iPhone 4G Coming Out This July

At this point, a lot of people are eagerly awaiting the coming of the iPhone 4G. And for now, all we can rely on is the CDMA version of the iPhone 4G which is being tested by Verizon Wireless. But you don’t have to fret since by June, official specs of the much anticipated iPhone 4G will most likely be released at the WWDC conference.

And so for now, we can just imagine what the new iPhone 4G would come out with. Rumors have it that it will have awesome features that include video chat, multi-tasking and extreme downloading. This iPhone 4g could also have dual core processors and higher and powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions and better "still" images when taking pictures.

Well these are all speculations and while we don’t want to ruin the party, just wait and see. The iPhone 4G looks promising in terms of being sleek, packed with new hardware and multi-tasking software.

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Android Claims 38,000 Apps But What of Quality?

Google's Android Market is getting crowded, with 38,000 apps in total according to the company's latest earnings call

Considering that Android gained roughly 8000 apps since last month, the mobile OS is on pace to top 100,000 apps by the end of the year. But like any app store, the Android Market has a quantity vs. quality issue, and it's getting harder to ignore as Google beats its chest over app counts.

Wallpapers, ringtones, and glorified RSS feeds all boost the Android Market's numbers, but offer little value compared to, say, a great utility app such as Locale. As with the iPhone, which hit the 100,000 app mark last November, it's worth questioning how many Android apps are actually useful.

Android's situation differs from the iPhone because Apple restricts developers, but Google does not. So while Apple cuts down on apps built from templates that merely pull content from the Web and purges "overtly sexual apps," the Android Market can grow in any way it pleases, for better or worse. That's not to say the iPhone doesn't have its share of junk, and with OS 4 adding wallpaper support this summer, you're bound to see worthless wallpaper apps spring up in droves, as they have for the iPad.

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iPad Developers Rapidly Developing Apps for Apple's New iPad

With just under 6 billion mobile applications forecast to be downloaded this year, up from an estimated 2.4 billion in 2009, app development has no indication of slowing down.

First weekend sales of the iPad estimated over 700,000 units and iPhone app developers are switching gears and rapidly turning to iPad app development.

When asked why iPhone developers might continue to develop for iPhone vs move only to iPad, one developer said “Existing iPhone users might be more reluctant to spring another $500 for an iPad. That's a big reason why I'm keeping with both platforms now”.

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Google Voice Eventually Appears in iPhone

Apple is a company that has superior quality gadgets, but I felt it necessary to focus on the way they deal with possible competitors. One of their biggest news this year was the way did away with Google Voice applications--and one of these was VoiceCentral. Now a few months later, it seems that Google Voice will be making a comeback to the iPhone through Black Swan anyway.

How will it be able to bypass being banned in the App Store? Easy: it'll run in the browser.

When you dial a number, Google Voice simply makes a call to your iPhone while simultaneously calling the number of the person you are trying to reach, so you still pay for the voice minutes. But the appeal of having Google Voice on your iPhone is the ability to read transcribed voicemails, or play them, and avoid SMS charges by texting through Google Voice.

You can't use the contact list in the iPhone as it's running on the browser. So to get around this I suggest you duplicate your contact list in your iPhone in Google Voice. Although you may access the mobile site freely, using it will require you to pay an amount.

This is a good sign for developers who feel that Apple's App Store is just too strict or for those who want to earn more for themselves. Is this the beginning of paid applications on the browser for the iPhone and the end of application hosting on the App Store? New year coming, new ways of using the iPhone coming...

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Apple Leaks! 3MP Cams in iPhone and New Tablets

Image via CrunchBase

Finally we get to read some Apple leaks again! And it's not just about the iPhone mind you, we'll be talking about the iPod and another possible Apple gadget that may take the tech world again by storm. Will this mean that the next year is going to be Apple's year again?

3MP Cams in iPhone 4 Gen and Future iPods?

