Safari users win right to sue Google over privacy

Google has lost a Court of Appeal bid to stop consumers having the right to sue in the UK over alleged misuse of privacy settings.

A group of users claim that Google bypassed security settings on the Safari browser to install tracking cookies on their computers in order to target them with advertising.
Google said it was "disappointed with the court's decision".
One of the claimants called it a "David and Goliath victory".
The case revolves around a so-called Safari workaround, which allegedly allowed Google to avoid the Safari web browser's default privacy setting to place cookies, that gathered data such as surfing habits, social class, race, ethnicity, without users' knowledge.
Safari is a browser used on Apple computers, iPads and other devices while cookies are small text files stored by browsers which can record information about online activity, and help some online services work.
Google had attempted to prevent the action, claiming there was no case to answer because consumers had suffered no financial harm.
In its judgement, the Court of Appeal said: "These claims raise serious issues which merit a trial.
"They concern what is alleged to have been the secret and blanket tracking and collation of information, often of an extremely private nature… about and associated with the claimants' internet use, and the subsequent use of that information for about nine months. The case relates to the anxiety and distress this intrusion upon autonomy has caused."

Landmark case

"The Court of Appeal has ensured Google cannot use its vast resources to evade English justice," said Judith Vidal-Hall, one of three claimants.
"Ordinary computer users like me will now have the right to hold this giant to account before the courts for its unacceptable, immoral and unjust actions."
The landmark case potentially opens the door to litigation from the millions of Britons who used Apple computers, iPhones, iPods and iPads during the relevant period, summer 2011 to spring 2012, said Jonathan Hawker who represents the Google Action Group, a not-for-profit company set up to manage claims against the internet giant for breach of privacy.
Dan Tench, a partner at law firm Olswang who is acting for the claimants, welcomed the decision.
"Google, a company that makes billions from advertising knowledge, claims that it was unaware that was secretly tracking Apple users for a period of nine months and had argued that no harm was done because the matter was trivial as consumers had not lost out financially.
"The Court of Appeal saw these arguments for what they are: a breach of consumers' civil rights and actionable before the English courts. We look forward to holding Google to account for its actions."
Google has already paid fines of over $40m related to this incident in the US. It was fined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and separately by 38 US states.

Google investigation dropped by US regulators

Regulators at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had been investigating complaints from Google's rivals about its dominance of the internet search industry.
An internal report obtained by the paper showed that some FTC officials had wanted to prosecute.
Instead, the regulator persuaded Google to change the way its software worked.
Google said the "exhaustive" review showed there was no harm to competitors or consumers.
The FTC began its probe of the search market in 2011 following complaints from Google's competitors.
During the investigation the regulator's officials gathered nine million documents and obtained evidence from firms such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and Amazon, who had accused Google of taking content from their web pages.
The information Google gleaned was allegedly used by the firm to improve its own search ranking system.
The evidence gathered was enough to convince some FTC investigators that legal action should be taken, said the paper.
However when the regulator's investigation ended, the agency concluded that the company had not abused its market position to hurt rivals.
Even so, the FTC arranged a deal with the company to end some of the practices that its rivals had complained about.
The report was inadvertently sent to the Wall Street Journal when it asked for details of a separate FTC investigation.
The agency has not commented on the accidental release of the report.
In a statement Google said: "After an exhaustive 19-month review, covering nine million pages of documents and many hours of testimony, the FTC staff and all five commissioners agreed that there was no need to take action on how we rank and display search results."
It added: "Speculation about potential consumer and competitor harm turned out to be entirely wrong."

Android Pay: Mobile Payment Systems, Unite

   Android Pay: Mobile Payment Systems, Unite

Google is taking yet another approach to getting mobile payments off the ground with Android Pay, which will give developers an API for building mobile payment capabilities into an unlimited variety of apps. Google aims to unify mobile payments with Android Pay, SVP Sundar Pichai said at MWC in Barcelona. NFC, MST, EMV and other technologies all might be compatible with the Android Pay framework

Apple Watch prices and apps revealed

The larger 42mm (1.7in) models of the Watch will cost about $50 more than than the 38mm (1.5in) versions in the lower-priced ranges.
Apple also revealed that the devices are due to go on sale on 24 April.
Rivals' smartwatches have only seen limited sales to date.

There had been speculation that Apple would seek a bigger price gap between the model and the basic aluminium-based Sport-branded version - something that would have restricted its appeal.
"Apple's pricing demonstrates the confidence it has in the new Apple Watch's functionality, design and consumer appeal," commented Ian Fogg from the consultants IHS.
Apple's website lists a total of 38 models, which might pose a challenge to how it markets them.

Same specs
The US firm did not announce any difference in specifications between the aluminium, steel and gold-cased versions - there had been speculation that the higher-end editions might have more storage or allow some of their parts to be upgraded at a later point.
"When there were estimates of $700 or $800 for the basic stainless steel versions, I would have expected more than just a difference in materials," said James Moar from Juniper Research.
Its website adds that the models take 2.5 hours to charge from 0% to 100%, and that the larger model has longer battery life.
It also reveals that a Power Reserve facility means that the Watch should continue to show the time for "up to 72 hours" after other functions are turned off.
The firm said on stage that thousands of new apps had already been developed for the Watch ahead of it going on sale.
The social networks Facebook and Instagram, the car pick-up service Uber and the Chinese messaging app WeChat are among those confirmed to have developed software for the device.

