Parmy Olson's Blog, page 56

Anonymous App 'Secret' Will Add More Privacy Controls

One of the hot new technology trends to come out of Silicon Valley recently is anonymous social networking, the act of posting nameless confessionals to strangers on apps like Whisper or Secret, a kind of backlash to the carefully curated things we say on Facebook. Secret is an app that lets you posts anonymous messages to people in your contacts list who also have Secret.  It’s only 15 days old, but has already been getting plenty of press attention and has engineers and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley hooked.

BlackBerry Boosts Its Messenger With Voice Calling, Location-Sharing

BlackBerry has taken another step towards revamping itself by releasing a new version of its free, BBM mobile messenger, adding a raft of extra features. Four months ago BlackBerry made BBM go cross platform for the first time, making it available on iPhones and Android phones and swelling its user base to more than 80 million people. Now it’s adding voice calling, conversation “channels” for brands and communities, an integration with DropBox and a partnership with the location-sharing app Glympse.

The Case Against Wearables, Or Why We Won't All Look Like The Borg This Year

This is supposed to be the year wearable computers go mainstream. Hundreds of wireless, battery-operated devices were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January: smartglasses, watches, jewelry, fitness bands, even a pair of Web-connected underpants. If you buy the hype, we'll soon all be connected 24/7 from the inside and out, emitting streams of data on our heart rate, sleep patterns, steps taken, sex, toothbrushing and UV exposure.

Square Strikes Nationwide Payment Deal With Whole Foods

Having partnered with Starbucks more than a year ago, mobile payments company Square has pushed the envelop again by hooking up with Whole Foods in what is its first partnership with a national grocer.  Whole Foods didn’t reveal how many stores would start using Square’s mobile payments technology, but the partnership is an important step for Square ahead of its widely-expected initial public offering this year.

Mobile Hacking Fears Beset Visitors To Sochi Olympics

Sochi, Russia hasn’t been getting the best reception when it comes to hotel rooms. Now more damningly, NBC recently televised a report saying that visitors to the city hosting the Winter Olympic Games, kicking off today, would be immediately hacked when they turned on their computers or mobile phones in the city.

Google Bids Goodbye To The Smartphone Business With $2.9 Billion Motorola Sale

For all its commitment to the Android ecosystem, Google’s big play in the smartphone market is over with its $2.9 billion sale of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. That’s a major drop from the $12.5 billion it paid to buy the Santa Clara, Calif-based company in 2011, which brought with it a tranche of patents, talented engineers and insights into the mobile space — and it helps cover the $3.2 billion that Google paid for Nest, the maker of the learning thermostat earlier this month. (Google’s M&A team have certainly had a busy start to 2014.)

AT&T Trails T-Mobile On Subscriber Growth, Swings To Profit

Amid a very loud pricing war with T-Mobile and worries about the future health of iPhone sales,  narrowly beat 2013 fourth-quarter estimates to report earnings of 53 cents a share on sales of $33.2 billion on Tuesday, ahead of the 50 cents EPS expected by analysts polled by Factset. Investors can thank AT&T’s adjustments to its annual benefit plan, which drove profits. Last year AT&T reported a $3.9 billion loss due to an actuarial charge.

Report: NSA Hunts For Personal Data From 'Leaky' Mobile Apps

It’s well known (and blithely accepted) that mobile advertising firms collect personal data from mobile apps for marketing purposes. Now it looks like government agencies have been trying to exploit those same programs to collect data too — though how much they have successfully collected is still unclear.

3 Reasons To Be Wary Of Secret-Sharing App Whisper's Claim To Anonymity

If the Catholic church didn’t collect handfuls of cash every Sunday, it might consider streaming the real-life accounts that priests hear in hushed confession as entertainment. Luckily no one with a dog collar is planning any such enterprise — but the next best thing on the mobile web is.

Crowdsourcing Capitalists: How Duolingo's Founders Offered Free Education To Millions

As stars fill the night sky in Veracruz, Mexico, 23-year-old Uziel Alejandro López kicks back at home to play on his Android smartphone. His thumbs breeze over the brightly colored screen, but this is no casual game.