A sprawling lawsuit filed in Texas this week targets Path, Instagram, Facebook and others for instructing their apps to suck up user address book data without permission. But the most interesting part of the case may be
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apps
Privacy? Here’s How Data Mining Might Actually Help Consumers
With so much concern over privacy in the digital world, it’s worth noting how the careful disclosure of consumer data might actually help. This is especially true in the area of personal finance, where the newly minted federal …
Some Citi App Users Double-Charged for Bill Payment
Customers who used Citibank’s mobile app for the iPad tablet probably assumed they were on the cutting edge of technology. Here’s what they weren’t expecting: a technical glitch that charged some of them twice when they paid bills.
The “App Economy” Estimated to Contribute Nearly Half a Million Jobs to the U.S.
Hard to believe, but it’s been less than five years since the launch of the iPhone. Prior to its explosion in popularity, an ‘application’ was a tool for finding a job, but ask anybody what an application is today, and the …
Use Amazon’s Price Check App and Save $15 This Saturday
How’s this for a brazen move to steal business away from brick-and-mortar stores? Under normal circumstances, a shopper using Amazon’s Price Check app in a physical store can instantaneously check to see if Amazon sells the same merchandise for a better price. This Saturday, however, when a consumer uses the app, Amazon will show its …
FTC: That $1.99 Smartphone App Won’t Cure Your Acne
Entrepreneurial techies have been selling thousands of smartphone apps that claim to treat acne for 99¢ and $1.99 a pop (excuse the pun). Now, however, a Federal Trade Commission investigation reveals that (shocker!) the claims—that weird colored lights emitted from one’s smartphone could eliminate pimples—have no scientific basis. …
Absurd or Brilliant? How to Save Money, and Even Make a Little, As You Shop
Whenever a store has a sale, it points out how much the shopper would “save” by purchasing the discounted merchandise. This is ridiculous, of course. If the item is something you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased, you’re …
Haggling Helper: Tell That Car Salesman to Talk to the Smartphone
When you’re squirming at the car dealership negotiating table, wouldn’t it be nice to have endless knowledge of the marketplace at your fingertips? With a smartphone and the right apps, you’ve got just that.
What Happens When Three Savvy Shoppers Hit the Mall, Smartphones in Hand
During a six-hour shopping excursion in Dallas-area malls, three shoppers armed with three different smartphones—Android, Blackberry, iPhone—scan, search, and take advantage of every app under the sun on a two-prong online-real world quest for great gifts and the best prices. What do they find out? While smartphone-enhanced shopping …
Quick Tip: Free Text Messaging
Considering that a text message costs a fraction of a penny to transmit, it’s absurd that some consumers still pay 10¢ or 20¢ a pop for sending and receiving texts. Even 5¢ per text is arguably a huge rip-off: Even though we’re only talking about a measly nickel, the charge represents a mark-up of something like 2000%. What can you …
Blame Your Next Unplanned Purchase on Your Cellphone
New apps will send coupons and other promotions to the cellphones of potential shoppers who are near stores to try to lure them inside and entice them into buying something.
