Netflix, Foursquare, LinkedIn, and Square apps expose your data

Here’s a little tip for app developers: encrypt everything, especially passwords. Security firm viaForensics fed some popular iPhone and Android apps through its appWatchdog tool and found that Netflix, LinkedIn, and Foursquare all stored account passwords unencrypted. Since the results were first published on the 6th, Foursquare has updated its app to obscure users’ passwords, but other data (such as search history) is still vulnerable. While those three were the worst offenders, other apps also earned a big fat “fail,” such as the iOS edition of Square which stores signatures, transaction amounts, and the last four digits of credit card numbers unencrypted. Most of this data would take some effort to steal, but it’s not impossible for a bunch of ne’er-do-wells to create a piece malware that can harvest it. Let’s just hope Netflix and LinkedIn patch this hole quickly — last thing we need is someone discovering our secret obsession with Meg Ryan movies.

Wall Street Journal

viaForensics

via:engagdet

BlackBerry PlayBook TAT Cascades User Interface Engine and Native SDK on Video!

RIM was a little more quiet about the Native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook but we got some sweet hands on time with Karl Berggren from TAT (The Astonishing Tribe) and Chris Smith (RIM). We showed you the power of the native SDK earlier today and how it allowed a RIM employee to port the Linux version of Quake III to the PlayBook in 4 days. While that will allow for some awesome games and gaming engines RIM has some sweet surprises in store for app developers in the Native SDK.

The TAT XML based Cascades User Interface Engine is baked right into the PlayBook and can do some pretty impressive stuff. For example, Karl was showing off a sample contacts application that would rise into 3D when you tilted the device. The astonishing part was that the whole app was written in about 4 screens of code. According to RIM this will allow developers to add visually appealing interfaces to BlackBerry PlayBook apps with ease. Developers will be able to use the UI elements or create their own using OpenGL if they have the experience.

Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link

Its nice to see that this is all baked into the PlayBook OS and will not require developers to repackage a library with every app. RIM is working on this to allow developers to create BlackBerry UI experiences that can be used consistently by developers if they so choose so users know how to interact with them. They are still deciding on which extensions they are going to support or develop but this shows some serious promise for BlackBerry apps. From what Chris and Ian explained the POSIX compatibility of the PlayBook OS will allow developers to easily reuse assets they have from other systems like Linux and bring them to the PlayBook. I have a dream of seeing VLC Player on my PlayBook…

I am writing this on the plane so I cannot go into too much detail (need to sleep!) but I highly recommend checking out the whole video and I will follow up with some more comments hopefully tomorrow. Let us know if you have any questions!

via:bbr

Updated: BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS

Research in Motion continues to stay true to its mission of supporting app developers, releasing today its latest beta for the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS. It’s a mouthful of a name, but it promises great improvements. WebWorks applications are web applications written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS; they install, work, and have the same security features as traditional apps. The update to the SDK changes much of the architecture, so developers will need to recompile their WebWorks apps in order to run them in the latest Tablet OS (PlayBook) simulator.

• Code signing enabled – you can now secure your application using the BlackBerry code signing process for BlackBerry Tablet OS.
• AJAX support for local context. This fix improves the quality of support for using AJAX to retrieve local resources. A benefit of this fix includes improved support on the BlackBerry® PlayBook^TM tablet for JavaScript® frameworks like jQuery.
• Loading screen image – Developers can define a loading screen and transition effect in their config.xml file to improve the user experience during application startup.
• Major improvements in Mac support – Absolute paths now allowed in ZIP archive; _MACOSX folder no longer being included in BAR file; Format of bbwp command line arguments changed from “-” to “/”

More information about the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS Beta3

Via: Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog

BlackBerry 101 – Application permissions

Just about every time you install a new application on your BlackBerry, you’re asked to set permissions. Long ago, Research In Motion decided that only the BlackBerry end user would be able to decide how apps would interact with the smartphone. Unlike some other device creators, there are no code signing or other workarounds to granting the permissions. Only the user or the BES administrator can choose to allow permissions.

Without certain permissions, your new app will not run on your BlackBerry. But what permissions should be granted? Should you give Trusted Application status to your newly installed program? Should I give it access to my personal data? These are important questions to ask.

BlackBerry App World now accepting apps for BlackBerry PlayBook

It was announced today that BlackBerry App World will now be accepting applications designed for the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM has opened the vendor portal for developers to start submitting their PlayBook applications. As a bit of incentive, any developer who submits an approved app will be eligible to receive a free BlackBerry PlayBook upon its North American release.

Calling all established and aspiring app developers… Enter the DragonRAD 14-Day App Challenge!

When we blogged about the beta of dragonRAD back in August it got a lot of interest from the CrackBerry community, generating a ton of downloads of Seregon’s powerful app development tool that makes developing for BlackBerry easy. Following up on that initial success, dragonRAD is throwing an app challenge out at the CrackBerry development community to see who can build the best app using their software. Note – if you want some guidance in using dragonRAD, they have a Webinar coming up on Oct. 27 titled “How to Build an App in 30 Minutes Using DragonRAD” (register here). Read on for the full challenge details… let’s see those awesome apps!

DragonRAD 14-Day App Challenge Contest Details

Description: Contestants have 14 days to build any mobile business app using DragonRAD and submit it for a chance to win a Free 1-Year License of DragonRAD. The app can be for internal use or one intended for resale.

Starts: Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Ends: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 (Last day for app submission). The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Prize: 1-Year Paid Subscription of DragonRAD License ($4,900 value). Plus CrackBerry will throw in some Cracky prizes to the winners and runners ups.

This allows you to build and deploy an unlimited number of apps to an unlimited number of users. More details at www.dragonrad.com/pricing

How to Enter:

1. Sign Up (http://www.dragonrad.com/user/register)
2. Download DragonRAD (www.dragonrad.com/download)
3. Use the word “Contest” for the Software License Key
4. Start Building!

The app will be judged internally by DragonRAD and will be based on the following criteria:

• Uniqueness – innovative and creative use of DragonRAD technology
• Usability – intuitive and easy to use
• Business Value – solves a business need
• Integration – use of native device features (GPS, Camera, Media, etc.)

Submission Details: Users must send the app URL to contests@dragonrad.com on or before Tuesday, November 2 2010 at 11:59pm EST to be eligible to win.

Report: BlackBerry Apps Represent Increase in Developer Mix for Ad Platform

Millennial Media, an independent mobile ad network that reaches 82% of the US mobile audience, has released their monthly Mobile Mix report tomorrow. The report contains details on the different leading mobile devices, operating systems, developer categories and more. There are some interesting BlackBerry related figures such as the fact that the current report shows BlackBerry apps represented 11% of the US Developer Platform Usage Mix. This was an increase of 9%, and represents the increased importance app developers are placing on the BlackBerry platform.

Other relevant key points include:

• The Android OS continued its huge growth on the Millennial network, and grew another 47% month-over-month. Since January, Android has grown 690%. Android also officially became the number two OS on the Millennial network (surpassing RIM)
• Apple ad requests increased 24% month-over-month and are up 15% since January.
• iPad ad requests grew 327% month-over-month.
• Shopping and retail apps entered into the top 10 Mobile App Channels, perhaps reflecting a potential back-to-school trend.
• Smartphones and connected devices increased their impression share 7%, and now represent 68% of the total impression share. This is an example of the continued demand consumers have for a rich media experience they cannot get on a feature phone.