Software : Thousands of private Snapchat photos have leaked online

Thousands of private Snapchat photos have leaked online
Android's Material Design look hits Google Play Store with 5.0 update
Updated: Nokia Here maps is out on Galaxy devices, and the Gear S should follow
The new StumbleUpon app is half messaging service, half Facebook

Thousands of private Snapchat photos have leaked online

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Tens of thousands of private Snapchat photos have leaked online and are circulating around websites like 4Chan thanks to a security breach in a third-party app.

This isn't Snapchat's first security problem, though at least this one allegedly isn't the company's own fault.

Hackers have apparently been collecting private Snapchat photos for multiple years, amassing a 13GB database that they say they plan to make searchable by username.

This leak has been dubbed "The Snappening" by some, in reference to the recent leak of celebrity photos that was rudely called "The Fappening."

Oh Snap

Someone who claimed to be involved in the breach told Business Insider that the photos came from a now-defunct website called SnapSaved.com, which let users view their received Snaps online and save them.

Apparently the site had saved every bit of content that passed through its servers, with usernames attached.

It's unclear if SnapSaved was created maliciously for the sole purpose of eventually leaking the images shared on it, or if hackers gained access to the site's servers without permission.

For its part Snapchat issued a statement confirming that the images came from a third-party source and that its own servers were not hacked.

"Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security," the company said. "We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."

Since the images are practically guaranteed to contain some nude photos of underage Snapchat users, there will almost certainly be consequences for this.

Grudge match: Facebook Slingshot vs Snapchat

Android's Material Design look hits Google Play Store with 5.0 update

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As Android L gets nearer and nearer Google has begun in earnest the process of updating its various core apps with the new Material Design aesthetic.

The latest beneficiary of this refresh is the Google Play Store app, which has just been updated to version 5.0.31.

The new Play Store app has the look, with a flatter yet bolder-colored aesthetic, and also comes with some UI changes.

Overall it seems to be a positive change, though naturally your mileage may vary.

Test drive

The new Google Play Store app, for example, places the "what's new" section of each app right at the top, so you no longer need to scroll down to see recent changes and updates.

There are new icons as well, and a redesigned sidebar.

The Google Play 5.0 update is rolling out to Android devices now, although if you don't want to wait you can head to Phandroid to download the APK and sideload it manually.

Enjoy this test drive of Android L's design language before the newest Android update begins rolling out later this month.

Here are 10 things you need to know about Android L

Updated: Nokia Here maps is out on Galaxy devices, and the Gear S should follow

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Update: Samsung's only response to our query was to reiterate that the Samsung Gear S will launch this fall on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

So maybe we're reading too much into this - or maybe the Gear S will indeed launch soon.

Original story follows…

Samsung and Nokia announced back in August that they were teaming up to bring the Here maps app to Galaxy devices, and now the app is available from Google Play.

Samsung handsets including the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4, among any other running Android 4.1 with at least 1GB of RAM, should now have access to Here maps.

That's good news for Samsung users looking for a Google Maps alternative for whatever reason, but more importantly this may herald the impending release of the Samsung Gear S smartwatch.

Off the map

Back in August Samsung said Here maps would hit Galaxy devices by the time the Gear S is out. Like the four horsemen will herald the apocalypse, so Here maps should herald the Gear S.

Now we have our Here maps, but no Gear S. What gives?

The Gear S has been pegged from the beginning with a nebulous "this fall" release date, but surely it should be out soon.

We've asked Samsung to make sure we didn't miss a Gear S press release in our junk folders or something, and we'll update here if we get anything useful in return.

Here's everything you need to know about Google's Android Wear

The new StumbleUpon app is half messaging service, half Facebook

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The content discovery platform StumbleUpon has updated its iOS app with new social features that let users share content and message one another within the app itself.

Previously StumbleUpon users could message links to others via SMS, but the new messaging feature keeps you in the app while still letting you chat with friends about content you discover.

Your friends are represented in StumbleUpon with round profile photos not unlike Facebook's annoying Chat Heads.

The StumbleUpon app also has a new "activity center" that tracks your friends' recent shares and your notifications - not unlike, say, Facebook's News Feed.

Imitation and flattery

The new StumbleUpon app also has various other improvements like performance boosts and a new UI, as well as support for custom lists.

StumbleUpon has been used by many for years to discover new content, usually when users are wracked by boredom.

It's notable that the company is currently independent, having been purchased by eBay but promptly resold to and relaunched by its original owners in 2009.

Facebook apparently has no idea what to do with WhatsApp

Yahuui Blog

Friday, October 10, 2014