Apple touted the Watches ability to unlock compatible hotel room doors

Apple also highlighted that its wrist-worn device could be used to make touchless payments and receive phone calls.
Other functions demonstrated by Apple included:

• using the Watch as a means to open a compatible hotel room lock as an alternative to a key card
• checking the name of a song via the app Shazam
• opening an internet-connected garage door remotely

"What was very clear is that disruption will not come from specific features that Apple will bring to the watch, but by enabling developers to add value through their apps," commented Franciso Jeronimo, an analyst at IDC.
CCS Insight forecasts 20 million units will be sold by the end of this year - representing about 7% of the compatible iPhones currently in use.
However, other analysts range widely in their predictions, forecasting sales as low as eight million units to as high as 60 million in 2015.
For comparison's sake, the iPad sold 14.8 million units in the first nine months after its launch, more than double Wall Street's most optimistic estimate.
The UK, US, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and Canada are among the first wave of countries where the smartwatches will be sold.

Samsung S6 Edge with curved screen unveiled at MWC

Samsung will sell two versions of its next flagship phone, one of which has a screen that curves round its sides.

The Galaxy S6 Edge uses the feature to provide a quick way to stay in touch with select contacts, and to alert owners to important information.
It will be sold for a higher price than the standard S6, which otherwise has the same specifications.
Samsung lost market share to Apple and others after the S5 sold fewer copies than its predecessor in many countries.

Metal frame:
 
The South Korean firm said it had set out to address past "missteps", and had codenamed the devices "project zero" to reflect the need for a rethink.
Changes include making the TouchWiz user interface simpler to use by cutting the number of pop-up messages and introducing a metal frame and glass back instead of the plastic styling of earlier models.
The redesign has, however, meant some features have had to be jettisoned: the phones are not water-resistant, they do not have a microSD slot for extra storage and their backs cannot be removed to change their batteries.

"The software has been made into a much more crisp and clear experience, the design of the product has clean lines and looks very nice, and the marketing campaign is expected to only pinpoint three things - and that's certainly something that had been missing from Samsung's products for quite some time."

Coloured contacts
 
The three topics Samsung is focusing on are:

• Revamped designs, including the premium model's curved screen
• Camera upgrades
• In-built support for wireless charging, with support for two rival standards

The S6 Edge uses its curves to provide a couple of services.
The first is called People Edge, which provides a quick way to bring up calls, texts and other messages from five acquaintances of the owner's choosing. Each person is assigned a different colour, which the phone's edge flashes when it rings, providing a hint of the caller's identity even if the device is face down.
The second is Information Stream, which displays the time, weather and selected notifications on the curved part.
It appears Samsung has deliberately kept the functionality more basic than on its Galaxy Note Edge - a larger handset whose screen curves only around one of its sides. The older phone uses the extra space to both run apps of its its own and to add controls to other apps.

The S6 phone's front camera has been upgraded to five megapixels, while the rear one stays at 16MP.
Both gain from a wider aperture, which should improve their ability to take photos and videos in low light conditions.
Samsung has also taken steps to make the camera quicker to use, saying it now takes less than a second to double tap the home key and snap a shot.
The firm is claiming a "world first" by embedding support for both the PMA and WPC's Qi wireless charging standards.
The Android-powered handsets are also faster to recharge, and should return to 50% battery strength within half an hour of being plugged in.
Samsung said that this was half the time it would take to charge an iPhone 6.

Other improvements over the S5 include:

• Increased screen resolution - now 577 pixels per inch - and the ability to go 20% brighter
• A new 14 nanometre processor designed by Samsung, rather than bought from Qualcomm, that should be more energy efficient
• The addition of Samsung Pay, a smart wallet service that allows the handsets to act as a credit or debit card when tapped against a shop's NFC chip reader or used to transmit magnetic stripe data. It will initially be limited to the US and South Korea

Google launches Android Pay

Google launches Android Pay to take over where Google Wallet failed

Service will work as a mobile payment system for third-party developers, allowing users to pay for goods and services using an Android smartphone


Google has announced a rival mobile payment service to Samsung Pay and Apple Pay called Android Pay. The new service will allow users to pay contactlessly for goods and services using their Android smartphone. Each transaction will generate a single-use “token”, which is sent to the receiving device to secure against fraud.
Android Pay will use near-field communication (NFC) initially, but will be able to take advantage of biometric devices such as fingerprint scanners at a later date. Credit card data will be stored locally so that payments can be conducted without a data connection on the smartphone.
“We are doing it in a way so that anybody else can build a payments service on top of Android,” said Google’s senior vice-president of product, Sundar Pichai, at a press event at Mobile World Congress. “In places like China and Africa, we hope that people will use Android Pay to build innovative services.”
The service is being pitched to developers to build directly into their apps. Users will be able to pay for goods in bricks-and-mortar stores, but Android Pay will not exist as a standalone app, like Apple Pay on an iPhone. Instead, it will be used by third-party apps to create payment products such as store- or payment provider-specific apps, acting as a payment source as well as a credit card replacement.
Google Wallet will continue to exist, but will integrate Android Pay as a payment source. Pichai also said that Google will look to work alongside Samsung Pay, but that the Korean company is working to different timescales. No timeframe for its launch was given, but more is expected from Google’s developer conference in June.
Despite being available on Android smartphones since 2011, Google Wallet has failed to spread beyond limited use in the US. Mobile phone operators have also tried to leverage their billing systems as a way to pay for goods and services using a smartphone.
It was Apple’s entry into the payments space last year that ignited a new race from technology companies to capture a slice of the potentially lucrative market.