If Digitimes wrote it right, they just inadvertently spilled the beans that the iPhone 4Gen and the next sets of iPods will be having 3.2 Megapixels over the old 2 Megapixels they have today:

"The sources said OmniVision has secured 5-megapixel CIS orders for the next-generation iPhone model, which will hit shelves sometime during the second half of 2010. OmniVision snatched 3.2-megapixel CIS orders for Apple's iPhone 3GS, beating out Aptina Imaging which supplies the 2-megapixel CIS solution for the iPhone 3G."

Hopefully this means better camera shots and videos coming out of the iPhone 4Gen and iPods in the next year.

Apple Tablets are coming!

According to Boy Genius, they're certain that a 7 inch Apple Tablet is in the works and will be announced next month.

"Our connect said there is 100% a 7″ Apple tablet, to be announced in January, and whether this is in addition to a 10″ model, they don’t know. Would we bet the farm on this? No, but they’ve been amazingly accurate for us in the past..."

So we're actually waiting on TWO tablets? Wow! How will this affect current Netbooks? Will the tablets be better than the Mac? Are Apple shooting themselves in the foot?

Source of New 3MP Cams
Source of Apple Tablets

The Google Phone is Out There!

Image via CrunchBase

Is it good for service providers to go into the hardware side of the business? We all know that Google's Android has been slaughtering the competition (except for the iPhone that is) and now Google seems to be branching into the smartphone market with the ominously titled, "Google Phone".

Yep, it's been confirmed and Google employees are getting it--unlocked--as the tweets from the following Google employees show:

We noticed a Twitter message from a Google Program Manager, who writes “Stuck in mass of traffic leaving work post last all hands of 2009. ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful.”

Another guy, Jason Howell, says he had his hands on the device, which he says is made by HTC and is running Android 2.1: “The new Google Phone runs on HTC hardware. I saw it w/ Android 2.1. Homescreen has new visual enhancements like animated desktop wallpaper.”

“Supposedly, Google employees were given tons of these phones today. unlocked,” he adds.

What does this mean for current hardware manufacturers and developers like Motorola, etc. and the Android carrying lot? Does this mean that Google will focus more on making their Operating System work better on their phones over the others or will they still support their comrade at arms in the smartphone business? Nevertheless what Google decides, I know it's going to be a game changer in the smartphone industry as the Google brand alone will attract a lot of geeks out there to at least try out.

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Maemo: Linux Powered OS for Future Nokia Smartphones

Image via Wikipedia

Although the Symbian OS for the Nokia N-series has been profitable to both parties, there seems to be a Linux powered OS coming over the horizon in the next few months: the Maemo. We reported last time that Nokia is thinking of dropping Symbian for Maemo but it will do so in a very slow and deliberate way. We're reading reports now that are saying that only one Nokia will carry Maemo next year. Actually there's already one in production: the Nokia N900.

The question begs: why not just continue with Symbian and help develop it further? According to Reuter's:

"Nokia's Linux Maemo operating system is seen as a key for the top cellphone maker in its battle against Apple's iPhone, and many analysts and industry players have expected the firm to roll out numerous Linux models already next year."

What makes the iPhone OS such a hit with the "in" crowd is not just its Operating System but also its technology. Unless Nokia does better at that category, it doesn't matter what OS they use on their smartphones. Another to look into would be the applications that are one of the selling points of having an iPhone in the first place. Although Symbian does have its fair share of applications available for its user base, some are just way too expensive or cumbersome to be used on such a small screen as Nokia's. Lastly, it's the "coolness" factor. You look better with an iPhone on your hand rather than a Nokia's. In this case, it's a marketing problem that has been haunting Nokia for a long time in the US.

Hopefully with the new Linux powered Maemo, they also take a step back and look at the overall Nokia phone as something to overhaul.

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Pogoplug: Connect Your External Hard Drive to the World

Has it ever happened to you that sometimes the files you want are stuck inside your external hard disk? For example my little girl's 3rd birthday video is over an hour long and is definitely more than 500 MB, thus I can't upload it to YouTube. In order for my folks to view it, I need to bring them to my desktop PC or burn the video on a DVD disk and watch it on a DVD player. If you ask me that's too much of an inconvenience at this time and age. It's a good thing that there's a device called the Pogoplug.

