Facebook has cut off over 3.5 million users who had downloaded the slightly stalkerish Breakup Notifier application.

The application tells the user if the object of their affections changes their Facebook relationship status, and has proved wildly popular. It launched at the start of the week and when it was cut off the number of users had risen to over 3.6 million.

Breakup Notifier creator Dan Loewenherz told TechCrunch that the application had been taken offline on suspicion of being spam.

"To ensure positive user experiences on Platform, we run routine automated screens that take user feedback, machine learning and various algorithms into account and remove spammy applications," the company said in an email to him.

"For example, if an application is making an inordinate number of stream.publish calls and receiving a large number of user reports, it may be removed by our automated systems to protect the user experience and the Platform ecosystem."

Facebook has since said that it was looking into the application.

Sleuth suspects that the speed of uptake of the application fired off some threat reports at Facebook's security centre. Who would have thought there were that many people pining for their soulmates to be free?

February 24, 2011 Web/Tech, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a hilarious development, the nine Nokia shareholders who wrote an open letter outlining a radical plan to oust Stephen Elop, revert to MeeGo and Symbian and sack half the board has been outed as a hoax.

A Twitter update on the official Plan B account now reads: "there are no 'nine young investors', just one very bored engineer who really likes his iPhone."

As obviously some were still unable to believe the terrible truth, another post read: "in case it's not 100% clear by now: #NokiaPlanB is a hoax."

Plan B was the name give to the hoax movement which spawned the open letter before being wound up. The letter is now offline and the URL redirects to the Twitter page instead.

Now, while this is obviously a hilarious stunt by an engineer who clearly has too much time on his or her hands, Nokia head-honchos might do well to take note.

For although the campaign was ditched before it ever really had a chance of taking off, it reportedly managed to accrue hundreds of supporters in the form of disaffected Nokia shareholder.

February 17, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will Carling is an unlikely technology hero. Rugby lads are after all more associated with downing 10 pints of lager and running into each other as hard as they can - or the other way around, Sneak is often confused by rugby culture, being something of a wimp.

Yet, the former England captain proved his tech credentials this week when he used the MobileMe application to track a thief who had made off with his iPad, reuniting him with his beloved piece of kit.

Thankfully for the annals of history, Carling (Black Label) recorded his adventure in a series of tweets informing his thousands upon thousands of followers of his movements, which we've broken down into a mini-mystery thriller:

The Adventure Begins
"On an adventure! Left my Ipad on train yesterday, Doh! Have now tracked it down to a building in Woking. On my way! Could be interesting."

The Plot Thickens
"Used the Mobile me tracker. It is in a block of flats! Managed to get in & knock on all 18 doors! No answer surprisingly. So left notes :-O."

On the Run
"Breaking news! My Ipad has moved! It is now at the station! This is like Enemy of the State!"

The Net Closes
"Just sent the moving Ipad a message telling them they are being tracked! Quoted Police crime reference."

The law prevails
"Result! Police have just called, Ipad has been handed over! It was handed into Woking Station."

Honestly, it's like Raymond Chandler for the 21st Century.

February 11, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Catholic Church has blessed its first iPhone application, which allows the congregation to prepare for their latest confession wherever they are.

'Confession: A Roman Catholic App' was developed in conjunction with the church after the Pope urged congregants to get out online and give the internet a soul. The application received an imprimatur (an official blessing) from Bishop Kevin Rhodes of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana.

"Designed to be used in the confessional, this app is the perfect aid for every penitent," said Little iApps, which is selling the application.

"With a personalized examination of conscience for each user, password protected profiles, and a step-by-step guide to the sacrament, this app invites Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the Rite of Penance."

Forgiveness doesn't come cheap however. The application costs $1.99 and congregants will still have to see a priest to receive full confession.

February 9, 2011 Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a webOS enabled tablet device?

Who knows. The smart money, of course is on the latter. Even HP Personal Systems Group vice president Todd Bradley said as much in a recent interview.

We've certainly waited long enough since HP bought Palm, primarily for its webOS software, for it to join the tablet party. The firm has been gradually ramping up the wink wink nudge nudge invites to its 9 February event over the past few weeks.

And then the firm releases this confusing eight second 'teaser' video offering viewers a "peek into the beyond". So now we know what the future looks like. Except we don't really.

Whatever is depicted in this smokescreen of a video has certainly not whetted Sneak's appetite. But that's mainly because it could be depicting literally anything from a car to a sex toy.

Now there's an idea for HP.

February 3, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are too many numbers in our lives. From mobile phones to home numbers, PINs to post codes, we are ever more dependent on digits 0 to 9 to help us run our lives.

This means that it's now almost unheard of for people to memorise numbers of friends and loved ones, instead letting their phones do it for them, which on the most part is definitely a good thing.

But, pity the poor squaddie based in Afghanistan who, obviously deprived of a personal mobile, rang what he thought was his girlfriend's number to propose and, when she didn't answer, left a message asking the big question. Only it was the wrong number.

"Couldn't call last month but you know what it is like out there. I will be back in a few months. Really, really sad one of the guys has been blown up. Speak to you next month. Love you so much, with all my heart, and I was going to ask you, will you marry me?" The message read.

The man has yet to be tracked down but the hunt is on to find the right girl, "Samantha", to make sure she gets the important message.

