Path Launches 2.1 Update: Music Match, Nike+ Support, And An API You Can’t Use Yet

Eager to put their privacy issues behind them, Path CEO Dave Morin has just pulled back the curtains on their new Path 2.1 update at an event in San Francisco, and it’s already shaping up to be a doozy.

Morin notes that photographs make up the lion’s share of 100 million+ moments shared through Path, and to make them more memorable, the 2.1 update includes enhanced focus/exposure controls, a new Pow! Lens to imbue your shots with some comic book flair, and tweaks to their existing set of lenses. Sorry Android fans, most of these camera updates are iOS-only for now.

Music Match functionality is also onboard, which gives users the Shazam-esque ability to recognize and share exactly what tunes they’re listening to. To make this happen, Path has teamed up with GraceNote in order to provide music recognition functionality directly within the app.

Fitness buffs may also appreciate the fact that Path 2.1 plays nice with the Nike+ fitness platform. Runs logged in the Nike+ GPS app can be shared with Path followers (if you’re brave enough — no one needs to see my pathetic runs) who can cheer people on from within Path itself. The 2.1 update also packs support for the newly-released Fuelband fitness tracking gizmo, though how exactly it interprets metrics like Nike’s FuelPoints is still unclear. Android users really can’t catch a break, as this too is iOS-only functionality.

Of course, for Nike to pull off such fitness-friendly sharing wizardry requires a little help from Path, and to that end Morin has announced that an official API that they’re currently being very selective with. So far, Nike is the only other company with access to it, and Morin hopes to keep things rather restrained for right now — access to the API will be tightly controlled right now, though it will eventually be made available to the public.

Nike strikes me as a thoughtful choice for a first partner though — Sarah at PandoDaily points out that CEO Morin and head Jawboner Hosain Rahman are apparently buddies, but Nike brings some hefty brand power to the table and could give Path some extra staying power.

The 2.1 update is already live in the App Store, but I have a feeling the ceaseless sharers among you have already pulled the trigger.

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