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The iPhone maker breaks its silence and says an iOS update coming soon will address a location-tracking furor involving a “crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database.” Apple has finally broken its silence on the iPhone tracking controversy.The company explains in an FAQ, posted on its Web site this morning, that it is not stalking its iPhone customers, but is instead trying to get more accurate location information. It also admits that there is a bug in the software that is making the iPhone store too much information.Last week, researchers discovered that the iPhone has been logging and storing location information on users for the past year. The information is stored in an unencrypted file on the iPhone and also is backed up in an unencrypted form on computers running iTunes. The data is also sent to Apple.The fact that Apple has been storing location information on consumer devices–unencrypted and without a customers’ permission–has caused an uproar in the privacy community. For a week, Apple has refused to comment on the situation. Now it’s explaining its side of the story.In the FAQ, Apple says that it is not tracking users’ whereabouts. Instead it said it is logging the locations of Wi-Fi hot spots and cell phone towers that are close to the iPhone and is maintaining a database in an attempt to improve location-based services. Apple said that it cannot track individual users with the location information that is sent to the company because it is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form.”Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so,” the FAQ says.But the company did admit that it may be storing too much information about users’ location. And it said it will soon fix this in a software release.”The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly,” the FAQ says. “We don’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.”Apple also admitted that users should be able to turn off the location logging feature on their phone when they disable location services on it. But a bug in the software has also prevented this, the company said.Iin addition to collecting information about Wi-Fi hot spots and cell towers, Apple said it has been “collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.”And Apple admitted as well that it is providing some anonymous information about users to third-party developers to help debug their apps–and may also provide information to marketers.”Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them),” the company says.Apple said it plans to release a software update in the next few weeks that willreduce the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hot spot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,cease backing up this cache, anddelete this cache entirely when the Location Services feature is turned off.And finally, Apple says that in the next major iOS software release, the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone.Via CNET Signal Strength

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The raw-image editing and cataloging software supports Nikon’s newest SLR, adds tethering options, and automatically corrects problems with 18 Pentax lenses Nikon’s D5100(Credit: Nikon)Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.4 last night, formalizing support for the cameras listed in the beta version but also slipping in the ability to decode raw photos from Nikon’s new D5100.Lightroom, along with the related Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS5, is geared for handling the unprocessed raw images from higher-end cameras. This is an option that offers better quality but more hassle than JPEG. For Adobe and others such as Apple in the same position, it means adding support for a constant parade of new cameras, each with its own proprietary format.Lightroom 3.4 and Camera Raw 6.4 both support Nikon’s new D5100, a US$900, 16.2-megapixel SLR with a high-sensitivity sensor and 1080p video support. The Adobe products also support Canon’s two most mainstream SLRs, the Rebel T3i (aka 600D) and Rebel T3 (aka 1100D).The other cameras now supported are the Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR, F550EXR, FinePix HS20EXR, FinePix X100; the Hasselblad H4D-40; the Kodak EasyShare Z990; the Olympus E-PL1s, E-PL2, and XZ-1; and the Samsung NX11.One feature that separates Lightroom from Apple’s competing Aperture is automated correction of lens optical shortcomings such as vignetting and distortion. Lightroom 3.4 adds support for 18 Pentax lenses and a number of others from various manufacturers.Lightroom’s tethering option, which lets a computer control some aspects of a camera connected by a cable and automatically import its photos, has expanded, too. It now can control Canon’s 60D and 550D as well as Nikon’s D7000.Last, there are dozens of mostly minor bug fixes. For a full list, check product manager Tom Hogarty’s blog.Via CNET

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A Democratic congressman on Wednesday said he was “pleased” by Apple’s response on the iPhone tracking issue, but he still had questions about using that data for targeted ads. Separately, Steve Jobs said Apple will likely testify about the issue on Capitol Hill.

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Follow our guide to the Royal Wedding on online destinations, social media tools and mobile apps that offer the full scope of this 21st century event.

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On Wednesday Verizon Wireless said it was investigating connection problems with its 4G LTE network, in the company’s first known outage since launching the high-speed broadband network in December.

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs tells The New York Times that location service bugs will be fixed but that Apple was never tracking customers.

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Globetrotters seeking a ready-made travel solution will appreciate the Xplorer’s convenient Talk Abroad SIM. However, mounting expenses for a basic rugged handset will turn away existing GSM phone owners.

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In Apple’s statement on iPhone tracking, the company admitted it was collecting anonymous location data to create a “crowd-sourced traffic database.”

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Fring has released an update to its mobile chat application that allows group video calls between Android and iOS devices. Fring claims that this is the first cross-platform group video calling service.
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Apple has released a series of frequently asked questions in regards to the recent location tracking debacle, as it hopes to nullify the PR issues that have arisen. The company also claims to have fixed the bug, which allows the data to remain after location tracking has been disabled, in an upcoming software update.
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