The Pogoplug is a device that allows the files in your external hard drive to be accessible to anyone you desire on the web. Besides videos, you can also access and upload documents, pictures, and anything else! Imagine that your external hard disk drive has its own little site on the web! You can choose what other people can see or retrieve from your Pogoplug. For example, you can have your girlfriend access your pictures, and your business partner with the business files and documents. Another cool thing about it is that it can also be accessed through an iPhone, Blackberry, or Android phone. This means that pictures and videos don't need to reside inside your phone thus allowing it to have only the essential files in there.

Although it may be a bit costly at $129, there are no monthly or subscription fees for the website. Yep, once you buy it--that's it! So there you go, Pogoplug a computing cloud that connects directly to your external hard drive or USB.

Symbian OS Dropped? Casio Cam Roughed Up?

It's just the way of the world I guess: out with the old and in with the new. It's inevitable but the "old" should always be recognized for being a pioneer or trailblazer in its time. This is the case with Symbian and Casio now. Both old brands but which will survive?

Nokia: Goodbye Symbian, Hello Maemo?

With the smartphone market about to explode with the Android and iPhone, one of the first smartphone OS: Symbian, is about to be dropped by Nokia. According to some officials at the N900 meeting, Maemo: a Linux-Debian powered OS, will be eventually released into the market by 2012.

The transition will be a gradual one with further Symbian-based N-Series handsets already in development. Whilst the N900 was acknowledged to be a ‘bridge’ device firmly aimed at the developer and enthusiast community, subsequent devices will target the mass-market and Maemo-based devices will grow to fill all of Nokia’s flagship range by 2012.

Although this just may be a possibility for now, but with Symbian losing its popularity to the Android OS it's not really that much of a surprise. Is it a marketing issue? As far as I've read there's not much problems with Symbian except that it seems to have dropped off the radar and applications development seems to have dramatically decreased. Maybe the Android is the OS of the future with Symbian as the pioneer. Whatever happens the consumer will win in the end.

Casio Does a Rugged Thin Cam: EX-G1

I've always known Casio for their great digital watches and calculators, but they seem to be a good camera company as well! They have created the slimmest camera on the planet: EX-G1.

At just 0.78-inches thick, Casio claims the 12.1-megapixel EX-G1 is the world's slimmest, ruggedized camera. The first in a new Exilim G line, it has a reinforced 2.5-inch rear LCD, non-extending 3x optical zoom lens, microSDHC expansion, and intelligent autofocus.

Not only that but it also seems to be a rugged thin camera as well! It can work underwater for an hour ad be dropped from seven feet and it still works! You can get this come December with a $300 tag.

Symbian Dropped Source
Casio EX-G1 Source

iPhone Worm is Rick Astley's Face

Rick Astley used to be a big star in the 80's but now, thanks to some people in YouTube, have become some sort of a joke because of the Rick Roll'd phenomenon. It seems to have died a natural death around late 2008, but it seems to have made a comeback, in a somewhat sinister way: he's become a worm for jailbroken iPhones.

"Apple iPhone owners in Australia have reported that their smartphones have been infected by a worm that has changed their wallpaper to an image of 1980s pop crooner Rick Astley.

The worm, which could have spread to other countries although we have no confirmed reports outside Australia, is capable of breaking into jailbroken iPhones if their owners have not changed the default password after installing SSH. Once in place, the worm appears to attempt to find other iPhones on the mobile phone network that are similarly vulnerable, and installs itself again."

What a way to have the iPod Touch/iPhone's first worm: an image of an 80's star.

If your iPod Touch/iPhone has it, fret not as all it does is install Astley's wallpaper. To remove it, you need to change your root user password and delete "LOCKBACKGROUND.JPG" from (VAR/MOBILE/LIBRARY).

What's interesting here is that the creator has a message for those who got the worm.

