jatiN mahindrA doT coM

Does the Facebook Application Dashboard Hurt Privacy?

Update 2: Facebook has responded to the privacy concerns with the dashboards: "To ensure that the dashboards meet user and developer expectations for a trustworthy experience, we’re giving developers the ability to hide their applications in the Friends’ Recent Activity, Friends’ Applications, and Friends’ Games sections of the dashboards. We’re also working...

Old Version of AdWords API Nears Expiration Date

Update: Google is reminding users of the AdWords API that on April 22, most of the services related to v13 will be turned off. Google is telling users to switch to v200909 as soon as possible to avoid any complications. Original Article: Google has launched the newest version of the AdWords API v2009 beta. That would be version 200909. Google cites the following as the highlights of the...

Google Voice Makes Way to iPhone, Palm WebOS

Google is launching the Google Voice app for both the iPhone and Palm WebOS. It is an HTML5 app, which the company says provides users with a "fast and versatile" mobile experience, because of its use of the latest advancements in web technologies. "For example, AppCache lets you interact with web apps without a network connection and local databases allow you to store data locally...

Amazon Opens Kindle to Third-Party Apps

Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload "active content" that will be available in the Kindle Store. In other words, look for something like an app store for the Kindle in the future. The company is releasing a new Kindle Development Kit, which gives developers access to APIs, tools, and documentation to build such active content. The kit starts limited...

Facebook Letting App Users Get Notifications Through Email

Today Facebook announced that it is giving users the option to receive updates from Facebook applications in their email. This would work similar to how email notifications do, but don’t worry, you have to opt in for developers to be able to email you. According to Facebook, they will not be able to access your email address without your consent. "You can now use the rules and routing mechanisms...

Consumers Expected to Spend $6.2 Billion on Mobile Apps in 2010

Gartner has released some research findings that indicate consumers will spend $6.2 billion in 2010 in mobile application stores. Meanwhile, advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide. According to Gartner, mobile app stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010, eight out of ten of which will be free. Gartner also forecasts worldwide downloads in mobile application stores...

Twitter Gives Apps Access to People Search

Twitter is making it easier for third-party apps to allow users to find other people to follow. On the Twitter API Announcements Google Group, the company announced that they are adding the functionality of Twitter’s "find people" feature to a new API. "For a while now Twitter.com has had a ‘Find People’ button that allows  users to search for other people to follow....

Google Launches Analytics for Mobile Apps

Google has launched Google Analytics for Mobile Apps. The reports that are available as a result of last week’s expansion of mobile reporting features are now available for mobile apps as well. There are 2 categories of user interaction that you can track, which are pageviews and events. Developers can determine when their apps should trigger pageview requests, since they don’t contain...

Facebook App Developers Face New Obstacles

Facebook has released a developer "roadmap," which it says will simplify communication for users and developers, improve app discovery and engagement, and provide developers with more comprehensive tools for building or expanding their business with Facebook. "Through these new APIs and tools, we are giving all developers building with Facebook and those in our largest application category...

Google Website Optimizer Gets an API

Google has released a new Website Optimizer Experiment Management API. This means developers can utilize Website Optimizer for their own applications and experiments. Website Optimizer is a tool from Google that allows users to perform simple A/B and multivariate testing on websites to see what works and what doesn’t. WebProNews discussed the tool at length earlier this year. Here is a webinar...

MapQuest Launches Navigator iPhone App

Update: MapQuest has now issued a pricing update on the official blog: Some of you may have noticed that when we initially launched MapQuest Navigator for iPhone, we offered a $.99 price for a 14-day trial. Unfortunately, due to App Store restrictions, we are now unable to support this offer. The application is now initially available for one month at $3.99. After the first month for $3.99, users...

Facebook Developers’ Business Models Threatened or Maintained?

Update: WebProNews received a call from David Swain, Communications for  Facebook Platform, who wanted to give the company’s side of this story. Basically, he says that they view the move as actually maintaining developers’ business models (rather than threatening them), so that advertising can continue to be successful and users will actually trust it. He also says that Facebook...

Six Apart Opens Up TypePad

Six Apart, the creators of TypePad, have launched the TypePad Platform, a set of APIs that allow developers, bloggers, publishers, and corporations use the TypePad "cloud". "The bottom line is this: cloud services are transforming how web sites and social applications are being built, and we want to help move this trend forward by opening up TypePad’s APIs," says Six Apart...

Facebook Translates Websites and Apps

Facebook has announced translations for Facebook Connect, which a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews, "simplifies and streamlines the process of translating a website into any of the more than 65 different languages Facebook currently supports." "By opening the same framework Facebook used to translate its own site, passionate communities in countries around the world can...

Anyone Can Develop Apps for the Yahoo! Homepage

Today Yahoo! announced the integration of is Yahoo! Application Platform (YAP) with the new Yahoo! Homepage, which lets advertisers and publishers develop apps for the homepage. "In support of the Yahoo! Open Strategy, this integration offers a more customizable and personally relevant experience for over 118 million monthly homepage users across the U.S.," a Yahoo! spokesperson tells WebProNews. "Migrating...