Saturday, July 21, 2012

Software : Ikea revamps print catalogue with Augmented Reality X-Ray features

Software : Ikea revamps print catalogue with Augmented Reality X-Ray features

Ikea revamps print catalogue with Augmented Reality X-Ray features

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Ikea revamps print catalogue with Augmented Reality X-Ray features

The latest edition of the Ikea home furniture catalogue will be packed with Augmented Reality features and interactive 3D models.

The Swedish flatpack giant has enlisted the McCann creative agency to help bring the pages of its printed catalogue to life with the aid of accompanying iPhone and Android applications.

On digitally-enhanced pages, waving your smartphone over cabinets, will allow to see see what's behind the doors, which the company hopes will reduce the customer's need to visit brick and mortar stores.

Printed symbols on the pages of the 2013 catalogue will also launch 3D models of products to interact with, further product information and digital how-to videos within the smartphone apps.

Adding a layer

McCann says that, before enlisting its services, Ikea had been considering ditching its print catalogue, which reaches a whopping 211 million subscribers worldwide, in favour of a digital-only offering.

The Swedes decided that a better way forward was to add a digital layer.

"If you had a magazine that had 211 million copies in circulation, you just would't end it. That would be crazy," Linus Karlsson, Global Chief Creative Officer of McCann, told Wired.

"It became a really interesting exercise, and opened a whole world of opportunities. We realized we could tap into a whole new way of digital innovation."

The 2013 issue of the Ikea catalogue will be landing on doorsteps in the next couple of months.

Apple issues developer workaround for in-app purchase theft

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Apple issues developer workaround for in-app purchase theft

Apple has advised app developers to point in-app purchases to their own servers in a bid to combat the loophole that allows them to be easily stolen.

A vulnerability in iOS 5.1 has recently been exploited to enable in-app purchases to be stolen from App Store titles, potentially costing developers millions.

The hack works by convincing the app that the purchase request comes from the App Store's own servers, which means the item can be obtained for free.

In a Q&A on its website, Apple says that best practice "for validating receipts is to send the receipt to your server, and have your server perform the validation with the App Store server."

Not a problem in iOS 6

Apple has now suggested a number of ways developers can combat the theft, while confirming that the issue will not be present in the forthcoming release of iOS 6.

A statement on its developers' website explains: "A vulnerability has been discovered in iOS 5.1 and earlier related to validating in-app purchase receipts by connecting to the App Store server directly from an iOS device.

An attacker can alter the DNS table to redirect these requests to a server controlled by the attacker. Using a certificate authority controlled by the attacker and installed on the device by the user, the attacker can issue a SSL certificate that fraudulently identifies the attacker's server as an App Store server. When this fraudulent server is asked to validate an invalid receipt, it responds as if the receipt were valid.

"iOS 6 will address this vulnerability. If your app follows the best practices described below then it is not affected by this attack."

How long until Google integrates Sparrow into Gmail?

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How long until Google integrates Sparrow into Gmail?

Tired of a less than stellar experience with Gmail on iOS or Apple's Mac Mail application?

You're in luck.

Sparrow – the third-party creators of a delightful email client for both iOS and OS X – announced today that it has been acquired by Google.

Sparrow's Future

The Paris-based company was picked up for under $25 million and, according to The Verge's Thomas Houston, there wasn't any kind of bidding war for the five-person company.

"We'd like to extend a special thanks to all of our users who have supported us, advised us, given us priceless feedback and allowed us to build a better mail application," wrote CEO Dom Leca in a message posted to Sparrow's website. "While we'll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users."

What's next for Sparrow?

For the people, it's likely that Google will move the team out to its Mountain View, California headquarters and integrate their talents into Gmail as a whole.

Sparrow, the app, isn't getting its plug pulled, but don't expect to see a ton of resources being shoveled its way going forward.

"We will continue to make available our existing products, and we will provide support and critical updates to our users," Leca wrote in an email to Sparrow users. "However, as we'll be busy with new projects at Google, we do not plan to release new features for the Sparrow apps."

Just what that means for Gmail itself – especially in relation to stronger desktop and mobile clients for the service – remains to be seen.

There's no timeline for how long it might take Google to integrate Sparrow's skill with desktop email clients into Gmail itself, and no projections as to what this kind of an integration might even look like.

Unhappy Users

Some Sparrow fans, like Ars Technica's Sean Gallagher, are less than thrilled by Google's purchase.

"I guess Sparrow users can take cold comfort in knowing that at least the software will continue to be patched for a while, and it won't become just the funding model for the next version of Facebook Messenger," Gallagher writes.

"But it's still bad customer service on Google's part. Whether or not Sparrow lives on in some future GMail client that is recognizable as a Sparrow descendant, Google has made it a too-frequent habit to turn off or shut down the products it acquires and leave users with a bad taste in their mouths," he adds.

Google has acquired more than 100 different companies since 2001, picking up more than 15 in the past 12 months alone.
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