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Despite App.net's positioning as a Twitter alternative, it hasn't had either an app to call its own or a way to sign up without at least an invitation. The social network has just crossed both of those items off its list with its new App.net Passport for iOS, albeit through an unconventional path. Passport is a gateway app, not a client: it lets users manage their profiles, but it really exists to point users to third-party apps and people they'd want to follow. Don't write off Passport as a promo stunt, though. It also represents the first place where the curious can sign up without either an invitation or paying up front. CEO Dalton Caldwell warns that the wide-open registration is an experiment, not a guaranteed change in policy -- if it doesn't work out, the company may return to business as usual. Whether or not the strategy bears fruit, Passport should both serve as a fast track for newcomers and a launchpad for App.net development beyond iOS' borders.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: iMore
Those who preferred Twitter's earlier, more liberal ways have regarded May 7th with a sense of dread, as that's when API 1.0 (and our chance at a truly competitive app ecosystem) was supposed to go dark. While the company isn't about to reverse course, it is giving the refuseniks a break by delaying the shutdown until June 11th. More time is necessary for blackout tests, Twitter says. We wouldn't lean too heavily on remaining API 1.0-era apps and services when that instability exists, but the extra month does allow for a gentler transition into API 1.1's brave new world.
[Image credit: Coletivo Mambembe, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Via: Android Central
Source: Twitter
Forget music halls -- Twitter thinks morning TV talk shows are where it's at for product announcements. It used The Today Show last year to unveil a profile page redesign, and we now know it will rely on Good Morning America this Thursday to unveil something... "big." But what does that cryptic clue mean? While logic would suggest Twitter Music given its semi-official status, we could also see TV in expanded tweets or something entirely unexpected. We'll keep our eyes (and possibly ears) open.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Good Morning America (Twitter)
We hope you weren't overly attached to TweetDeck for Android and iOS on mobile, or AIR on the desktop. Twitter has revealed that it's sending those birds the way of the dodo: all three will be pulled from their relevant app stores in early May, and they should stop functioning altogether not long after that point. Facebook integration also won't hang around, the company says. The company argues that web-based versions of TweetDeck (and their native equivalents) will do the job on the desktop, and that expansion of the regular Twitter app should be enough to cover "most" smartphone and tablet users. However, it also acknowledges that there will be at least a few mobile users who'll have no official recourse for a more advanced experience, especially if they value Facebook. Good thing the company isn't limiting access to third-party alternatives... wait a minute.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Facebook
Via: The Next Web
Source: TweetDeck
Remember those halcyon days last November when Sina Weibo passed more than 400 million users? Well, a mere three months later, and the microblogging site can now boast that it's got 503 million compulsive over-sharers. To put that figure into perspective, were "Chinese Twitter" to be its own country, it would be the third most populous nation on Earth. While it should be celebrating such figures, there's a few signs of trouble on the horizon, as local rival Tencent's WeChat hit 300 million users last month -- not to mention some disgruntled former users inviting people to switch to Twitter.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: Tech In Asia, (2)
Now would be a good time to refresh your Twitter password. The social network has revealed that there was at least one attack on its servers this week that may have collected email addresses, passwords (thankfully encrypted) and session tokens for about 250,000 users. The real risk to users is unknown, but Twitter raises our eyebrows when it suggests that this was more than just a casual scripting hack: it claims the intrusion attempt was "extremely sophisticated," and that other firms might have been subject to a similar breach. You'll know that you were immediately affected only if you see Twitter send a notice of a forced password reset, like what you see pictured above. We'd be cautious, all the same -- when such attempts seemingly increase in frequency by the day, it's not a bad idea to stay on guard.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter
Sino Weibo is like Twitter, it's often said, but there are some key differences: the service is mainly used within China, it's heavily censored, and it's never been particularly well integrated into the major mobile ecosystems. That final issue is starting to change, however, as Liveside is reporting that Microsoft accounts now permit Sina Weibo connectivity. This allows crosstalk between a Chinese user's microblogging world and their Windows Phone, Windows 8 device and SkyDrive storage -- for example, allowing them to see Weibo contacts in WP's People hub or share direct links to cloud-stored files. It's not known exactly how many of the service's estimated 400 million users have adopted Windows Phone, but this update potentially gives them one more reason to hop aboard.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Techmeme
Source: Liveside