Is this for the users who have brazenly jailbroken their iPod Touch/iPhones or for Apple? Nevertheless, this is proof that the iPhone 3G's security is really bad.

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iPhone Gen 4?

It seems that with all the hoopla that Android powered phones and devices have been getting, Apple has been secretly developing a new iPhone for 2010. Yes, it may all be rumor now, but according to Gizmodo's usually good sources, it's all true!

"Now, China Ontrade is claiming that this iPhone midboard belongs to the next-generation iPhone 4, which in theory is supposed to come out next summer, like all the previous iPhones. If confirmed, this means they have the piece about eight months before the actual iPhone 2010 release."

It's a no brainer that most iPhones are usually constructed overseas (usually China) for low labor cost reasons and it's no surprise that there were some pieces leaked. However, what boggles us is that the iPhone 3GS was just released a few months ago and they're already building a follow up pretty soon. Does this mean that apple has already given up the fight to further market and improve the applications of the current phone? Will this affect sales as people who haven't bought the current iPhone wait for a new gen one? Or is there another reason for this "leak"?

"But this makes little sense given Apple's manufacturing practices and self-imposed yearly-upgrade cycle, so this may all be a publicity ploy. Especially because they claim they will publish actual shots of the product in their web site."

Whether it's all a hoax (balloon boy in the making?) or the real thing, it's great that the iPhone's getting a bit of news again.

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Verizon Won't Be Getting the Pre After All

Image via Wikipedia

It wasn't the first time I was wrong on something, but Verizon's move on not continuing with the Palm Pre surprised a heck of a lot of tech bloggers as well!

It was previously reported that according to Verizon's COO, they would be getting the Pre soon, however according to this article, it seems that they won't be carrying Palm's Pre nor Pixi in its roster at all. This beguiles the imagination as they're getting beat by Sprint with its exclusive iPhone 3GS contracts.

Questions arise:

• Did Verizon think that Palm's App Store would go against its own store? Probably yes. Unfortunately, Palm's already got some apps going and Verizon isn't that well known for really attracting developers.
• Was it because of the falling sales? Probably unlikely as Palm has just released a cheaper (yet WIFI-less) version of the Pre called the Pixi. They're hoping that it will attract more customers in eventually buying a Pre.
• Are they secretly hoping for the iPhone 3GS to come their way? Unlikely as Mobile Crunch just crushed that idea:

It’s a fun thought, but I’d say no way. AT&T has barely been able to cope with the strain of a network full of iPhones, and Verizon would probably break. It’s also an expensive move, and Verizon’s always been about selling medium-sized services to cheap phones. That may have to change, but they’ll ramp up before they go all out.

• Are they preparing to go Android? This is the most likely scenario as the mobile phone OS has been developing at a quick pace to beat Palm's WebOS and even Apple's iPhone OS.

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iPod beats the iPhone 3GS anytime!

Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

When the first generation iPhone was sold and the iPod Touch came after, a lot of people suddenly felt their iPhone was just an iPod with a phone feature. Now it looks like it's happening again when it was confirmed that the iPod 3rd Gen is faster than the iPhone 3GS.

Macworld’s tests show some impressive gains. Boot went down from 31 to 19 seconds. Launching apps went from 12, 20, and 10 seconds to 7, 15, and 5 for Peggle, HR Battle, and Rolando 2 respectively. Web page rendering for the NYT site was down from 34 to 15 seconds, and the Sunspider JS test went from 34.2 to 15.6 seconds.

Well, it shouldn't be news to most iPhone and iPod fans but even the iPod 2nd Gen was much faster than the iPhone 3GS. What's worse, is that not only is it faster at loading but faster at everthing!

But it’s not just in benchmarks such as these where the new iPod wins out. Just as the iPhone 3GS was faster than the iPhone 3G at everything, the new iPod touch feels much faster at any task you throw at it: applications launch (and quit) faster, Web pages load more quickly, processor-intensive games and programs perform better—you name it.

Is it time to change to a cheaper and faster iPod third gen, sell that iPhone 3GS, and just buy a really cheap mobile phone? Depends if you're happy with what you got. If you ask me I'll take the iPhone anyday whether it's slower or not.



