MetaFilter posts tagged with app and iPhone

"Your app's anti-piracy module, it's not working"

flex — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:40:05 -0800

An iOS application developer has come up with an extreme way of fighting software piracy—by auto-posting "confessions" to its users' Twitter accounts. "...Enfour, the maker of a variety of dictionary apps, is auto-posting tweets to users' accounts to shame them for being pirates. But the auto-tweeting seems to be affecting a huge portion of its paid user base, not just those who actually stole the apps." Follow-up. A personal account: Can’t spell “pirate” without “-irate”: on DRM and punishing the customer

Enfour has since launched a “crucial maintenance release” to iTunes, and the issue has seemingly been resolved... I found Enfour’s accusation especially insulting given the price I paid for the software—US$55. That is to say, the iOS version of the Oxford Dictionary of English costs the equivalent of a dense printed-and-bound volume of the very same. Worse, I grumblingly upgraded from the 3G to the 4S a year ago explicitly to purchase this expensive dictionary software (in fact, it was the very first purchase I made in iTunes once I was home from the AT&T store). I have frequently taken to Twitter to manufacture arguments over the cost of Enfour’s Oxford application, always defending my purchase. ...I remember seeing the app’s request pop up, and I’d simply assumed the dictionary had added some sort of social networking functionality, something like “share this crazy new word with your friends!” or whatever. (Enfour’s software integrates very nicely with another app, the excellent Terminology, which does indeed include a “Twitter” button along with each definition.) At no point did Enfour disclose its intention to “post to Twitter on [my] behalf,” however. The request seemed perfectly innocuous. One user did deny Enfour this permission request, and he discovered that Oxford booted him from the software entirely. This is to say, he could not use Enfour’s Oxford at all unless he granted the dictionary permission to humiliate him publicly. Enfour has since admitted there was a “glitch” that caused “false positives” in the software. What’s especially harrowing, though, is that Enfour apparently mined the data in the iPhone itself in an effort to determine, not whether Enfour’s own software is pirated, but whether any software on the iOS device is pirated. This is ominous news for anyone with a jailbroken phone; for my own part, my device is perfectly legal (to a fault), but I do have a copy of TestFlight, a type of software that allows me to test beta builds of developers’ apps.

See something, send something

catlet — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:03:29 -0800

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority has released MBTA See Say [iTunes link], a free iPhone/Android app that allows riders to "send the MBTA Transit Police pictures, text messages, and locations of unattended packages or suspicious activity" [link to MBTA apps page]. The camera's flash is disabled when a photograph is taken within the app. According to ELERTS, who built the app for the MBTA, "the opportunity to crowdsource information from riders who witness suspicious or criminal activities has not been realized by transit systems." The MBTA, which is the fifth largest transit system in the United States, is the first system to adopt this technology.

"And with millions of chicks checking in daily, there's never been a better time to be on the hunt...."

zarq — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:27:57 -0800

A column by John Brownlee over at Cult of Mac yesterday highlighted his privacy concerns about the app Girls Around Me -- which used a mashup of FourSquare check-ins, Google Maps and Facebook public profile information to show the user women who were nearby. In response to the story, Foursquare cut off the app's API access to their data, effectively knocking it out of commission. CNET: How to prevent friends checking you into locations at Facebook Places. Further coverage: Bits Blog (NYT), ZDNet, Technolog (MSNBC), PC Mag.

Phone home

Artw — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:14:42 -0800

Secret iOS business; what you don’t know about your apps

Mission Accepted.....Mission Complete.

Fizz — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:13:56 -0800

Gundam Navi: [Via: Comics Alliance] "If you're a Japanese otaku growing bored of your crippling iPhone GPS dependence, Namco Bandai could have the solution for you -- gaming your way to destinations with Mobile Suit Gundam. Gundam Navi, the first of a line of Character Navi programs, is a new GPS app that transforms a user's commute into "battle events" that pit a location marker against randomly generated enemies lined up on a given route." Gundam Navi is available for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. The app costs ¥3,500 for one year of usage. [Screenshot 1] [Screenshot 2] [Screenshot 3] [Screenshot 4] [Screenshot 5]

Ever since the local American Apparel closed it’s been impossible to find any ironic tees within biking distance.

Servo5678 — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:27:29 -0800

Sourcebits Launches The Hipster’s Companion, a Guide to Making Your Life Better. Finally, the app that lets you prove just how much better you are than everyone else without even having to try. This critical guide will help users better their lives by replacing their totally lame everyday tasks with hipster-approved alternatives. Features of the app include:

Find the hottest fashions - Simply pull up the fashions tab on The Hipster’s Companion and it will immediately locate every Urban Outfitters store within a 20 mile radius. The app is also optimized to track sales on skinny jeans and leggings, as well as non-prescription, heavy-framed glasses with or without lenses.
Optimize your dining experience - Tired of those corporate chain casual dining spots that dominate the landscape? Now you’ll be able to hunt down only places that serve vegan meals and offer locally brewed beers. Sure, you may have to drive four hours just to find a place to eat, but would you really rather go to Applebee’s?
Get recommendations for the best music - Now that Arcade Fire has won a Grammy their totally over, but The Hipster’s Companion will help you find the next amazing band no one’s heard of and who you can completely abandon once they start to get big. Just simply select from the list of seemingly incompatible musical styles to find the latest techno, hip-hop rockabilly act, or randomize your choices for the true hipster experience. You can buy any songs available on iTunes directly from the app, but shouldn’t because any band that’s on iTunes has already sold out.

