha range.

The Nokia Normandy allegedly runs heavily modified Android version � much like in the case of the Amazon Kindle Fire range. The OS will allow the handset to run popular Android apps, thus addressing a major shortcoming of the current Nokia Asha lineup.

The Nokia Normandy development is described as going at �full steam ahead�. The handset is reportedly planned for a release in 2014. However, with Microsoft�s acquisition of Nokia's devices & services units all but completed, we are yet to find out what the Redmond giant�s plans for the Normandy are.

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- reader commentsRakerno job has been lost. all job just got transfer to ms. stop trolling have a life

Reply2013-12-11 17:40t}nARakernope windows phone dosent lag. if you can show a youtube vedio i will change my name. heck ms will pay you gazallion

Reply2013-12-11 17:37t}nAAnonymousYou goto be kidding to say no lag in windows phone, even IOS has lag. Android was the laggiest of them all but it's slowly getting smoother and smoother and given the features and customization packed into it, if you are a heavy user of the features,...

Reply2013-12-11 17:31IWQvRead all commentsPost your commentTotal reader comments: 143
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