Why does Google Maps for Blackberry attempt to "record media"?
June 20, 2010 9:47 PM Subscribe
Why does Google Maps for Blackberry try to "record media"?
I recently got a Blackberry Bold, and installed the latest version of Google Maps on it. When run for the first time, the Blackberry's permission-setting screen appears (as with most apps). I edited the permissions to the set I felt were reasonable (can make phone calls, cannot record media, cannot access files, etc), and clicked "OK" to set. However, the Blackberry OS then pops up a dialog box saying that Google Maps is "trying to record media" with a choice of "Allow" or "Deny". I choose "Deny", and then Google Maps shuts down, claiming inadequate operating permissions.
It seems strange that Google Maps would require recording abilities in order to operate. Bug in the software? Sloppy coding that demands blanket permissions for everything? Or is this a sinister data-gathering plot?
I tried the Google but I've got nuthin'.
I recently got a Blackberry Bold, and installed the latest version of Google Maps on it. When run for the first time, the Blackberry's permission-setting screen appears (as with most apps). I edited the permissions to the set I felt were reasonable (can make phone calls, cannot record media, cannot access files, etc), and clicked "OK" to set. However, the Blackberry OS then pops up a dialog box saying that Google Maps is "trying to record media" with a choice of "Allow" or "Deny". I choose "Deny", and then Google Maps shuts down, claiming inadequate operating permissions.
It seems strange that Google Maps would require recording abilities in order to operate. Bug in the software? Sloppy coding that demands blanket permissions for everything? Or is this a sinister data-gathering plot?
I tried the Google but I've got nuthin'.
I'm pretty sure that the way voice search works is that it records your voice into a small sound file which it sends back to the server, the server then extracts your search terms and sends them back to your phone (as opposed to doing the voice-to-text translation on your handset itself).
Additionally, voice search is still mostly beta, so while I had it as an option on one Blackberry, it didn't show up on a different (more advanced) model for quite a while. If you are switching over from one to another, you might now have a version that allows for this feature where previously you wouldn't have seen that option.
posted by quin at 2:11 PM on June 21, 2010
Additionally, voice search is still mostly beta, so while I had it as an option on one Blackberry, it didn't show up on a different (more advanced) model for quite a while. If you are switching over from one to another, you might now have a version that allows for this feature where previously you wouldn't have seen that option.
posted by quin at 2:11 PM on June 21, 2010
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posted by bottlebrushtree at 11:19 PM on June 20, 2010