“This app is a total lifesaver for me,” said a hipster consultant who only goes by Chad. “Ever since the local American Apparel closed it’s been impossible to find any ironic tees within biking distance. Now my collection of clothes inspired by obscure movies is safe for another day.”

It's About Damn Time, sort of

smcdow — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:57:59 -0800

Kraftwerk, after being silent since 2003, finally has a new release of original material. It's not exactly what we were expecting.

What immortal hand or eye

darth_tedious — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:29:11 -0800

Symmetry: Photographer Julian Wolkenstein offers an app for bisecting your image and producing two symmetrical images of each distinct half. The resulting images may be uploaded to his website. It has been suggested that bodily symmetry in humans correlates to intelligence, orgasmic elicitation, and perceived sexual attractiveness. Other tools exist for playing with this particular quality: Symmetry.

Probably Not As Fun As Angry Birds

bayani — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:32:58 -0800

"In a letter last May, Pope Benedict XVI urged priests to help people see the face of Christ on the Web, through blogs, Web sites and videos; priests could give the Web a 'soul,' he said, by preaching theology through new technology." Well ... it was only a matter of time. Are you a sinner? There's an app for that. "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" isn't supposed to replace the actual confessional booth, but instead offers "a personal examination of conscience." Sounds great, but the Vatican would like to remind you that you'll still need to drop by an actual church to make it count.

What if you could live your life over again?

Rhaomi — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:51:37 -0800

You are in a warm, dark, comfortable place. This has been your place since you became aware that you are alive. It's almost time to enter a different world now. In 1986, Activision published a roleplaying computer game called Alter Ego. Unlike the action and fantasy titles that ruled the day, this game simulated the course of a single ordinary life. Beginning at birth, players navigated a series of vignettes: learning to crawl, reacting to strangers, getting a first haircut. The outcome of each scenario subtly influenced one's path, and with every choice players slowly progressed through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Graphically minimalist -- one's lifestream is represented by simple icons, and the scenarios are all text -- the game was nevertheless engaging, describing the world in a playful, good-natured tone tinged by darkness and melancholy. And it had quite a pedigree; developer and psychology PhD Peter Favaro interviewed hundreds of people on their most memorable life experiences to generate the game's 1,200 pages of material. Unfortunately for Dr. Favaro, the game didn't sell very well. But it lives on through the web -- PlayAlterEgo.com offers a full copy of the game free to play in your browser, and the same port is available as a $5 app for iPhone and Android. More: Port discussion group - Wishlist - Vintage review - Original game manual (text or scans)

Word Lens

3rdparty — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:37:33 -0800

Word Lens REPLACES text viewable in your iPhone camera with its translation, in real time, with formatting intact. Be sure to watch the demo video. Pretty much straight up magic. The app itself is free, but Spanish->English or English->Spanish dictionaries are $5 each, via in-app purchase. It's been a while since my jaw has dropped like this from any piece of software.

in pursuit of mappiness

By The Grace of God — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:11:35 -0800

Mappiness is a free iPhone app that allows you to keep track of your happiness. It's also a research tool for London School of Economics scholars Susana Mourato and George MacKerron, who are using it to learn "how people's feelings are affected by features of their current environment—things like air pollution, noise, and green spaces." In research mode, the app dings you randomly 2-5 times a day during times you set, and you fill out a thirty second survey about your mood and health. It also samples the location data, ambient noise and allows you the option to send a photo of your environment.

There's an official app for that

booksherpa — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:52:50 -0800

Did you forget about what the TSA allows in carry on bags? Need to know if that guy behind you in line is on the FBI's most wanted list? Need to look up a zip code? Calculate your BMI on the road? The US Government has an app for that. There's also links to and descriptions of the various governmental mobile sites, and apps for a variety of platforms, though mostly iPhone.

Is she a bookworm, a political girl, or a nerd?

desjardins — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:41:32 -0800

A new iPhone app helps you, uh "score" with women. (YT) It's made by Pepsi to promote its AMP energy drink. You choose the type of girl, and it gives you information related to that type (music suggestions, locations of bars). Then you can Tweet your conquest when you're, uh, done. Is Pepsi alienating its female customers? It's sure not going over well.

Shoot It-Real postcard from your iPhone

ColdChef — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:37:05 -0800

Shoot It! Create and mail a real [paper!] postcard from anywhere and to anyone around the world.

reality jockey

nickyskye — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:45:20 -0800

RjDj "is a music application for the iPhone. It uses sensory input to generate and control the music you are listening to. RjDj is mainly listened to with headphones. Think of it as the next generation of walkman or mp3 player." l Michael Breidenbruecker initiated the project, now joined by a team of musical and technological thinkers and coders l "What it’s really about is a new approach to how to listen to music, how to develop musical tools, and how communities own and share that work." The application is difficult to describe and on paper it sounds sort of silly (see the video below for a convincing demonstration). Using the iPhone’s built in microphone, the application listens for ambient noise which it then modifies and infuses into an automatically generated dynamic soundtrack. You can download the full version for $2.99 here, or you can try out the free version (which only has one ’scene’). How to Create Scenes (And incidentally, you can work on scenes with a laptop even if you don’t own an iPhone.) Mentioned previously here and in AskMe.

Ambient

Artw — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:29:02 -0800

Brian Eno brings generative music to the iPhone.