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Spotify on iPhone, Android, and S60!

Why is there so much hype for Spotify anyway? Besides being a killer music application for the iPhone 3GS, it's supposed to change the way is being shared--sorry--distributed via mobile device. We initially thought it would be impossible that it would ever get approved considering Apple's penchant for killing any app that competes with the iTunes Store, but it got approved--in Europe.

The day has come for the patient Spotify fans in UK, Sweden, Spain, France, Norway, and Finland to buy and download the app from the iTunes Store, and every music and tech lover's expected to download it. If you aren't convinced yet, check out the features!

Key features include:

• Access to millions of tracks with Spotify’s constantly updated catalogue
• Search and stream music instantly. Browse by artist, title, album, genre, label or year
• Create and synchronise playlists. Updates from the desktop application will be synced instantly and vice versa
• Playlists can be downloaded and played in offline mode when you have no connection, are on a plane or subway, or abroad and subject to roaming data fees
• Listen to tracks and albums in their entirety. Rewind, fast-forward, pause, skip and shuffle
• View cover art for all tracks and albums

Another piece of good news? It's heading over to Android and with Symbian soon! Talk about covering all the bases! Videos of how it'll look like in Android and Symbian below:

How will this affect the iTunes Store? How will Apple react to this application? We'll see soon as Apple has something up its sleeve coming Sept. 9. Until then enjoy your Spotify!

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Spotify on the Android

Spotify on S6o

Palm Really Needs More Apps

Image by renaissancechambara via Flickr

We reported a few days ago that Palm's Pre was in dire need of games in its App Catalog to liven it up a bit. Unfortunately it was just the tip of the iceberg as Palm explained the reason for their low number of apps in their store:

Palm said the low number of apps initially were because it had been offering its Software Developers Kit (SDK) called Mojo only to a few select developers. On July 16, the company made its Mojo SDK available to all.

After a week the Pre was launched last June 6 only 30 apps existed. Most can probably attribute it to the SDK not being released early enough, but it's really losing big time to Apple's App Store up until now.

What's curious is that Apple's iPhone 3GS has more apps in its store than the Palm Pre's even though it's regarded to have such a "closed" platform compared to Palm. Why is there a lack of interest in creating applications for the Pre? Is it because the developers feel that they won't earn anything off it? Most likely...

Now with the App Catalog e-commerce beta program, Palm has taken the next step towards having a complete app store. Developers will receive 70 percent of the revenue from their apps, with Palm collecting the rest 30 percent. The split is similar to what Apple charges for iPhone apps. Pre users will be able to purchase apps using Visa and MasterCard credit cards, said Palm.

With this carrot dangling in front of application developers, hopefully it will change things around for the excellent yet app/games thirsting Palm Pre.

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Palm's Lack of Good Games is Showing

Image by PatrickMoorhead via Flickr

Despite some security issues, the Palm Pre is a magnificent mobile phone. It's almost gone toe to toe with its main rival, Apple's iPhone 3GS. However, it does lack one feature that their rivals have: good games.

Should they be bothered with the lack of games in their phone? Both phones may not have been originally marketed for gamers, but let's admit it: a lot of gadget lovers are gamers as well! It may not beat the Nintendo DS nor the PSP, but if people get stuck in traffic or in a commuter train, some would wish for a game to whittle away their time rather than listen to some mp3s.

We're familiar with a lot of games for the iPhone 3GS, but none yet coming from Palm Pre. As far as we know only emulator hackers and homebrew heroes have tried using the Pre, but none yet coming from big time gaming companies or even from Palm itself.

It's nice to know that Palm Pre's really serious about putting games into their phones by posting a "webOS™ and Game Development" article on their site. However with the phone's WebOS, 3D games will surely be out of the picture. Instead, they are promoting "puzzles, word games, card and board games, innovative social games, and the list goes on – even simple arcade games." The question here, is how can they beat the iPhone's games with such?