Sneak's a cynical old thing and on first hearing this story was immediately moved to suspect the guiding hand of a PR overlord working for the voicemail firm, or perhaps some satellite phone provider over which the message was left.

But on listening to the message it's hard to believe it's not genuine, or that a PR company would stoop as low as to conjure up the idea of a man grieving for a friend who died in a bomb and propose accidentally to the wrong person to flog some products.

Right?

January 28, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Intel, the dullest of processor manufacturers, has hired will.i.am as director of creative innovation. As celebrity endorsements go that takes some beating.

Actually will.i.am, despite having a really stupid name, is one of the most technology savvy celebrities out there. He's done a deal with RIM to hawk two blinged-up Blackberries, and sell his apps on the platform. Last year was a star turn at Salesforce.com, where he raved about how the cloud was the future, although Sleuth suspects that he may have been faking his enthusiasm for customer relationship management systems.

"Nearly everything I do involves processors and computers, and when I see an Intel chip I think of all the creative minds involved that help to amplify my own creativity," said will.i.am.

"Teaming up with the scientists, researchers and computer programmers at Intel to collaborate and co-develop new ways to communicate, create, inform and entertain is going to be amazing."

Now he's a director at Intel, and quite what he'll be doing there is another question, Intel was depressingly vague.

"Our partnership with will.i.am is a prime example of how we want to convey and deliver the Intel experience," said Deborah Conrad, Intel's chief marketing officer.

"It's imperative that Intel and our innovations are kept in front of the global youth culture that embraces new devices and new forms of communication and entertainment."

Many celebrities will happily lend their image to sell technology. Jane Lynch, star of 40 Year Old Virgin and Glee, appeared at LG's press conference at CES this year with a truly cringeworthy video for example.

Lady Gaga too is a regular at such money-making opportunities. Last year she swanked around CES shilling for Polaroid and Monster Cables (cabling, something she looks so interested in). This year Polaroid paid enough for her undivided attention and she launched a range of pocket sized printers for the company.

But rather than just taking a cheque and appearing on stage occasionally it appears will.i.am actually wants a hands-on role at Intel. He's set up an application development company called will.i.apps (this reads more and more like an Onion piece) and wants to sit down with Intel staff and develop new products.

Sleuth has been hanging out with Intel for the last 20 years and the chances of someone like will.i.am making anything like an impression on the corporate culture is about as likely as Paul Otellini replacing Jerry Garcia as frontman for the Grateful Dead.

January 26, 2011 Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Pope has recommended that all young believers embrace social networking. Presumably other religions can send each other postcards or something.

Some organisations may be sceptical of social networking sites, and not least of all because they have been accused of being rife with scammers and paeodophiles, but this hasn't bothered the Pope and the Catholic church.

Perhaps it is a case of better the devil you know, if you will excuse the pun.

Social networking can bring young people together, said the head of the Catholic church, and should be used to spread the word of the Gospel in a way that is open, responsible and respectful of others.

"As with every other fruit of human ingenuity, the new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity," said His Holiness.

"If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being."

He neglected to mention that you can also poke things online without fear of catching a sexually transmitted disease, and can enjoy a certain level of anonymity in doing so.

January 24, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Possibly the longest ever software development cycle in history is at last coming to an end with the announcement of Duke Nukem Forever shipping dates.

The game has been in development since 1997 and its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D was one of the most popular first person shooters of its day. 3DRealms worked on the game for 12 years, before finally giving up the ghost, reportedly starting from scratch more than once.

But after a company takeover and a lot of hard coding it looks like the game will finally be released on May 3 in the US and worldwide three days later, on PC, Xbox and PS3 platforms.

Judging from the blurb on the publisher 2K's site buyers can expect the same first person and multiplayer format, with a lot of features from the original game including the ever-popular shrink ray. Unfortunately it also seems to have kept the infamous misogyny of the original.

Sneak suspects a lot of middle and senior IT execs will be downloading a copy for a few evenings' nostalgia, but whether it can capture gamers' imagination in more enlightened times remains to be seen.

January 22, 2011 Games | Permalink | Comments (1)

Beware the Ides of March for on this date Mark Zuckerberg is to shut down Facebook...FOR EVER! Or so believe some internet users who are clearly a few chips short of a processor, Sneak was amused to note.

Rumours started on a fake news site claimed that the tousle-haired one had written that he was sick of running a company that has made him a multi-billionaire and seen his eerily shaped visage appear on the front of Time Magazine.

"Facebook has gotten out of control and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness," he didn't say at a non-existent news conference.

As such Zuckerberg claimed that on 15 March, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts as the site will be shut down, adding, "I don't care about the money, I just want my old life back."

Avrat Humarthi, vice president of technical affairs at Facebook didn't add, "After March 15th the whole web site shuts down so if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet."

Despite the clear madness (and location of such a story - the site also has a headline, "ALIEN SPACESHIPS TO ATTACK EARTH IN 2011"), thousands of morons rushed to tell their friends the grim news, wondering what they'd do with all the free time the closure of Facebook would actually add to their lives.

Perhaps Zuckerberg could comply with those who wish the site would close down due to privacy concerns, or parents yelling "get off Facebook and go outside and get some vitamin D!", and close the site for a day anyway - on 15 March, of course.

January 10, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)