plaxo

Plaxo shuts back door spammers used to access Google accounts

Contact list management app maker Plaxo told CNET today that it has shut a back door that spammers were using to stealthily access Google accounts.

"A malicious party has obtained on their own, not through Plaxo, a set of Google account credentials," said Preston Smalley, general manager at Plaxo. "They've used our server, which is meant to allow customers to access their own Google accounts, to gain access to those accounts they already had. That made it difficult for Google to detect that (unauthorized) activity because they came through our IP address as a proxy."… Read more

Cut the Rope goes to comics

About 19 percent of respondents to a recent study say they have dropped their phones in the toilet, the Facebook for iPad app is hidden inside of the iPhone app version 3.4.4, and the popular iOS and Android game Cut the Rope makes its way to comic books.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Cut the Rope goes to comics Netflix and Dreamsworks deal in the works 19% of people drop phone into toilet Facebook iPad app in iPhone app Dolby rolls out consumer 7.1 Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | … Read more

Facebook blocking parts of Twitter's FB app

Updated at 4:57 p.m. PDT with a statement from a Facebook spokesperson.Updated at 6:31 p.m. PDT with a statement from a Twitter spokesperson.

A new feature within Twitter's Facebook app that let users find who among their friends has a Twitter account has been put on ice by Facebook.

The feature would cull through Facebook contacts and compare the list of names to users on Twitter, offering up things like Twitter profile information and a link to follow. Now, trying to use the app on the popular social network brings up a message that … Read more

Get Comcast services on your iPhone

The Comcast Mobile App offers a lot of what users have been clamoring for from the popular cable service, but falls just short of being great. You'll now be able to access Comcast e-mails and digital voice mails right from your iPhone, using a touch interface much like Apple's e-mail and voice mail experience, but in a unified in-box for both. An intuitive, tabbed interface lets you quickly switch between new e-mail and voice messages. A separate Digital Voice section offers more options, listing missed calls, outgoing calls, and voice mail. There is also an included address book … Read more

Podcast: MySpace promotes OpenID

At a Tuesday afternoon panel at the Demo conference, representatives of MySpace, Google, Facebook, and Plaxo explained how they are working to create a more open environment so that people can take their identity with them as they migrate from one social-networking site to another.

While we're not yet about to see Facebook let people log on to its site with their MySpace ID, or vice versa, we are starting to see more cooperation among sites. MySpace ID product lead Max Engel speaks with Larry Magid about MySpace's efforts, including collaboration with AOL.

Facebook and Google still not ready to connect friends

The meaning of openness in the realm of social networks continues to be difficult to pin down. At a panel discussion Tuesday at Supernova 2008 in San Francisco, representatives from Facebook, Google, and Plaxo discussed their various interpretations of openness and got into the ongoing controversy between Google and Facebook over their friend-connecting APIs.

"The point is that the individuals have shared custodianship of it because they have overlapping knowledge of each other's connections," said Kevin Marks of Google regarding who owns the social graph data. Users understand that if they violate the implicit social contract, it … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 725: CBS' podcast of indeterminate length

In today's episode, Leo Laporte drops in (and out) to discuss the future of CNET, the future of Yahoo, and lack of future we'll all have if the Air Force doesn't stop trying to build a real-life Skynet. Also, Leo points out why we should probably all delete our Plaxo accounts, Nintendo gets patent trolled, and can we leave Twitter? At least for one day? Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 725

**NOTE: We are making a change to our podcast feed system on Monday, May 19. You do not need to subscribe to a new … Read more

Comcast goes social with Plaxo acquisition

Correction, 5/15, 6:15 p.m.: The purchase price for Plaxo was previously misstated. The price is thought to fall in the $150 million to $170 million range.

Comcast is adding a social dimension to its services through the acquisition of Plaxo, a deal the two companies announced Wednesday afternoon.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the purchase price is thought to be in the $150 million to $170 million range.

The acquisition is a big win for Plaxo, whose Pulse social network service, with 1.5 million active monthly users, has been overshadowed by the likes … Read more

Q&A: Throwing sheep at Plaxo's Joseph Smarr

MIAMI--Joseph Smarr, chief systems architect at Plaxo, has become somewhat of an icon of social media's future. An ardent supporter of open standards, Smarr is arguably one of the biggest proponents of Google's OpenSocial who can't officially claim to be a Googler. So it's fitting that Smarr has played a prominent role at the Future of Web Apps conference; CNET News.com had a chance to catch up with him on Thursday and find out some more about what "open" really means and what's next at Plaxo.

Plaxo was the first major social … Read more

Plaxo, Bebo acquisition rumors run amok on the Web

"Who's going to buy Yahoo?" isn't the only big question in mergers and acquisitions this week. Over the past few days, rumors have circulated that social-networking site Bebo and contacts management site Plaxo are either in negotiations or already sold.

Nobody's commenting, obviously.

First, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington wrote on Tuesday that a source told him that a Bebo acquisition was "definitely happening." The company was in the process of negotiating a $1 billion sale, he said, but didn't know who the buyer was. Arrington speculated it could be Google, considering that … Read more