Hopefully with Palm Central's list of Homebrew games for the Pre, it should urge the company and some developers out there to try using Palm's newest baby as a "somewhat" platform for gaming.

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Sony ups the ante vs. Amazon's Kindle

Image via Wikipedia

If you're into e-books then most likely you love them and hate them at the same time. Not the books themselves mind you, but they way that it's been restricted for you to read them in certain mediums. Amazon is one of the well-known proponents of this as their e-books can only be read through their uber expensive Kindle or the iPhone. It's good news then that Sony seems to be thinking in the opposite way.

We reported on Sony's e-readers a few days ago, the Pocket and the Touch, and we were rather surprised at what the company will sacrifice to ensure they get one over Amazon in this market. First, they decided to make two e-readers--both priced way lower than the Kindle. Second, they slashed the e-book Bestsellers from $11.99 to $9.99. Now, they've totally gone way overboard with the latest news that they will be releasing books on the ePub format!

What's ePub? It's a format that will allow you to read your e-book on a plethora of e-reading devices! Imagine buying a book through Sony and then reading it in the Plastic Logic eReader or the iPhone through Lexcycle Stanza! This is totally the opposite of how Kindle is handling their e-books.

“There is going to be a proliferation of different reading devices, with different features and capabilities and prices for a different set of consumer requirements,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading unit. “If people are going to this e-book shopping mall, they are going to want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store.”

Somehow the gadget book geeks will be taking a second and even third look at Sony's Touch or Pocket as a better and cheaper alternative to Kindle. We know we will!

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What's the Traffic Tweetuation?

Ever had a time where you heard from the news that your way to the office would be clear However that may change as Mobomo just announced that they will be releasing an app for the iPhone 3GS that will allow you to view, search, and tweet traffic conditions in any U.S. city. This is way more better as it is in real-time compared to other services where you need to wait for reports of traffic in your area.

Key Features:

• Leverages iPhone 3.0 OS Maps API to directly embed Google Maps into the application, providing a quick snapshot of all traffic alerts on nearby highways and roads.
• Leverages Twitter Platform so drivers using TrafficTweet can report current road conditions (traffic accidents, lane closures, speed traps and other alerts) to others via Twitter on an interactive map. App users can use color-coded icons to provide the driver with instant feedback.
• One-Click Driver Reporting eliminates need for onerous driver texting as it takes just one click to report speed and two clicks to report a traffic incident.
• Powerful Search Function embedded in TrafficTweet app allows users to quickly search for traffic conditions anywhere in the world.

The good thing about it is that it doesn't depend on proprietary data nor does it refer to driver generated content, but rather it's based more on a community attitude. Think of it as helping your fellow driver in avoiding the heavy traffic you're in right now.

"With the click of a single button, TrafficTweet is really the first way for drivers to, in effect, let off some steam about driving conditions in an easy, safe and productive way that allows other drivers to benefit from real-time updates tweeted by the community," adds Upender. "And by leveraging the Twitter platform so drivers can report conditions of any road or region - no matter how rural - TrafficTweet is truly global from day one."

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Apple and ATT: Explanation time?

Apple's hot news for any tech blog and that's why it's in here today--and it's still bad news for the giant company.

FCC wants explanation from Apple and AT&T re: GV Mobile

Image by somefool :: ɹǝqɐɯ ʍǝɥʇʇɐɯ via Flickr

When GV Mobile was removed from apple's app Store, there was quite a large uproar from the tech community. They instantly thought that AT&T was the culprit here; influencing Apple to take the app out of the store. However, with such a large amount of attention, the Feds have sent a letter to both Apple and AT&T asking them to explain why GV Mobile was treated that way. Obviously the FCC didn't like what they read and wanted the 4 W's and 1 H: What, where, when, why, and how the whole thing started.

The FCC’s new chairman Julius Genachowski made it clear Friday in announcing the letters that he was not pleased by Apple and AT&T’s actions, while leaving wiggle room about what, if anything, the feds would do.

