All Entries Tagged With: "api"

Facebook Blocks API Access to Ping

Yesterday, Cupertino, California-based Apple introduced its new social networking service for music fans dubbed Ping as part of the new iTunes 10. On Stage, Apple CEO Steve Jobs demoed the service, stating that users could find Facebook friends using the Facebook Connect login feature. As a matter of fact, the Facebook Connect feature was available right after iTunes 10 became available for download.

The feature is now gone. That’s because Apple apparently didn’t have permission to use the API in the first place. Kara Swisher from AllThingsD reports that while the Facebook Connect API is usually open, the company requires an agreement when the service will be utilized a lot to protect its users’ data and infrastructure. Considering that iTunes currently has over 160 million members, Facebook asked Apple to sign an agreement.

Twitter OAuthcalypse Takes Place on Tuesday Morning

Repent, everyone. The OAuthcalypse is upon us.

Just kidding. It’s not the end of the world. So you won’t have to worry about your sins. Instead, it just means that Twitter will be moving from the existing basic authentication of its API to a more robust and secure standard called “OAuth.” Originally, the move was supposed to take place on June 30. However, the San Francisco, California-based company delayed it due to the high traffic produced by the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Now, the move, which has been dubbed OAuthcalypse, will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 31. According to the official Countdown to OAuth, there are only 15 hours left as of this writing.

Google Revamps Google Calendar with New Tools, Layout, and More

Mountain View, California-based Google announced recently on The Official Gmail Blog that its Google Calendar product has been revamped. What’s new? According to the company, the style is now more on par with other Google Apps, more functionality has been added, commonly used information will now appear at the top, and the overall layout has been simplified.

Among the changes is the introduction of a new recurring event editor, which is less clumsy and cleaner than the old interface. Users will now see a summary of their recurring events on the main page, which can be edited by just clicking on the “Edit” button.

Additionally, Google has added a new tool that makes it easier for users to find a good time to schedule an event. The tool works by checking a user’s contacts’ calendars — given that they are public, of course — to avoid any conflicting date. Google App users will be able to see more data from other Calendar services through the Google Calendar Connectors API.

Leaked BlackBerry 6 Developer Presentation Showcases New APIs

An official BlackBerry 6 developer presentation by none other than Research In Motion has been leaked today, giving viewers more details about the upcoming BlackBerry 6 mobile platform, which is believed to be launched tomorrow at the Exclusive BlackBerry Event in New York City at 11:00 AM Eastern Time — 8:00 AM Pacific Time. The new BlackBerry 6 platform comes with several new APIs that promise an enhanced BlackBerry smartphone experience.

The presentation highlights various of the new APIs, and how developers can use them. Additional, users can get a preview of what BlackBerry 6 will be like once it’s released. The presentation sure makes BlackBerry 6 seem as a great experience. Let’s hope that Research In Motion will deliver this time, and we won’t end up disappointed.

Check out the complete presentation in the full post.

Twitter Begins Rolling Out New Friend-Suggesting Feature

San Francisco, California-based Twitter recently announced today on the Twitter Blog the introduction of a new friend-suggesting feature called “Suggestions for You,” which will connect users with other individuals. According to the company, the suggestions will be made based on several factors such as a user’s followers and the folks they follow. Twitter will suggest new followers on its home page, “Find People” section, and when viewing another user’s profile.

Once new suggestions are presented, users will have the option to either follow or hide them. By clicking hiding, Twitter will try not to show up that specific individual again. The popular micro-blogging company explains that the algorithms used in this feature were built by its user relevance team. The feature is very similar to that offered by Facebook.

Google Introduces New Font Previewer

Google announced yesterday on the Google Code Blog the introduction of its new Font Previewer as part of the Google Font Directory, which was introduced back in May. Just as the name suggests, Font Previewer makes it easier for developers and designers to decide which web font in the Google Font Directory to use by testing and previewing each font.

The new Google Font Previewer allows users to preview and customize different font families. Users can change the size, spacing, variant, and even add shadows. The Font Previewer automatically generates the corresponding code to apply to a site. Additionally, the Font Previewer allows users to see the final result in an example window, without any distractions.

Twitter Begins Testing New Streaming API

San Francisco, California-based micro-blogging service Twitter has begun testing a new streaming API called “User Streams.” The User Streams API allows third-party Twitter desktop applications to automatically update their streams of  in real-time continuously. Twitter Developer Advocate Taylor Singletary writes on the Twitter Development Talk Google Group that “User Streams is now in a limited testing period for desktop clients.” A more public beta is expected to be launched sometime between Q3 and Q4 of this year.

According to Singletary, only the TweetDeck and Echofon desktop applications are currently permitted to utilize User Streams. However, more desktop applications are expected to follow suit in the near future. Each application will have its own testing period. Singletary notes that “the transition to User Streams should return considerable capacity to the REST and Search APIs, increasing stability for Twitter users & developers alike.”

OpenGL Updated to Version 4.1

Beaverton, Oregon-based non-profit technology consortium Khronos Group announced yesterday the official release of the new OpenGL 4.1 specification. As many of you might or might not be aware, OpenGL [Open Graphic Library] is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics.

According to Khronos Group, the new OpenGL 4.1 specification includes the following features:

• Full compatibility with OpenGL ES 2.0 APIs for easier porting between mobile and desktop platforms;
• The ability to query and load a binary for shader program objects to save re-compilation time;
• The capability to bind programs individually to programmable stages for programming flexibility;
• 64-bit floating-point component vertex shader inputs for higher geometric precision;
• Multiple viewports for a rendering surface for increased rendering flexibility.

In addition, OpenGL 4.1 introduces the following new ARB [Architecture Review Board] extensions:

• OpenGL sync objects linked to OpenCL event objects for enhanced OpenCL interoperability;
• The ability to set stencil values in a fragment shader for enhanced rendering flexibility;
• Features to improve robustness, for example when running WebGL applications;
• Callback mechanisms to receive enhanced errors and warning messages.

Khronos Group states that version 4.1 is the sixth update to the OpenGL specification in two year. OpenGL 4.1 is available at www.opengl.org/registry.

Press release in the full post.

Google Releases Buzz Firehose

Google announced yesterday on the Google Code Blog the introduction of the Google Buzz Firehose to the existing Buzz API Beta, which was launched during the 2010 Google I/O developer conference. The company states that the Buzz Firehose was one of the most requested features by developers. The new Google Buzz Firehose allows developers to access all public activities as soon as they are published through a single subscription. The public activity is syndicated in real-time via PubSubHubbub.

Launch partners, who have now integrated the Google Buzz Firehose, include Collecta, Gnip, OneRiot, Postrank Analytics, and Superfeedr’s Track.