“Recent news reports raise questions about practices in the mobile marketplace,” Genachowski said in a press statement. “The Wireless Bureau’s inquiry letters to these companies about their practices reflect the Commission’s proactive approach to getting the facts and data necessary to make the best policy decisions on behalf of the American people.”

How will both companies reason out that they eliminated GV Mobile just because Google's VOIP was messing with Apple's other apps? Everyone's dying to know how they'll get out of this one.

VoiceCentral finally gets response from Apple, but it's weird

Image by B Tal via Flickr

The other app taken out surreptitiously after it was approved 4 months ago and was already downloaded and being used was VoiceCentral. We reported last time that the developer was pretty much confused and angry and is now was faced with emails from angry users asking for their money back. What was even more frustrating on his side, was that apple never gave him a straight answer as to why it was taken out without even a notice coming from them. Well, Apple apparently needed time to carefully construct their words as they replied the next day:

On June 30, the team was finally contacted by Richard from Apple, a cordial person who was profoundly unable to provide specific, useful information to Duerr, details beyond the fact that “VoiceCentral has been removed from the App Store because it duplicates features of the iPhone … and was causing confusion in the user community.” When Duerr pointed out that other apps like Textfree, Skype, fring, and iCall also duplicated iPhone features, Richard said he couldn’t discuss other apps.

Apple and AT&T sure have a lot of explaining to do after this. I see this as a game changing event with the way carriers and mobile phone makers make their contracts and exclusive deals.

Source of FCC sent a letter of explanation to both AT&T and Apple

Source of apple's reply to VoiceCentral

Apple: making moves that befuddle us

Listening to both customers and security experts can definitely help your company in the long run. The faster you react to their feedback or concern the better your product will be--and that's the problem we found with Apple.

Apple finally patches SMS flaw in iPhone 3GS

Image via CrunchBase

If you remember that last time, we reported a serious flaw in the iPhone 3GS. All it took was an SMS and your precious smartphone would be hijacked by someone else. The ones who discovered this potential devaastating vulnerability immediately reported it to Apple, hoping for a quick patch. Unfortunately that was almost a month ago. In order to push the company to move their behinds, the guys who disovered the hack decided to detail on how to do it on a Black Hat meeting.

Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner told the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas that the hack works by slightly modifying the data - sent by the network and which the user does not see - that arrives as part of a text message.

Which thereafter, Apple issued a statement that they would be patching the Apple OS on the following day. What concerned most people were how Apple dragged their heels to do this.
An O2 spokesperson said the patch would be available Saturday through iTunes.

"We will be communicating to customers both through the website and proactively," the spokesperson added.
"We always recommend our customers update their iPhone with the latest software and this is no different."

Although it may take weeks to properly create a hacking program that will be able to exploit this flaw, we're glad Apple moved in quick at the last minute--saving not only their company but their iPhone 3GS buyers as well. Let's hope everything goes well after the patch.

VoiceCentral follows Google Voice out of the App Store

Besides GV Mobile and Google Voice being taken out of the Apple App store, another--already approved and available in the store for the last four months--was immediately taken down. VoiceCentral is no longer there.

Until this week, everything was going fine for the developer. He submitted the app and was approved by Apple. He released updates and they were approved by Apple. Then, all of a sudden and without warning, his app was pulled from the store.

And when he tried to find out the reason why it was pulled out?

In a blog post on Riverturn's Web site Tuesday, the developer paraphrased the call. At one point the developer asks the Apple rep if there's something he can change in the app so it can be resubmitted to the App Store. The response: "I can't say."
The developer then asks, "if we can't figure out the issue then how will we know whether to resubmit the app. And how will we know whether to invest in any other development efforts? Future apps could be impacted."
The response: "I can't help you with that."

So, if Apple can't give you a reason why an app that you worked hard on for months got suddenly taken out, prepare for the answer: "I can't say." And what's worse the people who bought his app is now asking for a refund he can't provide. Ouch Apple, ouch.

Source for Apple finally patching iPhone OS
Source for VoiceCentral app for the iPhone pulled out of App Store